technology

Once again the Winklevoss twins get beaten to launching their big idea

"Mark Zuckerberg beat the twins Cameron and Tyler Winklevoss to the punch in launching Facebook. Now someone else seems to be stealing a march on their plan to launch an investment scheme for bitcoin. The Winklevii’s scheme, unlike SecondMarket’s, is for a public ETF traded on a major exchange open to retail investors. But the SEC may not approve it any time soon because it has yet to work out oodles of legal questions about the cryptocurrency. At a conference last week, the brothers were vague, telling attendees that regulators could set parameters on bitcoin 'over the next 6 to 12 months.'" Continue reading →

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NYPD urging people to upgrade Apple devices to iOS7 because it is ‘safer’

"New York police officers were handing out flyers to people around New York City on Saturday urging them to upgrade their devices to Apple's new iOS7 operating system. NYPD's Public Awareness Notice promotes the software as giving 'added security to your devices'. The NYPD notice also urges people to register their devices with their 'Operation Identification Program'. One of those given a flyer was Michael Hoffman, who posted a picture on his Twitter account showing the paper from the police that was given to him at his subway stop. His tweet says: 'Four uniformed NYPD officers were at my subway stop tonight asking me to upgrade to iOS 7. Not a joke!'" Continue reading →

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Data Broker Giants Hacked by ID Theft Service

"An identity theft service that sells Social Security numbers, birth records, credit and background reports on millions of Americans has infiltrated computers at some of America’s largest consumer and business data aggregators, according to a seven-month investigation by KrebsOnSecurity. All three victim companies said they are working with federal authorities and third-party forensics firms in the early stages of determining how far the breaches extend, and whether indeed any sensitive information was accessed and exfiltrated from their networks. The intrusions raise major questions about how these compromises may have aided identity thieves." Continue reading →

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Ron Paul: Internet Sales Tax Could Crush Small Businesses

"It is amazing that some of the same conservatives who rightly worry over Obamacare’s effects on job creation and economic growth want to impose new taxes on the most dynamic sector of the economy. The main proponents of this bill are large retailers and established Internet business. Big business can more easily afford to comply with a national Internet sales tax. In many cases, they are large enough that they already have a 'physical presence' in most states and thus already have to collect state sales taxes. These businesses are seeking to manipulate the political process to disadvantage their existing and future small competitors." Continue reading →

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Obama’s more than 19.5 million online fans who don’t really exist

"Of the president's 36.9 million Twitter followers, an astonishing 53 per cent – or 19.5 million – are fake accounts, according to a search engine at the Internet research vendor StatusPeople.com. Just 20 per cent of Obama's Twitter buddies are real people who are active users. Overall, the five most influential accounts linked to the Obama administration – the first lady has two – account for 23.4 million fake followers. Biden's nonexistent fans make up 46 per cent of his Twitter total, with 20 per cent being 'real' followers. The White House's followers are 37 per cent fake and 25 per cent active; the first lady's primary account is 36 per cent fake and 29 per cent active." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingObama’s more than 19.5 million online fans who don’t really exist

Fake online reviews targeted by N.Y. attorney general

"It’s an online technique sometimes called 'astroturfing,' or laying down fake grass-roots excitement to help build a better online ranking for a business or product. It’s even become a full-blown racket when companies have hired freelance writers – sometimes paid up to $10 for every fake gush they tap out – to go to sites such as Citysearch, Google Local, or Yelp and praise products and businesses they've never seen, let alone tried. New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman announced Monday that 19 local companies have fessed up to using such techniques, agreeing to pay more than $350,000 in penalties for breaking laws against false advertising and deceptive business practices." Continue reading →

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The Dark Side of the iPhone 5S Lines

"The scene at the apple store just before the phones release was also a sight i'd never experienced. Beyond excitement it was closer to hysteria. Encouraged by hundreds of equally hysterical employees in blue shirts. At the peak of that hysteria i stopped and reminded myself what the impetus was for all of this; a new phone. That warranted a head shake and an eye roll." Continue reading →

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iPhone 5S fingerprint reader manages to remain secure for almost 3 days

"Germany’s Chaos Computer Club says it has cracked the protection around Apple’s fingerprint sensor on its new iPhone 5S, just two days after the device went on sale worldwide. In a post on their site, the group says that their biometric hacking team took a fingerprint of the user, photographed from a glass surface, and then created a 'fake fingerprint' which could be put onto a thin film and used with a real finger to unlock the phone. The claim, which is backed up with a video, will create concerns for businesses which see users intending to use the phone to access corporate accounts." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingiPhone 5S fingerprint reader manages to remain secure for almost 3 days

Senator Asks if FBI Can Get iPhone 5S Fingerprint Data via Patriot Act

"The iPhone 5S reportedly stores fingerprint data locally 'on the chip' and in an encrypted format. It also blocks third-party apps from accessing Touch ID. Yet important questions remain about how this technology works, Apple's future plans for this technology, and the legal protections that Apple will afford it. I should add that regardless of how carefully Apple implements fingerprint technology, this decision will surely pave the way for its peers and smaller competitors to adopt biometric technology, with varying protections for privacy. I respectfully request that Apple provide answers to the following questions." Continue reading →

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