In The News

“Contagious” Wi-Fi Virus Created by Liverpool Researchers

Dave Lee March 3, 2014
A team of researchers have invented a wi-fi computer virus that spreads from network to network like the common cold – with the goal of inventing and integrating detection systems at wi-fi access points. “The virus, dubbed Chameleon, seeks out wi-fi access points – devices that transmit the wi-fi signal, found in many homes – that have not had their admin password changed,” Dave Lee reports for...

Microsoft Blames “System Error,” Denies Censoring Chinese Search Results

Dominic Rushe February 13, 2014
Internet users, hungry for instant but complete information, often type a search term and check out top offerings. Depending on a user’s expertise, discrepancies or missing data may or may not be apparent. “On Tuesday, campaigners at FreeWeibo, a tool that allows uncensored search of Chinese blogs, revealed that Bing returns radically different results in the US for English and simplified Chinese...

Turkey Approves Harsh New Internet Law

Joshua Hersh February 10, 2014
Turkey’s government has approved a law, which requires the president’s approval, imposing new regulations for the internet: “The law, which still requires final approval by the country's president, would permit the government to quickly shutter a website deemed inappropriate, and orders Internet companies to store traffic and other data for two years,” reports Joshua Hersh for the World Post...

“Snowden Effect” Threatens US Tech Industry's Global Ambitions

Gerry Smith January 28, 2014
Claims by a former US National Security Agency contract worker that multinational companies like Google, Facebook and Microsoft cooperate in handing over user data has reduced global trust in the US tech industry. Equally alarming are Edward Snowden’s claims that the US engages in industrial espionage. “The impact of the Snowden leaks could threaten the future architecture of the modern Internet...

Per Fars News Agency, US Run by Nazi Aliens

Max Fisher January 24, 2014
The gulf between Iran and the United States is wide. Iran’s Fars News Agency reports that US National Security Agency documents released by a former contract worker suggest that a shadow government of aliens ran Nazi Germany, intent on world domination, and now runs the United States, also intent on world domination. The report, labeled under the category of “space,” emerges as the United States...

Panel Urges Curbs on US Surveillance

Ellen Nakashima, Ashkan Soltani December 19, 2013
A panel of experts appointed by President Barack Obama to review US surveillance methods has recommended limits for the National Security Agency. Currently the NSA collects and stores many US phone records. Among the 46 recommendations: storage of US phone records by telephone companies or another third party rather than the government; court approval for specific records of US citizens; a...

NSA Uses Google Cookies to Pinpoint Hacking Targets

Ashkan Soltani, Andrea Peterson, Barton Gellman December 16, 2013
The US National Security Agency has taken advantage of internet advertising tracking to pinpoint targets for surveillance, reports the Washington Post, based on internal documents provided by former NSA contract worker Edward Snowden. “For years, privacy advocates have raised concerns about the use of commercial tracking tools to identify and target consumers with advertisements,” reports the...