Submission + - Astronomers Search For Answers To Origin Of Interstellar Visitors (bbc.com)

Submitted by boudie2
boudie2 writes: Since the first sighting in 2017 of a space anomaly named
Oumuamua, Hawaiian for "a messenger from afar arriving first"
(pronounced oh-moo-uh-moo-uh) there has been much speculation
about it's origin and formation. In an article from the BBC
they give some background and tell us what astronomers have
discovered about it. "Tumbling through space at 57,000mph
(90,000 kmph), the object is thought to have come from the
direction of Vega, an alien star that resides 147 trillion
miles (237 trillion km) away." They go on to say that
"Oumuamua has not yet been definitively classified as a
comet or an asteroid – it might be something else entirely."
There is hope that a recently constructed observatory at the
top of Cerro Pachon, an 8,799 foot high mountain in Chile
that will be equipped with the "largest digital camera ever
constructed for the field of astronomy" will help provide
answers.

Submission + - CBP can attack your Smartphone... with your Car

Submitted by ytene
ytene writes: As reported by The Intercept, U.S. Customs and Border Protection have just spent $456,063 for a package of technology specifically designed to access smartphone data via a motor vehicle. From the article:-

"...part of the draw of vacuuming data out of cars is that so many drivers are oblivious to the fact that their cars are generating so much data in the first place, often including extremely sensitive information inadvertently synced from smartphones."

This data can include “Recent destinations, favorite locations, call logs, contact lists, SMS messages, emails, pictures, videos, social media feeds, and the navigation history of everywhere the vehicle has been, when and where a vehicle’s lights are turned on, and which doors are opened and closed at specific locations” as well as “gear shifts, odometer reads, ignition cycles, speed logs, and more. This car-based surveillance, in other words, goes many miles beyond the car itself."

Perhaps the most remarkable claim, however, was, “We had a Ford Explorer we pulled the system out, and we recovered 70 phones that had been connected to it. All of their call logs, their contacts and their SMS.”

Mohammad Tajsar, an attorney with the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), is quoted as saying, “Whenever we have surveillance technology that’s deeply invasive, we are disturbed,” he said. “When it’s in the hands of an agency that’s consistently refused any kind of attempt at basic accountability, reform, or oversight, then it’s Defcon 1.”

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