Emergency data laws to be rushed in

10 July 2014 Last updated at 16:15

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David Cameron: "The public should be worried if we didn't act"

Emergency powers to ensure police and security services can continue to access phone and internet records are being rushed through Parliament.

Prime Minister David Cameron has secured the backing of all three main parties for the highly unusual move.

He said urgent action was needed to protect the public from "criminals and terrorists" after the European Court of Justice struck down existing powers.

But civil liberties campaigners have warned it will invade people's privacy.

Mr Cameron defended the move in a joint news conference with Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg, saying it was about maintaining existing capabilities - not introducing new snooping laws.

But it will make legally clear the requirements include companies based abroad, whose phone and internet services are used in the UK. A former senior diplomat will also be appointed to work with other nations to speed up the "lawful and justified" transfer of data across borders.

Mr Cameron also said he had reached an agreement with Labour leader Ed Miliband for a wider review of the surveillance powers needed by the security services, to report after the next election.

Key questions answered

What is the emergency legislation?

The legislation is primarily aimed at the companies that provide us with telephone and internet connections. It outlines their legal obligation to retain "communications data" on their customers. This metadata includes things like logs of when calls were made, what numbers were dialled, and other information that can be used, the government says, in investigations. It does not include the content of the communications.

Will it mean the government can listen in to my calls?

Not exactly. The vast majority of people will only have data collected on things such as the time a call is made and the number that was called - not the actual contents of that communication. But the emergency law does go further - the law reinforces the ability of authorities to carry out what is known as a "legal intercept". This is when a target is identified for additional monitoring - including listening in to phone calls and other communications.

Read the full guide

Mr Cameron said: "We face real and credible threats to our security from serious and organised crime, from the activity of paedophiles, from the collapse of Syria, the growth of Isis in Iraq and al Shabab in East Africa.

"I am simply not prepared to be a prime minister who has to address the people after a terrorist incident and explain that I could have done more to prevent it."

He added: "I want to be very clear that we are not introducing new powers or capabilities - that is not for this Parliament.

"This is about restoring two vital measures ensuring that our law enforcement and intelligence agencies maintain the right tools to keep us all safe."

In return for agreeing to back the legislation, Labour and the Lib Dems highlighted new moves to "increase transparency and oversight", including:

• The creation of a new Privacy and Civil Liberties Oversight Board to scrutinise the impact of the law on privacy and civil liberties
• Annual government transparency reports on how these powers are used
• The appointment of a senior former diplomat to lead discussions with the US government and internet firms to establish a new international agreement for sharing data between legal jurisdictions
• A restriction on the number of public bodies, including Royal Mail, able to ask for communications data under the controversial Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act (RIPA)
• Termination clause ensuring these powers expire at the end of 2016
• A wider review of the powers needed by government during the next parliament

Mr Cameron stressed that the data being retained does not include the content of messages and phone calls - just when and who the companies' customers called, texted and emailed.

But the emergency Data Retention and Investigation Powers Bill would also "clarify" the law on bugging of suspects' phones by the police and security services, when the home secretary issues a warrant, after concerns service providers were turning down requests.

"Some companies are already saying they can no longer work with us unless UK law is clarified immediately," said Mr Cameron.

"Sometimes in the dangerous world in which we live we need our security services to listen to someone's phone and read their emails to identify and disrupt a terrorist plot."

Analysis

By Nick Robinson, BBC Political Editor

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Nick Robinson explains why there is a rush to bring in the new law

Critics will no doubt argue that the time for a debate about what powers will replace this law is now. To pass any new law in just a week is rare. So too is it to have the backing of all three main parties even before it is published. Read more from Nick

The government says it was forced to act after the European Court struck down an EU directive in April requiring phone and internet companies to retain communications data on the grounds that it infringed human rights.

Emergency legislation was needed, the government argues, because service providers were being threatened with legal action by campaigners if they did not start destroying data, some of which could prove vital to criminal investigations and court cases.

But Conservative MP and former shadow home secretary David Davis, a longstanding campaigner on civil liberties, accused the government of staging a "theatrical emergency," adding that ministers had "plenty of time" to come up with a response to April's court ruling rather than rushing it through Parliament without proper scrutiny.

"This is complicated law, it needs to be got right," he told BBC Radio 4's The World at One.

Analysis

By Gordon Corera, BBC security correspondent

There is no doubt that gathering communications data can be a powerful tool. Officials say it has played a role in almost all serious criminal cases and counter-terrorist investigations in recent years.

But the political context around its use has changed - partly but not entirely due to the Edward Snowden revelations. It has led commercial communications companies to become nervous about being seen to help government too readily and to them demanding more clarity over the law.

Overall, the new environment has led to more questions being raised about whether there is sufficient transparency, accountability and oversight.

Shami Chakrabarti, director of campaign group Liberty, said: "We are told this is a paedophile and jihadi 'emergency', but the court judgment they seek to ignore was handed down over three months ago and this isn't snooping on suspects but on everyone."

David Cameron believes existing surveillance powers do not go far enough and he repeated his promise to push ahead with plans for a giant database of all websites visited by UK citizens, dubbed a "snooper's charter" by critics, if he wins the next election.

Nick Clegg blocked attempts by this government to pass the "snooper's charter" - but he said he had been convinced of the need for the more limited powers contained in the emergency Data Retention and Investigation Powers Bill.

The legislation contains what Mr Clegg described as a "poisoned pill" which will mean the powers cease at the end of 2016, in an effort to ensure the next parliament takes a more considered look at the issue.

The Lib Dem leader said successive governments had "neglected civil liberties as they claim to pursue greater security", but added: "I wouldn't be standing here today if I didn't believe there is an urgent challenge facing us.

"No government embarks on emergency legislation lightly but I have been persuaded of the need to act and act fast."

The bill will be pushed through Parliament in seven days - a process that normally takes several months.

MPs will be given a chance to debate it in an extended Commons sitting on Tuesday, but Labour's Tom Watson said they would not get time to properly consider the plans and he branded it a "stitch-up".

But Mr Watson was one of the few MPs to voice doubts about the legislation in the Commons earlier, where Home Secretary Theresa May accused the Labour MP of finding a "conspiracy at all costs".

Labour leader Ed Miliband and shadow home secretary Yvette Cooper confirmed that Labour would support the emergency legislation, telling the party's MPs in a letter: "Serious criminal investigations and counter terrorism intelligence operations must not be jeopardised.

'Lateness of legislation'

"That is why we are supporting this emergency legislation which we accept is designed solely to protect existing capabilities."

But Ms Cooper said: "There will be serious concern in Parliament and across the country at the lateness of this legislative proposal and the short time to consider something so important."

The Open Rights Group, which has been pushing service providers to start destroying data following the European Court ruling, criticised the government for using the threat of terrorism to push through an "emergency law" that it says has no legal basis.

Executive Director Jim Killock said: "Not only will the proposed legislation infringe our right to privacy, it will also set a dangerous precedent where the government simply re-legislates every time it disagrees with a decision by the CJEU.

"The ruling still stands and these new plans may actually increase the amount of our personal data that is retained by ISPs, further infringing on our right to privacy.

"Blanket surveillance needs to end. That is what the court has said."

Scottish Justice Secretary Kenny MacAskill has accused the UK government of a "lack of prior consultation", adding that the legislation could affect Scots law and matters devolved to the Scottish government.

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Moshi Monsters boss stepping down

11 July 2014 Last updated at 14:31 By Dave Lee Technology reporter, BBC News

The boss of Mind Candy, the company known for children's social network Moshi Monsters, is to step down.

Michael Acton Smith, who has run the business for 10 years, said he wanted to focus on a "more creative role" rather than the day-to-day running of the firm.

Divinia Knowles, currently chief operating and financial officer, will become president.

A new chief executive will be announced at a later date, the company said.

Moshi Monsters is one of the world's most popular children's social networks, with around 80 million users.

The service operates through paid subscriptions. But it is associated merchandise - plush toys, music albums and other spin-offs - that generate around half of Mind Candy's revenue.

But analysts say the company had been slow to adapt to the mobile games market, in particular the "freemium" business model - the approach that gives away products for nothing, but encourages small payments within an app or other type of game.

Growing globally

The company has launched mobile products, including some freemium services, but now needs to build their reputation.

Ms Knowles told the BBC that her role was to raise the profile of other products such as World of Warriors, aimed at older children, and PopJam, a "creative community for kids".

"Moshi has been absolutely amazing. But Mind Candy has gone from being a one-product company to multiple products. The business now is much more complex than it used to be.

"Michael is known as 'Mr Moshi'. It's now about taking us more to being Mind Candy."

A major part of this process will be increasing international reach.

"Moshi was great in the UK but never really smashed it out of the park in the US," Ms Knowles added.

Follow Dave Lee on Twitter @DaveLeeBBC

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Giant rollable TVs on the horizon

10 July 2014 Last updated at 13:21

LG has announced the release of two new paper-thin TV panels, with one that is so flexible it can be rolled into a 3cm diameter tube.

The company stated it is confident it will produce a 60in (152cm) Ultra HD rollable TV by 2017.

LG unveiled one of its first flexible TVs at CES - a global consumer electronics and technology trade show - earlier this year.

Experts say flexible screens could see TVs used in more creative ways.

The new flexible panel has a resolution of 1,200x810, which is left undistorted even after it has been rolled into a 3cm cylinder.

LG says the flexibility was achieved thanks to using a backplane made of "high molecular substance-based polyimide film" instead of plastic.

The second panel is transparent and is said to greatly surpass earlier models, with the company boasting of a significant reduction in hazy images and a 30% increase in transmittance, which is responsible for the screen's transparent effect.

The company has claimed its new screens prove they are on track for much larger, Ultra HD-capable flexible screens in the near future, asserting they are "confident" they can deliver a 60in rollable panel by 2017.

"Flexible screens are an exciting prospect. First off, they're far more durable than conventional screens, meaning that we can expect to see bigger, better screens in, for example, aeroplanes," said Stephen Graves, online deputy editor at Stuff.tv.

"They also create the potential for some completely new gadget designs. Imagine a 10in (25cm) iPad that you can fold out into a 16in (40cm) screen - effectively doubling up as a small desktop computer or TV monitor."

Jeremy White, product editor of Wired magazine said that these new screens would be ideal for retail or exhibition display.

"Being able to curve screens around complex retail display units or using the transparency to have the screen envelop the product itself on a stand would certainly be eye-catching.

"And of course this is all leading to flexible tablets as well, which will possibly be the most useful application of flexible screens to the average consumer."

Evan Kypreos, editor of TrustedReviews, said that rollable TVs could be produced by 2017 but warned they'd cost far too much for the average consumer.

"If you've got the cash to splash then a rollable TV could create an experience similar to owning a projector, where you can easily hide away the screen when not in use, but without the noise and complexity of an actual projector.

"Instead of 60in-plus TV screens I think the more interesting application of this tech could be in wearables. Curved screen smartwatches with a whole wrist screen are an obvious example."

Earlier this year LG unveiled a 77in flexible 4K OLED TV with a controllable curve, however this is not yet available and it is not known when it is likely to go on sale.

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'Shylock' malware hit by authorities

10 July 2014 Last updated at 18:10

A cybersecurity threat known as Shylock has been disrupted thanks to an international operation, the UK's National Crime Agency (NCA) has said.

Shylock was said to have been installed on more than 30,000 machines worldwide, but mostly targeted bank accounts of people living in the UK.

As ever, the NCA urged the public to make sure their security software was fully up-to-date.

The action follows a similar effort led by US authorities last month.

The Zeus botnet was said to have infected more than a million computers worldwide.

The US is seeking a Russian man, Evgeniy Bogachev, in connection with the operation.

Shakespeare

This latest action has been led by UK intelligence services, working in conjunction with security experts based in The Hague.

"The NCA is co-ordinating an international response to a cybercrime threat to businesses and individuals around the world," said Andy Archibald, deputy director of the NCA's National Cyber Crime Unit.

"This phase of activity is intended to have a significant effect on the Shylock infrastructure and demonstrates how we are using partnerships across sectors and across national boundaries to cut cybercrime impacting the UK."

The Shylock malware - so named because passages from Shakespeare's The Merchant of Venice were found within its code - affected computers running Microsoft's Windows operating system.

Authorities were able to seize computer servers that were controlling Shylock.

However, cybercriminals are often quick to react when disrupted by server seizures.

In the case of Zeus, authorities predicted it would take just two weeks for criminals to reorganise themselves and restart the operation.

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Yo app warns of missile strikes

10 July 2014 Last updated at 18:55

Israeli missile notification service Red Alert has teamed up with the unlikely hit app Yo to warn of incoming strikes - leaving many in the local tech scene more bemused than impressed.

Yo users who follow RedAlertIsrael within the app receive an alert whenever spotted attacks are inbound.

Red Alert provides real-time warnings of mortars or missiles fired into Israel by Palestinian militants.

Some experts remain sceptical about the usefulness of Yo.

The app - developed by a San Francisco-based Israeli - sends the word "Yo" as a text and audio notification to friends, but nothing else.

Since launching in April it has been downloaded about two million times across the globe.

The creators of Red Alert - Ari Sprung and Kobi Snir - aim to use Yo's simple push notification service to reach out to a larger pool of citizens who may be at risk from attack.

According the Times of Israel, the Yo notifications are meant to complement the Red Alert app, which has a more comprehensive breakdown of the imminent threats.

Mr Sprung told the Times of Israel that his app gets its information from the Israel Defense Force and the Homefront Command.

Dvir Reznik, an advisor for start-ups in Israel, told the BBC that the Yo alerts seemed half-baked.

"If I'm on one side of Israel and a missile lands miles away, the Yo warning is not of much use to me," he said.

"However it's better than nothing and I can see this evolving into something more meaningful, but it needs more substance to make it as convenient and as useful as Red Alert."

Dumbest idea ever

The retooling of Yo comes at a time of increased tension between Israel and the Palestinians.

There are no similar apps in Gaza, with many Palestinians relying instead on Twitter hashtags to avoid danger.

Yo was recently derided by critics as being a gimmick and "accelerating the decline of humanity."

Yaniv Feldman of Israel-based tech website GeekTime told the BBC that he thought Yo was "one of the dumbest ideas ever," and that the only beneficial use for the Yo and Red Alert app mash-up was "to raise awareness among people who are not in Israel and do not realise how often missile strikes affect us."

Anouk Lorie, editor in chief of NoCamels, an Israeli tech blog was, however, a little more positive.

"Red Alert is a potentially life-saving app for a large number of Israelis who have only 15 seconds to find cover from the dozens of daily incoming rockets, so I'm not sure that 'Yo!' is the appropriate word to see pop up on mobiles," she said.

"On the other hand, perhaps seeing 'Yo!' on your screen feels less distressing than the loud siren that is otherwise the default on Red Alert.

"However, no matter how pointless some people deem the Yo! app, if it can even just slightly lighten an otherwise very difficult situation, I welcome it."

Ari Sprung, co-author of Red Alert, told the BBC that the mash-up is "definitely giving the rest of the world a sense of the volume of missiles that are being launched into Israel on an hourly basis" and that he hopes the app will raise awareness.

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Dead men get military service call

11 July 2014 Last updated at 10:52

More than 14,000 dead Americans have told to register for military service in Pennsylvania.

The papers threatened fines and prison if the men, born between 1893 and 1897, did not sign up for duty.

The mistake that led to the papers being sent was made during a project to transfer records at the state's Department of Transportation.

The department discovered the error when bewildered relatives of the dead men rang to complain.

"It is funny and kind of pathetic," said Jane Huey. Her husband's grandfather Bert Huey was one of those who got their call-up papers from the state. Mr Huey served in World War One and died in 1995.

"And the other thing is, we couldn't get a hold of the darn draft board," said Ms Huey. "We were afraid we'd be fined or something."

"We made a mistake," said Jan McKnight, a community relations co-ordinator for Pennsylvania's Department of Transportation. "This just wasn't good. We do apologise."

Ms McKnight said the problem emerged as the DoT was sharing records with the US Selective Service agency, which tracks men aged 18-25 and issues draft notices as needed.

Instead of selecting a date range of 1993-1997, the operator sending the records chose 93-97. This led the computer to issue registration notices to all those born in that period - even if their birth happened a century earlier.

In total, the Selective Service sent notices to the last known addresses of 14,200 males born in the late 19th Century.

"This has never happened before, and I'd bet money that it will never happen again," said Pat Schuback, a spokesman for the Selective Service.

He added that families who received the letters should ignore them and that the files of the dead men would be deactivated so relatives would not be bothered again.

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Eagle shot wins drone photo award

11 July 2014 Last updated at 11:22

The arrival of cheap drone technology - and small, light high-quality cameras - has given rise to a new genre of beautiful aerial photography and film-making.

A new competition, sponsored by National Geographic, has highlighted some stunning examples of drone photographs taken in the past year.

The winner of the competition was a stunning view of an eagle soaring high above a national park in Indonesia.

More photographs can be seen on Dronestagram, a site dedicated to the images taken in mid-air.

The site's founder Eric Dupin told the BBC drone photography quite literally offers a whole new perspective.

"It depicts a new vision of the world, with stunning images taken from low altitude, near field," he said.

"It is so different of images taken by satellite or plane or helicopter, or, on the other end, street view images. It represents an 'intermediary layer'."

Below are the other winners, as selected by a panel of judges.

2nd place: 3rd place:

As well as the judges' prizes, awards were also given out for the most popular photographs among visitors to Dronestagram.

1st place: 2nd place: 3rd place:

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San Francisco parking app shuts down

11 July 2014 Last updated at 12:31

A service that lets people buy and sell public parking spaces in San Francisco is suspending operations in the city.

Rome-based MonkeyParking lets people auction a space they are about to vacate via a smartphone app.

The company faced criticism from San Francisco city authorities who threatened to fine MonkeyParking and its users.

Initially defiant, the company has "disabled" the service while it clarifies how it can operate.

San Francisco banned the use of the MonkeyParking app in late June declaring that it would not allow the creation of a "predatory private market for public parking spaces".

City authorities also sent a "cease and desist" letter to MonkeyParking and threatened fines of $2,500 (£1,500) per violation of the order. It gave the company until 11 July to stop operating in the city.

In a blogpost, the company said the service had been shut down while it "reviewed" the situation.

It said it wanted to comply with the "intent and letter of the law and in full co-operation with the local authorities". It added that it was working to avoid any "possible improper use" of its service and would provide more information soon.

It will continue to operate a parking auction service in Rome.

Two other firms that sell parking spaces in San Francisco - Sweetch and Parkmodo - were also believed to be affected by the city's ruling.

In response, Parkmodo suspended its parking system in San Francisco but is still running trials in New York and Chicago.

Sweetch is continuing to offer its service in San Francisco. It is keeping going, it said, because there was no auction involved. Instead users pay a flat fee for information and can only use any credit they have built up to make payments within Sweetch or they can ask the company to donate it to charity.

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Naked selfies found on old phones

11 July 2014 Last updated at 12:59 By Nicholas Tufnell Technology reporter

Thousands of pictures including "naked selfies" have been extracted from factory-wiped phones by a Czech Republic-based security firm.

The firm, called Avast, used publicly available forensic security tools to extract the images from second-hand phones bought on eBay.

Other data extracted included emails, text messages and Google searches.

Experts have warned that the only way to completely delete data is to "destroy your phone".

Most smartphones come with a "factory reset" option, which is designed to wipe and reset the device, returning it to its original system state.

However, Avast has discovered that some older smartphones only erase the indexing of the data and not the data itself, which means pictures, emails and text messages can be recovered relatively easily by using standard forensic tools that anyone can buy and download.

The company claims that of 40,000 stored photos extracted from 20 phones purchased from eBay, more than 750 were of women in various stages of undress, along with 250 selfies of "what appears to be the previous owner's manhood".

There was an additional 1,500 family photos of children, 1,000 Google searches, 750 emails and text messages and 250 contact names and email addresses.

The company said: "Deleting files from your Android phone before selling it or giving it away is not enough. You need to overwrite your files, making them irretrievable."

It was not made clear by Avast whether they extracted data from all 20 phones.

Destroy the phone

Google responded that Avast used outdated smartphones and that their research did not "reflect the security protections in Android versions that are used by the vast majority of users".

It was recommended by Google that all users enable encryption on their devices before applying a factory reset to ensure files cannot be accessed.

This feature, said Google, has been available for three years, although it is not enabled by default, which could leave less tech-savvy users open to attack.

Apple has had built-in encryption for its hardware and firmware since the release of the iPhone 3GS.

The hardware encryption is permanently enabled and users cannot turn it off.

Additional file data protection is available, but must be turned on in the settings menu.

Independent computer security analyst Graham Cluley said that if a user is serious about privacy and security they should make sure their device is always "protected with a PIN or passphrase, and that the data on it is encrypted".

However, Alan Calder, founder of cybersecurity and risk management firm IT Governance, told the BBC that erasing data, even after it has been encrypted, will not be enough to completely protect your device.

"Google's recommended routine for protecting the data only makes it harder for someone to recover the data - it does not make it impossible," he said.

"If you don't want your data recovered, destroy the phone - and that has been standard security advice, in relation to telephones and computer drives, for a number of years. Any other 'solution' simply postpones the point at which someone is able to access your confidential data."

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Cynk suspended after surging 23,000%

11 July 2014 Last updated at 16:22

The US Securities and Exchanges Commission (SEC) has suspended trading in Cynk Technology after shares in the little-known social networking firm surged more than 23,000% in the past month.

Documents showed the firm - which is registered in Nevada with an office in Belize City, Belize - had no revenue and one employee.

Shares in Cynk were traded in a lightly regulated "over the counter" exchange.

The SEC halted trading until 24 July.

"It appears to the SEC that the public interest and the protection of investors require a suspension of trading in the securities of Cynk Technology Corp ("Cynk") because of concerns regarding the accuracy and adequacy of information in the marketplace and potentially manipulative transactions in Cynk's common stock," wrote the SEC in its order suspending trading in the firm.

Earlier on Friday, another US regulator - the Financial Industry Regulation Authority (Finra) - had halted trading in Cynk under its "extraordinary event halt" code.

Shares in Cynk jumped from six cents in early June to $13.90 (£8.11) on Thursday, despite uncertainty about its business and revenue structure. That values places the firm at a valuation of close to $4bn - just slightly above the valuation of airline JetBlue.

Cynk billed itself as a "development stage" company and the firm's main website - introbiz.com - is described as a marketplace where one "may both buy and sell the ability to socially connect to individuals such as celebrities, business owners, and talented IT professionals".

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