China apparently wants to one-up the U.S. and the U.K. when it comes to urging technology companies to install security backdoors and…
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Report: China wants backdoors in imported tech, but only its own
Western companies are doing big business in China, but storm clouds lie on the horizon. According to a New York Times report,…
Read MoreThis Change.org petition response shows how much Uber has changed
Uber has just responded to a group of Change.org petitioners protesting Uber’s background check policies in India, following the alleged rape of a…
Read MoreSupreme Court to rule on Facebook threats and Amazon worker rights as new term starts
What are the most important legal cases in tech? Here are three cases going before the Supreme Court this fall, plus a view of 5 other issues coming down the pike.…
Read MoreMr. Schmidt goes to Washington, gets burned, leaves
Technology companies seem to be having thoughts about their efforts to engage directly in the political process.…
Read MoreLike iOS 8, Android L will reportedly make it harder for cops to access what’s on your phone
Google has told the Washington Post that the upcoming Android L will include encryption by default, in a way that won't let Google itself access what's on users' devices.…
Read MoreDisrupting the drive-by? Why the FBI’s warning about driverless cars and shootings is silly
Self-driving cars could be used as automated getaway drivers in criminal plots, according to the FBI. Sure, driverless cars could be used for crime. But so can Microsoft Excel.…
Read MoreVerizon’s first transparency report sheds no light on NSA data collection
Verizon gave accounts of the subpoenas, security orders and warrants it received and the wiretaps it executed for law enforcement. But it said nothing on FISA, which it's barred from reporting on.…
Read MoreDo our phones need a kill switch?
A political fight is brewing between local politicians and the mobile carriers about whether every phone should include a kill switch. The wrong people are having the argument.…
Read MoreCriminal masterminds beware: Your phone’s radio has a unique fingerprint
Sure, you can dump your SIM card, but according to a group of Dresden researchers, your phone has a unique radio frequency signature that can be tracked.…
Read MoreJustice Dept allows FBI anti-piracy seal on books, photos, doodles
Only a handful of very large software and entertainment associations are permitted to use the official FBI logo to warn consumers about the perils of piracy. Until now, that is.…
Read MoreNational database aims to catch smartphone thieves
The feds teamed up with law enforcement and the wireless industry to curb the theft of cellphones by essentially rendering the devices useless once pilfered and fingering the thieves if they try to re-activate them. Their plan: A new database that will track stolen phones.…
Read MoreWhy cops, cameras and the cloud aren’t a panacea for anything
Although the idea of police officers video-recording their use of Tasers has some claiming a small victory in the quest for better transparency, the issue isn't that simple. From providing biased evidence to possibly invading privacy, video is ultimately no different than any other data type.…
Read MoreToday in Connected Consumer
What am I missing here? One day after a titanic clash on Capitol Hill over a bill aimed at curbing piracy by…
Read MoreBuckle up for a new wave of cloud protectionism
Another European country is pushing a nationalistic agenda when it comes to cloud computing, one that could have huge repercussions for U.S.-based cloud powers and the nature of cloud computing in general. France Telecom is pushing a French cloud to feature built-in-France technology.…
Read MoreToday in Connected Consumer
The tech world has its very own “-gate,” as in iPhone-gate, or Gizmodogate, if you prefer. Authorities have seized computers belonging to…
Read MoreWhat Really Happened When Sprint Fed Customer Data to Cops?
Nothing gets buzz flowing like a security scare. A tape recording suggesting that Sprint provided law enforcement agencies with customer location data over 8 million times in one year has been made public. This is a sticky issue, but Sprint Nextel has a rebuttal.…
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