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The movies and books we'd give as gifts
"Stick to tech," you might be thinking right now. Well, in a way, we are. No, we're not pop culture critics, and hardcover books aren't gadgets. But our gift guide wouldn't be complete without some DVD (OK, fine, Blu-ray) recs, and what is our taste if not nerdy? Because we're Engadget, and covering tech is what we do, we curated a list of books and movies that fall squarely in the sci-fi, gaming, nerd-culture and dystopia buckets. Or, in the case of nonfiction books like Super Pumped, we included media that chronicles and interrogates the tech industry -- for better and worse. Looking for something not too expensive with a bit more warmth than, we don't know, a battery pack? A book or movie relevant to your geeky friend's interests could be just the thing.
The US is suing Edward Snowden over his memoir
The United States is suing whistleblower Edward Snowden over his memoir, Permanent Record. It claims the former Central Intelligence Agency employee and National Security Agency contractor violated non-disclosure agreements with both agencies because he didn't submit the book to them for review before publication.
European Court rules UK surveillance program violated human rights
The European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) is the latest to deem the UK government's mass surveillance program unlawful. Judges ruled the "bulk interception regime" violated the right to privacy and freedom of expression. It said there was "insufficient oversight" over what communications UK agencies were collecting and also noted that there were "inadequate" safeguards for the protection of confidential journalistic sources.
NSA has yet to fix security holes that helped Snowden leaks
Edward Snowden's success in leaking NSA data was chalked up in part to the agency's own security lapses, so you'd think that the agency would have tightened up its procedures in the past five years... right? Apparently not. The NSA Inspector General's office has published an audit indicating that many of the Snowden-era digital security policies still haven't been addressed, at least as of the end of March 2018. It hasn't correctly implemented two-person access controls for data centers and similar rooms, doesn't properly check job duties and has computer security plans that are either unfinished or inaccurate.
Edward Snowden's Haven app uses your phone to detect intruders
Forget phone calls — a new app from The Guardian Project, the Freedom of the Press Foundation and Edward Snowden aims to turn Android smartphones into tiny, unobtrusive security systems. Haven, released today in public beta, was designed to use a phone's built-in sensors to track sudden changes in the environment around it. Let's say you'd like to keep tabs on a room while you're away from it — the app can direct compatible devices to record unexpected sounds, look out for changes in ambient light, and notice if it's being picked up or tampered with. You can even prop the phone up and set up the camera for use as a motion tracker, just for good measure.
US allies accuse NSA of manipulating encryption standards
The US National Security Agency (NSA) is in the global bad books again after allegations surfaced suggesting it was trying to manipulate international encryption standards. Reuters reports that it has seen interviews and emails from experts in countries including Germany, Japan and Israel expressing concern that the NSA has been pushing two particular encryption techniques not because they are secure, but because the agency knows how to break them.
Oliver Stone's unhealthy treatment of hacking in Hollywood
What's so compelling about Oliver Stone's recent four-part interview series with Vladimir Putin is probably not what the multi-Oscar-winning director intended. It's the same thing that makes his Edward Snowden biopic its own sort of cipher after the fact. Both have inadvertently — and strangely, by their own design — upset the already shaky foundations of toxic hero worship in the era of hackers, hacktivism and cyber-espionage.
NBC: Russia 'considers' sending Snowden back to US
A report by NBC News cites unnamed US intelligence sources claiming that Russian officials are deliberating a handover of Edward Snowden as a "gift" to the Trump administration. Since leaking information on the NSA's "PRISM" surveillance, the former government contractor has been living in Russia since 2013 on a permit and is a year away from being able to apply for citizenship. He still faces federal charges, and previously, Donald Trump has called Snowden a "traitor," and a "spy who should be executed."
Snowden's preferred email provider, Lavabit, has been resurrected
Lavabit, the encrypted email provider Edward Snowden favored, has risen from the ashes with more security features than before. If you'll recall, company chief Ladar Levison shut it down in 2013 instead of complying with the government's demand to hand over its SSL encryption key. Authorities targeted the provider in order to get to the whistleblower's communications, but a gag order prevented Lavabit from confirming that was the case until last year. In order to ensure its users' privacy, the resurrected Lavabit uses a new architecture that physically prevents the company from handing over its SSL key.
Russia will let Edward Snowden stay for another three years
Less than 24 hours after President Obama commuted the majority of Chelsea Manning's 35-year sentence, the Russian government has updated its position on whistleblower Edward Snowden. Local authorities have confirmed that Snowden has been granted another three-year extension to his residency permit, which was first granted in 2013, allowing him to stay in the country until 2020.
Snowden never filed paperwork requesting a pardon
If you thought Obama might give Edward Snowden a similar reprieve to Chelsea Manning this week, think again. While the formed NSA-contractor turned whistleblower has explained why the president should grant him clemency, he hasn't done anything beyond that. "Mr. Snowden has not filed paperwork to seek clemency from this administration," the White House told CNN today.
Congress claims Snowden has been in contact with Russian intelligence
Edward Snowden, the NSA contractor who released a trove of confidential documents detailing the massive scope of US surveillance programs, has been accused by Congress of giving information to Russian intelligence agencies. A new report from the US House of Representatives Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence (HPSCI) claims that Snowden "has had, and continues to have, contact with Russian intelligence services" since seeking asylum in Russia in 2013. The 33-page report, which was just declassified today, contains a section called "foreign influence" in which the deputy chairman of the Russian parliament's defense and security committee claims that "Snowden did share intelligence" with the Russian government.
Watch Twitter's CEO interview Edward Snowden at 12PM ET
The world's most famous whistleblower, Edward Snowden, will be interviewed by Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey in less than an hour. Those of you who are interested in watching can do so live via the Pardon Snowden Twitter account, and you can also participate by submitting your own questions using the hashtag #AskSnowden. There are no details on what the conversation will be about, but chances are we'll hear something related to Russia "hacking" the US Presidential election and other things of that nature. Tune in at 12:05PM ET.
President Obama doesn't plan on pardoning Edward Snowden
With President Obama's term nearly up, infamous NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden and his supporters have been campaigning for a presidential pardon. It sounds like that isn't in the card, though. In an interview with German newspaper Der Spiegel, Obama said that "I can't pardon somebody who hasn't gone before a court and presented themselves." Even if Snowden had, though, it sounds like the president believes that whistleblowers can't go rogue and expect not to face repercussions, even if what they reveal is substantive.
Edward Snowden will discuss Trump and privacy on November 10th
American technology policies could change significantly under Donald Trump, and that includes its stance on privacy. How will the new leader alter government surveillance, for example? Edward Snowden might have an answer. The whistleblower and Dutch search engine StartPage are hosting a live event on November 10th at 4:30PM Eastern to address what happens to privacy in the Trump era, among other questions. Snowden speaking engagements are nothing new, but this is special -- he's more than a little familiar with government spying activities, and this is his first chance to opine on how things might be different under a new administration.
The Engadget Podcast, Ep 6: I Beg Your Pardon
Managing editor Dana Wollman and reviews editor Cherlynn Low join host Terrence O'Brien to discuss all the latest Apple goodies. Plus they'll talk about Samsung's software bandaid for your exploding Note 7 and debate whether or not Edward Snowden deserves a presidential pardon.
Edward Snowden explains why Obama should pardon him
Edward Snowden laid out the reasons he should receive a pardon from President Obama in an interview with the Guardian, saying that while his actions as a whistleblower were technically illegal, they benefited citizens of the United States. "I think when people look at the calculations of benefit, it is clear that in the wake of 2013 the laws of our nation changed," Snowden told the Guardian. "The Congress, the courts and the president all changed their policies as a result of these disclosures. At the same time there has never been any public evidence that any individual came to harm as a result."
ACLU and Amnesty International ask Obama to pardon Snowden
The American Civil Liberties Union and Amnesty International, two of the highest-profile human rights organizations in the United States, are calling for President Obama to grant clemency to Edward Snowden. The "Pardon Snowden" campaign kicks off today with a petition to "let President Obama know that the American people stand with Snowden." It's seeking 60,000 signatures and is hosted by the ACLU, which has signed on as Snowden's legal adviser.
Watch Snowden talk 'Snowden' with Oliver Stone next month
NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden's telepresence world tour has another stop: a conversation following an early screening of the upcoming Oliver Stone biopic, Snowden. The Oscar-winning director will also be a part of the fireside chat, but rather than beaming in from Moscow, according to Deadline he'll be joining from New York. That, in a nutshell, is the difference between being wanted by the federal government and making a movie about someone wanted by the federal government.
Untangling the NSA's latest alleged embarrassment
Last week, security researcher Mikko Hypponen found a notice on Github from an entity called Shadow Brokers, a reference to master of the galactic black market for information in the game Mass Effect. The notice was for an auction of exploits from the Equation Group (widely believed to be operated by the NSA).