Washington state courts pledge better security after driver license and social security numbers compromised

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The Washington State Administrative Office of the Courts announced this week that its Web site was the subject of a “security breach,” one which has caused as many as 160,000 social security numbers and up to one million driver licenses to be accessed. “We regret that this breach has occurred and we have taken immediate… Read More…

Security cameras helped catch Boston Marathon bombers; what’s your take on public surveillance?

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Technology certainly played a crucial role in the hunt for the two Boston Marathon bombers, whether it was important smartphone pictures from the public or the forward-looking infrared cameras that spotted suspect No. 2 in the backyard boat. But the best piece of evidence may have come from a Lord and Taylor department store security… Read More…

Weaponless defense: React Mobile app notifies contacts, keeps you safe in emergencies

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A weapon, pepper spray or even your fist may not be the best way to keep you safe in times of trouble. It might just be an app on your smartphone. That’s the thought behind Seattle-based React Mobile, a free app that essentially turns your smartphone into an SOS device. “React Mobile, like a fire extinguisher,… Read More…

VIDEO: Here’s what customers think of a Seattle bar banning Google Glasses

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If you haven’t heard yet, Seattle’s 5 Point Cafe is one of the first establishments to declare a ban on Google Glasses to prevent its patrons from being recorded by the high-tech glasses (but also as a bit of a joke, the bar’s owner admits). Google’s high-tech augmented reality “Project Glass” spectacles are still in development and not available for purchase by… Read More…

Legal experts debate cybercrime laws in wake of Aaron Swartz’s suicide

Aaron Swartz. Photo via Wikipedia

About 150 people turned out for a discussion entitled “Redefining ‘cybercrime’ after Aaron Swartz: a roundtable discussion” on Monday night at the University of Washington’s Kane Hall. The touchpoint for the discussion was the controversy surrounding Swartz, a brilliant computer programmer who committed suicide in January. Swartz, who helped develop RSS and Reddit, was facing… Read More…

Be Very Afraid: Notes from a ‘Data Privacy Day’ Town Hall

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Happy Data Privacy Day. Or maybe another way to think of it is Happy Halloween in January. After attending this week’s Data Privacy Day Town Hall meeting at the Seattle Art Museum (SAM), sponsored by the Online Trust Alliance (OTA), you’d be right to be afraid, very afraid. Data Privacy Day is an annual event… Read More…

Microsoft vets launch ‘Cloak’ to safeguard Macs, iPads from wireless snooping

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A Seattle startup called Cloak has launched a new service that promises to easily protect Macs and iOS devices from snooping on unsecured wireless networks. Founded by three Microsoft veterans, the company had previously been offering the Cloak service as a public beta, but it’s now a bona fide Version 1.0, with a new level… Read More…

Startup Spotlight: Lacuna alerts IT staff of potential problems before outages hit

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Pinpointing technical glitches before they occur is kind of like finding a needle in a haystack. But Kirkland-based Lacuna Systems — led by former employees of Amazon.com, Classmates.com and aQuantive — believes that its new Indico platform can save IT managers time and money by locating problems before they arise. It does this by intelligently analyzing… Read More…

Startup Spotlight: Codeproof IDs jailbroken phones, ‘malicious apps’ and other mobile threats

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Make no mistake about it, life is challenging for corporate IT managers these days. Not only must they now deal with ongoing cyberthreats, but an increasing number of employees are connecting to the corporate network with their personal devices, like iPads and Android phones. That trend — known in tech speak as BYOD or Bring Your… Read More…

Alaska Air apologizes after network outage impacts check-ins, causing long delays

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The severing of a fiber optic cable in Wisconsin is causing havoc for those traveling on Alaska Airlines today, with the Seattle-based airline saying in a message on Facebook that it has been forced to revert to manual check-ins. That’s causing delays and long lines at Sea-Tac, the home base for Alaska Air. Alaska’s network… Read More…