Posts by dssf

Snowden documents show British digital spies use viruses and 'honey traps'

Re: dssf SIGINT-Friendly Hotels

Why so punative with the down vote when text would have sufficed? Not as if was intentionally misleading or malicious.

Maybe I should have more thoughfully appended with:

In real life, hotels are bugged, mic'd, and some loaded with cameras -- in advance. Well, if watching shows about dumb criminals and drugs dealers are to be believed.

Besides, as for the episode, of course I know it's just a show. Still, even if scene-sequencing is bad, people still get handed OSA letters, don't they? And, that was an earlier episode. As the show progressed, they got into laser mic's and other stuff, just to try to look realistic. Some police agencies don't even have the best stuff and walk away with no intel, or illegally-obtained intel/evidence, or have to call another agency to help.

Gods, it so easy to incur negative points lately. But, in your case, sincerely, I DO appreciate that you gave an explanation. That softens some of the pain. Much appreciated!

Cheers

When booking a hotel...

Ask, "Have you had to sign a national security letter regarding but bugging or monitoring of your hotl or any rooms?"

If the response is "I am not at liberty to confirm or deny...."

Hang up and keep looking for another accomodation.

IIUC, people will not reply in such a manner unless presented such a letter. Well, assuming the OSAs/NSLs commit the signator/subject to also lie, and to report that s/he has been tested or asked trigger event questions. Would that be legal? To commit an ordinary, non-sworn civilian to until death report back to NatSec when asked such questions?

Wait, you probably cannot confirm or deny that, but you MIGHT be required to report this post. Worry not... I presume ALL my posts, emails, social sites, and more are being monitored -- JUST in case I am more important (as a target, not as a gft) than I ever dreamt.....

SIGINT-Friendly Hotels

No surprises here:

Recall the Spooks (MI-5) Episode in which the concierge/hotel staff employee was asked about the accessibility of the room and the timetable of the target, and told he was to sign the National Secrets Act letter Tom handed him. (IIRC, this, but mayber another, episode verbalized MI-5 having the ability to bugger/dig into corporate hotel accounts to find those who paid block room reservations short to eternity periods.)

Even still, Malcom and an assistant still drilled into the walls and set up cams and mics.

Then, later, Zoe was caught on video, to the horror of Colin.

May be better to arrive at the room door face-masked, and enter with a suitably-high trade show booth canvas, erected against all walls and windows to provide a face-secure way to sweep the room for electronics eavesdropping. That was depicted somewhat in Ep 3 or 4 (IIRC) of Spooks when an Embassy/Consulate was taken under siege.

It could become costly for intel agencies if highly-sought targets just started holing up in the likes of Motel 6, Days Inn, and budget hotels scattered about.

Phy vs Virtual

"JTING could also block up older technologies, such as fax machines, it said and delete someone's entire online persona."

I the real world, a "disappeared" or "harangued" person would be called "persona non grata".

In the online world, a blocked, blacklisted, or otherwise harangued or "profile disappeared" person would be...

"persona non-data" (dah-tah)

Sorry... Couldn't... Re... Sist....

Twitter may sue US government over right to disclose snooping orders

How do we know that

Twitter is not really a or just another Company-funded entity that has to pretend to be a listed/list-aspiring company?

Only NSL-handed accountants and upper management would know, since they would have access to the cash flows. Investors might never know unless they, too, are tipped off.

For all we know, some of the (Ch)Air Force Personal Bots may have live bank accounts so they can have plausible back stories as investors. A billion dollars spread out across 5,000 to 50,000 "bot" would make for a good investment strategy.

Well, until one, lone live Agent earns the pennies (per minuted) of a batallion of digi-bots and personal. Maybe the USCF/USAF will have to spin these agents off as a brokerage house?

Re: Twitter stands alone on this????? Why is Twitter Alone?

Well, not quite "alone".

But, consider that many of the ISPs and social sites may be mum for a reason: maybe many of them are former "company" employees who are simply unable to wander from the reservation. Maybe some of them failed entrance/recruitment exams/quals for joining the Family of Companies of the Government(s), and to redeem themselves, set up quasi-intel agency adjunct? Who knows?

But, it could be just/yet one more black line item ballooning the national deficit...

Bitcoin value plunges as Mt.Gox halts withdrawals and Russia says 'nyet'

Is it possible for "crypto currencies"

-- To contain clandesting "messges"

-- To be routed to specific recpients

Imagine if real currency had an unusual number of phony coins, not just physically circulated for purchases and debt settlement, but for containing microdot-like transmission of dead-drop-valuable info. ANY government would want to shake that money tree and drop those coins into a forensices hopper.

Imagine if, when a payment is made, a person could say, "These monetary instruments, these specific bills, serial nos: "xxxxxxxxxxxx", shall be by the bank specified, transferred to the recipient specified, and to no others along the route, and no others trying to sniff the route shall be granted to "wrapper accesses" at any time..

I'm starting to wonder whether crypto currencies have a payload capability. Or, some sort of "keyhole manipulation" (lock/unlock/lock share/joint-keys-for-highly-uncrackable-decrypt-unlock) functions.

CERN outlines plan for new 100km circumference supercollider

Re: Why not space?

S -- Super-compactible

P -- Pile-drivable

H -- Hobbleable

I -- In-can-dessicant

N -- Nutating

C -- Collapsible

T -- Terran

E -- Exit

R -- Route

Re: Boffin maths In 25 years... Bad Boys Blue Will Be singing

"In a Hundred Years, CERN is illll leeee gulll... All yor dreems will dye... A hundred years CERN is illegul, and you hope will NOT SURvive... Bee You Ess TT, Our BIG Blue planet is GOo-nnn-oonnne. Can you hear my heart is screamin?!"

In 100 years, CERN will propose a Levitated Physical Equator (LPE) ... Finally, Earth will have its very own coaxial, contrarotating gravi/magneton belt.

Now, and by then, it'll certainly be SUPER at something: Super COLLECtor, hahahaha. Every country that wants to be considered a respectable country will print money to be a recognized signator of the LPE.

Re: Is that really the best place to build these things? ST:TWOK

Bones: Dear Lord... What if this thing were used where life already EXISTS?

Spock: It would PRECLUDE such life in favor of its new matrix.

Bones: Its "New Matrix"?

...

Chekov: DAMN! Sensors picked up a minor energy flux on the dyno scanner...

Terrrell: Maybe it's something we can transplant...

-----

Marcus: "Something we can "transplant? Something We can "transplant"? Look you boys have got to be preCISE on this...

Terrell: Don't worry, Doctor...

(hahahaha)

............

Khanh: I've don't need to kill you, Kirk. I've left you maROONED, at the center of a dead PLANET, Buried Alive... BURIED ALYVE, BURRRIED ALYYYVE....

Shatner, via Priceline: CERNNNNN! CERNNNN!!! CERNNNNNN!!!!!

Hahaha... This thing will run rings around any life forms not transplanted

KA-BLAM!! Marvel Comics opens super-powered data API to web devs

How about...

(Es)CAPED Crusaders, for those who bail out or get ejected?

Apple ticks off trigger-happy Bitcoiners with App Store snub

Re: Obvious, but, it is a ...

BTW,

Is there any possibility the snubbed iphone Bit Coin users can regain access to their BC money if they switch devices, or is "ownership" of the coinage also tied by device, not just personal credentials? (I have no experience with BitCoin...)

Obvious, but, it is a ...

BIT too much.

It looks as if Apple decided that whatever the iPhoners spent aquiring their Bit Coins, it was insignificant and that Apple could just destroy their currency.

If Apple is the only one to do this (not that Google and MS couldn't or won't), Apple may "destroy" a lot of "currency" has with current and future would-be users.

Snowden saga scares Oracle away from spy-flick sponsorship

Damned if HE did, Damned if HE did

So, Oracle got its named scrubbed. It owes the production costs it already underwrote. (This is a contractual matter, as most films won't get a green light for production unless insurance is there to protect from disruption/non-completion/other things).

That the production is by David Ellison means Oracle will likely have to pony up even more money, as it will not want to see another networking/database company's name on-screen. Larry probably won't like it, and Son probably won't want to tick off Dad.

But, investors other than Oracle/Larry will likely have made substantial risky involvements, too, and SOME of them might have tech connections, and might be able to parlay those connections (or, be presented "inducements") to get onscreen some other company's name. If the move/attempt is blocked, production may be halted or disrupted while things get hashed out.

Fortunately, though, names can be digitally inserted. They just need to put green tape or something in the place of the logo so that at the last possible moment, even Oracle can come back an be branded/brandished on screen.

I don't see why Oracle will be worried. Moviegoers are not Oracle's core affective audience. Tecchie will buy what gear they must and what database they feel they must for maximizing ROI and productivity. Maybe the script will be tweaked with dialog to exonerate the high-tech and pin the blame on the NSA. Editing the screenplay would have been a lot cheaper. But, if Oracle's backing out produces 3x the money needed for/of Oracle's involvement, then the movie probably will proceed without much issue.

Just my $0.05

Cisco asks court to bin Rockstar patents

Re: Probably because it is wrong

haha... Tell that to the people in SF evicted under the Ellis Act.

Tell that to a friend of mine who's been evicted from his room rental because former roommate refused to pay rent. The landlord allowed my friend to move in, but and he upheld his rental obligations. The other tenant, however, reneged. My friend got no protection.

As for these patents, when companies go bankrupt, state or federal courts should escrow the patents and release -- parse -- them out to companies that ALREADY KNOW they will take over, honor, and respect contracts, and ALSO will no put a hot gun barrel up the butts of other companies that built business models on viable pantents. Courts should hold them out for bidding and deny PAEs. ANY entity wanting the patent should be:

-- required to make no predatory or hostile use of the patents until they release licensees and match licensees up with comparable products/services

-- require bidders to put up a bond (escrowed) to cover for any licensees the entity subsequently creatively or viciously savages out of greed or remorse or revenge.

PAEs should be branded, right down to the individuals running or supporting or enabling them, and banned from related activities.

Jean Michel Jarre: Je voudrais un MUSIC TAX sur VOTRE MOBE

Super-polished acts...

Of course, I would be remiss if I did not recognize that the super-polished acts are where they are (in terms of fame/craze, but not mega-money) because they themselves often do not own nor lease:

-- the hyper-expensive equipment

-- sound studios

-- choreographers

-- promoters/artwork teams/radio/TV promotional outlets

-- shakedown artists who finagle the venue rights

-- the vehicles, aircraft, roadies, and security need to deliver them to and protect them from their fans...

Music Database at Telcos?

Maybe the telcos should have a music database, or two?

-- One for licensed, label-distributed music

-- One for indie, non-represented music

Let the labels charge through the ass for their stuff.

Let the indies charge lower, as low as they can.

Let the phone companies help advertise the music, maybe somehow obtaining some portion for subsidizing new phones.

Let the labels watch the indies take in more per track, assuming the listeners want to explore indie music.

If the music plays on the device, the user's account gets billed accordingly. But, not on each device, just one or two. Of course, the users' buy-in would need to be obtained in any case.

Obviously, this probably imperils the labels, but they act as if their existence is a god-given right. Indies are for the most part screwed out of/locked out of playing at venues controlled or manipulated by labels. Indies have to play in small venues which may not be by fire code (occupancy limitations) able to take in the tickets necessary to please the music act as well as the venue owner/operator.

When musicians figure out how to break their contracts, when courts figure out how to say "a signed fuck-job contract is no legal contract at ALL!", when artists figure out how to better self-and-group promote, when venues figure out how to reward indie acts to give them a fair shake, when music consumers figure out how to directly sponsor/suppor indies they like, then musicians the world over may finally regain control of their income streams.

What's that sound..? Sounds like an aluminum and a wooden baseball bat each scraping a wall down the hall from my room... Looks like I'll be needing a wheelchair and two bionic hands pretty soon...

Twitter shares tank as blabbergasm implodes in full glare of unforgiving investors

"No one could have foreseen"?

I foreseauood... Hahaha

http://forums.theregister.co.uk/forum/1/2014/02/06/twitter_data_grants/

I think...

UK spooks STILL won't release Bletchley Park secrets 70 years on

What if the reason is due to heinous, embarrasing, or frightening info?

Suppose:

Heinous:

-- The Allies gleaned or learned the locations of ALL the Nazi concentration camps, but would not bomb them as it would have revealed the Allies had broken the German code

Embarrassing:

-- The Allies gleaned that the Russians had obtained samples of the machines, tweaked them, and then left the UK in the dust, meaning the Allies (or at least the UK and their cousins) to keep the machines classified, maybe because the Russians/Soviets adapated them but not so far ahead as to be totally elusive

Frightening:

-- Maybe the Germans internally communicated the suspected/verified location of Alien bases, and to this day, the US/UK alliance wishes to keep that a sceekrett... Maybe an alien or two sit on high seats in both countries?

After All, there are STILL secrets about JFK's assassination being held back (despite a recent release of lots of sstuff around the subject), probably because certain people in the loop are still alive.

Snowden leak: GCHQ DDoSed Anonymous & LulzSec's chatrooms

Re: Im outraged... Maybe

They didn't want to tip their hand, or by way of attack reveal technical abilities or likely unit ID.

By doing a typical DDOS, they can avoid rapid ID of themselves, muck about in the board, sew confusion, suspicion, wariness, and jitters. Maybe even prompt a few to expose their own skills while attempting to unmask the DDOS source.

Re: Wrong analogy... Additionally,

Agents of a government have remit/authority to monitor, deceive, seduce, and otherwise confound or thwart or attack attackers of the State -- especially since the USA and UK are at war on terrorists, even if the Allies/Coalition forces don't rah-rah so actively.

OTOH, hackers, crackers, activists, hactivist, or the like do not generally have remit to reverse-assault or thwart Law Enforcement unless there is a VERY good, clear, and necessary reason. And, how often will a court accept that u nless it is clear the Police are abusing the public. Even then, just to use LAPD as an example (the head-against-hood slamming of a mentally-retarted/slow individual because he refused (was unable to process and comply with) following commands being barked at him. Even though (the gas station's security camera) FILMED (them) in violation of civil rights of the victim, sometimes, the police will prevail for any number of Bullwinkle pulling a rabbit out of his hat with "PRESTO". I cannot recall what - -if anything -- happened to those police involved.

But, imagine a civilian refusing to submit his/her vehicle to being commandeered. It could be that the person is on the last "no-more-lates/tardies-to-work, or has been carjacked before and has seen too many movies involving perps wearing fake uniforms, or it could be someone who holds police in contempt, or whatever. Such as person would likely face charges of obstructing justice, failure to follow legally issued commands, contributing to mayhem/imperilment of the public, or whatever some crafty, never-loses-cases DA can list on a charge sheet.

So, whether or not the PUBLIC can actively or passively attack, hinder, or confuse bodies of law and get away with it will, well, DEPEND... Depends on the context, political climate, character of the top authority, and so many other things.

Burning through red lights...

That could also apply to the police tearing down an expressway at high speed with no lights or sirens and no cues to the public to move aside.

I happened to be at a read light, oh, back around 1990 or so, and behind 3 or 4 in-line/abreast police vehicles one night. Their windows were down, and they waved at each other, and it seemed to be a signal to go into a race. Two peeled out, hauling ass. The third joined in. IIRC, a 4th, appearing from my left rear, was already boring in on them, not to be left out.

Not to be left out of a party to which I was not invited, I, too, joined in. Tho, my puny little 4-cyl, 108max or so 89 Integra could not hope to keep up. I wonder whether they even notice the "fifth-wheel" of headlights joining in on their race. It was exhilirating, and, as fast as they were going, they would not be able to find me if they realized I wasn't one of them. If you do it right, an automatic, 4-cyl can peel rubber quite nicely. I once did it, and the police tailed a souped-up Ford Mustang because they must have -- like others who did not belive I could make my front-wheeler, auto-trans peel out -- felt it could not possibly nor likely have been my diminuitively-engine car....

Now, assuming they abolish the statute of limitation, or concoct some unsolved crash, they could come after me with a piece of paper. However, it'd have to be a death or serious property damage involved, and that would mean substantial damage to my vehicle -- damage which would have prevented re-registration, sale, or change of the ownership title, and certainly would have prevented me from obtaining loans against the value of my car.

Apple in patent cross-hairs AGAIN

Patently Insane Insanity

I'm not so much defending Apple as I am commenting on the virulent, global patent madness that seems to be boundless.

In the 1980s, in Naval (as well as NATO) communications, we had various speed of service/precedence flags for speeding messages through messaging/traffic cueues and shifting them to other circuits.

Z, O, P, R

Z= Flash

O= Immediate

P= Priority

R=Routine

Classification, and other keywords could tweak the message's exposure, how many satellites would carry or redirect the traffic, and how many land-based or relay aircraft would receive or handle the traffic.

That was in the 80s, and this mind-fucking differentiation by civilian mobile phone network is just plain, goddamned STUPID.

Now, if Apple used a proprietary technique, one not taught in rudimentary communications systems, or not taught in schools of programming, signal distortion, mass digital signals communications, or the like, then let the plaintif's case move forward.

But, if Apple's technique/implementation is sufficiently different in method/approach, then drop-kick the compaint out of the court.

Really, patents need to be granted worth if they actually do something for the filing party, and ONLY if the patent filed was novel, non-obvious, and not easily-arrived at if discerning eyes (in or not in the skill of the trade) took a few days of sniffing at it.

At the very least, I suspect NATO and non-NATO military communications/signals designers will probably agree that by 1988, plenty of stuff preceded this awarded patent.

Again, I'm not defending Apple. I'd say the same thing if it were Slumberger, BT, BSkyB, or any other small or large firm being put on the target end of a patent claim.

Patent madness needs to stop. A patent granted protection should generally be a patent in productive, active use with a userbase demonstrating the patent is applicable. If they sit on it, the best they can claim is prior art/copyright, but, only if Apple is using unpublished, non-education-obtained, proprietary methods or stuff to which Apple signed an NDA/non-compete of some sort. (Which, BTW, I have not bothered to look into...)

Is that entity a PAE?

How many keys can one keyboard have? Do I hear 200? 300? More?

For some, this will be lurve at furst...

Byte... Or, will that be "BITE" (and, not built-in-test-equipment)? Or CRC (and, not cyclical redundancy check).

Well, as long as Drac is not alive and waiting for them at Transylvania.... Better find Jeff Goldblum* before the top donor heads out, hahahaha, or CRC might mean "Circulatory/Respirator Curtailment".

(*Transylvania 6-5000... Whoaaa.. Way back to 1984/1986)

Re: Hmmmm.... Shopped, hahaha, and Pac'd

MY first thoughts were of PacMan...

Re: A dedicated keyboard for a single app? Until...

You either spill something on the tablet, or use wet fingers, and the liquid's surface tension causes crazy/erratic inputs to make PS do crazy/erratic things to the drawing until a command requiring input stops the erratic craziness, hehehehe....

Twitter offers boffins a free sip of its data firehose

Swelling and Swollen mound of Data from Twitter's Tw...

Eets-cache...

Planned earlier, or a new response to analyst/market disappointment in ROI for investors?

The revival of survival – the gaming genre that refuses to die

Re: Why Zombies Politicians.... hehehe

Player: (holding blood-soaked axe over head of bureacrat) THSI IS WWHAT YOU GET FOR ALLOCATINGG AND APPROVING $350,000 FOR A TWO-SEAT, HALF-LENGTH MONKEYBAR, 3/4-SIZE MERRY-GO-ROUND, NO-SANDPIT PARK IN A NEIGHBORHOOD WITH NO KIDS!

Polidician: (simpering, pleading pussianically) BUT I WAS PAAAAYED TO DO IT. I'M NOT RESPONSIBLE...

Player:

Oi, Android devs! Facebook wants your apps to be more secure

Re: Oi, Andrios devs, Facebook wants Google to get less personal information.

I am in sync with you. And as for google's sieve-holed android, I'm having a sinking feeling.

Check my past few rants against google about this, and the nose-diving -7 hits I took for it a few hours ago.

Facebook, at this point, almost seems to totally redeem itself in my eyes and heart. I'm embarrassed. Yet, I'm happy to say that, too. I am infuriated that google refuses to tighten up its business model and beat facebook to the punch.

I post far more on fb than on g+, and I was ready to cut over to g+. But, after this conciliatory Conceal gesture fb just shat on googles doorstep, well and truly lit and steaming, I'm reconsidering fb and might just, out of SPITE, venom, and frustration with google, shift to/remain on fb.

How many others will see it this way?

Google, step yer ass up the the plate! Time to tweak your biz model. ONLY those businesses that directly receive sniff/metrics perms from won-over users should be getting user metrics. You're chopping us up like gruel or shark bait for stupid fishermen who cannot even figure out in what waters to fish. You're just encouraging them to fish and flail haplessly and wastefully, and the users are held up for sacrifice.

Rrrrrevise your business model! It ISN'T that hard to do once you commit to it!

Google opens up data on secret data collection orders

Re: Damnit, Google! What does "Transparency" mean to you?

Wait, sterilization was a flawed analogy.

A better analogy would be:

-- intentionally engineering a newborn to have a flawed immune system

-- building a car with sup-spec brakes

-- manufacturing drinks to force users to go to the toilet too so often they must buy anti-diarrhea meds, which cause side effects requiring yet another med, both of which you have investment benefits in.

Re: Damnit, Google! What does "Transparency" mean to you?

Hahah, i bet all seven of the down votes came from pro google agents/operatives/employees.

I will restate: google, knock off the distracting sideshow and fix your shittyby-design so-called security model. You took out the security that makes Linux sought after and famous. That is like unnecessarily performing sterilization of beings suitable for and worthy of the rigt of reproduction.

Change your weak business model!

And, tell your sympathisers to desist digitally assaulting undaerstandably and rightfully pissed-off Android-using people for their on-target comments and assertions!

Oh, snap! It is not just google employees I managed to in one posting puss off. I probably pissed off

- government

- advertisers

- security employees who NEED Android to be security-weak

- criminals

- others

The price of being forthright and demanding what is right, not profitable...

Re: On the bright side.... On the Dark(net) side...

We don't even know whether what we type is really on the Interenet unless we verify that we're not in a honeynet -- requiring us to take elaborate, elusive steps to reach the REAL tubes to be satisfied. Of course, we're all on the real intertubes, since probably none of us posting are on watch lists, not recidevists, and not likely to say anything subversive....

Hold on... E(**R(*#U 꾸;ㅣㅜㅏ FS:FLKJSRF. (U$RPUGOJI (intermittent carrier....)

Damnit, Google! What does "Transparency" mean to you?

It's not so much the Gov we need privacy and rights protection from -- It's the frackin' CRIMS and advertiser dealing our info in the black market and in the google-enabled grey market.

Yes -- that grey market is your LOUSY "security" model/modules in Android. You need to:

-- Demand that developers using the Android code adhere to a policy of ethics -- **NO** data-slurping of ANY user without the users' granular data-type-by-data-type accession

-- Heuristically scan code not just on the Play platform but across the Net

-- Distribute tools that help users to know when their devices are being digitally plundered, and make it possible to auto-kill the wireless, collect a forensic log, and blurp that log to non-easily-blocked wifi to get the intrusion into the open net and darknet for investigators and rights bodies to force more transparency and protection

-- Demand your biz partners ALL trip-wire Android to "unlock" upon expiry of their users' contracts with their initial carrier if that carrier locks the phone when it is subsidized or aquired in a contract

-- INFORM users of how to stop the data slurp, be it conducted by marketers, criminals, or governments. It's NOT your JOB to make it easier for the entire domain of Android users to be digitally raped en masse.

Harping on the number of NSLs and data taps is just smoke an mirrors, hardly resembling "transparency". Knocking the gov's nuts while slashing open the public's pants on the backside is like you having your cake and eating it as much as you reaming us ever-wideningly, only slightly-lubed, and telling us we're simply, slightly, but rectifiably confusing the sensory inputs of pain and pleasure.

"Transparency"? Sheesh....

WAKE UP!

Google bit barge ordered to set sail for safe waters

What if google bougt and modified an existing barge?

Or, convert a small ship. Once the proof of concept proved viable, they could rescale the vessel once shpwcasing a success for local communities. They probably could have had the red carpet rolled out for them.

We poor people, though, to get funding, have to go guerilla financing if we lack creditworthiness or do not want to be hijacked by greedsters.

If they created a floating power barge that had data processing capabilities.....

Super Bowl's SUPER BALLSUP: CBS broadcasts Wi-Fi password

ffffffffff

FUMBLLLLLLLLE!!!!!!

Apple seeks patent for mood-sensing technology

INT WTF is the USPTO Smoking if This Patent Is Approved?

This patent better have limited scope.

Why?

Suppose:

-- I create a forum rich in mood and attitude flags for users to select, honor system based

-- Users inject smiles between text, speak their minds (honestly, hopefully)

-- I have the backend database collect metrics or values on EVERYTHING, since THAT is what databases do

-- Scripts look for key words in the dialog/discussions/links/flags scanned

-- An ad repo, pre-marked with ranges of flags, is scanned and based on the tension, tenor, pace, and mood and other mode-monitoring, content is flagged-up, in ranges of sensitivity, socio-economics, topic, and other information pre-disclosed by the participant/s targetted.

HOW can the USPTO grant protection in a patent against what I've just posited above? It cannot, not cleanly and honestly, that's for sure. It's way too obvious, and all the forums out there already contain enough info to assist advertisers. Emoticons help, when used honestly, and text-scanning is NOT Apples province, domain, or right to commandeer. That tech has preceded them. I can understand their need to find a new market from which to wrangle income, but, USPTO, this is NOT the market to grant a broad-controls patent for one solitary/sole company to hijack.

Period.

University boffins build snoop-spotting snitch app

Re: This is why.... "Listening mode only"...

And, even if off, the radio might be clandestinely working in concert with the accels and gyro/s to refine a holder's movements -- elevation, direction, speed -- to possibly micro-burst the phone's locations.

Airplane mode probably now only serves to stop phones from "bleeding" and "polluting" restricted airwaves. But, for those being hunted or monitored, anyone with special equipment can now use this as yet another way to keep tabs on a phone.

What would happen if I started slipping my phone into a shielded sleeve, just for the hell of it. Of course, if I got into gov buildings that may ask me to turn it on to prove it really is a phone, then, if I were a tracked/monitored person, my location would be updated -- aside from in-building and perimeter cams that likely are doing what they are supposed to be doing.

At some point, a rooted phone will become a RIGHT, and the sooner people wake up and tell the carriers to sod/screw/get off, the soone we collectively might be able to pressure google and the phone manufacturers to ease up on the lock-down. Enforced locking down of and making difficult to root our phones is putting some of us at risk of intrusion or of us bridking our own phones due to elaborately difficult rooting procedures that, while published, my destroy a phone randomly outfitted with commodity chips that our slighly outside of spec. Recal that even any given Dell model is NEVER 100% identical to every last copy in the same product life cycle. Maybe for batches of 10-100 of the same model, but, not ALL 100,000 or 50,000. In 99, and 2003 I found out the hard way when wasting 10+ hours dealing with a failed clone job.

Should be MORE than a mere "indictment"...

It should be an excoriating, keel-hauling, new-asshole-ripping experience for google.

If I had the money, I'd fund these students to find not only which apps are sluping GPS and WiFi info, but which are attempting to slurp:

-- photos

-- notes

-- contacts

-- logs

-- anything else the app has not goddamned business peeking, poking, sniffing, fingering, or otherwise screwing around with.

Further, I'd mandate that the app give the uses/victims a "broadcast" feature to blast to a "cease and desist" type of boardd which apps are violating basic privacy expectations of the victims.

Google, "do no harm" ALSO means do NOT FACILITATE the doing of harm.

Clearly, google, you ARE facilitating harm!

EVE Online erects mashed-up memorial to biggest space fight in history

40% of the characters are female but 97% male player?

Wow, many of the guys must've started playing during the Summer... (oink oink, wink wink... A favorable nod, mind you, hahahah)

Looks really impressive

Does anything like this exist for contemporary terrestrial naval warfare (outside of military war colleges and think tanks)?

'I had a rare Twitter handle... I was extorted into giving it up'

Fungus Shots and Naming Rights

He should beg Branson to get Virgin Galactic to send up its OWN investigagtory probe. Not as if we don't need an independent audit of lunar surface shots, right?

And, since the Moon is not supposed to be "militarized", what sane, above-board government would make it illegal for care-taking, conscientious, science-backed investigators to send up their own hi-res, distant-shot orbital cameras? To disallow would be to indicate a fear of the discover not of aliens but of Earth-planted devices that may be illegally stationed/landed there. If any devices are illegally there (at least US-owned/UK-owned), you can bet that NASA would be "obliged" to obfuscate inadvertent non-gov discovery of them. I suspect, not confirm, mind you.

The TRUTH about LEAKY, STALKING, SPYING smartphone applications

ACLU and EFF

Where are you?

Why do you not demand that Google releases be accompanied with compatible Cynogenmod binaries on release day, with simpler installation?

If google's biz model depends on wholesale slurping of user data, and making it a royal PAIN in the ass to mod one's phone for privacy purposes, then, I dare say, it's time for google to rewrite its biz model, and tell data-slurping app developers to come up with a new income stream.

Microsoft-backed lobby group demands market test of Google's proposed 'search fix'

Transparency, Inclusion... Who.. So "RICH"

Recall when MS' was in its early days. How many core competitors were allowed "transparency, inclusion"?

Recall when advertisers wanted to put ads into the black/grey border area surrounding the Windows boundary, when MS didn't know how or was too lazy to make windows make the boundary disappear/be covered up. How long did "transparency, inclusion" last for those companies after some body or court decided that Microsoft "owned" all the space, even behind the bezel.

Recall when in court MS played a switcheroo with two different computers, one blue-desktop and the other the greenish one -- and got caught. Was that "transparency, inclusion"?

Recall how much effort it took to get/force ms to allow OEMs to put competing browser shortcuts on the desktop..

Recall, recall, recall...

I'm less and less these days harping about the "destruction" of ms, for that really isn't viable, but a curtailment of its expanse would not be out of line -- but the competitors have to GET to that ability, and they cannot rest once they get there. And, they should get there as above-board as possible -- to set examples. Not saying Linux is an angel, and definitely not saying Mac is, either.

But, as for Google, to echo a comment above, "Why reduce Google Search to shit just because Bing is", might be appropos. OTOH, I avoid using Bing, not because it is or is not "shit", but because I'm hanging on to resentment of how I perceive ms destroying companies that mattered to me, or complicating things that needn't be.

And, for those who do not read (or read my posts), I DO have my severe, vitriolic gripes against Google -- namely, the vile, steadfast refusal to help users to "vault"/"lock down" and isolate from all these data slurping apps our contact, notes, photos, and anything else, including file paths those vile, hostile, intrusive, nosy 3rd-party apps go after with no right, permission, invitation, or app-related reason to do so.

In the name of Transparency, Inclusion, that bit of negatvity on my part is recounted. For those who might want to know, or see some "balance"....

Boffins build electronic tongue that can distinguish between BEERS

Re: Not Japan? Well, at that point...

Once it tastes and speaks, it's just a waggin' away from being an AI Cunning Linguist...

(Cue the recollections of Data on the Bridge chiming in with his attempt at humor:

"There ONCE was a woman from VEnus, whose forehead was shaped like a..."

"DATA!" Picard interjects. "Another time, perhaps...")

Not Japan?

When I read the headline, I was laughing, expecting it to be hailing from Japan. After all, didn't Japanese recently create a mouth/wagging tongue that could articulate when it speaks words?

They and the Spanish team should hook up. Could produce an interesting product. Especially if it helps those with tongue cancer or surgical procedures that removed parts of the mouth and tongue.

But, how long before it can discriminate between:

-- chocolates

-- saliva

-- cow's milk vs almond milk

-- growth-hormone products vs non-ghp's

-- quality of perspiration

-- formondon cheese/feet cheese

-- phosgene vs other refrigerants

And other things? And, get it down to the household level? That'd be some kewl distribution of tech.

Amazon reports rare profit and is punished by Wall Street

Hahahaha, a "wide margin" between $25.59 and $26.06, hahahaha...

Facebook unwraps Paper, a content-hoover application

Great...

More CPU-intensive distraction from subversive/invasive slurping from our devices by any app able to get under the "radar"...

Japanese quantum boffins 'may have the key to TELEPORTATION'

Re: Squeezed Vacuum U.....

By sucking the photons out of it?

Now, if only this tech could replace the "vacuum cleaner", the washing machine, and skin cleaners...

Just don't install the carpet cleaner strength/debugging unit with the teleportonic shower replacement. You might REALLY be "washed up" beyond recovery....