Saturday, April 16, 2016

Microsoft vs. Uncle Sam: It’s our right to inform our customers about data probes


Microsoft says they are suing the U.S. government because they believe it’s their customers’ right to know when Uncle Sam is snooping around in their personal data. Microsoft isn’t saying the government can’t look at the data, they’re just saying they don’t want to keep that fact from users. Redmond says they filed suit because, “customers have a right to know when the government obtains a warrant to read their emails, and because Microsoft has a right to tell them.”
Microsoft says they’ve received over 5600 requests to look at customer data in the last 18 months, and just less than half of those stipulate that they can’t tip the files’ owner to that fact. The lawsuit is their way of telling Uncle Sam they’re not at all happy on being forced to remain silent, and they’re also saying that forced silence is unconstitutional.
With more and more of our digital lives living on server farms that make up the ever-expanding cloud, this is likely the next battlefront in the war between data privacy, government searches and the ever-shifting technology landscape.
New VR systems are popping up faster than virtual mushrooms, and now, rising Chinese tech firm Huawei is the latest to announce their entry into the red-hot tech segment. Simply called the Huawei VR at this point, it’s not clear yet if the headset will simply use a high-end phone like the P9 for the display, which is the method Samsung uses, or if the phone will connect to a purpose-built display via USB, which is more like LG’s 360 VR system.
One source says the headset may feature a resolution of 639 pixels per inch, which would be like sitting six feet away from a 130-inch TV. Impressive – if that’s accurate, of course. So far, there’s no ETA, price or much more information outside of “yes, we’re going to make one.” And speaking of VR, be sure to catch Matt Smith’s thorough review of the long-awaited Oculus Rift VR system. Does it live up to the hype – and its new competition? The answer may surprise you.
Leaf e-car maker Nissan has just dropped a video called the Electric Car… toon. It’s the fifth anniversary of the all-electric Leaf and to celebrate, they’ve outfitted a few test cars with built-in projectors and mind-reading devices so drivers can literally project their thoughts out onto the road as they drive.
Distracted driving, maybe? Joke or not, we think Nissan’s Cartoon idea is hilarious, as long as it never actually becomes reality.
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