Technology

Republicans Defeat Net Neutrality Proposal

Staff / Truthdig Apr 12, 2006 Remember John Edwards' "Two Americas"? Well, a House subcommittee just moved us closer to a country of "Two Internets," in which only the wealthy will enjoy the fastest connection speeds. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Google’s Wi-Fi Plan Stirs Big Brother Concerns

Staff / Truthdig Apr 12, 2006 The company's free wireless service in San Francisco would allow Google to monitor all its users' whereabouts--ostensibly to serve up location-specific advertising. The feeling you just got? That would be the hairs on the back on your neck rising. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Phone-Jamming Records Point to White House

Staff / Truthdig Apr 11, 2006 Democrats say Republican officials made two dozen calls to the White House in 2002 as part of a plot to tie up get-out-the-vote efforts in New Hampshire's 2002 Senate race. There are already three federal convictions and a pending indictment in the case. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

White House Admits Lag in Bioterror Effort

Staff / Truthdig Apr 7, 2006 Bush & Co. still don't have a comprehensive plan to deal with bioterror threats--despite two years of planning and billions in appropriations. The alleged culprit: bureaucratic inertia. "I can't help but think we are not prepared if, God forbid, any of these catastrophes were to be visited upon the United States," says a congresswoman. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Drone Aircraft May Prowl U.S. Skies

Staff / Truthdig Apr 4, 2006 The Congress hears from police agencies that envision using unmanned military drones for surveillance -- in one troubling example, high above American cities. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

U.S. Military Wants Control of Telecom Spectrum

Staff / Truthdig Apr 4, 2006 A sobering report commissioned by Rumsfeld details how U.S. military planners want to take control of the Earth's electromagnetic spectrum, allowing America to dominate telcommunications for propaganda and psy-ops purposes. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Cellphone Chatter at 35,000 Feet? Say It Ain’t So

Staff / Truthdig Mar 30, 2006 Despite widespread public disapproval of the move, the FCC plans to allow companies to provide cellphone service on airplanes You may remember the FCC: It's the one that got so bent out of shape about Janet Jackson's breast Seems the agency is continuously looking out for our best interests. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Amazon Changes ‘Abortion’ Queries

Staff / Truthdig Mar 22, 2006 Until recently, a user who typed in "abortion" received a prompt asking, "Did you mean adoption?" The online retailer has since erased the prompt. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Judge Orders Google to Turn Over Some Data

Staff / Truthdig Mar 14, 2006 A federal judge says he will require the search engine company to provide the government with some search-query data in connection with the Justice Dept.'s attempts to revive an online child pornography law. It's unclear what kind of and how much data the judge will order turned over. That strange shifting underneath your feet? It's the slippery slope we're all sliding down, toward an Orwellian future. Truthdig's Google expert Mark Malseed has the skinny on the implications of this battle. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Google CFO Says Growth Is Slowing

Staff / Truthdig Feb 28, 2006 The 800-pound gorilla's rampage has started to slow down a bit, as evidenced by the chief financial officer's admission that the search company will have to find new ways to boost revenue. Related: Check out Truthdig's eye-opening report on Google's grasp of the intimate details of your life. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Justice Dept. Rejects Google’s Stand on Privacy

Staff / Truthdig Feb 27, 2006 The U.S. government pushes back at the search giant, insisting that a request to examine millions of Internet users' search queries would not violate privacy rights. This could lead to the most fevered technology trial since the Microsoft antitrust case. Check out an excellent Truthdig essay on the issue here. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Companies Will Track You Via Cellphone

Staff / Truthdig Feb 27, 2006 Fresh off the controversy over companies selling your private phone records to third parties, UK companies will now track a user based on a cellphone signal. And a BBC reporter learns that it's ridiculously easy to evade the companies' abuse safeguards. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )