Cynja
The Cynja, Vol. 16: The USB stick looked like magic
Read all the Cynja series
Cybercrime / Privacy
VIDEO: Breaking encryption will not make us safer
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]
Privacy
Fine print alert: Hey kids! Your parents have read and agreed to this, right? (wink)
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]
Cybercrime / Privacy
Anti-encryption opportunists seize on Paris attacks; don’t be fooled
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]
Privacy
ARCHIVE: FBI software cracks encryption wall – ‘Magic Lantern’ part of new Enhanced Carnivore project
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]
Cynja
The Cynja, Vol. 15: BOOM! Mr. Hughes was gone!
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Cybercrime / Privacy
Tech support scam shut down by FTC (but beware others, like the one I ‘fell’ for)
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]
The Restless Project
The top 10 cities with the fewest ‘housing poor’ residents; do you live in one of them?
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]
Features
More video of that Missouri professor who calls in ‘muscle’ — what the law says, and why anyone with a smartphone should care
“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]
Cybercrime / Privacy
China’s ‘citizen score’ ideas offer a glimpse of what your credit score could become
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]