Mike Wheatley
Latest from Mike Wheatley
US Judge Rules Data Encryption Makes Perverts Untouchable
We all know that protecting our digital data is important, but that doesn’t stop most of us from using lame passwords or just not bothering to do so at all. However, a recent ruling in the legal case of a suspected child porn distributor might just prompt some people to have a rethink. As it ...
Google Snaps Up Wavii to Boost its Knowledge Graph Database
Various reports suggest that Google is on the verge of announcing a $30 million-plus acquisition of Seattle-based startup Wavii, a real-time news service that creates “Facebook-style” news feeds for whatever users happen to be interested in. Techcrunch first reported the news, citing “legitimate sources” with knowledge of the matter. As part of the deal, Wavii’s ...
Microsoft Wraps Up Android Patents Deal With ZTE
Microsoft has just tied up its second major patent-licensing deal in the space of seven days, sealing an agreement with Chinese smartphone maker ZTE that shows it isn’t about to let up in its efforts to seize its share of the mobile market, even if it has to do things the roundabout way. As noted ...
Google, Microsoft & Facebook Team Up To Block Privacy Rights Bill
While CISPA’s progress past the US House of Representatives was drawing plenty of heat from privacy activists last week, an altogether different internet bill that aims to enhance internet user’s privacy was facing down tough opposition of its own. If passed into law, AB1291, otherwise known as the “Right to Know” act, would give California ...
Firefox Developer Phones Go On Sale, Sell Out In Just Two Hours
The first smartphones running Mozilla’s Firefox OS have finally gone on sale, though anyone who’s excited about the upcoming challenger to Android and iOS had probably better hold onto their horses for the moment. The devices in question – available from almost unheard of Spanish outfit Geeksphone – are reported to be geared at developers ...
Hacking by the Numbers: China Still the Biggest Threat
If you happen to have been a victim of hacking over the past 12 months and want to know where the culprits are, look no further than China, which has just been fingered as the origin of around 30% of all data breaches during 2012. Verizon’s 2013 Data Breach Investigation Report (DBIR), published this morning, ...
Japan’s Cops Want Tor Network Banned After Cyber-Terror Cat Humiliation
Just like most countries with an internet-savvy population, Japan has to deal with more than its fair share of web-based crime. Only problem is, Japan’s National Police Agency (NPA) appears to be altogether less savvy than those it’s trying to catch, prompting them to call for what would amount to a blanket ban on anyone ...
Crowdsourcing Screwed Up, But Can We Do It Better Next Time?
Last week’s dramatic Boston bombing attacks and the subsequent manhunt for the suspects provoked a deluge of activity on social media sites as the public hunted for information. As we saw, thousands of netizens took to sites like Reddit and 4Chan in a bid to ‘crowdsource’ evidence and find who might be responsible, sparking the ...
Anonymous Calls For Web Blackout, But Is Anyone Listening?
The hacktivist group Anonymous is hoping for a big response today after launching an appeal for websites to ‘black out’ their home pages in protest at the US government’s proposed Cyber Intelligence Sharing and Protection Act (CISPA), which was passed by the US House of Representatives last week. As previously reported on SiliconANGLE, the bill ...
Facebook Building World’s “Most Advanced” Data Center in Iowa
One of the longest-running mysteries in the data center world appears to have been sold after it was revealed that Facebook is secretly funding a new, $1.5 billion facility in Altoona, Iowa. The facility, which has been referred to by officials as “Project Catapult” is touted as “the most technologically advanced in the world”, and ...