Archive for June, 2012
G4S Chief Predicts Mass Police Privatisation
June 21st, 2012Via: Guardian: Private companies will be running large parts of the UK’s police service within five years, according to the world’s biggest security firm. David Taylor-Smith, the head of G4S for the UK and Africa, said he expected police forces across the country to sign up to similar deals to those on the table in […]
‘Checkpoint of the Future’ Takes Shape at Texas Airport
June 21st, 2012Via: USA Today: After checking their luggage, passengers would identify themselves not with driver’s licenses and paper boarding passes, but by scanning fingerprints or irises to prove they have an electronic ticket.
Acxiom Corp
June 21st, 2012Via: The Week: What is Acxiom Corp., and what does it do? The company fits into a category called database marketing. It started in 1969 as an outfit called Demographics Inc., using phone books and other notably low-tech tools, as well as one computer, to amass information on voters and consumers for direct marketing. Almost […]
Spain and Italy to be Bailed Out in £600bn Deal
June 20th, 2012Via: Telegraph: European leaders are poised to announce a £600 billion deal to bail out Spain and Italy, it emerged at the G20 summit on Tuesday night. wo rescue funds are to be used to buy the debts of the troubled economies, the cost of which have reached record highs in recent weeks. It is […]
Obama Asserts Executive Privilege on Fast and Furious Documents
June 20th, 2012Via: CNN: President Barack Obama has asserted executive privilege over documents sought by a House committee investigating the botched Fast and Furious gun-running sting, according to a letter to the panel Wednesday from Deputy Attorney Gen. James Cole. The move means the Department of Justice can withhold the documents from the House Oversight Committee, which […]
May Earnings
June 20th, 2012Earnings in May totaled $1076.80. Thanks go out to the five readers below who sent funds directly: Pookie $75 Eileen $104 MS CA$15 CD $10 JR $40 Thanks to the owners of mh and birdprises.com for signing up for hosting with BlueHost. Cryptogon received $180 as a result. Finally, thanks to all of you who […]
NSA Claims It Would Violate Americans’ Privacy To Say How Many Of Us It Spied On
June 20th, 2012Via: Network World: How many Americans had their privacy violated via the NSA warrantless wiretap powers granted under the FISA Amendment Act of 2008? The NSA Inspector General said they can’t tell us as that would violate Americans’ privacy.
U.S., Israel Developed Flame Computer Virus
June 20th, 2012Via: Washington Post: The United States and Israel jointly developed a sophisticated computer virus nicknamed Flame that collected intelligence in preparation for cyber-sabotage aimed at slowing Iran’s ability to develop a nuclear weapon, according to Western officials with knowledge of the effort. The massive piece of malware secretly mapped and monitored Iran’s computer networks, sending […]
U.S. Plans Significant Military Presence in Kuwait
June 19th, 2012Imagine our shock. Via: AP: The United States is planning a significant military presence of 13,500 troops in Kuwait to give it the flexibility to respond to sudden conflicts in the region as Iraq adjusts to the withdrawal of American combat forces and the world nervously eyes Iran, according to a congressional report.
Fujitsu Cracks ‘Next Generation’ Encryption Standard in 148 Days
June 19th, 2012Via: Tech Week Europe: Fujitsu Laboratories said on Monday it has successfully cracked a next-generation cryptography standard known as pairing-based cryptography, breaking a world record. Fujitsu and its partners, Japan’s National Institute of Information and Communications Technology (NICT) and Kyushu University, took 148.2 days to carry out a cryptanalysis of the 278-digit (923-bit) pairing-based cryptography, […]