EU demands clarifications over US involvement in Yahoo email surveillance

We all know a thing or two about the US government's involvement in spying its citizens and foreign leaders; and we also know a thing or two about Yahoo's deplorable security measures when it comes to emails. So I, for one, wasn't too surprised when reports of Yahoo aiding the US government in email surveillance started to emerge. That doesn't mean that it's not concerning, however. The European Union has now asked the US to clarify on this alleged mass espionage, amid concerns that the US may have violated the Privacy Shield agreement.

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200 million alleged Yahoo accounts are up for sale on the dark web

August 2, 2016

It was last month that Reuters reported Yahoo's involvement in the alleged mass civilian espionage by the US government. According to the report, Yahoo, under the management of the highly questionable Marissa Mayer, built a secret program that can search all of its customers' incoming emails at the request of the US government. If the report is true, this apparently explains why its chief information security officer, Alex Stamos, left the country to join Facebook later on.

The inquiry from the European Union comes amid rising concerns that not only would this type of spying be ethically wrong, but it also may have violated the new data transfer pact between the US and the EU. After a myriad of leaks pointing to the NSA's involvement in spying on foreign leaders, the EU enacted the Privacy Shield agreement just a few months ago. Under this, the US agreed to limit the collection of European citizens' data stored on US servers.

The inquiry from the European Union comes amid rising concerns that not only would this type of spying be ethically wrong, but it also may have violated the new data transfer pact between the US and the EU.

Although Yahoo's deeply disturbing involvement in the US surveillance happened before the agreement – that is, if such allegations are true – the EU wants clarifications on the US government's commitment to end its indiscriminate espionage, especially involving EU citizens and leaders. So far, neither Yahoo nor the US have confirmed or denied the allegations, but according to Reuters, a senior US government official said that if true, the surveillance would have been used to detect terrorist activities, which is "good intelligence work."

Whether spying on its citizens using a US internet company is good intelligence work or not, in my opinion, is for the citizens to decide. With Donald Trump pledging a Muslim registry, regulations of American citizens are going to get worse, if anything, it seems.

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Why do data scientists make so much money?

The AA Picks team is on the prowl for things we think our readers will value. If we make an affiliate partnership to reduce the costs of purchases, then we may see a share of revenue.

It's a career that barely even existed five years ago, but the field of data science has exploded alongside the maturation of the internet. Indeed, data scientists command an average salary of $123,000 with many of them surpassing the $200,000 mark, and Harvard Business Review has called it "the Sexiest Job of the 21st Century."

But how can such a young career path already be in such high demand? And what even is a data scientist?

Data science is a field that's evolving as quickly as the technology it engages. As businesses stumbled into the 2010's, they found themselves in a wholly different landscape where conventional wisdom regarding audiences and consumer metrics had been tossed straight out the window.

This was exacerbated by the rise of mobile, which confounded even businesses that had just gotten a handle on this whole internet thing. In short, companies had no idea what they were doing.

Enter the data scientist.

Data scientists are multi-disciplinary experts who use analytical technology like data mining, artificial intelligence, and predictive analytics to get companies the information they need to navigate the modern market.

They are programmers, statisticians, and market analysts all rolled together. They serve as eyes and ears for businesses that can no longer tell where their potential consumers are hiding or how the market is changing.

In short, companies had no idea what they were doing.

Most recently, developments in machine learning have massively increased the power wielded by data scientists. Now even massive companies like Amazon and Netflix would be flying blind without the aid of data scientists, so when you think about it, it's no wonder these cyber sentinels can command such high salaries.

If you're interested in learning more, there is a well-reviewed course on Udemy that has equipped thousands of students for careers in this field.

Although admission to "Data Science and Machine Learning with Python – Hands On!" normally costs $120, Udemy is currently holding a site-wide sale that knocks 84 percent off that price. If you act by November 15, you can snag the whole package for just $19.

Click the button below for more information.

Start Sciencing!

Disclosure: This offer is brought to you by AA Picks. Our purpose is to highlight products or services we think you as our readers might be interested in and, if you buy them, we may see a share of the revenue. We operate independently from our advertising sales team, and we welcome your feedback and questions. Email us at aapicks@androidauthority.com.

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Google Pixel successfully hacked during PwnFest, exploit will be patched

The Google Pixel smartphone has only been available for a few weeks, but a remote code execution vulnerability has already been discovered by a Chinese hacking team. Thankfully, the exploit was discovered as part of the annual PwnFest hacking event, rather than in the wild.

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The Qihoo 360 team used an unrevealed exploit to open the Google Play Store, and then opened the Chrome browser to show a web page that stated "Pwned By 360 Alpha Team". The Chinese hackers won $120,000 for their efforts.

This is actually the second time the Google Pixel has been cracked by hackers during such an event. Last week, Keen Team of Tencent discovered and used a zero-day exploit to get into the smartphone at the Mobile Pwn2Own event in Japan.

Both of these vulnerabilities will be sent to Google so they can be fixed in upcoming patches for the Pixel. Again, owners of the smartphone should be grateful that these exploits were found during hacking events, rather than found by malicious hackers performing these remote code attacks in the wild.

The PwnFest event also saw Apple's Safari and Microsoft's Edge browsers get successfully hacked by teams, and Qihoo 360 even used a vulnerability in Adobe Flash that had been there for 10 years to perform a remote hack.

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Instagram Live Video coming soon, confirms CEO

Instagram's CEO, Kevin Systrom, has confirmed to The Financial Times that the social sharing app is preparing to roll out live video. Following in the footsteps of its parent company Facebook, Instagram will attempt to use live video increase user engagement and session duration with the platform's users.

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Instagram adds Boomerang videos, mentions, and links to Stories in latest update

19 hours ago

While Systrom wouldn't confirm exactly when live video would be arriving on Instagram, it has already been seen in beta versions of the app. Once the feature is live, Instagram will join the ranks of Snapchat, Facebook, Twitter and YouTube, all of whom are competing for the live streaming hearts and minds of their users.

Systrom said the immense overnight success of its Stories feature helped push Live Video. "If you're the CEO of a company and all of a sudden 100m people are using a new format every single day, it's not something you ignore. You push investment into it". So keep your eyes peeled for Instagram Live Video in the very near future.

Who do you think does live video best?

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Google says Chrome is now installed on two billion devices

Google's Chrome browser is installed on 2 billion devices between mobile and desktop, Google has announced. The news was made public on stage at the 2016 Chrome developer summit by Darin Fisher, Chrome's Engineering Vice President.

Though it's installed on two billion devices, that's not to say Chrome is actively in use on all of them. In April, Google stated that there were one billion active Chrome users, but it didn't disclose what the figure stood at today.

Chrome was released in 2008 for Windows but has since been ported to most major operating systems, and comes pre-installed with Google's apps suite on many Android handsets.

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3 weeks ago

Google now has seven products under its belt with more than one billion users: Gmail, Maps, Search, Youtube and the Google Play Store (as well as Android and Chrome).

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Deal: Nexbit Robin on sale at Amazon for only $169.99 (Now in Mint too)

Update, Nov 11th: If you've been putting off that discounted Nextbit Robin purchase, the Midnight black model can still be found at its cut down $169.99 price over at Amazon. Better yet, the $169.99 discount is now available on the rather swish looking Mint color option too, which is pictured above. By the way, that's a notable $130 off the suggested retail price.

Just like last time though, this phone won't work on CDMA networks such as Sprint and Verizon. Instead, only consider picking one up if you're planning to use the Robin on a GSM network like AT&T and T-Mobile. As before, the Mint model comes with 32GB of internal storage and acess to 100GB of cloud storage space too, at no extra cost. If you're still undecided about the handset, check out our full review below.

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Nextbit Robin Review

February 18, 2016

Buy Mint Nextbit Robin

Original, Nov 3rd:

Nextbit Robin, a unique smartphone that launched on Kickstarter last year and passed its goal in just 10 hours, is currently on sale. You can grab one from Amazon for only $169.99, which is $130 less than the company's suggested retail price and $30 off Amazon's regular price. This really is a great deal, especially when you consider that the Robin was released last year for 400 bucks.

And what exactly makes it so unique you ask? Well, the Nexbit Robin, which raised over a million dollars on Kickstarter, mitigates the storage problems we all experience from time to time by uploading those less-frequently-used apps, as well as images and videos, to the cloud. In addition, the device also stands out thanks to its interesting rectangular design combined with a few circular elements (camera, speaker, proximity sensor, and flash), and popping colors.

The Robin is no slouch in the specs department either, as it offers a 5.2-inch 1080p display, Snapdragon 808 processor, 3 GB of RAM, 32 GB of onboard and 100 GB of cloud storage and a 2680 mAh battery. There's a 13 MP camera at the back of the device and a 5-megapixel selfie snapper at the front.

Interested in getting one? Head over to Amazon's product page while it's still in stock.

Buy now on Amazon

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Niantic: There’s a secret in Pokemon Go that nobody knows about

John Hanke, CEO of Pokemon Go developer Niantic, has revealed that there is a secret in the ever-popular app that nobody yet knows about. 

Speaking to GamesRadar regarding the mysteries of Pokemon Go, Hanke said: "There will always be secrets in the game that no one has found because we're always adding new secrets to the game," adding "There's one out there right now and we'll see how that plays out over the course of the next few weeks." 

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The Pokémon Go "Nearby" tracker feature expands to a few new cities

6 days ago

When GamesRadar asked whether it was introduced with Pokemon Go's Halloween update, Hanke said that he wouldn't give away any more clues. It's possible that it relates to the elusive Ditto Pokemon which hasn't been seen since the game's launch. 

In other recent Pokemon Go news, a look at the code of its latest APK file revealed that an influx of 100 extra Pokemon could soon be on its way to the app.

What do you think this Pokemon secret relates to? Let us know in the comments.

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