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Scottish Police bought a fleet of devices for smartphone data-mining
Police in Scotland are getting ready to roll out a fleet of 'cyber kiosks' that will allow them to mine device data for evidence. The kiosks -- PC-sized machines -- have been designed to help investigations progress faster. At the moment, devices can be taken from witnesses, victims and suspects for months at a time, even if they contain no worthwhile evidence. According to Police Scotland, the kiosks will enable officers to quickly scan a device for evidence, and if relevant information is found, the device will be sent on for further investigation. If not, it can be returned to its owner straight away.
Ring gave police a detailed map of area doorbell installations
Police departments partnered with Amazon's Ring security service had access to maps that revealed where Ring video doorbells were located, CNET reports. While Amazon has said police do not have access to the location of devices -- which they can request footage from -- the heat maps provided to police allowed them to zoom in on specific locations.
Tesla Cybertruck will join Dubai's eclectic police fleet
Dubai's police force is well-known for incorporating supercars and other oddities into its fleet, but its latest might be the most eccentric to date. The law enforcement agency has revealed that it'll add Tesla's Cybertruck to its stable -- it claims this will happen in 2020, but that's clearly not happening when production doesn't start until late 2021. Commander-in-Chief Maj Gen. Abdullah Khalifa Al Marri explained that this would help "enhance security presence" in tourist spots like the Burj Khalifa. Goodness knows you're less likely to speed if an electric death wedge is likely to hunt you down.
Massachusetts police have been quietly testing a robot dog
Boston Dynamics has been looking for ways to put its robots to work, but it turns out they've already seen some service. Radio station WBUR and the ACLU have learned that the Massachusetts State Police bomb squad leased Boston Dynamics' Spot robot between August and November. While the document didn't elaborate on the role the bot would serve, a spokesperson said it was used as a "mobile remote observation device" to keep watch over suspicious devices and dangerous locations.
Amazon confirms police can keep Ring doorbell videos forever
Video doorbell company Ring is facing heat from lawmakers and privacy advocates after it revealed authorities are able to keep homeowners' videos forever, and can share them with whomever they want.
Florida police obtain Alexa recordings in murder investigation
Police have once again obtained Alexa voice recordings as part of an investigation, although they're not necessarily expecting a treasure trove of information this time around. Law enforcement in Hallandale Beach, Florida has used a search warrant to collect Alexa recordings from two Echo Dots as part of a murder case. Investigators want to know if the smart speakers inadvertently picked up audio of a July altercation between Adam Crespo and his wife Silvia Crespo. She died of a spear wound to the chest; Adam maintained that it was the result of an accident that snapped the spear, but detectives want to know if Alexa preserved any evidence of possible foul play.
How did Google get Pixel 4 face unlock this wrong?
Like many tech writers, I've been struggling to wrap my head around the brand-new Pixel 4's face unlock security #fail. Before the phone was even released, BBC technology reporter Chris Fox discovered that his review unit had a deeply disturbing security flaw: The phone's only biometric security option, facial recognition, worked just fine if the subject's eyes were closed.
Georgia court rules police need a warrant to get data from your car
Your connected car data might be safer from prying eyes -- Georgia's Supreme Court has ruled that police need a warrant to obtain personal data from cars. The decision overturns an earlier state Court of Appeals ruling that defended police obtaining crash data from a car in a vehicular homicide case. The state and appeals court "erred" by claiming that the data grab didn't violate defendant Victor Mobley's Fourth Amendment rights protecting against unreasonable searches and seizures, according to the Supreme Court.
Tim Cook defends Apple’s decision to remove Hong Kong protest app
Less than a day after Apple sparked controversy by removing a Hong Kong protest app, CEO Tim Cook has defended the decision. Apple removed the HKmap.live app after China Daily -- owned by the Communist Party of China -- criticized the company for listing it in the App Store. In an internal letter, Cook wrote, "we believe this decision best protects our users."
UK police auction TalkTalk hacker's cryptocurrency
A UK police force auctioned off more than £240,000 of cryptocurrency that they confiscated from the teenage hacker behind the 2015 TalkTalk breach. In April 2018, police discovered that Elliott Gunton was stealing personal data in exchange for hundreds of thousands of pounds in cryptocurrency. According to BBC, he admitted to five charges, including computer misuse and money laundering. He was sentenced to 20 months jail time and ordered to pay back £407,359. Apparently he was also sitting on a pretty large stash of cryptocurrency.
Turns out Tesla police cars run out of 'gas' mid-chase, too
If you're a cop involved in a high-speed pursuit, the last thing you want to see on your dash is a notification that your car is about to run out of gas -- or in the case of one Fremont police officer, battery life. But that's what happened to Officer Jesse Hartman last week when his department's Tesla Model S patrol car warned him it had just six miles of battery left -- in the midst of a 120mph felony chase down the highway.
Facebook will train its content-removal AI with police camera footage
Facebook will use footage from police body cameras to train its automatic detection systems to spot and remove footage of mass shootings. The company announced Tuesday that it will partner with law enforcement in the US and UK to obtain footage from their firearms training programs. Data from those videos should help Facebook's systems detect real-world, first-person footage of violent events.
Researchers helped French police dismantle a crypto-mining botnet
It seems like every week there's news of a new piece of malware being used to steal user data or to take control of devices. For once, though, there's some good news in the war on intrusive software: A botnet which was spreading crypto-mining malware has been taken over by police and used to remove the malware from infected computers.
Recommended Reading: Behind the scenes of Netflix's 'Dark Crystal' prequel
The creators of 'The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance' just loved throwing puppets Liz Shannon Miller, The Verge Netflix's Dark Crystal prequel series debuted this week, offering fans another look at the world created by Jim Henson and Frank Oz. The Verge caught up with executive producers Javier Grillo-Marxuach, Jeffrey Addiss and Will Matthews for a behind-the-scenes interview ahead of the streaming debut. There's plenty of detail on the cast, the crew, the tech and "Olympic-level puppet-throwing."
Amazon's Ring reveals where it's partnering with law enforcement
Amazon's Ring security service now works with 405 law enforcement agencies across the US. Today, Ring released a map showing every police department it's partnered with, as well as details on when each partnership began. The hundreds of departments listed have access to Ring's Neighbors Portal, which allows them to request footage from Ring's video doorbells.
Bugged cell location data prompts Denmark to review 10,000 court cases
Authorities in Denmark are reviewing more than 10,000 court cases to see if flawed cellphone location data may have led to wrongful convictions, according to The New York Times. The review stems from two recently discovered bugs. The first caused the system police used to convert raw cellphone data into a picture of a device's whereabouts to omit some crucial information. Due to the bug, Danish authorities say the mobile location evidence they presented to the country's courts wasn't as precise as they had initially thought. Police say they fixed the error after discovering it in March.
Huawei technicians may have helped African governments spy on opponents
An investigation by The Washington Post claims Huawei technicians helped African governments spy on domestic political opponents. According to the report, Huawei employees helped authorities in Uganda intercept encrypted messages and allowed police in Zambia to locate opposition bloggers. Such claims could validate the Trump administration's concerns about the use of Huawei technology in the US, but Huawei told The Washington Post it has "never been engaged in 'hacking' activities."
Amazon is reportedly teaching police how to get Ring footage without a warrant (updated)
Amazon's home security division Ring is not only working with law enforcement and trying to collect 911 call data. It's also reportedly coaching police on how to get people to hand over their surveillance footage without a warrant, according to Motherboard.
Amazon’s Ring wants to collect information from 911 calls
Amazon's smart doorbell division Ring is angling for access to 911 caller data, a report by Gizmodo reveals. As part of its Neighbors app, which provides information about crimes in users' local areas, Ring is seeking to access data from the computer-aided dispatch (CAD) feeds used by emergency call responders.
Google Pixel phones can use text-to-speech to talk to 911 for you
In the event of an emergency, your first instinct might be to call 911. But in certain situations, you may not be able to speak with an operator. Whether that's because you're injured, in a dangerous situation or have a speech impairment, Google wants to make sure its users can request the help they need. Today, it introduced a new feature that lets you send automated voice messages with a single tap.
