Oh, Apple, you just can’t keep leaking unreleased software, can you? After the massive HomePod leaks that practically confirmed many of the iPhone 8 rumors that we kept bumping into, we have a similar blunder from the Cupertino-based company. This time around, someone close to Apple leaked iOS 11 GM, the final iOS 11 version that’s actually be installed on the iOS devices launching soon. And iOS 11 GM is full of iPhone 8 details.
The software was obtained by 9to5Mac, which inspected it for iPhone 8 clues. It turns out there are plenty of secrets that were not spilled in the previous HomePod dump.
iPad Pro display
The iPhone is finally getting the True Tone Display that Apple first launched on the iPad Pro for white balancing. iOS 11 GM beta also indicates the resolution of the phone will be at 2436 x 1125, which seems to match previous leaks and estimates.
iPhone 8 design
More references to the new iPhone 8 are found in iOS 11, which confirm the phone’s top notch. An animation that shows instructions for enabling the SOS mode also highlights the design changes, including the top bezel and bigger on/off button on the side.
SAN FRANCISCO — Lenovo, the world’s second largest computer manufacturer, has settled with the Federal Trade Commission over charges it shipped some of its laptops preloaded with software that compromised security protections in order to deliver ads to consumers. The company will also pay $3.5 million to 32 states that were part of the settlement.
The VisualDiscovery program caused pop-up ads to appear on the user's screen whenever his or her cursor hovered over a similar-looking product on a website. While only information about websites the user visited was transmitted, the program had the ability to access all of a consumer’s sensitive personal information transmitted over the Internet, including login credentials, Social Security numbers, medical information, and financial and payment information, the FTC alleged.
Consumers are frequently shown ads the correspond to their search or viewing history, but it's done via ad tracking software or cookies, which can be turned off on Facebook and Google or by deleting cookies. In the case of the VisualDiscovery software, the software hijacked encrypted web sessions.
“It’s the online equivalent of someone intercepting your mail, opening it, reading it, closing it back up and then putting it back in your mailbox,” said FTC acting chair Maureen Ohlhausen.
The program was created by an third-party advertising software company Superfish that was founded in Israel but headquartered in Palo Alto, Calif. It has since shut its doors.
As many as 750,000 laptops sold in the United States had the program installed from 2014 through 2015, the FTC says.
The FTC alleges that beginning in August of 2014, China-based Lenovo began selling laptops in the United States that came pre-installed with the software program. Consumers weren’t told the software was on their systems.
Beijing-based Lenovo made headlines in 2005 when it purchased IBM’s personal computing division for $1.75 billion, an acquisition that at the time was controversial as many feared it was a beachhead for other Chinese businesses. Today it is the world’s second-largest PC maker, with 20.4% of the global market, very close behind HP which has 21.8%, according to research firm IDC. In 2016 Lenovo's revenue was $43 billion.
Lenovo has published a list of computers that came with the software installed. Its popular ThinkPad laptops were not affected.
“Egregious does describe it,” said Eugene Spafford, founder of the Center for Education and Research in Information Assurance and Security at Purdue University.
“Sadly, other vendors may be doing something similar as the competition for ad revenue is huge, and the mechanisms are not that difficult to build in (or get prepackaged),” he said.
The snooping software was first discovered by and reported by Chris Palmer from the Google Chrome security team.
As part of the settlement, Lenovo must now get consumers' permission before pre-installing any software that injects advertising into consumers' Internet browsing sessions or that transmits sensitive information from their systems to third parties. Lenovo must also implement a comprehensive software security program to test all software the comes preloaded onto its laptops, and that security program will be subject to third-party audits.
In a statement, Lenovo said it "disagrees" with allegations contained in these complaints but is pleased to bring the matter to a close.
In order to be able to show pop-up ads on encrypted websites, the VisualDiscovery program used an insecure method to replace the digital certificates for the websites with its own certificates. VisualDiscovery did not adequately verify that the websites’ digital certificates were valid before replacing them, and used the same, easy-to-crack password on all affected laptops rather than using unique passwords for each laptop, the FTC said.
That meant that even if a consumer went to a website that began with https://, which would lead them to believe they were on a secure and encrypted site, in fact the security had been breached.
“The harm was consumers were buying computers whose basic security features were undermined without their knowledge or consent,” said Ohlhausen.
Lenovo stopped installing the software over a year ago, and many antivirus programs were updated to identify the program and remove it was news about the insecurity broke.
Still, it’s possible that it still exists on some laptops, the FTC said. Lenovo has published instructions on how to remove the Superfish software on its website.
Neither Lenovo nor the FTC are aware of any actual instances of a third party exploiting the vulnerabilities the VisualDiscovery software created to steal user’s communications.
OVER THE PAST few months, as the Federal Communications Commission has moved closer to weakening net neutrality protections, countless tech companies have signaled their support for a strong and open internet. The lone voice missing through the debate: Apple. Yesterday, the final day to comment on the FCC's current net neutrality proceedings, the company finally broke its silence with a comment filed in support of strong rules to protect the open internet. But why, at the 11th hour and well after other tech giants joined the fight, is Apple speaking up now? And why, for that matter, is it speaking up at all?
Apple's filing outlines several key principles it sees as important for protecting the open internet: consumer choice, transparency, competition, investment and innovation, and a ban on paid fast lanes. "These key principles are reflected in the FCC’s current rules and should form the foundation of any net neutrality framework going forward," the filing says. "Apple remains open to alternative sources of legal authority, but only if they provide for strong, enforceable, and legally sustainable protections, like those in place today."
Apple hasn't always stood up for these principles. In 2009, the company was caught blocking Skype calls from iPhones at the request of AT&T, a textbook example of violating net neutrality. Apple was conspicuously missing from a 2014 open letter signed by 100 different tech companies–including Amazon, Google, Facebook, and Microsoft–in support of net neutrality. It didn't join the Internet Association, a coalition of internet heavyweights that has lobbied in support of open internet rules, nor did it participate in this year's Day of Action.
The first sign that Apple was rethinking its position came earlier this year, when CEO Tim Cook voiced support for net neutrality regulations during a shareholder meeting earlier this year. "We stay out of politics but stay in policy," Cook said during the meeting, according to 9to5Mac. "If net neutrality became a top thing, we would definitely engage in it."
So what made Cook and co. decide that net neutrality was "a top thing?" Apple didn't respond to a request for comment on why the company held off for so long. And given that its fellow tech giants have already thrown their lobbying weight behind net neutrality, Apple's support for net neutrality probably won't do much to sway the FCC at this point. (It might motivate the company's cult following to start paying attention to the issue, which could make a difference as the fight shifts from the FCC to courts and Congress.)
The real significance of Apple's filing is what it says about the company's future. The company has long aspired to be more than just a hardware company, and now that Apple is in the streaming video business, net neutrality will become increasingly important to the company's bottom line. Apple's first two original shows Carpool Karaoke and Planet of the Apps debuted this year, and it reportedly plans to spend $1 billion to produce even more content. If companies like AT&T and Verizon can hobble Apple's streams while boosting their own, it could be a real problem for Cupertino's video (and revenue) ambitions.
Yes, Apple's interest in net neutrality is likely driven by its business agenda. The same goes for the other tech giants lobbying to preserve the FCC regulations. But as the FCC moves forward with its plan to gut net neutrality, the open internet will need all the support it can get.
Why You Should Care About Net Neutrality?
A world without net neutrality might end up meaning that you have to pay more to access the internet content that you want. But it also might crush innovation.
Google announced that it will launch Android O on Aug. 21, and rumors claim that the next major version of the mobile operating system will indeed be named Android Oreo.
Android O will be unveiled right after the total solar eclipse, a phenomenon that will sweep across the entire country for the first time since 1918.
Android O To Launch Aug. 21
Google created a webpage dedicated to the upcoming total solar eclipse, which includes important information on the phenomenon, such as its expected time and ways to watch it for users outside the United States. Google also revealed details about the Eclipse Megamovie Project, which will gather videos from more than 1,000 volunteers across the United States to create a movie of a continuous view of the total solar eclipse.
The main news on the Android Eclipse page, however, is the announcement that Google will officially reveal Android O at 2:40 p.m. ET. The total solar eclipse is expected to end at 2:37 p.m. ET, and Google will jump into the trail left behind by the phenomenon to unveil the next major version of Android.
The Aug. 21 Android O release date partially confirms a report from last week, wherein Android Police managing editor David Ruddock and prolific leaker Evan Blass both claimed that the operating system will be rolled out on that day. The partial confirmation is because it is unclear if Google will also be rolling out Android O after its official unveiling.
The report also claimed that the official name of Android O will be revealed on Aug. 21.
Android O Name: Android Oreo?
Android Oreo has long been theorized as the official name of Android O, as Google names the major versions of the mobile operating system after sweets. Tying up with a brand for the name is not unprecedented, as Google already did it before with Android KitKat.
Two new clues have increased the likelihood that Android O will indeed be named Android Oreo. The first hint comes from Blass, who simply tweeted "Happy Eclipse" alongside a picture of an Oreo cookie. The connection is easy to make, considering the planned Android O launch after the total solar eclipse.
The second clue is much more definitive, and comes from Google itself. Google uploaded a video on Google+, and its filename was "GoogleOreo_Teaser_0817_noDroids (1).mp4". While this is not complete confirmation of the Android Oreo name, the fact that the post containing the video was taken down and replaced with a video named "Octopus Teaser.mp4" means that uploading the first one was a mistake, and spoiled the operating system's name.
How To Watch The Total Solar Eclipse
Google's Android Eclipse page contains a link to the NASA livestream of the total solar eclipse, though users can also watch the phenomemon on Twitter, in partnership with The Weather Channel.
For those who will be watching the total solar eclipse not on their computer monitors but outside, you will need to exercise proper safety precautions, including making sure the eclipse glasses you purchased will really protect you.
MasterCard may soon roll out a new feature on its smartphone app that lets users pay for online purchases by taking "selfies."
The financial services company is testing technology that allows customers to authorize transactions using photos of themselves instead of passwords, the company announced in a news release in August.
Some 200 employees of the First Tech Federal Credit Union are currently taking part in a two-month "selfie pay" pilot program, which runs through October, USA Today reports. Another trial is underway in the Netherlands.
Ajay Bhalla, president of MasterCard's security company Enterprise Solutions, has called the technology convenient and secure.
"Passwords are a pain," Bhalla said in a news release when the feature was announced. "They’re easy to forget, they waste our time and they’re not very safe. Biometrics are making online transactions as secure and simple as purchases in person."
If a purchase requires identity verification, customers can hold up their phone cameras, blink and let the app verify with a facial scan, according to USA Today. Blinking safeguards against thieves who might try to bypass security with a photo of the cardholder.
MasterCard is also working to implement voice recognition and even heartbeat recognition to verify a person’s identity, USA Today reports.
Visa is considering a feature similar to "selfie pay." The competing corporation has developed a blueprint to enable biometrics like fingerprints to verify on site transactions, according to USA Today. Read More >>
A new device that can detect, target and deter commercial drones could be used to keep the flying robots away from areas where they're not wanted, like government properties, airports or your own backyard.
The new Anti-UAV Defense System (AUDS) was developed by three tech companies in the United Kingdom. It has a radar detection component, advanced tracking capabilities and a sneaky little onboard device that keeps drones at bay.
Rather than melting drones in midair like Boeing's new Compact Laser Weapons System, AUDS shoots the flying vehicles with something that doesn't destroy them — radio waves. Drone operators typically communicate with, and direct, the aerial bots using radio signals. [5 Surprising Ways Drones Could Be Used in the Future]
Enter AUDS, which uses a drone's communication system against it. Using directional antennas pointed at the drone, AUDS sends the unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) radio signals that interfere with the radio signals coming from the remote operator. When the drone picks up AUDS' signals, it "freezes," unsure of where to fly.
Whoever is controlling the anti-drone system can keep the UAV hovering at a distance until the machine runs out of battery life and crashes to the ground, according to a report by the BBC.
AUDS can spot a drone from about 5 miles (8 kilometers) away. After zeroing in on its target, it uses video and thermal imaging software to keep the flying vehicle in its sight. Once the drone gets close enough to the anti-drone system, it's "game over" for the drone.
Drone disturbance
Even though drones can be incredibly useful— they can help conservationists keep tabs on protected areas and help farmers survey their crops more quickly — these flying robots have stirred up quite a few problems in recent months.
Just today (Oct. 9), two people operating a small drone near the Washington Monument in Washington, D.C., accidentally crashed their UAV on the back lawn of the White House. A similar incident occurred at the presidential residence in January. Drones are prohibited from flying in the U.S. capital, but laws and heavy fines don't seem to keep all drones out.
Commercial drones have also been used in attempts to smuggle contraband goods, like cellphones and weapons, into prisons. And camera-toting drones hovering over private homes have been derided as both a security and privacy concern for residents.
The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), which sets guidelines for how and where commercial drones can be flown, has ruled that small UAVs cannot be flown within 5 miles of airports and that they must remain below 400 feet (122 meters), where they are unlikely to interfere with piloted aircraft.
But a recent deluge of complaints from pilots, as well as U.S. Forest Service employees who have spotted the flying bots near wildfires, has led the FAA to take further action against rule-breaking drone operators. The FAA signed an agreement this week that will allow it to test technologies that can detect the position of operators who are flying their drones in restricted areas, such as near airports, according to a report by Phys.org.
Though the AUDS system doesn't promise to help locate errant drone operators, it could be used to keep drones away from restricted areas altogether. The radio-jamming technology aboard AUDS doesn't scramble signals from commercial or military aircraft, which use encrypted signals, so it might be safe to use near airports.
The new anti-drone system has been tested in the United Kingdom, the United States and France, according to the BBC. But there's no word yet on when or where this drone-freezing technology could be used in these countries.
(Reuters) - Experian Plc , the world's biggest consumer credit monitoring firm, on Thursday disclosed a massive data breach that exposed sensitive personal data of some 15 million people who applied for service with T-Mobile US Inc .
Connecticut's attorney general said he will launch an investigation into the breach.
Experian said it discovered the theft of the T-Mobile customer data from one of its servers on Sept. 15. The computer stored information about some 15 million people who had applied for service with telecoms carrier T-Mobile during the prior two years, Experian said.
T-Mobile Chief Executive John Legere said the data included names, addresses, birth dates, Social Security numbers, drivers license numbers and passport numbers. Such information is coveted by criminals for use in identity theft and other types of fraud.
"Obviously I am incredibly angry about this data breach and we will institute a thorough review of our relationship with Experian," T-Mobile Chief Executive John Legere said in a note to customers posted on the company's website. "But right now my top concern and first focus is assisting any and all consumers affected." (http://t-mo.co/1M4FSSd)
The Experian breach is the latest in a string of massive hacks that have each claimed millions - and sometimes tens of millions - of customer records, including the theft of personnel records from the U.S. government this year, a 2014 breach on JPMorgan Chase and a 2013 attack on Target Corp's cash register systems.
It is also the second massive breach linked to Experian. An attack on an Experian subsidiary that began before Experian purchased it in 2012 exposed the Social Security numbers of 200 million Americans and prompted an investigation by at least four states, including Connecticut.
Experian on Thursday said it had launched an investigation into the new breach and consulted with law enforcement.
The company offered two years of credit monitoring to all affected individuals. People, however, said that they did not want credit protection from a company that had been breached.
Legere responded by promising to seek alternatives.
"I hear you," he said on Twitter. "I am moving as fast as possible to get an alternate option in place by tomorrow."
Experian said the breach did not affect its vast consumer credit database.
Legere said no payment card or banking information was taken.
T-Mobile had nearly 59 million customers as of June 30. A representative for the carrier said that not all 15 million of the affected applicants had opened accounts with T-Mobile.
The telecom carrier's shares were down 1.3 percent in extended trading after closing little changed at $40.13 on the New York Stock Exchange.
In the earlier data breach affecting Experian, a Vietnamese national confessed in U.S. court last year to using a false identity to opening an account with the unit, known as Court Ventures, sometime before Experian purchased it in 2012.
A spokeswoman for Connecticut Attorney General George Jepsen said on Thursday that it would investigate the latest attack.
The spokeswoman, Jaclyn Falkowski, declined to elaborate on the T-Mobile incident, but said the investigations of the Court Ventures matter "is active and ongoing."
(In 7th and 16th paragraphs, this version of the story corrects to show that the previous Experian data breach began before Experian purchased the company in 2012, not that it occurred in 2014.)
(Reporting by Jim Finkle; Additional reporting by Karen Friefeld and Arathy Nair; Editing by Leslie Adler)
QUANTUM DATA transfer has taken another sizable jump forward, after scientists managed to 'teleport' data from one proton to another 63 miles away.
Despite being, at this stage, of naff-all practical use, the achievement is a massive one because usually in these situations, the data would have got lost almost straight away.
The scientists at the US National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) have fixed this with a new type of light detector.
If this could be translated into hundreds or even thousands of miles, then the technology could be used to send data in quantities and at speeds that would open up possibilities for data processing, encryption and communication that were previously unimaginable.
NIST describes two ideas as "unbreakable encryption" and "advanced code breaking". The two are surely mutually exclusive, but you get the general idea.
"Only about 1 percent of photons make it all the way through 100km of fiber,' NIST’s Marty Stevens says. "We never could have done this experiment without these new detectors, which can measure this incredibly weak signal."
What this new technique does offer is the possibility of creating quantum repeaters, which would create staging posts to pass along and strengthen the data, like a more effective version of Chinese whispers - each time taking that dying light ember and recreating it at full strength. It's a beautiful thing.
In any case, this experiment saw 83 percent of data reach its desired location within the time parameters of the experiment, compared with a 25 percent using previous technology.
The fragility of quantum information is proving a stumbling block to what has the potential to be the biggest game-changer in computing, albeit decades away. Groups such as NASA and Google have been working with quantum computing for years, often with questionable results.
It is worth noting that the premise of "teleporting" has no relation to the concepts described in science fiction, but rather refers to the transportation and reconstruction of information held in quantum states. The data to transfer a human being is impossibly large, so don't expect an alternative to the bus anytime soon despite what we said in 2007. µ
The massive data breach of a US government server originating from China might make for awkward conversation between President Obama and Chinese President Xi Jinping during his visit to Washington this week. But as pissed off as Obama might be, his options for fending off future Chinese hacking may be limited to incoherent mumbling and impassioned gesturing.
In July, the US Office of Personnel Management (OPM) announced it was the target of a yearlong data breach that was the largest of its kind in US government history. The records of more than 20 million people were compromised, including highly sensitive security clearance background information. Media reports citing unnamed government officials indicated the attacks originated in China, but whether the attackers had the support of the Chinese government is unclear. Though the stolen information has not shown up for sale in dark corners of the internet, reports indicate China may be compiling OPM and other stolen data into a database of US federal employees for further espionage potential, according to current and former intelligence officials.
Related: Hacks Bring Down US Background Check System — But the Worst Is Yet to Come
China's alleged cyber intrusions are not limited to traditional espionage. They also target the private sector and commercial secrets -- an issue the House and Senate leadership warned President Barack Obama about in a letter this week.
Most countries make a distinction between political and economic espionage, with the former tacitly accepted as something all nations do, while the latter is not viewed as an acceptable government activity. The Chinese government tends to conflate the two, which makes a certain amount of sense given the intimate relationship between government and private industry in China. Despite high-profile breaches like the OPM hack, the US is most concerned about halting China's economic espionage activities.
"This isn't a mild irritation, it's an economic and national security concern to the United States," National Security Advisor Susan Rice said during an address at George Washington University Monday. "Cyber-enabled espionage that targets personal and corporate information for the economic gain of businesses undermines our long-term economic cooperation, and it needs to stop."
Xi repeated what has become China's standard answer to US accusations: "China takes cybersecurity very seriously," he said. "China is also a victim of hacking. The Chinese government does not engage in theft of commercial secrets in any form, nor does it encourage or support Chinese companies to engage in such practices in any way." China has in the past expanded on these denials, citing its lack of control over independent actors — so-called "patriotic hackers" — and unsanctioned activities by local governments far from Beijing.
Determining who's doing the hacking is also challenging. Denise Zheng, deputy director and senior fellow in the Strategic Technologies Program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, said hackers "may wear a PLA [China's People's Liberation Army] hat during the day and black hat at night."
The question of how the US should respond remains tricky. Obama last week said the attacks were straining the US relationship with China, and "that we are prepared to some countervailing actions in order to get their attention."
Those actions may not necessarily take place online.
"We've made clear that we have other punitive measure available when we do see instances of cyber intrusion and cyber theft," Ben Rhodes, the deputy national security adviser, said yesterday in a conference call with reporters. "Sanctions remain a tool of the United States, and we would be prepared, if necessary, to pursue sanctions."
Related: Chinese Cyber Attacks Trigger US MIDLIFE Crisis
Follow Shannon Hayden on Twitter: @ShannonKHayden Read More >>
NEW YORK – If you are afraid of sharks here's a new statistic that may make you feel better -- more people died from taking selfies this year than from shark bites.
According to the website Mashable, 12 people have died in 2015 from snapping selfies, while eight deaths were caused by shark attacks.
It's possible there's been an increase of people reportedly making dangerous attempts at a memorable photo.
Selfie deaths are becoming so common that there is even a Wikipedia page dedicated to listing selfie-related injuries or deaths.
The Russian government released a brochure advising against taking "cool" selfies after a string of death-by-selfie incidents in the country.
So remember, no matter how strong your selfie game is, best to check over your shoulder before you click.
PhotoSenator John Thune,
Republican of South Dakota, said that Democrats were lining up with
President Obama in favor of the F.C.C. position on net neutrality.Credit
Jabin Botsford/The New York Time
WASHINGTON
— Senior Republicans conceded on Tuesday that the grueling fight with
President Obama over the regulation of Internet service appears over,
with the president and an army of Internet activists victorious.
The Federal Communications Commission
is expected on Thursday to approve regulating Internet service like a
public utility, prohibiting companies from paying for faster lanes on
the Internet. While the two Democratic commissioners are negotiating
over technical details, they are widely expected to side with the
Democratic chairman, Tom Wheeler, against the two Republican
commissioners.
And
Republicans on Capitol Hill, who once criticized the plan as “Obamacare
for the Internet,” now say they are unlikely to pass a legislative
response that would undo perhaps the biggest policy shift since the
Internet became a reality.
“We’re
not going to get a signed bill that doesn’t have Democrats’ support,”
said Senator John Thune, Republican of South Dakota and chairman of the
Senate Commerce Committee. “This is an issue that needs to have
bipartisan support.”
The
new F.C.C. rules are still likely to be tied up in a protracted court
fight with the cable companies and Internet service providers that
oppose it, and they could be overturned in the future by a
Republican-leaning commission. But for now, Congress’s hands appear to
be tied.
The F.C.C. plan would let the agency regulate Internet access as if it is a public good. It would follow the concept known as net neutrality or an open Internet, banning so-called paid prioritization — or fast lanes — for willing Internet content providers.
In
addition, it would ban the intentional slowing of the Internet for
companies that refuse to pay broadband providers. The plan would also
give the F.C.C. the power to step in if unforeseen impediments are
thrown up by the handful of giant companies that run many of the
country’s broadband and wireless networks.
Republicans
hoped to pre-empt the F.C.C. vote with legislation, but Senate
Democrats insisted on waiting until after Thursday’s F.C.C. vote before
even beginning to talk about legislation for an open Internet. Even Mr.
Thune, the architect of draft legislation to override the F.C.C., said
Democrats had stalled what momentum he could muster.
And
an avalanche of support for Mr. Wheeler’s plan — driven by Internet
companies as varied as Netflix, Twitter, Mozilla and Etsy — has swamped
Washington.
“We’ve
been outspent, outlobbied. We were going up against the second-biggest
corporate lobby in D.C., and it looks like we’ve won,” said Dave Steer,
director of advocacy for the Mozilla Foundation, the nonprofit
technology foundation that runs Firefox, a popular Web browser,
referring to the cable companies. “A year ago today, we did not think we
would be in this spot.”
The
net neutrality movement pitted new media against old and may well have
revolutionized notions of corporate social responsibility and activism.
Top-down decisions by executives investing in or divesting themselves of
resources, paying lobbyists and buying advertisements were upended by
the mobilization of Internet customers and users.
“We
don’t have an army of lobbyists to deploy. We don’t have financial
resources to throw around,” said Liba Rubenstein, director of social
impact and public policy at the social media company Tumblr, which is
owned by Yahoo, the large Internet company, but operated independently
on the issue. “What we do have is access to an incredibly engaged,
incredibly passionate user base, and we can give folks the tools to
respond.”
Internet
service providers say heavy-handed regulation of the Internet will
diminish their profitability and crush investment to expand and speed up
Internet access. It could even open the web to taxation to pay for new
regulators.
Brian
Dietz, a spokesman for the National Cable & Telecommunications
Association, said the pro-net-neutrality advocates turned a complex and
technical debate over how best to keep the Internet operating most
efficiently into a matter of religion. The forces for stronger
regulation, he said, became viewed as for the Internet. Those opposed to
the regulation were viewed as against the Internet.
The
Internet companies, he said, sometimes mislead their customers, and in
some cases, are misled on the intricacies of the policy.
“Many of the things they have said just belie reality and common sense,” he said.
In
April, a dozen New York-based Internet companies gathered at Tumblr’s
headquarters in the Flatiron district to hear dire warnings that
broadband providers were about to obtain the right to charge for the
fastest speeds on the web.
The implication: If they did not pony up, they would be stuck in the slow lane.
What
followed was the longest, most sustained campaign of Internet activism
in history. A swarm of small players, like Tumblr, Etsy, BoingBoing and
Reddit, overwhelmed the giants of the broadband world, Comcast, Verizon
Communications and Time Warner Cable. Two of the biggest players on the
Internet, Amazon and Google, largely stayed in the background, while
smaller participants — some household names like Twitter and Netflix,
others far more obscure, like Chess.com and Urban Dictionary — mobilized a grass-roots crusade.
“Our
community is the source of our power,” said Althea Erickson, director
of public policy at Etsy, an online craft market, where users
embroidered pillows and engraved spoons promoting net neutrality.
In
mid-October, the tech activist group Fight for the Future acquired the
direct telephone numbers of about 30 F.C.C. officials, circumventing the
agency’s switchboard to send calls directly to policy makers. That set
off a torrent of more than 55,000 phone calls until the group turned off
the spigot on Dec. 3.
In
November, President Obama cited “almost four million public comments”
when he publicly pressured the F.C.C. to turn away from its paid “fast
lane” proposal and embrace a new regulatory regime.
Since
then, the lobbying has grown only more intense. Last week, 102 Internet
companies wrote to the F.C.C. to say the threat of Internet service
providers “abusing their gatekeeper power to impose tolls and
discriminate against competitive companies is the real threat to our
future,” not “heavy-handed regulation” and possible taxation, as
conservatives in Washington say.
Republicans have grown much quieter under the barrage.
“Tech
companies would be better served to work with Congress on clear rules
for the road. The thing that they’re buying into right now is a lot of
legal uncertainty,” said Mr. Thune. “I’m not sure exactly what their
thinking is.”
Mr.
Thune said he was still willing to work with Democrats on legislation
that he said would do what the F.C.C. is trying to accomplish, without a
heavy regulatory hand: Ban paid “fast lanes” and stop intentional
slowdowns — or “throttling” — by broadband companies seeking payment
from Internet content providers.
But even he said Democrats were ready to let the F.C.C. do the job.
In
May 2014, FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler released a plan that would have
allowed companies like AT&T, Comcast and Verizon to discriminate
online and create pay-to-play fast lanes.
Millions of you spoke out — and fought back.
Thanks
to the huge public and political outcry, Wheeler shelved his original
proposal, and on Feb. 4, 2015, he announced that he will base new Net
Neutrality rules on Title II of the Communications Act, giving Internet
users the strongest protections possible.
The
FCC will vote on Wheeler’s proposal at its Feb. 26 meeting. If all goes
well, it will be a watershed victory for activists who have fought for a
decade to protect the open Internet.
What is Net Neutrality?
Net
Neutrality is the Internet’s guiding principle: It preserves our right
to communicate freely online. This is the definition of an open
Internet.
Net Neutrality means an Internet that
enables and protects free speech. It means that Internet service
providers should provide us with open networks — and should not block or
discriminate against any applications or content that ride over those
networks. Just as your phone company shouldn't decide who you can call
and what you say on that call, your ISP shouldn't be concerned with the
content you view or post online.
Without Net
Neutrality, cable and phone companies could carve the Internet into fast
and slow lanes. An ISP could slow down its competitors' content or
block political opinions it disagreed with. ISPs could charge extra fees
to the few content companies that could afford to pay for preferential
treatment — relegating everyone else to a slower tier of service. This
would destroy the open Internet.
What was the FCC’s ‘Open Internet Order’?
The FCC’s 2010 order
was intended to prevent broadband Internet service providers from
blocking or interfering with traffic on the Web. The Open Internet Order
was generally designed to ensure the Internet remained a level playing
field for all — that's the principle we call Net Neutrality (we say
“generally,” since the FCC’s rules prohibited wired ISPs from blocking
and discriminating against content, while allowing wireless ISPs to
discriminate against but not block websites).
In
its January 2014 ruling, the court said that the FCC used a questionable
legal framework to craft the Open Internet Order and lacked the
authority to implement and enforce those rules.
Did the court rule against Net Neutrality?
No. The court ruled
against the FCC's ability to enforce Net Neutrality under the shaky
legal foundation it established for those rules. The court specifically
stated that its “task as a reviewing court is not to assess the wisdom
of the Open Internet Order regulations, but rather to determine whether
the Commission has demonstrated that the regulations fall within the
scope of its statutory grant of authority.”
When
the FCC made its open Internet rule, it relied on two decisions made by
the Bush-era FCC, rulings that weakened the FCC’s authority over
broadband Internet access network providers. There is nothing in the
January court decision that prohibits the FCC from reversing those
misguided decisions and reclassifying ISPs as common carriers.
In fact, both this decision and a prior Supreme Court decision
clearly establish that the FCC must reclassify broadband if it wishes
to prohibit practices like blocking websites or discriminating against
apps.
What does ‘reclassify’ mean?
When Congress enacted the 1996 Telecommunications Act,
it didn’t want the FCC to treat websites and other Internet services
the same way it treats the local access networks that enable people to
get online. Congress understood that the owners of the access networks
have tremendous gatekeeper power, and so it required the FCC to treat
these network owners as “common carriers,” meaning they couldn’t block
or discriminate against the content that flows across their networks
to/from your computer.
However, in a series of
politically motivated decisions first by FCC Chairman Michael Powell
(now the cable industry’s top lobbyist) and then by FCC Chairman Kevin
Martin, the FCC decided to classify broadband Internet access service as
an “information service,” meaning that the law sees it as no different
from a website like freepress.net or an online service like LexisNexis.
These decisions removed the FCC’s ability to prohibit ISPs from blocking
or discriminating against online content (it also removed the FCC’s
ability to ensure that ISPs protect your privacy).
In Verizon vs. FCC,
the court stated that the FCC lacks authority because of “the
Commission’s still-binding decision to classify broadband providers not
as providers of ‘telecommunications services’ but instead as providers
of ‘information services.’”
The FCC is free to
revisit those prior classification decisions. If the FCC votes to define
broadband as what we all know it is — a connection to the outside world
that is merely faster than the phone lines we used to use for dial-up
access, phone calls and faxes — then it can “reclassify” the
transmission component of an ISP’s service back under the law as a
“telecommunications service.”
Doing so would give
the FCC authority to adopt Net Neutrality rules and/or intervene if ISPs
harm the open Internet through discriminatory practices.
What has the FCC proposed for a vote?
Chairman
Wheeler plans to introduce “the strongest open Internet protections
ever proposed by the FCC” for a vote on Feb. 26. Wheeler's rules, based
on Title II of the Communications Act, will ban throttling, blocking and
paid prioritization.
While the public hasn't yet
seen the full text of Wheeler’s proposal, early press reports and the
chairman’s own comments look promising.
Why is Net Neutrality important for businesses?
Net
Neutrality is crucial for small business owners, startups and
entrepreneurs, who rely on the open Internet to launch their businesses,
create a market, advertise their products and services, and distribute
products to customers. We need the open Internet to foster job growth,
competition and innovation.
Net Neutrality lowers the barriers of
entry for entrepreneurs, startups and small businesses by ensuring the
Web is a fair and level playing field. It’s because of Net Neutrality
that small businesses and entrepreneurs have been able to thrive on the
Internet. They use the Internet to reach new customers and showcase
their goods, applications and services.
No company should be able
to interfere with this open marketplace. ISPs are by definition the
gatekeepers to the Internet, and without Net Neutrality, they will seize
every possible opportunity to profit from that gatekeeper control.
Without Net Neutrality, the next Google being built in a garage somewhere will never get off the ground.
Why is Net Neutrality important for communities of color?
The
open Internet allows communities of color to tell their own stories and
to organize for racial and social justice in the digital age.
The
mainstream media have often failed to allow people of color to speak
for themselves. And thanks to economic inequality and runaway media
consolidation, people of color own just a handful of broadcast stations.
The lack of diverse ownership is a primary reason why the media have
gotten away with portraying communities of color stereotypically.
The
open Internet gives marginalized voices an opportunity to be heard. But
without Net Neutrality, ISPs can block unpopular speech and prevent
dissident voices from speaking freely online. Without Net Neutrality,
people of color will lose a vital platform to shape debates on issues
that impact their communities’ well-being.
And without Net
Neutrality, millions of small businesses owned by people of color won't
be able to compete against larger corporations online, which will
further deepen the economic inequality in our nation’s most vulnerable
communities.
So what can we do now?
On Feb. 26,
the FCC will vote on rules that use Title II to protect real Net
Neutrality. If all goes well, it will be a watershed victory for
activists who have fought for a decade to protect the open Internet.
Unfortunately,
the cable and phone companies are doing everything they can to weaken
these rules before the vote. And members of Congress are also trying to
stop the FCC. Go here to find out how you can help.
In a recent announcement that was made last Friday, via a blog post,
Google stated that the professional version of their mapping app,
Google Earth, will now be available to all at no charge. The
professional version can now be used, with all of the features simply be
obtaining a free key and downloading the Google Earth Pro application.
Existing users will still be able to use the tool, but Google hasn’t yet stated whether or not they will be refunded for the remainder of their subscription.
The Pro version has all the same, now
standard, features as the normal version of Google Earth, but it also
comes with added tools, which help users to measure 3D buildings and
print high-resolution images. The app also allowed users to record HD
footage of their journey in Google Earth.
Google Earth is available to everybody,
and it can be used for all sorts of purposes. The average users may use
the app when planning a trip. A business might use it when planning to
erect a new building. Scientists may even utilise the precise features of Google Earth Pro to conduct experiments or gather data.
Google hasn’t said say why they had opted
to make the pro upgrade free. There are other services that are
available for free, such as Apple’s Maps app, but it doesn’t have
precise measuring or indeed the filming tools of Google Earth Pro.
Google Earth Pro, which had a price tag of $399, is now available for free. Why not head over to Google Maps and Earth Enterprise and get started now?
If you have an Android phone and have purchased third-party apps from
outside of the more well-known app stores, you may have put your device
at risk from an ingenious new malware that makes it look like you’ve
shut off your phone, but instead has only simulated the shutdown with
identical shut off animations.
Once the screen goes black and you forget
about it, the malware kicks in and roots around through your device,
accessing your data. Even scarier, the malware can use your phone to
make outgoing calls, take pictures, and utilize a host of other
features.
This malware, called the PowerOffHijack, was first spotted by AVG, who explained how it worked on their blog post.
Their team believes it originated in China and is spreading via apps
that originated within the country, estimating that as many as 10,000
devices have already been infected.
There are a couple of ways to know if you’re safe, even if you don’t
have a clear way to know if your phone is infected. If you’re running a
version of Android that’s at least v.5, you should be all right; at the
same time, if your phone has not been modified (jailbroken) to allow
different forms of functionality, then you’re probably okay, too.
The only issue is some retailers sell their phones with this level of
functionality already in place, so you may not be aware of the
potential danger. Finally, if you’ve only downloaded apps from the Google Play store, you’re probably safe as well since that app store is not available in China.
For now, there’s no patch to combat the PowerOffHijack’s
capabilities. Experts are currently recommending users physically remove
their batteries when they power off their phones, at least until a
patch can be made available.
It appears that the excitement over iOS upgrades has waned as huge
swathes of iOS 7 users appear to be reluctant – or unable – to upgrade
to iOS 8.
Data released by Apple shows that 56 percent of users accessing the Apple App Store are currently running iOS 8 or above, with 40 percent still clinging onto iOS 7. The needle has barely shifted since the end of October when iOS 8 adoption hit 52 percent.
Since the end of October iOS 8 usage has only increased by four percentage points.
At its peak, iOS 7 hit 78 percent adoption.
There are a number of obstacles in
the way of people upgrading their iOS device. The first is that the OTA
– Over The Air – download is many gigabytes, making it problematic for
people with a slow internet connection.
Then there's the fact that the update requires a huge amount of free
space to install, forcing users to delete apps and data. Depending on
your hardware, you'll need between 4.7GB and 6.9GB of free storage
space, and that's massive, especially for devices that started out with
only 16GB of space in the beginning (minus what iOS takes when
installed).
This problem can be overcome by doing the update through iTunes on a
PC or Mac, but many users no longer connect their iDevice to a computer.
Then there was the iOS 8.0.1 update that wreaked havoc for new iPhone 6 Plus owners. This incident, albeit rather limited in scope, dented confidence in Apple being able to deliver problem-free updates.
While 56 percent adoption in 40 days is slow for Apple, put in the
context of Android it is excellent penetration. Android 4.4 KitKat,
debuted at the end of October 2013, is still hovering at around 30 percent a year later.
WASHINGTON — President Obama on Monday put the full weight of his administration behind an open and free Internet, calling for a strict policy of so-called net neutrality
and formally opposing deals in which content providers like Netflix
would pay huge sums to broadband companies for faster access to their
customers.
The
president’s proposal is consistent with his longstanding support for
rules that seek to prevent cable and telephone companies from providing
special access to some content providers. But the statement posted online
Monday, as Mr. Obama traveled to Asia, is the most direct effort by the
president to influence the debate about the Internet’s future.
In
the statement, and a video on the White House website, Mr. Obama urged
the Federal Communications Commission to adopt the strictest set of
neutrality rules possible and to treat consumer broadband service as a
public utility, similar to telephone or power companies.
“We
cannot allow Internet service providers to restrict the best access or
to pick winners and losers in the online marketplace for services and
ideas,” Mr. Obama wrote in the statement.
The
F.C.C. is an independent agency not subject to Mr. Obama’s direct
authority. But the president is adding his voice to the 3.7 million
people who submitted comments to the agency, most on behalf of a free
and open Internet in which broadband companies could not pick which
content would arrive quickly and which would be slowed down.
Mr.
Obama said that new rules under consideration by the F.C.C. should
adhere to several key principles: No website or service should be
blocked by an Internet service provider; no content should be
purposefully slowed down or sped up; there should be more transparency
about where traffic is routed; and no paid deals should be made to
provide a speed advantage to some providers over others in delivering
content.
That
last principle would directly affect some of the megadeals already
being made by companies like Netflix, whose video streaming service has
been gobbling up bandwidth and slowing down the Internet as millions of
people attempt to watch movies and television shows on their computers
and tablets.
Earlier
this year, Netflix struck a deal with Comcast under which it pays
Comcast for a direct connection into its broadband network so
subscribers experience less delay in viewing Netflix’s streaming video.
Mr. Obama said he opposed such deals and urged the commission to adopt rules that would prevent them.
“Simply
put: No service should be stuck in a ‘slow lane' because it does not
pay a fee,” Mr. Obama wrote. “That kind of gatekeeping would undermine
the level playing field essential to the Internet’s growth. So, as I
have before, I am asking for an explicit ban on paid prioritization and
any other restriction that has a similar effect.”
Tom
Wheeler, chairman of the Federal Communications Commission, on Monday
said he welcomed the president’s input and said he agreed that the
Internet should remain free and open. But he did not say whether he
would fully support reclassifying broadband as a utility. He did say,
however, that the F.C.C. would need more time to formulate its rules,
meaning that a proposal was unlikely to come by the end of the year.
Mr.
Wheeler had most recently been leaning toward a hybrid approach to net
neutrality, one that would keep a light touch on the consumer end of
Internet service but that would apply the more strict Title II oversight
to the relationship between an Internet service provider and content
companies.
“Whether
in the context of a hybrid or reclassification approach,” he said,
“Title II brings with it policy issues that run the gamut from privacy
to universal service to the ability of federal agencies to protect
consumers, as well as legal issues ranging from the ability of Title II
to cover mobile services to the concept of applying forbearance on
services under Title II.”
“We
found we would need more time to examine these to ensure that whatever
approach is taken, it can withstand any legal challenges it may face,”
he said.
Reaction
from some of the biggest broadband companies was swift and negative.
Shares of some of the big broadband providers, including Comcast and
Time Warner Cable, were down about 3 percent on Monday morning.
Verizon,
which brought the court challenge that struck down the F.C.C.'s 2010
rules on net neutrality, called Mr. Obama’s proposal “a radical reversal
of course that would in and of itself threaten great harm to the
Internet.”
Both
Verizon, which provides both wired and wireless broadband services, and
CTIA-The Wireless Association, the leading mobile phone association,
also decried Mr. Obama’s call to apply net neutrality rules to wireless
broadband.
“Imposing
antiquated common carrier regulation, or Title II, on the vibrant
mobile wireless ecosystem would be a gross overreaction,” said Meredith
Attwell Baker, president and chief executive of the trade association
and a former Republican commissioner for the F.C.C.
Such
action “would impose inappropriate regulation on a dynamic industry and
would threaten mobile providers’ ability to invest and innovate, all to
the detriment of consumers,” she said.
Consumers
groups hailed the president’s statement. Gene Kimmelman, president of
Public Knowledge, said: “Today the Obama administration expanded its
leadership to promote an open Internet by supporting the strongest tools
to prevent blocking or throttling of Internet traffic, and by also
supporting the strongest tools to deter fast lanes and prioritized
traffic on the public’s most essential communications platform of the
21st century.”
Video
Play Video|2:53
How Net Neutrality Works
The future of protecting an open Internet
has been the subject of fierce debate, and potential changes to the
rules by the Federal Communications Commission could impact your online
experience.
Video by Natalia V. Osipova and Carrie Halperin on
Publish Date May 15, 2014.
Read More >>
President Obama, Lets Preserve Net Neutrality. Lets start treating broadband like a communications service!
The FCC is spitting in the eyes of the millions of Americans who
demanded real Net Neutrality by reclassifying ISP's as Title II
services.
We need the FCC to implement a strong Title II rule that bans fees and discrimination.
If they don’t, Obama will go down in history as the president who broke the Internet.
But there’s hope:
FCC
Chairman Tom Wheeler can correct the agency’s past mistakes and truly
protect our nation’s communications infrastructure. The agency must take
the necessary steps to make broadband networks open, accessible,
reliable and affordable for everyone.
Tell the FCC to do its job and preserve the openness of the Internet.
Several Internet Service Providers in the United States use
subscribers’ cable modems to broadcast free WiFi hotspots to other
customers in the area. While notes about this practice are always buried
somewhere in terms and conditions or other notices, subscribers are
often unaware of this practice. And as might be expected, they’re often
taken aback when they learn for the first time that their Internet
connections are being used to provide strangers with free WiFi.
Earlier this year, Comcast subscribers in Minnesota were surprised to learn that their modems were broadcasting free WiFi to anyone and everyone nearby who might be a Comcast customer.
While ISPs claim these free WiFi networks are secure and completely
separate from consumers’ home Internet service, the continued threat
from hackers who find new ways to steal our data is a concern that might
still weighs heavy.
Now, customers are being reminded once again that Cablevision will also use its customers’ home Internet modems to broadcast free WiFi hotspots.
As reported by LightReading, Cablevision confirmed during its recent earnings call that it is upgrading its Optimum Online
modems in order to add free WiFi hotspot functionality. Once the
upgrades are complete,
Cablevision says it will offer more than 1
million WiFi hotspots across the country.
It should be noted that Optimum Online subscribers will have the
ability to disable the free public hotspot feature on their modems.
If you want to get up close and personal with the latest version of
Windows then you have a couple options. First up, if you have an old PC
that isn’t doing very much then you could install Windows 10 from a
flash drive. That may not be the best solution. We think it would be
better to run the new OS inside a “sandbox,” a virtual machine. This way
it won’t affect your system in any way and it’ll be more convenient
than rummaging around for that old PC.
To install Windows 10 Technical preview doesn’t take too long, the
whole process takes approximately 30 (depending on the speed of your
PC). This is a quick guide on how to install what you need in a few steps:
1: Start off by navigating Microsoft’s website and download the
Windows 10 Technical Preview ISO file. Just simply click through the
“Get Started” and “Join Now” screens, then scroll down and choose the
appropriate language and version (32- or 64-bit).
2: Download and install Oracle VM VirtualBox, the free virtualization tool which is going to make it possible for you to run Windows 10 inside Windows.
3: Run VirtualBox, then click the New icon. In the Create Virtual
Machine dialog box, type ‘Windows 10,’ then click the version selector
and choose Windows 8.1 You must ensure that you match the ISO to what
you downloaded, either 32 or 64 bit, to what version is listed for 8.1. Read More >>
Tomorrow
at MALCON 2014, security researcher Mordechai Guri with guidance of
Prof. Yuval Elovici from the cyber security labs at Ben Gurion
University in Israel will present a breakthrough method (“AirHopper) for
leaking data from an isolated computer to a mobile phone without the
presence of a network. In highly secure facilities the assumption today
is that data can not leak outside of an isolated internal network. It is
called air-gap security. The common policy in such secure organizations
is to leave your mobile phone in some locker when you enter the
facility and then pick it up when you go out. We at the cyber security
labs challenged this assumption and found a way to leak data from a
computer inside the organization to a remote a mobile phone without
using Wifi or Bluetooth. “Such technique can be used potentially by
people and organizations with malicious intentions and we want to start a
discussion on how to mitigate this newly presented risk.” said Dudu
Mimran CTO of the cyber security labs. - See more at:
http://cyber.bgu.ac.il/content/how-leak-sensitive-data-isolated-computer-air-gap-near-mobile-phone-airhopper#sthash.kYL7nazK.dpuf
Tomorrow at MALCON 2014, security researcher Mordechai Guri with guidance of Prof. Yuval Elovici from the cyber security labs at Ben Gurion University in Israel will present a breakthrough method (“AirHopper) for leaking data from an isolated computer to a mobile phone without the presence of a network. In highly secure facilities the assumption today is that data can not leak outside of an isolated internal network. It is called air-gap security. The common policy in such secure organizations is to leave your mobile phone in some locker when you enter the facility and then pick it up when you go out. We at the cyber security labs challenged this assumption and found a way to leak data from a computer inside the organization to a remote a mobile phone without using Wifi or Bluetooth. “Such technique can be used potentially by people and organizations with malicious intentions and we want to start a discussion on how to mitigate this newly presented risk.” said Dudu Mimran CTO of the cyber security labs.
The following video demonstrates AirHopper:
The main idea behind the research is to use radio frequencies in
order to transmit the secret data from the computer to the mobile phone.
Mobile phones usually come equipped with FM radio receivers and it is
already known that software can intentionally create radio emissions
from a video display unit. Yes, from the computer screen. Still, this is
the first time that a mobile phone is considered in an attack model as
the intended receiver of maliciously crafted radio signals emitted from
the screen of the isolated computer. AirHopper demonstrates how textual
and binary data can be exfiltrated from physically a isolated computer
to mobile phones at a distance of 1-7 meters, with effective bandwidth
of 13-60 Bps (Bytes per second). Enough to steal a secret password.
The full paper will be published here tomorrow following the
conference presentation so stay tuned. Journalists and media can contact
cyber-labs@bgu.ac.il for an early peek to the research results and more info. Follow the story on twitter @cyberlabsbgu#airhopper.
The team of cyber security labs @ Ben Gurion University of the Negev in Israe
- See more at:
http://cyber.bgu.ac.il/content/how-leak-sensitive-data-isolated-computer-air-gap-near-mobile-phone-airhopper#sthash.kYL7nazK.dpuf
The following video demonstrates AirHopper:
http://youtu.be/2OzTWiGl1rM
The main idea behind the research is to use radio frequencies in order to transmit the secret data from the computer to the mobile phone. Mobile phones usually come equipped with FM radio receivers and it is already known that software can intentionally create radio emissions from a video display unit. Yes, from the computer screen. Still, this is the first time that a mobile phone is considered in an attack model as the intended receiver of maliciously crafted radio signals emitted from the screen of the isolated computer. AirHopper demonstrates how textual and binary data can be exfiltrated from physically a isolated computer to mobile phones at a distance of 1-7 meters, with effective bandwidth of 13-60 Bps (Bytes per second). Enough to steal a secret password.
The full paper will be published here tomorrow following the conference presentation so stay tuned. Journalists and media can contact cyber-labs@bgu.ac.il for an early peek to the research results and more info. Follow the story on twitter @cyberlabsbgu #airhopper.
The team of cyber security labs @ Ben Gurion University of the Negev in Israel
