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Submission + - HDMI 2.0 reaches the stores, delivers 4K UHD but not totally nor anything else. (technedigitale.com)

tafinho writes: Although HDMI 2.0 was released in September last year, first TVs with HDMI 2.0 have only reached the market over the last few weeks. This meant finally people can enjoy their 4K Ultra Super Hyper High Def content from something into a TV. Unfortunately, there aren't as many devices outputting 4K content. This article compares what HDMI 2.0 promised, what it really delivers, and what about that HDMI 1.4 cable compatibility, or not...

Submission + - FBI Issued 19,000 National Security Letters in 2013

Trailrunner7 writes: The United States federal government issued more than 19,000 National Security Letters–perhaps its most powerful tool for domestic intelligence collection–in 2013, and those NSLs contained more than 38,000 individual requests for information.

The new data was released by the Office of the Director of National Intelligence on Friday as part of its effort to comply with a directive from President Obama to declassify and release as much information as possible about a variety of tools that the government uses to collect intelligence. The directive came in the immediate aftermath of the first revelations by former NSA contractor Edward Snowden about the agency’s capabilities, methods and use of legal authorities.

The use of NSLs is far from new, dating back several decades. But their use was expanded greatly after 9/11 and NSLs are different from other tools in a number of ways, perhaps most importantly in the fact that recipients typically are prohibited from even disclosing the fact that they received an NSL. Successfully fighting an NSL is a rare thing, and privacy advocates have been after the government for years to release data on their use of the letters and the number of NSLs issued. Now, the ODNI is putting some of that information into the public record.

Submission + - What to do if police try to search your phone without a warrant

blottsie writes: The Supreme Court may have ruled this week that it is illegal for police to search your phone without a warrant. But just because that's the new rule doesn't mean all 7.5 million law enforcement officers in the U.S. will abide by it. This guide, put together with the help of the EFF and ACLU, explains what to do if a police officer tries to search your phone without a warrant. Of course, that doesn't mean they don't have other ways of getting your data.

Submission + - Saudi Government Targeting Dissidents with Mobile Malware (securityweek.com)

wiredmikey writes: Human Rights Watch on Friday demanded a clarification from Saudi Arabia over allegations from security researchers that the kingdom is infecting and monitoring dissidents' mobile phones with surveillance malware. The New York-based rights watchdog said surveillance software allegedly made by Italian firm Hacking Team mostly targeted individuals in Qatif district in Eastern Province, which has been the site of sporadic Shiite-led protests since February 2011.

"We have documented how Saudi authorities routinely crack down on online activists who have embraced social media to call out human rights abuses," said Cynthia Wong, HRW's senior Internet researcher. "It seems that authorities may now be hacking into mobile phones, turning digital tools into just another way for the government to intimidate and silence independent voices."

The accusations against the Saudi Government come days after researchers from Kaspersky Lab and Citizen Lab uncovered new details on advanced surveillance tools offered by HackingTeam, including never before seen implants for smartphones running on iOS and Android.

Comment Re:Well, no. (Score 1) 249

So you're saying developers will flee Google Play for Apple - if Google implements the EXACT SAME privacy/permissions controls iOS already has??

Lack of control over app permissions, just having to blindly accept whatever an app requests all-or-none, is precisely why I avoid Android. Now they've just made it even worse!

Comment Re:secure by default (Score 1) 248

Not only does the US Government have no authority over foreigners (not on US soil), those foreigners have no authority to direct the US Government, by means of voting.

Every democratic government's primary interest is making it's citizens happy - that's how the elected officials get re-elected. It's really that simple... For the vast majority of the citizenry, that means the basics: food, water, education, safety, healthcare, etc.

All people (and thus their governments) are inherently selfish to varying degrees, they always want more for themselves, whether it's better food, a bigger house, or improved safety. And they will gladly take personal enrichment, at the sacrifice of others if need be, it's basic human nature. Obviously there are limits, both practical and driven by needing to live communally, whether at the person-to-person level, or nation-to-nation, and that drives just how much we're willing to screw-over someone else to improve some facet of our own lives.

Since we're all trying to get ahead, governments need to keep an eye on each other, to maintain their own standard of living, that will never change. And modern technology has made it easier than ever...

I'm not saying "deal with it", because there do need to be limits, but they will always be driven by ANY government looking out for it's own citizens' well-being first and foremost. If they can achieve that through cooperation, awesome, but sometimes it'll be through subterfuge.

Submission + - Crowdfund A Film About Grace Hopper (i-programmer.info)

mikejuk writes: Born With Curiosity is a proposed biopic about computer pioneer Grace Hopper http://developers.slashdot.org.... With a week to go before it closes on June 7, a crowdfunding campaign on Indigogo https://www.indiegogo.com/proj... has so far raised 94% of its $45,000 target.
Although there have been a couple of books devoted to Grace Hopper and recently was the subject of a Google Doodle, her story hasn't made it to celluloid, which is something that Melissa Pierce finds anomalous, stating on the Born With Curiosity Indigogo page:
"Steve Jobs had 8 films made about him, with another in pre-production! Without Grace Hopper, Steve might have been a door to door calculator salesman! Even with that fact,there isn't one documentary about Grace and her legacy. It's time to change that."

Comment Re:Problem? (Score 2) 170

They were probably pissed, of course. But if their company had the right product at the right price, they could have won.

There's a difference between exposing corruption and fostering it. In that specific case, the US had a valid concern of impropriety, were proven right, and protected the national economic health.

Any other country would do the same, and if they're not, then they're failing the citizens...

Submission + - Why Johnny Can't Speak: A Cost of Paywalled Research

theodp writes: That there's no easy way for her to get timely, affordable access to taxpayer-funded research that could help her patients leaves speech-language pathologist Cortney Grove, well, speechless. In a cruel twist, U.S. Attorney Carmen Ortiz and U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder, who prosecuted Aaron Swartz, enjoy free, all-they-can-eat access to JSTOR-paywalled research, a perk of an elite education that's paid for by their alma maters. "Cortney's frustration," writes the EFF's Adi Kamdar, "is not uncommon. Much of the research that guides health-related progress is funded by taxpayer dollars through government grants, and yet those who need this information most-practitioners and their patients-cannot afford to access it."

Submission + - Federal Prosecutors, in a Policy Shift, Cite Warrantless Wiretaps as Evidence (nytimes.com)

schwit1 writes: The Justice Department for the first time has notified a criminal defendant that evidence being used against him came from a warrantless wiretap, a move that is expected to set up a Supreme Court test of whether such eavesdropping is constitutional.

The government’s notice allows the defendant's lawyer to ask a court to suppress the evidence by arguing that it derived from unconstitutional surveillance, setting in motion judicial review of the eavesdropping.

Comment Re:Problem? (Score 1) 170

Not at all. By necessity, Israel is one of the best countries at deception, and they use that against everybody.

Given their nature to overreact to threats, I'll sleep much better if ALL the UNSC countries are heavily spying on them, and calling them out when something sketchy is brewing. Looks like they're about to re-invade the West bank?? Bring that up in the spotlight!

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