Category: #CyberSpaceWar
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Google CEO: 100,000 lives a year lost through fear of data-mining
from guardian.com: Fear of data-mining of healthcare could be costing as many as 100,000 lives a year, according to Google’s Larry Page. Speaking out in response to fears over his company’s vast haul of personal information, Page made the case that not only is Google not going too far with collecting and analysing such information…
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Teenager Builds Browser Plug-in To Show You Where Politicians Get Their Funding
from engadget.com: The murky world of lobby groups bankrolling politicians is garnering more attention, but is there a way to find out which representatives are in the pocket without a lot of tedious research? A 16-year-old programmer has developed a browser plugin that, when you mouse-over the name of a US lawmaker, will serve up…
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FAA Grounds Amazon’s #Drone Delivery Plans…For Now
from arstechnica.com: The Federal Aviation Administration has said that online shopping powerhouse Amazon may not employ drones to deliver packages, at least not anytime soon. The revelation was buried in a FAA document (pdf) unveiled Monday seeking public comment on its policy on drones, or what the agency calls “model aircraft.” The FAA has maintained since…
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DHS biometric program gets $250 million from Senate
from RT.com: A Senate subcommittee this week approved a request from the United States Department of Homeland Security for nearly a quarter-of-a-billion dollars to be used on a state-of-the-art biometric system. On Tuesday, the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on DHS green-lighted more than $47 billion to go towards the agency as part of a request made…
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Police Story: Hacking Team’s Government Surveillance Malware
from citizenlab.org: This report analyzes Hacking Team’s Android implant, and uses new documents to illustrate how their Remote Control System (RCS) interception product works. This work builds on our previous research into the technologies and companies behind “lawful interception” malware. This technology is marketed as filling a gap between passive interception (such as network monitoring) and physical searches.…
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#HAARP’s future uncertain as Air Force plans to dismantle program
from RT.com: The US Air Force has given Congress official notice that it plans to start dismantling its Alaska-based High Frequency Active Auroral Research Program ahead of the site’s shutdown later this summer. The controversial program, also known as HAARP, has been home to a large number of conspiracy theories, but it will officially be…
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Hidden spy software found in Chinese-made smartphones
from intelnews.org: A popular brand of Chinese-made smartphones, which are sold internationally by several major retailers, has been found to contain pre-installed monitoring software, according to a German security firm. The revelation was made on Tuesday by G Data Software, which is based in Bochum, Germany, and has a subsidiary in the United States. The…
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Singapore Plans To Be World’s First ‘Smart Nation’
from cnet.com: The city-state unveils plans for sensors that can help manage traffic congestion, detect air pollutants, and even remind you to take your trash out. A new plan that aims to turn Singapore into the world’s first “Smart Nation” was unveiled by the island state’s Infocomm Development Authority (IDA) at the opening of the…
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US Pushing Local Cops To Stay Mum On Surveillance
from yahoo.com: The Obama administration has been quietly advising local police not to disclose details about surveillance technology they are using to sweep up basic cellphone data from entire neighborhoods, The Associated Press has learned. Citing security reasons, the U.S. has intervened in routine state public records cases and criminal trials regarding use of the…
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#Tesla Abandons Its Patents, Aims to Spur Electric Car Revolution
from grist.org: Tesla, maker of the most critically acclaimed car ever, is going open source. Every patent that the Silicon Valley electric-car pioneer has ever secured will now be available for any company in the world to use, free of charge. “Tesla will not initiate patent lawsuits against anyone who, in good faith, wants to…
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#NASA to Conduct Mars ‘Flying Saucer’ Test on Earth Read Latest
from newsmax.com: NASA is getting ready to launch a “flying saucer” into Earth’s atmosphere to test technology that could be used to land on Mars. For decades, NASA has depended on the same parachute design to slow spacecraft after they enter the Martian atmosphere. But it needs a larger and stronger parachute if it wants…
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Canadian cyber-bullying law would let police ‘remotely hack into computers, mobile devices, or cars’
from nationalpost.com: The Harper government’s new cyberbullying legislation includes little-noticed provisions that would allow police to remotely gain entry to computers and track cellphone users’ movements, privacy experts warn. Bill C-13, being studied by the House of Commons justice committee this week, is described by the Conservatives as cyberbullying legislation, but will dramatically expand the…
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Comcast Converting 50,000 Houston Home Routers Into Public WiFi Hotspots (Without Users Consent)
from slashdot.com: As a Houston resident with limited home broadband options, I found the following interesting: Dwight Silverman of the Houston Chronicle reports (warning: paywalled) that Comcast plans to turn 50,000 home routers into public Wi-Fi hotspots without their users providing consent. Comcast plans to eventually convert 150,000 home routers into a city-wide WiFi network.…
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eSports Viewing Nearly Doubles in 2013
from alistdaily.com: Think eSports is just a temporary fad? You don’t know competitive gamers. A report from IHS Technology shows that the numbers for eSports viewing are on the rise, to the point of showing double the growth over the previous year. The report shows that 2.4 billion hours of eSports were viewed over 2013,…