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Atari Online News, Etc. Volume 18 Issue 22
Volume 18, Issue 22 Atari Online News, Etc. June 3, 2016
Published and Copyright (c) 1999 - 2016
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 #1822 06/03/16
~ Pirate Bay Back at .org ~ People Are Talking! ~ Firebee News Update!
~ "Coincidence Detector"! ~ Pi Gets Android Support ~ The New Xbox One(s)!
~ Atari Vault, Update #3! ~ New Facebook Encryption ~ GEM Sokoban Game!
~ Facebook Busts Robber! ~ Users Say No to Edge! ~ PH PDF Maker beta 3!
-* Beware of Fake USB Chargers! *-
-* U.S. Spending Billions on Old Tech! *-
-* Facebook Sued for Illegal Message Scanning *-
=~=~=~=
->From the Editor's Keyboard "Saying it like it is!"
""""""""""""""""""""""""""
It was a nice long holiday weekend even though both my wife and I
worked through a lot of it. And, unfortunately for me, there were
no steaks cooked on the grill. I'll have to make up for that this
weekend, if the weather holds up!
With the "shortened" week, it's been fairly quiet on the news front.
There's plenty to include in this week's issue, but as far as
exciting news to relate - not much. We are starting to see more
of the Donald vs. Hillary barbs start flying, but really nothing
that we all can't anticipate. And Hillary is walking around like
she's got everything wrapped up! Don't count out Bernie Sanders
just yet; he's still full of surprises!
Until next time...
=~=~=~=
FireBee News Update
By Fred Horvat
Not much has been going on with me and the FireBee the past few
weeks. My schedule was full with work and personal obligations.
During this time I did not even turn on the FireBee at all. This
week I took the FireBee out of the basement at the one desk it was
at and brought it upstairs into my office and attached it to an
open port on my USB KVM (Keyboard Mouse Video) Adapter. I have a
4-port adapter that I can connect four computers to and share the
same Monitor, Mouse, and Keyboard with. I tested the FireBee out
and it worked just fine on the KVM. An added bonus of having it
in my office besides the opportunity of using it more is that in
my office I have a larger monitor. In the basement I had the
FireBee attached to a Dell 15 inch LCD monitor with a resolution
of 1024x768. In my Office I have a Dell 20 inch LCD monitor with
a resolution of 1680x1050. So it is a big improvement is in seeing
more on the display while using the FireBee. My goal now that I
have the FireBee in my office and have more of an opportunity to
use it is to install EasyMiNT 1.19 again from scratch and try and
get that working properly and start over again with installing
N.AES 2.0 in place of XaAES. It has been so long since I worked
on either one of the projects that I forgot where I left off.
Then at the end of June or beginning of July I will have my One
Year with my FireBee Report.
Some news on the FireBee from the FireBee Web Site.
Scheduled Delivery Date of the 2nd Series 2016-05-03:
End of last week Medusa Computer Systems got the final delivery
date ultimately confirmed by the assembling company. The FireBee
PCBs of the 2nd series will be supplied to MCS at the 30th of May
2016.
Subsequently the computers will recive a final inspection and
testing in Switzerland and will be mounted into the mini-cases
and in the order of the preorders piecemeal delivered to you. We
will personally come forward to all preordering persons in about
4 to 8 weeks and ask for the final orders (including a CF-Card,
if necessary PSUs, etc.) and will request the payment of the
computers.
As a matter of course FireBees can furthermore be preordered by
you, as we ñ like as at the first series ñ sent far more boards
into production than there got preordered.
Until next time.
Atari Computer and FireBee News
http://firebee.org/fb-bin/news?action=full_news&idnews=326&lng=EN
GEM Sokoban Game
2016-06-01:
A GEM version of the classic puzzle game Sokoban has been released
by Peter Lane.
The screenshot shows the program working under MINT+XaAES on a
Firebee.
Features:
Contains the 50 classic levels from Thinking Rabbit
Additional levels can be loaded from a text file
Unlimited undo
Total moves and pushes per level recorded and saved
Size of display can be adapted
See http://peterlane.info/sokoban.html
- for downloadable files (there is a separate build for the Firebee,
and for the ST / 68000), and
- the source code (this program was written on a Firebee using
AHCC).
http://firebee.org/fb-bin/news?action=full_news&idnews=320&lng=EN
PH PDF Maker beta 3
2016-05-31:
PH PDF Maker is a new application that brings PDF-creation to
your FireBees and Ataris.
You can use it from within you printer drivers and "print" PDFs"
from various user applications. Now the Beta 3 is released. You
can now use the PH PDF Maker on your Firebee as it is compatible
with NVDI (see notes below). New Features in beta 3:
Works with NVDI 3, 4, 5 & SpeedoGDos 5.0c, 5.7.
True Colour 24-bits graphics support for real life colour
reproduction in PDF.
Selectable output resolution up to 300 dots per inch.
Select from 12 standard PDF paper sizes for your PDF output.
Compressed PDF for smaller file size.
Secured PDF support with password encryption and read/open
password.
Protected PDF support by restriction control for copy, printing
and editing.
Features from previous version:
Creates PDF file simply by printing from an application via normal
GDOS printer settings.
Support VDI output function for graphics text, outline text,
circle, polyline, rectangle and coloured filled area (closed poly
line).
Support Generalized Drawing Primitives (GDP) bar, arc, pieslice,
circle and ellipse.
Support text effects such as bold, italic, outline, underline,
rotation, colour, font scaling, superscript and subscript.
Support VDI colour mapping for supported graphics objects, lines,
texts and filled objects.
Support TrueType fonts for nice font face output.
Support Latin accents as defined by standard Atari character set
(i.e. via keyboard).
NVDI 5 will only be able to render out true colour graphics on the
PDF document. Unfortunately, NVDI 5 will only renders a very small
portion of text due to some restriction imposed by NVDI 5. This
phenomena only happens on NVDI 5, so if you get NVDI 3 or 4 working
on the Firebee, you should be able to use the full features of PH
PDF maker beta 3. This limitation does not stop you from making
true colour graphics PDF on your powerful Firebee using either
Papyrus or Atari Works imagecapabilities.
https:///sites.google.com/site/probehouse/download/phsw-Atari-software-downloads?pageReverted=123#TO1-PH-PDF
http://firebee.org/fb-bin/news?action=full_news&idnews=314&lng=EN
Chart Library for C Programmers
2016-05-19:
The author Peter Lane created a simple chart library for C programs.
The library is designed to be included in other programs, simply by
copying two files to your C project: chart.h and chart.c.
Three types of chart are supported:
picture
Above is a screenshot of the Chart example running under MINT+XaAES
on a Firebee.
1. Bar Charts: A set of positive values is converted into a series
of vertical bars. The title, x/y labels, colours and fill patterns
of bars may be altered.
2. Line Charts: A set of lines added to a line chart. The title,
x/y labels, and colour, line style and point style may all be
altered.
3. Pie Charts: A set of positive values is converted into slices
of a pie chart. The title, slice labels, colours and fill patterns
may be altered.
All charts are drawn using standard VDI graphics, and scale
themselves to fit a given drawing area. (As the Firebee does not
support pmarkers, these are custom drawn within the library:
define the symbol PMARKS when compiling to use these.)
The chart library was written in the AHCC compiler. An example
program provided with the library (illustrated in the image) shows
how to use all the charts. Full documentation is in chart.h. An
example of using the library in another project can be found in
the latest BibFind (see http://peterlane.info/bibfind.html ).
More information and links to the files are at: http://peterlane.info/chart.html
=~=~=~=
->In This Week's Gaming Section - Everything We Know About Microsoft's Next Game Console(s)
""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" Atari Vault - Update #3 - Now Available on Steam OS!
=~=~=~=
->A-ONE's Game Console Industry News - The Latest Gaming News!
""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
The New Xbox One: Everything We Know About
Microsoft's Next Game Console(s)
It used to work like this:
1. Buy a game console.
2. Spend the next five, six, seven, eight years enjoying it,
until Microsoft, Sony and Nintendo introduce the next console
generation.
Soon, that concept of a "console generation" may be no more. A
flurry of rumors suggest that both Sony and Microsoft will
introduce new and improved versions of their existing game
consoles as soon as this year, and announce them this very month.
Sony may introduce the so-called "PlayStation Neo" at E3 in Los
Angeles, and as for Microsoft...well, if these rumors are to be
believed, Microsoft may have as many as four different Xbox
devices to offer.
Here's what the rumor mill tells us about each one.
Xbox One Slim
The current Xbox One is huge. It makes the rival PS4 look tiny by
comparison. But imagine if Microsoft shrunk it down to become the
smallest Xbox ever.
According to sources who spoke to Kotaku, Polygon and The Verge,
that's exactly what's happening: the Xbox One Slim (not a real
name) will be 40% smaller than the current model. It will
allegedly be cheaper, too, and yet offer 2TB of storage space -
double the capacity of the highest-end Xbox One available now.
Rumor says it'll come with a slightly redesigned Xbox One gamepad,
and may natively support 4K televisions as well. We don't have any
leaked pictures of the new Xbox yet, but sources believe it's
slated to ship in August.
While it's normal for Microsoft, Sony, and Nintendo to release
slimmer versions of their consoles during their long lifespans,
such as the PS3 Super Slim and Xbox 360 Slim, the next rumor
you're about to read is for something much different.
Xbox One VR
If you wait until late 2017, say some of the same anonymous
sources, there could be a much more powerful Xbox One on tap -
one that supports virtual reality. The Xbox One VR (also not a
real name), codename "Scorpio," is allegedly a beefed-up Xbox One
with a new graphics chip that gives the console four times the
horsepower. That's enough graphical oomph, reportedly, to power
an Oculus Rift VR headset.
Microsoft doesn't have a VR headset of its own, and it denies
interest in making one anytime soon. (The Microsoft HoloLens is
not a VR headset, and is likely years away). So it's initially
surprising to hear that Microsoft might have an Xbox designed to
support virtual reality.
But anonymous sources aren't the only ones who are suggesting
that Microsoft might have suddenly taken an advanced interest in
VR. A game developer at a "well-known European studio" let slip
to Ars Technica that his company was working on an Xbox One VR
title for 2017, and the official E3 exhibitor list now has a
category for Xbox One Virtual Reality developers.
The Oculus Rift VR headset. Every Rift comes with an Xbox One
gamepad.
James Martin/CNET
Besides, Microsoft already had a partnership with Oculus: it
provides Xbox One gamepads for every Oculus Rift sold, and is
developing a VR version of its mega-popular video game Minecraft
for the Oculus platform.
An Xbox One VR sounds like a possible foil for the PlayStation
Neo, assuming it exists. It, too, is allegedly a beefed-up
console with a new graphics chip expressly designed to support
virtual reality - only in Sony's case, it would be powering
Sony's own PlayStation VR headgear.
And according to Polygon's sources, that new VR-capable Xbox
could be even more powerful than the VR-capable new PlayStation.
While leaked documents obtained by our colleagues at Giant Bomb
suggest the PlayStation Neo will boast raw performance of
roughly 4.14 teraflops, Microsoft's "Scorpio" is allegedly
targeting 6 teraflops.
Since today's PlayStation 4 is slightly more powerful than
today's Xbox One, it could mean a role reversal for the two
consoles.
Xbox One Mini and Stick
If you believe the sources of veteran Microsoft reporter Tom
Warren, Microsoft has been working on a pair of Xbox One media
streaming devices for years: one a small set-top box to compete
with the Apple TV, and the other a HDMI stick more like a Google
Chromecast.
And if you believe Brad Sams, another Microsoft reporter who
correctly predicted the Xbox One Elite Controller, Microsoft will
actually announce both those streaming devices at E3 this year
for roughly $150 (approximately £104 or AU$208) and $100
(approximately £69, AU$138) respectively.
The Xbox One Mini (not a real name) is believed to be a tiny
stripped down Xbox that would be able to play lightweight games
and apps, taking advantage of the fact that Microsoft is unifying
its Windows and Xbox app stores to make some Windows programs
available on Xbox and vice versa. Though no rumor has yet
corroborated this, it would presumably ditch the Xbox's optical
drive.
Meanwhile, the Xbox Stick (yet another made-up name) is allegedly
pegged as a way to stream games from an Xbox in one room of your
house to a TV in another room using wireless technology. That
wouldn't be too much of a stretch, given you can already stream
Xbox One games to a Windows 10 PC.
Why four devices? We don't know for sure - but they appear to
revolve around a new Microsoft initiative, codename Project Helix,
to bring the worlds of Windows and Xbox much closer together.
This March, we learned that Microsoft intends to release every
new game it creates for Windows and Xbox simultaneously. One
month later, Microsoft announced that it would fulfill its
long-standing promise to let the Xbox One run Windows apps - not
just games.
Both announcements rely on developers building so-called
"universal" apps set of tools and practices dubbed the "Universal
Windows Architecture" (UWA).
But Microsoft needs new hardware to get developers excited enough
to build those apps in the first place. If Microsoft can tell
developers that their UWA apps will run on a host of new devices
that consumers are likely to have in their homes, including ones
as cheap and portable as HDMI sticks, that could be some serious
incentive to build for Microsoft's platform - where Microsoft
gets a cut of every sale.
If it works, it could be pretty nice for gamers too: In March,
Xbox boss Phil Spencer imagined a future where your game library
would never go out of date. Traditionally, each new generation of
game consoles isn't "backwards-compatible" with games from
previous generations. They typically don't work due to
differences in the architecture of the processors inside.
But if Microsoft can get developers to build universal apps that
work across different types of hardware, console gamers could
enjoy the same benefit as today's PC gamers - whose games just
keep looking better, instead of going obsolete, as they upgrade
to more powerful processors and graphics cards.
Scroll down for a reverse-chronological look at the latest rumors.
May 31, 2016
CNET: Xbox One gets price cut ahead of expected new models
Microsoft cuts the Xbox One's price to $299 through June 13 -
June 13 just so happens to be the day when Microsoft will hold
its E3 press conference.
May 27, 2016
Ars Technica: Developer: We're working on an Xbox One VR game
for 2017
A game developer at a "well-known European studio" tells Ars
Technica that his company is planning a new VR game for 2017
which will allegedly work with the Xbox One - a console which
isn't currently compatible with any VR headsets.
NeoGAF: Official E3 website adds "Xbox One Virtual Reality"
filter, 4+ companies register
NeoGAF forum user 00ich discovers that the Entertainment
Software Association, which sponsors E3, has specifically
created a category for companies building VR software for the
Xbox One.
Gamespot: GameStop expecting new console announcements at E3
Tony Bartel, COO of video game retailer GameStop, corroborates
the rumors by saying he expects new game consoles to be
announced at E3 this year.
May 25, 2016
Kotaku: Sources: Smaller Xbox One coming this year, more powerful
Xbox One in 2017
Sources tell Kotaku that Microsoft will release "at least two"
new Xbox game consoles over the next two years: a cheaper,
smaller version of the current Xbox One with a new 2TB hard
drive this year, to be announced at E3, and a more powerful
Xbox One next year with a faster GPU capable of supporting the
Oculus Rift VR headset.
Polygon: Sources: Xbox One getting huge upgrade in 2017, slim
model later this year
Polygon corroborates the Kotaku report with its own anonymous
sources, and adds that next year's more powerful Xbox One will
be four times as powerful as the current console, with a
performance target of 6 teraflops, and is designed to be
backwards compatible with all current Xbox One software.
According to Polygon sources, the other cheaper, smaller Xbox
One variant will be the smallest Xbox ever made and is scheduled
to ship this August with a redesigned controller.
The Verge: Xbox One slim rumored for E3 and more powerful
console expected in 2017
Sources tell The Verge that the smaller, cheaper Xbox One
mentioned by Kotaku will be 40 percent smaller than the current
Xbox One and likely support 4K video playback.
CNET: Microsoft may launch two TV streaming devices at E3
During a video podcast, tech journalist Brad Sams claims that
Microsoft is "going to be announcing at least two streaming
devices at E3." He describes one of them as a streaming media
stick the size of a Google Chromecast for around $100, and the
other as a $150 to $175 Apple TV competitor which could play
lightweight games.
He also says that Microsoft is experimenting with bringing the
Xbox interface to Windows PCs as a replacement for the old
Windows Media Center, and that Microsoft may be planning another
Xbox for next year with 4K video playback.
The Verge adds that Microsoft has "long been experimenting with
a Chromecast-like device that would allow you to stream Xbox One
games from a main console in a living room to a second TV
elsewhere in a house."
April 27, 2016
Thurrott.com: Microsoft will announce new hardware at E3
Tech journalist Brad Sams cites "sources within the company"
that Microsoft will have a large hardware announcement at E3,
and separately that the Xbox One will ship with a new controller
with a different color than the current black gamepad.
April 19, 2016
The Verge: Is Microsoft about to launch an upgraded Xbox One?
The Verge's Tom Warren reports that Microsoft has been testing
"a variety of prototype Xbox devices" using beefed-up PC
components to make them faster.
April 12, 2016
NeoGAF: New Xbox One wireless chip discovered in FCC filings
In the Federal Communication Commission's public database,
NeoGAF forum member ekim discovers that Microsoft is attempting
to certify new Wi-Fi radio modules, likely for a new revision of
the Xbox One.
March 30, 2016
CNET: The Xbox is finally becoming a Windows PC. Do you care?
Microsoft confirms that it will unify the Windows 10 and Xbox
One app stores, allowing Xbox game consoles to act even more
like Windows computers by running the same applications.
March 4, 2016
Gamespot: Xbox boss clarifies console hardware upgrade comments
Xbox boss Phil Spencer clarifies that future Xbox consoles won't
become upgradable PCs which require a screwdriver to replace
their components. Instead, he meant that it won't necessarily
take the seven to eight years of a typical console cycle before
the Xbox becomes more powerful.
March 1, 2016
Gamespot: Possible Xbox One hardware upgrade in the pipeline,
says Phil Spencer
At a media event attended by CNET, Xbox boss Phil Spencer hints
that Microsoft might not wait for a new generation of game
consoles to introduce new hardware, and that the hardware might
be upgradable.
CNET: Don't hold your breath for an Xbox VR headset
Xbox boss Phil Spencer explains why Microsoft believes it doesn't
need to build a VR headset to go with its Xbox One game console.
CNET: You won't need an Xbox to play Microsoft's next generation
of games
Microsoft developers reveal to CNET that the company's future
in-house games will arrive on Xbox and Windows on the very same
day.
=~=~=~=
->A-ONE Gaming Online - Online Users Growl & Purr!
"""""""""""""""""""
Atari Vault - Update #3 - Now Available on Steam OS!
Dear Fans,
Today, we are proud to announce that Atari Vault is Now
Available on Steam OS! For the first time, players can experience
these renowned games with the benefit of current technology,
including global leaderboards, multiplayer modes, and full
controller support on Steam OS.
With the release of Atari Vault on Linux-based SteamOS, players
who purchased a Steam Machine or run a SteamOS powered machine
can now play the game and relive ñ or experience for the first
time ñ the titles that comprise the foundation of the modern
gaming industry. Additionally, owners of the Windows version of
the game will gain access to the SteamOS version through Steam
for no additional charge via SteamPlay. Featuring games like
Asteroids, Centipede, Missile Command, Tempest, Warlords, and
many more, Atari Vault combines the nostalgia of arcades and the
Atari 2600 with modern gaming capabilities.
Be sure to also take a look at our last update for the game to
see what's been added and improved since launch across all
platforms!
=~=~=~=
A-ONE's Headline News
The Latest in Computer Technology News
Compiled by: Dana P. Jacobson
US Government Is Spending Billions on Old Tech That Barely Works
The US government spent most of its annual IT budget last year on
maintaining systems that, in some cases, are decades-old - largely
because of an "if it ain't broke" mentality.
But the problem is that some of the tech is broken, vulnerable,
and out of date - and it's starting to reach a breaking point.
A report from the Government Accountability Office (GAO) shed
light on how big the problem is. In a report published Wednesday,
the federal government spent $80 billion on IT systems in 2015,
but $61 billion was spent on operations and maintenance. The rest
was on development and enhancement, such as purchasing new systems
or expanding existing ones.
Some of the most important networks and systems today are woefully
outdated.
Here's how bad it is:
A system used by the Justice Dept. to monitor security and custody
levels and inmate population information still uses COBOL, a
programming language that dates back to the post-World War era. A
system that tracks incidents involving hazardous materials used by
the Transport Dept. is more than four decades old. A number of
servers at Homeland Security still run Windows Server 2003, which
hasn't been supported for almost a year, but these servers won't
be transitioned to federal systems until 2018 because of
backwards-compatibility issues.
And, a nuclear weapons coordination system used by the Defense
Dept. is still running on an IBM Series/1 computer - a machine
that dates back to the 1970s and uses 8-inch floppy disks.
On the bright side, the Defense Dept. told the oversight watchdog
that it has plans to update some of its nuclear systems by the end
of 2017.
Rep. Jason Chaffetz (R-UT, 3rd), the chairman of the House
Government and Oversight Committee, said in a hearing shortly
after the report's release that the government's IT spending
"largely doesn't work."
The situation is so bad that Chaffetz said some government
agencies are still running Windows 3.1, an operating system that
dates back more than two decades.
Commerce, Defense, Treasury, Health and Human Services, and
Veterans Affairs were named in the report as using the outdated
Microsoft software.
The agency officials summoned to the committee argued that some
of the older systems still work - and any upgrades have been
pushed to the bottom of the pile in favor of other IT spending.
Whith those older systems, the report argued that many government
agencies are vulnerable to security vulnerabilities and flaws
because the vendors no longer provide support for old software
and systems.
For the upcoming 2017 fiscal year, the Obama administration asked
for an 11 percent increase to $89 billion for the
administration's annual IT budget.
Beware of Fake USB Chargers That Wirelessly Record Everything You Type
Last year, a white hat hacker developed a cheap Arduino-based
device that looked and functioned just like a generic USB mobile
charger, but covertly logged, decrypted and reported back all
keystrokes from Microsoft wireless keyboards.
Dubbed KeySweeper, the device included a web-based tool for live
keystroke monitoring and was capable of sending SMS alerts for
typed keystrokes, usernames, or URLs, and work even after the
nasty device is unplugged because of its built-in rechargeable
battery.
Besides the proof-of-concept attack platform, security researcher
Samy Kamkar, who created KeySweeper, also released instructions on
how to build your own USB wall charger.
Now, it seems like hackers and criminal minds find this idea
smart.
The FBI has issued a warning advisory for private industry
partners to look out for highly stealthy keyloggers that quietly
sniff passwords and other input data from wireless keyboards.
According to the advisory, blackhat hackers have developed their
custom version of KeySweeper device, which "if placed
strategically in an office or other location where individuals
might use wireless devices", could allow criminals to steal:
Intellectual property
Trade secrets
Personally identifiable information
Passwords
Other sensitive information
Since KeySweeper looks almost identical to USB phone chargers that
are ubiquitous in homes and offices, it lowers the chances of
discovering the sniffing device by a target.
However, according to a Microsoft spokesperson, customers using
Microsoft Bluetooth-enabled keyboards are protected against
KeySweeper threat. Also, its wireless keyboards manufactured after
2011 are also protected, as they use the Advanced Encryption
Standard (AES) encryption technology.
So, the primary method of defense is either to restrict the use of
wireless keyboards, or to use keyboards that use the Advanced
Encryption Standard (AES) encryption technology.
Although the FBI made no mention of malicious KeySweeper sniffers
being found in the wild, the advisory indicates the information
about the KeySweeper threat was obtained through an undescribed
"investigation."
"The primary method of defense is for corporations to restrict
the use of wireless keyboards. Since the KeySweeper requires
over-the-air transmission, a wired keyboard will be safe from this
type of attack." FBI advised.
Facebook Sued for Illegally Scanning Users' Private Messages
Facebook is facing a class-action lawsuit in Northern California
over allegations that the company systematically scans its users'
private messages on the social network without their consent and
makes the profit by sharing the data with advertisers and
marketers.
According to the lawsuit filing, Facebook might have violated
federal privacy laws by scanning users' private messages.
Facebook routinely scans the URLs within users' private messages
for several purposes like anti-malware protection and
industry-standard searches for child pornography, but it has been
claimed that the company is also using this data for advertising
and other user-targeting services.
The plaintiffs, Matthew Campbell, and Michael Hurley argue that
the Facebook is scanning and collecting URLs-related data in a
searchable form, violating both the Electronic Communications
Privacy Act and California Invasion of Privacy Act, reported the
Verge.
Facebook argues that the company scans users' private messages in
bulk, and maintains the URL records in an anonymized way, which
is only used in aggregate form.
However, according to a technical analysis done on behalf of the
plaintiffs, each URL-related message is stored in "Titan," a
private message database that displays the date and time the
message was sent, along with the user IDs of both the sender and
the recipient.
However, it turns out that Facebook used this practice in past,
but the company claimed to have stopped such practices a long time
ago.
"We agree with the court's finding that the alleged conduct
did not result in any actual harm and that it would be
inappropriate to allow plaintiffs to seek damages on a class-wide
basis," a Facebook spokesperson told CNET.
"The remaining claims relate to historical practices that are
entirely lawful, and we look forward to resolving those claims on
the merits."
However according to the plaintiffs, Facebook is still continuing
to collect links from users' private messages.
"Facebook's source code not only reveals that Facebook
continues to acquire URL content from private messages, but that
it also continues to make use of the content it acquires."
Meanwhile, you can check out the lawsuit here. The lawsuit was
originally filed in 2012 and for now, the case is expected to
proceed.
Plaintiffs have until June 8 to file an amended complaint,
following a scheduled conference toward the end of the month.
The Pirate Bay Sails Back to Its .org Domain
Faced with a new ruling from a Swedish court that saw its Swedish
ThePirateBay.se and PirateBay.se domains confiscated, torrent
site The Pirate Bay is moving back to where it first started in
2003, ThePirateBay.org.
The site is currently redirecting all traffic from the above two
domains back to its .org home. The Pirate Bay had originally moved
to .se in 2012, before making moves to more obscure domains, such
as .sx and .ac. It would eventually return to .se in 2015. The
alternative domains the site was using have all been seized.
While the moves were meant as a way to avoid copyright
lawsuit-related closures, the return back to .org could see
potential legal action from the US, as the registry that manages
the top level .org domains is based in Virginia.
Pirate Bay co-founder Fredrik Neij is planning to appeal the
Swedish court's decision to confiscate the .se domains.
Facebook Reportedly Plans To Make It Impossible
for The Police To Read Your Messages
Facebook is planning to introduce optional end-to-end encryption
for its popular Messenger app, according to a new report from The
Guardian.
The change would mean that if the user decides to switch
encryption on for a message thread, the messages would be encoded
in a way that makes them indecipherable to anyone who isnít either
the sender or the messagesí intended recipient ó including Facebook
itself and law enforcement.
Itís reportedly due to launch in ìthe coming months.î
Facebook hasnít officially confirmed its encryption plans, with The
Guardianís report based off three anonymous sources ìclose to the
project.î
A Facebook spokesman told Business Insider: ìWe donít comment on
rumour or speculation.î
The move would not be totally surprising, given the tech industryís
increasing focus on security amid a broad debate over consumer use
of encryption and the challenges it presents.
Apple was one of the earlier big tech companies to bring strong
encryption to consumers. Its iMessage messaging service is
end-to-end encrypted, meaning the company canít ìscan your
communications, and [it] wouldnít be able to comply with a wiretap
order even if [it] wanted to.î (And Apple devices running iOS 8 and
onwards also have full-disk encryption, preventing Apple or anyone
else from accessing the data saved on a device without the correct
passcode.)
At the start of April 2016, WhatsApp ó the wildly popular messaging
app owned by Facebook ó turned on end-to-end encryption for its
more than one billion users. ìBuilding secure products actually
makes for a safer world, (though) many people in law enforcement
may not agree with that,î cofounder Brian Acton told Wired at the
time of the announcement.
Even Google is now at it. The Californian search and mobile
announced a new chat app called Allo at its I/O conference in May.
Allo also comes with end-to-end encryption, but users have to
choose to switch it on for specific chats, as using it means the
sophisticated AI that differentiates the app can no longer work.
In short: By not having encryption, Facebook Messenger is behind
the times.
Like Googleís Allo, Facebook Messengerís encryption will be
opt-in. Facebook is increasingly emphasising the utility of
automated bots in Messenger ó but if end-to-end encryption were
enabled for all conversations, these bots wouldnít be able to
function.
So adding encryption as an optional extra placates users who are
looking for additional security, and helps Messenger keep up with
its competitors, while not hampering intended functionality for
the majority.
But the move ó once official ó may draw the ire of some in law
enforcement, who have grown exasperated and angry over the
consumer technology industryís widespread adoption of encryption.
When Apple first introduced default-on full-disk encryption, it
was accused of being ìthe phone of choice for the pedophile,î
with law enforcement worrying that the encryption will make it
harder to gather vital evidence from once-unlocked smartphones.
But the tech companies and privacy advocates counter that strong
encryption is vital to safeguard usersí privacy, and to protect
their data from hackers.
Google Removes A Chrome Extension That Identified and Tracked Jews
An extension for Googleís Chrome browser that let users identify
and track suspected Jewish members of the media and entertainment
industries has been removed from the Chrome store after the web
giant said it breached its rules against promoting hate speech
and inciting violence.
The extension, known as Coincidence Detector, identified suspected
or confirmed Jews by adding triple parentheses to their names
wherever they were referenced online. Its existence was first
reported by Mic, a New York-based news site targeted at
millennials, in a post on Thursday that described how neo-Nazis
and anti-Semites were using it to target Jews for abuse and
harassment.
In effect, the extension appeared to work as a kind of
crowdsourced database, with users recommending or suggesting new
additions or correcting and adding to those suggested by others.
At the time it was removed, the Coincidence Detector had been
downloaded more than 2,700 times and had a database of 8,700
people. It had a rating of five out of five stars, according to
Mic.
The name of the Chrome extension appears to have been intended as
a reference to anti-Semitic conspiracy theories that Jews somehow
dominate the media and entertainment industries, and control them
from within to the detriment of society. It was also likely
chosen so that it wouldnít raise any red flags inside Google, and
appears to have been in use for months, if not longer.
As Mic described in a separate story, the use of two or three
brackets around the name of a suspected or confirmed Jewish person
is called an ìechoî in right-wing and anti-Semitic groups and
communities online, and is a way for such groups to single out
Jews in a way that doesnít attract a lot of attention.
The origins of the symbol ((())) can be traced to a hardcore,
right-wing podcast called The Daily Shoah in 2014. Itís known as
an echoí in the anti-Semitic corners of the alt-right ó a new,
young, amorphous conservative movement that comprises trolls fluent
in internet culture, free speech activists warring against
political correctness and earnest white nationalists.
New York Times writer Jonathan Weisman described how he was
targeted for online harassment ó in many cases by supporters of
Donald Trumpóafter receiving tweets that mentioned his name and
included double brackets. One Twitter user described it as a ìdog
whistleî or identifier that would alert like-minded people to
Weismanís Jewish heritage, and he soon received a number of
threatening messages, including photos of the front gates of
Auschwitz, a German concentration camp.
Google likely took quick action on the Coincidence Detector
extension because it has been criticized for anti-Semitic
elements built into its web searches and other features. Last
year, a number of groups pointed out that searches for ìWho
controls Hollywoodî suggested an encyclopedia entry on Jews as a
result. Google said it was working to fix the problem by adjusting
its algorithms.
Victim Identifies Armed Robber After Facebook
Suggests He Add Him As A Friend
You never know who Facebookís going to suggest you friend.
People with 45 mutual friends? A friendís friend who you loathe?
Or how about this: that guy who pulled a knife on you and stole
your car?
The BBC reports that a robberís rip-offs have unravelled after he
was spotted on the ìpeople you may knowî list by the victim of a
car robbery in Birmingham, UK.
According to the BBC, Detective Constable Rhiannon Daff said the
Facebook information was ìa crucial part of the investigationî and
ìthe final piece of the jigsaw.î
Omar Famuyide, a 21-year-old from Highgate, Birmingham, was jailed
last week at the cityís Crown Court after a trial found him guilty
of robbery, attempted robbery, possession of a firearm and
possession of a knife.
The car robbery, it turns out, was only one of a string of crimes.
One of those crimes included forcing entry into a local business
known as the Ambassadorís Relaxation Suite last July. Along with
another man, Famuyide threatened women with a metal bar and a
handgun, then fled empty-handed.
A month later, the robber stole a car from a man at knifepoint in
Highgate.
The victim recognized Famuyide after Facebook suggested he might
know him.
Facebook tries to be helpful by automatically scanning an
assortment of data crunchables to fuel its Friend Finder function:
mutual friends, work and education data, and imported contacts, be
they from Outlook, Gmail, Hotmail, Yahoo, or what have you.
Helpful, and self-serving, useful as it is for growing the network
and bolstering Facebookís advertising market.
Back in January, Germany actually said ìnein!î to all that, with
the Federal Court of Justice ruling that Friend Finder
constituted advertising harassment.
Famuyide coming up as a friend suggestion was reportedly just a
coincidence. Heaven knows the odds of having a crook pop up in
the suggestion list presented to one of his victims. It sure does
help if the two live in the same neighborhood, of course.
He was given a jail sentence of 17 years.
Raspberry Pi 3 To Get Official Android OS Support
It's fair to say the success of the ARM-powered Raspberry Pi
computers have surpassed expectations and have been a godsend to
hobbyists, hackers, and students.
If you're one of those people looking for unofficial hacks to
install Android OS on a Raspberry Pi device, then stop and wait
for the official release.
Raspberry Pi computers have largely been Linux affairs, as
several Linux distributions have supported this tiny ARM
computer.
Now, it seems like Raspberry Pi is ready to get official
support for one of the most popular mobile operating systems out
there: Android.
Google has recently registered the $35 Raspberry Pi 3 ? the
newest version of the Raspberry Pi ? as a new device 'tree' in
its Android Open Source Project (AOSP) repository.
If you're not aware, Raspberry Pi is cheap, credit card-sized,
single board ARM computer that looks and feels very basic, but
could be built into many geeky projects.
What Google is planning for Android and the Pi is unclear.
However, once released, Android support for Raspberry Pi 3 would
give programmers access to more than 1.5 million apps, allowing
them to mess around with their own custom projects too.
Last year at Google I/O developer conference, the company,
announced Brillo OS, a lightweight Android-based operating
system for low-power devices built on ARM or Intel i.e. the
Internet of Things (IoT).
This might be possible that Android support for Raspberry Pi 3
could be part of Project Brillo.
Interested Raspberry Pi enthusiasts should keep an eye on
Googleís Repository.
Meet Avalon, Asus's Audacious, Tightly Integrated
Vision for the Future of DIY PCs
The PCís DIY hardware ethos is both a blessing and a curse on
computing. On one hand, the open ecosystem fuels innovation and
serves as a major selling point for enthusiasts. On the other, the
basic design of PCs hasnít really changed in decades. You slot
motherboards, storage, and various add-in cards into a case and
wire them up. That underlying structure helps sustain the
universal natural of PC hardwareóbut now Asusí Republic of Gamers
brand thinks it ìcan do better.î
At Computex 2016, Asus ROG showed off its Avalon concept PC, a
computer that tightly integrates all aspects of the PC for a
redefined design, but still supports the platformís DIY
strengths. The end result is a creation largely devoid of wires
and something that looks more like a premium stereo system than
a traditional computer.
Oh, and ìUnlike the purely aspirational concepts often see in the
tech industry, this prototype is a working system built on
existing technologies that are viable to put into mass
production,î Asus says. Shots fired, Project Christine.
The Avalon design taps into Asusí expertise in creating virtually
every major PC hardware component. The main thrust ties the
motherboard more closely to the case itself, rather than having
them exist as two fully individual elementsóthough Asus says
ìThatís not to say that boards have to be inexorably tied to
specific cases, just that closer collaboration creates
interesting opportunities.î
One major advantage to that is port flexibility, Asus says.
Avalonís motherboard extends right to the front of the case, so
various ports and indicators can be built right into the
motherboard and appear on the PCís face, rather than needing to
be connected to the front panel with extenders and extra cables.
Meanwhile, the rear I/O panels are modular components of their
own inside Avalon. In other words, you can swap them out to
create a Frankenstein that meets your individual needs, rather
than being limited to a selection of ports hardwired into your
motherboard, as is the case with traditional PCs. ìVR rigs
require additional USB ports to connect headsets and
controllers, workstations often need faster networking and
redundant ports, and home-theater PCs can benefit from upgraded
audio,î says Asus.
The custom 600W power supply Asus created for the Avalon concept
PC features an edge connector rather than cabling.
Those rear I/O panels connect to the Avalonís motherboard using a
PCI-E-based ìedge connector.î Asus relies on edge connectors
throughout to make the Avalon as wire-free and hassle-free as
possible; the company even created a 600-watt small form factor
power supply for the concept that relies on that simple PCI-E
connection rather than the traditional ratís nest of power
cables. All power to secondary hardware flows through the
motherboard itself.
The bays you see on the front of the Avalon concept PC house
hot-swappable storage, which makes switching out SSDs as simple
as switching out floppy disks. The storage capabilities reside on
a daughter card that connects directly to the motherboard inside.
The Avalon motherboard with various daughter cards connected at
the bottom. Funky!
High-powered graphics cards are the one component that still
requires additional power cabling inside Avalon, though Asus says
itís possible to rework graphic card design to function with edge
connectors, instead. GPUs reside in their own compartment at
Avalonís outer edge, blowing hot air out through the ventilated
edge of the PC.
The motherboard features an integrated backplate with threaded
holes so that you can connect aftermarket CPU cooling solutions
directly to it. Asus hopes that the voltage regulator modules on
the motherboardís underbelly can be connected to the chassis to
have the case itself act as a heatsink for the system. Thatís a
trick that some small form factor and silent PC cases already
performóand one that plays neatly into the Avalonís integration
concept.
As a concept PC, thereís no pricing or release date information
tied to Avalon, though Asus says itís ìright on the edge of
whatís possible.î The prototype certainly seems like a compelling
idea, at least in theory, and still manages to embrace DIY
potential despite its tighter overall system integration. That
said, part of the reason that PCs have stuck to traditional
designs for so long is because the usual case-motherboard-power
supply-add-in card design works so well, and it resists hardware
lock-in. Tying motherboard design so tightly to the case plays
well to Asusí jack-of-all-trades strengths, for example, but it
might leave more specialized hardware vendors like EVGA out in
the cold.
Windows 10 Usage Continues To Rise,
But Users Say No to the Edge Browser
Microsoft's aggressive campaign to upgrade older PCs to
Windows 10 appears to be working.
That's the inescapable conclusion from the latest data from two
commercial web analytics services and the U.S. Government's open
analytics program.
For this story, I've gathered the latest data, covering the
months of March through May 2016, from Net Applications (aka Net
Market Share), StatCounter Global Stats, and the United States
Government's Digital Analytics Program (DAP). For the first two,
I removed non-Windows operating systems from the data set and then
normalized the results so that all the comparisons show the share
for each version of Windows based on a population of all Windows
PCs.
Rather than rely on the oversimplified bar and pie charts that Net
Market Share and StatCounter publish each month, I downloaded the
raw data from all three sources and analyzed it carefully.
Remarkably, all three sources are in general agreement. Among the
population of Windows-based desktop PCs, laptops, and tablets,
Windows 10 usage has doubled in the past six months, with all
other versions down noticeably.
The following chart shows the DAP data for November 2015 and May
2016, which measures hundreds of millions of visits per month to
public websites. There's no statistical manipulation, as with the
commercial analytics services.
Data from the U.S. Government Digital Analytics Program shows
Windows 10 usage up, all other versions down.
As you can see, more than 25 percent of all Windows PCs that
accessed U.S. Government websites in May were running Windows 10
(the list of websites includes NASA's popular Picture of the Day,
National Weather Service forecasts, U.S. passport and immigration
services, the Social Security Administration, and and the Internal
Revenue Service).
According to Net Applications, 9.8 percent of all Windows PCs were
running Windows 10 in November 2015. That number is up to 19.4
percent in May 2016.
For StatCounter, the corresponding numbers jumped from 11.9
percent last November to 23.6 percent in May 2016.
Windows 7 usage continues to drop slowly, although all three
sources have Windows 7's share at more than half of all Windows
PCs in use. According to the DAP numbers, usage of Windows 7 has
dropped 4 percent in the past six months and is now below 60
percent. Net Applications and StatCounter show drops of 7 and 6
percent, respectively, with Windows 7 usage measured between 54
and 57 percent worldwide.
And older versions of Windows are finally receding to low single
digits, with the DAP data showing that total usage of Windows XP,
Windows Vista, and older versions is now well under 5 percent.
A much more interesting story that emerged from a close analysis
of the data involves Microsoft Edge, the new default browser in
Windows 10. The raw numbers show Edge usage as very small,
ranging from 2.5 percent (StatCounter) to 5 percent (DAP). But
those numbers are misleading, because they count PCs and mobile
devices on which Edge isn't available. Windows 7 users, for
example, don't have the option to choose Edge, even if they want
to.
Fortunately, through the magic of spreadsheets, I was able to
tease out the numbers for Edge usage on Windows 10, the only
platform for which it's available. Over the past three months, as
Windows 10 usage has risen steadily, the percentage of traffic
from Microsoft Edge has dropped slightly, as measured by all three
services.
More than 70 percent of Windows 10 users use a browser other than
Microsoft Edge.
Regardless of which numbers you use, it's clear that more than
three out of four Windows 10 users are choosing an alternative
browser, despite Microsoft's best efforts to make Edge the default
in Windows 10.
Those numbers may creep up slightly later this year, as the
browser continues to mature and especially when support for
extensions arrives in this summer's Anniversary Update. But for
now, Edge is still in use by only a minority of Windows 10 users.
=~=~=~=
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