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Keyword: communications

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  • FCC launches crackdown on signal jammers sold by Amazon, others

    03/23/2024 12:53:42 PM PDT · by RomanSoldier19 · 33 replies
    interesting engineering ^ | 3/23/24 | Rizwan Choudhury
    Uh-oh, Amazon. Looks like the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is not playing around when it comes to selling illegal signal jammers. The agency just went public with an investigation into Amazon and other major retailers for allegedly pushing these dodgy devices that can block your cell signal, GPS, and more. Typically advertised as “drone deterrents” or “privacy tools”, these nefarious gadgets are specifically designed to block radio frequencies. This has serious ramifications, cutting off cellular devices and GPS units and impacting emergency communication channels.
  • Federal agencies investigating whether AT&T outage was caused by cyberattack | Here's what we know

    02/22/2024 10:20:49 AM PST · by EBH · 58 replies
    ABC ^ | 2/22/24 | ByMax Zahn and Jon Haworth
    Two sources briefed on the situation told ABC News that the FBI and Department of Homeland Security (DHS), among other agencies, are now urgently investigating to determine whether the AT&T outages are the result of a cyber attack or a hack, or simply some sort of technical malfunction. More than 73,000 AT&T customers reported outages on digital-service tracking site DownDetector. That's not a comprehensive number: It tracks only self-reported outages. Although outage reports fell a bit in the 5 am ET hour, they bounced back in the 7 am ET hour and continue to surge. Several local governments said AT&T's...
  • Last month, a large geomagnetic storm hit the Earth’s atmosphere, disrupting radio and GPS, according to models by both NASA and NOAA.

    02/09/2024 12:07:52 PM PST · by Red Badger · 23 replies
    SPACE.com ^ | 9 February 2024 | By Daisy Dobrijevic
    The sunspot group is now facing Earth. The sunspot group is more than 15 times the diameter of Earth. (Image credit: NASA/SDO and the AIA, EVE, and HMI science teams) A sunspot so large it was seen from the surface of Mars is now facing Earth. The gargantuan sunspot group AR3576 from end to end stretches for more than 124,274 miles (200,000 kilometers) and contains at least four dark cores each larger than Earth, according to Spaceweather.com. It was imaged by NASA's Perseverance Rover from the surface of Mars just last week. The sunspot is so big it can be...
  • A map of all the underwater cables that connect the internet

    03/15/2015 5:09:59 AM PDT · by NYer · 47 replies
    Vox ^ | March 13, 2015
    Cables lying on the seafloor bring the internet to the world. They transmit 99 percent of international data, make transoceanic communication possible in an instant, and serve as a loose proxy for the international trade that connects advanced economies.Their importance and proliferation inspired Telegeography to make this vintage-inspired map of the cables that connect the internet. It depicts the 299 cables that are active, under construction, or will be funded by the end of this year. In addition to seeing the cables, you'll find information about "latency" at the bottom of the map (how long it takes for information...
  • Finnish president says undersea gas and telecom cables damaged by 'external activity'

    10/10/2023 9:43:00 AM PDT · by Species8472 · 13 replies
    Associated Press ^ | 10/10/23 | JARI TANNER
    HELSINKI (AP) — Damage to an undersea gas pipeline and telecommunications cable connecting Finland and Estonia appears to have been caused by “external activity," Finnish officials said Tuesday, adding that authorities were investigating.
  • Starlink Mini Dish Coming Later This Year, Elon Musk Says

    01/15/2024 11:34:26 AM PST · by Red Badger · 41 replies
    PC Magazine | January 13, 2024 | By Michael Kan
    LINK ONLY PER PUBLISHER............. https://www.pcmag.com/news/starlink-mini-dish-coming-later-this-year-elon-musk-says
  • Rand Paul: Biden May Use “Internet Kill Switch” for Emergency Powers

    10/16/2023 6:46:25 AM PDT · by Red Badger · 62 replies
    Daily Fetched ^ | October 16, 2023 | Jason Walsh
    Kentucky Republican Rand Paul warned of a little-known federal law that allows the president of the United States to shut down the internet with a “kill switch.” Paul warned that the government’s ” emergency powers ” can remove freedoms in the name of safety and security, including an internet “kill switch” to turn off the Internet. “We’ve also looked at the emergency powers and emergency powers — you know the courts have said you don’t throw out the Constitution during emergencies — but a lot of our legislation acts as if you could throw things away,” Paul told Atlas on...
  • Pentagon Investigating 'Critical Compromise' of Air Force Communications Systems

    07/30/2023 5:44:51 PM PDT · by SeekAndFind · 17 replies
    PJ Media ^ | 07/30/2023 | Rick Moran
    A Tennessee-based engineer is being investigated by the Pentagon for a “critical compromise” of communications across 17 Air Force facilities. The unnamed engineer, who hasn’t been formally charged, is alleged to have taken home more than $90,000 worth of government radio technologies and gained “unauthorized administrator access” to the Air Force’s Air Education and Training Command (AETC). The security breach comes just three months after a junior Air National Guardsman allegedly leaked a massive number of classified documents online. Jack Teixeira, although relatively low-ranking, used his top-secret security clearance to post hundreds of Ukraine war documents on the Russians and...
  • Researchers Find ‘Backdoor’ in Encrypted Police and Military Radios

    07/24/2023 12:13:31 PM PDT · by Syncopated · 27 replies
    Vice News ^ | 7/24/2023 | Joseph Cox
    A group of cybersecurity researchers has uncovered what they believe is an intentional backdoor in encrypted radios used by police, military, and critical infrastructure entities around the world. The backdoor may have existed for decades, potentially exposing a wealth of sensitive information transmitted across them, according to the researchers. While the researchers frame their discovery as a backdoor, the organization responsible for maintaining the standard pushes back against that specific term, and says the standard was designed for export controls which determine the strength of encryption. The end result, however, are radios with traffic that can be decrypted using consumer...
  • BREAKING: China Hacks Critical U.S. Infrastructure, Microsoft Says

    05/24/2023 1:17:52 PM PDT · by McGruff · 55 replies
    Breaking 911 ^ | May 24, 2023
    Microsoft has uncovered stealthy and targeted malicious activity focused on post-compromise credential access and network system discovery aimed at critical infrastructure organizations in the United States. The attack is carried out by Volt Typhoon, a state-sponsored actor based in China that typically focuses on espionage and information gathering. Microsoft assesses with moderate confidence that this Volt Typhoon campaign is pursuing development of capabilities that could disrupt critical communications infrastructure between the United States and Asia region during future crises. Volt Typhoon has been active since mid-2021 and has targeted critical infrastructure organizations in Guam and elsewhere in the United States....
  • FBI Audit Reveals 8,000 Unjustified Searches Of Americans' Communications

    05/17/2023 9:01:15 PM PDT · by SeekAndFind · 42 replies
    Epoch Times ^ | 05/17/2023 | Lawrence Wilson
    The FBI conducted thousands of queries on digital data collected on U.S. citizens in 2021 and 2022 despite having no warrant and no justification under the FBI’s own rules, according to an internal report released on May 10.The audit, conducted by the FBI Office of Internal Auditing (OIA), was intended to examine the agency’s compliance with rules for querying data the government routinely collects on U.S. citizens under Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act of 1978 (FISA).FISA allows the government to collect electronic data, including phone calls, text messages, and emails of foreigners overseas, even if the communications...
  • As Usual, New Communications Director at the Biden White House checks an important identity box

    02/12/2023 8:47:28 PM PST · by SeekAndFind · 12 replies
    Hotair ^ | 02/12/2023 | Karen Townsend
    Out: Kate Bedingfield as White House Communications Director. In: Ben LaBolt, a veteran press adviser to former President Barack Obama. When White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre announced that Bedingfield would leave the White House at the end of February and be replaced by Ben LaBolt, she made a point of saying this is a history-making move.According to KJP, it is important for everyone to know that Ben LaBolt is an openly gay man. The Biden administration is all about “representation”, you see, and LaBolt is further proof of that.Jean-Pierre: "Ben [LaBolt] is making history. Here at the Biden White...
  • The Chinese Spy Balloon Appears Designed to Listen to Americans' Communications

    02/10/2023 9:52:50 AM PST · by SeekAndFind · 39 replies
    TIME ^ | 02/10/2023 | W.J. HENNIGAN
    The alleged Chinese spy balloon that U.S. fighter jets shot down Saturday was likely capable of listening in on Americans’ communications and pinpointing the location of those conversing on the ground, according to the U.S. State Department. As the massive white balloon traversed the continental U.S. last week, drifting over several sensitive military sites along the way, it carried equipment that was designed to intercept sensitive communications, said a State Department official, who provided a statement on the condition anonymity to discuss the information. “It had multiple antennas to include an array likely capable of collecting and geolocating communications,” the...
  • In Major Step, Space Force Takes Over All Military Satellite Communications

    12/29/2022 9:45:52 AM PST · by bitt · 19 replies
    military.com ^ | 12/27/2022 | mary shinn
    COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. — The Space Force has taken over all of the Department of Defense's military satellite communication functions, a major step in building the new service. The Navy and the Army have transferred major satellite communication operations to the Space Force in an effort to consolidate training, operations, acquisition and other activities, according to a news release. The transfer marks the first time all military satellite communication functions have been consolidated under a single military service. The Army's transfers were expected to include $78 million in operations, maintenance and 500 positions, the release said. As part of the...
  • The top 10 most-regretted college majors — and the degrees graduates wish they had pursued instead

    11/12/2022 5:37:14 AM PST · by FarCenter · 148 replies
    Even with college application season in full swing, many families are questioning whether a four-year degree is still worth it. Some experts say the value of a bachelor’s degree is fading and more emphasis should be directed toward career training. A growing number of companies, including many in tech, are also dropping degree requirements for many middle-skill and even higher-skill roles. ... Still, 44% of all job seekers with college degrees regret their field of study. Journalism, sociology, communications and education all topped the list of most-regretted college majors, according to ZipRecruiter’s survey of more than 1,500 college graduates who...
  • Twilio collapses as analysts cut following weak Q4 guidance, 'disappointing' analyst day

    Twilio (NYSE:TWLO) shares lost more than a quarter of their value in premarket trading on Friday after the communications software company held its analyst day and reported third-quarter results and issued a weaker-than-expected forecast, prompting several firms to downgrade the stock. RBC analyst Rishi Jaluria lowered his rating on Twilio (TWLO) to sector perform from outperform and cut the price target to $55 from $110, noting that the "disappointing" analyst day and weak guidance left RBC "unable to defend the long-term story." "On balance, the quarter and analyst day effectively went against the bull case on the stock," Jaluria wrote...
  • Best Ham Radio Recommendations

    09/24/2022 4:15:27 AM PDT · by tired&retired · 103 replies
    VANITY
    I'm looking to purchase a good Ham Radio and need guidance. Is it difficult to get a license? Looks like we'll need one in the near future, so I may as well get started. This beginner learns fast, but needs some direction to start. Thanks in advance.
  • [Canadian] Liberal Government Now Looking At Regulating “Private Communications"

    07/07/2022 2:00:30 PM PDT · by Lazamataz · 37 replies
    SpencerFernando.com ^ | JULY 6, 2022 | SPENCER FERNANDO
    Every day seems to bring a new Liberal attack on our freedom. The Trudeau Liberals have launched yet another front in their assault on freedom: Going after your private communications. As reported by Blacklock’s, Liberal-appointed censorship advisors are now talking about putting “misleading political communications” under government regulation: “Misleading political communications” should be federally regulated, say censorship advisors appointed by Heritage Minister Pablo Rodriguez. Unregulated political discussion and disinformation was a kind of pollution that “erodes the foundations of democracy,” said the group: “By polluting the information environment with false, deceptive or misleading information, disinformation undermines citizens’ rights to form...
  • Underwater avalanche continued for two days

    06/13/2021 12:27:55 PM PDT · by algore · 29 replies
    Scientists are reporting what they say is the longest sediment avalanche yet measured in action. It occurred underwater off West Africa, in a deep canyon leading away from the mouth of the Congo River. Something in excess of a cubic kilometre of sand and mud descended into the deep. This colossal flow kept moving for two whole days and ran out for more than 1,100km across the floor of the Atlantic Ocean. The event would have gone unrecorded were it not for the fact that the slide broke two submarine telecommunications cables, slowing the internet and other data traffic between...
  • Panicked CNN Guest Wonders “How We’re Going To Control The Channels Of Communications In This Country”

    05/02/2022 5:38:24 AM PDT · by blam · 67 replies
    Zubu Brothers ^ | 5-2-2022 | Steve Watson via Summit News
    A CNN talking head declared Sunday that if Elon Musk is allowed to buy Twitter, the platform will have to be government regulated to prevent ‘discourse’ being open and free, and not subject to establishment controlled censorship. While discussing the Musk take-over on CNN’s potato time with Brain Stelter, “media analyst” David Zurawik proclaimed that Musk is “dangerous” and shouldn’t be allowed to restore free speech on the platform. Zurawik suggested that the U.S. look to Europe, which has recently brought in new laws to limit social media, and even threatened to ban Twitter if Musk doesn’t play ball. “There’s...