Category: Government

Government Microsoft

Microsoft and FBI collaborate to take down $500 million ‘Citadel’ botnet ring

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As reported on The Verge. By Aaron Souppouris Microsoft in cooperation with the FBI took down the majority of the malicious computer networks that make up the “Citadel” botnet ring. A botnet is a network of compromised computers that are generally used to perform coordinated attacks against others. Citadel has infected as many as five million PCs around the world and over the past 18 months the networks are estimated to have stolen more than $500…

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Government

Report: NSA Secretly Collecting Phone Records Of All U.S. Verizon Calls

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As reported on TechCrunch. by GREGORY FERENSTEIN The National Security Administration is secretly collecting phone record information for all U.S. calls on the Verizon network. “Under the terms of the blanket order, the numbers of both parties on a call are handed over, as is location data, call duration, unique identifiers, and the time and duration of all calls,”reports The Guardian, which broke the story of the top-secret project after it obtained record of a court order…

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Government

FBI ran child porn site for two weeks in attempt to identify over 5,000 pedophiles

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As reported on The Verge. By Aaron Souppouris DON’T MISS STORIES FOLLOW THE VERGE The FBI kept a site facilitating the viewing and sharing of child pornography for two weeks to try and catch pedophiles. The San Francisco Chronicle reports that the agency raided what it describes as a bulletin board-type site back in November. Rather than shutting it down, investigators kept it open in the hope of identifying its users. The paper notes that while FBI agents have posed…

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Government

President Obama issues executive order to make government data open and machine readable

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As reported on Engadget. By Sean Buckley Remember Data.gov? The President does, and he has issued an executive order that should give the information portal a shot in the arm. Starting this week, new and modernized Government information systems should use open and machine readable formats by default, adhering to the guidelines of a new Open Data Policy. The policy requires agencies to use open, machine readable formats that are non-proprietary, publicly available and unrestricted, and aims…

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Government Local

White House close to backing FBI’s wiretap backdoor proposal, says NYT

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As reported on The Verge. By Jeff Blagdon The White House is reportedly close to backing an FBI plan that would simplify online wiretapping by providing for significant fines against web services that refuse law enforcement requests. The New York Times reports that companies could face fines of up to $25,000 day if they fail to comply with judge-issued wiretap orders.   COMPANIES ARE ABLE TO CLAIM THEY CAN’T IMPLEMENT A WIRETAP Citing officials familiar with the deliberations, The Times reports that while…

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Culture Government Military Security

They’re watching: why city-wide surveillance failed to stop the Boston bombing

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As reported on The Verge. By Matt Stroud “If everyone becomes a suspect, then nobody is a suspect.”   All day Sunday, police directed traffic around a blocked-off section of Boylston Street in downtown Boston where bombs had gone off nearly a week earlier, killing three and wounding hundreds. A makeshift memorial had been set up to honor the dead with personal messages and flowers, and old running shoes hung from metal barricades. Similar makeshift memorials…

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Automotive Business Government Legal

Department of Energy seizes $21 million reserve account from Fisker

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As reported on Engadget. By Zachary Lutz Fisker just can’t catch a break. As if enduring the layoffs of three out of every four employees and the resignation of its founder wasn’t unsettling enough, it’s now come to light that the Department of Energy recently confiscated the company’s $21 million reserve account in an attempt to recoup some of the government’s loan. Fisker’s first payment on the $192 million federal loan was due Monday, but the Energy Department revealed that it actually took the…

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Culture Economy Government

As Colombian Drug Gangs Collapse, Mexican Cartels Get Tons of Cheap Coke

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As reported on Wired. BY ROBERT BECKHUSEN A Colombian soldier on security duty in La Macarena, Colombia on April 28, 2012. Photo: U.S. Special Operations Command South   Want to understand why Mexican cartels are awash in cheap Colombian cocaine? The decline and fall of Colombia’s drug gangs, once the undisputed masters of the illicit drug trade, help explain it. According to a recent report from the Woodrow Wilson Center for International Scholars, the Mexican cartels are…

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Apple Government Politics Random

Chinese state media warms to Apple after Tim Cook’s apology

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As reported on The Verge. By Aaron Souppouris China’s media has reacted positively to Apple CEO Tim Cook’s public apology over the recent warranty issues in the country. As reported by Reuters, the state-run newspaper People’s Daily said Apple’s reaction is “worth respect compared with other American companies.” A foreign ministry spokesperson was quoted saying “we approve of what Apple said,” praising the company for “conscientiously” responding to the issues. Apple drew fire in the press over claims that it was treating…

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Government Internet

Three Men Arrested For Attempting To Cut Undersea Internet Cable In Egypt

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As reported on TechCrunch. by JOHN BIGGS Egyptian authorities arrested three men off the coast of Alexandria for attempting to sever an undersea Internet cable. The SEA-ME-WE 4 main line was part of a cable network that spanned the Mediterranean and connects Southeast Asia, the Middle East and Western Europe and has 39 landing points, including Alexandria. Seacom, a cable operator, said that the attacks reduced network speed in Egypt. The line belonged to Telecom Egypt.…

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