Today’s Tech Sightings:
Senate Intelligence Committee Vice Chair Sen. Dianne Feinstein talks with committee chairman Sen. Richard Burr, on Capitol Hill in Washington, Feb. 9, 2016. A draft version of a Senate bill would effectively prohibit unbreakable encryption and require companies to help the government get access to readable data on a device if there’s a lawful search warrant. (AP)
Groups Representing Google, Netflix, Microsoft, Apple Slam Latest Bill Aiming to Curb Tech Security
Both houses of the U.S. Congress are looking at bills that could seriously limit building strong privacy measures into tech devices and social media messaging services. But this week, a host of groups representing major tech companies published an open letter voicing concern over efforts over efforts to put security ahead of privacy and arguing that they should be carefully balanced.
Free Wi-Fi Hotspots Biggest Threat for Mobile Workers
Around 62 percent of organizations are banning their mobile workers from using public Wi-Fi hotspots and more will follow suit, according to a recent mobile security report by iPass. The global, mobile connectivity company says 94 percent of companies it surveyed consider public Wi-Fi networks, recently deployed in cities like New York, for example, a “significant mobile security threat.”
Google Android: Nearly One in Three Devices Will Never Get Latest Security Patches
Google’s latest annual security report reveals that the security of its fragmented Android mobile platform will remain a challenge for years to come. While the tech giant now issues monthly patches to address security threats, its 2015 Annual Android Security Report says only a fraction of about 60,000 Android models will receive regular security updates.
More:
- US Leads Europe for Malicious Websites, Banking Trojans at Large
- These Are the ‘Well-intentioned’ People Who Want to Kill Encryption
- Google Accused of Abusing Android Dominance
- Yahoo’s Got Millions of Users, but It’s Still in Decline. What Went Wrong?
- Intel to Slash 12,000 Jobs as PC Demand Plummets
- Why Intel’s PC Products Must Fight – or Die
- Study: Solar Panels Don’t Last Forever and Degradation Varies Wildly
- Apple Agrees to Pay $24.9 Million to Settle Siri Patent Lawsuit
- Microsoft Gets Over Tay; Launches Skype Bots for Mac
- Chinese Firm Snaps Up US Printer-maker Lexmark for $3.6 Billion
