From rforno at infowarrior.org Sun Mar 11 16:59:49 2018 From: rforno at infowarrior.org (Richard Forno) Date: Sun, 11 Mar 2018 17:59:49 -0400 Subject: [Infowarrior] - =?utf-8?q?MoviePass_Backs_Off_Plan_to_Track_Subs?= =?utf-8?q?cribers=E2=80=99_Whereabouts_at_All_Times?= Message-ID: <88A79A0C-3CCD-49ED-8F4F-26373B7A6073@infowarrior.org> MoviePass Backs Off Plan to Track Subscribers? Whereabouts at All Times ?We watch how you drive from home to the movies. We watch where you go afterwards,? CEO Mitch Lowe said last week Jennifer Maas | Last Updated: March 9, 2018 @ 8:55 AM https://www.thewrap.com/moviepass-wont-track-subscribers-location-app/ From rforno at infowarrior.org Fri Mar 2 10:14:21 2018 From: rforno at infowarrior.org (Richard Forno) Date: Fri, 2 Mar 2018 11:14:21 -0500 Subject: [Infowarrior] - Citizen Lab Research on Fitness Tracker Privacy Message-ID: Citizen Lab Research on Fitness Tracker Privacy https://citizenlab.ca/2018/01/fit-leaking-citizen-lab-research-fitness-tracker-privacy/ From rforno at infowarrior.org Fri Mar 2 12:48:22 2018 From: rforno at infowarrior.org (Richard Forno) Date: Fri, 2 Mar 2018 13:48:22 -0500 Subject: [Infowarrior] - =?utf-8?q?Leaked=3A_Secret_Documents_From_Russia?= =?utf-8?q?=E2=80=99s_Election_Trolls?= Message-ID: Leaked: Secret Documents From Russia?s Election Trolls An online auction gone awry reveals substantial new details on Kremlin-backed troll farm efforts to stir up real protests and target specific Americans to push their propaganda. Ben Collins Gideon Resnick Spencer Ackerman 03.01.18 9:02 PM ET https://www.thedailybeast.com/exclusive-secret-documents-from-russias-election-trolls-leak From rforno at infowarrior.org Sun Mar 4 18:47:23 2018 From: rforno at infowarrior.org (Richard Forno) Date: Sun, 4 Mar 2018 19:47:23 -0500 Subject: [Infowarrior] - =?utf-8?q?_RIP_CERT=2Eorg_=E2=80=93_You_Will_Be_M?= =?utf-8?q?issed?= Message-ID: <6639C9BD-2433-4551-A02C-F98A4834E373@infowarrior.org> RIP CERT.org ? You Will Be Missed https://www.riskbasedsecurity.com/2018/02/rip-cert-org-you-will-be-missed/ From rforno at infowarrior.org Mon Mar 5 11:14:13 2018 From: rforno at infowarrior.org (Richard Forno) Date: Mon, 5 Mar 2018 12:14:13 -0500 Subject: [Infowarrior] - OT: (Illegally) Marketing the Presidency? Message-ID: <36DE410B-4DF4-45F4-BD7B-959CC44FF71D@infowarrior.org> (However, I expect nothing less from this fraud or his commercial racket. --rick) ?Trump, Inc.? Podcast Extra: The Trump Organization Ordered Golf Course Markers With the Presidential Seal. That May Be Illegal. https://www.propublica.org/article/trump-inc-podcast-extra-the-trump-organization-ordered-golf-course-markers-with-the-presidential-seal-that-may-be-illegal From rforno at infowarrior.org Mon Mar 5 18:34:52 2018 From: rforno at infowarrior.org (Richard Forno) Date: Mon, 5 Mar 2018 19:34:52 -0500 Subject: [Infowarrior] - History of the browser user-agent string Message-ID: <55A19465-C7BB-4CF1-A911-82FCCD2ABF10@infowarrior.org> History of the browser user-agent string https://webaim.org/blog/user-agent-string-history/ From rforno at infowarrior.org Tue Mar 6 06:45:56 2018 From: rforno at infowarrior.org (Richard Forno) Date: Tue, 6 Mar 2018 07:45:56 -0500 Subject: [Infowarrior] - USS Lexington found: Paul Allen finds aircraft carrier that saved Australia in World War II Message-ID: <12489FF0-3A4F-4807-9A65-195BF513A225@infowarrior.org> USS Lexington found: Paul Allen finds aircraft carrier that saved Australia in World War II IT was the day that decided Australia?s fate. The aircraft carrier USS Lexington was lost in 1942 in a desperate bid to block a Japanese invasion force. Now, 76 years later, she?s back. http://www.news.com.au/technology/science/archaeology/uss-lexington-found-paul-allen-finds-aircraft-carrier-that-saved-australia-in-world-war-ii/news-story/bd9a002695edcd3dbd5a12cd1782d2f1 From rforno at infowarrior.org Sun Mar 11 17:49:54 2018 From: rforno at infowarrior.org (Richard Forno) Date: Sun, 11 Mar 2018 18:49:54 -0400 Subject: [Infowarrior] - Fwd: Potent malware that hid for six years spread through routers References: <201803112138.w2BLcrrq027114@synergy.ecn.purdue.edu> Message-ID: > Begin forwarded message: > > From: Joe C > > > Nation-sponsored Slingshot is one of the most advanced attack platforms ever. > Dan Goodin - 3/10/2018, 11:41 AM > > Researchers have discovered malware so stealthy it remained hidden for six years despite infecting at least 100 computers worldwide. > > Slingshot?which gets its name from text found inside some of the recovered malware samples?is among the most advanced attack platforms ever discovered, which means it was likely developed on behalf of a well-resourced country, researchers with Moscow-based Kaspersky Lab reported Friday. The sophistication of the malware rivals that of Regin?the advanced backdoor that infected Belgian telecom Belgacom and other high-profile targets for years?and Project Sauron, a separate piece of malware suspected of being developed by a nation-state that also remained hidden for years. > > https://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2018/03/potent-malware-that-hid-for-six-years-spread-through-routers/ -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From rforno at infowarrior.org Mon Mar 12 06:00:47 2018 From: rforno at infowarrior.org (Richard Forno) Date: Mon, 12 Mar 2018 07:00:47 -0400 Subject: [Infowarrior] - Fwd: Using Fake Facts to Make Us Afraid References: <1869495415.15632288.1520852210722@mail.yahoo.com> Message-ID: <57C47394-8065-4ED3-A6FA-46B97F9CB57C@infowarrior.org> > Begin forwarded message: > > From: Mark > > Using Fake Facts to Make Us Afraid > On immigration and terrorism, the Trump administration misleads about its own misleading data > March 12, 2018 Arnold Isaacs > http://warisboring.com/using-fake-facts-to-make-us-afraid/ > > When you see an immigrant or a foreign visitor, especially from a Muslim country, should your first thought be that you might be looking at a possible terrorist? > > Clearly, that?s how the Trump administration wants Americans to react. It was the message in the president?s first address to Congress a year ago last week when he declared that ?the vast majority of individuals convicted of terrorism and terrorism-related offenses since 9/11 came here from outside of our country.? At that time, he urged that the U.S. immigration system be reshaped because ?we cannot allow a beachhead of terrorism to form inside America.? > > There?s a misleading omission in Donald Trump?s formulation, though. Homegrown fanatics have killed many more Americans on U.S. soil than foreign-born terrorists have. The disparity grows much wider if you include mass killings carried out not for any religious or ideological cause but ? as we have recently been tragically reminded ? by mentally troubled individuals. Indeed, in just two such shootings in the last five months in Las Vegas, Nevada and Parkland, Florida, deranged shooters with assault rifles killed more than three times as many people as all foreign-born jihadists have killed in this country in the last 16 years. > > Another key fact is missing, too. Only a fairly small number of those ?terror-related? convictions were for acts committed or planned in the United States. Many more involved support, in various forms, for terrorist activity in other countries. > > Still, Trump and his associates have repeatedly declared that terrorists sneaking into the country through a too-lax immigration system are a pressing threat to public safety in the United States. That was, for instance, the administration?s principal headline in January 2018 when it released a report from the Justice and Homeland Security departments, which claimed that nearly three out of every four individuals convicted in international terror cases in U.S. federal courts from 9/11 through 2016 were foreign born ? a total of 402, by their count. < - > -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From rforno at infowarrior.org Mon Mar 12 14:02:06 2018 From: rforno at infowarrior.org (Richard Forno) Date: Mon, 12 Mar 2018 15:02:06 -0400 Subject: [Infowarrior] - Comcast 'blocks' an encrypted email service: Yet another reminder why net neutrality matters Message-ID: <94376D21-1868-4321-B014-0410C528D0CF@infowarrior.org> Comcast 'blocks' an encrypted email service: Yet another reminder why net neutrality matters Now imagine your favorite websites getting blocked by your internet provider in the name of net neutrality. By Zack Whittaker for Zero Day | March 12, 2018 -- 14:31 GMT (07:31 PDT) | Topic: Security http://www.zdnet.com/article/comcast-customers-blocked-encrypted-email-service-net-neutrality-repeal/ From rforno at infowarrior.org Mon Mar 12 14:05:15 2018 From: rforno at infowarrior.org (Richard Forno) Date: Mon, 12 Mar 2018 15:05:15 -0400 Subject: [Infowarrior] - Could the Military Start Drafting Hackers in Their 40s? Message-ID: <91ABE22C-B31C-4685-A2C3-0391E2C371C4@infowarrior.org> Could the Military Start Drafting Hackers in Their 40s? By Joseph Marks,Senior Correspondent https://www.nextgov.com/cybersecurity/2018/02/could-military-start-drafting-hackers-their-40s/146033/ Got hacking skills? Uncle Sam may want you for the U.S. Army?even if you?re far past traditional draft age. The National Commission on Military, National and Public Service is seeking public feedback on a slew of possible changes to the way the government handles its selective service requirements, including drafting people with cyber skills regardless of their age or gender. The commission study was directed by Congress in the 2017 version of the National Defense Authorization Act, an annual defense policy bill, and is due to Congress in 2020. The commission?s also exploring dropping age and gender restrictions on drafting people with science, math and engineering skills as well as doctors, nurses and dentists, according to the request, which is scheduled to be published in Friday?s Federal Register. Expanding the draft to older hackers, coders and digital gurus could face some roadblocks. ?I am building a company and being drafted would be an enormous hindrance,? said Roberto Pena, a 32-year-old independent app designer in Houston who works on educational apps. That?s a complaint someone younger or earlier in his career might not have. ?It's very important that the military offer pathways to people who want to volunteer their technical knowledge in the service of their country,? Pena said, ?but being drafted would hinder my ability to contribute to society in the best way I know how.? Older, tech-proficient draftees might also not thrive under traditional military discipline, said Joe Hall, a 40-year-old tech policy adviser at the Center for Democracy and Technology. While Hall?s ?not totally against the idea,? he said, ?I do think you'd need different structures to make the best use of these folks.? The U.S. military has been an all-volunteer force since 1973, but the government requires male U.S. citizens between the ages of 18 and 25 to register for selective service. That?s essentially the pool of possible draftees if the government institutes a military draft. The commission is also exploring ways to ?foster a greater attitude and ethos of service among United States youth, including an increased propensity for military service? and the feasibility of giving draftees some federal benefit such as subsidized student loans or federal hiring preferences. From rforno at infowarrior.org Mon Mar 12 15:59:02 2018 From: rforno at infowarrior.org (Richard Forno) Date: Mon, 12 Mar 2018 16:59:02 -0400 Subject: [Infowarrior] - OT: John Oliver on 'Crypto'currency Message-ID: <8A3C63E9-915E-4915-9E37-7B15162EECDD@infowarrior.org> John Oliver did a good satirical takedown on 'crypto'currency last night..... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g6iDZspbRMg From rforno at infowarrior.org Mon Mar 12 17:21:52 2018 From: rforno at infowarrior.org (Richard Forno) Date: Mon, 12 Mar 2018 18:21:52 -0400 Subject: [Infowarrior] - Questions for TSA after reports of laptop and phone searches on domestic flights Message-ID: Questions for TSA after reports of laptop and phone searches on domestic flights Exclusive: growing number of reports raises concerns US government may be increasing surveillance and privacy violations at airports Sam Levin in San Francisco Mon 12 Mar 2018 14.25 EDT Last modified on Mon 12 Mar 2018 16.42 EDT https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/mar/12/tsa-surveillance-laptops-cellphones-domestic-flights There are a growing number of reports of the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) searching the electronic devices of passengers on domestic flights in the US, according to the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), which has sued the federal agency for records. The ACLU Foundation of Northern California filed a lawsuit against the TSA on Monday demanding that the government disclose its policies for searching the computers and cellphones of domestic travelers, arguing that anecdotal accounts have raised concerns about potential privacy invasions. ?We?ve received reports of passengers on purely domestic flights having their phones and laptops searched, and the takeaway is that TSA has been taking these items from people without providing any reason why,? the staff attorney Vasudha Talla told the Guardian. ?The search of an electronic device has the potential to be highly invasive and cover the most personal details about a person.? A TSA spokesman, Matt Leas, declined to comment on the lawsuit but said: ?TSA does not search the contents of electronic devices.? Over the past year, civil liberties groups have repeatedly raised concerns about US border agents expanding the invasive searches of international travelers? phones. Some travelers reported authorities demanding they unlock their devices and allow officials to review text messages, social media accounts, photos and other private information ? without warrants or reasonable suspicion. Now, there are questions about whether similar practices could be happening for passengers traveling within the US, raising fears that the government may be increasing surveillance and privacy violations at airports. ?It speaks to a growing attempt by the government to investigate individuals not based on probable cause or reasonable suspicion, but perhaps based on impermissible factors,? said Talla. The ACLU of Northern California had not previously received reports of these kinds of domestic searches, but recently learned of a handful of cases, said Talla, who said the ACLU did not have specific data to share. It just feels like an invasion of privacy, especially when they are not telling you what the problem is There are no clear patterns in the searches that people have described to the ACLU, though in each case, the TSA has not explained its justification to passengers, who have typically experienced the searches while going through security before boarding flights, Talla said. The ACLU in California has not heard of specific cases of the TSA requiring domestic fliers to unlock their devices, but last year, numerous reports emerged that Customs and Border Protection (CBP) would not let travelers enter the US without granting the agents access to devices. When devices are unlocked, ?they are really able to access a person?s entire life that is on the phone as well as using the device to access what is on the cloud?, Talla said. One woman who shared her story with the ACLU told the Guardian that in the last year, she had twice had her electronics searched while flying within California. The 64-year-old, who works in the not-for-profit sector and requested anonymity for fear that she could face further scrutiny from TSA, said that on one occasion last year, TSA agents pulled her aside to pat her down multiple times and eventually asked to see both her iPhones ? a work and personal one. The agents did not ask her to unlock the phones, but took them for at least 10 minutes out of her view, she said, adding that she quickly became distraught. ?I no longer had my phones, so there was no one I could contact,? she said, adding, ?It just feels like an invasion of privacy, especially when they are not telling you what the problem is.? The woman said on a recent trip, the TSA also briefly took her laptop, which was password protected. Trump's decision to deport 200,000 to his 'shithole countries' challenged in lawsuit Read more ?If somebody is suspecting you of doing something wrong or some kind of crime, you should be told what it is. You should be able to defend yourself,? she added. Under Donald Trump, Border Patrol has escalated its searches in areas far from the border. CBP has also claimed it has the authority to conduct warrantless searches of electronic devices at international border crossings, without probable cause, sparking an ACLU challenge. In 2015, CBP conducted 5,000 searches of electronic devices in airports ? a number that increased to 30,000 searches last year, the ACLU noted. In October 2017, the TSA announced it would be heightening screening procedures of domestic passengers? devices, including tablets and e-readers, but it has not released any policies or procedures governing these searches, the ACLU said. The ACLU said it had received no response to its public records requests sent in December 2017, forcing the group to file the lawsuit, which is seeking fairly basic policy documents. Leas said he could not comment on whether there was a formal TSA policy for searches of electronics. Talla said: ?These are materials that should not be terribly difficult to track down,? adding: ?We?re just not clear what they?re doing and why they?re doing it.? If you have stories of government searches of electronic devices at airports, contact sam.levin at theguardian.com From rforno at infowarrior.org Tue Mar 13 05:50:14 2018 From: rforno at infowarrior.org (Richard Forno) Date: Tue, 13 Mar 2018 06:50:14 -0400 Subject: [Infowarrior] - Senate rewards Equifax despite privacy breaches Message-ID: (Congress, again doing what it does best -- the unadulterated display of self-serving idiocy and promoting the utter abrogation of responsibility for damages to the American people in the pursuit of profits. --rick) Senate banking bill rewards Equifax despite privacy breaches Newly released provisions would allow the company and its industry peers to enter the mortgage market while shielding them from consumer lawsuits. By ZACHARY WARMBRODT 03/12/2018 07:09 PM EDT Equifax?s role in the biggest consumer data breach in U.S. history isn?t stopping Congress from giving the giant credit reporting company sweeping protection from lawsuits while allowing it to expand its offerings into the mortgage business. Those favors for Equifax and its peers in the credit reporting industry are among the surprise provisions in a major banking and financial deregulation bill that the Senate is set to pass this week. The changes, made public only last Wednesday, are providing new ammunition to critics of the banking legislation, which would scale back regulations imposed after the 2008 financial crisis. Congress has yet to pass any laws creating stiffer penalties for companies like Equifax, whose security practices allowed hackers to steal highly sensitive data on as many as 148 million U.S. customers last year. "This is the credit reporting agencies, one of whom caused more than half of the U.S. adult population to get hacked and to have their Social Security numbers in the hands of thieves," National Consumer Law Center staff attorney Chi Chi Wu said. "They really should not have that political clout right now." The Senate is on track to pass the banking legislation around the middle of this week after a procedural vote Monday evening. The credit-reporting issues could remain in play when the House takes up the bill. On the surface, the bill appears to impose a large burden on Equifax, TransUnion and Experian, which would be required for the first time to provide free credit freezes for consumers and free credit monitoring for members of the military. But lobbyists for the companies quietly prevailed in a months-long fight to secure language that would shield the firms from consumer lawsuits stemming from the free credit monitoring requirement. Another add-on ? which could have a considerable impact on the housing market ? could give a joint venture operated by the three companies an entry into providing credit scores for aspiring homeowners applying for mortgages. < - > https://www.politico.com/story/2018/03/12/equifax-data-breach-banking-profits-405457 From rforno at infowarrior.org Tue Mar 13 05:50:14 2018 From: rforno at infowarrior.org (Richard Forno) Date: Tue, 13 Mar 2018 06:50:14 -0400 Subject: [Infowarrior] - Senate rewards Equifax despite privacy breaches Message-ID: (Congress, again doing what it does best -- the unadulterated display of self-serving idiocy and promoting the utter abrogation of responsibility for damages to the American people in the pursuit of profits. --rick) Senate banking bill rewards Equifax despite privacy breaches Newly released provisions would allow the company and its industry peers to enter the mortgage market while shielding them from consumer lawsuits. By ZACHARY WARMBRODT 03/12/2018 07:09 PM EDT Equifax?s role in the biggest consumer data breach in U.S. history isn?t stopping Congress from giving the giant credit reporting company sweeping protection from lawsuits while allowing it to expand its offerings into the mortgage business. Those favors for Equifax and its peers in the credit reporting industry are among the surprise provisions in a major banking and financial deregulation bill that the Senate is set to pass this week. The changes, made public only last Wednesday, are providing new ammunition to critics of the banking legislation, which would scale back regulations imposed after the 2008 financial crisis. Congress has yet to pass any laws creating stiffer penalties for companies like Equifax, whose security practices allowed hackers to steal highly sensitive data on as many as 148 million U.S. customers last year. "This is the credit reporting agencies, one of whom caused more than half of the U.S. adult population to get hacked and to have their Social Security numbers in the hands of thieves," National Consumer Law Center staff attorney Chi Chi Wu said. "They really should not have that political clout right now." The Senate is on track to pass the banking legislation around the middle of this week after a procedural vote Monday evening. The credit-reporting issues could remain in play when the House takes up the bill. On the surface, the bill appears to impose a large burden on Equifax, TransUnion and Experian, which would be required for the first time to provide free credit freezes for consumers and free credit monitoring for members of the military. But lobbyists for the companies quietly prevailed in a months-long fight to secure language that would shield the firms from consumer lawsuits stemming from the free credit monitoring requirement. Another add-on ? which could have a considerable impact on the housing market ? could give a joint venture operated by the three companies an entry into providing credit scores for aspiring homeowners applying for mortgages. < - > https://www.politico.com/story/2018/03/12/equifax-data-breach-banking-profits-405457 From rforno at infowarrior.org Tue Mar 13 05:50:14 2018 From: rforno at infowarrior.org (Richard Forno) Date: Tue, 13 Mar 2018 06:50:14 -0400 Subject: [Infowarrior] - Senate rewards Equifax despite privacy breaches Message-ID: (Congress, again doing what it does best -- the unadulterated display of self-serving idiocy and promoting the utter abrogation of responsibility for damages to the American people in the pursuit of profits. --rick) Senate banking bill rewards Equifax despite privacy breaches Newly released provisions would allow the company and its industry peers to enter the mortgage market while shielding them from consumer lawsuits. By ZACHARY WARMBRODT 03/12/2018 07:09 PM EDT Equifax?s role in the biggest consumer data breach in U.S. history isn?t stopping Congress from giving the giant credit reporting company sweeping protection from lawsuits while allowing it to expand its offerings into the mortgage business. Those favors for Equifax and its peers in the credit reporting industry are among the surprise provisions in a major banking and financial deregulation bill that the Senate is set to pass this week. The changes, made public only last Wednesday, are providing new ammunition to critics of the banking legislation, which would scale back regulations imposed after the 2008 financial crisis. Congress has yet to pass any laws creating stiffer penalties for companies like Equifax, whose security practices allowed hackers to steal highly sensitive data on as many as 148 million U.S. customers last year. "This is the credit reporting agencies, one of whom caused more than half of the U.S. adult population to get hacked and to have their Social Security numbers in the hands of thieves," National Consumer Law Center staff attorney Chi Chi Wu said. "They really should not have that political clout right now." The Senate is on track to pass the banking legislation around the middle of this week after a procedural vote Monday evening. The credit-reporting issues could remain in play when the House takes up the bill. On the surface, the bill appears to impose a large burden on Equifax, TransUnion and Experian, which would be required for the first time to provide free credit freezes for consumers and free credit monitoring for members of the military. But lobbyists for the companies quietly prevailed in a months-long fight to secure language that would shield the firms from consumer lawsuits stemming from the free credit monitoring requirement. Another add-on ? which could have a considerable impact on the housing market ? could give a joint venture operated by the three companies an entry into providing credit scores for aspiring homeowners applying for mortgages. < - > https://www.politico.com/story/2018/03/12/equifax-data-breach-banking-profits-405457 From rforno at infowarrior.org Tue Mar 13 14:00:26 2018 From: rforno at infowarrior.org (Richard Forno) Date: Tue, 13 Mar 2018 19:00:26 -0000 Subject: [Infowarrior] - OT: Why Did 45 Fire Tillerson Now? Message-ID: <10DDEB3A-DF6A-4084-8F0A-ACCCB172CFB3@infowarrior.org> (and the money quote -- "Feign uncertainty about what is not uncertain in order to justify inaction." That explains much about this regime leader's preferred course of action on issues that have overwhelming evidence that don't match his dysfunctional world view. --rick) Why Did Trump Fire Tillerson Now? The specific timing of the move?following the secretary of state?s split from the president to condemn a Russian attack in the U.K.?raises questions about its motive. https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2018/03/exodus-rex/555473/ From rforno at infowarrior.org Tue Mar 13 16:39:32 2018 From: rforno at infowarrior.org (Richard Forno) Date: Tue, 13 Mar 2018 21:39:32 -0000 Subject: [Infowarrior] - US Air Force orders freeze on public outreach Message-ID: US Air Force orders freeze on public outreach WASHINGTON ? The U.S. Air Force is slashing access to media embeds, base visits and interviews as it seeks to put the entire public affairs apparatus through retraining ? a move it says is necessary for operational security, but one which could lead to a broader freeze in how the service interacts with the public. According to March 1 guidance obtained by Defense News, public affairs officials and commanders down to the wing level must go through new training on how to avoid divulging sensitive information before being allowed to interact with the press. The effort, which represents the third major Defense Department entity to push out guidance restricting public communication over the past 18 months, creates a massive information bureaucracy in which even the most benign human-interest stories must be cleared at the four-star command level. Before settling on retraining its public affairs corps and commanders, the service considered an even more drastic step: shutting down all engagement with the press for a 120-day period, a source with knowledge of the discussions said. Instead, the service settled on the retraining plan, a temporary move which Brig. Gen. Ed Thomas, director of public affairs, said could be completed ?in the coming weeks.? ?In today?s challenging information environment marked by great power competition, we will continue to be as transparent with the American public as possible while protecting sensitive information on our operations and capabilities,? Thomas told Defense News. ?We owe both to the public, and it is vitally important for the public to understand what we are doing on their behalf and with their tax dollars.? But two former Air Force secretaries and an influential congressman all raise the same concern: that intentionally or not, this will send a message that engaging with the public simply isn?t worth the risk. Rep. Mike Gallagher, R-Wis., told Defense News the memo fits into a trend of recent moves inside the Department of Defense toward less transparency, which could ultimately undermine the DoD?s efforts to address long-standing problems. Gallagher serves on the Seapower and Projection Forces Subcommittee, which oversees several key Air Force programs like the B-21 bomber. < - > https://www.defensenews.com/breaking-news/2018/03/13/air-force-orders-freeze-on-public-outreach/ From rforno at infowarrior.org Wed Mar 14 08:37:54 2018 From: rforno at infowarrior.org (Richard Forno) Date: Wed, 14 Mar 2018 13:37:54 -0000 Subject: [Infowarrior] - Stephen Hawking dies aged 76 Message-ID: <6E0E7BC8-E3B4-4A9A-B309-4E1EBDACC6E0@infowarrior.org> 'Mind over matter': Stephen Hawking ? obituary by Roger Penrose Theoretical physicist who made revolutionary contributions to our understanding of the nature of the universe https://www.theguardian.com/science/2018/mar/14/stephen-hawking-obituary From rforno at infowarrior.org Wed Mar 28 06:32:43 2018 From: rforno at infowarrior.org (Richard Forno) Date: Wed, 28 Mar 2018 11:32:43 -0000 Subject: [Infowarrior] - Facebook Updates Privacy Tools for Better Data Control Message-ID: <4539A01C-32A7-4B3A-BACC-A4C29AAF5894@infowarrior.org> Facebook Updates Privacy Tools for Better Data Control Bloomberg News March 28, 2018, 7:10 AM EDT https://www.bloomberg.com/technology Facebook Inc. said it will make it more straight-forward for users to change their privacy settings and delete data they?ve already shared with the social-media company, Bloomberg News reports. The announcement is part of Facebook?s efforts to answer the firestorm of criticism that?s arisen in the wake of revelations that data from 50 million people was used by political consulting firm Cambridge Analytica without their permission. Most of the updates have been in the works for some time, Facebook said in a statement Wednesday, ?but the events of the past several days underscore their importance.? The new system will allow users to access settings from a single place instead of having to go to some 20 different screens. Facebook shares are trading up 1.2 percent in pre-market trading in the U.S. Developing...