A Difficult Problem, Complicated by the Internet

Eating disorders are among the most commonly diagnosed mental illnesses, with an estimated 24 million Americans suffering from anorexia, bulimia and other problematic eating behavior. Treatment of these illnesses can be particularly difficult, especially since the disorders feature a complex intersection of psychological, social and genetic factors.

More people die young from eating disorders than any other mental illness, and the problem is not getting better, especially since those afflicted often turn to online communities to fuel their destructive behavior.

Eating disorders predate modern technology, but the communication revolution sparked by the rapid growth of Internet use and mobile technology have profoundly changed the way people experience and come to grips with this self-harming behavior.

A number of innovative apps and programs using smartphone technology and social media to offer support systems for people struggling with eating disorders, but technology continues to serve as a platform for triggering images, videos, conversations and impossible comparisons reinforcing the illness, and people dealing with eating disorders may want to tread carefully when surfing the Web and using their smartphones.

Problem Sites Create Toxic Community

Sites and forums devoted to encouraging eating disorders have a long history on the Internet, with today’s sufferers taking advantage of inventions like Tumblr, Facebook and Pinterest to fuel their destructive behavior.

Even back when most people used AOL and Compuserve dial-up service, communities that egged on harmful behavior flourished. People with eating disorders used the Internet to validate their behavior and form quasi-support groups that actually approved of destructive behavior.

These “pro-ana” (pro-anorexia) and “pro-mia” (pro-bulimia) groups posted “thinspiration” or “thinspo” photos, videos and tips, sometimes competing against each other to achieve the ideal body weight. The practice so alarmed French lawmakers that in 2008 they outlawed posting “thinspo” images and comments trying to curb the growing movement.

In 2002, the New York Times ran an article highlighting pro-eating disorder online communities, and figured the number of community members ranged in the thousands. People with eating disorders often felt pressure from friends and families to work toward changing their anorexic and bulimic behavior, but online, they found a community that shared and celebrated their unhealthy pursuits.

Now, the numbers have likely grown considerably. The rise of social media sites like Facebook exacerbates the problem, because people struggling with eating disorders have a constant source of images to compare themselves with, and the communities are thriving. Facebook has since prohibited pro-ana and thinspiration forums, but people still report feeling lowered self-esteem after visiting the site because of the ample opportunities to compare themselves to others.

Sites like Tumblr and Instagram, which are often visually-focused and allow more anonymity than Facebook, receive postings of dangerous images, often hash tagged with #thinspo. British fashion plate Alexa Chung recently came under fire for posting a photo to her personal Instagram account that some users thought glamorized anorexia, though the TV personality denied the claims. The incident illustrates how pictures of thin women, even those put online for benevolent reasons, are sometimes hijacked and used to promote unhealthy body images.

Following the onslaught of media attention, both Tumblr and Instagram recently changed their policies to try to curb this behavior, but it is unlikely it will die out completely, since pro-anorexia bloggers have already migrated to the image-based social media site du jour, Pinterest.

Though Pinterest took action and changed its policy as well, problematic images continue to circulate, there and across the web.

Twitter is another modern bastion for pro-eating disordered groups, and accounts like “Thinspo Quotes” and “Thinspiration” have thousands of followers, often checking the feed on their mobile phones for encouragement on the go.

How It’s Helping

Despite the parasitic pro-ana community’s wide reach, mobile technology and the Internet do not need to be the bane of an eating disorder patient’s existence. Just as the Web allows problematic communities to flourish, it also provides a wealth of forums for people looking for help.

There are smartphone apps designed to help people find treatment, including a popular entry EDReferral.com, started by a recovered patient, Christine Hartline. She explained the benefits of technology for eating disorders, saying, “This is the resource I wish I had when I was struggling with an eating disorder — years ago there was no place to find and compare treatment options.”

Another helpful app, Recovery Record, encourages people with eating disorders to eat healthy amounts of food and set positive daily goals for themselves. Started by PhD student Jenna Tregarthen, the app recently received acclaim from The Butterfly Foundation, a major charity, for its ability to connect with young people.

Beyond phone apps, genuine support groups are available at all hours on the Internet, providing people who need to talk to someone immediately a place to go. The anonymity provided by computer-based support groups appeals to many eating disorder patients, who associate their conditions with feelings of shame.

No Easy Solution

People struggling with eating disorders suffer from being cut off from their social circles, so limiting their Internet use is unwise, although recognizing the potential dangers isn’t. Anorexics, bulimics, and people with other eating disorders may want to set up blocks on “thinspo” content and make a conscious effort to take advantage of the support groups and apps available due to new technology.

Also, as more therapists wisely incorporate the positive aspects of Internet and mobile phone use into their therapies, those who suffer have more online options for help.

The Internet isn’t inherently good or bad, and although it allows harmful groups space to flourish, it also gives helpful communities and treatment services an opportunity to reach out to people in need. The problem is, people who struggle with disordered eating may not want to cure it, and until they decide to seek positive help, the astounding, pernicious presence of the pro-eating disorder community on social networking sites may offer too potent a temptation.

There is no easy answer or quick fix for eating disorders, but a service providing a way to block pro-disordered content would prove invaluable to people struggling with the problem. Until then, technology will remain a double-edged sword for people with eating disorders.

Article source: http://www.mobiledia.com/news/142877.html

HTC’s recent phone models, the HTC One X and Evo 4G LTE, have both been delayed indefinitely in the U.S. due to a patent investigation by U.S. Customs on Apple’s behalf, which could devastate the Taiwanese phone maker’s U.S. prospects.

The patent in question concerns how phone data about a user’s contacts appears on-screen.

What’s Happening: The U.S. District Court of Delaware ordered the decision makers from Apple and HTC in the most recent patent battle to meet to reach a settlement over the issue. Magistrate Judge Sherry R. Fallon will oversee the discussions, which will likely include Apple CEO Tim Cook and top executives at HTC.

HTC issued a statement about the hold on its phones and upcoming patent skirmish, pointing out the controversial feature in question “is a small UI experience and HTC will completely remove it from all of our phones soon.”

To get around the ban, HTC is shipping phone models to the U.S. with custom versions of Android without the contentious feature.

At the same time, the One X, which was available through ATT, is now listed as “out of stock” on its website, and the Evo 4G LTE, which Sprint planned to begin selling on May 18, is subject to an open-ended delay. Both phones received rave reviews, and the delays are likely to anger customers waiting for their handsets.

What it Means: HTC staked its fortunes in the U.S. on its new phone models, and if this delay continues, it may severely impact the company’s fortunes.

Apple sued to keep HTC phones out of stores in the past due to perceived patent violations, and this latest injunction demonstrates the iPhone maker is still willing to take up arms to protect its product, despite being involved in a number of other legal battles, including a significant e-publishing case and meetings with Samsung over similar issues.

What It Really Means: The same patent Apple is using to block the One X and Evo 4G LTE saw time in the spotlight earlier when the U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC) ruled HTC had to remove the feature from all of its phones in 2011.

HTC knew it had to work around the patent, as the ruling went into effect in April, but its newest models are now under investigation for violating the same patent. This means HTC will have a harder time defending itself against Apple, since the courts already decided the phones legitimately violate Apple’s patents, and HTC’s initial shipments still had the feature on the phones.

What’s Next: HTC poured an enormous amount of resources into streamlining its brand and focusing on a limited amount of high-end phones, and the One series bolstered its finances in the U.S. Keeping some of its best-reviewed phones off the market is sure to negatively impact the company’s bottom line, which is why the company’s decision to go head-to-head with Apple instead of changing its design from the get-go was a risky move.

The U.S. District Court of Delaware’s decision to force a meeting between HTC and Apple shows the courts do not want a protracted legal battle, and this flare-up may inspire an investigation into the way the U.S handles patent infringements. HTC will continue to sell the unchanged versions of its new phones overseas because the patent rules are different, and the company may be using this incident to point out the problems within U.S. laws.

Since the feature in question is a fairly basic smartphone component — entering in e-mail address and contact information — Apple’s prolonged fight to protect the technology only holds water in the U.S., suggesting the laws are outdated and faulty.

The Takeaway: HTC did not steal Siri or swipe unique features from Apple’s iOS. It made use of a feature that many believe should be available to all phone users, whether they’re carrying an iPhone, Android or something else.

This legal battle is akin to what would happen if it was legal for Neil Young to sue Paul McCarthy for using two major chord progressions in a row just because Young used them at one point. But the music industry doesn’t work that way, and neither should the tech industry. Apple is taking advantage of laws due for overhaul and stymieing its competition, which hurts both consumers and the industry.

Article source: http://www.mobiledia.com/news/143309.html

The Supreme Court of India and All India Congress Committee websites suffered distributed denial of service attacks under “MT Operation India,” leaving them inaccessible for 24 hours. Anonymous crippled the government pages to chastise Indian service providers for blocking file-sharing sites like Vimeo and The Pirate Bay.

India’s ISPs acted in anticipation of a pending government proposal, which aims to create a Committee for Internet Related Policies for overseeing the subcontinent’s online activities.

The committee, a 50-member UN-backed organization, would hold censorship powers over content deemed inappropriate or offensive by India’s ruling party. But Anonymous, whose Pirate Party won parliamentary seats in Sweden and Germany after campaigning for Internet freedom, disagrees with this direction.

“Namaste #India, your time has come to trash the current government and install a new one. Good luck. #SaveTPB #Anonymous #Censorship,” the collective tweeted.

Anonymous has a history of denouncing governments that wish to control the Internet, while India has a record of censoring websites. The two interests are now clashing for the second, but likely not the last, time.

Anonymous’ first publicized tangle with India occurred in February and concerned the 1984 Bhopal gas leak, which left thousands dead and maimed. The global intelligence firm Stratfor, according to Anonymous, paid corrupt Indian officials to silence victims after the disaster.

Before turning its sights to Bhopal, Anonymous already enjoyed widespread notoriety for challenging worldwide governments on censorship issues.

The collective hit the FBI for nabbing Wikileaks suspects, struck China over its strict censorship policies, even targeting Malaysia and Spain for their attempts to police the Internet.

Anonymous also involved itself in the Arab Spring, fighting against Gaddafi in Egypt and Assad in Syria. The leaderless hackers also criticized Iran over its plans to create a government-run, internal Internet by August 2012.

Until the Stratfor hack this February, however, Anonymous largely remained silent while India sought to censor emails and social media content.

India successfully banned Nokia email servers in April 2011, citing security risks, and enlisted RIM’s reluctant help in monitoring BlackBerry Messenger content last fall. The country is also suing Google and Facebook after the Internet giants’ allegedly slow response to government requests for proactive censorship of “offensive” content.

But after years of ignoring India’s increasingly strict Internet controls, Anonymous is beginning to take interest. The collective may be doing so in part to burnish its reputation as a crusader for freedom after a slew of bad press smeared the hackers this winter.

If India pursues its current direction about online restrictions, however, Anonymous will likely strike the subcontinent more often, denouncing Internet regulation and preserving its own reputation in the process.

Article source: http://www.mobiledia.com/news/143212.html

The Cupertino, Calif.-based company is ordering larger displays from its Asian suppliers as it prepares to start production on the handset next month. Analysts believe the new iPhone will launch in the fall.

A 4-inch display in the next-generation iPhone would be the biggest physical change to Apple’s smartphone since it originally launched in 2007. The iPhone has always featured a 3.5-inch screen, but Android manufacturers have continued to push the envelope when it comes to the display size of smartphones. Many smartphones now feature 4.3-inch screens, and others like the Samsung Galaxy Nexus and the upcoming Galaxy S3 sport 4.7-inch displays.

Apple doesn’t seem interested in increasing the size of the iPhone screen too much and blurring the line between smartphone and tablet. A bump to 4-inches will make the device more formidable at media-related tasks like watching videos and playing games, while still keeping the overall size of the device the same.

A move to a 4-inch screen may be an external change, but it could present problems for developers under the hood. Developers created more than 200,000 apps in Apple’s App Store to run on a 3.5-inch retina display. Apps on the new iPhone will have to run with black bars until developers issue updates to avoid pixilation.

Still, while a 4-inch iPhone could be a bit of a headache for developers, it is a decision that will pay dividends for Apple. Increasing the size of the device’s display gives owners of the 4S plenty of reason to upgrade, as well as get some Android users who were holding out for a larger screen to make the switch to an iPhone. As long as there are millions of people buying Apple’s new handset, developers won’t mind working a bit harder to make sure their apps run well on the device.

The difference between 4 and 3.5-inches may seem small, but for Apple, it’s very, very big.

Article source: http://www.mobiledia.com/news/143188.html