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Fujitsu asks terrorists whether they would use its software for WMD
Fujitsu runs a patching site for Sun Microsystems’ Solaris Unix variant; the company asks end-users to fill out a survey before downloading the latest patch, and the first question asks whether the customer would be using the patch to build WMD; even if you admit to building a nuclear bomb, Fujitsu allows you to download the patch; either Fujitsu targets really honest terrorists, or the company wants to use the information in its advertising (as in: “5% of our customers are terrorists who use our software to build weapons of mass destruction”)
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New cybersecurity research center opens in Belfast
The £30 million center will work primarily on embedded security tech for next-gen IT equipment, and on real-time automated analysis of CCTV footage for “criminal activity”
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Open-System Vendors demo IP interoperability
Exacq Technologies, Firetide, IQinVision, and Pivot3 are showing how standards-based solutions from open-system vendors can be integrated and supported in the field
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BRS Labs takes ASIS' Accolades award
This is the fourth award BRS Labs has won this year for its unique approach to security; its AISight’s software ingests external visual input (computer vision), while its machine-learning engine observes the scene, learns and recognizes behavioral patterns, and responds accordingly
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Team recognized for Hollywood video surveillance implementation
TimeSight Systems, VAS Security Systems, and Technicolor selected as Silver Medal Winner of the 2009 Security Innovations Awards
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ASIS International offers standards and guidelines for the security industry
ASIS standards and guidelines address issues concerning the protection and management of assets — both physical and human — which are common to all sectors of society
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Clayton Consultants on kidnapping and ransom
In many developing countries, kidnapping the family members of rich individuals and then asking for ransom has become a small industry; a specialist offers ideas about what to do to prevent kidnapping — and deal with it when it happens
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Intransa shows new simple, green video solutions
Some companies go for gold-plated complexity; Intansa prefers simple, green video surveillance solutions for physical security; the company introduces new products and enhancements to old products
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Protection One unveils uConnect
Large security provider shows a new, all-in-one online security management solution for businesses of all sizes
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Rolls-Royce, EDF to construct four nuclear reactors in U.K.
The civil nuclear market is worth around £30 billion a year globally and is expected to grow to £50 billion a year in fifteen years’ time, more than 70 percent of which will relate to the build and support of new facilities
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Biometric surveillance checkpoint technology would notice the imperceptible
Draper Laboratory and collaborators develop technology which will home in on irregular physiological and behavioral biometrics of the individual being screened, such as heart rate, blink rate, and even fidgeting
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Roboboat to fight pirates
An American company has developed an automated counterpiracy system that could be outfitted to a vessel and set loose on patrol
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They identify horses, don't they?
Sarnoff chosen by Global Animal Management to develop the first portable equine iris capture and identification system
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The day of the "iSniff" nears
Pocket-size pollution sensors hold promise of big improvement in monitoring personal environment; wearable sensors to be used for identifying air-borne causes of disease
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Methane mining in Africa could unleash deadly gas cloud
Lake Kivu, on the Rwanda-Congo border, contains a vast reservoir of dissolved methane; many companies are extracting the gas to burn for electricity production, and both Rwanda and Congo are aggressively courting further investment in extraction plants; scientists say that the rush to extract the methane might trigger an outburst of gas that could wash a deadly, suffocating blanket over the 2 million people
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The long view
Are We Ready for a ‘DeepSeek for Bioweapons’?
Anthropic’s Claude 4 is a warning sign: AI that can help build bioweapons is coming, and could be widely available soon. Steven Adler writes that we need to be prepared for the consequences: “like a freely downloadable ‘DeepSeek for bioweapons,’ available across the internet, loadable to the computer of any amateur scientist who wishes to cause mass harm. With Anthropic’s Claude Opus 4 having finally triggered this level of safety risk, the clock is now ticking.”
A Brief History of Federal Funding for Basic Science
Biomedical science in the United States is at a crossroads. For 75 years, the federal government has partnered with academic institutions, fueling discoveries that have transformed medicine and saved lives. Recent moves by the Trump administration — including funding cuts and proposed changes to how research support is allocated — now threaten this legacy.
Bookshelf: Preserving the U.S. Technological Republic
The United States since its founding has always been a technological republic, one whose place in the world has been made possible and advanced by its capacity for innovation. But our present advantage cannot be taken for granted.
Critical Minerals Don’t Belong in Landfills – Microwave Tech Offers a Cleaner Way to Reclaim Them from E-waste
E-waste recycling focuses on retrieving steel, copper, aluminum, but ignores tiny specks of critical materials. Once technology becomes available to recover these tiny but valuable specks of critical materials quickly and affordably, the U.S. can transform domestic recycling and take a big step toward solving its shortage of critical materials.
Microbes That Extract Rare Earth Elements Also Can Capture Carbon
A small but mighty microbe can safely extract the rare earth and other critical elements for building everything from satellites to solar panels – and it has another superpower: capturing carbon dioxide.