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Submission + - Euro carriers want a piece of Google's advertising income. (arstechnica.com)

Submitted by chasm22
chasm22 writes: Apparently, mobile carriers in Europe are planning to block Google ads until they get a slice of the pie from Google. I wonder if this could lead to strongarming online retailers? If they are successful with their tactics why couldn't they, for an example, refuse to let anyone visit Macy's online store until Macy's gives them a slice of the revenue it earns. It seems like they're quite comfortable with using their position as carriers to also include the role of gatekeeper. Who gets what and where, who reads what, etc. And , of course, how much money can they leech.

Arguments can be made about Google using its dominant position to earn more money, but that isn't what this is about. As a matter of fact, if any of them bear any similarity to my carrier(Verizon), I would rather the money go to Google. One exec said, "The idea is to specifically target Google, blocking advertising on its websites in an attempt to force the company into giving up a cut of its revenues."

I guess they're banking on no one will care since its Google. No plans yet for Facebook, but with ad revenue in the billions last quarter, they are surely going to be a target in the future.

Submission + - Banks Conspire 2

Submitted by Jim Sadler
Jim Sadler writes: I'll keep it short. Why do banks, charge cards and others have such lousy password software? My bank allows twenty letters or numbers but not all combinations of letters and numbers. Then on top of that one can not use symbols or ASCI symbols in ones password. Needless to say pass phrases are also banned. For example "JackandJillwentupthehilltofetch1394pounds of worms." would be very hard to crack and very easy to recall.
              I can't imagine why such passwords would be so hard to handle for financial institutions and they have everything in the world to lose from sloppy security. So just why, considering that these institutions complain of mega money being lost, do they not have a better password system? Do they somehow gain when money goes missing?

Submission + - Intelligence officers given immunity from hacking laws, tribunal told (theguardian.com)

Submitted by Anonymous Coward
An anonymous reader writes: GCHQ staff have been given immunity from prosecution for hacking into computers, laptops and mobile phones under legislative changes that were never fully debated by parliament, a tribunal has been told.

The re-writing of a key clause of the Computer Misuse Act has exempted law enforcement officers from the prohibition on breaking into other people’s laptops, databases, mobile phones or digital systems. It came into force in March.

Addressing the Investigatory Powers Tribunal, which deals with complaints about the intelligence services and surveillance, lawyers for Privacy International said they had only been informed of the alteration earlier this week.

Submission + - Mobile Spy Software Maker mSpy Hacked, Customer Data Leaked

Submitted by pdclarry
pdclarry writes: mSpy sells a software-as-a-service package that claims to allow you to spy on iPhones. It is used by ~2 million people to spy on their children, partners, Exes, etc. The information gleaned is stored on mSpy's servers. Brian Krebs reports that mSpy has been hacked and their entire database of several hundred GB of their customer's data has been posted on the Dark Web. The trove includes Apple IDs and passwords, as well as the complete contents of phones that have mSpy installed. So much for keeping your children safe.

Submission + - Scientists discover first warm-bodied fish (sciencemag.org)

Submitted by sciencehabit
sciencehabit writes: Researchers have discovered the first fish that can keep its entire body warm, much like mammals and birds. The opah, or moonfish, lives in deep, cold water, but it generates heat from its massive pectoral muscles. And it conserves that warmth thanks to body fat and the special structure of blood vessels in its gills. Having a warm heart and brain likely allows the little-known fish to be a vigorous predator, the researchers suspect.

Submission + - Anonymous Tor Cloud project closes down (betanews.com)

Submitted by Mark Wilson
Mark Wilson writes: The Tor browser is used by many to stay anonymous online — and it's something that has been embraced by the likes of WikiLeaks as a way to safely gather information whilst hopefully avoiding the surveillance of the NSA. One lesser known project from the same stables is the Tor Cloud service, and Tor has announced that it is closing down.

Based on the Amazon EC2 cloud computing platform, Tor Cloud provided a way to share computing resources and allow faster uncensored access to the internet. However, the project is plagued with "at least one major bug ... that makes it completely dysfunctional" and after failing to find anyone to undertake the work, the decision was taken to shutter Tor Cloud. This does not mean that Tor itself is dead — far from it — and developers are being encouraged to create their own forked versions of Tor Cloud.

Submission + - Putting keys in freezer could prevent car break-ins (wcnc.com) 1

Submitted by turkeydance
turkeydance writes: If you have a car with a hands-free key fob, you could become the target of a break-in tactic that you probably didn't know was possible. AAA Carolinas' Dave Yelverton says this type of key fob typically unlocks a car if it's within about 30 centimeters.

"Your car is continually trying to reach out and touch this key," Yelverton said. "And when it finds the key, you can open the door without touching the car without using the key. You can just leave it in your pocket."

But there are break-in cases across the country, where a power amplifier device may have been used to unlock the cars. Yelverton says the amplifier would take that signal from the car and fire it out as far as 100 meters.

Submission + - WikiLeaks' Anonymous Leak Submission System Is Back After Nearly Five Years (wired.com)

Submitted by Sparrowvsrevolution
Sparrowvsrevolution writes: On Friday, WikiLeaks announced that it has finally relaunched a beta version of its leak submission system after a 4.5 year hiatus. That file-upload site, which once served as a central tool in WIkiLeaks' leak-collecting mission, runs on the anonymity software Tor to allow uploaders to share documents and tips while protecting their identity from any network eavesdropper, and even from WikiLeaks itself. In 2010 the original submission system went down amid infighting between WikiLeaks’ leaders and several of its disenchanted staffers, including several who left to create their own soon-to-fail project called OpenLeaks.

WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange says that the new system, which was delayed by his legal troubles and the banking industry blockade against the group, is the final result of “four competing research projects" WikiLeaks launched in recent years. He adds that it has several less-visible submission systems in addition to the one it's now revealed. “Currently, we have one public-facing and several private-facing submission systems in operation, cryptographically, operationally and legally secured with national security sourcing in mind,” Assange writes.

Submission + - FBI Slammed On Capitol Hill For 'Stupid' Ideas About Encryption (dailydot.com)

Submitted by blottsie
blottsie writes: At a hearing in Washington, D.C., on Wednesday, the FBI endured outright hostility as both technical experts and members of Congress from both parties roundly criticized the law enforcement agency's desire to place so-called back doors into encryption technology.

"Creating a technological backdoor just for good guys is technologically stupid," said Rep. Ted Lieu (D-Calif.), a Stanford University computer science graduate. "That's just stupid."

Submission + - Google Announces 'Password Alert' to Protect Against Phishing Attacks

Submitted by HughPickens.com
HughPickens.com writes: Google has announced Password Alert, a free, open-source Chrome extension that protects your Google Accounts from phishing attacks. Once you’ve installed it, Password Alert will show a warning if you type your Google password into a site that isn’t a Google sign-in page. This protects you from phishing attacks and also encourages you to use different passwords for different sites, a security best practice. Once you’ve installed and initialized Password Alert, Chrome will remember a “scrambled” version of your Google Account password. It only remembers this information for security purposes and doesn’t share it with anyone. If you type your password into a site that isn't a Google sign-in page, an alert will tell you that you’re at risk of being phished so you can update your password and protect yourself.

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