Aug 07

Texas federal judge declares Bitcoin a currency, says Bitcoin investments fall under US securities law

Posted in: Today's Chili

Bitcoin’s been in the news a fair bit lately due to the uncertainties surrounding the Mt. Gox exchange, where one can trade in the digital money for the official currencies of countries around the world. However, for many, Bitcoin remains an ephemeral idea, neither received nor recognized as a valid way to, you know, pay for stuff. Today, however, a federal judge in the Eastern District of Texas has officially recognized Bitcoin as a currency and declared that Bitcoin investment funds and transactions fall under the jurisdiction of US securities law, and therefore, the federal justice system as well. The ruling was handed down in a case brought by the Securities and Exchange Commission against a man who created a Bitcoin hedge fund and is alleged to have defrauded the investors in that fund. So, while most of us don’t have to worry about Bitcoin fraud, it’s good to know that the federal government is looking out for us should we decide to invest in the digital currency.

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Via: ArsTechnica

Source: US District Court Eastern District of Texas [PDF]

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Oct 17

Terrorist Caught Trying to Blow Up the New York’s Federal Reserve Bank [Terrorism]

Posted in: Today's Chili

This guy is Quazi Mohammad Rezwanul Ahsan Nafis, a 21-year-old Bangladeshi student who traveled to the United States with the intention of carrying out a major terrorist attack. He wanted to blow up this building, 33 Liberty Street, the home of the Federal Reserve Bank located in the heart of the New York City’s Financial District. More »

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Aug 16

Judge rules Facebook users can share friends’ profiles with the feds

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Federal judge rules Facebook users can share friends' profiles with government

It’s not the backdoor access that the FBI has been pushing for, but US District Judge William Pauley III has now ruled that it and other law enforcement agencies are entitled to view your Facebook profile if one of your “friends” gives them permission to do so. As GigaOm reports, that ruling comes as part of a New York City racketeering trial, in which one of the accused, Melvin Colon, had tried to suppress evidence turned up on Facebook that led to his indictment. That information was obtained through an informant who gave investigators access to the profile, something that Colon had argued violated his rights against unreasonable searches and seizures under the Fourth Amendment. In the ruling, Judge Pauley dismissed that claim, likening the Facebook access instead to a phone wiretap in which one person on the call allows the government to monitor it — a practice that has been ruled constitutional. GigaOm also has the ruling in its entirety at the source link below for those interested.

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Judge rules Facebook users can share friends’ profiles with the feds originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 16 Aug 2012 17:09:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Aug 15

Sixth Circuit rules that law enforcement doesn’t need a warrant to track your phone

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Sixth Circuit rules that law enforcement doesn't need a warrant to track your phone

If you go through tin foil like there’s no tomorrow (or because you think there’s no tomorrow), you might want to head down the store. A recent 2 – 1 ruling by the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals has determined that law enforcement agencies can obtain cellphone location data, without the need for a warrant. The decision comes after a defendant in a drug-related case claimed protection from his phone’s GPS location data being used under the Fourth Amendment. Judge John Rogers stated that the defendant didn’t have a reasonable expectation of privacy for data given off by a voluntarily purchased phone, going on to state that if tools used in such crimes give off a trackable signal, police should be allowed to use it. Rogers likened it to the use of dogs tracking a scent, and criminals complaining they didn’t know they were giving one off, or that the dog had picked it up. The use of technology in crime prevention, be it police tools, or that belonging to the greater population, has long been a source of complex discussion, and this latest development is unlikely to be the end of it. But for now, at least one guy is rueing his decision to get a better phone. Hit the source for the full case history.

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Sixth Circuit rules that law enforcement doesn’t need a warrant to track your phone originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 15 Aug 2012 13:52:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink ArsTecnica  |  sourceUS Court of Appeals (pdf)  | Email this | Comments

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