Yesterday, it was revealed that a secret court order initiated by the FBI strong-armed Verizon into handing over detailed phone records of millions of US consumers to the NSA. Such an action made it obvious that other activities of a similar nature are likely taking place, something confirmed today by The Washington Post, which says
On the heels of yesterday’s revelation that the NSA is bulk collecting call logs from Verizon Business customers, the Washington Post is reporting tonight on another initiative, code named PRISM. According to the report, it gives the FBI and NSA access to “audio, video, photographs, e-mails, documents and connection logs” from the central servers of Microsoft, Yahoo, Google, Facebook, PalTalk, AOL (parent company of Engadget), Skype, YouTube and Apple. Another program called BLARNEY sniffs up metadata as it streams past “choke points” on the internet, continuing the theme of bulk scooping of data most would think is private. The Post’s knowledge of these programs comes from PowerPoint slides (like the one shown above) provided by a “career intelligence officer” driven to expose how deep it goes.
So what can the project allegedly see? Analysts based at Fort Meade use search terms to determine at least 51 percent confidence in a subject’s “foreignness” before pulling data, which can include that of people found in a suspect’s inbox. On Facebook, they can utilize the service’s built in search and surveillance capabilities, monitor audio, video, chat and file transfers or access activity on Google’s mail, storage, photo and search services. So… are you still logged in?
Update 4: Now we’ve come full circle, as the original Washington Post article has been expanded to include the various company’s responses and denials (listed after the break). Another element that has changed is the mention of another classified report that suggests these companies may not be knowingly participating, and the NSA’s access may not be as direct as originally claimed. Claiming the difference may be the result of “imprecision” by the NSA author, the arrangement is now described as “collection managers [to send] content tasking instructions directly to equipment installed at company-controlled locations.”
Filed under: Internet, Apple, Microsoft, Google, Facebook
Source: Washington Post, Office of the Director of National Intelligence
AOL has announced that it will be shutting down its entire music division. AOL’s music division had been struggling for quite some time, especially since most users opt for more popular music services like Spotify and Pandora. However, AOL Music had stood its ground longer than other similar music services, such as MSN Music and Yahoo Music, both of which shut down in 2006 and 2008 respectively.
AOL Music employees were in attendance at the HR meeting where AOL announced that they would be out of a job. Many took to Twitter to express their disappointment. Dan Reilly, a former editor of Spinner.com, a music/entertainment website acquired by AOL, tweeted, “Well, we all just got laid off. AOL Music is finished. Sitting in an HR meeting right now, trying to negotiate keeping our computers for a few more days”
AOL’s new Brand Group CEO, Susan Lyne, had a hand to play in AOL Music’s demise. In some recent interviews, she said that she would be looking at AOL’s current content properties, and decide which of them would get the ax, and which of them would continue to live on. According to AllThingsD, while Lyne may be shutting down AOL Music, she may be bringing other forms of entertainment to AOL.
Lyne has an impressive media background. She was the president and CEO of Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia. She spent 8 years at Disney as well as ABC, where she became the president of its entertainment division and oversaw the development of popular ABC shows like Desperate Housewives and Lost. While AOL Music may be dead, Lyne may have an ace up her sleeve to bring AOL back into the entertainment game.
[via AllThingsD]
AOL shuts down its entire music division is written by Brian Sin & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.
Today, AOL pink-slipped editorial employees at its news sites, and started the embarrassing process of shutting down many—but not all—of the brands associated with the vertical. There has been no official statement from AOL master control (yet), but the dismissed staff from the sites are generating crazy buzz about the meltdown. The hype is so hot that some people saw AOL Music show up as a trending topic on Twitter. More »
Yahoo has just appointed Tekedra N. Mawakana as its Deputy General Counsel and Vice President of Global Public Policy. Mawakana used to be the Senior Vice President of Pubic Policy and Deputy General Counsel at AOL, where she worked for around 12 years. At her new position, she will be working together with industry and government agencies to work on global governmental affairs and help develop policy initiatives.
Mawakana has an excellent resume. Before spending 12 years with AOL, she worked as the Senior Corporate Counsel at Startec Global Communications, and before that she worked in the Telecommunications and Intellectual Property group at Steptoe & Johnson in Washington D.C. She is fully prepared for her new position, where she will directing and working together with her new strategy team.
According to The Motley Fool, Mawakana will be working on issues surrounding privacy, intellectual property, business and human rights, high-skilled immigration reform, cyber-security, and much more. In a press release from Yahoo, Mawakana discussed her new position and how she will do her best to represent both Yahoo as well as all of the users who use its services. She says,
“The complexity of technology platforms and the pace of innovation creates unique challenges as governments work to develop smart policies for online and mobile businesses around the world. There is a critical need for public policy engagement, and I look forward to advocating on behalf of Yahoo! and the hundreds of millions of users, advertisers, partners and employees who rely on its platform.”
Mawakana isn’t the only former AOL exec that Yahoo is looking to bring onto its team. A couple of weeks ago, Ned Brody, a former sales executive for AOL, reportedly received an offer from Yahoo. Sources close to the situation said that Yahoo offered Brody a generous salary, however, things are a bit difficult because Brody is currently under a 12-month non-compete order. However, if Yahoo is able to figure a way around the order, and if Brody accepts the offer, Brody is expected to be an huge addition to Yahoo’s team.
[via Motley Fool]
Yahoo appoints former AOL exec as new Global Public Privacy head is written by Brian Sin & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.
AOL‘s recently-resigned sales executive Ned Brody has reportedly received an offer from Yahoo, which is trying to reel him in despite possible legal action from his former employer. This information comes from sources who are said to be “close to the situation,” who say it is tricky because Brody is currently under a non-compete order for 12 months.
Although the sources say that Brody has already resigned, it is worth noting that AOL still has him listed on its corporate leadership page. The sources are not certain that the former AOL employee has accepted Yahoo’s job offer, but report that the salary is of a generous nature, and word has it Yahoo will shell out cash to keep Brody on board with the company during his non-compete months – essentially paying him to take a long vacation.
Despite that attempt to take advantage of a loophole that may not exist in the non-compete, the sources say AOL has warned Yahoo it may take legal action in response. However, the former employer has not made any attempts to keep Brody on board, with reasons being cited as an offer from Yahoo that is too large for it to counter. The amount of that offer, however, is not known at this time.
The slot Brody would fill previously belonged to Ross Levinsohn, who left Yahoo in early 2012, leaving a hole in the company that has been temporarily filled by Mark Ellis and Peter Foster, both Vice Presidents of different divisions of Yahoo’s business. Despite the duration it has been without a permanent replacement, such a position is one of importance to the company, and should Brody accept its offer, he’ll become an integral part of helping boost Yahoo.
[via AllThingsD]
Yahoo seeks AOL’s Ned Brody despite possible legal action says sources is written by Brittany Hillen & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.
Come on now, let us have a show of hands here. How many of you still have a landline at home simply because grandpa lives there and he has absolutely no need for a mobile phone, as he does not get out of the home unless it is to attend his friend’s funeral? If you have answered in the affirmative, surely you would be able to remember the good old days when a landline meant you could connect to the Internet via a dial up account. Just in case you are wondering, AOL’s dial up Internet service still exists, and surprise, surprise, it remains one of the major money spinners for the company.
In fact, AOL’s dial up service accounts for majority of the company’s profits, and we’re talking about a cool $500 million here. Some folks even think that their existing dial-up business might even grow should AOL decide to offer enough added value, but in this day and age, that would seem all but impossible. What do you think of dial up connections with those noisy modems?
By Ubergizmo. Related articles: Logitech TV Cam HD Review, Samsung Announces Refrigerator That Can Make Soda,
You might say the week is never really done in consumer technology news. Your workweek, however, hopefully draws to a close at some point. This is the Weekly Roundup on Engadget, a quick peek back at the top headlines for the past 7 days — all handpicked by the editors here at the site. Click on through the break, and enjoy.
You might say the day is never really done in consumer technology news. Your workday, however, hopefully draws to a close at some point. This is the Daily Roundup on Engadget, a quick peek back at the top headlines for the past 24 hours — all handpicked by the editors here at the site. Click on through the break, and enjoy.
Hey Engadget, I’ve missed you.
For those of you who don’t remember me, my name is Ryan, and until 2008 I served here as the Editor-in-Chief. Well, like Peter, I’m back. But this time I’m doing something totally different.
Let’s catch up.
This is site is run by Sascha Endlicher, M.A., during ungodly late night hours. Wanna know more about him? Connect via Social Media by jumping to about.me/sascha.endlicher.
