There are possibly non-bomb reasons for going into a hardware store, buying a length of metal pipe, having it divided up into smaller pieces, and then having each of those pieces threaded for caps on both ends — but it’s definitely the sort of purchase that will probably result in the police knocking on your door. [More]
crime news
If Home Depot Employees Think You’re Buying Parts For A Pipe Bomb, Expect A Visit From The Police
By 4.15.16
Microsoft Sues Justice Dept.; Wants To Be Able To Tell Users When Govt. Reads Their Files
By 4.14.16
Before the advent of cloud computing, law enforcement would often have to physically go into an office or home and seize computers and servers of criminal suspects and their cohorts — an obvious tip-off that an investigation is taking place. But now, with so much data living far from the devices used to access it, the government can seize that information without having to load up a van full of hardware, leaving the target of the investigation none the wiser. What’s more, the government can try to block cloud-computing companies from telling affected customers about these seizures, which Microsoft believes is a violation of the Constitution. [More]
4 Things You Need To Know About New Bill Requiring Weak Encryption On Devices
By 4.13.16
A week after it was first reported that Senators Dianne Feinstein (CA) and Richard Burr (NC) were prepping a bipartisan bill that would compel tech companies to build their devices and software with weakened encryption or built-in backdoors for law enforcement, the actual bill has been introduced. Here’s what you need to know about why consumer and privacy advocates are concerned.
[More]
After Unlocking iPhone On Its Own, Government Drops Effort To Compel Apple’s Help
By 3.28.16
Last week, it was reported that the FBI had figured out how to unlock the iPhone belonging to one of the shooters who killed 14 people in San Bernardino, CA, on Dec. 2, 2015. Now, it’s official, as the government has dropped its attempt to compel Apple to aid the FBI in bypassing the device’s security — but this is just the first of likely many fights over this issue. [More]
FBI Investigating Virus That Took Major Hospital Chain Offline
By 3.28.16
Earlier today, healthcare provider MedStar Health, which operates nearly a dozen hospitals in the D.C. area and some 100 clinics, took its network offline after detecting the presence of a computer virus. Now the FBI is investigating. [More]
Apple CEO Tim Cook: Nation Needs To Decide How Much Power Government Has Over Data, Privacy
By 3.21.16
Apple CEO Tim Cook used today’s press event for the new iPhone to once again make his case against court orders trying compel Apple to aid law enforcement in unlocking iPhones belonging to criminal suspects. [More]
Apple Engineers Might Resist Court Order To Weaken iPhone Encryption
By 3.18.16
A federal court in California is currently weighing whether or not Apple could be compelled to aid the FBI in unlocking an iPhone that belonged to one of the terrorists behind the Dec. 2, 2015 shootings in San Bernardino, CA. But even if the court rules that Apple must assist the government in opening the device, some engineers at the company are reportedly considering resistance. [More]
Scammer Must Repay $7.75M For Running Bogus Prayer Center & Consumer Complaint Service
By 3.17.16
When facing times of trouble, some people choose to believe in the power of prayer. Others put more trust in their ability to file an official complaint. A Seattle-based scam artist apparently figured he would cover all his bases, operating a trio of bogus companies covering everything from religion to consumer gripes. [More]
Driver Ticketed After Police See Facebook Video Of Him Ignoring A Stop Sign
By 3.17.16
A man in Colorado recently received a traffic ticket for blowing through a Stop sign — not because a police officer witnessed the violation in person, but because the driver posted video of the incident on Facebook. [More]
Justice Department Advises Against Throwing Poor People In Jail For Not Paying Fines
By 3.15.16
While debtor prisons have long been outlawed, failure to pay a court-ordered fine or fee can get you locked up. But in a letter sent yesterday to state court administrators, the Department of Justice advises against using the penal system as a way to collect debts. [More]
Facebook’s WhatsApp May Be Next In Law Enforcement’s Privacy Battle
By 3.14.16
The federal government’s courtroom war with Apple over iPhone encryption may be grabbing all the headlines, but a number of tech companies offer devices, apps, and messaging services with privacy settings that frustrate police investigations. And according to a new report, the Facebook-owned WhatsApp instant messaging app could be the next to face a legal challenge from the feds. [More]
Apple Accuses DOJ Of “Smear” Campaign In Fight Over Unlocking Shooter’s iPhone
By 3.11.16
The legal tug-of-war over whether or not Apple can be forced to unlock a secure iPhone continued last night, with the U.S. Justice Department filing a sharp rebuke to Apple’s claims that it can’t legally be compelled to rewrite its software, and with Apple responding by accusing federal prosecutors of operating a “smear” campaign through the court system. [More]
Horrible Taco Bell Customer Tosses Drink In Employee’s Face; Doesn’t Realize Drive-Thru Has Cameras
By 3.8.16
What sort of childhood trauma brings one to the point of deciding to throw a drink in the face of a fast food worker? More importantly, what sort of person does this today and doesn’t think they will be photographed from multiple angles? [More]
Dozens Of Tech Experts Ask Court To Not Force Apple To Unlock iPhone
By 3.3.16
The day after Apple filed its formal objection to a Feb. 16 court order compelling the company to assist the FBI in unlocking an iPhone that belonged to one of the terrorists who killed 14 people last December in California, a group of nearly four dozen tech industry experts have asked the court to rethink its decision. [More]
Apple “Formally Objects” To Court Order To Unlock San Bernardino Shooter’s iPhone
By 3.2.16
Hours after Apple and the FBI faced off before a Congressional panel on the matters of encryption, privacy, and law enforcement, the company officially filed its objection to a court order directing it to assist the FBI in unlocking an iPhone that belonged to one of the terrorists who killed 14 people in San Bernardino, CA, on Dec. 2, 2015. [More]
Wallet Thief Sends Note To Victim: “Shop Less… Enjoy More”
By 3.2.16
A wallet thief in California had the courtesy to return their victim’s credit cards and driver’s license, but they also decided this incident should be some sort of teachable moment. [More]
Apple Working On iPhone That Even It Wouldn’t Be Able To Hack
By 2.25.16
While Apple and federal law enforcement officials argue over whether or not the company should aid in the hacking of a terrorist’s locked iPhone, the company has reportedly begun work on a version of the device that even its creators would not be able to unlock. [More]
Teen Arrested For Passing Himself Off As A Doctor, Opening Clinic
By 2.17.16
In a combination of Doogie Howser, MD and Catch Me If You Can, a Florida teenager has been arrested for not merely posing as a medical doctor, but for going so far as to open up his own clinic, complete with a website. [More]
