The NSA surveillance revelations of 2013 has been one of the most controversial issues of our day? Was it to protect our nation from terrorism? Or was it a violation of civil rights and liberties (those who follow me regularly know where I stand). Let’s see where a review board stand.
Before you ask, this review board, called Privacy and Civil Liberties Oversight Board (PCLOB), is an independent board, not sponsored by any political party or organization, corporation. etc. In the wake of President Obama’s speech calling for phone records to be thrown out, this board says there’s no basis to support the NSA’s spying on our smartphones and computers. Their report says there is no instance the NSA’s phone data program has or will stop terrorism. There are some who say the program stopped a potential 2009 terror attack, in which terrorist plotted to bomb New York City’s transit system, but the PCLOB rejects this. They concluded the program raises ‘constitutional concerns’ and the phone data program should no longer exist.
Wow, this is powerful! This board wasn’t pulled from the street. This board includes federal judges and members of the George W. Bush, Clinton and Carter administrations. I’m sure this report will be debated over and over. I’m sure they are people on the other side of the debate whose credentials are just as great. But so does the PCLOB. Does this not give the civil libertarian argument at least a little credibility?
The times they are a changing and so is how we consume media. The WWE has also figured this out by launching the WWE network but here is the interesting part, you won’t be calling your local cable company or satellite provider to ask for this channel. Coming on February 24th, this will be the first network to launch with a 24/7 streaming service, live content, and an on-demand section with thousands of hours of wrestling fun.
One of the best things about this network is that it will give them all 12 of the WWE’s pay-per-views for just $9.99 a month. Which if purchased through your cable or satellite provider would cost you $675 for the year.
The best part about this service and why it is featured as an article on a computer site is that it will stream on all of your devices. That’s right, your Amazon Kindle Fire, Android devices including Samsung Galaxy devices, iOS devices such as the Apple iPad and iPhone, your Roku device, PS3 and PS4 gaming machines, Xbox One and a few select smart TV’s coming this summer.
All you have to do to subscribe is sign up for a WWE.com account although you will need to sign up for a six month commitment for the $9.99 a month which is still a great deal and protects the WWE from people just wanting to grab one pay-per-view for $9.99 and then cancel. The WWE Network is set to launch on the 24th of February and will be giving a limited time trial of one week to all who want to see what this channel is all about. The channel is going to be available in the US to start and going to other countries such as the UK and Canada in the late 2014/early 2015.
If you are having issues getting the WWE Network online in your home, give us at Computer Geeks a call 800-433-5435 and we can get it done for you, IF YA SMELLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL OOOWWWW! What Computer Geeks is Cookin….
It’s only the second day of the new year and things are off to a flying start. Already, we have a breaking hacking and surveillance story going hand in hand.
Social media sites Skype, Twitter and Facebook were hacked into. A group called Syrian Electronic Army claimed responsibility. They’re calling for an end to spying, in the wake of Edward Snowden’s revelations of 2013. It’s reported no user information is at risk. But the SEA (Syrian Electronic Army) is not subtle or shy in voicing their intentions. One Skype blog from them says, “Stop Spying on People!” This isn’t the first time the SEA made their appearance known.
As most of you know, there is a bloody and deadly civil war going on in Syria with no end in sight. The SEA openly supports embattled Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. Throughout 2013, they’ve hacked into New York Times, British Broadcasting Company (BBC), Financial Times, New York Stock Exchange and Twitter. But this is the first time they’ve addressed the spying controversy. Which makes me think. I agree with their stance on ‘stop spying’. But I’m skeptical of their motives. They could be using this subject to win people over in order to gain support for their cause. Al-Assad has allegedly done some terrible things (from what I’ve been hearing, the rebel fighters aren’t any better). So I need to be real careful before I pat these guys on the back for speaking what so many Americans are feeling. Is the SEA really sincere in their speaking out against government surveillance?
The United States and Russia has hardly agreed on anything this year. There’s Edward Snowden. There are international conflicts. Now there’s this.
Last week, President Obama signed a bill killing Russia’s plans to build monitor systems on US soil. They’re supposed to be about six of them. Russia says this will help improve GPS systems around the world, particularly Russia’s Global Positioning Network. But many in congress, especially House Republicans who put the killing of this plan into motion, fear Russia may have more sinister motions. Many in Congress are cynical Russia would use this plan to spy, or something even worse. To show how bad tensions are, nobody is returning anybody’s phone calls between the two nations.
I’m glad Congress took a stand against this. Hasn’t there been enough spying in the US and around the world this year? Due to the Edward Snowden scandal and Syrian conflict, among other issues, US and Russia aren’t best friends these days. What if they were allowed to put their GPS systems on our soil? What if they got access to everything we were saying or doing? Worst yet, what if they got access to military or government secrets? Am I being paranoid?
Have you ever posted anything regrettable on a social media site? At worse, it probably costed you a lot of humiliation, Or maybe even a stern lecture. For Justine Sacco, it cost her a lot more.
On a flight to South Africa, Justine Sacco, a public relations agent, tweeted, “Going to Africa. Hope I don’t get AIDS! Just kidding. I’m white.” By the time her plane touched down, she was an instant celebrity, for all the wrong reasons. The national firestorm was swift and harsh. Her employer fired her and she was forced to apologize in front of the nation.
There is a lot to be said here. First, we should all be careful what we put on social media. It will haunt us for life. And unfortunately, we will be judged on that. I hate it as much as everyone else, but that’s just where the world is right now. The second thing, something that is supposed to be funny or innocent to get blown way out of proportion. For example, if Sacco said this some 25 or 30 years ago, would it have been a big deal. The media got on Steve Martin?for tweeting about pronouncing something in an Italian or African-American restaurant. This could have been an innocent question, but the media and political correct police pumped it up to be even more. He was eventually forced to apologize. I’m not condoning what Sacco said. But has social media become a tool for political correctness enforcement?
Earlier today, it was learned the credit/debit cards of around 40 million Target shoppers are at risk of being compromised. Basically, anyone who shopped at any Target in the US between Thanksgiving weekend and December 15 is at risk.
The risk isn’t for online Target shoppers, just for those who used their cards in the store. Stolen info includes customer’s names, card numbers, card expiration date, and even that 3 digit security code. It’s believed this breach was an inside job. It’s believed the machines were broken into to get the information. This isn’t the first time this happened to a major store chain. Back in 2007, TJ Maxx and Marshall’s had over 45 million cards compromised.
There are things you can do. First off, call your credit card company and make sure every purchase is on the up and up. If anything sounds or looks fraudulent, cancel the card immediately and get a replacement card. I know getting a new card can take a couple of weeks and can be an inconvenience, especially this time of year. But it’s better to be inconvenienced than to be wiped out. Use cash whenever you can. There’s no way cash can be hacked into. What are some other ways these crimes can be prevented?
