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Posts Tagged ‘Microsoft’

New Microchip Knows Your Location To Within Centimeters

April 11, 2012 Comments off

Forget a chip in your forehead – the ‘mark of the beast’ is the cell phone

Paul Joseph Watson
Infowars.com
Tuesday, April 10, 2012

The development of a new microchip for cell phones that knows the user’s location to within a few centimeters confirms the fact that contrary to biblical fears about mandatory implantable microchips, people have willingly exchanged their privacy for convenience and that the cell phone itself is the de facto “mark of the beast”.

“Broadcom has just rolled out a chip for smart phones that promises to indicate location ultra-precisely, possibly within a few centimeters, vertically and horizontally, indoors and out,” reports MIT Technology Review.

“In theory, the new chip can even determine what floor of a building you’re on, thanks to its ability to integrate information from the atmospheric pressure sensor on many models of Android phones. The company calls abilities like this “ubiquitous navigation,” and the idea is that it will enable a new kind of e-commerce predicated on the fact that shopkeepers will know the moment you walk by their front door, or when you are looking at a particular product, and can offer you coupons at that instant.”

Over 82% of Americans own cell phones, with around half of these being smart phones. In the near future, the majority of Americans will own smart phones that will have the ability to track their location down to a few centimeters.

With the effort to legally establish surveillance drones as a legitimate tool in domestic law enforcement, authorities could save a lot of time and money by simply requesting cell phone companies provide real-time tracking of suspects via their smart phones.

Indeed, Apple, Google and Microsoft have all been caught secretly tracking the physical locations of their users and Read more…

Everything Is Spying On You

March 28, 2012 Comments off

infowars.com

George Orwell was merely scratching the surface with telescreens – the 21st century home as a surveillance hub will outstrip anything you read about in 1984. From dishwashers to light bulbs, so-called “smart homes” will allow industry and the government to spy ubiquitously on every aspect of your existence.

CIA chief David Petraeus has hailed the “Internet of things” as a transformational boon for “clandestine tradecraft”. In other words, it will soon be easier than ever before to keep tabs on the population since everything Read more…

EU cloud data can be secretly accessed by US authorities

July 5, 2011 1 comment

theregister

US-owned companies bound by Patriot Act, says Microsoft

Personal information belonging to EU users of US-owned cloud-based services could be shared with US law enforcers without the user being informed, Microsoft has said.

The software giant said it could not guarantee that it would not have to hand over EU customers’ data on a new cloud service it has developed whilst keeping details of the data transfer secret.

Cloud services allow internet users to store data online instead of locally.

EU data protection laws state that organizations must tell people when they are asked to disclose their personal information.

These EU provisions might conflict with obligations US-based firms, such as Microsoft, face under US law.

The USA Patriot Act gives law enforcement authorities the right to access Read more…

Next generation Internet addresses tested on global scale

June 9, 2011 Comments off

rawstory

WASHINGTON (AFP) – A worldwide test was under way on Wednesday of the next generation of Internet addresses designed to replace the dwindling pool of 4.3 billion unique identifiers in the original system.

Hundreds of companies, organizations and institutions around the world are taking part in “World IPv6 Day,” including Internet giants such as Facebook, Google, Microsoft and Yahoo!

Internet Protocol version 6 is the new system of unique identifying numbers for websites, computers and other Internet-connected gadgets and is replacing the original addressing system, IPv4, which is nearing exhaustion.

IPv6 provides more than four billion Read more…

Kinect could be initial step into gaming biometrics

April 4, 2011 Comments off

smartoffice.com


Microsoft’s X-Box 360 Kinect, a motion-sensing device for the gaming system that sold million units in its first two months, is being looked at by some as an introduction of biometric technology to gaming, according to a Smart Office article.

Kinect’s biometric capabilities come in the form of face recognition which it uses to login recognized players prior to playing a game.

Although seen as relatively novel new technology, Kinect’s face-recognition was called into question as it was reported to frequently have trouble in poor lighting conditions as well as having trouble logging in users with dark complexions.

Despite its issues in realistically connecting users to their real-life selves, some are wary of the introduction of biometrics into gaming, which has traditionally maintained a very anonymous environment for gamers.

Experts believe that such technology, however, could be a key step into increasing biometrics’ foot hold in U.S. markets where consumers have been apprehensive to trust the technology to handle its most sensitive and unable to be changed data.

As biometric modes such as face recognition make their way into casual gaming, social networking and even places such as online dating sites, it is thought that it could help face recognition and other biometrics gain popularity in handling more serious services Read more…

Google Comes Under Fire for ‘Secret’ Relationship with NSA

January 29, 2011 Comments off
Grant Gross Grant Gross

Consumer Watchdog, an advocacy group largely focused in recent years on Google’s privacy practices, has called on a congressional investigation into the Internet giant’s “cozy” relationship with U.S. President Barack Obama’s administration.

In a letter sent Monday, Consumer Watchdog asked Representative Darrell Issa, the new chairman of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, to investigate the relationship between Google and several government agencies.

The group asked Issa to investigate contracts at several U.S. agencies for Google technology and services, the “secretive” relationship between Google and the U.S. National Security Agency, and the company’s use of a U.S. National Aeronautics and Space Administration airfield in California.

Federal agencies have also taken “insufficient” action in response to revelations last year that Google Street View cars were collecting data from open Wi-Fi connections they passed, Consumer Watchdog said in the letter.

“We believe Google has inappropriately benefited from close ties to the administration,” the letter said. “Google is most consumers’ gateway to the Internet. Nonetheless, it should not get special treatment and access because of a special relationship with the administration.” Read more…