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Teens Start Rental Car Company, Get Sued By City Of San Francisco For ‘Unfair Business Practices’

"Said three teenagers to themselves last year: 'Yeah, sure, we could go to college. But wouldn’t it be more fun to up-end the airport rental car business?' The idea was this: At every major airport, acres of cars sit idle, left parked by owners who have jetted off. Why couldn’t these same cars be rented to arriving travelers? Rates could be dramatically cheaper than those charged by traditional car rental companies, since, under this model, the rental company wouldn’t have to pay for or maintain the fleet. It’s easy to see how traditional rental companies might not be amused to have their prices undercut. But San Francisco International is crying foul, as well." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingTeens Start Rental Car Company, Get Sued By City Of San Francisco For ‘Unfair Business Practices’

FBI director admits domestic use of drones for surveillance

"The FBI uses drones for domestic surveillance purposes, the head of the agency told Congress. Robert Mueller confirmed to lawmakers that the FBI owns several unmanned aerial vehicles, but has not adopted any strict policies or guidelines yet to govern the use of the controversial aircraft. Mueller said the FBI has and will continue to weigh the possibility of publishing more information about its spy habits, but warned that doing such would be to the advantage of America’s enemies. 'There is a price to be paid for that transparency,' Mueller said. 'I certainly think it would be educating our adversaries as to what our capabilities are.'" Continue reading →

Continue ReadingFBI director admits domestic use of drones for surveillance

Canada’s Harper gives up on Russia assisting Syrian rebels, labels G8 summit ‘G-7 plus 1’

"At least one official at the G-8, Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper, suggested that Russia shouldn’t even be at the table with other world leaders. He blasted Russian President Vladimir Putin and all but dismissed Russia from meaningful involvement in this week’s talks. The G-8 includes the U.S., Canada, Russia. Great Britain, France, Italy, Germany and Japan. The group is holding its annual meeting this week at a resort in Northern Ireland, with the Syrian civil war expected to dominate the agenda. The recent U.S. decision to arm Syrian rebel forces has been met with approval from Great Britain, France and other nations." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingCanada’s Harper gives up on Russia assisting Syrian rebels, labels G8 summit ‘G-7 plus 1’

G8 to clamp down on tax avoidance

"On Thursday, a U.K. parliamentary committee said that Google Inc. has aggressively avoided paying corporate taxes in Britain, and criticized the U.K. tax authority for failing to challenge the Internet giant about its tax arrangement. Late last month, U.S. lawmakers blasted Apple for failing to pay U.S. taxes on billions of dollars in overseas income. Google said that it complies with all U.K. tax rules, and Apple’s CEO Tim Cook told senators that his company pays all the taxes it owes. The problem for companies like Apple is the U.S.’s tax system. Cook made it plain that the 35% corporate rate is too high to bring some profits back from overseas." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingG8 to clamp down on tax avoidance

How Dozens of Companies Know You’re Reading About Those NSA Leaks

"As news websites around the globe are publishing story after story about dragnet surveillance, these news sites all have one thing in common: when you visit these websites, your personal information is broadcast to dozens of companies, many of which have the ability to track your surfing habits, and many of which are subject to government data requests. It takes very little information about your web browser to build a unique fingerprint of it. See EFF's Panopticlick website to see how unique and trackable your web browser is even without the use of tracking cookies. You can read more in our Primer on Information Theory and Privacy." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingHow Dozens of Companies Know You’re Reading About Those NSA Leaks

3 NSA veterans speak out on whistle-blower: We told you so

"When a National Security Agency contractor revealed top-secret details this month on the government's collection of Americans' phone and Internet records, one select group of intelligence veterans breathed a sigh of relief. Thomas Drake, William Binney and J. Kirk Wiebe belong to a select fraternity: the NSA officials who paved the way. For years, the three whistle-blowers had told anyone who would listen that the NSA collects huge swaths of communications data from U.S. citizens. They had spent decades in the top ranks of the agency, designing and managing the very data-collection systems they say have been turned against Americans." Continue reading →

Continue Reading3 NSA veterans speak out on whistle-blower: We told you so

Body scanner ruling could squelch NSA domestic spying

"A high-profile group of technologists and privacy advocates is attempting to halt domestic surveillance of Americans through a clever twist: using federal bureaucratic rules against federal bureaucrats. In a request today to National Security Agency director Keith Alexander and Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel, the group argues that the NSA's recently revealed domestic surveillance program is '' because the agency neglected to request public comments first. A federal appeals court previously ruled that was necessary in a lawsuit involving airport body scanners." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingBody scanner ruling could squelch NSA domestic spying

America Falls Behind in Creating Rich Entrepreneurs

"The creation myth of American wealth is almost always rooted in the entrepreneur. It's the two kids who start a computer company in their garage or dorm room. Or the former standup comic who creates form-shaping undergarments, or the South African immigrant who creates a new electric car and private space program. But despite the high-profile examples, America may actually be falling behind the rest of the world when it comes to creating entrepreneurial wealth. A new study from Barclays, 'Origins and Legacy: the Changing Order of Wealth Creation,' finds developing countries now lead the U.S. when comes to wealth creation by entrepreneurs." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingAmerica Falls Behind in Creating Rich Entrepreneurs

Tired German bank employee naps on keyboard, transfers $293 million

"An obviously tired German bank employee fell asleep on his keyboard and accidentally transformed a minor transfer into a 222 million euro ($293 million) order, a court heard. The Hessen labour court heard that the man was supposed to transfer just 62.40 euros from a bank account belonging to a retiree, but instead 'fell asleep for an instant, while pushing onto the number 2 key on the keyboard' — making it a huge 222,222,222.22 euro order. The bank discovered the mistake shortly afterwards and corrected the error. The case was taken to court by the man’s 48-year-old colleague who was fired for letting the mistake slip through when verifying the order." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingTired German bank employee naps on keyboard, transfers $293 million