Defending Tor - gateway to the dark web

Tor Logo Image copyright Tor Project
Image caption The Tor Project is a non-profit group that oversees the Tor network

When Roger Dingledine talks about the dark web, he waves his hands in the air - as if not quite convinced of its existence.

I give him the benefit of the doubt - his arguably blasé attitude, I think, is a symptom of being consistently called upon to defend his creation.

He is the co-creator of Tor, the most popular software available for gaining access to the part of the internet unreachable using a conventional browser - including what is often referred to as the dark or underground web.

To some, Tor is a menace: a (largely) impenetrable system that enables some of the most depraved crimes to take place on the internet.

To others, it is a lifeline, the only way to safely access the online services that most of us take for granted.

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Apple 'working on non-iPhone Apple Watch'

The current Apple Watch range requires an iPhone to be paired via Bluetooth Image copyright Getty Images
Image caption The current Apple Watch range requires an iPhone to be paired via Bluetooth

Apple is working on an Apple Watch that does not need to be paired to an iPhone, according to reports.

Bloomberg reports that the new Watch will connect directly to LTE mobile networks. The claim was later corroborated by the Wall Street Journal.

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Apple defends complying with China over VPNs

Tim Cook said Apple would rather not remove the apps Image copyright Getty Images
Image caption Tim Cook said Apple would rather not remove the apps

Apple boss Tim Cook has defended his company’s decision to comply with the Chinese government’s demand it remove VPN software from the App Store.

Virtual Private Networks are often used to skirt censorship and surveillance in countries with tight restrictions on internet use.

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Message encryption a problem - Rudd

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Media captionWATCH: Home Secretary Amber Rudd wants harmful content to be auto-blocked

The major technology companies must step up their fight against extremism or face new laws, the home secretary has told the BBC.

Amber Rudd said technology companies were not doing enough to beat “the enemy” on the internet.

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Robot cracks open safe live on Def Con's stage

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Media captionWatch hackers attempt to crack safe

Using a cheap robot, a team of hackers has cracked open a leading-brand combination safe, live on stage in Las Vegas.

The team from SparkFun Electronics was able to open a SentrySafe safe in around 30 minutes.

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Refunds as Pokemon fest beset by glitches

Organisers did a valiant job of keeping attendees upbeat despite the issues Image copyright Niantic
Image caption Organisers did a valiant job of keeping attendees upbeat despite the issues

As many as 20,000 attendees at a Pokemon Go festival in Chicago are being offered refunds after technical glitches meant fans were mostly unable to catch anything - let alone “them all”.

Disappointed fans will also be offered $100 in the form of the app’s in-game currency, Pokecoins.

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Elon Musk and the hyperbolic hyperloop 'announcement'

Elon Musk said he had been given "verbal government approval" for his plan Image copyright Getty Images
Image caption Elon Musk said he had been given "verbal government approval" for his plan

A vacuum-sealed tunnel that can whizz passengers from New York to Philadelphia to Baltimore to Washington DC has been given “verbal" approval by the US government, says Elon Musk.

Hm.

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When your body becomes eligible for an upgrade

Professor Hugh Herr Image copyright MIT
Image caption Professor Hugh Herr believes we're entering a new era of human-machine interoperability

We all like to joke about what might happen if robots, powered by artificial intelligence, decide they want to overthrow humans.

That scenario is, at best, decades away. But this week I’ve been pondering something much more immediate, and in my view, more likely. What will happen when humans decide to become robots?

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AirBnB host fined after racist comment

Dyne Suh spoke emotionally about the incident after her room was cancelled Image copyright Hashtag Re-hash / YouTube
Image caption Dyne Suh spoke emotionally about the incident after her room was cancelled

An AirBnB host who made a racist comment to an Asian guest has been fined $5,000 - and told she must attend a course on Asian-American studies.

Tami Barker cancelled Dyne Suh’s booking, telling her in a message: "One word says it all. Asian.”

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Tech firms unite for 'net neutrality' protest

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Media captionThe BBC's Dave Lee explains what the protest is about

A host of internet giants - from social networks to dating apps to porn sites - will join a protest Wednesday against plans to roll back rules protecting "net neutrality".

The sites will display a variety of messages, or simulate the potential effects of losing the basic principle of all internet traffic being treated equally.

Read full article Tech firms unite for 'net neutrality' protest