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Atari Online News, Etc. Volume 15 Issue 27
Volume 15, Issue 27 Atari Online News, Etc. July 12, 2013
Published and Copyright (c) 1999 - 2013
All Rights Reserved
Atari Online News, Etc.
A-ONE Online Magazine
Dana P. Jacobson, Publisher/Managing Editor
Joseph Mirando, Managing Editor
Rob Mahlert, Associate Editor
Atari Online News, Etc. Staff
Dana P. Jacobson -- Editor
Joe Mirando -- "People Are Talking"
Michael Burkley -- "Unabashed Atariophile"
Albert Dayes -- "CC: Classic Chips"
Rob Mahlert -- Web site
Thomas J. Andrews -- "Keeper of the Flame"
With Contributions by:
Fred Horvat
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=~=~=~=
A-ONE #1527 07/12/13
~ Taunting Tweeter Nabbed ~ People Are Talking! ~ Russian Tweet, Panic!
~ Hiring Cybermercenaries ~ UK Man Jailed on Threat! ~ Amazon Tax Criticism!
~ DefCon: Gov't Stay Away ~ New Consoles: Downgrade? ~ Social Media Vacation!
~ Xbox One Pre-orders Out ~ Apple 1 Sells at Auction ~ "Sharknado" Tweets!
-* Cybersecurity Bill Drafted! *-
-* Microsogr Wants To Disclose FISA Data *-
-* NATO Cyber Defense Fights Tide of Hacking! *-
=~=~=~=
->From the Editor's Keyboard "Saying it like it is!"
""""""""""""""""""""""""""
We're definitely entrenced in typical New England summer weather lately.
If we're not getting hit with pop-up thunderstorms, we're being beaten
down with heat waves and melting humidity! And, they're predicting
another 5-day heat wave all next week! The air-conditioning is getting
quite a workout!
So, while we sit back and melt or get soaked in rain, I hope you're all
staying cool and enjoying another issue!
Until next time...
=~=~=~=
->In This Week's Gaming Section - Xbox One, PS 4: Downgrades?
""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" Xbox One Pre-orders Sold Out!
Ryan Davis Dies!
And much more!
=~=~=~=
->A-ONE's Game Console Industry News - The Latest Gaming News!
""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
Are The Next-gen Xbox One and PlayStation 4 Downgrades?
Millions upon millions of gamers around the world are crawling out of
their skin waiting for Microsoft and Sonys next-generation video game
consoles to launch, but according to some plugged-in tech industry
executives, the Xbox One and PlayStation 4 are actually a downgrade.
Forbes recently spoke with executives from fabless chip makers AMD and
Nvidia about the upcoming consoles set to launch ahead of the holidays
this year, and both companies seem to share a common position: The Xbox
One and PlayStation 4 are great machines, but theyre nothing compared to
PC gaming.
AMD is responsible for the custom Jaguar chipsets that will power both the
Xbox One and the PlayStation 4, and the company makes the Wii Us graphics
processor as well. AMDs deal with Microsoft alone is worth more than $3
billion, but that didnt stop an AMD representative from pointing out how
much better PCs are for gaming, however.
A lot more people have been taking a look at the PC and saying Oh wait,
I can get better graphics over here. Oh wait, my experience over here can
be different like with AMDs [multi-monitor technology] Eyefinity, an
unnamed AMD spokesperson told Forbes. Gaming with a mouse and a keyboard
is very different from gaming with a control on a sofa.
The spokesperson also noted that high-end PC rigs dont just offer better
gaming experiences than consoles, they also can do everything a computer
can do, thus making them far more versatile than video game consoles.
And then theres Clay Causin, a senior software engineer at NVIDIA, who
was even more candid. Personal opinion: Consoles, they have a place. If
you need something basic, you dont care how your game looks, alright, I
guess it works for you. PC gaming is
bigger and better. Consoles are a
downgrade, Causin said.
Microsofts Xbox One and Sonys PlayStation 4 are each currently available
for preorder and they will launch later this year ahead of the holidays.
Xbox One Pre-Orders Sold Out at Best Buy
Best Buy has exhausted its stock of Xbox One pre-orders and is no longer
accepting online purchases. Best Buys product page for Xbox One notes
that the console is Sold Out Online and currently does not allow
customers to complete a purchase for the system.
For now, Xbox One is still available for pre-order on Amazon as well as
Wal-Mart, Target and GameStop.
This follows news yesterday that GameStop sold out of PlayStation 4
pre-orders, though other retailers (including Best Buy) are currently
still allowing PS4 orders to be placed. Weve reached out to Microsoft and
Best Buy to find out if stock will be replenished and will update this
story with any comment we receive.
China Likely to Unban Foreign Consoles
China is considering overturning a 13-year ban on the sale of games
consoles, as long as one key condition is met.
The South China Morning Post (via Spong) reports that the country may
lift the ban, but only if foreign companies like Sony, Nintendo and
Microsoft manufacture their products in Shanghai's new free trade zone.
The move is apparently being considered as part of a plan to open up the
Chinese economy and widen the use of its currency. Government documents
explain that if foreign companies register in the new zone, they will be
able to sell their products once approval has been received from
"culture-related authorities".
They still need approval from the culture ministry and other relevant
government bodies for their products.
An unnamed source told SCMP, "They still need approval from the culture
ministry and other relevant government bodies for their products, which I
think is reasonable, because the government wants to make sure the
content of your games is not too violent or politically sensitive for
young people."
The ban initially came into effect in June 2000 after seven ministries,
led by China's Ministry of Culture, opted to ban the production and sale
of games consoles in China after concerns were raised about unhealthy and
violent content in games, and what effect it may have on the country's
youth. All that was allowed was the import of components to be assembled
in China, before being exported again.
If it comes to pass, it'd be absolutely huge news for Sony, Microsoft and
Nintendo and would open up a new market of hundreds of millions to them,
with a new generation of consoles on the horizon. China stands to benefit
too, with the "Made in China" caveat providing an opportunity for a
manufacturing boom.
Nothing's been confirmed as yet, so there's always a chance it may not
come to pass.
Violent Video Games Dont Make Us Less Caring
Do violent video games make people more callous and less likely to help
others? The latest study suggests not but it likely wont be the last
word.
The blood, gore and antisocial behavior seen in games like Grand Theft
Auto understandably make parents nervous. And when faced with horrors
like the massacre of elementary school children in Newtown, Connecticut
or the Batman shootings in Aurora, Colorado, it can be hard not to
consider a possible connection between kids spending 18 hour days
shooting down victim after victim onscreen and real life violence.
But the research investigating the role that virtual violence has on
actual behavior hasnt been so helpful, and with the data so difficult to
interpret, expert opinion is also highly polarized. Game advocates note
that as gaming has increased, violent crime rates in the U.S. have
dropped. One 2011 study that tracked retail game sales and reported crime
even found that an 1% increase in sales of violent games was linked with
a .03% drop in violent crime.
Dozens of other studies, however, have shown more aggression and less
caring behavior following game play. Brad Bushman, professor of
communication and psychology at Ohio State who led a 2010 review of the
research involving nearly 70,000 participants said, I think the field is
not really divided. It is like global warming. 95% of scientists believe
[videogames can cause violence and reduce empathy], and a vocal minority
do not.
Bushman was not associated with the new study, published in PLOS One,
which failed to replicate prior research showing that violent games
decrease peoples willingness to help others, while games that involve
kindness increase that tendency. This research lends support to the
idea that public concern over violent video games might be mismatched,
says lead author Morgan Tear, a PhD student at the University of
Queensland in Australia.
Tears team asked a group of 64 college students to play one of four
different video games for 20 minutes; two of the games, Grand Theft Auto
and Call of Duty: Black Ops, were violent and two, World of Zoo and
Portal 2, were not. After playing, participants filled out questionnaires
about their experience with the game, but what the scientists really
wanted to know was whether the games influenced the participants
tendency to help others. It turned out that they did not. When the
researchers pretended to spill their pens in their rush to leave the room,
both groups of gamers were equally likely to help them pick up their pens.
This suggests that the effect of violent video games on behavior might be
small and that public concern ought to be minimal, says Tear. So which
factors hold more sway? Not surprisingly, things such as whether someone
is a friend, a stranger or potential academic advisor is likely to play a
bigger role in whether you go out of your way to help than the nature of
a game you might have just played. Not taking such contextual factors into
account could produce misleading results in investigating the influence of
violence in video games. In the study, if the researcher dropped the pens
at a point in the experiment when the participants thought the scientist
might return, 75% helped him pick up but if they thought the study was
over and they would never see him again, just 31% gave aid.
The biggest effect was more related to when the pen drop occurred than
what games were played, says Dr. Richard Hall, professor of psychiatry at
the University of Central Florida College of Medicine, who was not
connected with the research, What that suggests is that in the
environment in which these studies are done, there are multiple factors
[at play] and little things such as whether the examiner was smiling or
not could have a dramatic impact on what is reported.
Because its impossible to minimize such factors entirely in a study
setting, it may be too challenging to answer the question of whether
violent video games can result in more aggressive behavior or a reduced
ability to empathize with others. I think we really dont know enough,
says Hall, What I worry about is that this topic has become very
political.
And that means that the research may also fall victim to some polarizing,
non-scientific influences. The literature is so contested because some
of the prominent researchers vehemently disagree with each other, says
Tear, At the far end are those who contend that the effect of violent
video games on society is profound and damaging, while at the other are
those who maintain any effects are benign. As better data and better
designed experiments are published, I think the picture will become
clearer.
A lot of the problem with the data is that people get results and then
overstate them or misapply them, Hall says, For example, I dont think
theres anyone out there who would disagree that too much videogame
playing is bad for an individual. The risks, however, lie in the
specifics. What were trying to do with these studies is apply them to
the whole population and that may not be a good way to look at it. A lot
of people ask: are video games good or bad? As a clinician, the question
I ask is, It is good or bad for this child?
If a teen plays excessively but is active in extracurricular pursuits,
socializes with friends, earns good grades and behaves reasonably at
home, theres little cause for concern, for example. But if gaming starts
to substitute for friendships and family time, it might not be as healthy,
and parents should look into why the video games are so important for
their child. Research shows that addictive gaming is strongly linked
with some type of distress, whether it originates from family problems,
psychiatric conditions or social issues or, most often, a mixture of all
of the above. And those problems could make some people vulnerable to the
negative effects of the virtual violence in video games.
The real question [is] whether video games have a uniquely negative
effect on those individuals compared to the many other activities and
scenarios that they would routinely encounter in their daily lives, Tear
says. I suspect that video games would be one of many possible things
that could affect those particularly vulnerable people but we would need
good evidence to conclude that video games are any more harmful than
other activities, such as playing basketball or chess.
Video Game Personality Ryan Davis Dead at 34
Video game journalist and podcaster Ryan Davis, known for his devout fan
following in the tight-knit community, died last week at the age of 34,
Giant Bomb, the news gaming site he cofounded, said on Monday.
Davis had a visible online presence in the video game community through
the popular podcast "the Giant Bombcast" he hosted every week to discuss
industry news and review games.
A former editor at the video game news site GameSpot, Davis co-founded
Giant Bomb in 2008. Three years later, Time magazine named it one of the
top 50 websites of the year, describing it as a sort of Wikipedia for
gaming news, reviews and commentary - "a mashup of a traditional game-info
destination."
The cause of Davis' death, which occurred less than a week after his
wedding, was not given by Giant Bomb.
"In the face of this awfulness, many of us will at least always remember
him as we last saw him: outrageously, uproariously happy, looking forward
to his next adventure with the biggest grin his face could hold," Matthew
Rorie, product manager at Giant Bomb, said in a message posted on the
site.
Minutes after the post was published on Monday, video game industry
analysts, game enthusiasts, journalists and games publishers like Ubisoft
and Amazon Video Games took to Twitter to express their sense of loss.
"A sad day in the industry, RIP Ryan Davis," was posted on the official
twitter feed of Amazon Video Games.
"Every time I saw Ryan Davis, I left smiling," tweeted Wedbush Securities
analyst Michael Pachter.
=~=~=~=
A-ONE's Headline News
The Latest in Computer Technology News
Compiled by: Dana P. Jacobson
NATO Cyber Defense Center Fights Tide of Hacking Attempts
Crouched behind banks of computer screens flashing data, NATO analysts try
to stay ahead of millions of suspected attempts to hack the Western
alliance's computer networks, as cyber defense moves to the center of NATO
operations.
NATO's cyber defense nerve center, operating from the alliance's
operational headquarters at Mons in southern Belgium, monitors potential
attacks on NATO computer systems installed at 55 locations around the
world.
"Our intrusion detection systems handle something like 147 million
suspicious events every day," director Ian West told reporters during a
visit to NATO's computer incident response capability technical center on
Wednesday.
Attacks on NATO's systems range from hacking, attempts to implant
malicious software and so-called denial of service attacks where a
computer is bombarded with so much data that it collapses.
NATO analysts dealt with around 2,500 confirmed serious attacks on its
computers last year, West said.
In an era where weapon systems and military operations increasingly
depend on computers, there is a risk that hacking attacks could have
fatal consequences for the alliance.
"The worst case scenario of a cyber attack for us could be loss of life
... If intelligence doesn't get through about an ambush, if notification
doesn't get through about a security situation, then our troops' lives
are at risk," West said.
Some attacks against NATO's computer networks have been successful, he
said, although he declined to say whether hackers had succeeded in
stealing confidential data.
The threats come from hacking activists, criminals and "hostile nation
states", although West declined to say which countries are suspected.
In May, the Pentagon said China was using espionage to acquire technology
to fuel its military modernization, for the first time accusing the
Chinese of trying to break into U.S. defense computer networks. Beijing
denied the allegation.
China hit back after fugitive spy agency contractor Edward Snowden leaked
details of U.S. cyber spying, accusing Washington of hypocrisy.
Analysts among the cyber defense centre's 130-strong staff from 15
nations say the attacks on NATO defense systems are growing in number and
sophistication.
"The majority of the attacks are conducted by 'spear phishing' emails,"
said Andrzej Dereszowski, a Polish engineer at the center, referring to
attempts by hackers to get hold of passwords or other confidential
information by posing as a legitimate organization.
"They try to entice the user to follow the links (in emails) by pretending
to be from a legitimate source or even using another compromised
organization to actually send emails from a real person from that
organization," he said.
In the case of a serious hacking attempt, the centre's analysts will
analyze malicious code used and try to find who is behind the attempt,
West said.
If it needs help from police, NATO may tip off the country concerned, but
it will not go after the hacker itself, he says. NATO's remit in the
cyber area is purely defensive, not offensive.
NATO was alerted to the threat of cyber attacks in 2007, when Estonia's
Internet network was paralyzed by an electronic attack that Estonia blamed
on Russia.
Since then, NATO has given a much higher priority to cyber defense. NATO
ministers agreed at a Brussels meeting last month to strengthen the
organization's cyber defenses.
The alliance is beefing up the capabilities of the Mons cyber defense
center, including creating rapid reaction teams to help protect NATO's
own computer systems and an around-the-clock response to incidents.
Commerce Committee Drafts First U.S. Senate Cybersecurity Bill
The U.S. Senate Commerce Committee is circulating a bill that marks the
upper chamber's first stab at cybersecurity legislation and seeks to
formalize part of an executive order that sets up voluntary standards for
critical industries.
The staffs of Senator John Rockefeller, the West Virginia Democrat who
chairs the committee, and his Republican counterpart Senator John Thune
of South Dakota late on Wednesday released what is expected to be the
first of several Senate bills aimed at improving U.S. defenses against
cyber attacks, a committee source said.
Rockefeller expects the committee to debate the bill by the end of July,
the source said. It will be part of a lengthy, complex process of
reconciling interests in Congress, the private sector and the government
as the country faces a growing threat of hacking attacks and cyber
espionage.
The new bill follows the path laid out by President Barack Obama's
executive order in February. That order directed the National Institute
of Standards and Technology, a non-regulatory agency within the Commerce
Department, to develop the framework for collaboration between the
government and the private sector over improving cyber protections.
The Senate's new bill would formally add cybersecurity to NIST's
statutory authority to ensure it continues to work with the industry on
voluntary standards and best practices after Obama's order expires. The
draft also seeks to better educate Americans in cybersecurity, improve
research in the field and start a public awareness campaign.
The House of Representatives in April for the second time passed a bill
designed to help companies and the government share information on cyber
threats. It did not address industry standards and the Obama
administration has threatened to veto it over privacy concerns.
Senator Dianne Feinstein, California Democrat and Intelligence Committee
chairman, is working on information-sharing legislation in the Senate.
The House's previous cybersecurity legislation stalled in the Senate last
year.
Microsoft Wants to Disclose FISA Data, Too
Following Google's lead, Microsoft asks the court if it can come clean on
FISA requests for user data.
In the wake of the PRISM scandal, Microsoft is taking a page from Google's
playbook and requesting permission from the U.S. government to release
more details about government requests for customer data under the Foreign
Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA).
On June 14, John Frank, vice president and Deputy General Counsel for
Microsoft, announced that during the last half of 2012, it had received
"6,000 and 7,000 criminal and national security warrants, subpoenas and
orders" from law enforcement agencies requesting information on up to
32,000 accounts. Apart from those hazy numbers, the company was forbidden
to reveal much more.
"We are permitted to publish data on national security orders received
(including, if any, FISA Orders and FISA Directives), but only if
aggregated with law enforcement requests from all other U.S. local, state
and federal law enforcement agencies; only for the six-month period of
July 1, 2012 thru December 31, 2012; only if the totals are presented in
bands of 1,000; and all Microsoft consumer services had to be reported
together," informed Frank in a Microsoft on the Issues blog post.
Now the software behemoth is seeking to provide a little more specificity
in a motion filed on June 19 with the U.S. Foreign Intelligence
Surveillance Court. "To promote additional transparency concerning the
Government's lawful access to Microsoft's customer data, Microsoft seeks
to report aggregate information about FISA orders and FAA [FISA
Amendments Act] directives separately from all other local, state, and
federal law enforcement demands," said the company in its filing.
The company also said that it had been denied permission by the FBI and
U.S. Department of Justice to disclose aggregate figures on FISA and FAA
orders and the total number of accounts affected. And like Google,
Microsoft argued that it has a First Amendment right to provide that
information.
Microsoft maintains that "there is no statutory basis under FISA or the
FAA for precluding Microsoft from disclosing the Aggregate Data. Further,
to the extent FISA or the FAA could be construed to bar such disclosure,
such a construction would constitute a content-based restriction on
speech that fails to satisfy strict scrutiny, in violation of the First
Amendment."
Microsoft, along with other tech giants including Google, Facebook and
Apple, has been on the defensive since details of the NSA's PRISM
surveillance program first emerged. Among the claims that have made the
rounds in the pressdenied by both the U.S. government and major Web
services providersis that intelligence agencies have direct and
unrestricted access to servers that store private customer data.
The government's reluctance to allow these companies to paint a more
accurate picture of FISA data requests casts a shadow that makes it tough
defend against such accusations, argues Google.
"Assertions in the press that our compliance with these requests gives the
U.S. government unfettered access to our users' data are simply untrue.
However, government nondisclosure obligations regarding the number of FISA
national security requests that Google receives, as well as the number of
accounts covered by those requests, fuel that speculation," said Google
Chief Legal Officer David Drummond in an Official Google Blog post dated
June 11.
Hackers Convention Ask Government To Stay Away Over Snowden
The annual Def Con hacking convention has asked the U.S. federal government
to stay away this year for the first time in its 21-year history, saying
Edward Snowden's revelations have made some in the community uncomfortable
about its presence.
"It would be best for everyone involved if the Feds call a 'time-out' and
not attend Def Con this year," conference founder Jeff Moss said in an
announcement posted Wednesday night on the convention's website.
An irreverent crowd of more than 15,000 hackers, researchers, corporate
security experts, privacy advocates, artists and others are expected to
attend the Las Vegas convention, which begins on August 2.
Moss, who is an advisor on cyber security to the Department of Homeland
Security, told Reuters it was "a tough call," but he believed the Def Con
community needs time to make sense of recent revelations about U.S.
surveillance programs.
"The community is digesting things that the Feds have had a decade to
understand and come to terms with," said Moss, who is known as The Dark
Tangent in hacking circles. "A little bit of time and distance can be a
healthy thing, especially when emotions are running high."
He said the move was designed to defuse tension.
"We are not going on a witch hunt or checking IDs and kicking people out,"
he said.
The conference has attracted officials from agencies, including the
Central Intelligence Agency, National Security Agency, Federal Bureau of
Investigations, Secret Service and all branches of the military.
Last year, four-star General Keith Alexander, head of the NSA, was a
keynote speaker at the event, which is the world's largest annual hacking
conference.
The audience was respectful, gave modest applause and also asked about
secret government snooping. Alexander adamantly denied the NSA has
dossiers on millions of Americans, as some former employees had suggested
before the Snowden case.
"The people who would say we are doing that should know better," Alexander
said. "That is absolute nonsense."
Alexander is scheduled to speak in Las Vegas on July 31 at Black Hat, a
smaller, two-day hacking conference that Moss also founded, but sold
almost eight years ago. It costs about $2,000 to attend Black Hat, which
attracts a more corporate crowd than the $180 Def Con.
Black Hat General Manager Trey Ford said that the NSA has confirmed that
Alexander will speak at his conference, which is owned by UBM Plc, a
global media company. Security will be heightened and Alexander will take
questions from the audience, Ford said.
An NSA spokeswoman confirmed Alexander would attend, but did not elaborate
or comment on Def Con's request that the Federal government not attend.
The government had previously always been welcome at Def Con, where hard
core hackers have held tongue-in-cheek "spot the Fed" contests to identify
government officials who often stick out in the colorful crowd.
Moss says he invited them the first year because he believed they would
come anyway. They politely declined, then showed up incognito, he said.
They have attended every year since and Moss said he has developed many
friends among them.
"We created an environment where the Feds felt they could come and it
wasn't hostile," Moss said in an interview a year ago. "We could ask them
questions and they wanted to ask the hackers about new techniques."
Some federal officials have even worked among the motley crew of Def Con
volunteers who run the conference and walk around wearing T-Shirts that
identify them as "goons."
It has also become a fertile venue for recruiting. The U.S. military,
intelligence agencies and law enforcement typically compete with
corporations to find new talent at Def Con.
The Department of Homeland Security and FBI declined comment. Pentagon
officials could not be reached
UK Man Jailed Over U.S. School Threat on Facebook
A British man was sentenced Tuesday to more than two years in jail for
threatening to kill 200 people in a Facebook posting that caused
thousands of Tennessee children to stay home from school.
Reece Elliott from South Shields in northeast England pleaded guilty in
April to making malicious comments.
The online posting threatening gun violence was made anonymously in
February on a memorial page set up for a Tennessee student who had died.
Judge James Goss sentenced 24-year-old Elliott to two years and four
months in prison, telling him the "grossly offensive" comments were driven
by "no more than self-indulgent nastiness."
Elliott, who wept upon sentencing, had written of killing his father first
then "going in fast."
"I'm gonna kill hopefully at least 200 before I kill myself," he posted
on the memorial page. "So you want to tell the deputy, I'm on my way."
The threat led to 2,900 children missing class in Warren County amid
heightened tensions following the school shooting in Newtown, Connecticut,
which killed 26 people.
Defense lawyer John Wilkinson told the judge at Newcastle Crown Court that
Elliott could not explain his behavior, which the defendant called
"idiotic, childish and pathetic."
Detectives said they were about to arrest Elliott before he turned himself
in at a police station.
Mysterious Russian Tweet Creates Snowden-to-Venezula Panic
A member of the Russia Duma tweeted out what appeared to be a big scoop
about fugitive leaker Edward Snowden, and set off a flurry of news alerts
that turned out to be naught. The tweet came from Aleksey Pushkov, a
member of the Russian Duma and chairman of its Committee on Foreign
Affairs (who is also considered a pro-Kremlin insider.) He "announced"
that Snowden had accepted an offer from asylum from Venezuelan President
Nicolas Maduro, potentially launching a new round of international
incidents in this long-running saga.
"Predictably, Snowden has agreed to Maduros offer of political
asylum. Apparently, this option appeared most reliable to Snowden"
Shortly, thereafter, Pushkov deleted that tweet, leaving the whole
internet in an anxious limbo, waiting for an explanation. Finally, he
responded with this clarification.
"Info that #Snowden accepted Maduro's asylum offer came from
"Vesti-24" newscast. Address your questions to them."
In other words, this Kremlin insider was just repeating something he saw
on the news. Perhaps we could forgive him, since Pushkov is also a TV
host himself, but it sounds like he maybe didn't even do that part right.
So we're right back where we started, only with the likes of the
Associated Press to AFP carefully walking back their hastily assembled
stories. None of which addresses wether Snowden can actually "accept"
something that he had to beg for in the first place. (It's not like he
has a ton of option to pick from at the moment.) And even if he does take
up Maduro on his offer, he's still stuck in Moscow's airport with no
obvious way to leave the country or get to the other side of the world
without getting caught. His last flight to Cuba had a dozen international
reporters on board and he didn't even get on it.
So even the Russian MP had the scoop (which he didn't) it wouldn't have
really changed anything, other than putting everyone on high alert for
the Great Escape we've been waiting for, for weeks, and could still come
at any moment. Everyone back to your stations.
UK Spies: Nations Are Hiring Cybermercenaries
A British intelligence report said Wednesday that other nations are
hiring hackers to launch attacks against their enemies, a trend it
described as particularly worrying.
The warning over cybermercenaries came in an annual report published by
Britain's Intelligence and Security Committee, a watchdog body of senior
lawmakers that oversees Britain's spy agencies.
Citing testimony from British eavesdropping agency GCHQ, the report
described the mercenaries as "skilled cyber professionals undertaking
attacks on diverse targets such as financial institutions and energy
companies.
"These groups pose a threat in their own right, but it is the combination
of their capability and the objectives of their state backers which makes
them of particular concern," it said.
The lawmakers didn't name any specific countries or say how widespread the
practice was. The report didn't go into much further detail, but there's
long been concern over the proliferation of private companies that profit
from developing and distributing offensive software.
The report quoted GCHQ as saying that the electronic threat facing Britain
is "at its highest level ever and is expected to rise further still" a
warning that tracks with longstanding trends relating to the growth of
cybercrime and increasing official interest in online espionage. As with
past reports, lawmakers singled out Russia and China as two countries
alleged to have carried out attacks over the Internet.
The report also covered issues surrounding the proliferation of weapons of
mass destruction, counterintelligence, and terrorism. It touched on the
threat of Islamic radicalism out of Syria, where it said a significant
number of British citizens had flocked in order to fight a holy war. It
quoted Britain's security services as saying that "individual jihadists in
Syria currently represent the most worrying emerging terrorist threat to
the UK and the West" and said that there was a risk that the country's
stockpile of chemical weapons could fall into the hands of extremists.
Not covered in the partially-redacted report were allegations published by
the Guardian newspaper that GCHQ and its U.S. counterpart, the National
Security Agency, were engaged in a global surveillance campaign aimed at
securing access to as much of the world's communications as technically
possible. Some of the revelations raised fears that Britain was swapping
data with the United States on its own citizens to get around
restrictions on domestic espionage.
A statement accompanying the report said lawmakers were investigating and
would publish their findings on the program "as soon and as fully as we
are able."
A spokesman for the committee said lawmakers were not immediately
available for additional comment.
Amazon Criticized Over Low German Tax Bill
Amazon.com Inc's main German unit paid income tax of just 3 million euros
in 2012 after the group channeled sales to German clients of $8.7 billion
via Luxembourg units, prompting one lawmaker to call for an investigation
of the company.
Accounts for Amazon.de GmbH filed with Germany's companies register show
that the company reported profit of just 10 million euros for 2012, which
was taxed at the headline German rate of 30 percent.
Germany is Amazon's largest non-U.S. market and represents a third of its
overseas sales, but the vast bulk of that German cash ends up ultimately
in Luxembourg-registered Amazon Europe Holding Technologies, which
reported profits of 118 million euros but, as a tax-exempt partnership,
paid no income tax.
Amazon declined requests to comment but has previously said it follows
the tax rules in all the countries where it operates.
All companies seek to reduce their tax bills and have a duty to steward
their assets effectively, tax lawyers say.
"Managers have a fiduciary duty to get the best return for their
shareholders, and tax is a part of that," said Laurence Field, tax partner
at Crowe Clark Whitehill LLP.
Even so, the lengths to which some go to avoid tax has put the issue at
the top of the political agenda in the past year.
Citizens bearing the brunt of the financial crisis through high
unemployment, falling real wages and government spending cuts have been
angered at revelations that some companies have created elaborate networks
of subsidiaries whose chief purpose is to siphon profits out of countries
where their economic activity occurs and into tax havens where they have
little or no physical presence.
At a meeting of the G20 group of leading economies in November last year
German finance minister Wolfgang Schaeuble teamed up with his British
counterpart, George Osborne, to push for changes in international rules
that allow companies to shift profits.
Amazon is not alone in facing criticism for its tax arrangements. Others
including web search leader Google and iPhone maker Apple have come under
fire for similar methods to move profits to jurisdictions where they will
pay less tax. Both say they follow tax rules wherever they operate.
Sven Giegold, member of the European Parliament with Germany's Green
Party, said the low profits declared and taxes paid by Amazon in Germany
showed the need for a tougher approach on the part of the German
authorities.
"I am outraged," he said. "We have to use much stronger means to ensure
the profit cannot be moved out of the country," he added.
Giegold said he planned to write to Schaeuble to ask him to investigate
the matter to see if any rules had been broken.
"It's not enough to make a speech at the G20 and then be inactive on
extreme cases (of avoidance)," he said.
Amazon minimizes its tax bills across Europe by having customers transact
with a Luxembourg company Amazon EU SARL when they click the purchase
button on European websites.
French, German and other European units are designated as providers of
non-business-critical services to Amazon EU SARL.
This means that Amazon.de GmbH does not receive revenue from sales to
users of the Amazon.de website but instead receives enough money from
Amazon EU SARL to cover its costs and generate a small profit.
Amazon says it operates a single European business with all strategic
functions conducted from its Luxembourg headquarters. This employs around
300 people, while the units in its main European markets employ tens of
thousands.
A Reuters examination of job advertisements and employee profiles on
website LinkedIn earlier this year showed staff in the UK, German and
French units managed all aspects of the supply chain from identifying new
products to sell, negotiating with suppliers, deciding pricing policies
and website design.
While Amazon EU SARL receives all the cash from European sales - 12
billion euros in 2012 - it made a profit of under 30 million and paid tax
of just 8 million euros.
This is because it pays large sums to its parent, Amazon Europe Holding
Technologies, to use Amazon group technology, company filings and evidence
presented in the U.S. tax court shows.
The difference between what Amazon Europe Holding Technologies charges for
these rights and the amount it pays to the U.S. affiliates that develop
the technology is significant and has allowed the tax-exempt partnership
to build up a cash pile of $2 billion over the past decade.
Amazon has also been criticized in other countries for its low tax bills.
Authorities: Fugitive Caught After Taunting Tweet
"Catch me if you can."
San Diego County District Attorney Bonnie Dumanis said Wanda Podgurski
sent that taunting tweet after skipping trial in January while facing
charges of insurance of fraud.
But then authorities did catch her.
Podgurski, 60, was captured on the Fourth of July in Rosarito Beach,
Mexico, a popular retirement spot for American expatriates only 15 miles
south of San Diego. She pleaded not guilty Monday to failure to appear
while free on bail.
Podgurski was sentenced in absentia last month to more than 20 years in
prison and ordered to pay more than $1 million in fines and restitution.
Three weeks after her initial tweet on June 5, Podgurski's feed read,
"'Help find me before I con anyone else." Two other posts were links to
stories about her vanishing act.
Podgurski's Twitter profile reads, "On the run possibly in Iran."
Her account follows 32 people and agencies, many of them FBI branches and
other law enforcement authorities. Dumanis' office said the district
attorney was the only one Podgurski followed while on the run.
The district attorney's office declined to say how authorities tracked
down Podgurski, saying only that information from the Twitter account was
turned over to its Computer and Technology Crime High-Tech Response Team,
known by the acronym Catch.
Podgurski's attorney, Philip Kent Cohen, declined to comment.
The district attorney's office said Podgurski received $664,555 in
disability payments when she was charged. While earning $44,000 a year as
a clerk for Amtrak, she allegedly held six insurance policies with premiums
that topped $60,000.
She made claims with all six insurance companies after reporting that she
fell at her home in August 2006, prosecutors said. Private investigators
working for the insurers reported seeing her walk stairs without
assistance and drive to the store.
First Apple Computer Sells at Auction
An original Apple computer from 1976 has sold at auction for nearly
$388,000.
Known as the Apple 1, it was one of the first Apple computers ever built.
It sold Monday for $387,750 at a Christie's online-only auction. Bolaffi,
an Italian collections company, says in a statement that it bought the
computer. The seller was a retired school psychologist from Sacramento,
Calif.
Vintage Apple products have become a hot item since Steve Jobs' death in
October 2011. Jobs joined forces with Steve Wozniak to build computer
prototypes in a California garage, and Wozniak built the Apple 1.
Another Apple 1 was sold in May for a record $671,400 by a German auction
house. It broke a record of $640,000 set in November.
Why Americans Need Social Media 'Vacation'
Internet users are suffering from social media overload from sites like
Facebook and Twitter. Now, the majority of online users are looking for a
social media vacation, new research shows.
A study by the online organization hub MyLife.com reveals that online
users are becoming overwhelmed by the increasing number of social networks
and email accounts they manage, and more than 50 percent of the online
users surveyed have either taken or have considered taking a "vacation"
from social networking in the past year.
Irrelevant updates and a lack of time are the top reasons for wanting a
break from Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest or any other social network.
Overall, more than 40 percent of adult Internet users manage multiple
social networking profiles, and more than half belong to more social
networks or visit their networks more frequently than they did two years
ago. Additionally, the average adult manages 3.1 email addresses, up from
2.6 a year ago. In total, 35 percent of those surveyed spend more than
31 minutes a day visiting social networking sites, and reading and
responding to personal emails.
"It's universally accepted that people are living much of their lives
online," said Jeff Tinsley, CEO of MyLife. "Their Internet identities are
their true identities, and they are spending an increasing amount of time
managing all their connections and communications across multiple
services, leading consumers to feel overwhelmed."
Despite their desire for a break, most social networkers are afraid of what
would happen if they were to step away for a while. Nearly 60 percent of
those surveyed experience anxiety as a result of missing an important event
or status update if they don't monitor their social networks, and more than
half report a fear of missing out.
The study was based on surveys of more than 2,000 adults ages 18 and
older.
Viewers Get in the Swim To Tweet About 'Sharknado'
What happens when a tornado whips up hundreds of sharks and hurls them
at Los Angeles?
Syfy network's "Sharknado" suggests that such a siege can take a big
chomp out of social media.
Aired Thursday night, the disaster thriller was a trending topic on
Twitter as it inspired amazed, often jeering messages to reflect viewer
amusement at the film's jaw-dropping premise.
One tweeter expressed satisfaction that here was a natural disaster that
finally makes Aquaman useful. Another jokingly questioned the film's
scientific authenticity. Another described the sharknado as "an act of
cod."
"Sharknado" was the night's most social program, generating nearly 5,000
tweets per minute at its peak. The network says it scored 387,000 social
media mentions during its premiere.
Syfy says "Sharknado" was seen by nearly 1.37 million viewers.
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