• Filesonic, Fileserve Pull File Sharing Services Following Megaupload Arrests

    // Gradly // blog, Cyper Crimes, lawsuit, News No Responses

    Filesonic, Fileserve Pull File Sharing Services Following Megaupload Arrests

    Filesonic, Fileserve Pull File Sharing Services Following Megaupload Arrests

    It didn’t take so long after the FBI shut down Megaupload.com and arrested its staff, competitors Filesonic.com and Fileserve.com have made the decision to get rid of all file-sharing functionality from their own services.

    All these websites offer users the ability to upload any kind of file to the websites for their own personal storage, but also share a public link to allow others to download the file for free.

    As of 23 January, Trying to download any previously shared file from Fileserve results in the error message: “FileServe can only be used to download and retrieve files that you have uploaded personally.” On a similar Filesonic message reads: “All sharing functionality on FileSonic is now disabled. Our service can only be used to upload and retrieve files that you have uploaded personally.“

    On the other hand RapidShare, based in Switzerland, has publicly stated that its users needn’t worry: “There is no reason to be concerned,” the site said on its Facebook page. “We aren’t threatened in any way.“

    The whole thing comes as Megaupload.com has been shut down by US authorities. Its founders and several of its employees were arrested and charged on counts of copyright infringement, conspiracy to commit money laundering on a massive scale.

    The scheme is alleged to have taken half a billion dollars (£320 million) away from copyright holders, while making more than $175 million (£113 million) in proceeds from subscriptions and advertising to non-paying users.

    Not to mention Megaupload.com founder, Kim Dotcom also apparently known as MEGARACER, the No. 1 player worldwide in Call of Duty Modern Warfare 3 multiplayer. Here’s Dotcom’s video showing him take the No. 1 spot as MEGARACER

    [via wired]

  • Android, BlackBerry and Nokia Log Everything You Do

    // Gradly // Android, Apple, BlackBerry, blog, iPhone, lawsuit, Mobile, News, Nokia, Steve Jobs No Responses

    Android logo

    Security researchers have discovered that iPhone running iOS 4 were storing a cache of data on which GPS locations that handset had visited in an unencrypted file, it was dubbed LocationGate and later the whole debacle was just a bug but Apple has to testify in front of the Senate about the matter

    Following the incident, one user sent an email to Apple asking for answers. If he didn’t get them soon, he said, he’d switch to Droid; they don’t track him. An email from Steve Jobs, which dropped something of a bombshell: he said Apple doesn’t track anyone’s location, but that Android tracked everyone.

    Now time has proven Steve Jobs right. Android phones do track you. In fact, software that comes pre-installed on millions of Android, BlackBerry and Nokia phones log everything you do with your device, and sends them off secretly to its own servers. Trevor Eckhart, the developer who discovered the software, released a video of his findings, watch it below.

    Carrier IQ will log and save each key dialed. When receiving a text message, Carrier IQ will process and log the text message, before the user even sees it. Web searches are stored by the service as well, logged in plain text. No encryption. That’s incredible. One privately held company that almost no one has ever heard of has the complete logs of every email, phone call, web search and text message ever sent or received by millions of Android, Blackberry and Nokia users.

    In a phone interview to Wired.com, a marketing manager for Carrier IQ defended what the product does:

    We’re not looking at texts. We’re counting things. How many texts did you send and how many failed. That’s the level of metrics that are being gathered.


    [via CultOfMac]

  • Doom 3 Source Code Released to the Public

    // Gradly // blog, Consoles, Download, Games, lawsuit 2 Responses

    After a slight legal setback, id finally released Doom 3‘s source code to the general public.

    Doom 3

    The legal issue involved a piece of technology incorporated in the game called ‘Carmack’s Reverse‘, a stencil shadowing technique in Doom 3.

    The problem was that it wasn’t developed by Carmack alone, but rather a lot of programmers and as a result ended up patented by Creative Labs. A deal was worked out that allowed id to use the technology in Doom 3, free of charge.

    So Carmack got to work on rewriting some of the code, it simply involved adding four lines of code and changing two.

    No game data is included with the source code as it is still covered by the original EULA.

    Find the code over on GitHub.

    [via CVG]

  • It’s Just Getting Ridiculous, Samsung?!

    // Gradly // Apple, blog, Humor, iPhone, lawsuit, News, Rants & Raves, Samsung, Scandal No Responses

    Samsung caught again copying Apple

    Official Samsung website for Galaxy Player 50 has a slightly modified version of the Apple iOS Maps app, directly taken from a 2008 screenshot of iPhone Maps app. Apparently, Samsung doesn’t know (or care) that although the Apple’s Maps app uses Google maps data, the user interface is designed and copyrighted by Apple since 2007.

    No wonder Apple wins injunction in Australia and Germany. Fandroid drones, what excuses do you have now? Still think Samsung using Apple’s App Store and Safari icons is an “accident”?

    Samsung using Apple’s App Store and Safari icons in their stores

    This isn’t the first time a rival to Apple has used their artwork. Recently we’ve had Samsung using icons from Apple’s App Store in the backdrop of their in-store displays, a move which once again led to much embarrassment for the firm fighting a legal battle claiming they’re copying Apple’s iPhone and iPad.

    Note: Samsung took the page down.

    [Discovered by @raruler]