PRG Students

By Eli Siems A new digital currency was launched last Friday (28 Oct.) that threatens to give Bitcoin a run for its virtual money. It’s called Zcash. But there’s one major distinction between the two so-called cryptocurrencies that Zcash believes will give it an edge in the digital market.…

By Sofia Grafanaki Facebook rolled out a new feature last week, allowing users to officially endorse a presidential candidate. It is very simple to use – all a user needs to do is go on the candidate’s Facebook page and click on the “endorsement” tab to add his/her own endorsement.…

By: Yan Shvartzshnaider There is no such thing as a “bullet-proof” system. A system’s security is in a constant state of becoming. Breaking into any system used to require resources and time: the more resources you had, the less time you needed, and vice-versa.…

By Sofia Grafanaki A new and promising approach seeks to disrupt ISIS online recruiting efforts through targeted advertising, as presented at a recent event at the Brookings Institution. Google’s tech incubator Jigsaw (previously called Google Ideas), together with Moonshot CVE, Quantum Communications, and the Gen Next Foundation, developed a plan to help the fight against terrorism.…

American tech companies, especially those running social networking sites, often pride themselves on giving voice and information to oppressed netizens around the world. Many commend Twitter’s role in facilitating coordination and information flow during the 2009 Iranian presidential election process. Even the U.S.…

This past week, Fortune reported that U.S. retailers were using facial recognition software to target shoplifters.[1] The technology works by scanning the face of customers entering a store and seeking to match the photograph with a group of previously identified individuals.…

The Cyber Security Information Act (CISA), which passed the Senate on Tuesday, allows businesses to hand over users’ information to the U.S. government when the business deems it a cyber “threat indicator.” Businesses have been reluctant to volunteer this information, fearing exposure to liability from affected users.…

Last Friday, Wikileaks released the copyright chapter of the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP). The chapter included a section stating that “judicial authorities shall, at least, have the authority to […] order the destruction of devices and products found to be involved in” any activity that circumvents software controls that manufacturers build into their devices, known as Digital Rights Management (DRM) technology.…

Earlier this year, Facebook filed a patent application claiming a method for identifying camera signatures based on features extracted from uploaded images, including faulty pixel positions in the camera and metadata available in files storing the images. The patent also claims a method for making inferences about the users associated with the cameras.…