I’m sure many parents can relate to this scenario: You’re browsing the web and you happen upon a saved site, or maybe check your history. And there it is – a porn link that you didn’t access. What do you do? At what age do you think you have to start worrying about this?

Well, according to a new study, it’s a lot earlier than you think. Apparently, kids are starting to look at porn by the time they reach the age of six. Yes, six.

The study comes from internet security and antivirus software provider Bitdefender, who released the results to USA Today. Bitdefender used data compiled from its various parental controls services alongside a survey of over 19,000 parents worldwide.

The survey found that kids start watching porn as early as 6, and are “flirting” on the internet by the ripe old age of 8.

Social media use is also starting earlier – 17% of kids had an account on some social networking site by the age of 10 and 25% had one by the age of 12.

“Kids nowadays are acting like young adults online — just give them an Internet-connected device, and they will find a way to things parents would like to ban forever,” says Bitdefender Chief Security Strategist Catalin Cosoi.

Of course, parents are the key. Both in limiting what young kids see on the internet, as well as having important conversations about both the good and the bad that exists on the web.

And it looks that those conversations need to start happening early. Very early.

Stonewall, if you’re unfamiliar, creates firewall products.

The deal is worth $389 million.

McAfee President Michael DeCesare said, “With the pending addition of Stonesoft’s products and services, McAfee is making a significant investment in next-generation firewall technology. These solutions anticipate emerging customer needs in a continually evolving threat landscape. Stonesoft is a leading innovator in this important market segment. We plan to integrate Stonesoft’s offerings with other McAfee products to realize the power of McAfee’s Security Connected strategy. Stonesoft products will benefit from the collective expertise of more than 7,200 McAfee employees. Leveraging McAfee’s cloud-based Global Threat Intelligence service will provide our combined customers with unparalleled security.”

Stonesoft CEO Ilkka Hiidenheimo added, “The combination of the two companies allows Stonesoft to benefit from McAfee’s global presence and sales organization of over 2,200 employees, best-in-class threat research and technology synergies. Combined, we believe we can offer our customers a world-class product portfolio with world-class support – all backed by Intel.”

The rationale for the acquisition, McAfee says, is based on network security being a vital component of a comprehensive security solution, and next-generation firewalls are one of the fastest growing segments of this. Stonesoft is considered a leader in the space, and McAfee expects to grow its network security business with a more complete offering.

Today, they’re unveiling the all new “Trusted Contacts,” which is a revamp of their “Trusted Friends” feature that they first tested way back in 2011. This time around, the feature has increased security and is easier to manage and use.

It’s pretty simple, really. Once you access your security settings and enable trusted contacts, you just select 3 to 5 friends that you trust to help you access your account. If you’re locked out, simply call your friends and let them know. They’ll be able to obtain a code, different codes for each trusted contact. All you have to do is enter three separate security codes to regain access to your account.

Before, users could only manage their trusted friends when they were having trouble accessing their accounts. Now, users can manage their trusted contacts at any time via their security settings.

“With trusted contacts, there’s no need to worry about remembering the answer to your security question or filling out long web forms to prove who you are. You can recover your account with help from your friends,” says Facebook.

You should be able to manage your “trusted contacts” in your security settings starting today.

The methodology is simple enough. The EFF looks at 18 prominent tech companies including Facebook, Twitter, Google, Yahoo, Apple, and Amazon, and judges them based on 6 different categories (up from 4 last year). It then awards stars to the companies if their actions in those categories are on the side of protecting user rights.

This year, Twitter and ISP Sonic.net were the only two companies to receive full 6-star ratings from the EFF. Last year, they were the top two performers in the report, scoring a 3.5 and 4 star rating, respectively.

Here are the 6 categories that the EFF looks at for their report:

1. Does the company require a warrant for content of communications?
2. Does the company tell users about government data requests?
3. Does the company publish transparency reports?
4. Does the company publish law enforcement guidelines?
5. Does the company fight for users’ privacy rights in court?
6. Does the company fight for users’ privacy in Congress?

Verizon and Myspace received zero stars, while Apple, AT&T, and Yahoo received 1 star. On the flip side, Dropbox, Google, LinkedIn, and Spideroak got nearly perfect marks, coming in with 5 stars out of 6.

Readers of this year’s annual privacy and transparency report should be heartened, as we are, by the improvements major online service providers made over the last year. While there remains room for improvement in areas such as the policies of location service providers and cellphone providers like AT&T and Verizon, certain practices – like publishing law enforcement guidelines and regular transparency reports – are becoming standard industry practice for Internet companies.

And we are seeing a growing, powerful movement that comprises civil liberties groups as well as major online service providers to clarify outdated privacy laws so that there is no question government agents need a court-ordered warrant before accessing sensitive location data, email content, and documents stored in the cloud.

Remember: you entrust most of these companies with almost everything in your digital life – photos, personal info, location, financial info. It’s important to know exactly where each stands in terms of protecting that info against prying eyes. The EFF warns that the absence of a star doesn’t necessarily mean that the company is thwarting user rights in that category – it simply may mean that they haven’t been given the chance to defend user rights in that arena. Here’s the EFF’s full star report:

“There have been several recent incidents of high-profile news and media Twitter handles being compromised. We believe that these attacks will continue, and that news and media organizations will continue to be high value targets to hackers,” said Twitter in a memo obtained by BuzzFeed. “These incidents appear to be spear phishing attacks that target your corporate email. Promoting individual awareness of these attacks within your organization and following the security guidelines below is vital to preventing abuse of your Twitter accounts.”

As you may remember, the Associated Press’ Twitter account was hacked last week, and it sent out a false tweet claiming that there had been an explosion at the White House and that President Obama was injured. This tweet, though only visible for minutes before the AP took down the account, sent the stock market into a dive. Earlier this week, The Guardian also fell victim to a hack.

Twitter’s warning to news organizations suggests many of the things you would expect: change your passwords, make them strong, and keep your email accounts secure, since Twitter uses email to verify. Twitter also asks hack victims to contact them immediately so they can work on finding the problem as soon as possible.

But there is a pretty strange and severe request from Twitter: make sure you have a single computer that’s just for Twitter. Don’t do anything else on it. What?

“Designate one computer to use for Twitter. This helps keep your Twitter password from being spread around. Don’t use this computer to read email or surf the web, to reduce the chances of malware infection. Minimize the number of people that have access. Even if you use a third-party platform to avoid sharing the actual Twitter account password, each of these people is a possible avenue for phishing or other compromise.”

Interesting. Twitter is obviously taking this very seriously, and thinks you should too. If you operate an account that you think would be a high target of hackers, it’s time to up the concern a little bit.

Recent reports indicated that Twitter was working on two-step verification (finally) to make it a bit harder for attackers to compromise accounts. Although that wouldn’t totally fix the problem, it would be a start. It’s interesting that although we heard that this two-factor verification is on the horizon, Twitter is suggesting in this letter that organizations seek out help from a third-party two-step verification provider.

According to Wired, Twitter has such a system currently undergoing internal testing, and they will soon begin to roll it out “incrementally.”

Two-step verification, as you probably know, is really any approach to account authentication that involves two layers. Usually, this involves the typical password layer, beefed up by a mobile alert (usually an additional code sent to an account holder’s device). Plenty of companies with online log-ins like Google and Apple have already implemented some version of this security measure.

Back in February, a job posting on Twitter’s employment site suggested that Twitter was getting more serious about two-step verification. The posting, for a software engineer specializing in product security, listed duties to ““design and develop user-facing security features, such as multifactor authentication and fraudulent login detection.”

Two-step verification isn’t a panacea for every product security issue, and it’s not going to prevent every hack. But it is a necessary blockade between your account and the bad guys who wish to use it for nefarious purposes. It’s about time that Twitter launched something like this, and there’s no better time than now – especially after the recent high-profile hacks.

Basically this means Microsoft asks you for two pieces of info when you try to access your account: your password, and a code it sends to your phone or by email. Google has had this available for quite some time, and regularly urges users to take advantage of it, so their accounts don’t become compromised. It’s kind of annoying when you want to log in on a different device, but probably worth the minor inconvenience in the long run.

Microsoft account Group Program Manager Eric Doerr says, “More than a year ago, we began bringing two-step verification for certain critical activities, like editing credit cards and subscriptions at commerce.microsoft.com and xbox.com, or accessing files on another one of your computers through SkyDrive.com. For these scenarios, two-step verification is required 100 percent of the time for everyone, given the sensitive nature of these tasks.”

“With this release you can choose to protect your entire account with two-step verification, regardless of what service (or device) you are using with your Microsoft account,” he adds. “It’s your choice whether you want to enable this, but for those of you that are looking for ways to add additional security to your account, we’ve worked hard to make set-up really easy.”

Google’s Matt Cutts approves:

For steps on setting up two-step verification with Microsoft, read Doerr’s blog post.

The consumer safety education initiative will see Facebook and the NAAG partner for a series of instructional videos and other privacy tips.

For instance, Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg will be featured in 19 different state-specific PSAs. She will stand alongside 19 state Attorneys General in the videos, which will be released on Tuesday.

“At Facebook, we work hard to make sure people understand how to control their information and stay safe online. We’re always looking for new partners in that endeavor – that’s why we’re thrilled to collaborate with the National Association of Attorneys General,” said Sandberg.

The privacy education initiative will also consists of a “What you Can Do to Control Your Information” video that will look to provide basic tips on Facebook privacy, bully prevention, and internet safety in general. Facebook will also provide a new privacy tip sheet. At of this info will be posted on Facebook’s Safety page, as well as the official websites and pages of all the Attorneys General.

“Teenagers and adults should know there are tools to help protect their online privacy when they go on Facebook and other digital platforms,” Gansler said. “We hope this campaign will encourage consumers to closely manage their privacy and these tools and tips will help provide a safer online experience. Of course, attorneys general will continue to actively protect consumers’ online privacy as well,” said NAAG President and Maryland AG Douglas Gansler.

“Last October we expanded our AV Marketplace to include new vendors in order to provide even more choice and protection to the over 1 billion people who use our service. Today, we look forward to opening up the Marketplace to even more of our users,” says Facebook.

“We hope this will help you protect your devices both on and off of Facebook.”

Facebook launched their AV Marketplace back in April of last year. The marketplace offers free versions of popular antivirus software for users, originally launching partnerships with Microsoft, McAfee, TrendMicro, Sophos and Symantec.

Free antivirus is beneficial to Facebook users, obviously. The marketplace offers free trials of the software, upon which they can decide if they want to fork over the cash for full version.

It’s not just about giving users the ability to download free trials of anti-virus software. These partnerships allow Facebook to to incorporate their databases into Facebook’s own URL blacklist database, so that Facebook is better able to identify potential threats on the site before they become major problems.

Facebook beefed up the AV marketplace back in October, adding partnerships with avast!, AVG, Avira, Kaspersky, Panda, Total Defense, and Webroot.

Along the way, Facebook also launched the Malware Checkpoint, which lets users self-enroll in anti-virus protection. They also created a new phish@fb.com email address, where users can send reports on any phishing attacks they come across on the site.

You can check out all the products offered for PC, Mac, and Mobile here.

Questions like: What is it? Is it the future of currency? How valuable can it get? How risky is it to use Bitcoin? One article even asks if “Bitcoin versus government” is the “new gun rights battle”.

Does your business accept Bitcoin payments? Do you use it to buy stuff? Why or why not? Share your thoughts about this currency in the comments.

First off, if you’re unfamiliar with the concept of Bitcoin, a brief explanation is probably in order. It’s a non-government-based, open source, P2P digital currency, in short. As Bitcoin.org explains, it’s also a protocol, and a software than enables instant P2P transactions, worldwide payments, low or zero processing fees and “much more”.

“Bitcoin uses peer to peer technology to operate with no central authority; managing transactions and issuing Bitcoins are carried out collectively by the network,” the site explains. “Through many of its unique properties, Bitcoin allows exciting uses that could not be covered by any previous payment systems.”

For users, Bitcoin compares the transaction process to that of email. That makes it sound pretty simple, doesn’t it?

“As a new user, you only need to choose a wallet that you will install on your computer or on your mobile phone,” Bitcoin.org explains. “Once you have your wallet installed, it will generate your first Bitcoin address and you can create more whenever you need one. You can disclose one of your Bitcoin addresses to your friends so that they can pay you or vice versa, you can pay your friends if they give you their addresses. In fact, this is pretty similar to how email works. So all that is left to do at this point is to get some bitcoins and to keep them safe. In order to start using Bitcoin, you are not required to understand the technical details.”

There are reasons why Bitcoin might appeal to the non-geeky. As Business Insider’s Henry Blodget writes on Yahoo Finance, “The premise and promise of Bitcoin–the part that appeals to folks who don’t happen to be gold bugs or cryptography geeks–is that the current plan is for only a finite number of Bitcoins to be created. This is in direct contrast to standard government-issued currencies, which governments can always print more of. If the supply of Bitcoins remains finite, this should theoretically eliminate inflation, which is one of the biggest drawbacks of paper money.”

In turbulent worldwide economic times like these, this presents a pretty interesting concept.

About a year ago, WebProNews talked to Bitcoin Lead Core Developer, Gavin Andresen. In light of recent developments, it seems worth revisiting some of what he had to say about the currency and its future.

In the wake of a “press avalanche” following a controversy in which Bitcoin was being used in drug transactions, Andresen said, “Where the first couple of mainstream articles about Bitcoin caught the attention of other reporters, who in turn also wrote about it, which then triggered even more press. That was both great and terrible for the project: great because it drew a lot more technical and business talent to look at Bitcoin and start Bitcoin-related projects, but terrible because when people realized that Bitcoin still has a lot of growing up to do, the speculative bubble popped.”

“I think it is very likely the same thing will happen again sometime in the next few years as other parts of the world discover Bitcoin or it is re-discovered in Europe and the U.S.,” he said. “I expect the wild price fluctuations to diminish over time as Bitcoin infrastructure grows up and speculators start to get a better idea of the real value of Bitcoin.”

Indeed, many have now seen the value. Not only has the Bitcoin’s value surpassed $100, but there is a huge list of online and real world businesses that currently accept Bitcoin here. Even that is not all inclusive, as it is noticeably missing reddit, which recently announced that it now accepts Bitcoin for reddit gold.

If you’re a small business interested in accepting Bitcoin yourself, you’d probably do well to start with this walkthrough.

“If you expect that the number of people interested in using Bitcoin is small, you might simply start by posting a sign or a note: ‘We Accept Bitcoin’, and ask people to contact you directly in order to make a payment,” it says. “Even if hardly anybody uses Bitcoin as a payment method, you’re helping Bitcoin in two ways: one, by increasing awareness, and two, by making your customers more willing to accept Bitcoin as payment from others in the future, because now they know somewhere they can spend it.”

For selling goods or services on a website, it says, you’ll want to use a Bitcoin merchant solution to accept the currency. You can usually opt to have Bitcoins converted to dollars or other currencies automatically. For brick and mortars, customers can pay with their mobile phone apps, so the guide recommends placing a QR code near your register, so customers can quickly scan and pay.

“I tell people to only invest time or money in Bitcoin that they can afford to lose,” Andresen said in the interview. “There are a lot of things that could possibly derail it, ranging from some fundamental flaw in the algorithm that everybody has missed to world-wide government regulation to some alternative rising up and replacing Bitcoin.”

He did note at the time that he finds these scenarios to be unlikely.

He also had some interesting things to say about potential digital currency competition: “I think to overcome Bitcoin’s head-start, an alternative will either have to have a large company or government backing it and marketing it. Or else, it will have to be radically better in some way. There seems to be a perception that Bitcoin is in a winner-take-all race against other currencies; either everybody in the world will be using it for all of their online purchases in 50 years or it will not exist. I think the online payment world will like our current world of currencies – different currencies used in different places. The online payments won’t be divided by geography, though it might be divided by language or culture or social network.”

“I think there will eventually be one dominant currency that is used for 80% of worldwide online transactions,” he predicted. “But I think there will always be alternatives. The most likely outcome in my lifetime, the next 40 years or so, is most people will use their national currencies when purchasing goods and services from other people in their own countries but will use something else for international payments.”

Questions about the security of Bitcoin are likely to run through many heads, particularly as we read about sites and businesses being hacked nearly every day. The Bitcoin stance on this is essentially that the security is in your hands just as the security of your physical wallet is. It’s up to you to take the precautions. It is recommended that you backup your wallet, encrypt your wallet, “be careful with online wallets,” and use an offline back up for savings. This is all discussed a bit more here.

“To steal your Bitcoins, thieves would have to break into both your computer or smartphone and your bank,” Andresen said in the interview. “And, it would be impossible for anybody at the bank to steal them without first breaking into your computer.”

About a month after WebProNews spoke with Andresen, Bitcoin exchange service Bitcoinica became the victim of a $92,000 theft.

There is a lot of speculation out there about what Bitcoin can truly become, and that’s not likely to change anytime soon. Andresen tweeted that he enjoys “appropriately skeptical but accurate articles,” like “How Bitcoin could destroy the state (and perhaps make me a bit of money)” at The Spectator. Here’s an excerpt from that to give you an idea of what he means:

So. The first thing you need to know about Bitcoin is that it’s a peer-to-peer, digitised crypto-currency. No, please, don’t stop reading. Just hold that one in your mind while we talk about the second and third things you need to know about Bitcoin, which are far more exciting. For example, you can buy drugs with it! I mean, sure, you can buy plenty of other stuff, too, but I’m really not sure anybody actually does. According to one study, Silk Road, the main ‘buy drugs with Bitcoin’ website, has a monthly turnover of around a million quid. And thirdly — you’ll like this one, you capitalist Spectator types — its value is rocketing. A month ago — out of interest, rather than a desire for heroin, Mum — I bought £100 of Bitcoin. Two weeks ago, like, I said, it was worth £157. Today, it’s worth £213. Interested yet?

Actually, the second and third things aren’t as important as I made out. Mnyeh, drugs, you can buy them anywhere. And, sure, Bitcoin is bullish at the moment, but the value notoriously bounces all over the place (in 2010 somebody spent 10,000 of them on a pizza, a sum which would today make that pizza worth £465,368). So, no, far more interesting than the drugs and riches is the core idea, which is this peer-to-peer crypto business. For the non-tech-savvy among us, this basically means it’s not quite like any other currency we’ll have ever used. It doesn’t have a central bank. Nobody is in charge. A Bitcoin is a thing that simply exists, like gold.

There is a hard limit on the amount of Bitcoins that can be created, and that’s 21 million. That number is expected to be reached in the year 2140. Is Bitcoin’s future bright enough to last that long? Do you accept Bitcoin payments? Do you plan to? Do you use the currency to make payments? Share your thoughts about this interesting digital money platform in the comments.