“A simple recognition system can use individual tattoos to identify specific suspects over time, supplementing fingerprints and simple facial photos. But more sophisticated systems will also be able to identify tattoo patterns that may suggest particular criminal affiliations. Law enforcement agencies already catalog specific tattoos associated with Russian mafia and

“Microsoft and Facebook today have announced a partnership to build a massive underwater data cable connecting the US to Europe, an effort that’ll help the two internet giants better move data back and forth around the world. The cable, dubbed ‘MAREA,’ should be ready by October 2017 and will have

“Have you ever thought about how that cat picture actually gets from a server in Oregon to your PC in London? We’re not simply talking about the wonders of TCP/IP, or pervasive Wi-Fi hotspots, though those are vitally important as well. No, we’re talking about the big infrastructure: the huge

“But the documents show that the company relies heavily on the intervention of a small editorial team to determine what makes its ‘trending module’ headlines – the list of news topics that shows up on the side of the browser window on Facebook’s desktop version. The company backed away from

“Blockchain technology, the backbone of bitcoin, has a lot of applications. Finance firms want to use to cut down on administrative costs and trade faster. Estonia is using to securely track health records. Now it’s the military’s turn. Both the US Department of Defense (DoD) and NATO have put out requests for military-related apps

“Defense Secretary Ashton B. Carter will overhaul one of his signature efforts, placing new leadership in charge of the Pentagon’s office in Silicon Valley just nine months after it opened and directing the staff there to report directly to him. Carter will also establish a sister unit in Boston, which

“Twitter has reportedly banned US intelligence agencies from using Dataminr, a service it partially owns that provides real-time alerts for breaking news like natural disasters, terrorist attacks, and actionable business events.” Source: Twitter bans US spy agencies from Dataminr: report – Business Insider

“In June or July, DOD’s Rapid Reaction Technology Office, whose mandate is to ‘provide a hedge against technical uncertainty,’ will host a demonstration session for firms to show off their technical capabilities, according to a DOD notice. Defense officials are looking for capabilities listed under categories such as situational awareness;

“The Islamic State recognized the power of digital media early on, when its brutish progenitor, Jordanian jihadist Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, discovered the utility of uploading grainy videos of his atrocities to the Internet. As the group evolved, its propagandists surpassed and humiliated their bitter rivals in al Qaeda by placing

“So why aren’t jihadis taking advantage of running dark web sites? Rid and Moore don’t know for sure, but they guess that it’s for the same reason so few other people publish information on the dark web: It’s just too fiddly. ‘Hidden services are sometimes slow, and not as stable