GitHub founder in harassment probe

18 March 2014 Last updated at 06:14

Developer platform GitHub suspended an unnamed co-founder after an engineer resigned.

"I've been harassed by 'leadership' at GitHub for two years and I am the first developer to quit," Julie Ann Horvath wrote on Twitter last Friday.

In response, chief executive Chris Wanstrath said a co-founder and an engineer were put on leave.

"We have begun a full investigation," he wrote in a blog post.

GitHub, founded in 2008, is a web-based hosting service for software developing projects.

It has grown rapidly in recent years, fuelled by its social networking platform which allows users to share code and trade tips.

As of April 2013, the company said it had over 3.5 million users.

'Done differently'

In a series of tweets on Friday, Ms Horvath detailed what she said was "character assassination" and "aggressive behaviour" from a GitHub co-founder and engineer.

"I had to permanently alter my career path and risk personal safety and further harassment for there to be action taken," she wrote, saying the company ignored her complaints

"Nothing will be resolved on my end until both of those men are asked to step down."

In his blog post, Mr Wanstrath said he "would like to personally apologize to Julie".

Mr Wanstrath also noted that while GitHub has grown quickly over the past few years, it only hired a human relations manager in January.

"It's certain that there were things we could have done differently," he wrote.

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Steering wheel can 'detect anger'

14 March 2014 Last updated at 19:03 By Dave Lee Technology reporter, BBC News

A concept to embed facial recognition cameras into steering wheels to detect angry or upset drivers is being worked on by researchers.

A team in Switzerland said irritated drivers could be more aggressive and less attentive, and therefore assessing emotional state could improve safety.

Tests of the system showed promising levels of accuracy, the team said.

But one group representing the interests of drivers was not impressed.

The researchers from the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Lausanne said their system "learned" to identify two emotions - anger and disgust - on the face of its test subjects.

Another use for the technology was said to be to detect driver fatigue by monitoring the percentage of eyelid closure.

The camera was tested in both an office environment, and in a car provided by Peugeot Citroën.

Facial expression recognition technology is already widely used, particularly in the video games industry.

'Row with their wife'

But in this scenario, the technology is a long way from being ready for use.

The team said it faced a challenge in making sure the emotion detection was reliable given that humans reactions and facial expressions can vary greatly.

And Hugh Bladon, from the Association of British Drivers, was against the concept full stop.

"I don't like the idea at all," he said.

"I'm all for something which stops someone who's drunk or on drugs getting in and driving.

"But to try and test someone's emotional state... if they've had a row with their wife or they've had a bad report about something... that's too far.

"It's an intrusion."

Follow Dave Lee on Twitter @DaveLeeBBC

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WhatsApp reaffirms privacy pledge

18 March 2014 Last updated at 03:54

WhatsApp founder Jan Koum has spoken out against "careless and inaccurate" reports about possible changes to the messaging app's privacy policies.

In a blog post, Mr Koum sought to reassure users that Facebook's $19bn (£11bn) purchase of the firm would not change core principles.

"Respect for your privacy is coded into our DNA," he wrote.

The post comes in the wake of complaints to US regulators by privacy advocates about Facebook's purchase.

Mr Koum referenced his childhood in Ukraine in the 1980s, and wrote that "the fact that we couldn't speak freely without the fear that our communications would be monitored by KGB is in part why we moved to the United States when I was a teenager".

He said he would not have allowed the firm to be acquired by Facebook if it meant changing core WhatsApp policies like not asking for users' names, email addresses or birthdays. He said he would not allow user data to be used for advertising.

"Speculation to the contrary isn't just baseless and unfounded, it's irresponsible," he added.

"It has the effect of scaring people into thinking we're suddenly collecting all kinds of new data. That's just not true."

Privacy concerns

WhatsApp currently makes money by selling a $0.99 subscription to users.

Mr Koum previously railed against advertising in a 2012 blog post.

But privacy advocates have asked US regulators to block the purchase, arguing that Facebook has a long history of promising not to use user data for advertising purposes, only to do just that.

In a filing with the Federal Trade Commission, two privacy groups - the Electronic Privacy Information Center and the Center for Digital Democracy - argued that WhatsApp users provided the firm with personal data under the assumption it would not be shared.

"Users provided detailed personal information to the company including private text to close friends. Facebook routinely makes use of user information for advertising purposes and has made clear that it intends to incorporate the data of WhatsApp users into the user profiling business model," wrote the groups.

"The proposed acquisition will therefore violate WhatsApp users' understanding of their exposure to online advertising and constitutes an unfair and deceptive trade practice, subject to investigation by the Federal Trade Commission."

The FTC has not yet said whether it will open an investigation.

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Jail term for Miss Teen USA hacker

18 March 2014 Last updated at 11:37

An American teenager who blackmailed young women with compromising images grabbed by hacking their webcams has been jailed for 18 months.

Jared James Abrahams broke into about 150 online accounts over a two-year period to commit the crimes.

More than two dozen women in the US, Ireland and other nations had their computers hacked by Abrahams.

One victim was Miss Teen USA 2013 beauty contest winner - Cassidy Wolf.

Abrahams was arrested in early 2013 and pleaded guilty to one count of computer hacking and three of extortion in November.

In a statement about the sentencing, the US Department of Justice said Abrahams had targeted women he had known personally or found by hacking their Facebook pages. Abrahams took over email, social media accounts and computers and used this access to remotely turn on the machine and grab pictures when his victims were naked.

Abrahams had then extorted cash from victims by threatening to publicly post nude photos and videos, said the DoJ in a statement about the sentencing.

"As digital devices, email accounts, and social media accounts now contain the most intimate details of the public's daily lives, the impact of this type of hacking and extortion becomes more pronounced, troubling, and far-reaching," wrote DoJ prosecutors in a document filed in advance of the sentencing hearing.

"In some cases, this type of criminal behaviour can be life-changing for the victims - especially for vulnerable victims who may feel it is impossible to rebuild their tarnished reputations," said the document.

People should be careful where they posted images and videos to avoid becoming a victim of extortion and escape the risk of compromising content being stolen, said the DoJ. In addition, it said, people should choose hard-to-guess passwords, keep security software updated and avoid opening unexpected attachments.

Lastly, it said, people should keep webcams covered when they are not in use.

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US to give up net oversight powers

17 March 2014 Last updated at 11:51

The US government has declared it wants to stop being in charge of how the internet is run.

The US Commerce Department has announced its "intent" to hand control over to the wider net community.

It has asked net overseer Icann to work out how to shift control from the US government to an alternative body.

It said it wants the successor controlling body to be made up of both private companies and government representatives.

'Critical' time

The way the internet came about meant the US retained ultimate control over how the network was operated. The process of stepping back from that began in 1998 with the creation of Icann (the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers).

Under contract from the US government, Icann oversees the net's addressing system that underlies everything people do online.

Now it wants to go further and let Icann run that addressing system without any US interference.

In a statement setting out its plan, assistant secretary of commerce Lawrence Strickling said the handover must "support and enhance the multistakeholder model" for the governing of the net as well as maintain its openness.

Dr Stephen Crocker, chairman of Icann's board, said the day the net would be free of US oversight had been "long envisioned".

"We have all long known the destination," he said in a statement. "Now it is up to our global stakeholder community to determine the best route to get us there."

He said Icann had issued invitations to governments, companies, net organisations and civil groups to help it work out how the transfer of power should be accomplished. Icann said the new body should be in place by September 2015 when its current contract with the US government expires.

Calls for the US to have less of a role in the running of the net have intensified in recent months as whistle-blower Edward Snowden has leaked information about the extent of surveillance by America's National Security Agency.

In February, Neelie Kroes, the European Union commissioner who oversees telecommunications policy, said US oversight had to end.

In a more recent statement, she welcomed the US decision to hand over control and said: "The next two years will be critical in redrawing the map of internet governance - all those with an interest in preserving a trusted, free and open internet must act now."

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Nakamoto hires lawyers over Bitcoin

17 March 2014 Last updated at 13:06

Dorian Satoshi Nakamoto, the man named by Newsweek as the creator of virtual currency Bitcoin, has taken on a lawyer to "clear his name", the 64-year-old said in a statement.

US magazine Newsweek ran an article on 6 March making the claim, and still stands by its story.

But via his lawyers, Mr Nakamoto said: "I did not create, invent or otherwise work on Bitcoin."

He said that "financial distress" meant he did not have an internet connection.

"I am writing this statement to clear my name," Mr Nakamoto wrote.

"The first time I heard the term 'bitcoin' was from my son in mid-February 2014.

"After being contacted by a reporter, my son called me and used the word, which I had never before heard.

"Shortly thereafter, the reporter confronted me at my home. I called the police. I never consented to speak with the reporter. In an ensuing discussion with a reporter from the Associated Press, I called the technology 'bitcom'. I was still unfamiliar with the term."

'Confusion and stress'

Neither Newsweek nor Leah Goodman, the reporter who wrote the original story, have commented on the latest statement.

In the days following the publication of the story, Newsweek put out an additional note saying it stood behind Ms Goodman and the reporting contained in the article.

"Ms Goodman's research was conducted under the same high editorial and ethical standards that have guided Newsweek for more than 80 years," the magazine said.

"Newsweek stands strongly behind Ms Goodman and her article."

The magazine called for Mr Nakamoto's privacy to be respected - an issue he had hit out at the magazine about, and has reiterated with his latest comment.

"Newsweek's false report has been the source of a great deal of confusion and stress for myself, my 93-year-old mother, my siblings, and their families," he said.

"I offer my sincerest thanks to those people in the United States and around the world who have offered me their support. I have retained legal counsel. This will be our last public statement on this matter.

"I ask that you now respect our privacy."

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Postcode database sale was 'mistake'

17 March 2014 Last updated at 13:42

The inclusion of a valuable database of postcodes and addresses in the Royal Mail flotation has been criticised by an influential group of MPs.

The Public Administration Committee said the Postcode Address File (PAF) was a national asset and should not have been included in privatisation.

It includes all known postal addresses in the UK, with 1.8 million postcodes.

The committee's report said the PAF was included to boost Royal Mail's value but this was denied by the government.

'Never again'

The MPs said the database had been expensive to collect and was of "huge direct value" to the economy.

The PAF, a complete set of the nation's postcodes, is valuable because its details can be used by businesses for mailshots and marketing.

Continue reading the main story

• The PAF is a database of mail delivery points
• Names of private individuals are not included, except when it is the only way of identifying a delivery point
• It contains 29 million business and residential addresses to which mail can be delivered
• There are 1.8 million UK postcodes and 1.4 million business names
• It covers England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland, Jersey, Guernsey and the Isle of Man

Source: Royal Mail

The committee expressed concern about the credibility of assurances over continued access for small businesses and others, now the database was in private hands.

Committee chairman Bernard Jenkin said: "The sale of the PAF with the Royal Mail was a mistake. Public access to public sector data must never be sold or given away again.

"This type of information, like census information and many other data sets, is very expensive to collect and collate into useable form, but it also has huge potential value to the economy and society as a whole if it is kept as an open, public good.

"The UK government was an early mover on government open data, but other governments, watching the UK with interest, are catching up fast.

"If the government does not take the opportunities offered, there is a risk in the UK that businesses with growth potential will be deterred by fees for data, and by legal and administrative barriers, while other countries are developing their data industrial base and stealing a lead over the UK."

'Integral part'

The committee said making public data available could empower people, make government more accountable, improve public services and benefit the economy and society as a whole.

Analysts Deloitte had assessed the value of this information to consumers, businesses and the public sector at £1.8bn a year, it added.

The government said it had ensured the postal database remained available for some other uses, including a free option for looking up postcodes.

A spokesman for the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills said: "The Postcode Address File was included in the sale of Royal Mail because it is an integral part of its operations, not to boost the price."

Royal Mail said it was working on a proposal to widen access to the PAF.

"Royal Mail recognises the importance that PAF plays as a vital dataset supporting and sustaining key parts of the UK economy and we are committed to its widespread availability at a fair price," it said in a statement.

Labour trade and investment spokesman Ian Murray said: "This report raises yet more concerns that taxpayers have been short-changed by David Cameron's botched Royal Mail fire sale, losing valuable public assets including the Postcode Address File to City speculators."

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'Netflix for piracy' saved by fans

17 March 2014 Last updated at 17:21 By Dave Lee Technology reporter, BBC News

A service that offers a Netflix-like interface for accessing pirated films has resurfaced after being closed over the weekend.

Popcorn Time allows free access to movies by streaming content shared illegally as BitTorrent files.

Its makers said they were closing the "experimental" service, but other developers have begun working on it.

One analyst described the software as a "nightmare scenario" for the movie industry.

The software, which launched last week, has been made open-source and posted on a popular code-sharing website.

This means that anyone is now free to use, adapt and, crucially, host the software - making it more difficult to close down.

It also means that while the original Popcorn Time makers decided to "close" the service at the end of last week, it has now essentially taken on a life of its own. It has been translated into 32 different languages.

'Decentralised model'

Popcorn Time lists thousands of movies that can be viewed instantly.

It is powered by BitTorrent files - a typical way of downloading movies - but with an interface that makes it far easier for non-technically-minded people to navigate.

Mark Mulligan, an analyst and co-founder of Midia Consulting, said this should give content creators great cause of concern.

"The next stage of piracy, and one rights holders need to be really worried about, is when the pirates start behaving like the rest of the internet and start making great user experiences."

Popcorn Time requires the user to download a small program to their computer in order to access the content.

Upon installation, users are warned that viewing films in this way could be illegal in their country.

"Popcorn Time doesn't host any copyrighted content, the app is based in a decentralised model, working with services that already exist and are used daily by millions of people worldwide," the makers, who have remained anonymous but said they were based in Buenos Aires, explained on their website.

"We aren't making any money or accepting donations with the project at the time, as we keep to our original intentions of just focusing Popcorn Time on a technology experiment to bring a simpler way to experience movies in a digital environment."

In a follow-up blog post, the makers criticised the film industry for placing unnecessary restrictions on streaming around the world.

"Take Argentina for example," they wrote.

"Streaming providers seem to believe that There's Something About Mary is a recent movie. That movie would be old enough to vote here."

'Harming livelihoods'

No prominent group representing copyright holders has said publicly that it was taking action, but several have raised concern about Popcorn Time.

Continue reading the main story

They're harming the livelihoods of people who work in the creative industries"

End Quote Eddy Leviten Federation Against Copyright Theft

"What is clear is that there are people that want to push the boundaries of technology and testing the law out," said Eddy Leviten, director of communications at the UK-based Federation Against Copyright Theft (Fact).

"What we would say is that the law is quite clearly defined as to what is copyright infringement and what isn't.

"These people are seeking to avoid paying the content creators, the owners of the content. By doing that they're harming the livelihoods of people who work in the creative industries."

The Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA), told the BBC it was aware of the service but did not wish to comment as it did not discuss potential future litigation.

Analyst Mr Mulligan said the new challenge for content creators, particularly the film industry, was to look again at how it released new titles - and to prioritise the internet audience.

"The main solution for movies would be to treat the likes of Hulu, Netflix, or any movie service, as a tier-one window," he told the BBC.

"It's where your most valuable engaged customers are. Blu-Ray and DVDs are the dying segment."

Follow Dave Lee on Twitter @DaveLeeBBC

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Robot writes LA Times breaking news

18 March 2014 Last updated at 11:12

The Los Angeles Times was the first newspaper to publish a story about an earthquake on Monday - thanks to a robot writer.

Journalist and programmer Ken Schwencke created an algorithm that automatically generates a short article when an earthquake occurs.

Mr Schwencke told Slate magazine that it took around three minutes for the story to appear online.

"Robo-journalism" is increasingly being used in newsrooms worldwide.

The LA Times is a pioneer in the technology which draws on trusted sources - such as the US Geological Survey - and places data into a pre-written template.

Continue reading the main story

This is the article generated by the LA Times algorithm: A shallow magnitude 4.7 earthquake was reported Monday morning five miles from Westwood, California, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. The temblor occurred at 6:25 a.m. Pacific time at a depth of 5.0 miles.

According to the USGS, the epicenter was six miles from Beverly Hills, California, seven miles from Universal City, California, seven miles from Santa Monica, California and 348 miles from Sacramento, California. In the past ten days, there have been no earthquakes magnitude 3.0 and greater centered nearby.

This information comes from the USGS Earthquake Notification Service and this post was created by an algorithm written by the author.

Read the newspaper's full report here.

As well as the earthquake report, it also uses another algorithm to generate stories about crime in the city - with human editors deciding which ones need greater attention.

Other news organisations have experimented with algorithm-based reporting methods in other areas, particularly sports.

The generated story does not replace the journalist, Mr Schwencke argued, but instead allows available data to be quickly gathered and disseminated.

"It's supplemental," he told the magazine.

"It saves people a lot of time, and for certain types of stories, it gets the information out there in usually about as good a way as anybody else would.

"The way I see it is, it doesn't eliminate anybody's job as much as it makes everybody's job more interesting."

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Google and Viacom end seven-year row

18 March 2014 Last updated at 13:49

Google and Viacom have resolved a long-running legal battle regarding copyrighted material on YouTube.

The out-of-court settlement brings to an end a dispute that began in 2007.

Viacom had sought $1bn (£600m) in damages from the search giant.

The companies said in a joint statement: "This settlement reflects the growing collaborative dialogue between our two companies on important opportunities, and we look forward to working more closely together."

The terms of the deal were not disclosed, but the BBC understands no money has changed hands.

Shared revenue

Last April, a judge in New York rejected Viacom's damages claim, but the company launched an appeal.

Viacom's complaint was that shows such as The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, South Park and SpongeBob SquarePants had been uploaded to YouTube without authorisation, and subsequently viewed hundreds of thousands of times.

In its defence, Google said it had followed the law set out by the Digital Millennium Copyright Act, which states that a host site - such as YouTube - cannot be held accountable for the material uploaded by its users, provided it acted to remove content when asked by the copyright holder.

Since its launch in 2005, and particularly after its acquisition by Google a year later, YouTube has tussled with content creators regarding copyrighted clips being uploaded and viewed for free.

However, it has settled many of those disputes thanks to its shared revenue model - in which advertising is displayed alongside copyrighted content with a share going to both Google and the copyright holder.

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