US court says PSN data doesn’t get Fourth Amendment protection

In child porn case, Sony could hand info to the police without a warrant.

(credit: Aurich x Getty)

If you have any legally incriminating information sitting in your PSN account, don't count on the Fourth Amendment to protect it from "unreasonable search and seizure" by Sony without a warrant. A district court judge in Kansas has ruled in a recent case that information Sony finds has been downloaded to a PlayStation 3 or a PSN account is not subject to the "reasonable expectation of privacy" that usually protects evidence obtained without a warrant.

The case involves Michael Stratton, who went by the handle Susan_14 on PSN. According to Sony, Stratton was reported to PSN multiple times for sending spam messages asking about interest in child pornography. After reviewing the Susan_14 account in response to these complaints, Sony found that several images containing child porn had been downloaded by and uploaded to the account.

Sony shared information about the Susan_14 account and the images with the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. The NCMEC then coordinated with the FBI to get additional information about Susan_14's e-mail address and IP address from Google and CenturyLink via subpoena. This action led to a warrant on Stratton's Kansas home, the discovery of child pornography stored on his PS3, and his arrest.

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Report: Windows 10 update will bring the same “adaptive shell” UI to phones, tablets, Xbox, and other devices

Report: Windows 10 update will bring the same “adaptive shell” UI to phones, tablets, Xbox, and other devices

Windows 10 may be Microsoft’s operating system for a wide range of devices including PCs, tablets, smartphones, the Xbox One game console, and the wearable HoloLens augmented reality computer. But while all of those devices use the same Windows OneCore subsystem, the user interface varies from platform to platform thanks to a series of different “shells.”

But Windows Central reports that Microsoft is working on a single “adaptive shell” that will work on all devices that run Windows 10.

Continue reading Report: Windows 10 update will bring the same “adaptive shell” UI to phones, tablets, Xbox, and other devices at Liliputing.

Report: Windows 10 update will bring the same “adaptive shell” UI to phones, tablets, Xbox, and other devices

Windows 10 may be Microsoft’s operating system for a wide range of devices including PCs, tablets, smartphones, the Xbox One game console, and the wearable HoloLens augmented reality computer. But while all of those devices use the same Windows OneCore subsystem, the user interface varies from platform to platform thanks to a series of different “shells.”

But Windows Central reports that Microsoft is working on a single “adaptive shell” that will work on all devices that run Windows 10.

Continue reading Report: Windows 10 update will bring the same “adaptive shell” UI to phones, tablets, Xbox, and other devices at Liliputing.

Big updates for Logic Pro and GarageBand add features for audio pros

Logic Pro 10.3 and GarageBand 2.2 are available now.

Enlarge / Apple has added Touch Bar support to Logic Pro along with a bunch of other features. (credit: Apple)

Apple has released major updates to its Logic Pro X audio recording and editing software for macOS and the lighter-but-free GarageBand app for iOS, introducing big new features and improving compatibility between the two apps. A more minor update to GarageBand for macOS, which includes no major new features but compatibility updates for the iOS version, has also been released.

Logic Pro X version 10.3 is the latest app to pick up support for the new MacBook Pro's Touch Bar. It adds controls for skimming through and tuning specific tracks on the Touch Bar's screen, as well as a touchscreen keyboard and drum pads and customizable key commands.

There are updates for the Touch Bar-free majority of the iOS userbase, too. An updated UI expands the number of colors available to label your tracks, can auto-zoom horizontally as your songs get longer, and can show the waveforms for audio files that are being trimmed. The tweaked design also "improves legibility in a variety of lighting conditions." On the production end of things, you can create playlists of different regions and edits on a track to listen to alternate versions of a song you're working on and get better control over your stereo channels, among other things.

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Newly discovered Mac malware found in the wild also works well on Linux

Apple issues MacOS update that automatically protects infected machines.

A newly discovered family of Mac malware has been conducting detailed surveillance on targeted networks, possibly for more than two years, a researcher reported Wednesday.

The malware, which a recent Mac OS update released by Apple is detecting as Fruitfly, contains code that captures screenshots and webcam images, collects information about each device connected to the same network as the infected Mac, and can then connect to those devices, according to a blog post published by anti-malware provider Malwarebytes. It was discovered only this month, despite being painfully easy to detect and despite indications that it may have been circulating since the release of the Yosemite release of OS X in October 2014. It's still unclear how machines get infected.

"The first Mac malware of 2017 was brought to my attention by an IT admin, who spotted some strange outgoing network traffic from a particular Mac," Thomas Reed, director of Mac offerings at Malwarebytes, wrote in the post. "This led to the discovery of a piece of malware unlike anything I've seen before, which appears to have actually been in existence, undetected for some time, and which seems to be targeting biomedical research centers."

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Court rules against man who was forced to fingerprint-unlock his phone

Unlocking a phone like this “is no more testimonial than furnishing a blood sample.”

Enlarge (credit: Kārlis Dambrāns)

A Minnesota appellate court ruled Tuesday against a convicted burglar who was forced by a lower state court to depress his fingerprint on his seized phone, which unlocked it.

This case, State of Minnesota v. Matthew Vaughn Diamond, marks the latest episode in a string of unrelated cases nationwide that test the limits of digital privacy, modern smartphone-based fingerprint scanners, and constitutional law.

In 2015, Diamond went to trial and was convicted of the burglary and two other lesser charges. He was sentenced to 51 months in prison. Diamond appealed largely on the grounds that being ordered to unlock his phone constituted a violation of his Fifth Amendment rights against self-incrimination.

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Hulu’s plans for 2017 include video downloads and live TV streaming

Hulu’s plans for 2017 include video downloads and live TV streaming

Online video service Hulu lets subscribers stream thousands of TV shows and movies for a monthly fee. The service has gone through some big changes in recent years. There’s no longer a free version of Hulu, and subscribers can now choose to from an ad-support subscription plan or a more expensive ad-free tier.

There are more big changes coming this year. Hulu has already outlined plans to launch a live TV service in 2017.

Continue reading Hulu’s plans for 2017 include video downloads and live TV streaming at Liliputing.

Hulu’s plans for 2017 include video downloads and live TV streaming

Online video service Hulu lets subscribers stream thousands of TV shows and movies for a monthly fee. The service has gone through some big changes in recent years. There’s no longer a free version of Hulu, and subscribers can now choose to from an ad-support subscription plan or a more expensive ad-free tier.

There are more big changes coming this year. Hulu has already outlined plans to launch a live TV service in 2017.

Continue reading Hulu’s plans for 2017 include video downloads and live TV streaming at Liliputing.

Mississippi AG Jim Hood sues Google—again

Hood: “I don’t think there could be any motivation other than greed.”

Enlarge / Mississippi Attorney General Jim Hood (R) at a news conference in 2015. (credit: Alex Wong/Getty Images)

Mississippi Attorney General Jim Hood is sparring with Google once more.

Last year, Hood and Google wound down a court dispute over Hood's investigation into how Google handles certain kinds of online content, from illegal drug ads to pirated movies. E-mails from the 2014 Sony hack showed that Hood's investigation was spurred on, in part, by lobbyists from the Motion Picture Association of America.

Now Hood has a new bone to pick with the search giant. Yesterday, Hood filed a lawsuit (PDF) against Google in Lowndes County Chancery Court, saying that the company is gathering personal data on students who use Google's G Suite for Education, (previously called Google Apps for Education).

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Gulp-Umfrage: Welche Kenntnisse IT-Freiberufler brauchen

IT-Freiberufler müssen sich bei mobilen Anwendungen, Datensicherheit und Scrum auskennen. Wichtig sind auch selbstständiges Arbeiten, fachliches Know-how, Teamfähigkeit, Selbstbewusstsein und Stressresistenz. (Studie, Projektmanagement)

IT-Freiberufler müssen sich bei mobilen Anwendungen, Datensicherheit und Scrum auskennen. Wichtig sind auch selbstständiges Arbeiten, fachliches Know-how, Teamfähigkeit, Selbstbewusstsein und Stressresistenz. (Studie, Projektmanagement)

Deals of the Day (1-18-2017)

Deals of the Day (1-18-2017)

Smartphones keeping getting more powerful… and power hungry. Fortunately, external battery packs keep getting cheaper.

Right now there are two separate deals that will let you pick up a 20,100 mAh portable battery for $30. Either one should let you recharge most smartphones many times over without stopping to plug into a wall outlet.

Here are some of the day’s best deals.

PC and mobile accessories

  • Jackery Titan 20,100 mAh 3.4A portable battery for $29 – Amazon (coupon: JKRTITAN)
  • Anker PowerCore 20,100 mAh portable battery for $30 – NeweggFlash
  • Netis 802.11ac WiFi USB adapter for free after rebate – Newegg (coupon: EMCRBBJ24)
  • Samsung 32GB USB 3.0 flash drive for $9 – Newegg (coupon: EMCRBBJ27)
  • SanDisk Ultra Fit 64GB USB 3.0 flash drive for $18 – Best Buy
  • SanDisk storage for up to 70% off – Best Buy
  • Wireless mini keyboards for $10 and up – NeweggFlash

Computers

  • Microsoft Surface Pro 4 w/Core m3/4GB/128GB + keyboard for $700 – Best Buy
  • Refurb HP Spectre 13 w/Core i7-6500U/8GB/256GB for $780 – GeekDeal (via eBay)

Media Streamers

  • Roku Premier 4K media streamer for $70 – Best Buy
  • Refurb Amazon Fire TV (1st gen) for $52 – Woot

Digital media

  • Name your price for $189 worth of PC games – Humble Bundle
  • Name your price for a bundle of Sci-Fi adventure eBooks – StoryBundle

You can find more bargains in our daily deals section.

Continue reading Deals of the Day (1-18-2017) at Liliputing.

Deals of the Day (1-18-2017)

Smartphones keeping getting more powerful… and power hungry. Fortunately, external battery packs keep getting cheaper.

Right now there are two separate deals that will let you pick up a 20,100 mAh portable battery for $30. Either one should let you recharge most smartphones many times over without stopping to plug into a wall outlet.

Here are some of the day’s best deals.

PC and mobile accessories

  • Jackery Titan 20,100 mAh 3.4A portable battery for $29 – Amazon (coupon: JKRTITAN)
  • Anker PowerCore 20,100 mAh portable battery for $30 – NeweggFlash
  • Netis 802.11ac WiFi USB adapter for free after rebate – Newegg (coupon: EMCRBBJ24)
  • Samsung 32GB USB 3.0 flash drive for $9 – Newegg (coupon: EMCRBBJ27)
  • SanDisk Ultra Fit 64GB USB 3.0 flash drive for $18 – Best Buy
  • SanDisk storage for up to 70% off – Best Buy
  • Wireless mini keyboards for $10 and up – NeweggFlash

Computers

  • Microsoft Surface Pro 4 w/Core m3/4GB/128GB + keyboard for $700 – Best Buy
  • Refurb HP Spectre 13 w/Core i7-6500U/8GB/256GB for $780 – GeekDeal (via eBay)

Media Streamers

  • Roku Premier 4K media streamer for $70 – Best Buy
  • Refurb Amazon Fire TV (1st gen) for $52 – Woot

Digital media

  • Name your price for $189 worth of PC games – Humble Bundle
  • Name your price for a bundle of Sci-Fi adventure eBooks – StoryBundle

You can find more bargains in our daily deals section.

Continue reading Deals of the Day (1-18-2017) at Liliputing.

Backblaze brings its dirt cheap cloud backups to the enterprise

The service works, but the pricing is decidedly non-enterprise.

(credit: Photograph by Beer Coaster)

Cloud backup provider Backblaze has launched a new business-oriented backup service called Business Groups that gives its low-cost cloud backup service enterprise manageability and administration. Backblaze does betray its non-enterprise origins, however, by offering clear pricing without hiding behind "ask us for a quote" forms; $5 per month per PC, or $50 per year.

Backblaze's cloud backup service is something of a novelty. That $50 per year gets you unlimited cloud storage, and while other cloud backup providers have offered unlimited storage, many of them have scaled back those offerings because they don't make anything from them. Backblaze, by contrast, maintains that it actually makes money from its service, on account of the dirt-cheap storage it designs and uses, which costs just a fraction of what services like Amazon S3 and Azure Storage do.

The company added a programmatic cloud storage service, named B2, to its backup plan in 2015. B2 offers developers substantially lower costs, albeit without geographical replication or other features of the more-expensive cloud providers. The company positions this as ideal for cheap backups or replicas of data that is primarily stored in another cloud provider.

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