This Week in Tech – 10/1/2017
Airport Police Demanded an Activist’s Passwords. He Refused. Now He Faces Prison in the U.K.
It was not the first time Muhammad Rabbani had problems when returning to the United Kingdom from travels overseas. But on this occasion something was different — he was arrested, handcuffed, and hauled through London’s largest airport, then put into the back of a waiting police van…
400 College Professors Say You Should Be Able to Sue Equifax and Other Financial Institutions
A group of college professors is rallying in support of consumers’ right to sue. Some 423 law school, university and college professors are sending a letter to two senators, encouraging them to support a rule the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau has passed…
Sen. Wyden Slams Pai on Senate Floor
Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) took to the Senate floor Thursday morning (Sept. 28) to oppose renominating FCC chair Ajit Pai. His remarks came just before a planned cloture vote on debate on Pai’s nomination to a new, five-year term on the FCC…
Equifax CEO Suddenly ‘Retires’ Following an Epic Data Breach Affecting Up to 143 Million People
Richard Smith, CEO and chairman of Equifax, abruptly retired Tuesday following a data breach at the credit-reporting service that affected the personal information of 143 million people…
Ads Don’t Work So Websites Are Using Your Electricity to Pay the Bills
With the continuing collapse in online advertising revenues, websites are turning to other methods to pay their hosting bills – including using visitors’ computers and phones to mine cryptocurrency…
Equifax CEO Walks Away With $18 Million After Data Breach Affecting Half the US Occurs on His Watch
The abrupt departure of Equifax’s chief executive officer on Tuesday has not dampened the criticism of the company since it disclosed a massive data breach earlier this month…
Wozniak & Copps: Ending Net Neutrality Will End the Internet as We Know It
Sometimes there’s a nugget of truth to the adage that Washington policymakers are disconnected from the people they purport to represent. This summer’s sustained grassroots defense of network neutrality, including a National Day of Action, is a good example. Millions of Americans have now contacted the Federal Communications Commission and Congress in opposition to FCC Chairman Ajit Pai’s plan to wipe away the open internet…