The ‘Star Wars’ filibuster, flying through Rio, and more in this week’s Staff Picks
You want to know all the best from around the Web in the past week, but you don’t want to have to look for it, right? Never fear. We’ve trolled the matrix to find the coolest, weirdest, and most interesting tidbits of the past seven days. Have at it.
Yoko Ono gives Julian Assange a special award for bravery
Julian Assange may be a controversial figure, but he has one high profile fan: Yoko Ono Lennon. The Japanese artist and activist gave the WikiLeaks founder her annual Courage Award for the Arts this weekend.
Anonymous withdraws support for Wikileaks, promises dossier of unethical activity by site workers
Asking for money isn't just an annoyance when it comes to Wikileaks' latest fundraising efforts - It's also led to a withdrawal of support for the site by Anonymous, the online hackers collective who are now promising the release of a dossier detailing…
WikiLeaks’ Julian Assange granted asylum by Ecuador — but can he escape the UK?
Ecuador has granted political asylum to WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, who remains trapped at the country's U.K. embassy in London.
Riding the subway in DC, rolling the dice in Vegas, touring NYC? TrapWire is watching you
TrapWire's high-end security software has been deployed all over the world, using sophisticated algorithms and facial recognition to connect the dots in potential security threats.
WikiLeaks re-opens credit card donations in face of Visa/MasterCard blockade
A loophole has allowed WikiLeaks to start taking credit card donations despite an ongoing blockade by Visa and Mastercard.
Wikileaks begins releasing ‘embarrassing’ emails by Syrian political officials and Western companies
Wikileaks' largest leak yet comprises "embarrassing" emails between Syrian government officials and Western companies.
WikiLeaks founder Assange loses extradition appeal, remains in U.K.
The British Supreme Court rejected WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange's appeal against extradition to Sweden on Wednesday.
Julian Assange’s talk show to premiere next week, wants to broadcast ‘world-shifting ideas’
Called The World Tomorrow, Assange will interview politicians, revolutionaries, intellectuals, artists and visionaries. The names of specific guests, however, have not yet been revealed.
Rise of the hacktivist: Activists now outsteal the thieves
A new report on data breaches finds that hacktivists, not traditional cybercriminals, nabbed 58 percent of stolen data in 2011. Is this a sea-change in attacks, and what does it mean for everyday technology users?
Wikileaks releases first 200 of 5M emails ‘stolen’ from Stratfor intelligence firm
Wikileaks has begun its release of more than 5 million emails from US-based intelligence firm Stratfor, which were obtained last December by hacktivist group Anonymous.
Minority Report is real: FBI wants to use social networks to prevent future crime
The FBI is looking into the creation of a new application that would allow them to not only monitor on-going threats, but also predict potential terrorist attacks and other crimes before they even happen. Here's everything you need to know, and why you should…
Wikileaks’ Assange can continue to fight extradition
Wikileaks' Assange is continuing to fight his extradition on charges of rape and molestation, claiming that his case warrants a hearing.
Judge rules Twitter must hand over info in Wikileaks probe
A federal judge has ruled that Twitter must disclose information about three account holders as part of the Justice Department's ongoing investigation into Wikileaks.
British high court rules Assange arrest warrant valid
Wikileaks' founder Julian Assange is considering his limited options after the Britain's High Court ruled the arrest warrant was properly issued and executed.