Facebook dislikes pages, Rock Band returns, net neutrality naysayers, FREAK Windows attacks, Apple's plentiful product placement, and Audi fears The Drones.

Facebook Acts on Deactivated Accounts

translation: if you bought Likes this is bad for you https://t.co/bEBMiT9ueJ

— ?_? (@MikeIsaac) March 5, 2015 [Broken Link Removed]

Facebook is taking decisive action on Likes left on Pages by people who are no longer active on the social network. This means any Page Liked by people whose accounts have now been deactivated or memorialized will soon be removed. Thus upsetting Page owners who will experience a dip in the number of people Liking their space on Facebook.

Facebook already removes Likes and comments on individual posts, so removing the Likes from the Pages themselves means more consistency. It also means those who bought Facebook Likes to appear more popular than they actually are will be weeded out. Assuming, of course, that the accounts used to employ this underhanded practice are no longer active on the site.

Rock Band 4 Goes Back to Basics

http://youtu.be/Pc0RECohAZ0

After months of speculation, Harmonix has finally announced a new Rock Band game for the next-gen consoles. Rock Band 4 will be released on PlayStation 4 and Xbox One later this year, with the development team promising a return to the heart of the franchise. Conversely, Harmonix is also promising new gameplay elements.

Brilliantly, all the old DLC (downloadable content) will work on Rock Band 4, so those who spent a fortune acquiring songs for the last-gen games won't have to pay twice. Also, while Mad Catz will be releasing a whole new set of instruments for Rock Band 4, most of the old peripherals will also be compatible with the new game.

Republicans Fight Against Net Neutrality

http://youtu.be/-ErsLyxYm4o

As expected by absolutely everybody, the Republicans are fighting back against the Federal Communication Commission's (FCC) decision to reclassify ISPs as common carriers. The new rules are designed to protect the Internet and especially the idea of net neutrality, but the GOP is twisting the truth to suggest the exact opposite is true.

As reported by Motherboard, Marsha Blackburn, who represents Tennessee, has filed the 'Internet Freedom Act', which is designed to overturn the FCC's ruling. Blackburn issued a statement saying, "the Obama Administration will stop at nothing in their efforts to control the Internet. These overreaching rules will stifle innovation, restrict freedoms, and lead to billions of dollars in new fees and taxes for American consumers.”

According to the Center for Responsive Politics, in the latest election cycle alone, Blackburn received $25,000 from an AT&T, $20,000 from Comcast, $15,000 from Verizon, and $20,000 from the National Cable and Telecommunications Association.

Windows Susceptible to FREAK Attacks

So, all versions of #Windows vulnerable to the #Freak TLS attack. Oh dear, that's a lot of patching. #cyber

— Tom McCann (@Mrtommccann) March 6, 2015

In rather troubling news, Windows has been found to also be susceptible to the FREAK attack which enables hackers to decrypt HTTPS connections. It was previously thought Windows users were safe from this particular bug, but Microsoft has confirmed that all versions of its operating system are susceptible.

Microsoft has committed to fixing the issue by taking appropriate action, which "may include providing a security update through our monthly release process or providing an out-of-cycle security update, depending on customer needs." In the meantime you can see if you're at risk by visiting the FREAK attack website.

Apple Tops Product Placement Poll

http://youtu.be/_3FLKuQa62c

Apple has outperformed all the other big companies who like to promote their products by paying for them to appear in movies and television shows. As, according to the Brandcameo 2015 Product Placement Awards, Apple racked up the most number of product placements over the past 12 months.

Apple products appeared in nine of the 35 that topped the U.S. Box Office in 2014, with the most obvious example being the scene set in an Apple Store in Captain America: The Winter Soldier. Apple beat Sony and Coca-Cola into joint second place, topping the rankings for the first time since 2011.

Audi Fears 'The Drones'

http://youtu.be/vcV71liAMwc

And finally, Audi has taken a leaf out of Alfred Hitchcock's books, re-imagining his classic The Birds as The Drones. These are, so the ad suggests, flying menaces out to get humans. Some are even carrying packages, in a nod to the future foreseen by Amazon.

Our guy looks doomed until he climbs into his Audi A6, which is able to whisk him to his beach house without succumbing to the buzzing drones. Which all goes to show, "Advanced technology doesn't have to be intimidating." Apparently. [H/T CNET]

Your Views on Today’s Tech News

Is Facebook right to remove Likes made by inactive accounts? Will you be buying Rock Band 4? Are you sick of seeing product placements in movies and television shows?

Let us know your thoughts on the Tech News of the day by posting to the comments section below. Because a healthy discussion is always welcome.

Image Credit: Jesper Ronn-Jensen via Flickr