technology

US court drops charges on Aaron Swartz days after his suicide

"A federal court in Massachusetts has dismissed the hacking case against Reddit co-founder Aaron Swartz, who committed suicide on January 11 while facing decades behind bars and a $1 million fine. Though JSTOR decided not to press charges – and even urged the US government to drop the case – MIT went ahead with a civil suit. As a result, Swartz faced serious legal consequences, which observers believe led to his suicide last week. According to a Huffington Post report, Swartz's defense team suspected federal attorneys were using Swartz as an example to show how serious they could be with online crime cases." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingUS court drops charges on Aaron Swartz days after his suicide

Does Facebook Help the Prosecution, But Not Defense?

"[P]rosecutors generally have an easier time than defense attorneys getting private information out of Facebook and other social networks, as highlighted in an ongoing Portland murder case. In that case, the defense attorney has evidence of a Facebook conversation in which a key witness reportedly tells a friend he was pressured by police into falsely incriminating the defendant. Facebook rebuffed the defense attorney’s subpoena seeking access to the conversation, citing the federal Stored Communications Act, which protects the privacy of electronic communications like e-mail – but which carves out an exemption for law enforcement." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingDoes Facebook Help the Prosecution, But Not Defense?

Activists and family blame suicide of Aaron Swartz on overzealous prosecution

"Two years before the MIT incident, the FBI launched an investigation after Swartz released a trove of US federal court documents online that are usually only accessible at a fee through the government’s Public Access to Court Electronic Records, or PACER. In 2008, that fee was eight cents per page. In less than three weeks, he managed to download more than 18 million pages with an estimated value of $1.5 million to his home in the Chicago suburb of Highland Park. Swartz had pleaded not guilty to charges of computer fraud, wire fraud and other crimes carrying a maximum sentence of 35 years in prison and a $1 million fine." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingActivists and family blame suicide of Aaron Swartz on overzealous prosecution

3D Printing Technology Poised for New Industrial Revolution

"Engineers at the European Aeronautic Defence and Space Company (EADS) have used this technique to print out an entire bicycle that only needs added tires and a chain to be fully functional. British researchers, meanwhile, have printed a maneuverable drone with a rear-engine drive. Printed components are also used in Formula 1 racing and at NASA. Dental laboratories use 3-D printers to produce crowns, while doctors experiment with artificial heart tissue. Filmmakers also print animation models and automotive parts suppliers create replacement parts. The printing of electronic components is even in the works." Continue reading →

Continue Reading3D Printing Technology Poised for New Industrial Revolution

Fraudulent Certificate for Google Domains Found After Mistake by Turkish CA

"Google has pushed out an update that blocks an intermediate digital certificate for *.google.com after discovering that a Turkish certificate authority had mistakenly issued intermediate certificates to two organizations that should only have gotten normal SSL certificates. That error gave those two organizations the power to issue certificates that carried the same authority as the CA itself. One of the groups that obtained the intermediate certificate is a Turkish government agency and at least one of the major browser vendors said there was evidence the ceritificates had been used in an active attack." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingFraudulent Certificate for Google Domains Found After Mistake by Turkish CA

Nokia: Yes, we decrypt your HTTPS data, but don’t worry about it

"Nokia has confirmed reports that its Xpress Browser decrypts data that flows through HTTPS connections – that includes the connections set up for banking sessions, encrypted email and more. However, it insists that there’s no need for users to panic because it would never access customers’ encrypted data." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingNokia: Yes, we decrypt your HTTPS data, but don’t worry about it

Hacker, Activist Aaron Swartz Commits Suicide

"Aaron Swartz was facing a potential sentence of dozens of years in prison for allegedly trying to make MIT academic journal articles public. Swartz was dedicated to sharing data and information online. He worked tirelessly to develop and popularize standards for free and open information sharing. Swartz co-founded Demand Progress, which launched the primary campaign against Internet censorship bills (SOPA/PIPA). His work on Reddit enabled millions to share information and news socially (Swartz sold Infogami to Reddit)." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingHacker, Activist Aaron Swartz Commits Suicide

$17,000 Linux-powered rifle brings “auto-aim” to the real world

"The Linux-powered scope produces a display that looks something like the heads-up display you'd see sitting in the cockpit of a fighter jet, showing the weapon's compass orientation, cant, and incline. To shoot at something, you first 'mark' it using a button near the trigger. Marking a target illuminates it with the tracking scope's built-in laser, and the target gains a pip in the scope's display. When a target is marked, the tracking scope takes into account the range of the target, the ambient temperature and humidity, the age of the barrel, etc. It quickly reorients the display so the crosshairs in the center accurately show where the round will go." Continue reading →

Continue Reading$17,000 Linux-powered rifle brings “auto-aim” to the real world

BitPay Banks $510K In Investment To Become PayPal for Bitcoin, Already Has 2,100 Businesses On Board

"What makes Bitcoin so interesting is that it flies in the face of payment models that we’re used to today; it’s a push model rather than a pull one. When you give a website your credit card and billing information to buy something, the company is pulling money out of your account. Giving up that personal information isn’t the safest thing, and Bitcoin allows you to 'push' the money to a company to buy something. This means that no personally identifiable information goes with it, making eventual identity theft and fraud nearly impossible during the transaction." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingBitPay Banks $510K In Investment To Become PayPal for Bitcoin, Already Has 2,100 Businesses On Board

Google chief Eric Schmidt urges North Korean leaders to adopt Internet freedom

"Schmidt said he told North Korean officials they should open up the country’s Internet 'or they will remain behind'. 'As the world becomes increasingly connected, their decision to be virtually isolated is very much going to affect their physical world, their economic growth and so forth, and it will make it harder for them to catch up economically,' he said. 'Once the Internet starts, citizens in a country can certainly build on top of it. The government has to do something. It has to make it possible for people to use the Internet which the government in North Korea has not yet done.'" Continue reading →

Continue ReadingGoogle chief Eric Schmidt urges North Korean leaders to adopt Internet freedom