My Way News - UK gov't told to rethink data surveillance plan:
My Way News reports: "British lawmakers on Tuesday demanded the government water down plans
to keep track of phone calls, email and Internet activity - a bill
critics dub a 'snooper's charter.' The Communications
Data Bill would force telecoms service providers to retain for a year
records of all phone and email traffic and website visits, though not
the content of calls and messages."
2012/12/11
2012/11/29
My Way News - Internet service goes out across Syria
My Way News reports: "Internet service went down Thursday across Syria and international flights were canceled at the Damascus airport when a road near the facility was closed by heavy fighting in the country's civil war. Activists said President Bashar Assad's regime pulled the plug on the Internet, perhaps in preparation for a major offensive. Cellphone service also went out in Damascus and parts of central Syria, they said."
My Way News reports: "Internet service went down Thursday across Syria and international flights were canceled at the Damascus airport when a road near the facility was closed by heavy fighting in the country's civil war. Activists said President Bashar Assad's regime pulled the plug on the Internet, perhaps in preparation for a major offensive. Cellphone service also went out in Damascus and parts of central Syria, they said."
Wired News - Student Suspended for Refusing to Wear a School-Issued RFID Tracker
Wired News reports: "A Texas high school student is being suspended for refusing to wear a student ID card implanted with a radio-frequency identification chip. Northside Independent School District in San Antonio began issuing the RFID-chip-laden student-body cards when the semester began in the fall. The ID badge has a bar code associated with a student’s Social Security number, and the RFID chip monitors pupils’ movements on campus, from when they arrive until when they leave."
Wired News reports: "A Texas high school student is being suspended for refusing to wear a student ID card implanted with a radio-frequency identification chip. Northside Independent School District in San Antonio began issuing the RFID-chip-laden student-body cards when the semester began in the fall. The ID badge has a bar code associated with a student’s Social Security number, and the RFID chip monitors pupils’ movements on campus, from when they arrive until when they leave."
2012/11/10
My Way News - Google's services unable to reach much of China
My Way News reports: "Google says its search engine and other Internet services have been cut off from much of China just as the country's ruling party picks new leaders. Data posted on Google's website shows its services in China became largely inaccessible beginning around 1 a.m. PST Friday. That would be about 5 p.m. Friday in Beijing. A Google Inc. spokeswoman says the company found no problems in its own computer or network that would disrupt its services in China. That raised the possibility that China's Communist government decided to block Google's services at a politically sensitive time."
My Way News reports: "Google says its search engine and other Internet services have been cut off from much of China just as the country's ruling party picks new leaders. Data posted on Google's website shows its services in China became largely inaccessible beginning around 1 a.m. PST Friday. That would be about 5 p.m. Friday in Beijing. A Google Inc. spokeswoman says the company found no problems in its own computer or network that would disrupt its services in China. That raised the possibility that China's Communist government decided to block Google's services at a politically sensitive time."
2012/10/15
Texas School District Reportedly Threatening Students Who Refuse Tracking ID, Can't Vote For Homecoming
The Huffington Post reports: "The 'Student Locator Project,' which is slated to eventually reach 112 Texas schools and close to 100,000 students, is in trial stages in two Northside district schools. In an effort to reduce truancy, the district has issued new student IDs with an embedded radio-frequency identification (RFID) chip that tracks the location of a student at all times [...] John Jay High School sophomore Andrea Hernandez refuses to use the new IDs, citing religious beliefs and instead sticking with her old badge from previous years, calling the tracking devices the 'mark of the beast.' She tells Salon that the new badges make her uncomfortable and are an invasion of her privacy."
The Huffington Post reports: "The 'Student Locator Project,' which is slated to eventually reach 112 Texas schools and close to 100,000 students, is in trial stages in two Northside district schools. In an effort to reduce truancy, the district has issued new student IDs with an embedded radio-frequency identification (RFID) chip that tracks the location of a student at all times [...] John Jay High School sophomore Andrea Hernandez refuses to use the new IDs, citing religious beliefs and instead sticking with her old badge from previous years, calling the tracking devices the 'mark of the beast.' She tells Salon that the new badges make her uncomfortable and are an invasion of her privacy."
2012/10/09
My Way News - Court lets stand telecom immunity in wiretap case
My Way News reports: "The Supreme Court is leaving in place a federal law that gives telecommunications companies legal immunity for helping the government with its email and telephone eavesdropping program. The justices said Tuesday they will not review a court ruling that upheld the 2008 law against challenges brought by privacy and civil liberties advocates on behalf of the companies' customers."
My Way News reports: "The Supreme Court is leaving in place a federal law that gives telecommunications companies legal immunity for helping the government with its email and telephone eavesdropping program. The justices said Tuesday they will not review a court ruling that upheld the 2008 law against challenges brought by privacy and civil liberties advocates on behalf of the companies' customers."
2012/10/01
My Way News - Iran swipe at Web brings angry reply:
My Way News reports: "Iran's cyber monitors often tout their fight against the West's 'soft war' of influence through the Web, but trying to block Google's popular Gmail appeared to be a swipe too far. Complaints piled up - even from email-starved parliament members - and forced authorities Sunday to double down on their promises to create a parallel Web universe with Tehran as its center."
My Way News reports: "Iran's cyber monitors often tout their fight against the West's 'soft war' of influence through the Web, but trying to block Google's popular Gmail appeared to be a swipe too far. Complaints piled up - even from email-starved parliament members - and forced authorities Sunday to double down on their promises to create a parallel Web universe with Tehran as its center."
2012/06/19
My Way News - Drones at home raise fear of surveillance society
My Way News reports: "Thousands of drones patrolling U.S. skies? Predictions that multitudes of unmanned aircraft could be flying here within a decade are raising the specter of a "surveillance society" in which no home or backyard would be off limits to prying eyes overhead. Law enforcement, oil companies, farmers, real estate agents and many others have seen the technology that was pioneered on battlefields, and they are eager to put it to use. It's not just talk: The government is in the early stages of devising rules for the unmanned aircraft."
My Way News reports: "Thousands of drones patrolling U.S. skies? Predictions that multitudes of unmanned aircraft could be flying here within a decade are raising the specter of a "surveillance society" in which no home or backyard would be off limits to prying eyes overhead. Law enforcement, oil companies, farmers, real estate agents and many others have seen the technology that was pioneered on battlefields, and they are eager to put it to use. It's not just talk: The government is in the early stages of devising rules for the unmanned aircraft."
2012/06/18
My Way News - Governments asking Google to remove more content
My Way News reports: U.S. authorities are leading the charge as governments around the world pepper Google with more demands to remove online content and turn over information about people using its Internet search engine, YouTube video site and other services."
Comment: The idea that the U.S. is the leading internet censor is very discouraging.
My Way News reports: U.S. authorities are leading the charge as governments around the world pepper Google with more demands to remove online content and turn over information about people using its Internet search engine, YouTube video site and other services."
Comment: The idea that the U.S. is the leading internet censor is very discouraging.
2012/06/07
My Way News - China looks to boost Internet limits on microblogs:
My Way News reports: "China plans to stiffen restrictions on Internet service providers as it seeks even greater control over the opinions voiced on the country's lively microblogs and other web forums [...] In December, China began requiring real name registration for nearly all microblog services on a city by city basis, though compliance has been patchy."
My Way News reports: "China plans to stiffen restrictions on Internet service providers as it seeks even greater control over the opinions voiced on the country's lively microblogs and other web forums [...] In December, China began requiring real name registration for nearly all microblog services on a city by city basis, though compliance has been patchy."
2012/05/15
WND - Feds clearing way for drones over your house
World Net Daily reports: "According to yesterday’s report from Bloomberg, police, fire and other government agencies now are being allowed to fly drones weighing as much as 25 pounds without special approvals previously needed. The Federal Aviation Administration said on its website that the move was an interim step until the agency finishes rules that will open the door for commercial operation of drones, as well as those uses for government purposes."
World Net Daily reports: "According to yesterday’s report from Bloomberg, police, fire and other government agencies now are being allowed to fly drones weighing as much as 25 pounds without special approvals previously needed. The Federal Aviation Administration said on its website that the move was an interim step until the agency finishes rules that will open the door for commercial operation of drones, as well as those uses for government purposes."
2012/05/10
Juniper: NFC to reach $74 billion in transactions by 2015 — Tech News and Analysis:
GIGAOM.com reports: "Payments using near field communication or NFC have barely gotten off the ground in the U.S. but it is headed toward a bright future, according to research firm Juniper, which forecast that NFC transactions will triple to $74 billion by 2015."
Comment: This article provides a good overview of recent developments in mobile commerce technology.
GIGAOM.com reports: "Payments using near field communication or NFC have barely gotten off the ground in the U.S. but it is headed toward a bright future, according to research firm Juniper, which forecast that NFC transactions will triple to $74 billion by 2015."
Comment: This article provides a good overview of recent developments in mobile commerce technology.
2012/05/08
PopSci.com - Canada Launches Its Own Virtual Cash, Called MintChip
Popular Science reports: "Next time you visit Canada, you might use digital currency to purchase your poutine, using something called MintChip backed by the Canadian government. The Royal Canadian Mint announced it’s getting rid of the penny and starting a new e-currency instead, and it wants the software community to help develop it [...] MintChip would enable the same type of low-cost transactions for which you’d normally use cash."
Popular Science reports: "Next time you visit Canada, you might use digital currency to purchase your poutine, using something called MintChip backed by the Canadian government. The Royal Canadian Mint announced it’s getting rid of the penny and starting a new e-currency instead, and it wants the software community to help develop it [...] MintChip would enable the same type of low-cost transactions for which you’d normally use cash."
2012/04/24
VOA - The Death Of Cash
The Voice of America reports: "Think for a moment: in a world where every monetary transfer is logged and recorded and stored in the cloud, anonymity disappears. Every thing you buy or sell, from a car to a gallon of milk, will be marked and recorded. And critics worry that same system that logs and records your every financial move could also, potentially, have the power to block them all."
Comment: This is an interesting article about money and asks if we are headed towards a cashless society.
The Voice of America reports: "Think for a moment: in a world where every monetary transfer is logged and recorded and stored in the cloud, anonymity disappears. Every thing you buy or sell, from a car to a gallon of milk, will be marked and recorded. And critics worry that same system that logs and records your every financial move could also, potentially, have the power to block them all."
Comment: This is an interesting article about money and asks if we are headed towards a cashless society.
2012/04/16
UPI.com - New biometric systems; contract bid
UPI reports: "Neurotechnology of Lithuania said the upgraded versions of its Software Development Kits are for biometric fingerprint, face, iris and voice identification and object recognition. The line encompasses VeriFinger 6.5, VeriLook 5.2, VeriLook Surveillance 2.1, VeriEye 2.5, VeriSpeak 1.1 and MegaMatcher 4.3, which are all for biometrics. Also upgraded is SentiSight 3.1 for object recognition and robotic vision applications."
UPI reports: "Neurotechnology of Lithuania said the upgraded versions of its Software Development Kits are for biometric fingerprint, face, iris and voice identification and object recognition. The line encompasses VeriFinger 6.5, VeriLook 5.2, VeriLook Surveillance 2.1, VeriEye 2.5, VeriSpeak 1.1 and MegaMatcher 4.3, which are all for biometrics. Also upgraded is SentiSight 3.1 for object recognition and robotic vision applications."
2012/03/22
CNET News - Want a vibrating tattoo that alerts you to a call? Nokia does
CNET News reports: "The mobile company has filed for a patent that would let it place haptic feedback technology onto a tattoo to alert customers to a new call [...] text message, or e-mail right from the tattoo. The application was filed last September and became public last week [...] the technology might also be applied to a visible image, sign, or badge."
Comment: This is an interesting development. It doesn't appear to have any commerce apps, but I'm sure if it's successful they may allow app makers to create new uses for the technology, something more in line with banking and/or identity verification perhaps?
CNET News reports: "The mobile company has filed for a patent that would let it place haptic feedback technology onto a tattoo to alert customers to a new call [...] text message, or e-mail right from the tattoo. The application was filed last September and became public last week [...] the technology might also be applied to a visible image, sign, or badge."
Comment: This is an interesting development. It doesn't appear to have any commerce apps, but I'm sure if it's successful they may allow app makers to create new uses for the technology, something more in line with banking and/or identity verification perhaps?
2012/03/17
My Way News - In Sweden, cash is king no more
My Way News reports: "Bills and coins represent only 3 percent of Sweden's economy, compared to an average of 9 percent in the eurozone and 7 percent in the U.S., according to the Bank for International Settlements, an umbrella organization for the world's central banks [...] Internet startups in Sweden and elsewhere are now hard at work developing payment and banking services for smartphones [...] Most experts don't expect cash to disappear anytime soon, but that its proportion of the economy will continue to decline as such payment options become available."
My Way News reports: "Bills and coins represent only 3 percent of Sweden's economy, compared to an average of 9 percent in the eurozone and 7 percent in the U.S., according to the Bank for International Settlements, an umbrella organization for the world's central banks [...] Internet startups in Sweden and elsewhere are now hard at work developing payment and banking services for smartphones [...] Most experts don't expect cash to disappear anytime soon, but that its proportion of the economy will continue to decline as such payment options become available."
2012/03/15
NYTimes.com - Bain Capital Tied to Surveillance Push in China
The New York Times reports: "Such surveillance systems are often used to combat crime and the manufacturer has no control over whether they are used for other purposes. But human rights advocates say in China they are also used to intimidate and monitor political and religious dissidents. 'There are video cameras all over our monastery, and their only purpose is to make us feel fear,' said Loksag, a Tibetan Buddhist monk in Gansu Province. He said the cameras helped the authorities identify and detain nearly 200 monks who participated in a protest at his monastery in 2008."
Comment: It's sad when companies born in American freedom export technology to repressive countries. It's even worse when that technology is used to persecute Christians and other minorities.
The New York Times reports: "Such surveillance systems are often used to combat crime and the manufacturer has no control over whether they are used for other purposes. But human rights advocates say in China they are also used to intimidate and monitor political and religious dissidents. 'There are video cameras all over our monastery, and their only purpose is to make us feel fear,' said Loksag, a Tibetan Buddhist monk in Gansu Province. He said the cameras helped the authorities identify and detain nearly 200 monks who participated in a protest at his monastery in 2008."
Comment: It's sad when companies born in American freedom export technology to repressive countries. It's even worse when that technology is used to persecute Christians and other minorities.
2012/02/27
My Way News - Obama administration seeks online privacy rules
My Way News reports: "Administration officials outlined a proposed 'Consumer Privacy Bill of Rights' on Thursday and urged technology companies, consumer groups and others to jointly craft new protections. Such guidelines will initially be voluntary for companies, but those that agree to abide by them could be subject to sanctions for any violations [...] The effort comes as companies have found more sophisticated ways to collect and combine data on your interests and habits."
My Way News reports: "Administration officials outlined a proposed 'Consumer Privacy Bill of Rights' on Thursday and urged technology companies, consumer groups and others to jointly craft new protections. Such guidelines will initially be voluntary for companies, but those that agree to abide by them could be subject to sanctions for any violations [...] The effort comes as companies have found more sophisticated ways to collect and combine data on your interests and habits."
2012/02/18
My Way News - Eastern Europeans fuel fight for Internet freedoms
My Way News reports: "In a region where people remember being spied upon and controlled by oppressive communist regimes, the treaty has provoked fears of a new surveillance regime. The pact aims to fight intellectual property theft - like fake Gucci handbags and violations of pharmaceutical patents. But it also targets online piracy - illegal downloads of music, films and software - and calls for measures that critics say would bring surveillance of Internet users."
My Way News reports: "In a region where people remember being spied upon and controlled by oppressive communist regimes, the treaty has provoked fears of a new surveillance regime. The pact aims to fight intellectual property theft - like fake Gucci handbags and violations of pharmaceutical patents. But it also targets online piracy - illegal downloads of music, films and software - and calls for measures that critics say would bring surveillance of Internet users."
2012/02/02
My Way News - Thailand welcomes Twitter;s new censorship policy
My Way News reports: "Thailand is welcoming Twitter's new policy to censor tweets in specific nations where the content might break laws. Technology minister Anudith Nakornthap said Monday the new policy was a 'constructive' development. The Southeast Asian country routinely blocks websites with content deemed offensive to the Thai monarchy."
My Way News reports: "Thailand is welcoming Twitter's new policy to censor tweets in specific nations where the content might break laws. Technology minister Anudith Nakornthap said Monday the new policy was a 'constructive' development. The Southeast Asian country routinely blocks websites with content deemed offensive to the Thai monarchy."
2012/01/31
CBS News - "Electronic tattoo" moving out of sci-fi realm
CBS News reports: "The National Science Foundation today released a video giving the latest news from researchers trying to develop flexible electronics that can be placed on the skin or embedded in the body. The hope is that these devices can be used to diagnose or provide care to patients. The group is testing prototype circuits that can detect muscle, heart, and brain activity with a skin-attached temporary 'tattoo.' These devices, made from small curly wires embedded in flexible membranes, perform as well as rigid electrodes, according to the NSF."
Comment: This is an interesting development. This tech is a bit different than the RFID tattoo we noted a few years ago, but it's still an interesting combination of useful technology with a skin (or below skin) based application.
CBS News reports: "The National Science Foundation today released a video giving the latest news from researchers trying to develop flexible electronics that can be placed on the skin or embedded in the body. The hope is that these devices can be used to diagnose or provide care to patients. The group is testing prototype circuits that can detect muscle, heart, and brain activity with a skin-attached temporary 'tattoo.' These devices, made from small curly wires embedded in flexible membranes, perform as well as rigid electrodes, according to the NSF."
Comment: This is an interesting development. This tech is a bit different than the RFID tattoo we noted a few years ago, but it's still an interesting combination of useful technology with a skin (or below skin) based application.
2012/01/26
My Way News - Twitter may censor tweets in individual countries
My Way News reports: "Twitter has refined its technology so it can censor messages on a country-by-country basis [...] Twitter will post a censorship notice whenever a tweet is removed. That's similar to what Internet search leader Google Inc. has been doing for years when a law in a country where its service operates requires a search result to be removed. Like Google, Twitter also plans to the share the removal requests it receives from governments, companies and individuals at the chillingeffects.org website."
My Way News reports: "Twitter has refined its technology so it can censor messages on a country-by-country basis [...] Twitter will post a censorship notice whenever a tweet is removed. That's similar to what Internet search leader Google Inc. has been doing for years when a law in a country where its service operates requires a search result to be removed. Like Google, Twitter also plans to the share the removal requests it receives from governments, companies and individuals at the chillingeffects.org website."
2012/01/25
New Scientist - FBI releases plans to monitor social networks
New Scientist reports: "The US Federal Bureau of Investigation has quietly released details of plans to continuously monitor the global output of Facebook, Twitter and other social networks, offering a rare glimpse into an activity that the FBI and other government agencies are reluctant to discuss publicly. The plans show that the bureau believes it can use information pulled from social media sites to better respond to crises, and maybe even to foresee them."
New Scientist reports: "The US Federal Bureau of Investigation has quietly released details of plans to continuously monitor the global output of Facebook, Twitter and other social networks, offering a rare glimpse into an activity that the FBI and other government agencies are reluctant to discuss publicly. The plans show that the bureau believes it can use information pulled from social media sites to better respond to crises, and maybe even to foresee them."
2012/01/21
The Economist - India’s UID scheme: Reform by numbers
The Economist reports: "FOR a country that fails to meet its most basic challenges— feeding the hungry, piping clean water, fixing roads—it seems incredible that India is rapidly building the world’s biggest, most advanced, biometric database of personal identities. Launched in 2010, under a genial ex-tycoon, Nandan Nilekani, the 'unique identity' (UID) scheme is supposed to roll out trustworthy, unduplicated identity numbers based on biometric and other data."
The Economist reports: "FOR a country that fails to meet its most basic challenges— feeding the hungry, piping clean water, fixing roads—it seems incredible that India is rapidly building the world’s biggest, most advanced, biometric database of personal identities. Launched in 2010, under a genial ex-tycoon, Nandan Nilekani, the 'unique identity' (UID) scheme is supposed to roll out trustworthy, unduplicated identity numbers based on biometric and other data."
2012/01/18
My Way News - Protest exposes Silicon Valley-Hollywood rivalry
My Way News reports: "In a move that heightens the growing tension between Silicon Valley and Hollywood, Wikipedia and other websites went dark Wednesday in protest of two congressional proposals intended to thwart the online piracy of copyrighted movies and TV programs [...] Critics believe such tinkering with core Internet technology treads into dangerous territory that could lead to online censorship."
My Way News reports: "In a move that heightens the growing tension between Silicon Valley and Hollywood, Wikipedia and other websites went dark Wednesday in protest of two congressional proposals intended to thwart the online piracy of copyrighted movies and TV programs [...] Critics believe such tinkering with core Internet technology treads into dangerous territory that could lead to online censorship."
2012/01/17
My Way News - Wikipedia to be blacked out over anti-piracy bill
My Way News reports: "Wikipedia will black out the English language version of its website Wednesday to protest anti-piracy legislation under consideration in Congress, the foundation behind the popular community-based online encyclopedia said in a statement Monday night."
My Way News reports: "Wikipedia will black out the English language version of its website Wednesday to protest anti-piracy legislation under consideration in Congress, the foundation behind the popular community-based online encyclopedia said in a statement Monday night."
Huff Post - Shelly Yachimovich: A Biometric Tower of Babel
From Huff Post op-eds: "The fundamental question here is the mere right of a state to hold such a database, providing itself with not only unrestrained power over offenders, but also over every human. Going down a slippery slope, this database could become a tracking device in an unbearable and easy way. First against criminals, then against protestors, and so on. This is Orwell's 1984. A gateway towards a totalitarian state, in which one's basic freedoms are crushed and it is potentially being traced without knowing."
From Huff Post op-eds: "The fundamental question here is the mere right of a state to hold such a database, providing itself with not only unrestrained power over offenders, but also over every human. Going down a slippery slope, this database could become a tracking device in an unbearable and easy way. First against criminals, then against protestors, and so on. This is Orwell's 1984. A gateway towards a totalitarian state, in which one's basic freedoms are crushed and it is potentially being traced without knowing."
2012/01/12
Yahoo! News - Author of U.S. online piracy bill vows not to buckle
Yahoo! News reports: "The lawmaker behind a bill to combat online piracy vowed on Thursday to press ahead in the face of fierce criticism from Internet giants such as Google and Facebook [...] the Texas representative says giving Washington sweeping powers over the Internet is necessary to protect free enterprise."
Yahoo! News reports: "The lawmaker behind a bill to combat online piracy vowed on Thursday to press ahead in the face of fierce criticism from Internet giants such as Google and Facebook [...] the Texas representative says giving Washington sweeping powers over the Internet is necessary to protect free enterprise."
2012/01/10
My Way News - Google search gets more personal, raises hackles
My Way News reports: "Google is sifting through the photos and commentary on its blossoming social network so its Internet search results can include more personal information. The additional personal touches that began to roll out Tuesday mark another step toward one of Google's most ambitious goals. The Internet search leader eventually hopes to know enough about each of its users so it can tailor its results to fit the unique interests of each person looking for something."
My Way News reports: "Google is sifting through the photos and commentary on its blossoming social network so its Internet search results can include more personal information. The additional personal touches that began to roll out Tuesday mark another step toward one of Google's most ambitious goals. The Internet search leader eventually hopes to know enough about each of its users so it can tailor its results to fit the unique interests of each person looking for something."
2012/01/09
My Way News - PayPal tests in-store payment system at Home Depot
My Way News reports: EBay's PayPal service is testing out a payments system in brick-and-mortar Home Depot stores [...] To pay using PayPal, customers will be able to enter their phone number and a pin code, or use a special PayPal card."
My Way News reports: EBay's PayPal service is testing out a payments system in brick-and-mortar Home Depot stores [...] To pay using PayPal, customers will be able to enter their phone number and a pin code, or use a special PayPal card."
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