PSA: Urge your representative to vote NO on the amendment to H.R. 5016 that strips away FCC authority to enact meaningful net neutrality rules.

https://dearfcc.org/call

Members of the House of Representatives are trying to sneak through a dangerous amendment that will strip the FCC of its power to enact meaningful net neutrality. The provision will prevent the FCC from treating the Internet like an essential telecommunications service, thwarting any chance of creating clear rules that would prevent Internet service providers from unfairly discriminating against how we access parts of the Internet, such as creating “fast lanes” for those who can afford them.

The Representative tacked this amendment on to legislation that otherwise has nothing to do with net neutrality, in the hopes that no one will notice. WE NOTICED.

We expect the House of Representatives to vote on this today or tomorrow, so we must ACT NOW.

PSA: US government says online storage isn’t protected by the Fourth Amendment

http://www.engadget.com/2014/07/14/fourth-amendment-online-data/

A couple months ago, a New York judge ruled that US search warrants applied to digital information even if they were stored overseas. The decision came about as part of an effort to dig up a Microsoft user’s account information stored on a server in Dublin, Ireland. Microsoft responded to the ruling and challenged it, stating that the government’s longstanding views of digital content on foreign servers are wrong, and that the protections applied to physical materials should be extended to digital content. In briefs filed last week, however, the US government countered. It states that according to the Stored Communications Act (SCA), content stored online simply do not have the same Fourth Amendment protections as physical data:

“Overseas records must be disclosed domestically when a valid subpoena, order, or warrant compels their production. The disclosure of records under such circumstances has never been considered tantamount to a physical search under Fourth Amendment principles, and Microsoft is mistaken to argue that the SCA provides for an overseas search here. As there is no overseas search or seizure, Microsoft’s reliance on principles of extra-territoriality and comity falls wide of the mark.”

From the Justice Department’s point of view, this law is necessary in an age where “fraudsters” and “hackers” use electronic communications in not just the U.S. but abroad as well. Indeed, the Microsoft account in this case is in relation to a drug-trafficking investigation. However, Microsoft believes there are wide-ranging implications for such a statement, and it’s not the only company that thinks so. Verizon also responded, stating that this would create “dramatic conflict with foreign data protection laws” and Apple and Cisco joined in by saying this could potentially damage international relations. In the meantime, a senior counsel for the Irish Supreme Court offered that a “Mutual Legal Assistance Treaty” be pursued so that the US” government can get at the email account in question.

Defining PIPA, SOPA, CISPA and CISA, Plus Why You Should Care

The PROTECT IP Act (Preventing Real Online Threats to Economic Creativity and Theft of Intellectual Property Act, or PIPA) is a proposed law with the stated goal of giving the US government and copyright holders additional tools to curb access to “rogue websites dedicated to the sale of infringing or counterfeit goods”, especially those registered outside the U.S. The bill was introduced on May 12, 2011, by Senator Patrick Leahy (D-VT) and 11 bipartisan co-sponsors. The Congressional Budget Office estimated that implementation of the bill would cost the federal government $47 million through 2016, to cover enforcement costs and the hiring and training of 22 new special agents and 26 support staff. The Senate Judiciary Committee passed the bill, but Senator Ron Wyden (D-OR) placed a hold on it.

The Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) was a United States bill which sought to expand the ability of U.S. law enforcement to combat online copyright infringement and online trafficking in counterfeit goods. On January 18, 2012, Wikipedia, Google, and an estimated 7,000 other smaller websites coordinated a service blackout, to raise awareness. Wikipedia said more than 162 million people viewed its banner. Other protests against SOPA and PIPA included petition drives, with Google stating it collected over 7 million signatures, boycotts of companies and organizations that support the legislation, and an opposition rally held in New York City. Access to websites of several pro-SOPA organizations and companies such as RIAA, CBS.com, and others was impeded or blocked with DoS attacks which started on January 19, 2012. Self-proclaimed members of the “hacktivist” group Anonymous claimed responsibility and stated the attacks were a protest of both SOPA and the United States Department of Justice’s shutdown of Megaupload on that same day. Some opponents of the bill support the Online Protection and Enforcement of Digital Trade Act (OPEN) as an alternative. On January 20, 2012, House Judiciary Committee Chairman Smith postponed plans to draft the bill.

The Cyber Intelligence Sharing and Protection Act (CISPA) is a proposed law in the United States which would allow for the sharing of Internet traffic information between the U.S. government and technology and manufacturing companies. The stated aim of the bill is to help the U.S. government investigate cyber threats and ensure the security of networks against cyberattacks. On April 26, 2012, the House of Representatives passed CISPA. On February 13, 2013, United States Representative Mike Rogers reintroduced the CISPA bill in the 113th Congress as H.R. 624. On April 18, 2013, the House of Representatives passed H.R. 624. The Senate has reportedly refused to vote on the measure and is drafting competing legislation.

The Cybersecurity Information Sharing Act (CISA) is a proposed law in the United States which would allow for the sharing of Internet traffic information between the U.S. government and technology and manufacturing companies.

Now that you should know the expressed intentions of each bill, you should know why they are worth fighting against. CISPA at its heart could have allowed the government to censor any cyberthreat online that it deems harmful. The bill did not clearly define what it deemed harmful or what it considers to be a cyberthreat which lead to fears that the government not only could, but would overstep its bounds and silence valid political speech or act on behalf of various industry groups like the MPAA and RIAA to takedown any allegedly-unofficial content without any judicial review. For example, sites like Wikileaks and any site dealing with bitcoins could be shut down. It would also allow companies to share your private information with each other and the government, without first informing you. Essentially without clearly defined parameters, your emails, browser history, and potentially your online banking and medical records would no longer be secure.

 

Some People Shouldn’t Own a Computer

I got my start in the technology world by working on the hardware side of desktop PC’s and though I have taken more of an appreciation towards software lately, hardware will always be something I am proficient in. I will soon be filing an LLC due to recently being hired as an IT Consultant for a Miami based real estate company; asked to custom build a desktop computer and get paid by a separate individual to “fix” their laptop. I am awaiting approval on the LLC before taking on the first two tasks, however I accepted and recently finished fixing the laptop, he following is why some people should not own a computer.

I feel the two things that people know far too little about yet rely far too much on are cars and computers. I knew the person in question with the laptop before I started this blog, when she first broached the subject of needing her laptop cleaned she told me it had “the computer equivalent of AIDS” and yes those were her exact words. Specifically what she expressed that was wrong with her laptop is:

1. That it would power off after 5 minutes of use.
2. That it would not connect to the internet.
3. That it was loaded with viruses. 

The first thing I did as I always try to do was connect to the internet which it did immediately, we can now cross number 2 off of that list. Now that the laptop was connected to the internet I had pop up warning messages from everything, ‘Your antivirus database is outdated by 300 days’; ‘Malwarebytes is outdated by 300 days’; ‘Windows needs to be updated’… I noticed that the laptop was getting hot so I removed the now determined to be dead battery and used the computer plugged into an outlet, that solved number 1 off of the list, afterwards I was informed that the laptop just ran continuously as it was her torrenting computer. After the Antivirus software and Malwarebytes had updated I was prompted to restart the computer and was met with the following:

I have no idea how long this took because I went to do something else after I saw how many updates were required. Once I returned I decided to address issue 3 and tackle the viruses. The following pictures are not for the tech squeamish.

What you should notice in the three Malwarebyte scan photos are that every time I use the same Quick Scan but the number of objects detected and the time elapsed vary.

I would run one scan and it would then complete and prompt me to restart the computer, again as these scans were going on I did other things. If you question why someone like Geek Squad charges so high to do this, it is because they take the same $50 an hour, they just charge you the hour(s) it takes to run these scans/updates.

I ran one final Malwarebytes scan on this computer which came back with no threats, cleaned the start up menu and feed up some hard drive space, we can now cross number 3 off the list as well. Most people wouldn’t drive their cars for a year without changing/checking the oil so I still find it crazy that a person would run their computer weekly without checking their antivirus software, the constant pop up messages from the toolbar are hard to miss. Normally I would not even touch Malwarebytes but since it was already installed on this computer that is what I went with, also I would not pay to use the antivirus in question, which will remain nameless, but to each their own. 

I have seen plenty of computers in worse condition than this one and I must say had they been forthcoming from the beginning regarding never updating anything or running it continually I could have most likely diagnosed it before even powering it on. The reality is that most people are embarrassed having to bring up computer issues, only once can I say that a customer was forthcoming that she received the MoneyPak ransomware because she was looking at porn, I fixed her computer easily for free. Be honest with the people that are fixing your computer, they are going to find out regardless how the threat got onto your computer in the first place.

Why the Government Doesn’t Need to Spy on You

People Overshare On The Internet: Individuals create their own online profiles to which they have attached their names, addresses, family trees, work history, pictures, cell phone number, hobbies, friends and almost anything else you could want to know about a person. Our cell phones have GPS that can give the exact location you are currently at and a healthy percentage of people are okay with letting the world know where they are at all times. In 2008 the Bling Ring robbed the homes of several celebrities by using Google, TMZ and the celebrities own Twitter accounts to learn when the stars would be home. The gang would then use Google Earth to study aerial photos of the celebrity homes to determine the best points of entry. The gang was finally caught after captured CCTV footage from the robberies of Lindsay Lohan and Audrina Patridge was released which led to the identity of one of the criminals while his Facebook led to the identity of the others.

People Don’t Take Steps To Protect Themselves: The days of thieves dumpster diving to steal your identity are no longer needed, now criminals retrieve your personal data from improperly disposed of  PCs, servers, cell phones and memory devices. Carelessness in properly protecting your web device of choice can also lead to harder to remove adware, spyware and ransomware. There are plenty of people that spend their free time seeking and exploiting weaknesses in a computer system or network for profit, protest, challenge or simply enjoyment.

People Don’t Realize Once Something Is On The Internet It Is On There Forever: In the old days if you wanted to take risque photos of yourself you would most likely use a Polaroid camera, the image would print instantly and you wouldn’t have to take your photos to be developed where someone else could see them. Today if you wish to send risque photos of yourself than you would snap a picture with your cell phone and then message or e-mail them. Scarlett Johansson, Blake Lively, Vanessa Hudgens, Jessica Alba, Kat Dennings and many more celebrities have found themselves in the public eye for nude photos, some of which arguably may have been intentionally leaked. Girls that post themselves to popular nude posting forums, then later wish for them to removed, also learn that you can get a million sites to remove your image but all it takes is for one person to have saved them and those images are never gone. It’s not just nude photos that people should concern themselves with, people can lose their jobs for what the post on Facebook. More recently in the headlines, Justin Bieber and his racist rants were released from back when he was fourteen years old.

If a service came along tomorrow that told people it would maintain their online profile from across Facebook, Instagram, Google+ and anywhere else they wanted to include, it would be a successful app/service but the same people that use it will wonder in ten years how there entire existence is documented online. Technology isn’t going anywhere and it’s only going to get more difficult as time goes on to remove this information about yourself, why not start protecting yourself better now?

PC vs Mac: Why You’re Wrong and Why it Doesn’t Matter

I would like to preface this by saying that I use Windows 7 and I most likely will not change my preference in OS until I am ready to, before Windows 7 I used Windows XP and completely skipped Vista. I am not opposed to Apple products nor do I hate Apple products, I just know that they are not for me. I build my own desktop computers so I can make my desktop bigger, stronger and faster than any Mac on the market and save money in doing so, I understand that these are not skills that everyone has and I am firmly in the minority here. There is a healthy percentage of people that just want to use their device for the internet and I am not going to look down on them for not spending hours researching/shopping/building a desktop to accomplish that task, again I find myself firmly in the minority. As it stands only religion or politics can bring about a more heated debate than Mac vs PC.

In case you weren’t on Twitter, Facebook or the internet the other day, Apple had their Worldwide Developers Conference and instead of printing out everything that was discussed, I will let Forbes do that. Now I don’t expect anyone to sift through that wall of text, so thankfully Gizmodo put together a much shorter list. Does anyone actually believe that Apple “borrowed” their new iOS8 additions from any of the existing companies? Well, at least one of those companies’ CEO’s does. Apple also discussed their increase in overall computer market share yesterday but let’s take an unbiased look at the numbers from companies that don’t have a dog in the fight. It should be noted that though Apple is losing control of the smartphone market, from an application developer standpoint they are a more profitable option. Personally I am more impressed with the iOS8 features that Apple didn’t address in yesterday’s WWDC as well as the addition of cryptocurrency apps. I should also note that in my experience with Mac OS’ I have found them to be very user friendly but I am a creature of habit. I will say that when I started programming I found it odd that Windows was the only OS that did not come with Python pre-installed.

Which OS is better? Which computer is better? Which smartphone or tablet is better? I believe Eddie Murphy’s Coming to America put it best, “Whichever you like.”

Why Your Tech Person May Hate You

Do you have a go to tech guy/gal? Maybe it’s a relative or a coworker, or maybe you are in the minority of people that keep a technology expert on retainer, if you are of the latter group I personally wish to thank you. I have been professionally working on computers for near two decades now, my first job was employed by the government when I was still in High School as part of a Cooperative Office Education Program. I never liked a single area of computers enough to allow myself to be restricted by any one field, though I started my tech life doing hardware in the past decade have had a shift towards software. I have been employed to do everything from PC Repair, networking, programming, marketing, consulting, etc….please note the emphasis on employed.

Not everybody knows computers, sure they are familiar with their individual devices and are aware of exactly what they want them to accomplish, but they do not know anything about how they work. If you are going to ask me to take time out of my schedule to help you, and yes fixing your computer issue helps you and not me, then you need to understand that I am offering you a service that you yourself are not capable of. If your question is a simple one to answer, “How can I improve my wireless signal?” then I will most likely give you an answer and be on my way. It’s when some people now feel that I am there as their personal computer professional and I now somehow owe them something, that I take issue.

I had one acquaintance in particular a few years back, for the sake of this post we shall call him Nate. Nate found out that I knew about computers and asked me a simple question, as I stated before, I answered and moved on. No more than a week later Nate calls saying he bricked his computer and needs to get the stuff off of his IPhone, my mistake is that I did not broach the subject of payment right then and there. I am not an Apple device user so this may no longer be the case, but at that time to get his music from his IPhone to a new storage device I had to download 3rd party software and could only transfer a certain amount of files at a time, this took at least an hour and when I finished he went on about his way. He would call or text with any question under the sun and I just got to the point that I would not respond, finally I told him that I usually get paid for this kind of stuff and he didn’t seem to grasp what I was implying. Later on Nate cracked his laptop screen and I flat out told him what I charged for this, he agreed yet when he showed up with his laptop he told me he didn’t have all of the money. Nate’s laptop sat and collected dust for months as he still didn’t have the money to pay me, nor had he paid me for any of the questions he would call me with at all hours of the night. After almost a year of his laptop sitting in a corner, and him posting on social media all of the nights he was at clubs and the new toys he had bought, yet didn’t have the money to pay me, he found some other sucker to do it for him, I never heard from him again after that.

I wish that last paragraph was the exception here but it is not, I see it all of the time. Even at my current main employer, which has nothing to do with technology, I am almost expected to jump and help with any sort of technology related issue, yet I am apparently the bad guy when I tell them what said job would charge. Respect your technology friends, if you offer to pay that person they will possibly even refuse to take the money, it’s more the respect that you offered. If you are a person that is in need of a computer expert for a wide array of issues, then offer to pay one and keep them on retainer. Keeping an expert on retainer means no matter what the issue is and no matter what the time of day is, if you need them they will be there.