Android's Rise Helps Google Grow Its Traffic Surveillance System
The movements of Android users let Google track live traffic—a service being extended to new countries and U.S. cities today.
Contributors
Tom Simonite
Follow @twitterapiIT Editor, Software & Hardware
I’m MIT Technology Review’s IT editor for hardware and software and enjoy a diverse diet of algorithms, Internet, and human-computer interaction with chips on the side. Working in our San Francisco office, I cover new ideas about what computers can do for us, whether they spring from tech giants, new startups, or academic labs.
My journey to the West Coast started in a small English town called Wantage and took in the University of Cambridge, Imperial College London, and five years writing and editing technology news coverage at New Scientist magazine.
Tom Simonite's Stories
How to Share Personal Data While Keeping Secrets Safe
A new technique could help companies like Facebook make money from your data without putting it at risk.
In the Olympics of Algorithms, a Russian Keeps Winning Gold
Google's Petr Mitrichev is the all-time champion of competitive programming, a little-known sport where tech giants scout for talent.
A Computer Infection that Can Never Be Cured
A hacker demonstrates that code can be hidden inside a new computer to put it forever under remote control, even after upgrades to the hard drive or operating system.
Hey, Hackers: Defense Is Sexy, Too
Is the computer security community so obsessed with demonstrating scary new attacks that it has neglected to improve defenses?
NSA Boss Wants More Control Over the Net
The Internet should be adapted to allow for oversight by the National Security Agency, the organization's boss says.
New Web Standards Bring New Security Worries
HTML5, which enables Web pages to mimic conventional software, also introduces new security problems.
Google Approves an App that Steals All Your Data
The automated system designed to keep malware out of Google's app store proves easy to evade.
GPS Weakness Could Enable Mass Smartphone Hacking
A malicious Wi-Fi network could command devices to report future movements—and perhaps snoop on private data.
Mobile Payment Chips Could Let Hackers into Your Phone
Near-field communication chips may let smartphones replace cash and credit cards—but they could also offer opportunities to hackers.
