EFF Reveals Behind-the-Scenes Account of the Fight to Save .ORG

As part of its “Year in Review” series, the EFF shares their dramatic behind-the-scenes details about 2020’s fight over the future of .org domains. It begins when the Internet Society (ISOC) announced plans to sell the Public Interest Registry — which manages the .org top-level domain (TLD) — to private equity firm Ethos Capital. “If you come at the nonprofit sector,…

Controversial Data Firm Palantir Fetches Market Value of Nearly $22 Billion In Its Debut On the NYSE

US tech firm Palantir, known for supplying controversial data-sifting software to government agencies, has fetched a market value of nearly $22 billion in its debut on the New York Stock Exchange. The BBC reports: The firm, which launched in 2003 with backing from right-wing libertarian tech investor Peter Thiel and America’s Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), builds programs that integrate massive data…

Google Has Stopped Responding To Data Requests from Hong Kong Authorities

Google will stop responding to requests for data from Hong Kong authorities with the search giant instead directing requests for user data to a Mutual Legal Assistance Treaty with the United States that is done in conjunction with the Department of Justice. From a report: The move comes after a new national security law imposed by China curbed political expression. Although…

Journalist’s Phone Hacked: All He Had To Do Was Visit a Website. Any Website.

The iPhone that Moroccan journalist Omar Radi used to contact his sources also allowed his government to spy on him (and at least two other journalists), reports the Toronto Star, citing new research from Amnesty International. Slashdot reader Iwastheone shares their report: Their government could read every email, text and website visited; listen to every phone call and watch every video…

Facebook Bows to Singapore’s ‘Fake News’ Law, Posts ‘Correction’

An anonymous reader quotes the BBC: Facebook has added a correction notice to a post that Singapore’s government said contained false information. It is the first time Facebook has issued such a notice under the city-state’s controversial “fake news” law. Singapore claimed the post, by fringe news site States Times Review, contained “scurrilous accusations”. The note issued by the social media…

The Secret Death Toll of America’s Drones

President Trump is making it harder to know how many civilians the government kills by remote control. Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2019/03/30/opinion/drones-civilian-casulaties-trump-obama.html?partner=rss&emc=rss