Technology

New York City rules will soon permit yellow cab drivers to accept rides through smartphone apps.

In New York, Taxi Apps Raise Objections From Competitors

9:56am February 20, 2013

by Alex Goldmark

Following the lead of cities like San Francisco and Washington, D.C., New York wants to permit passengers to use smartphone apps to find a yellow cab. But the prospect of change has prompted a lawsuit from private car services, whose passengers already use smartphones to hail drivers.

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Law Change Makes It Harder To Unlock Cellphones

9:41am February 20, 2013

by Laura Sydell

A copyright ruling from the Library of Congress covers whether people may buy a phone from one carrier and then use it with another. A recent change makes it illegal to unlock a phone, or untie it from the original carrier, without permission. But some people are petitioning the White House to undo that change.

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A 3-D printed bust of Yoda is one of the more popular digital designs shared on Thingiverse.

National

As 3-D Printing Becomes More Accessible, Copyright Questions Arise

4:13pm February 19, 2013

by Steve Henn

A 3-D printer allows people to easily create Yoda busts, Tintin's rocket ship — and even NPR action figures. But as this technology gets cheaper, the budding industry could face the same intellectual property battles that upended the music business a decade ago.

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Older Tech Workers Oppose Overhauling H-1B Visas

3:45pm February 19, 2013

by Martin Kaste

Overhauling immigration is complicated and controversial. There's been a proposed increase in H-1B visas. Those are the visas that allow companies to bring in skilled foreign workers for jobs that can't be filled by Americans.

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Economy

Social Media And Work: Is It Ever OK To Complain Online?

2:52pm February 19, 2013

Many employees lost their jobs in recent years after posting negative comments about work on social media sites. A recent decision by the National Labor Relations Board may give workers more freedom to talk and complain about work on social media.

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Cyberbullying Law Shields Teachers From Student Tormentors

12:33pm February 19, 2013

by Lisa Miller

There's a new cyberbullying law in North Carolina — but it's not for students who torment other students. It's one of the first of its kind that punishes students who target teachers online. Teachers groups and free speech organizations are split on what the law hopes to accomplish.

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Cell phone communication can be hacked, tapped or otherwise tampered with. A new app aims to change that.

Want To Keep Your Messages Private? There's An App For That

8:46pm February 17, 2013

by NPR Staff

For a fee, Silent Circle erases messages from both the receiver and the sender's phones. The app's creators got the idea after hearing an all-too-familiar story: A friend of theirs inadvertently read a text meant for someone else.

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More than 550 people churned out 78 apps in one day as part of Fashion Week's "hackathon."

Arts
Economy

When It Comes To Fashion, Shouldn't There Be An App For That?

3:05am February 15, 2013

by NPR Staff

In fashion's first hackathon, developers had just 24 hours to build an app for the industry — the finalists will be presented on the runway at New York's Fashion Week. "Right now the industry could really use some innovation," says Decoded Fashion founder Liz Bacelar.

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Some companies, frustrated with intrusions into their networks by cyberattackers, are now trying to turn the tables in the ongoing and complicated cyberwar.

National

Victims Of Cyberattacks Get Proactive Against Intruders

8:56am February 13, 2013

by Tom Gjelten

Some affected private companies are so frustrated by their inability to defend against attacks that they have opted to go on the offense themselves. Some cybersecurity firms are now marketing cyberweapons and attack strategies to companies that want to go after their adversaries.

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Homeland Security analysts watch for threats to U.S. technological infrastructure at the National Cybersecurity and Communications Integration Center.

Pentagon Goes On The Offensive Against Cyberattacks

6:38pm February 12, 2013

by Tom Gjelten

U.S. military commanders are emphasizing their readiness to defend the nation against cyberthreats from abroad. What they do not say is that they are equally prepared to launch their own cyberattacks against U.S. adversaries.

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