Tag: Authorities

Google Plans Fiber-Optic Network To Connect Via Saudi Arabia and Israel for First Time

Google is laying the groundwork for a fiber-optic network that for the first time will connect through historical enemies Saudi Arabia and Israel while opening a new corridor for global internet traffic, according to people familiar with the plans. From a report: The project linking India to Europe is Google’s latest globe-crossing internet construction effort. The Alphabet subsidiary is vying with…

Ubisoft Montreal Staffers Barricade on Roof Amid Possible Hostage Situation [Updated]

A potential hostage situation is reportedly taking place at the building in which game developer Ubisoft’s Montreal office is housed. From a report: A group of suspects are reportedly holding tens of people hostage at Ubisoft Montreal, according to local (French-language) media outlet LCN. The situation reportedly began around 1:30pm Eastern Time. Montreal police confirmed that there is an “ongoing police…

Swiss Report Reveals New Details On CIA Spying Operation

An anonymous reader quotes a report from The Washington Post: The CIA and German intelligence jeopardized Switzerland’s historic reputation for neutrality by using a Swiss company as a platform for a global espionage operation for decades, according to a report released Tuesday by members of the Swiss parliament. Investigators concluded that Swiss authorities were aware of, and at times complicit in,…

Face For Sale: Leaks and Lawsuits Blight Russia Facial Recognition

The rise of cloud computing and AI have popularised face recognition technology globally, but at what cost? From a report: When Anna Kuznetsova saw an ad offering access to Moscow’s face recognition cameras, all she had to do was pay 16,000 roubles ($200) and send a photo of the person she wanted spying on. The 20-year-old — who was acting as…

Body Found In Canada Identified As Neo-Nazi Spam King

An anonymous reader quotes a report from Krebs On Security: The body of a man found shot inside a burned out vehicle in Canada three years ago has been identified as that of Davis Wolfgang Hawke, a prolific spammer and neo-Nazi who led a failed anti-government march on Washington, D.C. in 1999, according to news reports. Homicide detectives said they originally…

On Older Versions of Android, Many Let’s Encrypt-Secured Sites May Stop Working in 2021

This year Let’s Encrypt announced that it’s issued a billion certificates, and it’s been estimated they’ve made certs for almost 30% of web domains. But Friday they posted that “The DST Root X3 root certificate that we relied on to get us off the ground is going to expire — on September 1, 2021. Fortunately, we’re ready to stand on our…

Electric Bike Motors Will Be Shut Down When Entering Residential Areas of Amsterdam

In an effort to cut road deaths, the Dutch government will be using a new digital system to automatically reduce electric bicycles’ power in residential or built-up areas of Amsterdam. The Guardian reports: The digital technology, which has been successfully trialled on a 4km stretch of bike lanes at Schiphol airport, was funded by the Dutch ministry of infrastructure and water…

Facebook Claims Its Proposed Payments Network is 7 Times Faster Than Visa’s

As work continues on Novi, Facebook’s digital wallet the company hopes will one day be used to access currencies in the blockchain-based payment system Libra, semblances of a framework have emerged from new research published in AFT ’20: Proceedings of the 2nd ACM Conference on Advances in Financial Technologies. From a report: A paper coauthored by scientists at Facebook’s Novi division…

What is the Common Era?

If you encounter a date in the CE (Common Era) or BCE (Before Common Era) format, don’t fret. They mean exactly the same thing as AD (anno Domini) and BC (before Christ). Source: https://earthsky.org/human-world/definition-common-era-bce-ce-bc-ad…