Microsoft and Google to sue over US surveillance requests

Technology firms want to be allowed to publish information about US government requests under the Fisa legislation

Microsoft's legal counsel Brad Smith said in a blog post: 'We believe we have a clear right under the US constitution to share more information with the public.

Microsoft and Google are to sue the US government to win the right to reveal more information about official requests for user data. The companies announced the lawsuit on Friday, escalating a legal battle over the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (Fisa), the mechanism used by the National Security Agency (NSA) and other US government agencies to gather data about foreign internet users.
Microsoft's general counsel, Brad Smith, made the announcement in a corporate blog post which complained of the government's "continued unwillingness" to let it publish information about Fisa requests.
Each company filed a suit in June arguing that they should be allowed to state the details under the first amendment, which guarantees freedom of speech, and in the process defend corporate reputations battered by Edward Snowden's revelations. Critics accused the companies of collaborating in the snooping.
"On six occasions in recent weeks we agreed with the department of justice to extend the government's deadline to reply to these lawsuits. We hoped that these discussions would lead to an agreement acceptable to all," Smith wrote.
The negotiations failed, he wrote, so Google and Microsoft were going to court. He did not specify when, or to which court.
"With the failure of our recent negotiations, we will move forward with litigation in the hope that the courts will uphold our right to speak more freely. And with a growing discussion on Capitol Hill, we hope Congress will continue to press for the right of technology companies to disclose relevant information in an appropriate way."
Snowden, a former NSA whistleblower, gave documents to the Guardian and Washington Post revealing NSA claims about access to technology firms' data via its Prism system.
The companies denied the NSA had "direct access" to their systems but said they were legally unable to disclose how many times they have been asked to provide information on users.
Fisa requests are granted by a special court that sits in secret and can grant the NSA permission to collect data stored by any company about a named person. In 2012, the court granted 1,856 requests and turned none down.
"We believe we have a clear right under the US constitution to share more information with the public," said Smith's post. "The purpose of our litigation is to uphold this right so that we can disclose additional data."
He welcomed a government announcement earlier this week that it would begin publishing the total number of national security requests for customer data for the past 12 months.
"But the public deserves and the constitution guarantees more than this first step. For example, we believe it is vital to publish information that clearly shows the number of national security demands for user content, such as the text of an email."
Such figures should be published in a form that is distinct from the number of demands that capture only metadata such as subscriber information associated with a particular email address, said Smith.
"We believe it's possible to publish these figures in a manner that avoids putting security at risk. And unless this type of information is made public, any discussion of government practices and service provider obligations will remain incomplete."
The post sought to position Microsoft and Google on the moral high ground, linking them to the values of the founding fathers. "We benefit from living in a country with a constitution that guarantees the fundamental freedom to engage in free expression unless silence is required by a narrowly tailored, compelling government interest … our hope is that the courts and Congress will ensure that our constitutional safeguards prevail."

5.9-magnitude earthquake strikes southwest China

A 5.9-magnitude earthquake struck Saturday morning in southwestern China, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.

Officials reported one death and three people injured as emergency teams began to respond, state-run Xinhua News Agency said.

The quake -- with a depth of 10 kilometers -- hit in remote areas near the border of the Yunnan and Sichuan provinces, according to the USGS.

Roads are reportedly blocked in some villages by boulders rolling down mountains, and some villagers have been taken to hospitals, Xinhua said.

The Civil Affairs Ministry in Yunnan province was sending tents and clothing, Xinhua said.

The epicenter was near Benzilan Township, the USGS reported.

"We are heading to Benzilan," Liao Wencai, vice secretary of the Deqen County Committee of the Communist Party of China, told Xinhua. "The telecommunication there has been cut off, and many residents cannot be reached by mobile phone."

On Wednesday, a 5.1-magnitude earthquake hit the same region.

Accessorize Your Infant With This Sensor Riddled Sock So You Can Sleep At Night (VIDEO)

Raising a child is a stressful venture into the realm of trial-by-error that could leave parents wondering if they are doing an adequate job. Among the most stressful periods of childhood on a parent is infancy – when the thought of leaving a baby unattended sends chills down the spines of parents trying to get some sleep. What if the parents of a sleeping infant could know what position their baby is in without getting out of bed? Beginning in autumn, this, as well as the ability to monitor an infant’s quality of sleep, blood oxygenation levels, and skin temperature, will be within reach.

Owlet Baby Care has developed a “smart sock” that may ease the stress of parenthood by monitoring infant comfort and safety, and transmitting this information via Bluetooth 4.0 to a synced smartphone. The data are available at the swipe of a touchscreen, or on the cloud through any Internet connected device. This may be a revolutionary approach to baby monitoring, changing the game from mere audio/visual monitoring to the utilization of a suite of sensors typically found in consumer electronics.

A relevant use case of this technology may be in the prevention of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS). It is believed that an infant’s sleep position is a contributing factor to SIDS. More specifically, it is recommended that infants only sleep on their backs, and never face-down. The new baby monitor developed by Owlet is designed to help prevent this by monitoring the baby’s sleep position and setting off an alarm if a face-down rollover occurs. Hopefully, this new technology will help lower the number of infant deaths due to SIDS, as well as help the parents of newborn babies get some much needed rest.

The device that could change life for the visually impaired

For the visually impaired, the supermarket can be a daunting place to visit. Buying groceries is not an easy task when you have trouble seeing.

But for people like Liat Negris, life is about to become a lot easier.

By wearing the OrCam, Negrin can point to what she wants to read and the device will do it for her.

She said: “It gives me independence, you know, I can do anything by myself. I don’t need favours, I don’t need to be escorted anywhere, I can go to new places without memorising again and again the way”.

The Israeli start-up company, OrCam technologies created the pocket-sized computer using a sensitive camera and sophisticated algorithms.

The camera can be attached to a pair of glasses and scans what appears before it. The device is programmed to recognise a finger, and when the user points to a sign, a newspaper, a traffic light and more, it can read what appears in front of it.

Chairman of OrCam Technologies, Amnon Shashua, said:“People with low vision, they see something but not enough in order to manage their daily lives. So we were thinking about, assume that you have a helper standing beside you, looking to the same direction you are looking at and understands what you are seeing and understands what kind of information you want to get out of the scene.”

The OrCam uses bone-conduction technology, which conducts sound to the ear through the bones of the skull rather than by using an ear piece, so the user’s ear is not obstructed.

It can read bus numbers and red or green signals at pedestrian crossings. It knows how to recognise new products and even faces.

The device can also be used by people who are totally blind, but because a blind person is unable to point exactly at what they want to have read, it must be used differently.

Developing self-destructing mobile phones

The average lifespan of a mobile phone is about 12 to 18 months, depending on your chosen service provider. But what if instead of discarding your outdated model, the device could simply self-destruct, reducing landfill e-waste and airborne toxins?

That is what researchers at the University of Illinois are working on.

Professor John Rogers is a materials science engineer and chemist at the University of Illinois. He showed us what they can already do: “This is an example of a transient integrated circuit. It’s a simple radio circuit. It involves transistors, some diodes, resistor lines, capacitors, conductors. It’s all built on a thin film of silk, which is a naturally occurring material.”

‘Transient electronics’ means bio-compatible devices that just disappear or dissolve at the end of their useful life without posing a threat to the environment.

The self-destructing microchip made of natural fibres is part of a project called ‘Born to Die’.

“They are born to die, but born to die in a very controlled way. So we’re not talking about unreliable, flaky electronics. We’re talking about electronics that are very specifically engineered to have excellent properties, time independent, until the programmed moment at which you don’t need the device any more and then it dissolves away. That’s the trick,” added Professor Rogers.

Of course it is a huge jump leap from creating a small vanishing chip, to equally soluble motherboards capable of driving the sophisticated electronics we use every day. But Rogers argues that this is the direction to go.

“If you could make key components or eventually the entire mobile phone out of materials that would last for three, five years and then naturally dissolve, that would be ideal,” he concluded.

The research team is also studying the potential use for such devices in the military and medical care, as well as this technology’s benefits for people and the planet.

The evolution of self-destructing devices could be revolutionary. In the US in 2010 alone, about 150 million used phones were dumped into landfills.

Every year 20 to 50 million tonnes of e-waste is generated worldwide

Innovative and eco-friendly: the office of the future

Called NuOffice and built in Germany, it is considered to be one of the most sustainable office buildings in the world. It uses energy-efficient heating, cooling, ventilation and lighting and aims to minimise its environmental impact.

The building in Munich was completed in November 2012.

Taking a look back at the construction process reveals some of its eco-friendly features.

One of the building’s energy saving secrets is hidden inside its walls.

Hubert Haupt is the owner of the building.

“We have thick exterior walls,” explained Haupt.

“So we don’t have to cool in the summertime and we don’t need to heat a lot during the winter months, which reduces the tenants’ energy expenses. We have worked intensively with simulations, especially in terms of where we placed the windows, because we wanted the energy output to be ideal, and at the same time to have enough daylight in the building. There were many details we had to consider within the broad theme of sustainability.”

Turning away from the glass-walled style of office buildings that have been popular in recent years, the windows at NuOffice are more modest in size and triple-glazed. This means cooler interiors on hot days, reducing the need for air conditioning and less heating on cooler days.

But the building’s greatest secret is found in its basement: an innovative new heating system.

The building’s engineer Romano Schillinger oversaw the progress of its construction.

“Tube loops inside the thermo active ceiling enable us to regulate the temperature inside the concrete. Heating or cooling the mass of concrete from the core results in a consistent warming or cooling of the rooms,” Schillinger said.

Additionally, the office is connected to district heating in the wintertime. In the summer, well water is used for cooling.

Electricity power is given a boost by solar panels on the roof.

Michael Krause and his team from the Fraunhofer Institute for Building Physics developed the energy concept.

“Now, since the building has been completed and is in operation, we can measure the energy usage and calculate the energy efficiency of the building,” said Dr Krause, the Group Manager of Building Systems and Services.

Sensors measure the temperature and air humidity both inside and outside the building. This data is used to regulate the indoor climate.

“At the end of the year we expect a primary energy consumption of about 30 kilowatt-hours per square metre, per year. Conventional new office buildings which don’t have any ambitions concerning energy savings range between 100 and 150 kilowatt-hours per square metre each year,” said Dr Krause.

And the low energy consumption of the building has other benefits too.

With local energy prices jumping by over 50 per cent in the last 10 years, green buildings are a welcome solution to rising costs.

Good for the bottom line, and the environment.

Syria’s humanitarian crisis quickens pace

As the possibility of an American air strike on Syria increases, the flow of refugees leaving the country has quickened, with 12,000 people arriving in Lebanon on Thursday alone.

Around 700,000 are already there, in a country with a population of four million. It has stretched Lebanon’s ability to take care of them beyond breaking point.

“There is no space left, it is crowded with refugees here. At first they were afraid of the chemical weapons, now they are afraid of the new attack. Everybody flees to this place,” said a Lebanese relief organisation representative.

The situation is becoming so critical that it is alarming the United Nations.

“In Syria we are witnessing the physical destruction of the country, a collapse of many of the state institutions and an enormous suffering of the people – those who have been killed and those who have to flee in all directions,” said Antonio Guterres, UN High Commissioner for Refugees.

“In these circumstances, the most important contribution a country can give to this humanitarian drama is to keep the borders open for those in need of protection.”

Jordan has half a million refugees, Turkey 400,000, and Iraq 150,000. Keeping those frontiers open will be extremely difficult.

“The humanitarian needs are immense. There are acute shortages of vital medical supplies, water, food, especially in areas that have been sealed off for months and
where the IRC and the Syrian Arab Red Crescent were not granted access,” said the ICRC’s Dibeh Fakhr.

Add to these figures the more than four million people who have been internally displaced within Syria and it adds up to a humanitarian time bomb whose fuse is burning ever shorter.

Can a smartphone replace your doctor?

Cardiologist Dr Eric Topol is a practitioner of the future of medical consultation – equipped with a smartphone and some sensors.

One of his patients – Bill Sousa – has recently had heart surgery and Dr Topol is showing him how they can remotely monitor his recovery.

The doctor has one sensor that check the rhythm of his heart and another that clips over the tip of his finger to determine the oxygen level in his blood stream. The sensors connect to a smart phone and a specialised app sends the results to the cardiologist’s office.

Dr Topol explained: “Instead of having it [the equipment] at a hospital for $3,000 – that’s what it costs, or more, in some places it’s up to $7,000 – you would just use your phone with this app.”

He has developed several of these phone apps himself, convinced they are about to revolutionise medicine itself.

Dr Topol says he is now prescribing more smartphone apps than drugs so he can easily follow his patients’ progress from a distance.

For patients like Bill Sousa, who lives more than an hour’s drive away from the hospital, linking up to a tablet allows him to check his blood pressure twice a day.

He is delighted with how easy it is: “It [the app] automatically sends it [the data] to my doctor, on a weekly basis. So, that’s all I have to do.”

The device is a real money saver in the US, where medical treatment costs more than anywhere else in the world..

Dr Topol and his apps are part of a trend. Soterra Wireless, a San Diego based company, has developed a portable monitoring which is already being tested in a number of hospitals.

Soterra’s Garry Manning explained how it works: “It’s able to show all of the vital signs of the patient: his heart rate, blood pressure, breathing rate, saturation of oxygen, skin temperature…”

And the patient’s doctor is able to follow-up in real time, via a smart phone, even if the person being monitored is on the other side of the world.

Manning said the device can speed up the process and help diagnosis: “Now, they get that information immediately, so they can make very quick decisions. Eventually, we of course, as other companies may do, will be able to take that information and be able to start to predict the patient’s deterioration, ahead of time.”

The ultimate goal is to be able to predict someone’s medical future.

Dr Topol believes that soon we wil be able to detect diseases with sensors placed on or under our skin: “Someday, maybe five years from now, we will have tiny nano-sensors in the blood. They could detect cancer showing up for the first time in the blood.”

What if in the future those devices could replace doctors – diagnosing and anticipating?

Imagine your son has a rash. A small device identifies it, says it is benign and advises some rest.

Or your daughter doesn’t feel well. A sensor takes her body temperature, and analyses a urine sample. This time the app recommends a visit to the hospital as soon as possible and give you directions to the nearest one.

It is not science-fiction, but something which can become a reality very soon.