riots

Brit arrested in water fight planned via Facebook, BlackBerry

Is Britain turning into a police state? You know, a little like San Francisco.

Both places seem to have influential factions--in Britain's case, politicians seeking votes; in San Francisco's case, the people who run the trains--that wish to monitor and control the means of communication in slightly Mubarakian ways.

You might remember that the Brits, after last week's riots, were overcome with the urge to monitor BlackBerry's Messenger service, as well as every other imaginable social-networking system.

Well, now they've gone and arrested someone for allegedly trying to organize a water fight.

I have … Read more

Best of Buzz Out Loud 13: U.K. riots,Chinese smugglers, and solar storms set to hit Earth. (Podcast)

BlackBerry to help police probe Messenger looting "role"' in U.K. riots; Chinese smugglers use epic zip-line to transport iPads and iPhones; and power companies prepare as solar storms set to hit Earth.

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

Riot-ridden Britain in a tizzy over social media

Now that your local electrical store, corner store, or betting shop (as they call them in the U.K.) has been smashed to pieces, the politicians have popped back from their holidays to ease society's woes.

The solution seems, largely, to involve blocking people from Facebook, Twitter, and BlackBerry's fine, but absurdly private BBM messaging service.

The Financial Times suggests that Facebook and BlackBerry might be a little more keen to curry favor with the British government, while Twitter is very much a let-it-flow concern.

But doesn't this sound a little like a relationship with a controlling … 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

The Apple store with no products

A fourth night of riots in England has spread far beyond London.

Cities such as Manchester and Birmingham are enduring more madness, more fear. As far north as Scotland, a 16-year-old was arrested after allegedly creating a Facebook page encouraging riots in his home of Glasgow.

One Apple store, in Liverpool, has seemingly decided, like so many other businesses, that it might soon be targeted. So it has removed all of the iPads, MacBook Airs, iPhones, and iPods from its pristine tables and shelves.

I am grateful to Gizmodo for introducing me to Terry Allen, who happened upon his hometown … 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