John Lister

A string of hotel room thefts in Texas has brought into question the security of an estimated 10 million electronic door locks commonly used worldwide in hotels and other facilities. Back in July, a security researcher demonstrated a problem with a ... system known as Onity HT locks. He said the technology is used in one-third of hotels worldwide and covers more than half of all locks now in use. The researcher, Cody Brocious, says the main flaw in the system is the equipment used for two specific purposes: opening a door when the battery in the lock has failed and creating a master key card for ... (view more)

Google is urging Internet users to join a campaign designed to discourage governments from wielding additional control over how the world wide web functions. According to a recent report, the search giant fears an upcoming international ... communications conference could change worldwide rules that affect how websites are regulated. The conference is being held by the International Telecommunication Union, a United Nations agency that develops worldwide communications standards. Conference Could Change Internet As We Know It: Google Observers expect officials attending the conference will ... (view more)

A Microsoft special offer has unintentionally made it much easier for software pirates to run bogus copies of Windows 8. But the loophole works only for particularly determined pirates. The loophole centers around the way Windows users activate ... their software. Each copy of Windows has a unique "key," which Microsoft checks to ensure the software copy is valid and not already in use by another registered owner. If the software's key passes these checks, the software copy is activated. Without activation within a certain period, Windows will begin to severely limit its functionality, mostly to ... (view more)

Insider reports suggest the US government may decide against taking Google to court over allegations it fixed its search results for its own benefit. Officials are reportedly concerned they don't have evidence to suggest such practices actually ... harmed any web users. The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has been carrying out a preliminary investigation to determine whether or not Google has broken any rules. If the FTC does find Google violated federal law, it must then determine what the government can do. Investigation Focuses on Smartphone, Search Markets The investigation covers several ... (view more)

Facebook is planning to drop a system that allows users to vote on whether or not the social networking site can alter its policies. The company says the site is now too large for such a system to work effectively. Until now, Facebook has been ... tracking comments on posts related to its proposed policy changes. Once there are more than 7,000 "substantive" posts, the proposal automatically goes to a vote of all Facebook users. The voting system began in 2009, when Facebook received complaints about proposed changes to the legal rights it claimed over photos, videos, and other materials its users ... (view more)

A new security technique could completely prevent hackers from intercepting data communications. The technique involves hiding an encryption key inside the same light that travels through standard fiber optic cables. The technique, known as quantum ... key distribution, uses a small amount of data as a key for decrypting much larger quantities of data. Quantum key distribution conveys the encryption key in the form of photons, the fundamental elements of visible light. Polarized photons can be used to indicate a 0 or a 1 -- standard computer binary code -- which is enough to carry any digital ... (view more)

Prosecutors in China say more than a dozen housewives have engaged in smuggling Apple iPhones and iPads in order to avoid paying sales taxes. A total of 26 people have now been charged with participating in a total of five distinct smuggling rings. ... Reports suggest the smugglers were supplying iPhones and iPads to Lanyo Shuma.com, one of the main electronics suppliers on Taobao Marketplace, China's version of eBay and Amazon. Lanyou Shuma.com was thrown out of the marketplace in April, 2012, amid a scandal over alleged smuggling of the iPhone 4S from Hong Kong. (Source: reuters.com ) High ... (view more)

Google says that national governments are demanding access to its user data more than ever before. The search giant also says governments are making more requests for it to take controversial information offline. These revelations come in the latest ... edition of Google's Transparency Index, a semi-annual report designed to shed light on the state of online censorship. It takes Google several months to compile the data, so the new information covers 20,939 requests for user data and other demands made only between January and June 2012. Compare that to Google's 2009 Transparency Index, which ... (view more)

Microsoft chief executive officer Steve Ballmer says businesses are reacting well to the Windows 8 operating system (OS). He also suggested that the company's Surface tablet won't be its last home-grown hardware device. Speaking at a business and ... technology event at the Churchill Club in California, Ballmer said that's he's been surprised by how well business users have reacted to the way Windows 8 focuses on touchscreen users. Before Microsoft released the new operating system, many analysts argued that businesses would be frustrated and angry with the its new interface, tailored to ... (view more)

Steven Sinofsky, chief of Microsoft's Windows division, is leaving the company. His former position will now be shared by two other Microsoft executives. Sinofsky had been in his position since 2009, and has been with Microsoft since 1989. He spent ... much of his career working on the Microsoft Office suite, then later spearheaded development of Windows 7, an operating system widely considered a major success. During his work on both Windows 7 and Windows 8, Sinofsky took a very distinctive approach to communication. He blogged regularly about the development process, giving the massive software ... (view more)