U.S. District Judge: Forced Decryption of Hard Drives Violates Fifth Amendment

hansamurai writes with an update to a story we’ve been following for a while. Jeffrey Feldman is at the center of an ongoing case about whether or not crime suspects can be forced to decrypt their own hard drives. (Feldman is accused of having child pornography on his hard drives.) After initially having a federal judge say Feldman was protected by the Fifth Amendment, law enforcement officials were able to break the encyption on one of his many seized storage devices. The decrypted contents contained child pornography, so a different judge said the direct evidence of criminal activity meant Feldman was not protected anymore by the Fifth Amendment. Now, a third judge has granted the defense attorney’s emergency motion to rescind that decision, saying Feldman is once again (still?) protected by the Fifth Amendment. Feldman’s lawyer said, “I will move heaven and earth to make sure that the war on the infinitesimal amount of child pornography that recirculates on the Internet does not eradicate the Fifth Amendment the way the war on drugs has eviscerated the Fourth Amendment. This case is going to go many rounds. Regardless of who wins the next round, the other side will appeal, invariably landing in the lap of the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals and quite possibly the U.S. Supreme Court. The grim reality facing our country today is one where we currently have a percentage of our population behind bars that surpasses even the heights of the gulags in Stalinist Russia. On too many days criminal lawyers lose all rounds. But for today: The Shellow Group: 1, Government: 0.” Read more of this story at Slashdot.

Read More:
U.S. District Judge: Forced Decryption of Hard Drives Violates Fifth Amendment

Intel’s ‘Thunderbolt 2’ official, coming later this year

Intel’s next Thunderbolt technology — hitherto known by the code name Falcon Ridge — now has an official moniker. The tech is slated to be built into future Intel chipsets. [Read more]        

See the original post:
Intel’s ‘Thunderbolt 2’ official, coming later this year

Matt Smith Leaves “Doctor Who”

First time accepted submitter Dave Knott writes “The BBC has announced that Matt Smith will be leaving ‘Doctor Who’, after spending the last four seasons in the titular role of The Doctor. Smith will remain for the upcoming 50th anniversary special, where he will star alongside a majority of the other actors who have taken on the character, and will exit following the yearly Christmas episode. No actor has yet been cast as the twelfth incarnation of The Doctor, although there was a teaser involving John Hurt at the end of the most recent season of the show.” Read more of this story at Slashdot.

More here:
Matt Smith Leaves “Doctor Who”

Oculus VR co-founder, 33, killed by speeding car

Tragedy hits the company that made the Oculus Rift head-mounted virtual-reality display, as co-founder Andrew Reisse finds himself in the wrong place at the wrong time during a police chase. [Read more]        

See original article:
Oculus VR co-founder, 33, killed by speeding car

TSA Finishes Removing “Virtual Nude” X-Ray Devices From US Airports

dsinc writes “The Transportation Security Administration announced it has finished removing from all airports the X-ray technology that produced graphic and controversial images of passengers passing through security screening checkpoints. The machines, which the TSA first deployed in 2008, provoked public outrage as the technology, better able than traditional X-rays to detect hidden contraband, also created images that appeared as if they were ‘virtual nudes.’ Critics called this an invasion of privacy and questioned whether the scanning devices truly lacked the ability to save the images, as the TSA claimed.” Read more of this story at Slashdot.

More:
TSA Finishes Removing “Virtual Nude” X-Ray Devices From US Airports

Casting a Harsh Light On Chinese Solar Panels

New submitter Eugriped3z writes with an article in the New York Times that “indicates that manufacturing defect rates for solar panels manufactured in China vary widely, anywhere from 5-22%. Secrecy in the terms of settlements negotiated by attorneys representing multi-million dollar installations perpetuate the problem by masking the identity of unscrupulous or incompetent actors. Meanwhile, Reuters reports that unit labor costs in Mexico are now lower than in China.” Read more of this story at Slashdot.

Read More:
Casting a Harsh Light On Chinese Solar Panels

Gene Therapy May Protect Against Flu

sciencehabit writes “In 2009, a global collaboration of scientists, public health agencies, and companies raced to make a vaccine against a pandemic influenza virus, but most of it wasn’t ready until the pandemic had peaked. Now, researchers have come up with an alternative, faster strategy for when a pandemic influenza virus surfaces: Just squirt genes for the protective antibodies into people’s noses. The method—which borrows ideas from both gene therapy and vaccination, but is neither—protects mice against a wide range of flu viruses in a new study.” Read more of this story at Slashdot.

Continued here:
Gene Therapy May Protect Against Flu

Facebookers beware: Profile posts can get you job rejections

A new study shows that one in ten people from the ages 16 to 34 have been turned down from potential employment because of something they posted on social media. [Read more]        

Read More:
Facebookers beware: Profile posts can get you job rejections