Social media services came under fire recently for not being more proactive in addressing online harassment and violent threats and for removing offensive comments only after being reported. Now some believe the role of social media in overseeing online behavior should change. “Whoever is in charge of these spaces — that includes the people who […]
Privacy; North Korea; and the Spider Dress
Posted December 23rd, 2014 at 2:08 pm (UTC-4)
Today’s Tech Sightings: Downing North Korea’s Internet Not Much of a Scalp North Korea lost its Internet connectivity for half a day Monday, though the reasons for the blackout remain unclear. But that is hardly a major loss for a country that barely has 1,000 Internet addresses, one Internet service provider and one connection to […]
Unmasking Tor; 3-D Printing; Sony Blues; Facebook Drops Bing
Posted December 16th, 2014 at 2:38 pm (UTC-4)
Today’s Tech Sightings: The FBI Used the Web’s Favorite Hacking Tool to Unmask Tor Users According to WIRED, the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) used an abandoned Metasploit project called the “Decloaking Engine” in 2012 to launch “Operation Torpedo” to identify child port suspects using Tor’s anonymous network to hide. Patient-Specific Knee Parts Can […]
3-D Printing Goes Wild; Bitcoin Finds Microsoft; the Hacking Wars
Posted December 11th, 2014 at 2:44 pm (UTC-4)
Today’s Tech Sightings: Silicon Valley Summit Explores Ways to Make Tech Workforce More Diverse Leading tech companies, including Apple, Google, Facebook and many others, are participating in a California summit to look at ways to increase diversity in the tech sector, currently dominated by white and Asian men. Microsoft Begins Accepting Bitcoin Microsoft has added […]
Tech Sightings, October 30, 2014
Posted October 30th, 2014 at 2:23 pm (UTC-4)
Tim Cook Speaks Up In an article in Bloomberg Businessweek, Apple CEO Tim Cook publicly declared that he is gay. “Let me be clear,” he wrote. “I’m proud to be gay, and I consider being gay among the greatest gifts God has given me.” Having a Heart Attack? This Drone Could Help Alec Momont, whose […]
Tech Sightings, October 23, 2014
Posted October 23rd, 2014 at 1:27 pm (UTC-4)
Facebook Boss Speaks Mandarin In China Debate A heavy accent it may be, but Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg managed to surprise and charm Beijing students with a Q&A session in Mandarin. China currently bans access to Facebook, but Zuckerberg said in response to a question, “We’re already in China”. Europe Leads World in Mobile Payments […]
Tech Sightings, October 21, 2014
Posted October 21st, 2014 at 1:53 pm (UTC-4)
How Silicon Valley Can Fight Ebola Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg’s recent $25 million donation to boost the fight against the deadly Ebola virus is an important step forward. But there are more steps that the tech industry can take to help solve global problems. The Tiny Fishing Village That Became the World’s Gadget Factory Shenzhen, […]
Tech Sightings, October 16, 2014
Posted October 16th, 2014 at 1:50 pm (UTC-4)
SMS Service Could Spot the Next Ebola Outbreak Zone Australian doctor Mohamad-Ali Trad is looking to raise enough money to launch an SMS service in West Africa that directs patients who text key words to a given number to appropriate services where they can get help. Trad says the system also records the geographic patterns […]