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Submission + - NYT: Uber Engineers Geofenced Apple HQ to Cover Up iPhone Fingerprinting

Submitted by theodp
theodp writes: Uber CEO Travis Kalanick's drive to win in life, writes the New York Times' Mike Isaac, has led to a pattern of risk-taking that has put his ride-hailing company on the brink of implosion, including a previously unreported encounter with Apple CEO Tim Cook in early 2015 that threatened the ride-sharing company with an iPhone ban death sentence: "For months, Mr. Kalanick had pulled a fast one on Apple by directing his employees to help camouflage the ride-hailing app from Apple’s engineers. The reason? So Apple would not find out that Uber had secretly been tracking iPhones even after its app had been deleted from the devices, violating Apple’s privacy guidelines. But Apple was on to the deception, and when Mr. Kalanick arrived at the midafternoon meeting sporting his favorite pair of bright red sneakers and hot-pink socks, Mr. Cook was prepared. 'So, I’ve heard you’ve been breaking some of our rules,' Mr. Cook said in his calm, Southern tone. Stop the trickery, Mr. Cook then demanded, or Uber’s app would be kicked out of Apple’s App Store. For Mr. Kalanick, the moment was fraught with tension. If Uber’s app was yanked from the App Store, it would lose access to millions of iPhone customers — essentially destroying the ride-hailing company’s business. So Mr. Kalanick acceded."

Submission + - Time to break up the google? I think so! (google.com)

Submitted by shanen
shanen writes: Don't think of it as a penalty for success. It's the reward of incentivized reproduction. We don't need a google monopoly, but rather a herd of little googles all working to build on the strong foundation. Two results: (1) Competition will drive faster improvements, and (2) We'll get meaningful choice and more freedom.

Submission + - Arrested Nigerian Email Scammer facing 30-years in Prison (dallasnews.com)

Submitted by McGruber
McGruber writes: Amechi Colvis Amuegbunam, 28, a Nigerian man living in the U.S. on a student visa, faces federal wire fraud charges in connection with a sophisticated email phishing scam targeting businesses. He was arrested in Baltimore and charged with scamming 17 North Texas companies out of more than $600,000 using the technique. If convicted, Amuegbunam faces up to 30 years in prison and a fine of up to $1 million.
Microsoft

Submission + - Windows 8 proving less popular than Vista (kitguru.net) 5

Submitted by NettiWelho
NettiWelho writes: Data from Net Applications shows that Windows 8 is less popular than Windows Vista, the operating system that proved unpopular with the enthusiast audience.

Windows 8 usage uptake has slipped behind Vista’s in the same point in its release. Windows 8 online usage share is around 1.6% of all Windows PC’s which is less than the 2.2% share that Windows Vista commanded at the same two month mark after release.

Net Applications monitor operating system usage by recording OS version for around 40,000 sites it monitors for clients.

The slowdown for Windows 8 adoption is a bad sign for Microsoft who experienced great success with the release of Windows 7.

Data was measured up to the 22nd of December, so there is still time by the end of the month for Windows 8 to claim a higher percentage of the user base.
Linux

Submission + - Raided for running a Tor exit node (lowendtalk.com)

Submitted by Anonymous Coward
An anonymous reader writes: While this doesn't directly effect me it effects the industry I work in... A provider of VPS services was recently raided for running a TOR exit node. This brings forth the question: What can providers do as a whole to prevent their clients and themselves from being raided in the event someone "does something nasty"...
Microsoft

Submission + - Microsoft alleged anticompetitive practices agains (groklaw.net)

Submitted by andydread
andydread writes: We discussed the accusation against Microsoft by Barnes and Noble about their patent attacks on Android. The details are out on the extent that Microsoft has gone to make open source undesirable in the marketplace. Barnes and Noble says that this is not just about Android. According to B&N Its about all open source in general and they have filed a detailed complaint (PDF) with the ITC spelling out what they call "extortive practices" on the part of Microsoft against open source. Now we have a list of the actual patents in question and B&N explaining how each one of these patents are invalid.
Power

Submission + - Huge Solar Array to Support NJ Data Center (datacenterknowledge.com)

Submitted by 1sockchuck
1sockchuck writes: Publisher McGraw-Hill will build a 50-acre solar array to offset the energy used by a data center on its campus. A number of recent data center projects (including sites for Facebook and Cisco) have integrated on-site solar power, but with outputs of 100 to 200 kilowatts of power, only a fraction of the total power requirements. The McGraw-Hill project in East Windsor, N.J. will generate 14 megawatts of solar power, dwarfing the other projects.

Submission + - Skype is instaling adwere on your PC (skype.com)

Submitted by seth6
seth6 writes: Today many people are waking up to find a program called Easy Bit Go has installed its self on Skype users PC's threw Skype. While not yet confirmed as a virus this program is installed on to a users computer with out any permission given.

Submission + - Casio F-91W Wristwatch Identifies You as Al-Qaida (guardian.co.uk)

Submitted by rrayst
rrayst writes: According to the wikileaked Matrix of Threat Indicators for Enemy Combatants, owning a Casio F-91W may indicate "membership and participation in or support to hostilities against US and Coalition forces". "The possession of [the watch] and the silver-color version of this model, the A159W, is an indicator of al-Qaida training in the manufacture of improvised explosive devices (IEDs)." It is "a sign of al-Qaida", used "to make bombs", given to "students at [...] bomb-making training courses in Afghanistan".

Submission + - UK Patent Office hit by DDOS attack (ipo.gov.uk)

Submitted by epa
epa writes: The UK Intellectual Property Office (formerly known as the Patent Office) has been hit by a DDOS attack by an anti-intellectual property group. It has suspended its web-based online filing service, and is generally limited its on-line presence.

Submission + - UK to track all browsing, email, phone calls (telegraph.co.uk)

Submitted by Sara Chan
Sara Chan writes: The UK government plans to introduce legislation that will allow the police to track every phone call, email, text message and website visit made by the public. The information will include who is contacting whom, when and where and which websites are visited, but not the content of the conversations or messages. Every communications provider will be required to store the information for at least a year. Full story in The Telegraph.

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