Submission + - Freeman Dyson Passes Away (nytimes.com) 1
darenw writes: Another great mind gone. Freeman Dyson has died.
Submission + - Germany can no longer ratify the Unitary Software Patent due to Brexit and AETR (ffii.org)
zoobab writes: The Unitary Patent signals the third attempt to validate and expand software patents in Europe. Germany cannot ratify the current Unitary Patent due to Brexit and the established AETR case-law. The ratification of the UPC (Unified Patent Court) by Germany would constitute a violation of the AETR case-law, which was used during the EPLA negotiations in 2006 to consider a deal with non-EU countries, such as Switzerland. FFII says that if Germany proceeds with the ratification, it will open up the possibility for a second constitutional complaint.
Submission + - The 40th Root KSK Ceremony Rescheduled (icann.org)
rastos1 writes: The 40th Root Key Signing Key Ceremony, originally scheduled for 12 February 2020 at 2100 UTC in El Segundo, California, is being postponed.
During routine administrative maintenance of our Key Management Facility on 11 February, we identified an equipment malfunction that will prevent us from successfully conducting the ceremony as originally scheduled. The issue disables access to one of the secure safes that contains material for the ceremony.
During routine administrative maintenance of our Key Management Facility on 11 February, we identified an equipment malfunction that will prevent us from successfully conducting the ceremony as originally scheduled. The issue disables access to one of the secure safes that contains material for the ceremony.
Submission + - Apple has a Putin problem (fastcompany.com)
harrymcc writes: New legislation in Russia—known as the “law against Apple”—mandates that smartphone makers must preinstall government apps that will give authorities access to an array of information about the phone’s user. Apple, not surprisingly, is trying to wriggle its way out of complying. But whatever happens, it’s another case of an authoritarian government pushing around a U.S. tech company for very un-democratic reasons. Over at Fast Company, Josh Nadeau reports on the issue and why the stakes are so high.
Submission + - 7 Years Later, Emergency Alert Systems Still Un-Patched, Vulnerable (securityledger.com)
chicksdaddy writes: The Security Ledger is reporting (https://securityledger.com/2020/01/seven-years-later-scores-of-eas-systems-sit-un-patched-vulnerable/) that more than 50 Emergency Alert System (EAS) devices made by Monroe Electronics (now Digital Alert Systems) are un-patched and accessible from the public Internet, seven years after security researchers alerted the public about security flaws in the devices. (https://ioactive.com/article/ioactive-uncovers-vulnerabilities-in-united-states-emergency-alerting-system/)
More than 50 EAS deployments across the United States still use a shared SSH key, a security vulnerability first discovered and reported by IOActive in 2013, according to a warning posted by the security researcher Shawn Merdinger on January 19, seven years after the initial vulnerability report was issued.
Security Ledger viewed the exposed web interfaces for Monroe/Digital Alerts Systems EAS hardware used by two, FM broadcasters in Texas and an exposed EAS belonging to a broadband cable provider in North Carolina. Also publicly accessible: EAS systems for two stations (FM and AM) serving the Island of Hawaii. Residents there received a false EAS alert about an incoming ICBM in 2018. That incident was found to be the result of human error (https://www.cnn.com/2018/01/30/us/hawaii-false-alarm-investigation/index.html) but prompted the FCC to issue new guidance about securing EAS systems. (https://docs.fcc.gov/public/attachments/DOC-352524A1.pdf)
Digital Alert Systems said it is aware of the problem and is contacting the customers whose gear is exposed. However, a search using the Shodan search engine suggests that few have taken steps to remove their EAS systems from the public Internet in the past week. Security Ledger is withholding the names of the broadcasters whose EAS systems were exposed for security reasons. None of the stations contacted for the story was able to provide comment prior to publication.
More than 50 EAS deployments across the United States still use a shared SSH key, a security vulnerability first discovered and reported by IOActive in 2013, according to a warning posted by the security researcher Shawn Merdinger on January 19, seven years after the initial vulnerability report was issued.
Security Ledger viewed the exposed web interfaces for Monroe/Digital Alerts Systems EAS hardware used by two, FM broadcasters in Texas and an exposed EAS belonging to a broadband cable provider in North Carolina. Also publicly accessible: EAS systems for two stations (FM and AM) serving the Island of Hawaii. Residents there received a false EAS alert about an incoming ICBM in 2018. That incident was found to be the result of human error (https://www.cnn.com/2018/01/30/us/hawaii-false-alarm-investigation/index.html) but prompted the FCC to issue new guidance about securing EAS systems. (https://docs.fcc.gov/public/attachments/DOC-352524A1.pdf)
Digital Alert Systems said it is aware of the problem and is contacting the customers whose gear is exposed. However, a search using the Shodan search engine suggests that few have taken steps to remove their EAS systems from the public Internet in the past week. Security Ledger is withholding the names of the broadcasters whose EAS systems were exposed for security reasons. None of the stations contacted for the story was able to provide comment prior to publication.
Submission + - SPAM: Vox Media fires hundreds of freelance writers over California 'gig economy' law 2
schwit1 writes:
"This is a bittersweet note of thanks to our California independent contractors," said SB Nation executive director John Ness in a statement published on Monday.
"In 2020, we will move California's team blogs from our established system with hundreds of contractors to a new one run by a team of new SB Nation employees," he explained.
California Assembly Bill 5 will go into effect in 2020 and is intended to force "gig economy" giants like Uber and Lyft to pay their drivers as if they're employees and provide more benefits. But it is also affecting other freelance workers and causing confusion among employers.
To paraphrase future Beverly Hills gynecologist Eric Stratton, the fired Voxers f***ed up; they trusted Vox:
Link to Original Source
Submission + - Facebook's plan to fight propaganda with radical transparency was too radical (fastcompany.com)
tedlistens writes: Social Science One, an unprecedented, Mark Zuckerberg-backed plan to open up Facebook's data to outside researchers—with the aim of fighting disinformation and propaganda ahead of elections in 2020—has run up against privacy concerns at Facebook. A month after the funders' deadline, Facebook continues to work on treating the data with differential privacy techniques and says it hopes to publish more datasets soon. But researchers are frustrated and confused, and the backers are reconsidering their support. And lawmakers like Sen. Mark Warner, the vice chair of the Senate Intelligence Committee, are growing impatient too.
“In Congress, we need to require greater accountability from social media platforms on everything from the transparency of political ad funding, to the legitimacy of content, to the authenticity of user accounts,” Warner tells Alex Pasternack at Fast Company. “And if platforms refuse to comply, we need to be able to hold them responsible.”
“In Congress, we need to require greater accountability from social media platforms on everything from the transparency of political ad funding, to the legitimacy of content, to the authenticity of user accounts,” Warner tells Alex Pasternack at Fast Company. “And if platforms refuse to comply, we need to be able to hold them responsible.”
Submission + - Microsoft Beats Amazon To Win the Pentagon's $10 Billion JEDI Cloud Contract (theverge.com)
An anonymous reader writes: The US government has awarded a giant $10 billion cloud contract to Microsoft, the Department of Defense has confirmed. Known as Joint Enterprise Defense Infrastructure (JEDI), the contract will provide the Pentagon with cloud services for basic storage and power all the way up to artificial intelligence processing, machine learning, and the ability to process mission-critical workloads. It’s a key contract for Microsoft as the company battles Amazon for cloud dominance, and for a while it was up in the air as to whether Microsoft or Amazon would win this particular one. IBM and Oracle were both eliminated for the bidding back in April, leaving just Microsoft and Amazon as the only companies that could meet the requirements. The contract has been controversial throughout the bidding process, and Oracle lost a legal challenge after it claimed the contract has conflicts of interest.
Submission + - Man Kept Getting Drunk Without Drinking. Docs Found Brewer's Yeast In His Guts (arstechnica.com)
An anonymous reader writes: After years of inexplicably getting drunk without drinking alcohol, having mood swings and bouts of aggression, landing a DWI charge on the way to work one morning, and suffering a head injury in a drunken fall, an otherwise healthy 46-year-old North Carolina man finally got confirmation of having alcohol-fermenting yeasts overrunning his innards, getting him sloshed any time he ate carbohydrate-laden meals. Through the years, medical professionals and police officers refused to believe he hadn’t been drinking. They assumed the man was lying to hide an alcohol problem. Meanwhile, he went to an untold number of psychiatrists, internists, neurologists, and gastroenterologists searching for answers.
Those answers only came after he sought help from a support group online and then contacted a group of researchers at Richmond University Medical Center in Staten Island, New York. By then, it was September of 2017—more than seven years after his saga began. The New York researchers finally confirmed that he had a rarely diagnosed condition called “auto-brewery syndrome.” From there, the researchers started him on powerful anti-fungal medications to try to clear the boozy germs from his system. But he relapsed just weeks later after sneaking some forbidden pizza and soda. The researchers tried again, giving him an even stronger round of anti-fungal drugs, this time through a tube directly into his veins (central catheter). By February of 2018, tests indicated he was free of the fermenting fungi. He went back to eating his normal diet and passed his daily breathalyzer tests. He has stayed that way since, the researchers report.
Those answers only came after he sought help from a support group online and then contacted a group of researchers at Richmond University Medical Center in Staten Island, New York. By then, it was September of 2017—more than seven years after his saga began. The New York researchers finally confirmed that he had a rarely diagnosed condition called “auto-brewery syndrome.” From there, the researchers started him on powerful anti-fungal medications to try to clear the boozy germs from his system. But he relapsed just weeks later after sneaking some forbidden pizza and soda. The researchers tried again, giving him an even stronger round of anti-fungal drugs, this time through a tube directly into his veins (central catheter). By February of 2018, tests indicated he was free of the fermenting fungi. He went back to eating his normal diet and passed his daily breathalyzer tests. He has stayed that way since, the researchers report.
Submission + - Algorithms Will Be 'Driving the Majority of Facebook News,' Says Facebook (techcrunch.com)
An anonymous reader writes: Facebook’s news section, which was previously reported to be imminent, is here: The company is rolling out Facebook News in a limited test in the U.S. as a home screen tab and bookmark in the main Facebook app. In a blog post, Facebook’s Campbell Brown (vice president of global news partnerships) and Mona Sarantakos (product manager, news) said that news articles will continue to appear in the main News Feed. However, they said that creating a specific tab focused on journalism “gives people more control over the stories they see, and the ability to explore a wider range of their news interests, directly within the Facebook app.” It sounds like Facebook News will use both human editors and algorithms to determine which stories you see — an unusual move for a company that’s been hesitant to police the content posted by users and advertisers. Specifically, there will be a section called Today’s Stories, curated by a team of journalists to highlight the biggest national news stories of the day.
At the same time, Facebook will also provide algorithmic story suggestions based on your interests and activity. You’ll be able to hide articles, topics and publishers you don’t want to see, and browse sections devoted to business, entertainment, health, science and technology, and sports — topics where Facebook users apparently felt underserved. “Regarding personalization, publishers worry that machine learning has limits and they’re right,” Brown and Sarantakos wrote. “We have progress to make before we can rely on technology alone to provide a quality news destination.” Nonetheless, they suggested that algorithms will be “driving the majority of Facebook News,” and that they’ll be working to ensure that those algorithms are also surfacing “new forms of journalism in the digital age, including individual, independent journalism.”
At the same time, Facebook will also provide algorithmic story suggestions based on your interests and activity. You’ll be able to hide articles, topics and publishers you don’t want to see, and browse sections devoted to business, entertainment, health, science and technology, and sports — topics where Facebook users apparently felt underserved. “Regarding personalization, publishers worry that machine learning has limits and they’re right,” Brown and Sarantakos wrote. “We have progress to make before we can rely on technology alone to provide a quality news destination.” Nonetheless, they suggested that algorithms will be “driving the majority of Facebook News,” and that they’ll be working to ensure that those algorithms are also surfacing “new forms of journalism in the digital age, including individual, independent journalism.”
Submission + - Tor Project removes 13.5% of current servers for running EOL versions (zdnet.com)
An anonymous reader writes: The Tor Project has removed from its network this week more than 800 servers that were running outdated and end-of-life (EOL) versions of the Tor software. The removed servers represent roughly 13.5% of the 6,000+ servers that currently comprise the Tor network and help anonymize traffic for users across the world. Roughly 750 of the removed servers represent Tor middle relays, and 62 are exit relays.
The Tor team said it banned these servers because of security reasons, as the outdated Tor relays were now vulnerable to various attacks, or lacked security features added in more recent versions of the Tor server software.Tor Project removes 13.5% of current servers for running EOL versions
The Tor team said it banned these servers because of security reasons, as the outdated Tor relays were now vulnerable to various attacks, or lacked security features added in more recent versions of the Tor server software.Tor Project removes 13.5% of current servers for running EOL versions
Comment There.. fixed that for you. (Score 1) 1
Comment Forethought (Score 1) 20
Did anyone else notice anything about the video thumbnails on their channel? In this age of political correctness, someone clearly didn't think this through.
Submission + - Ask Slashdot: Could Asimov's Three Laws Of Robotics Ensure Safe AI? (wikipedia.org) 2
OpenSourceAllTheWay writes: There is much screaming lately about possible dangers to humanity posed by Artificial Intelligence that gets smarter and smarter and more capable and might — at some point — even decide that humans are a problem for the planet. But some seminal science-fiction works mulled such scenarios long before even 8-Bit home computers entered our lives, and Isaac Asimov's Robot stories in particular often revolved around Laws Of Robotics that robots were supposed to follow so as not to harm humans. The famous Three Laws Of Robotics from Wikipedia:
A robot may not injure a human being or, through inaction, allow a human being to come to harm.
A robot must obey the orders given it by human beings except where such orders would conflict with the First Law.
A robot must protect its own existence as long as such protection does not conflict with the First or Second Laws.
So here's the question — if science-fiction has already explored the issue of humans and intelligent robots or AI co-existing in various ways, isn't there a lot to be learned from these literary works? If you programmed an AI not to be able to break an updated and extended version of Asimov's Laws, would you not have reasonable confidence that the AI won't go crazy and start harming humans? Or are Asimov and other writers who mulled these questions "So 20th Century" that AI builders won't even consider learning from their work?
A robot may not injure a human being or, through inaction, allow a human being to come to harm.
A robot must obey the orders given it by human beings except where such orders would conflict with the First Law.
A robot must protect its own existence as long as such protection does not conflict with the First or Second Laws.
So here's the question — if science-fiction has already explored the issue of humans and intelligent robots or AI co-existing in various ways, isn't there a lot to be learned from these literary works? If you programmed an AI not to be able to break an updated and extended version of Asimov's Laws, would you not have reasonable confidence that the AI won't go crazy and start harming humans? Or are Asimov and other writers who mulled these questions "So 20th Century" that AI builders won't even consider learning from their work?
