investigate
Latest
Senators ask FTC to investigate how social networks curate content
Republican politicians are taking their allegations of tech industry bias to regulators. Senators Ted Cruz and Josh Hawley have sent a letter to the FTC asking it to investigate how companies like Facebook, Google and Twitter curate content. These firms have "enormous influence," the senators wrote, and have the potential for "alarming and endless" abuses of power. Their ability to amplify or downplay content makes them powerful enough to "sway elections," according to the politicians, but they're reportedly not accountable to customers or voters due to a lack of transparency in their curation processes.
San Fran PD looking for security footage at lost iPhone bar
CNET is reporting that the San Francisco Police Department is poking around local bar Cava 22, the same establishment where a prototype iPhone was supposed to have been lost a little while ago. The owner of the bar says that the SFPD came by asking for surveillance videotape of July 21 and 22 (the days the phone was supposedly lost in the bar), and while he's got it and is willing to share, he hasn't heard back from the officers. But there may be more going on here than just a lost iPhone; this is of course the same case where SFPD officers "assisted" Apple in an investigation, going so far as to wait while Apple detectives entered a citizen's home, apparently searching for information related to the lost iPhone. The SFPD is investigating that situation (though the department does admit that the "assistance" took place), and it's possible that this surveillance footage is for that research. At any rate, the case isn't exactly closed. Unfortunately, it's unlikely that we'll ever hear anything else about this one, unless the cops did violate the law in some way by helping Apple's investigation. Even if a lost iPhone was found, Apple wouldn't exactly go yelling it from the rooftops, and the SFPD probably won't be happy to publicize any of their officers' behavior, either. The investigation may still be ongoing, but we'll have to wait and see if and when the public is let in on any of its findings. [via 9to5Mac]
Fujifilm's IS Pro DSLR lends a hand in forensics
Fujifilm has been lending a helping hand in the realm of investigative photography for quite some time, and the firm's latest picks up where the S3 Pro UVIR and IS-1 left off. Featuring Fujifilm's Super CCD Pro and Real Photo Processor Pro technology to see light from the ultraviolet, visible, and infrared portions of the spectrum, this 12.3-megapixel gem also sports face detection, password protected lockouts, optional "rubber body armor," CF / Microdrive slots, RAW support, and a live image preview LCD to boot. Moreover, it's fully compatible with Nikon F mount lenses and iTTL flash systems, which should ease the burden of switching costs if you've already sunk way too much into Nikon accessories. No word just yet on how much coinage this will demand, but look for it to land in precincts (okay, store shelves too) next month.
