Apple apparently has the power to decrypt iPhone storage in response to law-enforcement requests, though they won’t say how. Google can remotely “reset the password” for a phone for cops, too: Last year, leaked training materials prepared by the Sacramento sheriff’s office included a form that would require Apple to “assist law enforcement agents” with “bypassing the cell phone user’s passcode so that the agents may search the iPhone.” Google takes a more privacy-protective approach: it “resets the password and further provides the reset password to law enforcement,” the materials say, which has the side effect of notifying the user that his or her cell phone has been compromised. Ginger Colbrun, ATF’s public affairs chief, told CNET that “ATF cannot discuss specifics of ongoing investigations or litigation. ATF follows federal law and DOJ/department-wide policy on access to all communication devices.” …The ATF’s Maynard said in an affidavit for the Kentucky case that Apple “has the capabilities to bypass the security software” and “download the contents of the phone to an external memory device.” Chang, the Apple legal specialist, told him that “once the Apple analyst bypasses the passcode, the data will be downloaded onto a USB external drive” and delivered to the ATF. It’s not clear whether that means Apple has created a backdoor for police — which has been the topic of speculation in the past — whether the company has custom hardware that’s faster at decryption, or whether it simply is more skilled at using the same procedures available to the government. Apple declined to discuss its law enforcement policies when contacted this week by CNET. It’s not clear to me from the above whether Google “resetting the password” for Android devices merely bypasses the lock-screen or actually decrypts the mass storage on the phone if it has been encrypted. I also wonder if the “decryption” Apple undertakes relies on people habitually using short passwords for their phones — the alternative being a lot of screen-typing in order to place a call. Apple deluged by police demands to decrypt iPhones [Declan McCullagh/CNet] ( via /. )
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Apple can decrypt iPhones for cops; Google can remotely “reset password” for Android devices
Astronaut Chris Hadfield — the tweeting , tumbling Canadian astronaut who’s a one-dude astro-ambassador from the space programme to the Internet — has produced and released a video of his own performance of David Bowie’s “Space Oddity” (AKA the “Major Tom song”) on the ISS. He adapts the lyrics a bit to his own situation — and changes out the whole dying-in-space chorous — but is otherwise pretty faithful. From the credits, it appears that David Bowie gave permission for this, though that’s not entirely clear. I would think that not even a major record label would be hamfisted and cack-handed enough to send a takedown notice over this one (it’s been suggested for Boing Boing more than any other link in my memory), but I’m prepared to be surprised. Space Oddity 
theodp writes “Big Bloomberg is watching you. CNN reports that was the unsettling realization Goldman Sachs execs came to a few weeks ago when a Bloomberg reporter inadvertently revealed that reporters from the news and financial data provider had surveillance capabilities over users of Bloomberg terminals. ‘Limited customer relationship data has long been available to our journalists,’ acknowledged a Bloomberg spokesman. ‘In light of [Goldman’s] concern as well as a general heightened sensitivity to data access, we decided to disable journalist access to this customer relationship information for all clients.’ Business Insider is now reporting on allegations that Bloomberg reporters used terminals to spy on JPMorgan during the ‘London Whale’ disaster; Bloomberg bragged about its leadership on this story.” Read more of this story at Slashdot. 
The restructuring of the ailing TV maker includes pruning the global workforce and executives. [Read more] 
ATF says no law enforcement agency could unlock a defendant’s iPhone, but Apple can “bypass the security software” if it chooses. Apple has created a police waiting list because of high demand. [Read more]