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House Speaker livestreams snowstorm with world's worst soundtrack
During an election year, politics can get extra annoying. Opponents slamming each other on TV and Twitter. Donald Trump screaming "loser" every five minutes. So House Speaker Paul Ryan decided instead of trying to politicize the snowstorm hitting the nation's capital, he would just point a camera out the window of his office at the Capitol building towards the National Mall. Being social is the new kissing a baby to show everyone that you're just like them. The livestream actually quite soothing once you mute the horrible music that accompanies it. No really, the music is horrendous. But the snow is nice.
France wants to fix the terrible AZERTY keyboard
When I first encountered a French AZERTY keyboard as an ex-pat, I thought "this isn't so bad." The letter layout is similar to QWERTY, so I reckoned that typing in français would be a snap. I soon came to hate it, however. As the English-language Parisian site The Local points out, the keyboards lack both logic and consistency -- they actually differ from manufacturer to manufacturer. Even locals can't stand AZERTY, due to the difficulty in finding accented characters and commonly used symbols like "@." As a result, the government has launched a new plan to standardize the keyboard in an effort to protect people's sanity and the French language itself.
Facebook's Sandberg says a 'like' attack can help fight ISIS
One way to combat terrorist organizations such as ISIS on the internet, according to Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg, could be to engage in a so-called "like" attack. At a panel on the World Economic Forum in Davos this week, Sandberg gave an example of how German Facebook users "liked" a neo-Nazi Facebook page and then flooded it with positive messages. "What was a page filled with hatred and intolerance was then tolerance and messages of hope," she said in a report written by The Guardian.
Researcher warns of backdoor in GCHQ-developed encryption
The UK government's spy agency stands accused of developing and promoting an encryption standard for voice calls which includes a backdoor, allowing it to conduct "undetectable mass surveillance." The protection is designed for internal software used by the British government, but because it's open-source one security researcher is worried it'll also be adopted by commercial companies. If that happens, the flaw could be exploited by GCHQ and, potentially, hackers to monitor the conversations not just of government employees, but the wider public. Dr Steven Murdoch, a Principal Research Fellow at University College London's Information Security Research Group, is concerned specifically about the way GCHQ's standard handles encryption keys. MIKEY-SAKKE, the security protocol behind the Secure Chorus encryption standard, relies on a set of master keys generated at the service provider level. These are used to protect each call session, but Murdoch says the master private key can also be used to decrypt users' conversations, past and present. "The existence of a master private key that can decrypt all calls past and present without detection, on a computer permanently available, creates a huge security risk, and an irresistible target for attackers. Also calls which cross different network providers (e.g. between different companies) would be decrypted at a gateway computer, creating another location where calls could be eavesdropped." Such a flaw, Murdoch believes, can be classified as "key escrow." That means a service provider would be able to comply with a British government request for "content," or what was said, during a particular individual or group's conversations. This ability to decrypt is in stark contrast to end-to-end encryption, which puts both public and private keys in the hands of the user. That way, even if a warrant is served, the company is unable to deliver the data in a readable format. A number of apps now offer this protection, including Apple's iMessage. Murdoch says he isn't surprised by the backdoor given GCHQ's responsibility to both monitor and protect the government's communications: "GCHQ designs the encryption technology used by government to prevent unauthorised parties having access to classified information. But GCHQ also wants the ability to examine how this encryption technology is used to investigate suspected leaks whether to companies, the press, or foreign intelligence agencies." The worry now is that the MIKEY-SAKKE protocol will be adopted by companies offering secure voice calls to the public. After all, "government-grade security" sounds like a pretty safe bet. GCHQ, however, is refuting Murdoch's claims. A spokesperson for CESG, GCHQ's Information Security arm (which developed the standard) told Engadget: "We do not recognise the claims made in this paper. The MIKEY-SAKKE protocol enables development of secure, scalable, enterprise grade products."
Russia has plans to nuke Earth-bound asteroids, if necessary
From 2012 to 2015, Russia researched ways of deflecting Earth-bound asteroids using nuclear weapons and came up with a best-case scenario, The Telegraph reports. The Central Scientific Research Institute of Machine Building, an arm of Russia's state-run Roscosmos space agency, worked on the asteroid problem with other countries (including the United States) in a program called NEOShield, which was largely funded by the European Commission. Note that "NEO" in this case stands for "Near-Earth Object," not The One you're probably imagining.
Trump claims he'd make Apple build devices in the US
Donald Trump isn't known for having a firm grasp of technology-related issues, and he just reinforced those beliefs on Monday. The hopeful Republican presidential nominee told an audience at Liberty University that he'd make Apple "build their damn computers in this country," rather than sending the work to China and elsewhere. It sure sounds like a great idea, especially in light of increasing efforts to bring tech manufacturing stateside. However, there doesn't appear to be much evidence that this will happen -- or even that it can happen.
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Cabbies look to raise £600,000 to contest Uber's London licence
Under pressure from black cabbies and traditional private hire operators, Transport for London (TfL) is currently entertaining new regulations that could cause serious problems for Uber and its business model. But Action for Cabbies, a company brought to you by the Save Taxi campaign group, thinks it's too little too late. Today, it has announced its intention to seek a judicial review of the licence TfL granted Uber way back in 2012, and it hopes to fund the legal action by raising £600,000 in crowdfunded cash.
Engadget's guide to tonight's Democratic debate
Tonight the Democrats will take the stage and battle it out for the affections of the American public. The spectacle begins at 9PM ET on NBC. But, if network television isn't your thing, you'll have plenty of options for how to watch. You can fire up the NBC News app on your Android phone or tablet, iPhone or iPad, Fire TV or Roku, or You could simply visit NBCnews.com. Or you could visit YouTube.com/NBCNews and watch a livestream there. So many options!
Iran shuts down most of its nuclear program
Iran promised to shut down the majority of its nuclear program in return for an end to stiff economic sanctions, and it's making good on its word. International Atomic Energy Agency inspectors have confirmed that Iran is meeting its end of a 2015 deal that will limit its ability to produce nuclear weapons. The terms had it shut down two thirds of its nuclear centrifuges, eliminate 98 percent of its low-enriched uranium supplies, halt construction of a key reactor and curb both its refinement as well as its research for the next 15 years. It's also subject to tighter inspections that theoretically prevent it from restarting weapons development within the next 25 years.
House Science panel opens new investigation into Clinton emails
Hillary Clinton already has the FBI and a Senate judiciary committee on her tail about her private emails possibly containing classified info, but now it looks like she has to face yet another inquiry on the matter. Two days ago, House Science, Space and Technology Committee Chairman Lamar Smith (R-Texas) opened a second congressional committee to investigate the security of those emails.
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Home Secretary leaves plenty unanswered after IP Bill debate
At its heart, the Investigatory Powers Bill aims to give law enforcement and government agencies the means and powers to access Brits' online communications to aid their investigations. The bill's joint committee, whose job it is to scrutinise the legislation, has for several months been consulting with ISPs, mobile operators, tech companies, legal professionals, intelligence experts, privacy groups and other stakeholders. The last of these public evidence sessions took place on Wednesday, with Home Secretary Theresa May, the author of the IP Bill and long-time advocate of expanding the government's surveillance capabilities, being quizzed by the committee. While May attempted to provide some clarity on ambiguous parts of the bill and address concerns raised in previous sessions, plenty of uncertainty remains.
Has the 'Bitcoin experiment' failed?
A prominent voice in the Bitcoin community has announced that he is abandoning the cryptocurrency that he helped to popularize. Mike Hearn has revealed that deep divisions within the platform's "leadership" and a looming technical apocalypse threatens the system's entire existence. The creator of bitcoin has explained his position in a lengthy Medium post, saying that he has sold his coins and is washing his hands of Bitcoin. As far as he is concerned, the "Bitcoin experiment" has "failed."
The NSA releases its first transparency report under the US Freedom Act
Back in June, President Obama signed the USA Freedom Act into law. The bill finally put limitations on the NSA's ability to bulk collect telephone data under the controversial section 215 of the Patriot Act. As part of the new bill, the NSA was compelled to release a transparency report detailing if it was meeting the privacy standards enacted by the Freedom Act. Today, the agency has published its first report, conducted by the NSA's Civil Liberties and Privacy Office (CLPO).
US government announces $4 billion self-driving car program
Turns out we're way closer to our self-driving car future than most of us expected. US Department of Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx announced at the Detroit Auto Show (pdf) Thursday that the Obama administration will have a national blueprint for autonomous vehicle standards by July. What's more the administration is earmarking $4 billion of the 2017 budget to create a decade-long program that will support and accelerate development of the technology.
UK faces big backlash on longer sentences for online pirates
The results are in and surprise surprise, the public doesn't agree with the UK government's proposal to raise the maximum sentence for online copyright infringement. Policymakers want to increase the limit set by the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988 from two to ten years, matching the cap for physical goods. A campaign by the Open Rights Group (ORG) has triggered a wave of discontent towards the government's consultation, however. Over 900 responses were created with ORG's submission form, contributing to 1,011 opposing voices in total. In comparison, there were 21 supporters for the 10-year limit -- 20 businesses and 1 individual.
How to watch tonight's Republican debate with Engadget
Tonight the Republican candidates for president of the United States square off once again in the art of debate. The main event, which begins at 9PM ET on Fox Business, will feature Donald Trump, Ted Cruz, Marco Rubio, Ben Carson, Jeb Bush, John Kasich and Chris Christie. If you're one of those fancy cord-cutters, you can tune it at FOXBusiness.com for a live stream. Unlike some previous debates, this evening's event will not focus on particular topic. Instead it'll cover a number of subjects in the realm of economic, domestic and international policy.
World's first radar station gets life-saving grant
A radar site considered by some to be as historically important as Bletchley Park will be preserved, thanks to a £1.4 million ($2 million) grant from the UK government. The Bawdsey facility in eastern England, established in 1938, was the world's first operational radar station. The then-brand new technology helped the allied forces win the Battle of Britain, and some historians think it may have shortened World War II by as much as two years. The facility was closed in 1991, and is on Britain's "at-risk" heritage list because of structural issues and water damage.
Google hires a White House aide to handle its policy battles
The trend of White House veterans leaving for tech giants (such as Press Secretary Jay Carney) isn't stopping anytime soon. Google just hired Caroline Atkinson, the White House's just-departed deputy national security adviser, to lead its public policy efforts. That puts her at the forefront of some particularly thorny legal battles. She'll have to defend the companies against antitrust allegations, for example, and she might also have to grapple with Europe's right to be forgotten, censorship pressures and other big issues.
The US wants self-driving cars, and fast
Just a day after a technology-heavy State of the Union comes news that the White House isn't done pushing us into the future. Reuters believes that Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx will head to Detroit tomorrow to talk about the administration's efforts to accelerate the development of self-driving cars. It's said that Google, which has been spearheading the project to build an autonomous vehicle, will also be in attendance at the event. The newswire mentions Mark Rosekind, head of the nation's traffic safety bureau, who has asked for a "nimble, flexible" approach to writing new traffic regulations. Details are still thin on the ground, but it looks as if Obama's "spirit of innovation" is alive and well. [Image Credit: Kiyoshi Ota/Bloomberg/Getty]
President Obama wants US to 'reignite its spirit of innovation'
President Obama gave his final State of the Union address on Tuesday. In it, he discussed how far the country has come over the last year and where he sees it going in the future. But beyond the expected talk of a rebuilt, stronger economy, soaring high school graduation rates and new civil liberties, he laid out a bold plan to, as he puts it, make "technology work for us, and not against us."
