There's an excellent tick-tock of the Lavabit saga in the New Yorker, by Michael Phillips and Matt Buchanan. Lavabit founder Ladar Levison says he believes even if he hadn't hosted an email account for Edward Snowden, "Lavabit would eventually have found itself in the position that it's in now because it 'constitutes a gap' in the government's intelligence." And that should worry all of us. Read: How Lavabit Melted Down : The New Yorker.
'How Lavabit Melted Down'
Canadian fast food chain Tim Hortons had app users under constant surveillance
The app put out by Tim Hortons turned out to be constantly recording movements, illegally collecting "vast amounts of location data" without users' knowledge or consent. "The app also used location data to infer where users lived, where they worked, and whether they were traveling," the Office of the Privacy Commissioner said. "It generated an… READ THE REST
ShotSpotter "wastes millions of taxpayer dollars" and doesn't even work, say critics
ShotSpotter is a service that installs microphones around town and "spots" gunshots, but is frequently criticized for its reliability and price. One study found it offers "no reductions in serious violent crimes, yet … increases demands on police resources". The problems with it are both systematic (the mics confirm the biases that went into the… READ THE REST
Gentleman robs company that specializes in security cameras
A gentleman in South Nashville cut a fence and broke into the headquarters of Pro Systems, a company that specializes in security cameras. The thief absconded with $20,000 worth of goods. Unsurprisingly, police quickly apprehended the man who was easily identified on surveillance footage. According to WKRN, "Pro Systems was able to recover most of… READ THE REST
Save $63 on these award-winning translation earbuds while donating to charity
We thank our sponsor for making this content possible; it is not written by the editorial staff nor does it necessarily reflect its views. Summer may be coming to an end, but that doesn't mean your adventures have to stop. Whether it's a business trip or weekend galavanting around town, broadening your world can be… READ THE REST
Level up your communication with a three-year subscription to Markup Hero
We thank our sponsor for making this content possible; it is not written by the editorial staff nor does it necessarily reflect its views. Nothing's worse than trying to find that random image someone sent you, however many months back, frantically searching through email threads for something that looks familiar. Not only is that stressful, but it's… READ THE REST
Study for a perfect score and help kids in need by purchasing this portable monitor
We thank our sponsor for making this content possible; it is not written by the editorial staff nor does it necessarily reflect its views. Studying has become incredibly unconventional, starting with doing everything online and continuing with giving textbooks the axe. So if you're ditching the stacks for a more modern way to focus on your… READ THE REST
