Poor Mojo's Newswire

Al Qaeda and the Taliban haven't been able to bring down the CIA's Predator drones. But a new lawsuit alleging parts of their targeting software are pirated (and faulty) could. On December 7, 2010, Massachusetts Superior Court Judge Margaret Hinkle is expected to issue a decision on a complicated contract and intellectual property-related lawsuit that could ground the CIA's Predator drones. Intelligent Integration Systems (IISi), a small Boston-based software development firm, alleges that their Geospatial Toolkit and Extended SQL Toolkit were pirated by Massachusetts-based Netezza for use by a government client. Subsequent evidence and court proceedings revealed that the "government client" seeking assistance with Predator drones was none other than the Central Intelligence Agency. IISi is seeking an injunction that would halt the use of their two toolkits by Netezza for three years. Most importantly, IISi alleges in court papers that Netezza used a "hack" version of their software with incomplete targeting functionality in response to rushed CIA deadlines. As a result, Predator drones could be missing their targets by as much as 40 feet.

The Wall Street Journal is reporting that 10 popular Facebook applications have been transmitting users' personal identifying information to dozens of advertising and Internet tracking companies. The newspaper said Monday that the breach also includes users who set all their information to be completely private. And in some cases, it says, the apps provided access to friends' names. A Facebook spokesman told the Journal on Sunday that the company would introduce new technology to contain the breach. It's not clear how long the breach went on.

According to a report on Wired.com, a 20-year-old Arab-American college student was visited by several FBI agents after he found and removed an apparent government tracking device from his car. The student, Yasir Afifi, told Wired he found the device on his car after taking it to a mechanic. He removed the device and posted a photo of it online (which you can see at the left). Then, he says, he got a visit from FBI agents. The FBI has refused to comment on an "ongoing investigation." But according to Afifi, several agents showed up at his California apartment a few days after the photos were posted. Readers had identified it as a tracking device that's only sold to law enforcement agencies. "We're here to recover the device you found on your vehicle. It's federal property. It's an expensive piece, and we need it right now," one agent said. When Afifi asked if they had put it there, the man, who identified himself as Vincent said, "Yeah, I put it there. We're going to make this much more difficult for you if you don't cooperate."

What happened next, she says, was more than embarrassing. It was infuriating. That same screener started emptying her wallet. "He was taking out the receipts and looking at them," she said. "I understand that TSA is tasked with strengthening national security but [it] surely does not need to know what I purchased at Kohl's or Wal-Mart," she wrote in her complaint, which she sent me last week. She says she asked what he was looking for and he replied, "Razor blades." She wondered, "Wouldn't that have shown up on the metal detector?" In a side pocket she had tucked a deposit slip and seven checks made out to her and her husband, worth about $8,000. Her thought: "Oh, my God, this is none of his business." Two Philadelphia police officers joined at least four TSA officers who had gathered around her. After conferring with the TSA screeners, one of the Philadelphia officers told her he was there because her checks were numbered sequentially, which she says they were not. "It's an indication you've embezzled these checks," she says the police officer told her. He also told her she appeared nervous. She hadn't before that moment, she says. She protested when the officer started to walk away with the checks. "That's my money," she remembers saying. The officer's reply? "It's not your money." At this point she told the officers that she had a good explanation for the checks, but questioned whether she had to tell them. "The police officer said if you don't tell me, you can tell the D.A."