I talked to NBC’s Pete Williams yesterday about the encryption debate that has raged since the Paris terror attacks. The debate got additional legs when New York District Attorney Cyrus Vance released a white paper Wednesday arguing that Apple and Google should be forced to include backdoors in their smartphones. [Keep reading]
Hey parents! You won’t believe the contracts your kids have been roped into. Like a fine print virus spreading quickly around the globe, under-aged teen-agers are suddenly being shrink-wrapped into contracts of dubious enforceability all around the web. The situation highlights a conundrum for companies targeting the 13-17 crowd: how [Keep reading]
It’s natural to look for a scapegoat after something terrible happens, like this: If only we could read encrypted communications, perhaps the Paris terrorist attacks could have been stopped. It’s natural, but it’s wrong. Read every story you see about Paris carefully and look for evidence that encryption played a role. There’s a [Keep reading]
Nov. 20, 2001 — The FBI is developing software capable of inserting a computer virus onto a suspect’s machine and obtaining encryption keys, a source familiar with the project told MSNBC.com. The software, known as “Magic Lantern,” enables agents to read data that had been scrambled, a tactic often employed [Keep reading]
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From the file of, “Thank God someone finally did something about this,” an alleged tech support scam has been shut down by the Federal Trade Commission and two state attorneys general. By now, you are well versed in the scam, which I “fell” for more than a year ago: One [Keep reading]
One good measure of affordability is this: How much of your paycheck do you spend on housing every month? Experts have traditionally pegged 30% as an optimal amount — people who spend more than that might be considered “housing poor” — though that number is fairly random, and the real answer is [Keep reading]
“This is public property.” “(With sarcasm) I know, that’s a really good one… I’m communication faculty and I really get that argument..but you need to get out.” Yesterday, a Missouri professor called for “muscle” to remove a journalist from a public place on campus where protesters had gathered, and the scene [Keep reading]
Imagine a “credit score” that didn’t measure the likelihood that you will pay bills, but instead the likelihood that you’ll be a troublemaker. To your town, or your company or your government. Your “citizen score” would drop if you posted anything negative on social media — or if any of your friends [Keep reading]
Further evidence that the housing market is still broken: Even as home prices rise, first-time home buyers keep disappearing. In fact, first-timers now represent the smallest percentage of home buyers in three decades, according to a report issued Thursday by The National Association of Realtors. How can prices rise while an incredibly [Keep reading]
Bob Sullivan