From the Economist:
PageFair, was hacked. If you visited economist.com at any time between Oct. 31, 23:52 GMT and 01:15 GMT, Nov. 1, using Windows OS and you do not have trusted anti-virus software installed; it is possible that malware, disguised as an Adobe update, was downloaded onto your PC.
What’s PageFair? Oh, just the latest countermeasure to ad-blocking software. Good show Economist. Looking forward to your next article on internet snooping.
Huge thanks to the Library of Congress and the U.S. Copyright Office for helping out with the train wreck that is the DMCA. This week we get exemptions for to allow us to monitor and analyze our own cars and to play games with dead authentication servers.
From Jalopnik:
Specifically, the Copyright Office said such copies and mods constitutes “noninfringing activity as a matter of fair use and/or under the exception set forth insection 117 of the Copyright Act, which permits the owner of a copy of a computerprogram to make certain copies and adaptations of the program.
From NYPost:
CIA Director John Brennan’s private account held sensitive files — including his 47-page application for top-secret security clearance — until he recently learned that it had been infiltrated, the hacker told The Post.
Later about the hacker himself:
“I think they’ll want to make an example out of him to deter people from doing this in the future,” said a source who described the situation as “just wild” and “crazy.
From the EFF:
As we explained before, the All Writs Act is not a backdoor to bypass other laws. The government cannot impose an unreasonable burden on Apple, and it cannot violate the Constitution. If the government truly wanted Apple to decrypt a phone running iOS 8 or later, it would blow past these boundaries. First, unless Apple is lying about how its system is engineered, it simply can’t grant access to the data on a locked phone—not by reflashing the operating system, and not by pushing a backdoored software update—because it’s locked.
From ProPublica:
That means AOL’s ad network will be able to match millions of Internet users to their real-world details gathered by Verizon, including — “your gender, age range and interests.” AOL’s network is on 40 percent of websites, including on ProPublica.
AOL will also be able to use data from Verizon’s identifier to track the apps that mobile users open, what sites they visit, and for how long. Verizon purchased AOL earlier this year.
From the father of Pinboard comes this terrific piece about privacy and the Internet:
There are a few guiding principles we should follow in any attempt at regulating the Internet.
The goal of our laws should be to reduce the number of irrevocable decisions we make, and enforce the same kind of natural forgetfulness that we enjoy offline.
After reading this I am simultaneously seething with frustration and weighed down by hopelessness.
Feeling a bit confused about the entire ad-blocking situation? These links make a pretty good primer.1
I’m thrilled with the focus on the current “design” of the web. It’s gone too far. I actually liked computer ads for most of the 90’s. Flash ruined that and it’s just continued to rot. Now we have ad-supported egos yelling at the world for click counts. I also think this is the organic growth of technology that was just recently the darling of tech blogging.
Brian Krebs reporting on the internal Target investigations after the chain was compromised in 2013:
In one instance, they were able to communicate directly with cash registers in checkout lanes after compromising a deli meat scale located in a different store.
It’s pretty damning. I can’t even remember the last time I used a debit card. I prefer to risk my bank’s money at most stores. I wonder how much input Target has on the Apple Pay competitor CurrentC (another thing I’ll never use).
From Softpedia:
The second algorithm took this data, and analyzing the pauses between smartwatch (left hand) keystrokes, it was able to detect how many letters were pressed with the right hand, based on the user’s regular keystroke frequency.
Based on a simple dictionary lookup, the algorithm then managed to reliably reproduce what words were typed on the keyboard.
There’s always going to be a tug-of-war between the personal benefits and the nefarious purposes of technology.
From Wired:
Like a jealous ex, Spotify wants to see (and collect) your photos and see who you’re talking to. What kind of media files Spotify will collect from you is vague, and why the company needs it is unclear, but it’s doing it regardless. Also, the fact that Spotify expects you to go through your contact list and ask everyone for their consent in sharing their data with Spotify is–what’s the word?
