DavidCameron
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The Panama Papers, a breach we can all get behind
Now here's a breach and leak everyone can get behind (unless you're a billionaire despot, that is). Selected excerpts from the Panama Papers dropped on Sunday, an unprecedented snatch-and-grab of offshore tax haven records released to a handful of global news organizations. In them, the tax-avoiding dealings of the super-rich were exposed in a gigantic haul of data said to total around 11.5m files (2.6 terabytes). It was taken from shell-company specialist Mossack Fonseca by an anonymous source, who shared the Panamanian law firm's trove with German newspaper Süddeutsche Zeitung.
The UK government is getting its own 'Air Force One'
UK Prime Minister David Cameron and cabinet ministers are set to get their very own Air Force One under new government plans. Reuters reports that as part of a spending review due next week, Chancellor George Osborne will announce that £10 million will be spent on refitting a RAF Voyager A330 aircraft (pictured above), which usually operates as an air-to-air refuelling and transport aircraft, so it can be used for official government trips.
UK Prime Minister wants a 'permanent technological revolution'... and movies downloaded in a second
David Cameron outlined his Spectrum Strategy for the UK's digital future, touching on 5G mobile broadband, better use of existing wireless frequencies and (as we keep hearing) the internet of things. In a speech at CeBIT 2014 in Hanover, he said: "This is a world on fast forward, a world of permanent technological revolution. Countries like the UK and Germany will only succeed if we have a relentless drive for new ideas and innovations." The government plans to stake £45 million (around $75 million) on research into that pesky internet of things, with the Prime Minister reckoning that improved spectrum use will lead to economic benefits of around £100 billion by 2025 -- and probably less spinning wheel of death.
Huawei runs David Cameron's preferred porn-filtering system, just FYI (updated)
Authorities in the UK have never had quite the same level of anxiety over Huawei that we've witnessed in the US, and they've so far been happy to let the Chinese firm get involved with numerous parts of the country's data infrastructure. As it turns out, the company's control even extends to the "Homesafe" filter used by internet service provider TalkTalk, which David Cameron recently praised during his push for tighter controls on adult content. The BBC discovered that UK-based Huawei employees are able to decide which sites are blocked on TalkTalk's service, and that even users who opt out of Homesafe have their internet usage data routed through Huawei's system. Whether or not this is an issue depends entirely on how much you trust reports of close ties between Huawei and the Chinese government, versus Huawei's claim that these concerns are based on anti-Chinese prejudice rather than evidence. From a purely practical point of view, however, if the mission is to block off huge swathes of the internet, why wouldn't you hire an expert? Update: A representative of Huawei has been in touch to provide the company's side of the story. He said that Huawei doesn't "run" the Homesafe system, but that the system is "supported by Huawei" without Huawei having control over it. He added that Huawei does not decide which sites are blocked, and that the final decision as to what filters are implemented rests with TalkTalk. Meanwhile, the BBC is apparently standing by its story, since it has issued no retraction.
UK government to activate adult content filters by default
In a speech later today, David Cameron will announce that, by the end of this year, all new UK broadband accounts will have adult content filters activated by default. Such restrictions will only be removed if the account-holder specifically requests it. Meanwhile, around 20 million users already connected will be presented with an "unavoidable decision" concerning adult content, and public WiFi providers must advertise if they utilize filters or not. Cameron also wants to outlaw "extreme pornography," unify police forces' regional databases and request that the Child Exploitation and Online Protection Center draws up a "blacklist" of search terms to prevent people from searching for outlawed images online. Legislation will be introduced towards the end of the year to codify the changes, and ISPs not considered to be doing enough will be forced into action.
UK Prime Minister to receive personalized iPad app for government news
UK Prime Minister and long time iPad fan David Cameron will receive a custom iPad app for keeping on top of government news, according to The Telegraph. Cabinet Office programmers have been working on the app that will deliver information such as crime stats, unemployment numbers and much more to the Prime Minister. Mr. Cameron is a full-on Apple fan. Last year he described how he uses his iMac, iPad and remote speakers to enjoy wireless music in his office. He told The Telegraph, "I'm very proud of the fact that I've got an iMac and I've got a speaker remotely linked without a wire which I did myself. I have all the music on the iMac. The cool thing is that I now control my iMac from the iPad, to play out through the speaker but I have to admit I had a little bit of help from someone in IT on that." Of course, Prime Minister Cameron isn't the only world leader to enjoy Apple hardware and software. The iPad is popular in Washington, DC, Saudi Arabia and South Korea.
UK Gov wants opt-in system for adult material, imagine a boot stamping on a trackpad, forever
Looks like Prime Minister David Cameron's not content with just shuttering the internet during social unrest (whilst condemning others who do the same). He's declared that four of the UK's biggest ISPs have entered into an opt-in system for adult material. The move is backed by the Mothers Union but has been flatly denied by the ISPs, who insist they're offering McAfee parental controls with new signups rather than Government-level web filtering. (Probably a massive let down to those eagerly waiting to delegate their parental responsibilities.) Of course, given the flaky nature of web filtering, any sanguine word that contained an expletive (the word "arsenal", for example) could be impossible to access until you had an awkward conversation with someone over the phone.
UK teen arrested for illegal BBM, social media crackdown gains steam
Lending further gravity to the proposed crackdown being bandied about in British parliament, an Essex teen has been arrested for sending a BBM that ran afoul of the Serious Crime Act of 2007. The 18-year old, now free on bail, allegedly used the service to encourage copycat attacks of the violent rioting that's swept London, and is set to appear in court on September 1st. It's the second known case to put RIM's private messaging service -- "popular among urban teenagers" as a cheap texting alternative -- in the UK's legal hotseat. For its part, the Canadian electronics maker has since reached out to police, promising to aid the investigation "in any way [it] can." Although no decision has yet been made to extend law enforcement's powers over social media services, such as Twitter and Facebook, arrests like these seem to indicate a murky free speech future.
UK Prime Minister exploring social media crackdown in wake of London riots (video)
As Londoners continue to pick up the rubble and carnage from this week's riots, UK Prime Minister David Cameron is exploring new ways to maintain order -- including, apparently, a government crackdown on social media. In a speech to members of Parliament today, Cameron made clear his belief that law enforcement officials should be able to curb and monitor the use of social networking sites under certain circumstances, lending credence to the theory that mechanisms like Facebook, Twitter and BlackBerry played a critical role in inciting the recent violence: "Free flow of information can be used for good. But it can also be used for ill. And when people are using social media for violence we need to stop them. So we are working with the Police, the intelligence services and industry to look at whether it would be right to stop people communicating via these websites and services when we know they are plotting violence, disorder and criminality." There's a fine line separating issues of national security from the rights to free speech, but it's a line that Cameron seems willing to toe. And, though he and his Conservative government are only mulling the idea, it's difficult to ignore the irony in his statements. Keep in mind that this is the same man who roundly condemned Hosni Mubarak for shutting down Egypt's internet at the height of its revolution, calling for the now-ousted leader to fully respect the "freedom of expression and communication, including use of telephones and the internet." Cameron, of course, isn't calling for anything nearly as drastic as what Mubarak orchestrated, nor is he facing anywhere near the same level of domestic turmoil. But the fundamental narrative remains the same: in the face of social upheaval, a national leader instinctively reaches for a digital muzzle as a stop-gap measure, while (perhaps) ignoring the larger, longer-term ramifications of his actions. Fortunately for the UK, though, Cameron is already doing one thing that Mubarak apparently never did -- he's thinking about right and wrong. Head past the break to see Cameron's speech, in its entirety.
UK charity opens gaming visitor center / gaming gadget incubator for the disabled
Disabled gamers currently form a small, but growing portion of the gaming community, and the folks from the UK's SpecialEffect video games charity are seeking to get a lot more of them gaming. SpecialEffect -- with an assist from UK Prime Minister David Cameron -- just opened a Video Games Visitor Centre to give those with disabilities a place to experience cutting-edge gaming tech designed for the disabled, like eye-controllers, in its GamesRoom. The Centre also has a GamesLab where "games and hardware are tested for accessibility" so game devs can adjust their wares to get even more people dishing out pwnage than ever before -- bring it on!
Macs popular with UK Prime Minister David Cameron
In a recent interview with The Telegraph, UK Prime Minister David Cameron described (among other things) his personal love of Apple's Macs, iPad and digital music: "I'm very proud of the fact that I've got an iMac and I've got a speaker remotely linked without a wire which I did myself. I have all the music on the iMac. The cool thing is that I now control my iMac from the iPad, to play out through the speaker but I have to admit I had a little bit of help from someone in IT on that. I bought the iMac for Samantha [his wife] because it's very important not to use my HoC computer for music. The best thing to do is to put all your music on to the iMac, and then you can sync iPods and iPads with it." We've recently learned that iPads are popular with leaders in Washington, DC, Saudi Arabia, South Korea and elsewhere. What will be most newsworthy is when these sightings aren't news; just another person with his/her computer. [Via Mac Stories]
