World's first 3D-printer gun fired

6 May 2013 Last updated at 02:38 ET By Rebecca Morelle Science reporter, BBC World Service, Texas

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The BBC's Rebecca Morelle saw the 3D-printed gun's first test in Austin, Texas

The world's first gun made with 3D printer technology has been successfully fired in the US.

The controversial group which created the firearm, Defense Distributed, plans to make the blueprints available online.

The group has spent a year trying to create the firearm, which was successfully tested on Saturday at a firing range south of Austin, Texas.

Anti-gun campaigners have criticised the project.

Europe's law enforcement agency said it was monitoring developments.

Victoria Baines, from Europol's cybercrime centre, said that at present criminals were more likely to pursue traditional routes to obtain firearms.

She added, however: "But as time goes on and as this technology becomes more user friendly and more cost effective, it is possible that some of these risks will emerge."

Defense Distributed is headed by Cody Wilson, a 25-year-old law student at the University of Texas.

Mr Wilson said: "I think a lot of people weren't expecting that this could be done."

3D printing has been hailed as the future of manufacturing.

The technology works by building up layer upon layer of material - typically plastic - to build complex solid objects.

The idea is that as the printers become cheaper, instead of buying goods from shops, consumers will instead be able to download designs and print out the items at home.

But as with all new technologies, there are risks as well as benefits.

Personal liberties

The gun was made on a 3D printer that cost $8,000 (£5,140) from the online auction site eBay.

It was assembled from separate printed components made from ABS plastic - only the firing pin was made from metal.

Mr Wilson, who describes himself as a crypto-anarchist, said his plans to make the design available were "about liberty".

He told the BBC: "There is a demand of guns - there just is. There are states all over the world that say you can't own firearms - and that's not true anymore.

"I'm seeing a world where technology says you can pretty much be able to have whatever you want. It's not up to the political players any more."

Asked if he felt any sense of responsibility about whose hands the gun might fall into, he told the BBC: "I recognise the tool might be used to harm other people - that's what the tool is - it's a gun.

"But I don't think that's a reason to not do it - or a reason not to put it out there."

Gun control

To make the gun, Mr Wilson received a manufacturing and seller's licence from the US Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF).

Donna Sellers, from the ATF, told BBC News that the 3D-printed gun, as long as it was not a National Firearms Act weapon (an automatic gun, for example), was legal in the US.

She said: "[In the US] a person can manufacture a firearm for their own use. However, if they engage in the business of manufacture to sell a gun, they need a licence."

Amid America's ongoing gun debate in the wake of the shootings at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut, US congressman Steve Israel recently called for a ban on 3D guns under the Undetectable Firearms Act.

Groups looking to tighten US gun laws have also expressed concern.

Leah Gunn Barrett, from New Yorkers Against Gun Violence, has said: "These guns could fall into the hands of people who should not have guns - criminals, people who are seriously mentally ill, people who are convicted of domestic violence, even children."

3D printing technology has already been used by some criminal organisations to create card readers - "skimmers" - that are inserted into bank machines.

Many law enforcement agencies around the world now have people dedicated to monitoring cybercrime and emerging technologies such as 3D printers.

Ms Baines from Europol said: "What we know is that technology proceeds much more quickly than we expect it to. So by getting one step ahead of the technological developments, we hope and believe we will be able to get one step ahead of the criminals as well."

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Poster 'only fully visible to kids'

6 May 2013 Last updated at 11:18 ET

A poster than can only be fully seen when looked at from a child's point of view has been used in an anti-child abuse campaign.

Spanish organisation the Anar Foundation used lenticular printing - a technique which means those looking at different angles see a different image.

On the poster, a "secret" message showing a child helpline would show up when seen from a child's height.

The foundation said it helped children gain confidence to call the number.

The campaign was designed get the information about where to find help to children who may be accompanied by their abuser.

Seeking help

The foundation worried that if a poster containing a phone number that both adult and child could see, the adult may possibly say things to dissuade the child from considering seeking help.

The "secret" message on the campaign poster reads (translated from Spanish): "If somebody hurts you, phone us and we'll help you."

Lenticular printing is a concept which has existed for several decades - and has been used for various purposes, perhaps most memorably as "animated" stickers found on children's lunchboxes, stationery and other items.

But recent developments mean a greater illusion of depth can be achieved - meaning the technique is also used to create a 3D effect that does not require glasses.

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Motorola 'abused patent position'

6 May 2013 Last updated at 13:31 ET

Google-owned Motorola Mobility abused its position in Germany's mobile market when it filed a patent injunction against Apple, EU officials have said.

Motorola won an injunction over Apple products that used patents relating to data transmission technology in February 2012.

Apple offered to pay Motorola a licence fee for using the patents - but the two companies could not agree on a price.

Apple products, including the iPhone, were taken off sale during the dispute.

Several models of the smartphone, and the iPad, were removed from sale on Apple's German website - but were still available in other stores in the country.

Data patents

The dispute revolves around the use of what are known as standard-essential patents (SEPs) - patents that are deemed essential to the operation of standards such as mobile phone signal.

In this case Motorola's innovation is deemed crucial to the GPRS data transmission standard used by GSM cellular networks across the world.

Holders of SEPs are obliged to licence the patent's use to competitors in return for a fee on so-called fair, reasonable and non-discriminatory (Frand) terms. In simpler terms - a fair price.

The EU Competition Commission argued that Motorola sought an injunction despite Apple's apparent willingness to enter an agreement.

In a statement, the commission said: "while recourse to injunctions is a possible remedy for patent infringements, such conduct may be abusive where standard-essential patents are concerned and the potential licensee is willing to enter into a licence on fair, reasonable and non-discriminatory terms."

'Consumer choice'

EU Competition Commissioner Joaquin Almunia added: "The protection of intellectual property is a cornerstone of innovation and growth. But so is competition.

"I think that companies should spend their time innovating and competing on the merits of the products they offer - not misusing their intellectual property rights to hold up competitors to the detriment of innovation and consumer choice."

The commission's stance forms part of its "preliminary view" on the case. Motorola is able to defend its position ahead of the final decision.

Motorola spokeswoman Katie Dove told AFP: "We agree with the European Commission that injunctions should only be sought against unwilling licensees and, in this case, Motorola Mobility followed the procedure established.

"Apple had to make six offers before the court recognised them as a willing licensee."

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US accuses China of cyber-spying

7 May 2013 Last updated at 06:04 ET

China's government and military have targeted US government computers as part of a cyber espionage campaign, a US report on China says.

Intrusions were focused on collecting intelligence on US diplomatic, economic and defence sectors which could benefit China's own defence programme, it says.

This is the first time the Pentagon's annual report has directly linked such attacks to the Beijing government.

China called the report "groundless", saying it represented "US distrust".

A report from state news agency Xinhua cited Sr Col Wang Xinjun, a People's Liberation Army (PLA) researcher, describing the report as "irresponsible and harmful to the mutual trust between the two countries".

Both China and the US were victims of cybercrimes and should work together to tackle the problems, the agency quoted him as saying.

Continue reading the main story

Analysis

This is the most explicit US statement so far charging that it is the Chinese government and military that are behind at least some of the many intrusions into US government computer systems.

It marks a general toughening of the US position over the course of this year. President Barack Obama raised the cyber-security threat in a telephone call to Chinese President Xi Jinping in March. The issue figured prominently when US Treasury Secretary Jacob Lew visited Beijing a few days later.

There have long been fears about China's ability to steal technical and industrial secrets But this latest Pentagon report warns that China's activities go well beyond this "building a picture of US defence networks, logistics and related military capabilities that could be exploited during a crisis."

US experts believe that China's "area denial" strategy - its effort to push US naval forces well away from its shores - could have a significant cyber dimension.

Of course the United States is also rapidly developing capabilities to counter-cyber attacks and to go on the offensive itself. Indeed this is a field where the boundaries between offence and defence are blurred. US Cyber Command is expanding rapidly. The US and others are thought to be behind a number of computer virus attacks against elements of Iran's nuclear programme; a small glimpse of what the future of warfare may look like.

The Pentagon report also criticises a "lack of transparency" in China's military modernisation programme and defence spending.

'Exfiltrating information'

"In 2012, numerous computer systems around the world, including those owned by the US government, continued to be targeted for intrusions, some of which appear to be attributable directly to the Chinese government and military," the report from the US Department of Defense said.

The attacks were focused on "exfiltrating information" that "could potentially be used to benefit China's defence industry, high technology industries... and military planners," it said.

It added that this was particularly concerning because the "skills required for these intrusions are similar to those necessary to conduct computer network attacks".

While China has long been suspected of a role in cyber attacks, the US has generally avoided publicly attributing attacks to the Chinese government, or confirming that US government computers have been targeted.

But the issue has come under increased scrutiny in recent months.

In February, US cyber security firm Mandiant said that it had linked hundreds of data breaches since 2004 to a Chinese hacking team traced to the site of a military unit in Shanghai.

China called the Mandiant report flawed, and said it was opposed to cyber-crime.

'Increased assertiveness'

Continue reading the main story

What is Unit 61398?

• A unit of China's People's Liberation Army, to whose Shanghai address US cyber security firm Mandiant says it traced a prolific hacking team
• The team was said to have hacked into 141 computers across 20 industries, stealing hundreds of terabytes of data
• Mandiant says the team would have been staffed by hundreds, possibly thousands of proficient English speakers
• China said Mandiant's report was flawed and lacked proof

The report also analyses China's progress in modernising its military and says that a "lack of transparency" about its military capabilities has heightened regional tensions.

China announced in March that its annual defence budget was $114bn (£73bn), an increase of 10.4%.

However, the Pentagon estimated that China's total military expenditure in 2012 was higher, between $135bn (£83bn) and $215bn (£138bn).

China launched its first aircraft carrier in 2012, and is also investing in ballistic missiles, counter-space weapons and military cyberspace systems, the report said.

Defense Department official David Helvey said that while none of the individual weapons systems were an issue, the "integration and overlapping nature" of the systems left the department "concerned".

They could boost China's ability to restrict access to, and military operations in, the Western Pacific, he said.

Mr Helvey said the report also found that China had "increased assertiveness with respect to its maritime territorial claims" over the past year.

China has territorial disputes with many of its neighbours, including in both the South China Sea and East China Sea.

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Photoshop moves to subscription

7 May 2013 Last updated at 06:45 ET

Adobe is introducing a subscription model for many of its most popular programs, including Photoshop and Dreamweaver.

Up to now, customers had perpetual access by paying a single fee for Adobe's Creative Suite.

From next month, continuing access to the programs, either individually or as a whole, will demand a monthly fee.

Standalone versions will still be available but will not be upgraded.

The change was announced at Adobe's annual Max conference, at which it details the latest updates to its products.

'Company free from upgrade cycle'

Adobe spokesman Scott Morris said the move to a subscription system would free the company from its traditional 18 to 24-month upgrade cycle. From June, he said, improvements would be released as they became available.

At Max, Adobe said the standalone version of its Creative Suite, which bundles together 16 programs, including Photoshop, Illustrator, Audition, Dreamweaver and Premiere, would be frozen at version 6. Bug fixes would be made available for this version but new features and enhancements would not. Currently, the standalone version of Creative Suite 6 costs about £1,800 from Adobe.

Those who want to keep up with upgrades and changes to Creative Suite would have to take out a subscription to Adobe's Creative Cloud - a web-based system through which customers can manage what they do with the different tools. In return, customers get access to the software as well as an online storage system and project management tools.

In the UK, access to all programs in the Creative Cloud costs £47 a month provided customers agree to pay for at least a year. If customers opt to pay month-to-month the cost is £70. Access to individual applications costs just under £18 a month if customers sign up for a year.

'500,000 subscribers for Creative Cloud'

Discounts would be available for those that signed up before 31 July, Adobe said.

"Customers have to come to terms with the end of perpetually licensed software," IDC analyst Al Hilwa told the Associated Press.

The move to a subscription model is the culmination of a long experiment by Adobe to see if customers would pay monthly for access. Adobe said it now had 500,000 subscribers for Creative Cloud after running a pilot programme for a year.

Adobe is the latest in a number of large software firms that have moved to a cloud-based or subscription model. Microsoft has also introduced Office 365, a subscription version of its set of office productivity programs.

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Google's Russian test-case fails

7 May 2013 Last updated at 06:50 ET

A test-case brought by Google to challenge tough Russian laws on internet content has failed.

The case related to a video clip uploaded to Google-owned YouTube, which portrayed, using a blunt razorblade and fake blood, a woman cutting her wrists.

Russian regulators demanded the clip be removed, saying it provided information about how to kill oneself.

Google complied - but in February it filed an appeal, which has now been rejected by a Moscow court.

The search giant argued the clip was intended as entertainment rather than to promote actual suicide.

In response to the ruling, Google said: "We do not believe the goal of the law was to limit access to videos that are clearly intended to entertain viewers."

Google added it would "review the decision and consider our options".

Ukrainian Darina Snegova, 20, who made the video, told the Wall Street Journal the clip had been intended as an example of how make-up could be used.

'Protecting children'

The clip, entitled "Video lesson on how to cut your veins", was deemed by Russian regulators to break strict new rules on web content thought to be harmful to children.

The rules, an amendment to Russia's Information Act, came into force in November and related to web posts showing drug use, suicide or child sex abuse. They allow the Russian regulator to request content it deems to promote any of these be immediately removed from the web.

Google said it had received 114 requests to take down content in Russia in the second-half of 2012, up from just six for the first half of the year.

According to the company, 107 of those requests were directly related to the new law.

The Russian government insists the law is about protecting children but its ever-growing blacklist has caused controversy with human-rights groups who argue it has increased censorship.

Blogging platform LJRossia has been targeted, as has a Russian version of discussion forum 4chan.

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US extradites cybercrime suspect

7 May 2013 Last updated at 07:46 ET

A 24-year-old Algerian man has been extradited to the US to face charges he used a computer virus to steal cash from more than 250 American banks.

Hamza Bendelladj, arrested in Thailand in January, is suspected of being a co-creator of the SpyEye malware.

The widely used program steals log-in information for online bank accounts that thieves then plunder.

If found guilty, Mr Bendelladj could face $14m (£9m) in fines and a jail sentence of more than 30 years.

"Bendelladj's alleged criminal reach extended across international borders, directly into victims' homes," said US attorney Sally Yates in a statement.

"In a cyber-netherworld, he allegedly commercialised the wholesale theft of financial and personal information through this virus which he sold to other cybercriminals."

Mr Bendelladj, who used the alias Bx1 online, is believed to be one of the "critical" controllers of the SpyEye software that infected users' computers and then stole personal information used to log in to online financial accounts.

SpyEye's controllers are believed to have built up a huge network, or botnet, of compromised computers they regularly ransacked for information.

The US accuses Mr Bendelladj of using the information gathered by SpyEye to steal cash from banks and of using the botnet for other purposes such as sending spam.

In addition, Mr Bendelladj is accused of helping to develop and sell versions of SpyEye that novice cyber-thieves used to find and fleece victims.

US law enforcement agencies tracked and caught Mr Bendelladj by getting him to sell a copy of SpyEye to an undercover police officer for $8,500 (£5,500).

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Syrian hackers hit the Onion

7 May 2013 Last updated at 08:06 ET

The Twitter feed of satire website the Onion has fallen victim to hackers from the Syrian Electronic Army.

The attack is the latest in a series of takeovers by the group of media accounts on the micro-blogging service.

Other media organisations previously hit by the hackers include the BBC, Reuters, CBS, the Associated Press.

And the Syrian Electronic Army has claimed responsibility for attacks that send out messages in support of Syria's President, Bashar al-Assad.

The group reportedly targeted the Onion following its publication of an article mocking President Assad's reaction to the ongoing conflict in the country.

In a message sent to the New York Times, the hackers behind the attack said the article had "savaged" Syria and hurt the feelings of many people in the country. It accused the site of being "biased" and said it should stick to satire.

The attackers posted a series of messages and pictures to the Twitter feed, many of which had anti-Semitic content.

In response, the Onion deleted the messages and sent out a series of Tweets to its five million followers, poking fun at the incident.

The Syrian Electronic Army has enjoyed a series of high-profile successes against the Twitter accounts of media groups and news organisations.

Its main tactic involves sending email messages containing a web link that takes victims to a fake Gmail or Outlook log-in page.

Any log-in details entered on the fake sites are captured and then used to access email inboxes and look for messages that contain passwords to corporate Twitter accounts.

As well as sending out messages to trick people into handing over details, the hackers have also defaced websites and tried to knock sites offline.

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Google Glass not for kids under 13

7 May 2013 Last updated at 13:37

Google says kids under 13 shouldn't use Google Glass, the company's upcoming futuristic internet glasses.

Google's website says: "Don't let children under 13 use Glass as it could harm developing vision."

The smart specs use voice control and let the wearer do things like take photos, make video calls and even look at websites.

They're currently being tested by a group of 1,000 people and are expected to go on sale next year.

Google's website also says: "Glass isn't for everyone. Like when wearing glasses, some people may feel eye strain or get a headache.

"Kids might break Glass or hurt themselves, and Google's terms of service don't permit those under 13 to register a Google account."

Newsround asked Google if they could tell us more about how Glass could affect kids' eyesight - but they replied saying: "We do not have anything to add to the information we have already made available on our FAQ page."

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Glowing plant gets funds green light

7 May 2013 Last updated at 10:06 ET

A glowing plant that could provide a sustainable light source has caught the imagination of backers on the crowdfunding website Kickstarter.

With a month still to go, the project has raised $243,000 (£157,000). Its initial goal was $65,000.

Backers are promised seeds for glowing plants, although delivery will not be until next May at the earliest.

The "biohacking" team behind the project said that in future trees could act as street lights.

The researchers are keen that their mix of DIY synthetic biology and sustainable lighting remains open-source.

"Inspired by fireflies... our team of Stanford-trained PhDs are using off-the-shelf methods to create real glowing plants in a do-it-yourself bio lab in California," said project leader Antony Evans.

"All of the output from this project will be released open-source, the DNA constructs, the plants etc," it said on its website.

Commercially appealing

The research team, led by synthetic biologist Omri Amirav-Drory and plant scientist Kyle Taylor, aims to transplant a fluorescent gene into a small plant called Arabidopsis, a member of the mustard family.

The team has chosen this plant as it is easy to experiment with and carries minimal risk for spreading into the wild.

However, it hopes that the same process will work for a rose, which it considers to be more commercially appealing.

The team will work with luciferase, an enzyme common in fireflies as well as some glowing fungi and bacteria.

The researchers have already designed the DNA sequences using software from a company called Genome Compiler, which allows people to easily design genetic sequences.

They will then print the DNA and the final stage will be to transfer this to the plants.

'Great inspiration'

Initially the genes are transferred to agrobacteria, increasingly used in genetic engineering because they can transfer DNA between themselves and plants.

Continue reading the main story

Biology is very energy-efficient and energy packets are more dense than batteries. Even a weakly glowing flower would be a great icon"

End Quote Prof George Church Geneticist, Harvard Medical School

This method will only be used for prototypes as the bacteria are plant pests and any use of such organisms is heavily regulated.

For the seeds that will be sent to the public, the team will use a gene gun that effectively coats nanoparticles with DNA and fires them into plants. This method is not subject to regulation.

George Church, a professor of genetics at Harvard Medical School who is backing the project, said that biology could provide great inspiration for more sustainable light sources.

"Biology is very energy-efficient and energy packets are more dense than batteries. Even a weakly glowing flower would be a great icon."

The team is not the first to create glowing plants.

'Pretty enticing'

In 2008 scientists at the University of California created a glowing tobacco plant, using luciferase.

And in 2010 researchers from the University of Cambridge was able to make bacteria glow sufficiently to read by.

Theo Sanderson, a member of that Cambridge team, has blogged about the new attempt.

"Nobody can deny that the idea of walking down a path lit by glowing trees is pretty enticing... what has disappointed me has been the lack of discussion as to what the team actually plan to do with the funds raised, and whether the science stacks up," he said.

"My prediction is that this project will ship plants which have a dimly visible luminescence in a pitch-black room."

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