He said improvements in both data collection methods and the quality of the data meant the figures published this year should not be compared directly to last year's.

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The revision of the figures is mainly a result of better data-collection methods, particularly in India (which accounts for half the downward revision) and five African countries (which account for another fifth).

ECONOMIST: AIDS

The bill would require sites to offer easier methods of letting users prevent their behavior from being tracked online, warn users about data collection with a symbol on Web pages and require sites to render anonymous any data they collect after 18 months.

FORBES