---------------------------------------------------------------------- Message-ID: <AED48654-2BBD-44B9-920F-8799188FDAA9@roscom.com> Date: Wed, 6 Apr 2016 10:15:56 -0400 From: Monty Solomon <monty@roscom.com> Subject: WhatsApp is now most widely used end-to-end crypto tool on the planet WhatsApp has enabled end-to-end encryption across all versions of its messaging and voice calling software, according to a Tuesday announcement on the company's website. Given that WhatsApp is already in use by over 1 billion people worldwide, as users upgrade to the latest version, it will become the most widely used end-to-end crypto tool. "We live in a world where more of our data is digitized than ever before," Jan Koum, a WhatsApp co-founder, wrote in a company blog post on Tuesday. "Every day we see stories about sensitive records being improperly accessed or stolen. And if nothing is done, more of people's digital information and communication will be vulnerable to attack in the years to come. Fortunately, end-to-end encryption protects us from these vulnerabilities." http://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2016/04/whatsapp-is-now-most-widely-used-e nd-to-end-crypto-tool-on-the-planet/ ------------------------------ Message-ID: <9D4CBA5F-F5D2-477E-9803-3F18983CD03C@roscom.com> Date: Wed, 6 Apr 2016 10:21:10 -0400 From: Monty Solomon <monty@roscom.com> Subject: Sorry, Everyone: The iPhone SE is an apology to big-phone haters everywhere Here at Ars, one of the things we like to focus on in reviews is new technology. There are a few reasons: new stuff draws readers, new stuff is fast and shiny, and new stuff points the way to where technology is headed. The thing about the iPhone SE is that there's basically nothing that's new about it. It's a four-year-old phone design filled with six-month-old parts, and it's the rare product that amounts to exactly the sum of its parts. You could almost write a review of it without laying hands on it. So we'll spend a little time with the tech inside, but this review is going to focus primarily on the Big Questions: Who should buy this? Why should they buy it? Who shouldn't buy it? And where does it fit into Apple's Grand Plan for the iPhone? http://arstechnica.com/apple/2016/04/sorry-everyone-the-iphone-se-is-an-apology-to-big-phone-haters-everywhere/ ------------------------------ Message-ID: <4087E672-AE06-43DC-86EE-E870C0ECE3DD@roscom.com> Date: Wed, 6 Apr 2016 10:24:27 -0400 From: Monty Solomon <monty@roscom.com> Subject: To dodge crypto, undercover UK cops simply asked to see terror convict's iPhone Key evidence that helped convict two British men last week for terrorist offences was reportedly obtained from a locked phone using a simple but highly effective ruse. According to CNN, which cited a source close to the investigation, undercover police officers visited Junead Khan, 25, of Luton posing as company managers and asked to check his driver and work records. http://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2016/04/iphone-terror-crypto-uk-police/ ------------------------------ Message-ID: <229E6271-4D67-45AC-A99C-FDE7504F4DAD@roscom.com> Date: Wed, 6 Apr 2016 21:32:23 -0400 From: Monty Solomon <monty@roscom.com> Subject: Verizon to acquire 24.5% stake in AwesomenessTV and to launch premium mobile video brand Verizon to acquire 24.5% stake in AwesomenessTV and to launch premium mobile video brand The deal, which was announced Wednesday, would value the online video startup at $650 million. DreamWorks Animation, which acquired AwesomenessTV in 2013, will remain the company's majority stakeholder with 51%. Media giant Hearst Corp. will own the remaining 24.5%. AwesomenessTV founder and CEO Brian Robbins and AwesomenessTV President Brett Bouttier will continue to lead the company. AwesomenessTV is best known for its popular YouTube channel that features short videos that target young people. In addition to the equity investment, the deal has the two companies creating what they describe as the "first-of-its-kind premium short-form mobile video service." http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/envelope/cotown/la-et-ct-verizon-acquire-24-5-stake-awesomenesstv-20160406-story.html ------------------------------ Message-ID: <88E35976-85F7-4FFC-84E6-13BA72DA6297@roscom.com> Date: Wed, 6 Apr 2016 10:26:56 -0400 From: Monty Solomon <monty@roscom.com> Subject: Judge calls Uber algorithm "genius," green-lights surge- pricing lawsuit A federal judge in the US is allowing surge-pricing litigation to move forward against Uber's cofounder, Travis Kalanick. The federal judge presiding over the suit, which alleges Uber's technology unlawfully coordinates fares and surge-pricing fares, agreed that Uber's algorithm was "genius." "Defendant argues, however, that plaintiff's alleged conspiracy is 'wildly implausible' and 'physically impossible,' since it involves agreement 'among hundreds of thousands of independent transportation providers all across the United States.' Yet as plaintiff's counsel pointed out at oral argument, the capacity to orchestrate such an agreement is the 'genius' of Mr. Kalanick and his company, which, through the magic of smartphone technology, can invite hundreds of thousands of drivers in far-flung locations to agree to Uber's terms," US District Judge Jed Rakoff of Manhattan ruled (PDF) Thursday. "The advancement of technological means for the orchestration of large-scale price-fixing conspiracies need not leave antitrust law behind." http://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2016/04/judge-calls-uber-algorithm-genius-green-lights-surge-pricing-lawsuit/ ------------------------------ ********************************************* End of telecom Digest Fri, 08 Apr 2016