Today’s Tech Sightings:
FILE – A man looks through a now nearly-obsolete 8 and 1-half inch floppy disc is held in London, England. (AP)
Floppy Disks Control US Nukes and Missiles?
An IBM Series/1 computer introduced in 1976 controls some of the United States’ ballistic missiles and nuclear bombers, according to a new report from the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO). The 40-year-old machine, which sends and receives emergency action alerts, still stores data on nearly-obsolete floppy disks. However, an upgrade is underway and will be completed in 2017, according to the Pentagon.
FBI Refuses to Release Tor Exploit Details, Evidence Thrown Out
A U.S. court has thrown out evidence against a Tor user after the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) refused to divulge full details of its exploit to hack into the Tor anonymity network. FBI investigators last year rerouted traffic from a pornography website on the dark web to its own servers in pursuit of child pornography suspects. Visitors used the Tor network to remain anonymous. Now, the Tor Project is beefing up encryption to avoid similar situations in the future.
Microsoft Will Adjust Malware-like Tactics for Windows 10 Following Outcry
In case you didn’t know, Microsoft has in recent months adopted some malware-like tactics to trick users of older versions of its Windows operating system into switching to Windows 10. The outcry that followed has been finally heard loud and clear in Redmond, the company’s Washington state headquarters. Microsoft said it will now modify its policies so that customers have an opportunity to reschedule or cancel the upgrade.
More:
- Civil Liberties Group Joins Microsoft Fight Against Secret Government Data Demands
- People Are Furious Over Facebook’s Peter Thiel’s Attacks on America’s Free Press
- Ex-FCC Chief: No Winners Possible in Net Neutrality Legal Battle
- What’s Left for Microsoft in Mobile
- Rumor: Google to Shame Phone Makers Into Updating Android
- Is Apple in Danger of Becoming the New Nokia?
- PayPal Is Shutting Down Windows Phone, BlackBerry, Amazon apps
- New Research Shows US Consumers Uninformed, Wary of New Vehicle Technology
- Get Ready to Be Bombarded With Ads When Using Google Maps
- Chinese Bendable Smartphone Comes With a Catch
