“The U.S. app Clubhouse erupted among Chinese social-media users over the weekend,” reports Bloomberg, “with thousands joining discussions on contentious subjects…undisturbed by Beijing’s censors.” On the invite-only, audio-based social app where users host informal conversations, Chinese-speaking communities from around the world gathered to discuss China-Taiwan relations and the prospects of unification, and to share their knowledge and experience of Beijing’s crackdown…
Tag: jail
Russia Lawmakers Pass Bills That Could Block Social Media Sites
Russian lawmakers have approved a range of new measures that could further stifle dissent and allow tighter restrictions on online content — including blocking websites like YouTube and Twitter. NPR reports: One bill would allow for the blocking of foreign websites that it says “discriminate” against Russian media. A second law would allow it to levy large fines against companies that…
The COVID-19 Stimulus Bill Would Make Illegal Streaming a Felony
An anonymous reader quotes a report from The Hollywood Reporter: Providing relief via direct assistance and loans to struggling individuals and businesses hit hard by COVID-19 has been a priority for federal lawmakers this past month. But a gigantic spending bill has also become the opportunity to smuggle in some other line items including those of special interest to the entertainment…
John le Carre, Author of Spy Novels, Dies at Age 89
“This terrible year has claimed a literary giant and a humanitarian spirit,” tweeted novelist Stephen King, adding later that “The Little Drummer Girl was one of the best novels I’ve ever read.” Margaret Atwood tweeted “His Smiley novels are key to understanding the mid-20th century.” And the Associated Press tells the story of how spy-novel writer John le Carré was “drawn…
Kim Dotcom Can Be Extradited To US But Can Also Appeal
The Supreme Court in New Zealand ruled that file-sharing site mogul Kim Dotcom can be returned to the U.S. to face copyright charges — but has also overturned another lower court’s decision granting him the right to appeal. The BBC reports: The court ruled that Kim Dotcom and his three co-accused were liable for extradition on 12 of the 13 counts…
To Avoid Prison For Leaving Bad Hotel Reviews Online, An American in Thailand Must Apologize
The New York Times reports:
He’s very, very sorry. But the hotel in Thailand that threatened an American guest with prison for his bad reviews may end up with bigger regrets. Wesley Barnes, the American guest, publicly apologized on Friday for his blunt online reviews of the Sea View Koh Chang resort in Thailand. In exchange, the hotel promised it would drop…
Former IT Director Gets Jail Time For Selling Government’s Cisco Gear On eBay
An anonymous reader quotes a report from ZDNet: A South Carolina man was sentenced this week to two years in federal prison for taking government-owned networking equipment and selling it on eBay. The man, Terry Shawn Petrill, 48, of Myrtle Beach, worked as the IT Security Director for Horry County in South Carolina, the Department of Justice said in a press…
Google Geofence Data Exonerates Man After Being Charged With Murder
McGruber writes: Keith Sylvester, an Atlanta man wrongfully accused of killing his parents who were found dead in a burning home, is now a free man after Google geofence data identified another man as the murderer. “I had been telling them since 2018 that I was innocent,” said Sylvester. “I was held in jail for almost 15 months and I wrote…
Kingpin Behind Massive Identity-Theft Service Says He’s Sorry
Krebs on Security tells the tale of Hieu Minh Ngo, who earned $3 million by selling the identity records he’d stolen from consumer data brokers (which included social security numbers and physical addresses). “He was selling the personal information on more than 200 million Americans,” one secret service agent tells the site, “and allowing anyone to buy it for pennies apiece.”…
Woman digs 35ft tunnel to rescue son from jail
A mother in Ukraine attempted to break her son out of jail by single-handedly digging an escape tunnel. Not content to see her son spend the rest of h… Source: https://www.unexplained-mysteries.com/news/338714/woman-digs-35ft-tunnel-to-rescue-son-from-jail…