The day’s top picks in social media and technology for 8/8: after Lavabit closure, Silent Circle opts to shut down its encrypted email service; NSA to get rid of 90% of system administrators; Twitter accidentally suspends high profile account; another LulzSec hacker sentenced in SONY breach; British PM calls for boycott over social media trolls; another witness testifies Manning’s leaks aided al Qaeda; ridiculously stupid smart-phone thieves; some Skype features will soon require Xbox Live Gold subscription; the ‘NSA parent’ – monitoring your kids online.
Read below for these stories and more.
============================================
Featured Story.
============================================
Earlier Thursday, Lavabit abruptly shut down its email service, hinting at concerns over protecting its users’ privacy.
Email service reportedly used by Edward Snowden abruptly shuts down
In a preemptive move, another provider followed in Lavabit’s footsteps and shut down its encrypted email service, though some of its other products will remain active: “Today, another secure email provider, Lavabit, shut down their system lest they “be complicit in crimes against the American people.” We see the writing the wall, and we have decided that it is best for us to shut down Silent Mail now. We have not received subpoenas, warrants, security letters, or anything else by any government, and this is why we are acting now.”
Silent Circle: To Our Customers
More at TechCrunch.
Silent Circle Preemptively Shuts Down Encrypted Email Service To Prevent NSA Spying
Will more follow?
============================================
Social Media/Tech Trends, Happenings and Faux Pas.
============================================
Intends to automate much of the work. (Reminds me of Obama’s ATM moment).
The NSA Intends To Fire 90% Of Their System Administrators To Eliminate Future Leaks
============================================
Hoaxes, Harassment and Hacking.
============================================
Raynaldo Rivera was arrested in 2012 and accused, with other co-conspirators, of a SQL injection attack on SONY’s site and posting confidential info obtained in the attack.
LulzSec Hacker Sentenced in Sony Data Breach
British Prime Minister David Cameron’s response to harassment of people on social media…
Cameron demands Brits BOYCOTT angry-troll-infested websites
============================================
Law and Order.
============================================
An expert on radical Islam testified on Thursday that al Qaeda used a video Manning provided to WikiLeaks (known as the ‘Collateral Murder’ video) for recruiting.
Manning’s WikiLeaks breach helped al Qaeda recruiting, prosecution witness says
Because some thieves are brilliant.
iPhone thief who posted pic on Facebook caught
That last one still isn’t as good as This Guy Stole A Woman’s iPhone But Didn’t Disable Dropbox — So She Turned His Terrible Photos Into A Tumblr
============================================
Gamer-land.
============================================
Xbox One Subscription Will Be Required For Skype, Game DVR
This one from GamePolitics was interesting; summary of one writer’s conflict in balancing how much to monitor his daughter’s online activity.
‘NSA Parent’: Writer Details His Decade of Spying on His Children Online
COMMENTS
Please let us know if you're having issues with commenting.