TechCrunch
Berlin: We Will See You At Our First German Meet-Up And Pitch-Off Tonight
TechCrunch has been expanding its European presence – and my beer belly – by hitting country after country this summer with some exciting meetups + pitch-offs. The result? A plethora of great companies that are doing some amazing stuff and loads of great groups that have won tickets and exhibition space at TechCrunch Disrupt. Now we want more companies doing more amazing stuff in Berlin and we want to see you this Friday.
We will be at The Factory, Rheinsberger Straße 76/77, Berlin, Germany on Friday, August 2 from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. Tickets are free but are going fast so get thee to the Eventbritery.
You can pick up tickets right here.
We’ve already chosen our pitch-off participants but that doesn’t mean you can’t track us down and hassle us at the meet-up. We are there to listen, so be ready to talk!
- Participants interested in competing in the Pitch-Off will have 60 seconds to explain why their startup is awesome. These products must currently be in stealth or private beta.
Office hours details
- Office Hours are for companies selected for the Pitch-Off, these 10 minute 1-on-1 talks will be held on the day of the event. We’ll hear about your company, give feedback, and talk about the best pitch strategy for the 60-second rapid-fire competition. More information on Office Hours will follow in a post on TechCrunch.
Pitch-Off winners
- We will have three judges who will decide on the winners of the Pitch-Off. First place will receive a table in Startup Alley at the upcoming TechCrunch Disrupt Europe in Berlin. Second Place will receive two tickets to the upcoming TechCrunch Disrupt. Third Place will receive one ticket to the upcoming TechCrunch Disrupt.
Questions about the events? Please contact: events@techcrunch.com.
How To Become A Sponsor
- For more information on sponsorship packages and to discuss becoming a sponsor, please contact sponsors@techcrunch.com.
And whether you’re an investor, entrepreneur, dreamer or tech enthusiast, we want to see you at the event, so we can give you free beer and hear your thoughts. Come one, come all.
FBI Can Remotely Activate Android Smartphone And Laptop Mics, WSJ Reports
The Wall Street Journal is reporting that the FBI employs a number of high-tech hacker tactics in its efforts to round up information on suspects, including the ability to remotely activate microphones on Android devices and notebook computers, according to one of its sources who is described as a “former U.S. official.” These and other tools are brought to bear in cases related to organized crime, counterterrorism or child pornography, according to the WSJ report.
The tools it uses are both internally and externally sourced, with some coming from the private sector. Hacking at the FBI under court order has gradually increased, as law enforcement officials try to find ways to circumvent new communication tech that’s more resistant to traditional surveillance methods like wiretapping. The specifics of its methods are not generally brought to light in public, but a warrant from earlier this year revealed that one request involved using a computer’s built-in camera to take photos of a suspect without their knowledge. The request in that case was denied.
According to the WSJ’s source, the FBI resorts to these tactics when they’re out of options, and “don’t have any other choice.” The tools used to gather the data are often installed remotely, using essentially phishing style links that injects essentially Trojan software when clicked by a suspect under surveillance. They can also be installed via physical access and a USB drive, the report says, and in all cases the FBI tries to ensure only “relevant data” are gathered by its hacking efforts, through the use of a screening team that checks for relevancy before handing information off to investigators working the case.
The news that the FBI employs hacker tactics on occasion to gather data about potential suspects is not new, but the specifics of how it goes about it, and how it might be able to employ a user’s own hardware to record conversations remotely is definitely going to raise some eyebrows, especially in light of the attention now focused on digital rights and privacy thanks to the leaks around the NSA’s PRISM and XKeyscore programs. In theory, the devices could even be activated to eavesdrop on an in-person conversation with a potential suspect who doesn’t even own an Android device, perhaps from the pocket of a friend who does. PRISM reportedly involves a number of prominent Internet companies, and Xkeyscore seems to allow the U.S. security agency unprecedented access to information about emails, chat history and more, according to information leaked by former U.S. government security contractor Edward Snowden.
In this case, it sounds like the FBI’s tools might involve Android and desktop PC malware, so Google wouldn’t need to be complicit for claims about using Android device mics remotely to be accurate. We’ve reached out to both the FBI and Google for comment, but have yet to hear back as of press time.
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