Tag Archives: ebay

Tech Rivals Unite To Support Apple In iPhone Privacy Case Vs. FBI

A who’s who of Internet and technology companies on Thursday filed legal briefs in support of Apple ( AAPL ) in its fight to keep iPhone data private. The companies expressed concern that a federal court order forcing Apple to unlock an iPhone in a criminal case could have far-reaching negative implications for the privacy and security of consumer data. The law firm of Hogan Lovells represented 15 companies, including Amazon.com ( AMZN ), Cisco Systems ( CSCO ), Facebook ( FB ), Google and Microsoft ( MSFT ), in its brief backing Apple. Munger, Tolles & Olson represented 18 Internet companies, including  eBay ( EBAY ), LinkedIn ( LNKD ),  Twitter ( TWTR ) and privately held Automattic in its supporting brief. The Hogan Lovells filing argues that the federal government is misusing the All Writs Act to try to force Apple to write software to bypass its own security features. It notes that the companies filing the amicus brief often compete vigorously with Apple and each other, but “here speak with one voice because of the singular importance of this case to them and their customers.” The Munger, Tolles & Olson filing hammers home similar points. “This extraordinary and unprecedented effort to compel a private company to become the government’s investigative arm not only has no legal basis under the All Writs Act or any other law, but threatens the core principles of privacy, security, and transparency that underlie the fabric of the Internet,” the law firm wrote. On Feb. 16, U.S. Magistrate Sheri Pym ordered Apple to provide “reasonable technical assistance” to the FBI to help unlock an iPhone belonging to Syed Farook, one of the killers in the San Bernardino, Calif., terrorist attack on Dec. 2. Apple has protested the ruling, saying that it would create a “back door” to bypass its security protections and thus threaten the personal data of millions of iPhone users. Once available, the vulnerability could be exploited by cybercriminals, hackers and both foreign and domestic spies. Other parties filing briefs in support of Apple in the case include AT&T ( T ), Intel ( INTC ) and trade groups like the Consumer Technology Association and Business Software Alliance. Apple also has gained the backing of privacy advocacy groups including the American Civil Liberties Union, Electronic Frontier Foundation and Electronic Privacy Information Center. Apple has posted on its public relations website a list of parties filing amicus briefs in support of its case . But the FBI has garnered its own set of supporters filing amicus briefs in the case. Parties backing the FBI’s position include the Federal Law Enforcement Officers Association, the Association of Prosecuting Attorneys, the National Sheriffs’ Association, the California State Sheriffs’ Association, California Police Chiefs’ Association, California Peace Officers’ Association and San Bernardino District Attorney Michael Ramos, as well as the families of several victims of the Dec. 2 shootings.

5 Weird Things That Have Been Listed On eBay

On eBay ( EBAY ), you can buy one year’s worth of work — to be completed in little more than four months. While that listing may be a joke — it appears not to be — over the years eBay has garnered fame and infamy for the sometimes weird items and services people have listed on the popular e-tail website. And last week was no different. On Feb. 25, a prankster listed Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sissi on the site after the president reportedly said, “By God, if it were possible for me to be sold, I would sell myself,” in an address on state television . His condition was listed as “slightly used” and the seller would not accept returns. Bidding surpassed $100,000 before eBay pulled the listing. Unlike many of eBay’s e-commerce rivals such as Amazon.com ( AMZN ), Wal-Mart ( WMT ) and even PayPal ( PYPL ), the San Jose-based company’s platform is set up in such a way that bizarre items are almost inevitable (though it is worth noting that you can buy some pretty weird stuff on Amazon as well). In that spirit, here’s a look at some of my favorite odd listings that have appeared on eBay: 1. As noted above, this one is currently live on the site . Listed is “one year of work equivalent to 2,000 hours of specialized labor over 4.25 months.” For $150,000 a “loyal, dedicated and tireless contractor” will labor 16 hours a day, seven days a week with no break or lunch — for projects like painting, light construction work and “bamboo plant propagation.” EBay spokeswoman Penny Bruce told IBD the listing is indeed in compliance with the company’s policies. 2. Another odd auction — again, completely legit — was the World’s Largest BBQ Pit offered by a Texas man for the princely sum of $350,000. The 76-foot-long truck trailer has 24 barbecue pit doors, a walk-in cooler, beer taps and a “place for stereo equipment” and TV. The truck cab was an extra $50,000. It sold. 3. In 2004, a man tried to sell an F-18 warplane via eBay for $1 million. Ultimately, the fighter jet did not sell — it used to be a Blue Angel-owned aircraft — but it did attract the attention of the FBI, which told the seller that the plane had to remain in the U.S. 4. The last of our favorite weird items sold via eBay is a letter that Nobel Prize winning physicist Albert Einstein sent to philosopher Eric Gutkind shortly before Einstein’s death. The letter references philosophical  and theological themes, and expresses Einstein’s belief that God does not exist. It sold for … $3 million.

Google Releases Payments App, Mounts Pressure On Apple, PayPal

Google announced a pilot  app program Wednesday that aims to make it more seamless to use its Android Pay payments app. The new app, called Hands Free, will remove the need to use a smartphone at checkout, when shopping at merchants participating in the pilot — which for now is limited to a southern portion of the San Francisco Bay Area. With Hands Free, shoppers at checkout tell cashiers that they want to “pay with Google.” Checkout computers, equipped with the Android Pay app, then let cashiers call up a photo that the shopper already has uploaded to the app, to verify the shopper’s identity, and then complete the transaction. In select stores, Google is testing the use of in-store cameras to automatically confirm a shopper’s identity, based on the uploaded picture. Google is a subsidiary of Alphabet ( GOOGL ). The announcement signals Google’s growing interest in the crowded payments sectors . It’s a complex and competitive arena, with companies in the mix including  Apple ( AAPL ) with Apple Pay;  PayPal ( PYPL ) which recently split off from eBay ( EBAY ); and recent  IPO  Square ( SQ ). If Hands Free indeed signals that Google plans to aggressively tackle online payments, it could spell trouble for PayPal, according to Alex Rampell, a general partner at the noted venture capital firm Andreessen Horowitz. PayPal executives stick to their message that the San Jose, Calif.-based company is well-positioned, in part because unlike Google or Apple, it’s platform agnostic. For example, PayPal processes many of the transactions conducted over Apple Pay. On Monday, San Francisco-based Square announced that it was adding the ability to store money on its Square Cash app, adding a feature already offered by PayPal and PayPal subsidiary Venmo. Venmo and Square Cash are peer-to-peer payments apps that are popular with millennials, which use them for things such as sharing the cost of a cab fare or meal. At least one analyst says  Venmo stacks up well against rivals such as Google and Apple. Amazon.com ( AMZN ) is also in the payments business — and that’s the reason, according to industry watchers, that Amazon shoppers will not be able to pay with PayPal at any time in the near future. When PayPal spun off from eBay, executives said at the time that one advantage was the new business opportunities it couldn’t get while attached to eBay.