Washington state police now need warrants to spy on cellphones

The US government might have only started taking a serious look at the civil liberty implications for stingrays and other cellphone surveillance devices, but Washington state isn’t willing to wait. Governor Jay Inslee has just signed a bill into law requiring that police obtain warrants before using stingrays to simulate cell sites and intercept communications. They have to explicitly state their intention to use these gadgets (the FBI sometimes encourages departments to keep stingray use a secret), and they must toss out any information from people who aren’t targets in a given investigation.

This isn’t the first state to toughen up its cellphone tracking laws; Minnesota, Utah and Virginia already have comparable legislation. The Washington measure is going to affect a larger slice of the American population, however, and it suggests that the standards for cellphone surveillance are getting tougher overall. Police in states without these laws not only don’t need to disclose that they’re using a stingray, but merely need to prove that they’re collecting “relevant” data — they can violate someone’s privacy without telling others what’s going on, and might just scoop up conversations from innocent people. Theoretically, Washington and like-minded states are forcing cops to be accountable for their actions and think twice before they resort to intrusive technology to catch criminals.

[Image credit: AP Photo/Elaine Thompson]

Filed under: Cellphones, Wireless, Mobile

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Via: Ars Technica

Source: The News Tribune

BBC shuts down iPlayer service for subscribers outside the UK

The BBC has offered subscriptions to an international version of its iPlayer streaming service since 2011, but in the next month or so it will close its doors. In case you’re wondering why you’ve never heard of the iPlayer Global service, that’s because despite being offered in 16 countries (including Canada), the service never came to the US and stopped expanding back in 2013. Our best (legit) option for the pubcli broadcaster’s shows is still its cousin BBC America, which has closed the gap on airing new episodes of shows like Doctor Who from days to hours, and even has the occasional simulcast.

BBC iPlayer (Global) will be closing permanently between 26th May & 26th June 2015. For more info check http://t.co/2FmyWZ0Xcc

– BBC iPlayer (Global) (@BBCiPlayerGLBL) May 12, 2015

Now, with Top Gear up in the air and Luther in development for a US remake on Fox (plus companies like Hulu and Netflix snapping up the streaming rights to many UK series), a worldwide iPlayer product may not be as necessary as it seemed back then. Inside the UK, iPlayer will continue rolling — with more unique content than ever — and the BBC tells former Global subscribers it has plans for “new digital services across multiple devices.” All auto renewing subscriptions will end between May 26th and June 26th, and downloaded episodes will stop working at the same time, so get that EastEnders binge done soon.

Filed under: Home Entertainment, Internet, HD

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Source: BBC Global iPlayer

Sprint and Verizon to pay $158 million over bogus texting charges

No, Sprint and Verizon* aren’t going to escape the FCC’s bid to punish carriers for letting shady text message services bill their customers. The two providers are respectively paying $68 million and $90 million to settle FCC claims that they not only turned a blind eye to this bill cramming, but frequently denied refunds when subscribers complained. About $120 million of this total payout will compensate victims, while the rest will go to both state governments and the US Treasury.

As with the AT&T and T-Mobile settlements, the networks also have to make some promises. They’re no longer allowed to offer third-party premium text messaging charges, and they have to get explicit permission when they allow any kind of third-party charges. They’ll have to give you a way to block all third-party charges, too. Sprint and Verizon both insist that they were diligent about helping people well before the FCC took action, but this move holds their feet to the fire — they have to assist everyone who was affected, not just those who already made the cut.

*Verizon is currently in the process of acquiring AOL, Engadget’s parent company. However, Engadget maintains full editorial control, and Verizon will have to pry it from our cold, dead hands.

[Image credit: AP Photo/John Minchillo]

Filed under: Cellphones, Wireless, Mobile, Verizon, Sprint

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Source: FCC

Masterclass offers online lessons with the super famous

If you wanted, say, acting lessons from Dustin Hoffman, you’d probably have to write a check that’s bigger than the Empire State Building to make it happen. That’s why Masterclass has such an appealing idea, a video-based tutorial site where, unlike those videos on YouTube, the teachers are the best in their field. In addition to acting classes taken by Hoffman, users can opt for tennis coaching from Serena Williams or photography lessons from Annie Leibovitz.

Each Masterclass costs $90, and for that you’ll get up to three hours of video-based lessons as well as a series of interactive exercises to carry out. In the Hoffman classes, that’ll include being matched with nearby students to try out scenes, upload the results and gain feedback from your classmates on the web. For the James Patterson course in writing, you’ll also receive teaching materials that include some of the writer’s early drafts to see how his novels developed. Online learning is a big industry, and it’s likely to get bigger as more people try to better themselves without paying the fees for MIT or Harvard. The draw of learning your craft with a celebrity will probably help, too.

Filed under: Internet

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Source: Masterclass