agency

The secretive National Security Agency (NSA) insists it only studies about 1.6 per cent of all Internet traffic. The agency suggests that means its level of data collection is comparable in scope to a "dime on a basketball court." The NSA was at the ... center of a media firestorm earlier this year when whistleblower Edward Snowden revealed the details about the agency's controversial PRISM surveillance program. Snowden is now hiding out in Russia (where he's been granted asylum) while, back home, U.S. President Barack Obama faces tough questions about the NSA's activity. NSA Studies Tiny ... (view more)

The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) has agreed to pay Amazon $600 million over the next ten years. However, the CIA isn't purchasing books or DVDs -- instead, it's buying access to Amazon's massive, private data system. The deal is with Amazon's ... Web Services department, which already offers cloud computing to individuals and businesses. Cloud computing doesn't simply mean offering online storage, but also online data processing. The Amazon cloud service works on a pay-as-you-go basis. This makes it ideal for organizations that need data processed intermittently rather than all the time. ... (view more)

Hackers who support the Syrian government may be responsible for two separate attacks on the Reuters news agency. The hackers' efforts apparently caused false information about the political and military situation inside Syria to appear on the news ... agency's website. The first hack damaged the Reuters blogging platform, a section of the agency's website that allows Reuters correspondents to write personal accounts and opinion pieces under their own name. It appears Reuters reporters can post directly to the site, which may have made the hacker's job easier. Fake Interview Posted On Reuters ... (view more)