Webby News

Breaking Now: Streaming music service Spotify has release a video of the iPhone app which they’ve just submitted to Apple, which means it could be out in a few weeks. They’ve also revealed more of their business model - mobile access on any device will require a premium subscription.

Interestingly, you’ll be able to use the app when there is no wireless connection. The application has an offline mode that allows users to temporarily cache playlists to their phone for use when there is no connection.

AT&T has made even more people than usual angry when it started blocking/filtering parts of 4chan late last night. The popular message board, famous for being able to brew online (and offline) shitstorms like no other web property could, saw portions of its publication - including /r9k/ and the infamous /b/ - blocked for AT&T customers across the United States. Quickly enough, there was a lot of rallying going on, with 4chan members and fans virtually gathering to plot digital riots and all-round mayhem.

An update on the situation as of 8 AM Eastern Time: access to 4chan has apparently been restored, with AT&T reportedly confirming the hours-long block of portions of the site, “following the practices of their policy department.” AT&T went on to say that they contacted (or at least attempted to contact) the owners of 4chan, which Moot vehemently denies.

As an illegally-obtained video of sports reporter Erin Andrews is being passed around the web, security firm Sophos has renewed warnings that scammers are posting fake clips in order to propagate malware. It adds that link sharing on Twitter and blogs is only worsening the situation.

A video posted by Sophos earlier this week (below) warns of a fake CNN.com clone that prompts users to download a malicious file to view the video: links to the fake site are being propagated through forums like Yahoo Answers.

Sites like Twitter “Chockablock” with Fake Links

On Thursday, Sophos security expert Graham Cluley renewed his warnings, and implored web users to stop sharing these links with friends. He writes:

Hackers have created webpages claiming to contain the controversial footage that Erin Andrews’ legal team are trying to have wiped off the net. The cybercriminals are not doing this because they want to share the unauthorised footage, however. Their interest is to infect your computer with Mac or Windows malware…many news blogs and sites like Twitter are chockablock with messages that claim to point to the forbiddden video footage.

…One of the peculiar aspects of the Erin Andrews Peephole Video attack is…that it can show you footage of what appears to be Erin Andrews in her hotel room….it may mean that users click on these links, get infected on their Mac or Windows PC and then forward the link so their online buddies can also “benefit” from the sleazy footage not realising that they are helping the hackers catch more victims.

As Sophos mentions, the usual refrain of “get a Mac” to avoid malware doesn’t apply here: the threat affects both Windows and Mac machines.

Reviews: Twitter

Tags: erin andrews, malware, sophos, video, warning

As if AT&T wasn’t already bad enough. In an act that is sure to spark internet rebellions everywhere, AT&T has apparently declared war on the extremely popular imageboard 4chan.org, blocking some of the site’s most popular message boards, including /r9k/ and the infamous /b/. moot, who started 4chan and continues to run the site, has posted a note to the 4chan status blog indicating that AT&T is in fact filtering/blocking the site for many of its customers (we’re still trying to confirm from AT&T’s side).

Reports of the blocking began to surface on reddit this afternoon, and a number of blogs are beginning to pick up on the story, though it doesn’t seem like any have managed to get a comment from AT&T (we’ve reached out to the company and will update once we hear back).

Healthcare reform has been a hot issue the past few weeks, and with the current plan reportedly lacking the votes in Congress to pass, the Obama administration is once again turning to its social media presence to try and sway public opinion.

Tweet Your Senator, a new feature of BarackObama.com, is essentially a Twitter and Google Maps mashup that does what the name implies: sends a tweet to your Senator, encouraging them to pass healthcare reform legislation.

To use it, you simply enter your zip code, which will create a pre-populated tweet for you directed at one of your state’s Senators, and then plot your tweet on a map. With only a handful of Senators actually on Twitter (@MarkWarner and @Barbara_Boxer for example), most tweets simply fill in the name of your Senator as opposed to a Twitter handle.

But, the project is clearly hoping to leverage hashtags to create buzz. Each tweet contains the hashtag “#hc09” as well as hashtags for your state and zip code. Tweet Your Senator just launched last night, so it’s too early to say whether or not it’s having much of an impact.

Reviews: Google Maps, Twitter

Tags: barack obama, healthcare reform, obama, politics, president obama, twitter

Not sure which question is more appropriate here: why or why not? We’ve already witnessed the renewed interest in URL shortening services with the rise of communication platforms where brevity appears to be the norm rather than a side effect (Twitter!).

It was little surprising to see a custom one pop up that focuses specifically on iTunes links.

iTunes links are inherently long, non-sexy and practically unsharable web addresses that lead people directly to Apple’s media management software program where they can download applications for their iPhone or iPod Touch in a section called the App Store, à la http://ax.itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/browserRedirect?url=itms%253A%252F%252Fax.itunes.apple.com%252FWebObjects%252FMZStore.woa%252Fwa%252FviewSoftware%253Fid%253D321041850%2526mt%253D8.

The Internet got in a bit of a tizzy this weekend when it was reported that Twitter was banned from being accessed from inside the White House. What is this, Iran, some wondered? But have no fear, despite what White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs told C-SPAN, Twitter is apparently not entirely blocked and they’re working to open it up more, Deputy Press Secretary Bill Burton told Mediaite today.

Here’s where the confusion apparently comes from. Access to Twitter’s website is blocked on most White House computers, but that’s only for security and recordkeeping reasons for the time-being. Apparently, the White House is working with the White House counsel and the Office of Administration CIO “to review and relax these restrictions,” Burton says. And, more importantly, it is apparently not official policy of the White House that staffers are not allowed to tweet, and some do so from their own web-connected devices.