Yearly Archives: 2013

Kim Dot Com resigns from Mega to pursue plans for NZ political party

"Internet mogul Kim Dotcom said on Thursday he was resigning from his new venture Mega to focus on fighting extradition to the United States and his plans for a New Zealand political party. The 39-year-old, who was arrested when armed New Zealand police involved in the US probe raided his Auckland mansion, confirmed that he had resigned as a director of Mega at an August 29 board meeting. Dotcom said he was still working on development of a web-based music service called Megabox. The extradition case has dragged on in the courts and is subject to numerous appeals, with Dotcom estimating earlier this year that his legal bills could exceed US$50 million." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingKim Dot Com resigns from Mega to pursue plans for NZ political party

Developers Scramble to Build NSA-Proof Email

"Edward Snowden’s revelations about the NSA’s mass internet surveillance is driving development of a slew of new email tools aimed at providing end-to-end encryption to users, and it has boosted interest in existing privacy tools too. Jon Callas, a Silent Circle founder, says his company is planning to take another run at secure email. He says he’s primarily concerned with email metadata like the sender, receiver and subject line, as well as the IP addresses and transit server information in the header of encrypted email." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingDevelopers Scramble to Build NSA-Proof Email

Privacy fears cause more to cover online tracks

"The Pew Research Center report said 86 percent of US Internet users have taken some steps to avoid online surveillance by other people or organizations. 'Our team’s biggest surprise was discovering that many Internet users have tried to conceal their identity or their communications from others,' noted Sara Kiesler. 'It’s not just a small coterie of hackers. Almost everyone has taken some action to avoid surveillance. And despite their knowing that anonymity is virtually impossible, most Internet users think they should be able to avoid surveillance online — they think they should have a right to anonymity for certain things, like hiding posts from certain people or groups.'" Continue reading →

Continue ReadingPrivacy fears cause more to cover online tracks

Man rescued to death by Australian ambulance helicopter

"The 68-year-old man was bushwalking with a group at Macs Cove, near Mansfield in Victoria's north-east, when he broke his ankle about 10:30am AEST yesterday. The ambulance helicopter was sent in to rescue the man about midday because of the terrain. However, Ambulance Victoria chief executive Greg Sassella says at about 12.30pm he fell approximately 30 metres to his death while he was being winched into the helicopter with a paramedic. Mr Sassella says Ambulance Victoria has suspended all winch rescues while the equipment is tested and an investigation is completed. Mr Sassella says the winch equipment will be thoroughly tested." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingMan rescued to death by Australian ambulance helicopter

Will Warrants for Searches Become a Thing of the Past?

"Help us ask the Supreme Court to review a terrible decision made by the 9th Circuit Court. Here's what happened: Border guards seized an American citizen's computer when he re-crossed the border from Mexico. They did this because the man had an old criminal record, NOT because there was evidence of a new crime. This was clearly an illegal search without a warrant. He was arrested and convicted on the basis of forensically-uncovered, deleted files. Nevertheless, the 9th Circuit upheld this seizure as a legal search. This decision combines with other recent events to erode the 4th Amendment close to a vanishing point. We want to reverse this trend!" Continue reading →

Continue ReadingWill Warrants for Searches Become a Thing of the Past?

No possession of drugs required for Malta drug possession charges

"A recent case in which a man was charged in court with possession of cannabis - even though the police found no cannabis on his person - turns out to be far more commonplace than one would think. According to criminal lawyer Dr Joe Giglio, this case was no by means a one-off incident. In fact he claims that as many as half the cases pressed by the police for possession of illicit substances will not be based on the discovery of any drugs in the possession of the accused, adding that the police have a standard formula for how to extract such confessions from unwitting suspects." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingNo possession of drugs required for Malta drug possession charges

Families upset with how deputies handled boys’ arrests

"'I frantically ran across the police officers where threatening to put us under custody for wanting to know what was going on with our children,' she said. Her child, Josmir, along with two of his friends, was being arrested by Charlotte County deputies. 'I saw some of the police officers laughing at me,' said Josmir. 'Like I deserved this, like I was a horrible person, a criminal. They were just laughing, laughing at all of us.' The charge was trespassing on Port Charlotte Middle School grounds. 'I think this was an innocent mistake that went too far because they have power and they though they were going to get away with it,' Mirna said." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingFamilies upset with how deputies handled boys’ arrests

America’s real divide: The political class, and the rest of us

"The political class is subject to a different set of laws than the rest of us. Instead of a nation based upon the idea that all citizens have equal rights before the law, politicians, bureaucrats, and their minions are regularly shown special preference. In the words of George Orwell, 'some animals are more equal than others.' While some states are now liberalizing their drugs laws, America — the Land of the Free — has the highest incarceration rate in the world due to the War on Drugs. On the other hand, Presidents Bill Clinton and Barack Obama have both admitted to using marijuana when they were younger. Many other high government officials are on the record as marijuana users." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingAmerica’s real divide: The political class, and the rest of us

Will Congress Support Military Action In Syria? A ThinkProgress Whip Count

"A ThinkProgress analysis of the public statements of 400 Representatives found that 200 lawmakers have either decisively ruled out supporting the measure or say they are unlikely to back it. Just 48 of the 400 members of the House of Representatives said they will definitely or likely vote in favor or the resolution. A vote in the House is not expected until next week at the earliest. 152 members have publicly said they are undecided and the positions of 33 members are unknown. All told, 361 members either have not decided, or indicated they are willing to consider changing their position." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingWill Congress Support Military Action In Syria? A ThinkProgress Whip Count

McConnell Stays Quiet As Congress Moves To Strike Syria

"Facing competing pressures as he fends off a conservative challenger for re-election, Mitch McConnell is steering clear so far of the debate over whether to attack Syria. The potency of the GOP’s hawkish wing is waning as isolationist sentiments flourish within the conservative movement. The deep-pocketed Heritage Action is against military action. Many Republicans are leaning that way. The public is weary of more war. And being on the same side as Obama is not a comfortable place for Republicans to be politically. 2016 hopefuls Sens. Marco Rubio (R-FL) and Rand Paul (R-KY) both voted against the use of force in committee Wednesday." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingMcConnell Stays Quiet As Congress Moves To Strike Syria