Amazon fires back on ACLU Congressional face recognition finding
The ACLU test used the Amazon software’s built-in defaults, but Amazon says it tells law enforcement customers to use more stringent settings to limit false positives. A recent test by the American...
View ArticleNine states are suing the Trump administration to stop 3D-printed guns
DIY gun proponent Cody Wilson promised to fight the multi-state lawsuit: “If we are a named party, we will litigate and defend our rights.” Washington State’s attorney general will lead a lawsuit...
View Article23AndMe and Ancestry want you to stop worrying about giving them your DNA
The DNA testing companies say they’ll disclose when they’re asked for information by police and won’t share data without customer consent. A group of DNA testing companies, including 23AndMe, Ancestry,...
View ArticleThe FCC misled Congress on net neutrality comment issues, says agency watchdog
The FCC’s inspector general found no evidence of a DDoS attack and alleged the FCC “misrepresented facts” in response to congressional inquiries. There’s no evidence that the Federal Communications...
View ArticleExperts: Two armed drones did indeed try to attack Venezuelan president
Footage from the scene seems to corroborate claims that two drones were used in an attack very near the scene of a presidential speech. Video footage appears to support claims that two drones armed...
View ArticleMIT’s tool for tracking police surveillance: a cryptographic ledger
Researchers say a blockchain-like system could help track government requests for private data without endangering the secrecy of investigations. Scientists at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology...
View ArticleOur privacy concerns have brought this VPN provider tons of new users
AnchorFree’s Hotspot Shield has seen bursts of downloads after privacy concerns and global free-speech crackdowns, though the company has had to answer a few privacy questions of its own. Thanks to...
View ArticleResearchers find security flaws in “smart city” technology
IBM and Threatcare researchers say these bugs have been patched, but similar vulnerabilities could let hackers induce panic or cover up sabotage by tampering with sensors. Researchers at IBM and...
View ArticleUber driver troubles raise concerns about transgender face recognition
Uber’s Microsoft-powered Real Time ID Check has locked out some drivers, signaling future struggles as facial-recognition technology becomes more prevalent. An Iowa Uber driver who is transgender was...
View ArticleSpace Force: 5 things to know about Trump’s controversial plan
Congress still needs to sign off on any plans for the Space Force, and the branch could take years to establish. Vice President Mike Pence spoke at the Pentagon today about the Trump administration’s...
View ArticleThis powerful new “face search” engine could be a privacy nightmare
Trustwave says its tool to search social networks by name and face can aid security penetration tests, but it might lead to privacy violations. Cybersecurity firm Trustwave has released an open source...
View ArticleIt took an 11-year-old hacker just 10 minutes to change election results on...
Experts successfully took over digital voting machines, some of which are still in use, using a variety of vulnerabilities that allowed them to explore files on the machines, hijack them to play music,...
View ArticleAT&T gets sued over two-factor security flaws and $23M cryptocurrency theft
If hackers can convince your phone company to turn over your number to them, they can defeat two-factor authentication that relies on text messaging. Crypto investor Michael Terpin filed a $224 million...
View ArticleHackers beware: These stealthy cybersecurity hunters speak your slang
Recorded Future, which recently made news for spotting military docs on the Dark Web, talks about how it scours hacker forums to hunt for threats. On a recent morning, Andrei Barysevich, director of...
View ArticleThe shelf company, one weird trick Paul Manafort allegedly used
The former Trump campaign chairman is alleged to have received payments through shelf companies in Cyprus with names like Leviathan Ltd. and Peranova Ltd. As the jurors in former Trump campaign...
View ArticleHow encrypted communications apps failed to protect Michael Cohen
Charging documents and other court records refer to Signal and WhatsApp data from Cohen’s devices. Within the detailed federal allegations against former Trump lawyer Michael Cohen, who pleaded guilty...
View ArticleIranian trolls used Russian tactics and impersonated Bernie fans on Facebook
Iran-linked social media accounts used names like Berniecrats and The British Left to promote a mix of Western progressive memes and pro-Iran and pro-Palestine messages. While Russia created bogus...
View ArticleBot or not? Amazon says its perky Twitter ambassadors are real
The program was quickly mocked for its eerily similar Twitter accounts, which some initially believed were run by bots. Amazon employees identified as “fulfillment center ambassadors” took to Twitter...
View ArticleNo flipping: How smart TVs are getting quite smart about you
Smarter sets could mean more niche programming and fewer annoying ads, says the TV industry. Privacy advocates worry consumers are being kept in the dark. Digital advertisers have it relatively easy....
View ArticleAmazon is feeling the Bern, but not in the way you think
Amazon and Senator Bernie Sanders each released statements Wednesday regarding the company’s warehouse working conditions and pay. Amazon accused Senator Bernie Sanders, the liberal independent from...
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