national

Two weeks ago Google revealed that the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) had been spying on its customers using National Security Letters that don't even require the approval of a U.S. judge. Now, Microsoft says the FBI is using the same ... strategy to snoop on its customers. National Security Letters (NSLs) are written documents issued by the FBI that force companies, including Internet Service Providers (ISPs), to hand over various types of information, including credit card details, banking data, and addresses, phone numbers, etc. NSLs Used to Access Microsoft User Accounts According to ... (view more)

Last year, the FCC announced it would be making plans to update and allow text messages, pictures, and streaming video for 911 emergencies via cell phones . Now, a new technology will allow Facebook users a way to discuss their problems with a ... professional via live chat. Facebook has recently announced a partnership with the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline. The program will give social networking users who experience clinical depression a new way to find help quickly and privately. Friends can Report to Facebook Team If a suicidal memo is left on a Facebook wall, for example, friends ... (view more)

At the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in California last week, the most powerful laser ever made was readied for a variety of important tasks, from monitoring nuclear weapons to studying deep space planets and solar systems. The official ... name of the new super laser is the National Ignition Facility (NIF), and late last week it was unveiled with much fanfare at the Livermore laboratory in Livermore, California. World's Strongest Laser State governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, who scared the beejezus out of us all with his futuristic, laser-eyed cyborg routine back in the 1990s, was on hand ... (view more)

In a recent article written by Bruce Schneier, noted cryptographer from e-media mag Wired.com, the author examines the research (PDF) of security experts Niels Ferguson and Dan Shumow, presenters at the CRYPTO 2007 conference this past August. ... Ferguson and Shumow suggest that an algorithm for generating random numbers included in an official standard document (PDF) by the National Institute of Standards and Technology ( NIST ) contains a weakness that can only be described as a backdoor . Earlier this year the U.S. government released a new official standard for random-number generators that ... (view more)