By Jessica Roy 1/21 3:11pm

Planet GOOG

Any excuse to use a pic of Queen Bey. (Photo: Shallow Nation)

Google Thinks the Solution to Weak Passwords Is to Put a Ring on It

If you think malware is the biggest threat to Internet security, perhaps you should think back to the last time you actually used a good, strong password. Two Google researchers recently submitted a paper to the IEEE Security & Privacy Magazine that argues that weak passwords are actually a bigger threat to online security than any of that malware embedded in those crappy porn sites you frequent.

Google’s proposed solution to the Great Password Scare of 2012-2013? Literally put a ring on it. Read More

By Nitasha Tiku 12/14/11 2:19am

Do It For Me

Chad Miller, actor, writer, Rabbit

TaskRabbit Picks Up a $17.8 M. Series B—and a Vote of Confidence for the Do-It-For-Me Economy

At midnight on Tuesday, TaskRabbit, the real time peer-to-peer marketplace that lets you outsource your dirty work to nearby “Rabbits,” announced that it raised a eye-popping $17.8 million series B round led by LightSpeed Ventures, the Sand Hill Road firm that also backed DoubleClick.

How thoughtful of TaskRabbit! Now Zaarly doesn’t have to be the only player in the do-it-for-me market with funding in the tens of millions. (In October, Zaarly announced a $14 million round led by Kleiner Perkins.) Betabeat recently profiled both firms in a feature about the rise of the convenience economy. Read More