Author: Henry

A browser extension used by millions to strip advertisements from websites has built a business model that charges some of the internet’s biggest companies for the privilege of having their ads exempted from its blocking list — while letting the vast majority through at no cost. Adblock Plus, made by German company Eyeo, operates what it calls an Acceptable Ads list: a register of advertisements deemed unobtrusive enough to be allowed through its filter. Any company or publisher can apply to be included, but those operating at scale — large advertising networks and major publishers — are charged a fee…

A court order targeting one Wikipedia page about a form of hashish briefly caused Russian internet providers to block the entire website, exposing a fundamental technical problem at the heart of Moscow’s approach to internet censorship. The ban, triggered by a ruling from a court in a small southern Russian town, targeted a Wikipedia entry about charas — a type of cannabis resin originating in India. Authorities deemed the page harmful and ordered it removed. Wikipedia refused. Because the site operates using the secure https protocol, internet providers faced an all-or-nothing choice: they could not block a single page without…

A crested macaque named Naruto picked up a wildlife photographer’s unattended camera in an Indonesian jungle in 2011, pressed the shutter and accidentally produced one of the most widely shared photographs on the internet. Four years later, that moment has ended up in a San Francisco federal court — with an animal rights organisation arguing the monkey should own the copyright. PETA filed the lawsuit on behalf of Naruto this week, naming British photographer David Slater and US publishing company Blurb as defendants. Slater, whose camera was used to take the images, has published a book containing the photographs and…

Federal investigators are looking into whether a government employee used official Department of Homeland Security equipment to edit Wikipedia pages and insert references to unverified claims about the personal conduct of House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy, days after he dramatically withdrew from the race to become Speaker of the House. The edits, first spotted by a reporter at the Washington Free Beacon, were traced to an IP address registered to DHS. One altered page belonged to Republican congresswoman Renee Ellmers, while a separate change was made to McCarthy’s own Wikipedia entry. Both referenced allegations of an affair between the two,…

Air New Zealand and Air China are set to begin operating a new route between Beijing and Auckland before the end of the year, following the formalisation of a strategic alliance between the two carriers. The partnership, which received Cabinet approval, was first signalled when Chinese President Xi Jinping visited New Zealand approximately a year ago. It has now been authorised to run until March 2021. Under the arrangement, Air China will operate daily flights on the new Beijing-Auckland service from 10 December, using Airbus A330-200 aircraft. Air New Zealand will place its NZ code on those flights. Separately, Air…

A court order, a Freedom of Information lawsuit, and more than thirteen months of official resistance stood between the public and dashcam footage showing a Chicago police officer firing sixteen shots at a 17-year-old walking away from him on a residential street — and it was only when a judge forced the city’s hand that the full extent of the cover-up began to unravel. Laquan McDonald was shot and killed by officer Jason Van Dyke on the evening of 20 October 2014 on South Pulaski Road. Police had been called to reports of a teenager carrying a knife and breaking…

Businessman Donald Trump was still leading the New Hampshire Republican primary by double digits, according to a CNN/WMUR poll released Thursday, but his nearest competitors had shifted. Trump led among his GOP rivals with 26 percent of support from New Hampshire residents who said they planned to vote in the state’s Republican presidential primary. Former Hewlett-Packard CEO Carly Fiorina was in second place with 16 percent. Fiorina surged to second place nationally among Republicans in a poll released Sunday, but her national ranking has been inconsistent among polls released later in the week. Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) came up in…

Apple’s newest iPhone camera feature has split opinion among photographers, technology writers and industry insiders since its unveiling in San Francisco, with some calling it a meaningful step forward in mobile photography and others dismissing it as little more than a dressed-up video clip. Live Photos, introduced as part of the iPhone 6s launch, works by recording a brief moment of movement immediately before and after a still image is taken. The result is a picture that appears to come to life when held down with a long press, showing the subject in motion rather than frozen in a single…

Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign found itself mocked by media commentators this week after reports emerged that aides had been briefing journalists about a planned effort to make the candidate appear more natural, joyful and unscripted on the campaign trail. Parallel reports in both the New York Times and the Washington Post revealed that Clinton’s team intended to introduce what the Times described as new efforts to bring spontaneity to a campaign that had at times appeared wooden and overly cautious. The announcement prompted immediate ridicule from television hosts and political analysts who noted the obvious contradiction in strategically planning to…

Drivers In Spain Face €200 Fine This Easter For Failing To Follow Emergency Corridor Rules As 17 Million Journeys Expected Millions of motorists travelling across Spain this Easter week are being warned they face an on-the-spot fine of €200 if they fail to correctly form an emergency corridor when traffic comes to a halt — as authorities prepare for one of the busiest periods on record for the country’s roads. Spain’s Directorate General of Traffic, the DGT, has launched its Semana Santa road operation from Friday 27 March, with more than 17 million long-distance journeys anticipated over the course of…