In The News

Codename “Apalachee”: How the US Spies on Europe and the UN

Laura Poitras, Marcel Rosenbach, Holger Stark August 27, 2013
NSA documents released by former contract worker Edward Snowden suggest that the US has targeted EU, UN and International Atomic Energy Agency offices with surveillance and that US embassies serve as bases for spying activities. The documents were released shortly after the US president had vowed the country's only surveillance interest was to “prevent a terrorist attack.” Such spying has...

The Decline of Renewable Energy

Bjørn Lomborg August 21, 2013
The world is stalled in developing renewable energy. Countries have invested more than $1 trillion over the last decade in developing renewable energies, which represent about 13 percent of all world energy in 2011 – about the same share as in 1971 – explains Bjørn Lomborg for Project Syndicate. “The vast majority comes from biomass, or wood and plant material – humanity’s oldest energy source,”...

How to Keep the NSA Out of Your Computer

Clive Thompson August 21, 2013
Creating a regional “mesh” online connection, avoiding the internet, began as a cost-cutting move in rural areas of Spain, Greece and Africa to avoid costly connection fees. But activists in countries as diverse as Syria and the United States now create exclusive mesh networking systems as a way to avoid surveillance systems. “Scores of communities worldwide have been building these roll-your-own...

Fears Over NSA Surveillance Revelations Endanger US Cloud Computing Industry

Charles Arthur August 13, 2013
Cloud computing allows users to share tech capabilities, such as storing data or trying software over the internet or individual servers, yet reports about intrusive surveillance programs may scare away customers. News reports allege that US tech companies comply with government requests for customer data with minimal checks and balances. “A survey by the US-based Cloud Security Alliance, quoted...

Bird Flu Strain in China “Passed Between Humans”

August 9, 2013
The viruses that cause flu can mutate quickly, and researchers have detected a probable human-to-human transmission of an emerging form of bird flu in China. “Until now there had been no evidence of anyone catching the H7N9 virus other than after direct contact with birds,” reports BBC News. “But experts stressed it does not mean the virus has developed the ability to spread easily between humans...

Urgent Need to Protect the Internet

John Negroponte August 8, 2013
The internet has contributed to unprecedented global connections, but its openness distresses some governments. Censorship takes many forms, and some nations even consider creating an exclusive system for their citizens, cutting off contact with the rest of the globe, notes John Negroponte, a Brady-Johnson Distinguished Fellow in Grand Strategy and senior lecturer in International Affairs at Yale...

Greenland Melting

Jeff Goodell August 5, 2013
Greenland’s ice sheets are melting more rapidly than once predicted, and abrupt changes in the Earth’s climate and landscape are contributing to a new sense of urgency among some researchers, including climatologist Jason Box who studies Greenland’s surface. “Box doesn’t shy away from bold strokes,” writes Jeff Goodell for Rolling Stone. “As he sees it, the general public has been betrayed by the...