CBS News - "Electronic tattoo" moving out of sci-fi realm
CBS News reports: "The National Science Foundation today released a video giving the latest news from researchers trying to develop flexible electronics that can be placed on the skin or embedded in the body. The hope is that these devices can be used to diagnose or provide care to patients. The group is testing prototype circuits that can detect muscle, heart, and brain activity with a skin-attached temporary 'tattoo.' These devices, made from small curly wires embedded in flexible membranes, perform as well as rigid electrodes, according to the NSF."

Comment: This is an interesting development. This tech is a bit different than the RFID tattoo we noted a few years ago, but it's still an interesting combination of useful technology with a skin (or below skin) based application.

My Way News - Twitter may censor tweets in individual countries
My Way News reports: "Twitter has refined its technology so it can censor messages on a country-by-country basis [...] Twitter will post a censorship notice whenever a tweet is removed. That's similar to what Internet search leader Google Inc. has been doing for years when a law in a country where its service operates requires a search result to be removed. Like Google, Twitter also plans to the share the removal requests it receives from governments, companies and individuals at the chillingeffects.org website."

New Scientist - FBI releases plans to monitor social networks
New Scientist reports: "The US Federal Bureau of Investigation has quietly released details of plans to continuously monitor the global output of Facebook, Twitter and other social networks, offering a rare glimpse into an activity that the FBI and other government agencies are reluctant to discuss publicly. The plans show that the bureau believes it can use information pulled from social media sites to better respond to crises, and maybe even to foresee them."

The Economist - India’s UID scheme: Reform by numbers
The Economist reports: "FOR a country that fails to meet its most basic challenges— feeding the hungry, piping clean water, fixing roads—it seems incredible that India is rapidly building the world’s biggest, most advanced, biometric database of personal identities. Launched in 2010, under a genial ex-tycoon, Nandan Nilekani, the 'unique identity' (UID) scheme is supposed to roll out trustworthy, unduplicated identity numbers based on biometric and other data."

My Way News - Protest exposes Silicon Valley-Hollywood rivalry
My Way News reports: "In a move that heightens the growing tension between Silicon Valley and Hollywood, Wikipedia and other websites went dark Wednesday in protest of two congressional proposals intended to thwart the online piracy of copyrighted movies and TV programs [...] Critics believe such tinkering with core Internet technology treads into dangerous territory that could lead to online censorship."

My Way News - Wikipedia to be blacked out over anti-piracy bill
My Way News reports: "Wikipedia will black out the English language version of its website Wednesday to protest anti-piracy legislation under consideration in Congress, the foundation behind the popular community-based online encyclopedia said in a statement Monday night."

Huff Post - Shelly Yachimovich: A Biometric Tower of Babel
From Huff Post op-eds: "The fundamental question here is the mere right of a state to hold such a database, providing itself with not only unrestrained power over offenders, but also over every human. Going down a slippery slope, this database could become a tracking device in an unbearable and easy way. First against criminals, then against protestors, and so on. This is Orwell's 1984. A gateway towards a totalitarian state, in which one's basic freedoms are crushed and it is potentially being traced without knowing."

Yahoo! News - Author of U.S. online piracy bill vows not to buckle
Yahoo! News reports: "The lawmaker behind a bill to combat online piracy vowed on Thursday to press ahead in the face of fierce criticism from Internet giants such as Google and Facebook [...] the Texas representative says giving Washington sweeping powers over the Internet is necessary to protect free enterprise."

My Way News - Google search gets more personal, raises hackles
My Way News reports: "Google is sifting through the photos and commentary on its blossoming social network so its Internet search results can include more personal information. The additional personal touches that began to roll out Tuesday mark another step toward one of Google's most ambitious goals. The Internet search leader eventually hopes to know enough about each of its users so it can tailor its results to fit the unique interests of each person looking for something."

My Way News - PayPal tests in-store payment system at Home Depot
My Way News reports: EBay's PayPal service is testing out a payments system in brick-and-mortar Home Depot stores [...] To pay using PayPal, customers will be able to enter their phone number and a pin code, or use a special PayPal card."