The NSA surveillance controversy continues this week and I have been following the details as best I can. I can tell you for sure that the media got a great part of the story wrong…very wrong. They wrote that several of the biggest names in tech, including Google, Microsoft, Apple and others were cooperating with the NSA and providing secure portals for the Feds to access user data.
That was completely wrong. The NSA didn’t need them. They were tapping directly into the Internet backbone to harvest data. The program they used is called Prism…and for good reason. What does a prism in the real world do? It breaks down light into its basic elements. The NSA Prism taped into the light of fiber optic cables to divert the light signals to their own equipment, much like a phone wiretap.
And, according to our lead story today, NSA’s reach into the data streams of our world is far greater than Prism and phone programs are capable of doing. There is much, much more to this story.
I listened over the weekend to a fascinating podcast by noted security specialist Steve Gibson that pretty much explains the Prism operation, and how it was done. You can find the audio version and a transcript of the program on Steve’s Website…or you can watch the video or listen to the audio on the TWIT Website where the program originated. I found it quite compelling and highly recommend you give it a listen.
There is much more to this edition than NSA stuff. You might even find some good hints and tools to make your computing life better. So let’s get to it. -JRC
Secret to Prism program: Even bigger data seizure
The Associated Press in-depth article on US Government spying. A long article but well worth reading. Scary, too.
It's over: All private data is public
Enough about the NSA -- any hacker worthy of the name can snatch your 'private' data. Either stop entrusting it to anyone or chill out. If you're looking for an upbeat article with feel-good solutions, don't read this.
Google Is Building A New System That Will Make It Virtually Impossible To Find Child Porn On The Web
The new database, which is expected to be operational within a year, will allow child porn images which have been "flagged" by child protection organizations to be wiped from the web in one fell swoop.
How to Share Files Between your Mobile Phones and Computers
How do you easily transfer a file from the Android phone to your iPad? Or how do you copy-paste that long snippet of text from the computer to your iPhone? The following guide discusses apps that will help you exchanges files and everything else between your desktop computer and mobile devices easily and quickly.
How to Share Files Between your Mobile Phones and Computers
How do you easily transfer a file from the Android phone to your iPad? Or how do you copy-paste that long snippet of text from the computer to your iPhone? The following guide discusses apps that will help you exchanges files and everything else between your desktop computer and mobile devices easily and quickly.
Get Organized: Tips for Managing Your Ebook Library
Are your virtual bookshelves as disorganized as your real ones? Here are some tips for a smarter system for categorizing your ebooks.
How to Augment Your Computer with an iPad
You can do a ton of great things with just an iPad, but some of the best uses are using it as an external controller for your computer. From using your iPad as a second display to turning it into a remote, here are a bunch of ways to augment your computer using an iPad.
Google's Unified Storage, Now Available
You now get 15GB of free storage for Gmail, Google Drive and Google+ Photos and you can buy additional storage
Microsoft rolls out Office Mobile for iPhone
Microsoft is rolling out a small-screen optimized version of Word, Excel and PowerPoint for iPhone users who subscribe to Office 365.
Microsoft: Want Office for iPad? You can't have it, but use Web Apps instead
Microsoft released Office for iPhone but left iPad users stranded. For iPhone users, the app is free but it is not free to use, requiring an Office 365 subscription, which runs for $99.99 per year, to take advantage of Excel, PowerPoint and Word.
Yahoo! Becomes Exclusive Partner Of 49ers Online Content
"Levi's stadium has been called the "smartest" stadium ever built. With a focus on mobile, the 49ers took into account that nearly everyone who attends a game will be bringing their own smartphone. The stadium will be able to provide Wi-Fi to nearly 70,000 people on any given Sunday. "
Decrap my Computer
Decrap my Computer is a tool designed to remove the bloatware that most manufacturers pre-install on new Windows computers. When you first run the software, it will scan your system and then present you with a list of all removable software, from which you can choose the items to remove.
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