Fnord666 sends this quote from an article at Slate: “Despite the pervasiveness of law enforcement surveillance of digital communication, the FBI still has a difficult time monitoring Gmail, Google Voice, and Dropbox in real time. But that may change soon, because the bureau says it has made gaining more powers to wiretap all forms of … Continue Reading
(James Callan) Bank overdraft fees can pile up rapidly, making it increasingly more difficult for a consumer to get back to zero, which is why Congresswoman Carolyn Maloney of New York recently introduced legislation aimed at limiting how much and how frequently banks can ding account holders for these fees. The Overdraft Protection Act would … Continue Reading
Microsoft reveals in a new transparency report that between all of its online services — including Hotmail, Outlook.com, SkyDrive, Xbox LIVE, Microsoft Account, Messenger, Office 365, and Skype — it received more than 75,000 requests from law enforcement agencies around the world in 2012. Since some requests involved multiple accounts, Microsoft says that authorities made … Continue Reading
A new Samsung lockscreen hack has been identified, allowing unofficial access to PIN-secured Galaxy smartphones through a combination of keypresses and commands, though Samsung is apparently working on a software fix. The exploit relies on brief visibility of the phone’s display, unlocked, after a failed emergency call placed from the lockscreen; though ponderous, you could … Continue Reading
(Mr. T in DC) Rodney’s son asked him to pick up some nicotine patches, so he did. Rodney, an ex-smoker himself, knows the agony of nicotine withdrawal, and was happy to help him out. Up to a point. He wasn’t happy enough to let Target scan his driver’s license and hold on to the information … Continue Reading
The President Barack Obama administration is claiming that authorities do not need court warrants to affix GPS devices to vehicles to monitor their every move. SOURCE Threat Level
The Supreme Court on Monday let stand a jury’s conclusion that infamous file-sharer Jammie Thomas-Rasset pay the recording industry $222,000 for downloading and sharing two dozen copyrighted songs on the now-defunct file-sharing service Kazaa. SOURCE Threat Level
Two men were charged for an elaborate hacking scheme. They have been identified as Shahin Abdollahi, whose alias was Sean Holdt, and Jeffrey Thomas Wilkinson. The two men hacked over 13 point-of-sale (POS) computers at a variety of Subways located in Massachusetts, Wyoming, and California. This isn’t the first time Subway’s been hacked. Last September, … Continue Reading
So apparently the Ukrainian Navy trains killer dolphins. That’s not the most shocking news you’ll hear all day. Apparently 3 out of the 5 killer dolphins that they have trained have run away from base, presumably to look for a mate to hook up with (at least that’s what experts believe). The dolphins took off … Continue Reading
Amazing but true — commonsense ideas are still capable of getting bipartisan support. A bipartisan coalition of senators this week introduced legislation that would lift the current ban on consumers unlocking their cellphones without permission from their carriers. The bill, which was proposed by Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) and cosponsored by Sens. Al … Continue Reading
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