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  Feds Not Filing Charges in Pennsylvania School Spying Controversy

  JP 1:45 am on August 19, 2010 | 0 Permalink | Reply
  Tags: district, lower merion school, lower merion school district, nbsp (1,691), Pennsylvania (11), Read (1,473), School (11), U.S., webcam photos, Zane David Memeger

  Filed under: Computers

  After months of back and forth and hand wringing, it looks like the strange tale of the Lower Merion school district may finally be coming to a close. In advance of the new school year, U.S. Attorney Zane David Memeger has announced that the federal government will not be filing charges against the district or its employees over the controversial use of tracking software on school-issued laptops that snapped webcam photos of students. Memeger says that an investigation turned up no evidence of criminal intent. Still, if we were students in the district, we might choose to turn down the offer of a free, school-issued laptop. [From: Google/AP]

  Feds Not Filing Charges in Pennsylvania School Spying Controversy originally appeared on Switched on Tue, 17 Aug 2010 15:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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  Google's South Korea Offices Raided Over Street View Data Collection

  JP 1:46 am on August 13, 2010 | 0 Permalink | Reply
  Tags: google (193), Korea (5), private passwords, Read (1,473), reuters reports (2), South Korea (2), south korean government, Street (7), U.S., View (17)

  Filed under: Google, Web

  

  Already under fire from privacy advocates and politicians in the U.S., Google is now facing a probe from the South Korean government, amid speculation that the company may have illegally collected private information from Korean users. As Reuters reports, police raided Google Korea’s Seoul offices yesterday, as part of an ongoing investigation into the company’s Street View service. After more than a year’s worth of preparation, Street View still has yet to launch in South Korea. Korean authorities, though, clearly want to make sure the feature won’t jeopardize its citizens’ rights to privacy, as it has in other parts of the world.

  Back in May, Google admitted that its camera-equipped Street View cars inadvertently collected and stored personal data from open Wi-Fi networks, including private passwords and e-mails. When news of the incident broke, Google was quick to reassure consumers that it had never actually used the collected data, and promptly grounded its fleet of Street View cars. So far, however, that hasn’t been enough to placate worried governments and regulatory agencies around the world, who continue to investigate the company’s data mining practices.

  Continue reading Google’s South Korea Offices Raided Over Street View Data Collection

  Google’s South Korea Offices Raided Over Street View Data Collection originally appeared on Switched on Tue, 10 Aug 2010 10:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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  Brain Waves Reveal Terrorists' Guilty Knowledge

  JP 1:45 am on August 9, 2010 | 0 Permalink | Reply
  Tags: activity, brain (6), brain wave activity, brain waves (2), J. Peter Rosenfeld, nbsp (1,691), northwestern university researchers, Read (1,473), U.S.

  Filed under: Computers

  

  In a recent study at Northwestern University, researchers used electrodes to examine the brain activity of 29 “fake” terrorists. As FOX reports, each student was given a fake terrorist plan of attack on a given U.S. city, and about 30 minutes to educate themselves. They were also asked to flesh out the attacks in greater detail, based on information concerning weapons and methods. The researchers, in the first stage of the study, were fully aware of the mock terrorist plots, and monitored the brain activity of the students during interviews. Whenever a subject revealed details as to where and when the attack was to take place, researchers noticed a unique pattern in his or her ‘P300′ brain wave activity. They were then able to associate these patterns with a student’s “guilty knowledge” of the attack, with 100-percent accuracy across all 29 subjects.

  To test the pattern, they re-ran the experiment — but without being privy to the mock plots. “Without any prior knowledge of the planned crime in our mock terrorism scenarios, we were able to identify 10 out of 12 terrorists, and, among them, 20 out of 30 crime-related details,” said psychology professor J. Peter Rosenfeld. “The test was 83-percent accurate in predicting concealed knowledge, suggesting that our complex protocol could identify future terrorist activity.”

  Continue reading Brain Waves Reveal Terrorists’ Guilty Knowledge

  Brain Waves Reveal Terrorists’ Guilty Knowledge originally appeared on Switched on Thu, 05 Aug 2010 14:05:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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  Google Releases 'Google Apps for Government'

  JP 11:49 am on July 29, 2010 | 0 Permalink | Reply
  Tags: google (193), google apps (4), government (10), Los Angeles (6), mail accounts (6), mobile apps (5), nbsp (1,691), Orlando (3), Read (1,473), U.S.

  Filed under: Google, Web

  Google’s mobile apps have long provided normal clients with an easy way to manage their e-mail accounts, calendars and personal data. Now, though, the company is turning its attention toward the public sector, with a new set of Google Apps for Government.

  Designed with guidance from the federal government and the city governments of Los Angeles and Orlando, the new apps include many of the same features available on normal Google apps, along with extra quirks to meet the specific needs of government workers. Public servants at the local, state or national level will now be able to use Google Apps for Government to store their Gmail and Calendar data in an exclusive, cloud-based format in the continental U.S. Because the apps don’t require users to install or maintain extra software, the company is confident that the system will provide an easy and cost-effective alternative to traditional data maintenance.

  Continue reading Google Releases ‘Google Apps for Government’

  Google Releases ‘Google Apps for Government’ originally appeared on Switched on Tue, 27 Jul 2010 16:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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  Walmart Will Track You and Your Undies With RFIDs

  JP 1:45 am on July 27, 2010 | 0 Permalink | Reply
  Tags: America (15), junk mail, nbsp (1,691), radio frequency identification (2), Read (1,473), RFIDs, U.S., Walmart

  Filed under: Computers

  Walmart, America’s largest retailer and the world’s largest corporation, will be placing radio-frequency identification (RFID) tags on the jeans and underwear sold in its 3,750-plus U.S. stores beginning next month. The removable tags will be used to monitor inventory losses and shelf stock, but some people are less than happy about the prospect of carrying around a tracking device in their skivvies.

  Walmart, like many other retailers, has been using RFID tags to track pallets of inventory as they come into each store. The company hopes that, by applying the tags to individual items, it will more tightly control its stock in stores. But customers will take the tags home with their purchases. And even though the RFIDs can be removed, they will remain active. Since RFIDs can be tracked from a distance, it’s possible that, say, an unscrupulous marketer could drive past your home with a scan gun in tow, and mark you down as a person who might want to receive junk mail about Hanes pouch-fly Classic Briefs in XXL.

  Continue reading Walmart Will Track You and Your Undies With RFIDs

  Walmart Will Track You and Your Undies With RFIDs originally appeared on Switched on Mon, 26 Jul 2010 17:56:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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  U.S. Law Forces Gadget Companies to Disclose Ties to Conflict Minerals

  JP 1:45 am on July 27, 2010 | 0 Permalink | Reply
  Tags: antwerp university, Belgium, central African, conflict, Congo, Democratic Republic, democratic republic of the congo, gadget, Mac (36), nbsp (1,691), Read (1,473), S. Law, Sara Greenen, U.S., youtube video (3)

  Filed under: Cell Phones, Computers

  

  The violent conflict between governmental and rebel forces in the Democratic Republic of the Congo may not make the front pages of many Western news outlets, but it has definitely caught the attention of U.S. lawmakers. As the AP reports, a newly passed American law, which was signed into effect in conjunction with Obama’s economic overhaul, will now require all gadget manufacturers to disclose whether or not their products contain minerals from mines in the Congo or surrounding countries. The Congolese economy may not be a juggernaut, but the central African country is home to deposits of industrial metals like tin, tantalum and tungsten, which can all be used to produce electronics. The only problem, though, is that many of these mines are controlled by the same militant rebels who have been using much of their industrial revenue to pursue their violent agenda. In theory, then, the law could go a long way in stopping that flow of revenue, and, eventually, crippling the rebel cause.

  Some, however, are concerned that the move might deal an inadvertently harsh blow to the Democratic Republic’s already fragile economy. “For many, many people, it’s the only livelihood they have,” argues Sara Greenen, a researcher at Antwerp University in Belgium. A YouTube video entitled ‘I’m a Mac… and I’ve Got a Dirty Secret‘ claims that “a lot” of the global production of these electronics-friendly metals comes from the DRC. In reality, however, only a small percentage of the materials originate from the region. Still, many insist that the resource-based economy has grown to play a crucial role in the violence, even if the conflict didn’t originally arise over the metals.

  Continue reading U.S. Law Forces Gadget Companies to Disclose Ties to Conflict Minerals

  U.S. Law Forces Gadget Companies to Disclose Ties to Conflict Minerals originally appeared on Switched on Mon, 26 Jul 2010 16:16:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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  Autom the Weight-loss Robot Will Coach You to a Healthier Life

  JP 11:44 am on July 23, 2010 | 0 Permalink | Reply
  Tags: Autom, automata inc, massive biceps, nbsp (1,691), Read (1,473), Robot (22), U.S., Wall Street (30), weight loss coach

  Filed under: Computers

  

  If other dieting solutions just haven’t worked, why not try a personalized, robotic weight-loss coach? It may sound odd, but according to The Wall Street Journal, Intuitive Automata, Inc. hopes that its talking robot, Autom, can help people lose weight and lead healthier lives. Autom — which will launch in the U.S. next year as a trial, and later for $500 plus a monthly subscription fee — will hold daily “conversations” with users, and suggest ways they might improve their routines. To begin with, the dieter enters personal into Autom’s memory. We imagine it’ll go something like this: “Put down those pork rinds and take a long jog, fatty.” Or at least, that’s what we’re hoping. You can either obey, or face the judgmental stare of the doe-eyed bot.

  Cory Kidd, who began designing Autom while studying at MIT, told the Journal that people stick with diet and exercise routines for longer periods of time when using Autom. (You can see it after the break.) That makes sense to us, as any time you’re held accountable to somebody (even if it’s a robot), you’re more likely to work hard. But if we’re really going to diet and exercise, it will take more than some talking robot to keep us motivated — unless the final version of Autom features massive biceps, a thundering voice and huge veins protruding from its neck. [From: The Wall Street Journal, via: Engadget]

  Continue reading Autom the Weight-loss Robot Will Coach You to a Healthier Life

  Autom the Weight-loss Robot Will Coach You to a Healthier Life originally appeared on Switched on Thu, 22 Jul 2010 13:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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  Fake Facebook Femme Fatale Gathered Info From Intelligence Insiders

  JP 11:44 am on July 23, 2010 | 0 Permalink | Reply
  Tags: facebook (320), information security companies, intelligence (2), military intelligence agencies, nbsp (1,691), New England (2), new england prep school, Private Security, Read (1,473), Robin, Robin Sage, Ryan (3), Thomas Ryan, U.S.

  Filed under: Web, Social Networking

  If you were meandering around Facebook or LinkedIn, and happened to stumble across the profile of a woman named Robin Sage, you’d probably be impressed. She attended a prestigious New England prep school, got a degree from MIT and, judging from her profile picture, was pretty easy on the eyes, too. All in all, she’s an over-achieving geek’s dream date. So, what’s the catch? She’s not real.

  Robin, as it turns out, was created by Private Security co-founder Thomas Ryan, as part of a project aimed at exploring how social networking could be used to covertly gather intelligence. As it turns out, Ryan’s fictional femme fatale made online connections pretty easily: she made 226 friends on Facebook, 206 on LinkedIn and 204 on Twitter. Most of his online contacts were from branches of the U.S. military, intelligence agencies, information security companies and government contractors. What really mattered for Ryan’s experiment, though, was what those connections revealed to his bot. Ryan claims that many of these insiders were strangely candid with his non-existent persona; some offered her invitations to conferences, others shared personal information or photos, and some even asked her to review documents.

  Continue reading Fake Facebook Femme Fatale Gathered Info From Intelligence Insiders

  Fake Facebook Femme Fatale Gathered Info From Intelligence Insiders originally appeared on Switched on Thu, 22 Jul 2010 17:10:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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  Twitter Happier: Scientists Track Tweets to Trace National Moods

  JP 1:44 am on July 23, 2010 | 0 Permalink | Reply
  Tags: character format, Dr. Alan Mislove, Johan Bollen, nbsp (1,691), poor scores, Read (1,473), Twitter (176), U.S., University (7), West Coast

  Filed under: Web, Social Networking

  

  Twitter’s 140-character format may limit how much users can reveal about themselves, but, according to a group of computer scientists from Northeastern University, our casual tweets may contain enough information to reveal how we’re truly feeling. Between 2006 and 2009, a team of researchers, led by Dr. Alan Mislove, analyzed all public posts to Twitter, looking for key, mood-indicating words. Using a ranking system called ‘Affective Norms for English Words,’ the scientists calculated scores for each publicly tweeting user, and determined their overall moods. Positive words — like “diamond”, “love” and “paradise” — receive positive points, while ‘funeral,’ ‘rape,’ ’suicide’ and any other negative words are counted as poor scores.

  The study, which restricted its scope to U.S. users only, confirmed the obvious by concluding that tweeters on the West Coast tended to be “happier” than those on the East. The report also claims that American Twitter users, overall, tend to be happiest on Sunday, and saddest on Thursday evenings. “The visualizations are amazing and I think it is absolutely fascinating to see the nation’s mood vary in near-real time,” says Johan Bollen of Indiana University.

  Continue reading Twitter Happier: Scientists Track Tweets to Trace National Moods

  Twitter Happier: Scientists Track Tweets to Trace National Moods originally appeared on Switched on Wed, 21 Jul 2010 18:06:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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  Russian Spy Sweep Nets Young Microsoft Engineer

  JP 1:47 am on July 17, 2010 | 0 Permalink | Reply
  Tags: Cyprus, industrial espionage, Microsoft (19), microsoft engineer, nbsp (1,691), Read (1,473), Redmond (3), spy (2), spy scandal, U.S., Washington (15)

  Filed under: Computers

  

  Americans are understandably captivated by the Russian spy scandal that has rocked the already strained post Cold War relations between Washington and the Kremlin. The first ten spies have already been sent back to the motherland in a prisoner swap and the eleventh is still at large, having disappeared from the island nation of Cyprus. But a twelfth spy has been discovered working at the Redmond, WA headquarters of Microsoft and has been sent packing on an immigration violation.

  Alexey Karetnikov worked as a software engineer, primarily focusing on bug testing for Microsoft products. Karentnikov was likely expected not only to gather political and security information, but also engage in industrial espionage, stealing intellectual property from Microsoft and identifying potential flaws in its products that could be exploited for nefarious purposes. However, it’s believed that the twelfth spy had only just begun operations and no sensitive information had been gathered. Rather than engage in the long and arduous process of arresting and trying Karetnikov as a foreign spy, the government deported the 20-something-year-old on a technicality regarding his immigration status. If you’re so inclined, you can check out the now former U.S. resident’s Facbeook page, though you’ll find most information is kept private. [From: Washington Post and Guardian, via: Mashable]

  Russian Spy Sweep Nets Young Microsoft Engineer originally appeared on Switched on Wed, 14 Jul 2010 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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