Kurt Nelson, a software engineer at Uber, writes an op-ed at TechCrunch: I’ve been a software engineer at Uber for two years, and I’ve also been a ride-hail driver. I regularly drove for Lyft in college, and while my day job involves writing code for the Uber Android app, I still make deliveries for app-based companies on my bike to understand…
Tag: classified
Large asteroid will pass safely November 29, closer in subsequent flybys
A large asteroid will pass Earth at more than 11 times the moon’s distance on November 29, 2020, and will approach more closely in later flybys. Charts here for telescope users. Source: https://earthsky.org/space/asteroid-2000-wo107-nov-2020-flyby-then-closer…
US Intelligence Sources Discussed Poisoning Julian Assange, Court Told
hackingbear shares a report: Plans to poison or kidnap Julian Assange from the Ecuadorian embassy were discussed between sources in US intelligence and a private security firm that spied extensively on the WikiLeaks co-founder, a court has been told. Details of the alleged spying operation against Assange and anyone who visited him at the embassy were laid out on Wednesday at…
What is a galaxy?
We live in a galaxy called the Milky Way. But there is so much more to know about these grand and glorious star islands in space! Click in here, and prepare to have your mind expanded. Source: https://earthsky.org/astronomy-essentials/definition-what-is-a-galaxy…
NSA and CIA Have Classified Evidence the Russians Had Placed Malware in the Election Registration Systems of at Least Two Florida Counties, Bob Woodward Reports
Legendary journalist Bob Woodward reports in his new book new details on Russia’s election meddling, writing that the NSA and CIA have classified evidence the Russians had placed malware in the election registration systems of at least two Florida counties, St. Lucie and Washington. From a report: While there was no evidence the malware had been activated, Woodward writes, it was…
FCC Estimates It’ll Cost $1.8 Billion To Remove Huawei, ZTE Equipment From US Networks
The Federal Communications Commission on Friday said it could cost an estimated $1.8 billion to remove and replace Huawei and ZTE equipment that’s in US telecommunications networks receiving federal funds. From a report: In June, the FCC officially classified Huawei and ZTE as national security threats, though since 2019, the agency has barred carriers from using its $8.3 billion a year…
Asteroid 2011 ES4 will pass much closer than the moon on September 1
The orbit of asteroid 2011 ES4 is still not entirely known. Our knowledge of it might improve sometime today – or early tomorrow – if it is “recovered” by astronomers. It’s expected to pass within the moon’s orbit, possibly as close as 0.19 lunar distances. Source: https://earthsky.org/space/asteroid-2011-es4-closer-than-moon-september-1-2020…
Report: Massive US Spy Satellite May ‘Hoover Up’ Cellphone Calls
Launching today is America’s classified NROL-44 spy satellite, which German public broadcaster DW calls “a massive, open secret”: NROL-44 is a huge signals intelligence, or SIGINT, satellite, says David Baker, a former NASA scientist who worked on Apollo and Shuttle missions, has written numerous books, including U.S. Spy Satellites and is editor of SpaceFlight magazine. “SIGINT satellites are the core of…
Should the U.S. Pardon Edward Snowden?
Long-time Slashdot readers 93 Escort Wagon and schwit1 both shared the news that U.S. President Trump is “considering” a pardon for Edward Snowden, a former National Security Agency contractor who “leaked a trove of secret files in 2013 to news organizations that revealed vast domestic and international surveillance operations” carried out by the agency, according to Reuters: U.S. authorities for years…
A Third of TikTok’s US Users May Be 14 or Under, Raising Safety Questions
If Microsoft or another company buys TikTok before President Trump bans the Chinese-owned video app on national security grounds, it will acquire a giant community of devoted fans and a lucrative platform for selling ads. It might be buying something else, too: a big population of users ages 14 and under. The minimum age for using TikTok is 13. From a…