Mission creep? Because terrorists could walk across the boarder (from Cuba?) The sudden realization (10+ years late) that terrorists flights don't need to originate in the US?

DHS Will Now Vet UK Air Passengers To Mexico, Canada, Cuba

"From April, UK passengers flying to Mexico, Eastern Canada or Cuba will have to submit their details at least 72 hours before boarding to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security for pre-flight vetting (as all passengers to the U.S. itself have had to do for a while). If they find against you, you're not getting on the plane, even though you're not going to the U.S. The Independent (UK quality newspaper) has the story."

[From the article:

Washington has extended the obligation to air routes that over-fly US airspace, such as Heathrow to Mexico City or Gatwick to Havana.

“If you don't like that warrantless data perhaps you'll like this warrentless data...” Did they have this before the other data was tossed?

http://www.wired.com/threatlevel/2012/03/feds-move-to-cell-site-data/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+wired%2Findex+%28Wired%3A+Index+3+%28Top+Stories+2%29%29

With GPS Data Out, Feds Eye Warrantless Cell Phone Surveillance

Prosectors are shifting their focus to warrantless cell-tower locational tracking of suspects in the wake of a Supreme Court ruling that law enforcement should acquire probable-cause warrants from judges to affix GPS devices to vehicles and monitor their every move, according to court records.

The change of strategy comes in the case the justices decided in January, when it reversed the life sentence of a District of Columbia area drug dealer, Antoine Jones, who was the subject of 28 days of warrantless GPS surveillance via a device the FBI secretly attached to his vehicle without a warrant. In the wake of Jones’ decision, the FBI has pulled the plug on 3,000 GPS tracking devices.

In a Friday filing in pre-trial proceedings of Jones retrial, Jones attorney’ said the government has five months worth of a different kind of locational tracking information on his client: So-called cell-site information, obtained without a warrant, chronicling where Jones was when he made and received mobile phone calls in 2005.

“In this case, the government seeks to do with cell site data what it cannot do with the suppressed GPS data,” attorney Eduardo Balarezo wrote (.pdf) U.S. District Judge Ellen Huvelle.

Store your files in the Cloud, have them frozen by the MPAA's personal police force?

After Megaupload, MPAA Targets Other File Sharing Services

"It is no secret that the MPAA was a main facilitator of the criminal investigation against Megaupload. While the movie studios have praised the actions of the U.S. Government, they are not satisfied yet. Paramount Pictures' vice president for worldwide content protection identified Fileserve, MediaFire, Wupload, Putlocker and Depositfiles as prime targets that should be shuttered next."

Selections from...

Weekly Ed-Tech News Roundup: Blackboard and Princeton Review Pivot

… Following a string of cheating scandals, the SAT and ACT exams will require students provide photo ID when they sign up for the tests and when they show up to take them. The decision to establish a photo database of test-takers does raise some questions, however, about whether or not this information will be shared with college admissions departments. The ACT says it won't share photos, but it appears as though the College Board will make the database available to colleges as an added security measure. "Whose security?" is a good question to ask.

… One of the new hires at Khan Academy, Brit Cruise has launched a new Khan Academy Labs project called "Explorations." "Instead of having the user answer questions after each video," he writes, "I realized it would be beneficial to have them visually explore key concepts in real-time through exploratory exercises." The first two Explorations follow up on his recently-posted Crytopgraphy video and involve coin flip and letter frequency.

… A big congrats to Jim Groom and DS106 which hit its Kickstarter goal to support the open online course in under 24 hours this week.

Digital Storytelling (also affectionately known as ds106) is an open, online course that ... happens at various times throughout the year….but you can join in whenever you like and leave whenever you need.

… LearnZillion has raised $2.4 million in funding for its 3-5 minute educational video platform.