Kate Knibbs

Tech NewsMicrosoft

Microsoft Sues DOJ Over ‘Unconstitutional’ Secret Data Searches 

You might never know if police or FBI agents are reading your emails or files stored in the cloud, because the DOJ frequently issues indefinite gag orders that block companies from telling you. Microsoft argues that this secrecy is unconstitutional—and now it’s suing the government to stop it. If Microsoft receives a request for information … Continued

Tech NewsApple

Report: The FBI Paid Some Dodgy Hackers for a Zero-Day to Unlock the San Bernardino iPhone

I was kind of tired of the FBI vs. Apple story, but now it has a secret collective of morally ambiguous hackers, and I’m into it again. According to a report from the Washington Post, the Federal Bureau of Investigation paid a group of hackers a one-time fee to pinpoint a zero-day security flaw, which … Continued

Tech News

The Only Thing Dumber Than Buying a $700 Juicer Is Investing In It

The latest startup to “catch Silicon Valley’s eye” is a company called Juicero that’s selling, essentially, a $700 Keurig for organic cold-pressed juice. Even though it offers the kind of overpriced, niche gizmo you’d find in a Hammacher Schlemmer catalog, the company is flush with $120 million in investment capital. Silicon Valley giants are betting … Continued

Tech News

Here’s a Transcript of the Fundraising Speech Hillary Clinton Didn’t Want Us to Hear 

WSHHHHHHSHSHSHSHWHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHHWWWWWWShoooOOOOOOOOOOWHWHWHhhhWSHHHHHHSHSHSHSHWHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHHWWWWWWShoooOOOOOOOOOOWHWHWHhhhWSHHHHHHSHSHSHSHWHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHHWWWWWWShoooOOOOOOOOOOWHWHWHhhhWSHHHHHHSHSHSHSHWHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHHWWWWWWShoooOOOOOOOOOOWHWHWHhhhWSHHHHHHSHSHSHSHWHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHHWWWWWWShoooOOOOOOOOOOWHWHWHhhhWSHHHHHHSHSHSHSHWHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHHWWWWWWShoooOOOOOOOOOOWHWHWHhhhWSHHHHHHSHSHSHSHWHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHHWWWWWWShoooOOOOOOOOOOWHWHWHhhhWSHHHHHHSHSHSHSHWHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHHWWWWWWShoooOOOOOOOOOOWHWHWHhhhWSHHHHHHSHSHSHSHWHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHHWWWWWWShoooOOOOOOOOOOWHWHWHhhhWSHHHHHHSHSHSHSHWHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHHWWWWWWShoooOOOOOOOOOOWHWHWHhhhWSHHHHHHSHSHSHSHWHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHHWWWWWWShoooOOOOOOOOOOWHWHWHhhhWSHHHHHHSHSHSHSHWHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHHWWWWWWShoooOOOOOOOOOOWHWHWHhhhWSHHHHHHSHSHSHSHWHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHHWWWWWWShoooOOOOOOOOOOWHWHWHhhhWSHHHHHHSHSHSHSHWHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHHWWWWWWShoooOOOOOOOOOOWHWHWHhhhWSHHHHHHSHSHSHSHWHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHHWWWWWWShoooOOOOOOOOOOWHWHWHhhhWSHHHHHHSHSHSHSHWHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHHWWWWWWShoooOOOOOOOOOOWHWHWHhhhWSHHHHHHSHSHSHSHWHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHHWWWWWWShoooOOOOOOOOOOWHWHWHhhhWSHHHHHHSHSHSHSHWHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHHWWWWWWShoooOOOOOOOOOOWHWHWHhhhWSHHHHHHSHSHSHSHWHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHHWWWWWWShoooOOOOOOOOOOWHWHWHhhhHSHSHSHSHSHSHHWWWWWWShoooOOOOOOOOOOWHWHWHhhhWSHHHHHHSHSHSHSHWHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHHWWWWWWShoooOOOOOOOOOOWHWHWHhhhWSHHHHHHSHSHSHSHWHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHHWWWWWWShoooOOOOOOOOOOWHWHWHhhhWSHHHHHHSHSHSHSHWHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHHWWWWWWShoooOOOOOOOOOOWHWHWHhhhWSHHHHHHSHSHSHSHWHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHHWWWWWWShoooOOOOOOOOOOWHWHWHhhhWSHHHHHHSHSHSHSHWHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHHWWWWWWShoooOOOOOOOOOOWHWHWHhhhWSHHHHHHSHSHSHSHWHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHHWWWWWWShoooOOOOOOOOOOWHWHWHhhhWSHHHHHHSHSHSHSHWHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHHWWWWWWShoooOOOOOOOOOOWHWHWHhhhWSHHHHHHSHSHSHSHWHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHHWWWWWWShoooOOOOOOOOOOWHWHWHhhhWSHHHHHHSHSHSHSHWHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHHWWWWWWShoooOOOOOOOOOOWHWHWHhhhWSHHHHHHSHSHSHSHWHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHHWWWWWWShoooOOOOOOOOOOWHWHWHhhhWSHHHHHHSHSHSHSHWHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHHWWWWWWShoooOOOOOOOOOOWHWHWHhhhWSHHHHHHSHSHSHSHWHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHHWWWWWWShoooOOOOOOOOOOWHWHWHhhhWSHHHHHHSHSHSHSHWHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHHWWWWWWShoooOOOOOOOOOOWHWHWHhhhWSHHHHHHSHSHSHSHWHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHSHHWWWWW Yesterday, a local reporter posted video allegedly showing a static noise machine strategically placed to drown out Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton’s private fundraising speech in Denver. We’ve contacted the Clinton campaign to confirm that it used the machine, and will update when we hear back. In the meantime, the above is probably how … Continued

io9Television

Reminder: 17 Million Netflix Users Will Get Price Hikes Next Month

If you’re one of the 17 million people with a grandfathered-in Netflix subscription, take note: Netflix is raising its prices for those plans next month. In May, people grandfathered into an $8 per month two-stream HD plan will start paying $10 per month like the rest of us television-addled customers. According to Business Insider, many … Continued

Tech News

Trump Hotels Is Investigating Claims That Hackers Stole Customers’ Credit Card Data 

GOP presidential candidate and sentient sac of millions of spiders Donald Trump—literally more spiders than you’ve ever seen—does not have a coherent stance on cybersecurity. In his business ventures, though, his cybersecurity record sucks. Trump has failed to encourage policies to prevent large-scale data breaches at the hotels that bear his name. Krebs On Security … Continued

Tech News

The Pentagon’s Rewards Program for Hackers Has a Bizarre Loophole

The Department of Defense launched a new program last week, “Hack the Pentagon,” to reward hackers for pointing out security flaws in some of its public-facing websites. It’s a bug bounty, the same kind of program that most big tech firms use to encourage hackers to help instead of harm. The program budget is $150,000, … Continued

Tech News

Why Hospitals Are Still Chumps For Hackers

If I created a hierarchy of cyberattack nightmares, I’d slot attacks on hospitals right up there with having my Google search history downloaded and posted publicly. Maybe dying would be less explicitly humiliating, but getting murdered Homeland-style via hacked medical device is a specifically modern anxiety shudder. MIT Technology Review declared 2015 “the year of … Continued

Tech NewsGoogle

The Feds Ordered Google to Help Unlock Phones, and Google Didn’t Fight Back

The government used the All Writs Act in a failed attempt to make Apple write software that would weaken its security to help unlock a seized iPhone. That case was vacated this month, after a dramatic public battle. But the government is still using the All Writs Act to corral tech companies, including Google. The … Continued

Tech News

Finding Your Passenger Rating on Uber Just Got Way Easier 

Want to know whether the drivers of Uber think you’re a complete dirtbag or not? Finding your passenger rating on the ride-hailing app is now a much simpler process. Uber is pushing out an updated customer support system today, and the handiest feature is an automated way to find out your rating. Before, you could … Continued

Tech News

The Government Blew $86 Million on a Would-Be Drug-Spy Plane That Never Flew

When the DEA bought a spy plane in 2008, it was supposed to be a way to catch and transport dealers in Afghanistan. Instead, it turned into a corroding rust bucket in the desert, and a reminder of how dumb the government can be. The “Global Discovery” program is focused on a single aircraft, an … Continued

Tech NewsApple

The Government Didn’t Need Apple’s Help Unlocking the San Bernardino iPhone After All

FBI vs. Apple is over. At least round one, anyways. The government has confirmed that it was able to get the data off the iPhone of the San Bernardino shooter Syed Farook without Apple, and it is dropping the lawsuit compelling Apple to write security-weakening malware. “The government has now successfully accessed the data stored … Continued

Tech News

Donald Trump and Ted Cruz Got Into a Late-Night Twitter Fight About Their Wives 

The two leading GOP presidential candidates, burnt sienna businessman Donald Trump and Friendless Senator Ted Cruz, are in a microblog insult tussle about the women they married. It all started two days ago, when Trump got pissed off that an anti-Donald Trump political action campaign used a sexy photo of Melania Trump as an attack … Continued

Tech NewsApple

The Company Helping Unlock the San Bernardino iPhone Has a Long History of Selling Gear to US Police 

The company reportedly helping the FBI access the San Bernardino shooter’s iPhone data isn’t a household name in the US, but its data-extraction tools are all over the country. Cellebrite has been quietly helping US law enforcement bulk up its arsenal of surveillance gear for years. The FBI postponed a hearing yesterday about whether it … Continued

Tech NewsApple

4 Theories About How the FBI Is Cracking the San Bernardino Shooter’s iPhone

An anticipated courtroom showdown between Apple and the FBI was scheduled for today—but that’s not happening anymore. The hearing was postponed following an FBI court filing claiming a “third party” had shown the government an alternate method to unlock the San Bernardino shooter’s iPhone, one that doesn’t require Apple’s assistance. The timing of the FBI’s … Continued

Tech News

A Former State Department Employee Is Going to Prison for Twisted Sorority-Girl ‘Sextortion’ Scheme 

A former State Department employee will spend 57 months in prison for a “sextortion” cyberstalking crime that sounds like an SVU sweeps-week plot, only weirder and more awful. While working in the US Embassy in London, administrative support worker Michael C. Ford passed time on the job by sending phishing emails to thousands of people. … Continued

Tech NewsApple

Apple Didn’t Debut a New Phone Today 

Apple announced a “new” four-inch iPhone SE today, and it killed the iPhone 5S. This was a shrewd marketing strategy and a dirty trick. The iPhone SE is not a new phone. It is the iPhone 5S. You know, I don’t like being tricked. You can’t buy the iPhone 5S anymore, but don’t pour out … Continued

ScienceHealth

CareKit Is Apple’s Ambitious New Health Monitoring and Tracking Tool

Apple just introduced its most ambitious health product yet, an open-source app development platform called “CareKit.” It’s basically a way to help people keep track of their medical treatment, and to share information with doctors remotely. The first CareKit app is for people with Parkinson’s disease—it’s a tool to help track changes to their health … Continued

Tech NewsPrivacy and Security

How the Government Keeps Its Phone Spying Gear a Secret

Federal agencies go to extreme lengths to keep powerful phone spying gear secret—and new information shows just how the government pressures investigators to keep it under wraps. Documents obtained by the American Civil Liberties Union, published today, show how the Department of Justice urges investigators to hide its surveillance techniques from the public. This phone … Continued

Tech News

Uber Did Something Good for Once 

Uber has done something good, which will make the service more convenient. Uber already has an option to split fare between riders, but if you want to straight-up pay for someone else’s ride, you’ve had to use some clever tricks, like entering your friend’s location and having them pretend to be you, which is awkward. … Continued