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Tinder-Style Apps Score as Online Dating Grows

The age-old quest for love is moving inexorably online for young and old Americans alike -- whether this means swiping on their phone for a hot date, or using matchmaking sites to find the perfect mate.

The 18 to 24 crowd has warmed to smartphone apps like Tinder that help them spot a match among a crowd of strangers. And the over-55 age group is growing more comfortable about meeting new love interests via dating sites.

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Internet is Growing Market for Illegal Drugs, Says EU Watchdog

The Internet is now a growing and varied market place for trading illegal drugs in Europe, the European Union's watchdog agency said on Thursday.

"Almost any kind of illegal drug can be bought today on the Internet and delivered by mail, with no face-to-face contact between buyer and dealer," said Dimitris Avramopoulos, the European commissioner for migration, home affairs and citizenship.

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London Black Cab Drivers Block Streets in Uber Demo

Drivers of London's traditional black cabs blocked some of the city's busiest streets Wednesday in a protest at the lack of regulations imposed on Uber.

Thousands of drivers brought their vehicles to a standstill around Parliament Square and Whitehall, near the Houses of Parliament, tooting their horns at regular intervals to make their discontent clear.

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Twitter Lets Hot Tweets Rise to Top of Timelines

Twitter revamped its timeline Wednesday, allowing the "best" tweets to rise to the top, despite warnings of a revolt from members loyal to the real-time flow of the messaging platform.

The tweaked format aims to inject new life into the struggling one-to-many messaging service by moving away from a pure chronological timeline to one determined by algorithm, as used by social network leader Facebook.

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Japan Camera Makers Battle Smartphone Onslaught

Highschooler Nao Noguchi is a perfect illustration of why Japanese camera sales have plunged the past few years -- she uses her smartphone for everything and cannot understand why anyone would bother with a separate device for photos.

"It is easy to take your smartphone out of your pocket if you want to take a picture of someone or something. And you can send the pictures to friends quickly" on social media, said the 17-year-old on a day trip to Tokyo's historic Asakusa district with her friend Rina.

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Obama Launches Cybersecurity 'Action Plan'

President Barack Obama on Tuesday unveiled a new cybersecurity "national action plan" calling for an overhaul of aging government networks and a high-level commission to boost security awareness.

The announcement responds to an epidemic of data breaches and cyber attacks on both government and private networks in recent years, and passage last year of a cybersecurity bill that aims to facilitate better threat sharing.

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India Regulator Deals Blow to Facebook in Internet Row

India's telecom regulator on Monday dealt a blow to Facebook's plans to offer free mobile Internet through its controversial Free Basics service, by outlawing differential pricing for data packages.

Facebook has suffered a fierce backlash in India from "net neutrality" advocates. 

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Technology, Ancient and Modern, Can Help Buildings Survive Quakes

Shocking images of a Taiwan apartment complex felled like a tree by a magnitude 6.4 earthquake have highlighted what is needed to build a structure that can withstand seismic shocks.

Like Taiwan, Japan is quake-prone -- it suffers about a fifth of the world's most powerful tremors. It has used a mix of ancient and modern technologies to make its buildings increasingly quake-proof. 

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Adblock Plus, Scourge of Websites, Seeks Industry Deal

For its users, Adblock Plus stands as a bulwark against intrusive advertising. But websites dependent on advertising revenue to remain free-of-charge see the open source software as a scourge.

Now the German firm behind Adblock Plus is taking a more conciliatory tack, reaching out to its adversaries to find an "acceptable" level and form of advertising on the net.

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Twitter Pledges Crackdown on 'Terrorist Content'

Twitter pledged Friday to crack down on "terrorist content," saying it had already suspended over 125,000 accounts on the popular messaging platform.

The accounts were targeted "for threatening or promoting terrorist acts," with most linked to the Islamic State group, said Twitter, which is under pressure from governments to act.

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