Google Describes Wi-Fi Sniffing In Pending Patent
Posted by timothy on Saturday May 29, @08:12AM
"After mistakenly saying that it did not collect Wi-Fi payload data, Google had to reverse itself, saying, 'it's now clear that we have been mistakenly collecting samples of payload data from open (i.e. non-password-protected) Wi-Fi networks.' OK, mistakes happen. But, as Seinfeld might ask, then what's the deal with the pending Google patent that describes capturing wireless data packets by operating a device — which 'may be placed in a vehicle' — in a 'sniffer' or 'monitor' mode and analyzing them on a server? Guess belated kudos are owed to the savvy Slashdot commenter who speculated back in January that the patent-pending technology might be useful inside a Google Street View vehicle. Google faces inquiries into its Wi-Fi packet sniffing practices by German and US authorities."
This is probably better at noticing anomalies, but there is no indication (yet) that it could prevent an attack (or any other crime)
The Future of Surveillance? When Automated Brains Keep Watch 24/7
Unblinking camera eyes need brains to look for real-time threats — but what if those brains are automated?
By David Hambling May 26, 2010 10:30 AM
Surveillance technology provides a vital shield against terrorism, and cheap modern electronics make it easy to fill the city streets with closed-circuit television (CCTV) cameras. New York City mayor Michael Bloomberg recently toured London's ring of cameras, seeking information on how to bring it to the Big Apple to thwart terrorist attacks. But unless the feeds from those cameras are constantly monitored, they only provide an illusion of security. Finding enough eyeballs to watch thousands of screens simply isn't practical, yet modern automated systems can fill the gap with a surprising degree of intelligence.
… Let's look at how this type of system would deal with an event like the failed car-bomb attack in Times Square: The vehicle involved was parked in a No Parking area, the emergency warning flashers were going, and smoke was pouring out of it. All of these were potential warning signs. If the system issued an alert every time a car was parked illegally, there would be a lot of false alarms. But AWARE can cross-check all illegally parked cars without human intervention.
"Should a vehicle be detected parked illegally, AWARE would aim a local camera at the license plate, and License Plate Recognition software would interpret the number," says Robert Allen of AbeoTS. "AWARE would submit the data to the appropriate DMV and the result would be analyzed for threat potential. In the Times Square incident, this would have triggered a threat as the license plate did not match the vehicle."
The end of free? Still cheaper, and possibly a continuous connection.
Skype Over 3G Comes to the iPhone. It’s Not All Good News
By John C Abell May 29, 2010 8:56 pm
Skype on Saturday released an upgrade to its iPhone app that allows calls to be made and received under AT&T’s 3G network, but there’s a catch — they won’t be free for very long, even for Skype-to-Skype calls or for people who have all-you-can-eat calling plans with the internet telephony company.
No specific pricing or even timeline was announced, but the release notes of version 2.0.0 (to the right) say this feature will be free only “until at least the end of August 2010, after which there will be a small monthly fee.”
All of this became possible only after Apple changed its iPhone SDK in anticipation of the iPad.
Skype pronouced on Feb 3 that 3G calling would happen “soon.” But the additional cost was not trumpeted and does comes as a surprise, though perhaps not a terribly big one given the revenue possibilities and the additional strain on AT&T’s already-vilified 3G network.
Skype calls are generally free or at least much less expensive than those made on minute-counting calling plans. But wireless minutes have become largely commoditized and, from most wireless carriers, available in unlimited plans that eliminate the traditional profit center that used to be overages.
Skype’s migration from the desktop on to mobile devices has created the potential for a dramatic shift in calling behavior. We aren’t quite there yet. But when you can receive calls from an VoIP provider like Skype on a portable device in either an WiFi or 3G network it almost completely blurs the line between an interesting alternative to a telephone and the very definition of a telephone.
Taking that one small step further: In a world with ubiquitous broadband, internet telephony with push notifications and location awareness could make traditional telco and wireless services irrelevant, even for the equivalent of enhanced 911, where the automatically operator knows where you are.
There are still some pieces missing to this puzzle, but the availability of VoIP under 3G — also true of Fring and for international calls on some Android-powered handsets provided by Verizon — is a big step forward.
And, one last thing: iPhone OS 4, expected in weeks, will enable non-core apps like Skype to operate in the background. Which means that you could be online with the internet telephony service all the time on any 3G enabled device like the iPhone and some models of the iPad.
“Amateur experts” Watching TV without a TV. Newspapers without paper.
http://www.pewinternet.org/Presentations/2010/May/Google.aspx
The Rise of Networked Individuals: The Millennial Tide
by Lee Rainie May 11, 2010 at Google
… The conversation covers questions such as: How have the internet and smart phones enabled modern citizens to create information and media that help them influence others, navigate their options and create new kinds of communities? Are new tools of social media - like blogs, social network sites and texting - reshaping the very environment of media and information itself?
Something to impress the students. Petabyte sized databases are common...
http://en.digitalkamera.com/how-big-is-a-yottabyte-infograph/
How Big is a Yottabyte? [Infograph]
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