Back in 2015, we covered how Vizio was using its new smart TVs to gather data on the viewing habits of all US customers, then sending that data back to itself to sell to third party advertising companies. What made the breach of customer trust particularly egregious was the fact …

Intel hardware is, generally speaking, extremely reliable. Every processor and chipset has some degree of bugs, but these issues rarely become critical flaws that jeopardize a product. Evidence is mounting, however, that Intel’s C2000 server platform — that’s the Avoton and Rangeley low-power server variants, all of which are based …

From the minute you take it out of the box, you can tell the Synology RT2600ac Wi-Fi router ($229.95) means business. Its four removable antennas will never let the unit fade into your furniture, or compete for fashion points with many of the new “cute” units in the market. But …

Over the past year, it’s become increasingly clear that Alphabet, Google’s new parent company that runs the Access division responsible for deploying Google Fiber, hasn’t been thrilled with that segment’s performance or cost structure. Now, word is that Access employees are being reassigned or terminated, while plans to expand Google …

A rare alliance of Democratic and Republican members of the US Congress could lead to increased restrictions on how police officers can deploy so-called Stingray cell phone trackers. These devices are regularly used to investigate suspected criminals, but the nature of the system means a lot of innocent Americans are …

The aptly named Project Loon started as a “moonshot” experiment at Google’s X division in 2011. The goal was to provide wireless internet access to remote areas with high-altitude balloons, which does indeed sound loony. It has become one of the most well-known endeavors by X, now a division of …

You’ve probably heard about tech support scams and ransomware attacks separately, but there’s a new breed of malware that includes elements of both. The latest breed of support scam substitutes a human “support rep” in place of a ransomware bitcoin payment. The current examples don’t seem to employ encryption, but they …

For years, Cloudflare has provided a variety of services, including content delivery, DNS, and protection from DDoS attacks. Its services are widely used by many different companies and websites, though it’s also been criticized for serving as an enabler to online piracy, terrorist organizations (two of ISIS’ three forums in …

Ever get the feeling that someone is snooping on your web traffic? Well, that’s not just paranoia — there’s a decent chance that you’re really at risk. Be it a government agency, your ISP, your employer, or some busybody at your favorite coffee joint, it’s staggering to think about how …

If you’ve paid any attention to online marketplaces for illegal goods like the now-defunct Silk Road or the FBI’s investigations into criminal in cyberspace, chances are you’ve heard the term “dark web.” Curious about what it means? You’ve come to the right place. The dark web is sometimes called onionland …