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Latest by Andrew Couts

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Thanks to NASA, Google’s poor founders have to buy private jet fuel like everyone else

Google co-founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin will no longer be able to fill up their aircrafts with discounted NASA jet fuel.
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Mark Zuckerberg says US government ‘blew it’ over NSA messaging

Facebook's Mark Zuckerberg says the U.S. government "blew it" when explaining the NSA's surveillance efforts to the American people.
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Don’t live in NYC? Visit the 9/11 Memorial through Google Street View

Even if you don't live in NYC, you can still reflect on September 11 at the 9/11 Memorial, thanks to Google Street View.
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Don’t panic! Apple’s fingerprint scanner should appease conspiracy theorists

Apple iPhone 5S Touch ID fingerprint scanner explained.
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Can you be arrested for sharing a link? Maybe

Journalist and Anonymous sympathizer Barrett Brown is facing 105 years in prison, in part because he shared a link. Could the same thing happen to you?
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Epic ‘twerk girl fail’ video was just a Jimmy Kimmel lie

If you thought the "worst twerk fail" girl video was a fake, you were right! The whole thing was a hoax created by Jimmy Kimmel.
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This video explains what Reddit is better than anything else

Reddit may be popular, but it's still a mystery to many Web users. Here's the only primer you need to get to know "the front page of the Internet."
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Hey kids, stop ruining e-cigarettes for the rest of us

More kids are using e-cigarettes now than ever before, according to the CDC – and that probably means us adult vapers are going to suffer because of it.
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NSA has cracked encryption protecting your bank account, Gmail, and smartphone

The NSA has cracked the encryption technologies used to protect much of what we do on the Internet.
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Shodan, the search engine that points hackers directly to your webcam

Your webcam, and the rest of the "Internet of Things" is hackable. And the Shodan search engine is how hackers find which devices are vulnerable.
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Sony’s ‘lens-style’ cameras for smartphones are real, weird, and … awesome?

Sony's Cyber-shot QX100 and QX10 'lens-style' cameras for smartphones are official.
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Spotify is being sued for letting you make playlists

Ministry of Sound, a dance music brand, has sued Spotify for allowing users to create and share playlists that replicate its compilation albums.
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How to use Reddit to incubate your million-dollar idea

Starting your own subreddit can teach you valuable lessons about your entrepreneurial potential.
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Keep calm and tweet on: Creditors have been sizing you up online for years

What you say on Facebook can be used against you when applying for a loan – but it can be used in your favor, too.
National Security Agency Director General Keith Alexander

What’s the NSA picking out of your phone calls? Just ‘unvolunteered truths’

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The Internet made me care about Miley Cyrus, and I’m pissed about it

The completed saturation of Miley Cyrus content on the Web pressured me into caring about things I never before thought important.
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What is the Syrian Electronic Army?

What is the Syrian Electronic Army? Here, an explainer on the pro-Assad hacktivist group that allegedly attacked The New York Times and Twitter this week.
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Objection! The Supreme Court needs to understand email

Supreme Court Justice Elena Kagan admitted last week that the court "hasn't really gotten to email." How is that okay?

The U.S. government pried into 16,000 Facebook accounts … this year alone

Facebook has released its first ever transparency report, which shows that governments have issued more than 25,000 requests for user data so far this year.
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Facebook may owe you $15, thanks to $20 million ‘Sponsored Stories’ lawsuit settlement

A U.S. judge has granted final approval of Facebook's $20 million settlement of a lawsuit over its "Sponsored Story" advertisements.
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JustDelete.me helps you wash away your digital life

JustDelete.me gives you direct links to delete old, unwanted, or unused online accounts.
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Yahoo takes #1 spot, knocks Google down to #2 in US Internet traffic

Yahoo has taken the top spot for U.S. Internet traffic for the first time in two years, knocking reigning king Google down to number two.

Hack Mark Zuckerberg’s Facebook page, collect $11,000

The security researcher who hacked Mark Zuckerberg's Facebook page will receive more than $11,000 from supporters.

UK authorities forget how computers work, smash a MacBook Pro to stop Snowden leaks

U.K. authorities smashed a MacBook Pro owned by the Guardian newspaper in an attempt to stop reporting on NSA documents leaked by Edward Snowden.
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Don’t care if Uncle Sam reads your email? New studies show you’re now a minority

The public opinion about digital privacy and the NSA's spying efforts seems to have flipped – and that's a shocker.
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Hyperloops, driverless cars, and the boring future of safe travel

Elon Musk's Hyperloop and Google's driverless cars promise to make the future of travel far safer. How boring!

Simple typo led NSA to collect tons of extra US phone call data, secret audit shows

An NSA audit exposed by the Washington Post shows that the NSA commits thousands of errors each year that lead to unintended surveillance of U.S. citizens.

‘451 Unavailable’ error: Campaign seeks to expose government censorship of the Web

A new 451 Unavailable error code is needed to tell Web users when sites or pages are blocked for legal reasons, according to a new Open Rights Group campaign.

Should Gmail users expect any privacy? Untwisting Google’s claim

Google has argued in court that Gmail users have "no legitimate expectation of privacy." Why did it say that – and, more importantly, is the company right?
What my dog taught me about my bad technology habits

My dog smells stress (and it’s coming from my gadgets)

Who knew my smartphone use was stressing me out? My dog.
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Apple’s (rumored) iPhone 5C won’t have Siri (according to rumors)

Apple's rumored iPhone 5C may be cheaper than the iPhone 5S – but it won't have Siri, says analyst Gene Munster.

Could you live without tech? You might have to

Modern technology is great ... until things go wrong.

‘Disconnect Kids’ iOS app stops apps and trackers from following your children

Disconnect Kids, and Apple iOS app, blocks 20 of the biggest Internet tracking companies from keeping tabs on your kids' mobile activities.
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Lay off Chrome – Firefox has the same password security ‘flaw’

Google Chrome has come under fire for a so-called 'flaw' in its saved password security. Why? It's been that way for ages, and Firefox does the same thing.