London

Hacker uses Facebook to find looted laptop

Some rioters seem to have worked out the idea of personal security. You know, by wearing their auntie's scarves across their faces and by disabling security cameras before they steal, um, cameras.

Others, though, appear to blunder in, without a second thought to just how pervasive technology has become.

So it seems in the case of a youth who allegedly thought it might be an idea, during last week's riots, to steal a MacBook Pro from a house in the West Kensington district of London.

The way the BBC reveals it, the accused, 18-year-old Soheil Khalilfar allegedly wandered into an apartment (or flat, as they like to call them there) and stole a MacBook Pro.

Sadly, for the alleged thief, it happened to belong to Greg Martin, an IT security specialist.

You will be stunned into a sense of foreboding when I tell you that Martin had a tracking device on his laptop. Oh, did I mention he used to work for NASA and the FBI?

Martin's personal blog is a joyous affair. He describes himself as a hacker. And he describes the security software he uses as something called, portentously, Prey. … Read more

Eurostar is the best way to get from London to Paris

PARIS--There's something amazing about taking the train from London to Paris in just two-and-a-half hours.

To be sure, it's been possible to make that trip since 1994, but if you've never done it before, stepping onto a train in the middle of the British capital and stepping off in the center of the French capital is totally cool.

I've been traveling to Europe since 1979, and I'd crossed the English Channel by boat back in the mid-1980s, and by plane in the 1990s. Going by fast train was always one of those abstract things that … Read more

Apple notches win against Android (week in review)

Apple scored a legal victory in its legal tussle with Samsung Electronics over Android devices.

Apple has been granted a preliminary injunction by a German court that bans the Samsung's Galaxy Tab 10.1 from being sold in nearly all European Union nations. The ban includes all nations in the EU except for the Netherlands. As with prior complaints, Apple claims the Galaxy Tab is illegally copying technology used in the iPad.

The battle is part of a wider conflict between Apple and the various companies supporting Android. With Google's mobile software gaining momentum, Apple is attempting to … Read more

U.K. prime minister talks social media crackdown

The U.K. government is considering whether social media services should be shut off at times of disorder, the British prime minister, David Cameron, has told Parliament.

Cameron's comments were made in a speech to the House of Commons today. Parliament has been recalled from its summer recess to respond to the violent disorder that has affected London, Manchester, Birmingham and other U.K. cities.

"Mr Speaker, everyone watching these horrific actions will be stuck by how they were organized via social media," Cameron said. "Free flow of information can be used for good. But it can also be used for ill."

"When people are using social media for violence, we need to stop them," he added in a statement.

Read more of "Cameron hints at social media crackdown" at ZDNet UK.

Today we're exploring the trend of digital vigilantes (aka digilantes) taking to the Internet for crowdsourced criminal identification and cyberjustice. The most recent example is the hacker collective known as Anonymous' YouTube video threatening to take down Facebook on November 5, otherwise known as Guy Fawkes Day.

We'll also fill you in on the London police toying with facial recognition technology on Facebook to identify looters caught on camera, yesterday's 5,000 percent spike in blunt weapons sales on Amazon.co.uk, and a woman who used an airplane to wag a giant finger at Wall Street.

The 404 Digest for Episode 879

Anonymous: Facebook's going down November 5. Will London's police officials turn to Facebook's facial recognition technology to fight crime? Sales of aluminum bats are up more than 5,000 percent on Amazon.co.uk. The USB toothbrush: Philips' device is the "iPod of toothbrushes." Angry Birds makes it onto the cover of Mad Magazine. Airplane banner circles Wall Street: "Thanks For The Downgrade. You Should All Be Fired"

Episode 879 Subscribe in iTunes (audio) | Subscribe in iTunes (video) | Subscribe in RSS Audio | Subscribe in RSS Video… Read more

RIM blog hacked in warning over London unrest

Research In Motion's official BlackBerry blog was defaced earlier today in retaliation for the company's apparent decision to assist the London police.

It's still unclear what assistance, if any, RIM has extended to the London police, who are combating widespread street unrest that has wracked England's capital for the last several days. A spokesman for RIM did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

But yesterday, RIM tweeted that it felt sympathy for people "impacted by the riots in London. We have engaged with the authorities to assist in any way we can."

That was enough to trigger a response from a group calling itself Team Poison, which subsequently posted a message on RIM's BlackBerry blog and announced on Twitter that it had compromised the site. It then fired a warning shot of sorts, threatening to release access to the company's database if RIM shares information that helps the police make arrests. … Read more

The 404 878: Where we don't give a truck about freeze (podcast)

Jay-Z and Kanye West unleashed their collaborative album "Watch The Throne" yesterday, but how did they keep it from leaking before the release? We'll tell you on today's episode of The 404 Podcast.

We'll also tell you where the new Star Trek amusement park is being built, why parents should download the first iOS app built by the FBI, and who's to blame for the four-car pileup that included Google's first driverless vehicle.

The 404 Digest for Episode 878

Duh: Facebook use and narcissism correlate in teens. How Jay-Z and Kanye West kept their new album from leaking. There's going to be a Star Trek amusement park--guess where? FBI releases child ID iPhone app. Finally, the first Google autonomous-car crash. Has Starbucks had enough of laptop loungers?

Episode 878 Subscribe in iTunes (audio) | Subscribe in iTunes (video) | Subscribe in RSS Audio | Subscribe in RSS Video… Read more

Sony warehouse burns in London riots

A major Sony warehouse responsible for distributing optical discs, such as Blu-rays, DVDs, games, music, and films, has been destroyed by rioters in London.

The warehouse in Enfield, one of the flash points of the London riots, was set alight in the late hours last night, Sony confirmed.

"The fire is under control but can be described as 'smoldering' and consequently no one can enter the facility," a Sony spokeswoman told ZDNet UK today. "Therefore at this time we are unable to confirm the extent of the damage or the cause until the fire is fully extinguished … Read more

Social networking fanning London's flames?

There's something slightly eerie when BlackBerry and Twitter, instead of, say, social policy and policing, are central to reports of rioting.

Tonight, I'm hoping that my parents will be OK in the British city of Birmingham, where 35 rioters have reportedly been arrested. In London, fires burn, as do sympathies.

Simultaneously, I'm reading headlines suggesting that BlackBerry's free Messenger system is the prime choice for those who choose to wrap their Mom's hankies above their noses and raid Armani stores and burger joints in order to show what they're made of.

BlackBerry's U.… Read more

Buzz Out Loud 1522: Is there ice cream for WiFi Day? (Podcast)

It's 8-02-11 (in U.S. style date parlance, we know), and therefore it's WiFi Day ... we don't know what that means, but Molly's planning to get some ice cream out of it! Plus, Android malware that can record your phone calls and free WiFi in London, thanks to Virgin Media. Plus, the New Yorker is a winner on the iPad and the MacBook Air is a winner with our show hosts.