Saturday, April 01, 2017

Admitting what everyone else already knew. 
Yatish Yadav reports:
If you have an Aadhaar Card and if your bank accounts and other sensitive information are linked to it, chances are that your data is no longer secure.
For the first time, the Modi government has officially acknowledged that personal identity of individuals, including Aadhaar number and other sensitive information, has been leaked to the public domain.
Read more on The New Indian Express.


Not that big a surprise. 
EFF: Verizon will install spyware on all its Android phones (update)
Who'd have thought that just days after the house rolled back privacy protections for internet users, ISPs would take advantage?  The EFF did, pointing out that Verizon has already announced that it will install spyware, in the form of the launcher AppFlash, across its users' Android devices in the coming weeks. AppFlash, as TechCrunch reports, will embed itself to the left of your home screen, offering details on local restaurants, movies or apps that you can download.
But the EFF spent a little time staring at AppFlash's privacy policy, where it's revealed that the software will vacuum up any and all of your private data.  For instance, it'll snag your cell number, device type, operating system and the apps or services that you use.  More crucially, the app will also harvest the details of everything installed on your device, your location and the contact details of everyone in your phonebook.

(Related).  Here is an industry that truly cares for its customers. 
Porn websites beef up privacy protections days after Congress voted to let ISPs share your Web history
Even when it is not tied directly to a name, certain types of data can shed light on a person's medical history, financial details, even their sexual preferences.  Even the type of porn sites a person visits can be revealing.  
In an announcement Thursday, the website Pornhub — which claims to get 75 million visitors per day — said it has adopted HTTPS, a security measure that adds encryption to a site to guard visitors against snooping and attack.  Its sister site, YouPorn, will also be adding HTTPS on April 4, according to parent company MindGeek. 

(Related).  …and amusing.
What a pity more Republicans didn’t pay more attention to Rep. Capuano, as his comments were spot on:


Another swing of the pendulum. 
Jim Saunders reports:
In what is likely a first-of-its-kind case in Florida, a divided appeals court said authorities needed a warrant before they could download information recorded in a car’s “black box.”
The ruling by a panel of the Fourth District Court of Appeal approved a defendant’s request to suppress evidence that police retrieved from such a device in 2013 in a DUI manslaughter and vehicular homicide case in Palm Beach County.  More broadly, the ruling reflects a type of question that courts face as more and more information is captured on electronic devices.
Read more on Law.com.


Inevitable. 
Connecticut may become first U.S. state to allow deadly police drones
Connecticut would become the first U.S. state to allow law enforcement agencies to use drones equipped with deadly weapons if a bill opposed by civil libertarians becomes law.
The legislation, approved overwhelmingly by the state legislature’s judiciary committee on Wednesday, would ban so-called weaponized drones in the state but exempts agencies involved in law enforcement.  It now goes to the House of Representatives for consideration.
   In 2015, North Dakota became the first state to permit law enforcement agencies to use armed drones but limited them to “less than lethal” weapons such as tear gas and pepper spray.


Should everyone do this? 
German Military to Launch Cyber Command
Germany's armed forces Saturday launch a cyber command, with a status equal to that of the army, navy and air force, meant to shield its IT and weapons systems from attack.
Military planners fear that wars of the future will start with cyber attacks against critical infrastructure and networks, extensive online espionage and sabotage.  The Bundeswehr's new Cyber and Information Space (CIR) Command, based in the former West German capital of Bonn, will start off with 260 IT specialists but grow to 13,500 military and civilian personnel by July.


A guide for terrorists and the state provides everything but the match. 
3 arrested in Atlanta fire that collapsed I-85 Freeway overpass
Three people have been arrested in connection with the raging fire that collapsed a portion of Interstate 85 a few miles north of downtown Atlanta, crippling a major traffic artery in a city already known for dreadful rush-hour congestion.
   Florence would not discuss how the fire was started or why, saying those details would be released as the investigation progresses.


The fire broke out Thursday afternoon in an area used to store state-owned construction materials and equipment, sending flames and smoke high into the air.


The Dutch seem to think there is a market for this.
Dutch online supermarket Picnic raises €100 million
Dutch online supermarket Picnic has raised €100 million in funding from NPM Capital, De Hoge Dennen, Hoyberg, and Finci.
Picnic was founded 18 months ago and provides free online grocery delivery via electric vehicles.  Cofounder Joris Beckers describes the company as the “modern milkman”.


For the Computer Forensic toolkit.  (In csse I need your password.) 


For my students taking programming courses.  Worth every penny? 
There are many great careers in technology for people with programming skills.  You can learn five of the hottest languages around with the Ultimate Coding Bundle, which includes five video courses and 27 hours of premium instruction.  Right now, you can get the bundle for the low cost of nothing via MakeUseOf Deals.


I can use a few of these (in my classes.)
33 Lessons on Critical Thinking
From analyzing a persuasive essay to dissecting research findings to determining the cause of an outcome in a science lab, having sharp critical thinking skills serves students well.  Wireless Philosophy has a series of 33 video lessons about critical thinking.  The most recent lesson explains the difference between causation and correlation.
Take a look at these 7 great tools for creating flipped lessons with these videos.

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