Searching for 2015

	Searching for 2015
Number	2647
Broadcast Date	DECEMBER 16, 2015
Episode Length	39:58
Hosts	Tom Merritt
Guests	Scott Johnson

Europe’s clamping down on piracy while the US tries to sneak in a cybersurveillance bill. Tom Merritt and Scott Johnson talk about that and why “Facebook” is still the top Google search of the year.

Guest

Scott Johnson
- Frogpants

Headlines

Google to Make Driverless Cars an Alphabet Company in 2016

Bloomberg reports that Alphabet plans to separate Google’s self-driving car into it’s own business unit in 2016, according to a person briefed on the company’s strategy. The source also said the fleet of large and small cars would offer rides for hire and could be initially deployed in confined locations like college campuses, military bases or office parks. San Francisco and Austin would be the most logical cities to launch a service. Meanwhile Ford said Tuesday IT secured a permit from California to begin testing its self-driving Ford Fusion Hybrid car on public roads next year.

California Proposes Driverless-Car Rules

AND Wednesday California proposed regulations for autonomous cars. The prosed rules would require operators to get training and a special license and be responsible whether they are driving the car or not. Cars would also have to pass a third-party test before being sold. And cars would not be allowed to move without a driver yet. The regulations also require monthly performance reports by automakers, disclosure on information collection and cybersecurity. The state will hold the first of two public feedback sessions in January.

Introducing Transportation on Messenger

Facebook announced Transportation on Messenger Wednesday allowing US users to request rides from ridesharing services, starting with Uber, using Facebook Messenger. A transportation option has been added to the More menu within Messenger. The deal is similar to services offered by messaging apps like WeChat. Facebook says it will add more rideshare companies "in the coming months." More countries and partners are promised soon.

Social media tool Topsy suddenly shuts down two years after Apple acquisition

Apple Insider reports social media analytics company Topsy Labs shut down Tuesday. The company’s website now forwards to an Apple page on how to do searches on iOS 9. Apple bought Topsy in Dec 2013. It was one of four companies authorized to collect and sell Twitter’s data.

Congress snuck a surveillance bill into the federal budget last night

Congress has been trying to pass a Cybersecurity Information act known as CISA over the objections that it does not include enough privacy protections. Last night US Speaker of the House Paul Ryan announced the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2016 a budget bill necessary to fund the US government. Within that bill is Division N - Cybersecurity Act of 2015 And on Page 1729 of 2009, you’ll Title I Cybersecurity Information Sharing which it says may be cited as the “Cybersecurity Information Sharing Act of 2015.” It’s the entire text of CISA, without privacy protections included as part of the budget bill. The current version allows direct sharing of information with the NSA without anonymization of data.

Submitted by dj_fission

Friends of Hue program - Update

Philips will issue a firmware updating restoring the ability to add third-party Zigbee-controlled light bulbs to the Hue system. Philips wrote it “underestimated the impact this would have.” The company is finalizing a new software upgrade and will “let you know shortly when this will be available.” Philips warns that compatibility issues may arise if customers use bulbs that are not certified as “Friends of Hue.”

Dallas Buyers Club loses second bid to identify iiNet 'pirates'

The Sydney Morning Herald reports that Australian Federal Justice Nye Perram rejected a second request to access the private details of Australians accused of illegally downloading the movie "The Dallas Buyers Club." In August, Justice Perram granted Voltage Pictures the right to request details of 4,726 accused accountholders from ISP iiNet in exchange for a $600,000 bond. In September Voltage reduced its request to 472 customers and asked to pay a $60,000 bond instead. Justice Perram denied the request and declared the case will close Feb. 11 if Voltage takes no further action.

Submitted by supey777

Firefox for Windows finally has an official, stable 64-bit build

With the release of Firefox 43, there is now an official 64-bit build of Firefox for Windows. You’ll need to get the installer as in place upgrades will all just give you the new 32-bit version. It will work mostly like the 32-bit version though very few plug-ins are compatible yet.

Europe Approves Tough New Data Protection Rules

Representatives of the European Commission approved data protection rules Tuesday, to go into effect in early 2017. It includes the following. National agencies can issue fines up to 4 percent of global revenue for violations. Puts the right to be forgotten into law. Inform regulators within 3 days of a data breach. Requires those under 16 to get parental consent for online services that use personal data. Countries can lower it to 13 and the Telegraph reports the UK will do so. Rules cover any company with customers in EU. The rules need the backing of national governments and the European Parliament to go into effect.

Submitted by spsheridan

Sundar Pichai says Google is just getting started in India

Google CEO Sundar Pichai, speaking at the Google for India conference in New Delhi, announced Project Loon is coming to India. Google is working with telecom operators to integrate the balloon-delivered Internet service into existing cellular systems. Pichai also said the company aims to train more than 2 million Android developers in India over the next three years. Separately, Google announced a Launchpad Accelerator program to provide mobile startups in India, Brazil and Indonesia with support and up to $50,000 in equity-free funding. The first class flies to Mountain view in January. You can apply to be part of the second class now.

Britain opts out of EU law setting social media age of consent at 16

Discussion

Pick of the Day

The Pentagon's Brain

Just thought I would send you in a pick that was tech related but not your normal type tech item. I am three quarters through Annie Jacobsen’s book The Pentagon’s Brain: The Uncensored History of DARPA America’s Top Secret Military Research Agency. It is a wonderful read with lots of great nuggets. If you like to know the history of tech, this book is awesome. It’s nonfiction that reads like science fiction.

Submitted by Hank (a.k.a. Henry Kim)

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Searching for 2015

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