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The Daily Grind: Do you like getting email updates regarding MMOs?
Yesterday morning I received an email from Star Wars: The Old Republic to let me know that the latest game patch went live and I should totally play and check it out. Which is kind of pointless, because I have been playing. I didn't stop playing. Playing has been happening consistently the whole time. The mail shares a space in the same folder I reserve for mails like the ones from EVE Online urging me to come back after playing for one month seven years ago. Admittedly, working for this site means that there are very few bits of MMO information that don't manage to hit our ears at some point. But are these mails ever received with any real joy or interest? I ask you, dear readers: Do you like getting email updates regarding MMOs? Or would you prefer that games of all stripes stop pestering you and let you play what and when you want? Every morning, the Massively bloggers probe the minds of their readers with deep, thought-provoking questions about that most serious of topics: massively online gaming. We crave your opinions, so grab your caffeinated beverage of choice and chime in on today's Daily Grind!
Path app spamming users' contacts with texts, robocalls
The social messaging app Path recently announced that it's gaining a million users each week, but it may be using some spam-like methods to achieve that growth. Several users -- and several Engadget staffers -- have reported that the app has been sending smartphone contacts unwanted text messages, a problem that was first pinpointed several months ago. Contacts on the receiving end have seen messages stating that a friend wants to share photos with them, with a prompt to sign up for Path's service. According to (former) user Stephen Kenwright, Path has also triggered robocalls to contact lists -- even after uninstalling the app. Last year, the company came under fire for collecting contact info sans users' consent-- leading to an $800,000 settlement with the FTC -- and we imagine this new privacy snafu won't be without consequences, either.
Mac 101: Beef up your spam filters in Mail (video)
Nobody likes spam, but if you use Apple's Mail on Mountain Lion, at least you have some tools to deal with it. Plenty of Mac users rely on Mail to read, manage and process their emails... and spam messages. If you use email, you have spam -- that's just the way it works. Following up on Kelly's how-to from a few months back, let's take a look at some ways to manage spam efficiently and decrease your email processing time. Built-in Spam Filtering Mail's built-in spam filtering is enabled by default. You'll find it in the Junk Mail setting in Preferences. Make sure that the box labeled "Enable junk mail filtering" is selected. You can also determine where spam messages go after detection, or add exemptions to your filter. [Note that some online mail services -- Gmail in particular -- recommend disabling Mail's onboard spam filtering. Be sure to check the setup instructions for your service provider. --Ed.] In the Viewing preferences tab, disable "Display remote images in HTML messages." Some spammers send out messages with web bugs -- invisible images linked to the specific message you received -- that notify the spammer that your email is an active email account once you click on the message. From the spammer's perspective, this "validates" you as a real, live address, which then generates more spam for you. Not good. Turning off this feature prevents the spammer from recognizing your email as an active email account. Creating Rules Mail lets you create rules to fine-tune your spam filtering. One helpful method is to create a new mailbox for messages that meet your spam criteria. Once your new mailbox is created and properly labeled (i.e., "Spam-ish"), go to the Rules setting under Preferences and create specific actions based on a predetermined set of criteria. For example: If all the Content-Type Contains 'multipart/related' then Move Message to [the mailbox you just created]. Now that you've set that rule, messages that meet your criteria are moved to that mailbox. Fine-Tuning No spam filter is completely foolproof, so you will get false positives and false negatives. Mail allows you to select a message and click on "Not Junk" or "Load Image" which will correct the labeling of the message. The more times you correct these errors, the better Mail gets at reducing them. A good rule of thumb is to review your Junk Mail folder periodically to make sure valid messages haven't slipped through the cracks. Cloud Mail If you're not using Mail on your Mac, you still have options in the cloud. An iCloud or Gmail account can act as a buffer between malicious spam and your computer. In some cases, the cloud service filters may be a bit too aggressive; if you suspect some of your inbound mail is being blocked incorrectly, be sure to check the support page for your provider and test with another account. Third-Party Spam Utilities Several third-party spam utilities are available to further enhance your spam-squashing powers, including SpamSieve from C-Command Software. It's been around for quite a while and works very well. A single license will cost you US$30; a free trial is also available. SaneBox is an online application which helps to sort your email into proper boxes and reduces your email processing time. An added feature is that it runs through spam amazingly well. The Smart filtering feature of SaneBox reads your email messages, determines the level of importance and moves unimportant messages out of the inbox. The @SaneBlackHole will not only delete your spam messages but makes sure you never receive email from the sender again and automatically unsubscribes you from the mailing list. You can also defer processing your email by placing your email in the "@SaneTomorrow" or "@SaneNextWeek" folder and it will automatically pop back into your inbox when the time comes. The cost for SaneBox is US$5/month but if you refer other people you'll receive extra credits. The free Mailstrom.co service also can help you reduce spam along with unwanted subscriptions, newsletters and so forth. Mailstrom groups your email by big-picture criteria (sender, subject, size, etc.) and lets you archive or delete in bulk with a single click. For catalog emails or newsletters, you can also unsubscribe in only a few steps, rather than having to track down and confirm individual unsubscribe requests. By using these techniques, hopefully the only place you will see spam is in your musubi.
Overzealous spam filter causes never-delivered iCloud emails
Back in November, InfoWorld's Robert Cringely told the story of a Hollywood screenwriter's travails involving his iCloud email account. It appeared that iCloud was unable, or unwilling, to deliver messages with a PDF attachment containing the words "barely legal teen." Granted, that's not an issue most people should have to worry about, but the disappearance of emails without warning (rather than filing them to spam, as one might expect) did warrant some investigation. As Macworld reports today, Apple has been filtering email based on certain keyword combinations as spam for some time. Rather than move the flagged messages to a spam folder as most services do, in some cases iCloud email simply erases all existence of them. Macworld was told by an Apple representative that "occasionally, automated spam filters may incorrectly block legitimate email." In admitting that there is some filtering going on behind the scenes, the company also advised those who've encountered problems with said filtering to contact AppleCare. Of course, as Macworld authors Lex Friedman and Dan Moren point out, there are a few problems with this: how do you report not getting an email that you never knew was sent, because you never got it? Should we be following up by fax, skywriting or carrier pigeon? And, if you do have occasion to call AppleCare to report that your emails about "barely legal teens" aren't showing up, Friedman & Moren note that there's probably no more awkward conversation you'll have that week -- unless by unfortunate chance the AppleCare rep is a relative, former grade-school teacher or mandated reporter. The unsavory combination of keywords at the center of all this will apparently cause an email to never arrive at an iCloud recipient if they're contained in the message body, within an attached PDF or even within a compressed file. Encrypting the attachment, however, defeats the filter -- since the attachment can't be decoded, it can't be matched for content. Macworld also noted that outbound iCloud email with problem phrases is not filtered, nor are replies to a message with a filter trigger if the original email was sent from iCloud. The simple fix, should you wish to correspond comically about a young relative's recent 18th birthday? Change the "teen" to "teens," plural. For what it's worth, the iCloud terms of service have granted Apple the right to determine what content is appropriate -- and censor it without notice -- for some time. [Hat tip Ars Technica]
Mac 101: dealing with iCloud email spam
Dealing with an email inbox filled with spam can be a tedious process. Some spam emails, like those saying you have an inheritance overseas, are easy to spot, while others are cleverly crafted to appear legitimate. If you use an iCloud email account, here are some tips to help you curb your incoming spam. Avoid opening obvious spam emails First and foremost, you should not open an email that you recognize as being spam. Sometimes, the act of opening an email will alert the sender that the email has been viewed by the recipient. If the spammer knows that he has a fresh set of eyes, he will send even more spam your way. Enable junk mail filtering The Mail client built into OS X Mountain Lion has a Junk Mail filtering option that you should enable, especially if you get a lot of spam. You can access the settings by opening Mail > Preferences > Junk Mail (icon) and selecting "Enable junk mail filtering." The default settings should capture most of your spam, but you can tweak the settings if you want more control over you junk mailbox. If you enable the Junk Mail option, make sure you take the time to mark messages as junk mail. Every time you mark an email as junk, the entry is added to the junk mail database and the next message from this sender will be pushed into your junk mail folder. Over time, the amount of spam hitting your inbox will gradually drop. Manage your junk mail folder Apple's mail server is good at filtering spam, but it is not perfect. You can improve its filtering by marking inbox spam as junk. You can either Choose "Mark as Junk Mail" from the Action pop-up menu at the top of the window if you are using iCloud email in a web browser. You can also manually drag an email and drop it in the junk folder. All email messages in the junk folder are flagged as spam and stay in this folder for 30 days. After 30 days, they are deleted. It's a good habit to remember to check this folder on a regular basis. Sometimes, important emails are accidentally identified as spam and routed to this folder. Select a message, then click the Not Junk button to move this and subsequent emails from that sender to your inbox. Disable automatic image loading Besides not opening suspicious emails, you should also disable automatic image loading in emails. I know that it's great to be able to view your cousin's cute cat pictures as soon as you click on an email, but some spammers will use this automatic image loading feature to determine whether an email account is active. You can turn off images in the OS X Mail app by selecting Mail > Preferences > Viewing (icon) and deselecting "Display remote images in HTML messages." Don't worry, this won't strip the images from your incoming emails. You will just have to manually choose to load the images instead. Use an alias email address Signing up for a new online service or joining a new online mailing list is another surefire way to get additional spam. To keep your primary iCloud email in pristine condition, you should use your primary account to email only your close friends and create an alias email account for all your online ventures. Users are allowed to create three email aliases per iCloud account. To create an alias, you should open the web-based version of iCloud email by logging in to iCloud.com. Open iCloud email and click on the gear-shaped Action pop-up menu in the top-right corner of the window. Click on Accounts to open the account management console and then select "Add an Alias." You will have to create a new iCloud email address that includes between three and 20 characters. You can also add in your full name, assign a label color and add a description like "online shopping" for this alias. Once you create a alias, you can send and receive email from the account. You can also disable it when you don't want to use it for a while and turn it back on when you do. When an alias is disabled, all incoming email is returned to sender. You can also delete an alias, but deleting an alias is permanent. If you think you may use the alias again, you should simply turn it off.
Wings Over Atreia: Aion's 2012 naughty and nice list
The end is near! No, not of the world -- the end of 2012. And as is customary at the conclusion of a year, we look back over the past 12 months to assess the damage... er, I mean, review the highlights. This year, however, I'm not going to just ruminate on the top stories in Wings Over Atreia; I'm going to spice things up a bit with a naughty and nice list! That's right, folks; we are delving into both the great and the not-so-great things that have transpired in Aion since January. So bust out the spiced mela cider, grab a plate of gingerbread shugos, and join me as I make a list and check it twice to see how NCsoft has been naughty and nice.
Dropbox two-step login verification available in experimental build, coming to all accounts soon
Following up on its promise to tighten account security following a recent breach, Dropbox is now offering two-step login authentication to users who install the service's latest experimental desktop build. The team says the functionality will roll out to all users in the coming days, but listed full instructions to forum users who just can't wait. Those who op-in only need to download a new version of the Dropbox desktop software and activate the feature in their account settings. Once set up, Dropbox will require all unrecognized machines to provide a code, culled from an authenticator app or received via text message. The firm also provides an emergency back-up code that'll disable the feature should you lose your phone. Feeling insecure? Check out the source link below to get started. Update: Dropbox just made it official, detailing set up instructions once more on the Dropbox blog.
Gliph launches new Cloaked Email service that'll hide your real email address from prying eyes
Gliph, an online and mobile service that lets you send text messages anonymously, has expanded its offerings to include a new Cloaked Email service. As its name implies, Cloaked Email lets you hide your real email address when you send and receive email from someone that you don't know. It's a terrific way to protect your email from marketers and other ne'er-do-wells who want to add your address to spam email lists. The Cloaked Email service uses aliases for your real email address and acts as a relay between your real email account and the recipient of your email. This architecture lets you cloak your email, but still keep the convenience of using your normal inbox to send and receive emails. It's perfect for those situations when you are forced to enter an email address on a website or when you need to communicate with strangers via a service like Craigslist. How it works First, you need to sign up for the Gliph service and download the app to your iPhone. If you want to send a cloaked email, you must login to the web app or launch the mobile app and select "Send New Cloaked Email" to get started. The email interface includes your standard email fields so you can add in your recipient, a subject and a message body. There is no support for attachments at first, but you can earn the ability to use attachments by inviting others to join Gliph. Once you're done composing your email, you can hit send, and the email will be sent using your cloaked alias. When the recipient responds to your email, the message will go to the Cloaked Email address, which will then forward it to the inbox of your real email account. What happens next is the feature that sets Gliph apart from a service like Craigslist which hides your email when someone contacts you about a post, but doesn't hide it in subsequent emails. When you respond back using your normal email client and your real email account, Gliph takes that email, strips out the header information with your real email address and sends it using your Cloaked Email alias. Even though you are sending and receiving emails using your real email account, the recipient never sees your actual email address thanks to Gliph. First Impressions I've been testing the service for a short time and can confirm it hides your email as advertised. I was able to send and receive Cloaked Emails using my gmail account, and the recipient couldn't find a trace of my real email address anywhere in the conversation. We even checked the email header information and it contained only the cloaked email account information. The relaying of emails through Gliph's cloaked email service was also speedy. I sent an email, and it arrived in the recipient's inbox in less than a minute. Of course, I was likely only one of a handful of people using the service, so this fast transmission may slow down as more and more people start using a Cloaked Email address. One of the strengths of Gliph's Cloaked Email is its convenience. Once you sign up for Gliph, it is extremely easy to send and receive Cloaked Emails because the service uses your regular email inbox. You don't have to check another account or log into to another service to keep track of a conversation. It's all there in your inbox for you to view and archive. This ease of use means that I will likely to continue to use the service. The biggest drawback I encountered involved sending the initial email. To send someone an email using your Cloaked account, you have to use the Gliph web app or mobile app to send the first email. You can't setup your Cloaked Email address as an alias in your email client, so you must launch the app if you want to start a conversation. You can, however, provide your cloaked email address to others, who can use it to send an email to you via Gliph's service. Conclusion Overall, I was impressed with the Cloaked Email service. It was very effective at hiding my email address from others. I also appreciated the convenience of being able to use my regular email inbox to send and receive cloaked emails. The Gliph text messaging service and Cloaked Email are both free. All Gliph users get one free Cloaked Email address and can earn more cloaks by inviting users to join the service. If you are interested in checking out Cloaked Email, you will need to claim a Gliph as shown in this video and then download the iPhone app from the iOS App Store. Show full PR text Gliph's Cutting-Edge Cloaked EmailTM Protects Email Privacy PORTLAND, August 14th, 2012 – Gliph, a one-of-a-kind mobile and web app, today announced the availability of Cloaked Email, a new and innovative method for protecting the privacy of users' email addresses. Cloaked Email allows users to both send and receive email using their normal email client, while keeping their real email address a secret. Email sent to the forwarded to users' real email addresses. When the user replies, their real email address is automatically replaced with the cloak address. This design is perfect for situations like Craigslist communications and transactions, where users often prefer to keep their real-time identity under wraps. "We're excited about how Cloaked Email provides Craigslist users in particular with a new tool to protect their anonymity," said Rob Banagale, co-founder and CEO of Gliph. "We all have situations where we'd prefer to keep our actual email address private. Cloaked Email makes this convenient for everyone." In addition to general privacy protection, Cloaked Email offers Gliph users a new layer of protection against potential data breaches. By registering for a website or newsletter using a Cloaked Email address instead of a real one, Gliph users can limit their exposure to breach or attack. "As we've seen with the recent attacks against Blizzard, Yahoo and Stratfor, unfortunately, data breaches are becoming a problem for everyone," said Nicholas Asch, co-founder and CTO of Gliph. "From major gaming companies to global intelligence service providers, it just doesn't pay to use your real email address if you can avoid it." Each Gliph user is given one free cloak when they sign up for Gliph. Additional cloaks can be earned by inviting new users to the service. After five successful invites, email attachments are automatically enabled on all past and future cloaks. About Gliph Gliph is an award-winning digital identity platform featuring mobile and web applications that provide a secure way to send messages and protect personal information. Protecting private data and messages using AES-256 encryption, Gliph sets a new standard for consumer privacy and information management. Gliph is available for free on the App Store (https://gli.ph/iphone); the Android Marketplace (https://gli.ph/android); and as a mobile web app (https://gli.ph/m). For more information, visit https://gli.ph.
Dropbox confirms user info was stolen, adds new security measures
Dropbox has admitted that spam reported by its users over the last few weeks was the direct result of a security breach. Both login names and passwords were stolen from an unstated number of users, including a Dropbox employee. That account contained a list of clients' email addresses, which is what the company believes led to the spam in the first place. In response, it has contacted those affected to protect their accounts and outlined several new security features. These include a two-factor authentication option coming in several weeks and a new automated feature that will check for suspicious activity. A new landing page will also show you any logins to your account, while Dropbox reheated that always-helpful advise to avoid reusing passwords on multiple websites -- noting that a breach on one site can cause an entire cascade of grief.
Local notification spam: Devs, please don't do that
Want to know a quick road to a bad app review from your users? Local notification spam. Frankly, we're sick of it. You spam us, we'll toss your app off our phones like *snap* that. Just because local notifications don't require opt-in doesn't mean that developers should abuse them for marketing. Here's a rule of thumb: if your notification doesn't deliver information that your user specifically requested, don't send it. This goes for push notifications as well. When users opt in, they're not opting in for spam. One of my fellow TUAW bloggers mentions, "Ambiance is probably one of the worst, even worse than Disney. Every few days it tells you that 10 new Ambiance Exclusive Sounds were just added to Ambiance! I don't care." He adds, "Oh, and spell check your notifications. Some of them are just embarrassing." This is not the user experience you should be aiming for. When your spam arrives in the middle of dinner or at 3 in the morning, you fail to win hearts, reviews, and customers. "I don't care if I have 9 tokens, I don't want to start your game with my friends now or...ever." Goodbye app. Listen, developers -- user experience draws customers, not pushy sales techniques. And don't try to weasel your way out of this by saying "iOS 6 will solve this problem." Spam notifications are wrong, regardless of whether users can switch on "do not disturb." Rationalizing like that is a cop-out that doesn't address the fundamental issue. Apple (at least theoretically) refuses applications that send ads through push notifications; you should follow that for user notifications as well. Stop the local notification spam and win the hearts, loyalty, and respect of your users. Thanks to all the dev buddies in #iphonedev on irc.freenode.net who gave feedback for this post.
Apple responds to spam app Find and Call
On Thursday, Kaspersky Lab Expert researcher Denis Maslennikov wrote about a rogue app in the iOS App Store and Google Play store that secretly uploads your contact list to a remote server and then uses that information to send out spam text messages. Called "Find and Call", the app is actually a Trojan that lets users "find friends in a phone book." The app then steals your contact list and uses the phone numbers to send out spam messages on your behalf. The app has a companion website that lets you add your social networks and email accounts to the service. You can even use PayPal to transfer money to your Find and Call account. It is the first case of malware the company has detected in the iOS App Store says Kaspersky in a blog post. You can read more about the threat and its possible Russian origins on Kaspersky's website. The Loop has a follow-up report that confirms the rogue app has been removed from the iOS App Store by Apple because of "its unauthorized use of users' Address Book data." [Via Forbes]
Researchers out faux product review groups with a lot of math and some help from Google
Ever consulted a crowdsourced review for a product or service before committing your hard-earned funds to the cause? Have you wondered how legit the opinions you read really are? Well, it seems that help is on the way to uncover paid opinion spamming and KIRF reviews. Researchers at the University of Illinois at Chicago have released detailed calculations in the report Spotting Fake Reviewer Groups in Consumer Reviews -- an effort aided by a Google Faculty Research Award. Exactly how does this work, you ask? Using the GSRank (Group Spam Rank) algorithm, behaviors of both individuals and a group as a whole are used to gather data on the suspected spammers. Factors such as content similarity, reviewing products early (to be most effective), ratio of the group size to total reviewers and the number of products the group has been in cahoots on are a few bits of data that go into the analysis. The report states, "Experimental results showed that GSRank significantly outperformed the state-of-the-art supervised classification, regression, and learning to rank algorithms." Here's to hoping this research gets wrapped into a nice software application, but for now, review mods may want to brush up on their advanced math skills. If you're curious about the full explanation, hit the source link for the full-text PDF.
Google adds spam explanation to Gmail, steers clear of enlightenment
Why is this message in spam? It's a question we find ourselves asking our Gmail boxes almost daily, when messages that really should have made it through to the inbox end up in electronic purgatory instead. So why does Google's algorithm choose to filter certain legitimate messages, while letting the vast majority arrive unscathed? The answer can now be found atop each message filed as spam, presented with the simplest of explanations, that generally fails to provide any actual insight as to the email's assigned delivery. Such worthless gems as "It's similar to messages that were detected by our spam filters," "It contains content that's typically used in spam messages" or "Many people marked similar messages as spam" now await you above each note -- seemingly assigned just as casually as the emails themselves.
Nokia penalised for texting tips to Aussie users, regrets not adding unsubscribe option
Here's a bit of bad news for those who actually enjoy receiving Nokia's regular tips via SMS: Reuters reports that the Australian Communications and Media Authority has slapped the Finnish company a hefty A$55,000 ($58,000) fine, with the reason being that there was no way to unsubscribe from said messages. This kind of flaw sure is a surprise at this day and age, but Nokia's already taken action by simply axing this spammy service entirely in Australia, while at the same time "ramping it down elsewhere" just to be safe, according to Reuters. If Pope Benedict is still going about his texting business over there, we sure hope he won't be next on the Aussie naughty list. [Image credit: Ester Inbar]
RuneScape celebrates 'bot-nuking day' this Tuesday
Last week we reported that veteran browser MMO RuneScape was losing its ongoing war on bots. Players have begun botting on a massive scale, and it's become increasingly difficult to distinguish bots from ordinary players. Developer Jagex asked for help from the playerbase in solving the botting problem and announced its intention to continue fighting legal battles against the creators of bot programs. In a new community update this week, Jagex Chief Executive Officer Mark Gerhard announced the release of a new doomsday weapon in the war on bots. In an upcoming patch on October 25th, Jagex will be "launching our most formidable bot-busting weapon in our history, targeting what we believe to be 98% of the bots seen in game." This update permanently prevents reflection bots from working and the effects should be immediately visible in-game. To celebrate "bot-nuking day", Tuesday's patch brings four days of events and minigame bonuses for regular players. [Thanks to David for the tip!]
India caps text messages to curb telemarketing, Desi teens plot mutiny
SMS-based telemarketing is a serious problem in India -- so serious, in fact, that the government has decided to crack down in a pretty severe way. As of this week, every Indian mobile user or company is allowed to send only 100 text messages per day, as part of a new anti-spam initiative from the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India. The move is just the latest in a series of campaigns to combat a boom in aggressive telemarketing that, according to some, borders on harassment. Authorities say spam phone calls have already declined significantly since 2007, when the government instituted a national "do not call" registry, yet the problem persists, with many users complaining of receiving commercial texts during the wee hours of the night. Regulators seem confident that these new rules will go a long way toward solving this riddle, though some have been left wondering why India's millions of mobile subscribers should pay the price, rather than the spammers themselves. The Los Angeles Times, meanwhile, is reporting that subcontinental telemarketers have already begun circumventing the new regulations by re-focusing their efforts on junk mail, ad-based Twitter feeds and other ways to be just as annoying as they ever were. [Image courtesy of Thomas Hawk]
US government to beat back botnets with a cybersecurity code of conduct
Old Uncle Sam seems determined to crack down on botnets, but he still needs a little help figuring out how to do so. On Wednesday, the Department of Homeland Security and National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) published a request for information, inviting companies from internet and IT companies to contribute their ideas to a voluntary "code of conduct" for ISPs to follow when facing a botnet infestation. The move comes as an apparent response to a June "Green Paper" on cybersecurity, in which the Department of Commerce's Internet Policy Task Force called for a unified code of best practices to help ISPs navigate through particularly treacherous waters. At this point, the NIST is still open to suggestions from the public, though Ars Technica reports that it's giving special consideration to two models adopted overseas. Australia's iCode program, for example, calls for providers to reroute requests from shady-looking systems to a site devoted to malware removal. The agency is also taking a hard look at an initiative (diagrammed above) from Japan's Cyber Clean Center, which has installed so-called "honeypot" devices at various ISPs, allowing them to easily detect and source any attacks, while automatically notifying their customers via e-mail. There are, however, some lingering concerns, as the NIST would need to find funding for its forthcoming initiative, whether it comes from the public sector, corporations or some sort of public-private partnership. Plus, some are worried that anti-botnet programs may inadvertently reveal consumers' personal information, while others are openly wondering whether OS-makers should be involved, as well. The code's public comment period will end on November 4th, but you can find more information at the source link, below.
Ask Massively: I don't get the point of character customization in a first-person shooter edition
Seriously, I just don't get it. I'm not knocking the gameplay style -- yeah, it's not my preferred style of game, but I totally understand why people like it. But why spend a whole bunch of time deciding on what your character looks like in a game where you're never going to get to see it? I'm impressed with what they're showing off with this Gotham City Impostors video, but I just don't see the point in this particular setting. Obviously, I'm in the minority. In totally unrelated news, it's time for this week's installment of Ask Massively, which covers the matter of games that don't require the wholesale slaughter of wildlife. It also addresses our notorious and persistent spammer. (You know the one I'm talking about.) If you've got a question for a future installment of the column, you can leave it in the comments or mail it along to ask@massively.com.
Researchers developing software to finger phony reviews
Opinion spam isn't a new version of your favorite meat treat, repackaged for discerning canned ham consumers. According to a team of researchers at Cornell University, it's a growing problem affecting user generated review sites, and the gang is working to stop it dead in its tracks with a new program that's aimed at tracking down fake reviews. That software, which has been tested on reviews of Chicago hotels, uses keyword analysis and word combination patterns to bust opinion spammers -- fakers, for example, use more verbs than their truth-telling counterparts. The as of yet unnamed program apparently has the ability to post deceptive opinions with 90 percent accuracy, but is currently only trained on hospitality in the Windy City. Ultimately, the group sees the software as a filter for sites like Amazon, but, for now, you'll just have to trust the old noggin to do the detecting for you.
Hotmail adds 'My friend's been hacked!' feature to finger phishers
Hotmail's spent the past few years playing catch up with the competition, but for the most part, it hasn't done anything particularly groundbreaking with its services. Earth shattering might not be the appropriate descriptor for its latest addition, but Hotmail's added a helpful new feature to distinguish plain old spam from the kind that comes form a trusted source. Now, when you get an email from a friend that smells of something sea dwelling -- say a plea for some extra scratch from abroad -- you can select "My friend's been hacked!" from the "Mark as" menu, alerting the powers that be that your friend's account has been hacked. When you mark a missive as junk, you can likewise click a box that reads: "I think this person was hacked!" Once that's done, the spammers are kicked to the curb, and your friend is put through an "account recovery flow" the next time they attempt to log in. On the prevention front, Hotmail will soon roll out a new service that blocks users from selecting common passwords. It might not be enough to coax us over, but maybe this time the other guys could learn a few lessons.
