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Submission + - Government to Release Hundreds of Documents on NSA Spying

Submitted by Trailrunner7
Trailrunner7 writes: In response to a lawsuit by the Electronic Frontier Foundation, the Department of Justice is preparing to release a trove of documents related to the government’s secret interpretation of Section 215 of the PATRIOT Act. The declassified documents will include previously secret opinions of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court.

The decision by the Justice Department to release the documents is the second legal victory in recent weeks for the EFF related to the National Security Agency’s intelligence collection programs. In August, the group won the release of a 2011 FISC opinion that revealed that the court ruled that some of the NSA’s collection programs were illegal and unconstitutional. The newest decision will result in the release of hundreds of pages of documents related to the way the government has been interpreting Section 215, which is the measure upon which some of the NSA’s surveillance programs are based.

In a status report released Wednesday regarding the EFF’s suit against the Department of Justice, attorneys for the government said that they will release the documents by Sept. 10.

Submission + - Mexican Village Creates Its Own Mobile Phone Service (indiatimes.com)

Submitted by Dave_Minsky
Dave_Minsky writes: The small indigenous village of Villa Talea de Castro (pop. 2,500) in the state of Oaxaca is showing the world that it doesn't have to rely on major cellular telecommunications providers for service.

With the help from indigenous groups, civil organizations and universities, village residents put up an antenna on a rooftop, installed radio and computer equipment, and created its own micro provider called Red Celular de Talea (RCT).

Service costs only 15 pesos ($1.2) per month and a few pennies per minute to make calls to the United States. However, there is one catch: calls are limited to a maximum of five minutes to prevent saturation of lines.

Submission + - Lord Blair: we need laws to stop 'principled' leaking of state secrets (theguardian.com)

Submitted by Anonymous Coward
An anonymous reader writes: Tougher laws are needed to prevent members of the public from revealing official secrets, former Metropolitan police commissioner Lord Blair has said.

The peer insisted there was material the state had to keep secret, and powers had to be in place to protect it.

The intervention comes after police seized what they said were thousands of classified documents from David Miranda – the partner of Guardian journalist Glenn Greenwald, who has been reporting leaks from the former US intelligence officer Edward Snowden.

The Home Office has defended the use of anti-terrorism laws to detain and question Miranda at Heathrow airport earlier this month.

Submission + - Students at Lynn University Get iPad Minis Instead of Textbooks

Submitted by Dave_Minsky
Dave_Minsky writes: About 600 students will enter Lynn University's freshman class this year, the largest since 2007, and they will all be using iPad Minis instead of textbooks.

The iPads will cost $475, up to 50 less than what a semester's worth of textbooks would cost a student, estimates Lynn. Students will be able to access core curriculum classes on their iPads that are "enhanced with custom multimedia content," and will come with "at least 30 education, productivity, social and news-related iOS apps — some free and some paid for by the university."

This seems to be the beginning of a new era for American colleges. The Boca Raton university is not the first to give iPads to students instead of textbooks. Back in 2010 New Jersey-based Seton Hill University announced it would give students the tablets rather than books.

Submission + - DOJ Fights To Keep Illegal Surveillance Court Ruling Hidden (ibtimes.com)

Submitted by coolnumbr12
coolnumbr12 writes: The Justice Department may soon be forced to reveal a classified document that details unconstitutional surveillance of American citizens. The Justice Department has fought to keep the document secret for about a year, but a recent court order demands that they respond to a formal request filed by the Electronic Frontier Foundation by next week, June 7, 2013.

Submission + - Judge Orders Porn Suspect to Decrypt His Hard Drives 2

Submitted by Anonymous Coward
An anonymous reader writes: After having first decided against forcing a suspect to decrypt a number of hard drives that were believed to be his and to contain child pornography, a U.S. judge has changed his mind and has now ordered the suspect to provide law enforcement agents heading the investigation with a decrypted version of the contents of his encrypted data storage system, or the passwords needed to decrypt forensic copies of those storage devices. Jeffrey Feldman, a software developer at Rockwell Automation, has still not been charged with any crime, and the prosecution initially couldn't prove conclusively that the encrypted hard drives contained child pornography or were actually Feldman's, which led U.S. Magistrate Judge William Callahan to decide that forcing him to decrypt them would violate his Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination.

Submission + - Quadcopter Drone Network Transports Supplies For Disaster Relief (singularityhub.com)

Submitted by kkleiner
kkleiner writes: A startup called Matternet is building a network of quadcopter drones to deliver vital goods to remote areas and emergency supplies to disaster-stricken areas. The installation of solar-powered fueling station and an operating system to allow for communications with local aviation authorities will allow the network to be available around the clock and in the farthest reaches of the world.

Submission + - Navy to deploys lasers on ships in 2014 (foxnews.com)

Submitted by Velcroman1
Velcroman1 writes: The Pentagon has plans to deploy its first ever ship-mounted laser next year, a disruptive, cutting-edge weapon capable of obliterating small boats and unmanned aerial vehicles with a blast of infrared energy. Navy officials announced Monday that in early 2014, a solid-state laser prototype will be mounted to the fantail of the USS Ponce and sent to the 5th fleet region in the Middle East for real-world experience. "It operates much like a blowtorch ... with an unlimited magazine," one official said.

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