Techmeme
June 17, 2013, 12:10 AM

Top News

Frederic Lardinois / TechCrunch:
U.S. Government Denies Reports That NSA Listens To Domestic Calls Without Legal Authorization  —  Yesterday, a CNET story that alleged that the NSA disclosed during a secret Capitol Hill briefing that its analysts can listen to domestic phone calls “simply based on an analyst deciding that …
Kimberly Dozier / Associated Press:
Officials: NSA programs broke plots in 20 nations  —  WASHINGTON (AP) — Top U.S. intelligence officials said Saturday that information gleaned from two controversial data-collection programs run by the National Security Agency thwarted potential terrorist plots in the U.S. and more than 20 other countries …
Timothy B. Lee / Washington Post:
NSA-proof encryption exists.  Why doesn't anyone use it?  —  Computer programmers believe they know how to build cryptographic systems that are impossible for anyone, even the U.S. government, to crack.  So why can the NSA read your e-mail?  —  Last week, leaks revealed that the Web sites …
Associated Press:
Secret to Prism program: Even bigger data seizure  —  WASHINGTON (AP) — In the months and early years after 9/11, FBI agents began showing up at Microsoft Corp. more frequently than before, armed with court orders demanding information on customers.  Around the world, government spies …
David Barrett / Telegraph:
Google builds new system to eradicate child porn images from the web  —  Google, the internet giant, is to create a global database of child abuse images - which it will share with its rival companies - in a bid to eradicate child pornography from the web.  —  Google engineers are working …
Tom Warren / The Verge:
Xbox Music and Windows Store redesigns revealed in Windows 8.1 alongside new apps  —  Microsoft is tweaking a number of its built-in apps for Windows 8.1, but the Music app appears to include the most changes.  A freshly redesigned copy of the Windows Store in leaked builds of Windows 8.1 …
Jon Fingas / Engadget:
AT&T GoPhone plans to support LTE, drop most data add-ons on June 21st (updated)  —  AT&T hinted that it was shaking up its GoPhone plans later this month, and it's making good on its word.  As of June 21st, customers using the prepaid service will have access to the same LTE service …
Steven Musil / CNET:
Saudi Arabia may block WhatsApp within weeks  —  Popular mobile chat app warned of possible blockage after voice and messaging app Viber was blocked last week.  —  Saudi Arabia plans to block WhatsApp in coming weeks if the makers of the mobile chat app don't comply with local regulations.
More: Arab News
Matt Burns / TechCrunch:
If Office Hits The iPad, Even Fewer People Would Buy A Surface  —  Remember this ad?  The ad where Microsoft attempts to position the iPad as a chopstick-playing toy and the Surface as a PowerPoint-editing machine?  —  Yeah, that's why we can't have nice things.  —  Microsoft just released Office the the iPhone.

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