Corruption

The Guatemalan government has denied the asylum request of tech entrepreneur-turned fugitive John McAfee, the Associated Press reported today, which means police in Belize expect the eccentric millionaire to be flown back to Belize soon.

Update, 12:30 p.m. PT: ABC News is reporting that McAfee, who complained about chest pains earlier, had a possible heart attack while at the detention center. Two ambulances were seen outside the center, and medics are attending to him after he was reportedly found unresponsive on the floor of his cell.

Update, 1:45 p.m. PT: McAfee's lawyer tells Reuters that … Read more

Being in jail wasn't going to stop Antivirus pioneer John McAfee from updating his blog. The former tech entrepreneur continued to write about his experience even after being arrested by police in Guatemala.

McAfee, 67, was on the run from Belize, where police sought him for questioning in relation to the murder of his neighbor. McAfee is the founder of the well-known security company that bears his name. His bizarre accounts of his journey, which he shared with his 20-year-old girlfriend and journalists from VICE Magazine (see video of his capture below), ha captivated the media.

Even behind bars, … Read more

The inner workings of United Nations telecommunications agencies aren't usually headline news. But then again, most U.N. confabs don't grapple with topics as slippery as Internet censorship, taxation, and privacy.

A U.N. agency called the International Telecommunication Union has kicked off what has become a highly controversial summit this week in Dubai, capping over a year of closed-door negotiations over an international communications treaty that could have a direct impact on the Internet. The summit continues through the end of next week.

It's true, of course, that U.N. meetings often yield more rhetoric than … Read more

In another twist to John McAfee's wild story of life on the run, the antivirus-software pioneer has hired the former attorney general of Guatamala -- who also happens to be his girlfriend's uncle -- to help him as he tries to set up a meeting with the prime minister of Belize on "neutral ground."

McAfee posted this latest update to his blog today, adding another chapter to the tale of the tech entrepreneur turned fugitive. McAfee was one of the pioneers in creating antivirus software and is the founder of the company that bears his name … Read more

Update December 4 at 8:30 a.m. PT: John McAfee posted an update this morning saying the EXIF data were accurate after all, and apologizing for the misleading blog posts yesterday (which have subsequently been deleted).

He wrote: "I apologize for all of the misdirections over the past few days. It was not easy to exit Belize and required many supporters in many countries. I am in Guatemala and will be meeting with Guatemalan officials this morning. If all goes well I will do a press conference tomorrow. Vice Magazine reporters are indeed with me in Guatemala. Yesterday … Read more

Regulators from five countries joined together in an operation to crack down on a series of companies they say orchestrated one of the most widespread Internet scams of the decade.

The U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and other international regulatory authorities today said they shut down a global criminal network that allegedly bilked tens of thousands of consumers by pretending to be tech support providers.

FTC Chairman Jon Leibowitz, speaking during a press conference with a Microsoft executive and regulators from Australia and Canada, said 14 companies and 17 individuals were targeted in the investigation. In the course of … Read more

WikiLeaks editor Julian Assange lashed out at the U.S. government today, saying it took "arbitrary and excessive action" against the document-leaking Web site and a U.S. soldier suspected of being its source of classified files.

"It is time for the U.S. to cease its persecution of WikiLeaks, to cease its persecution of our people, and to cease its persecution of our alleged sources," Assange said during an event convened by Ecuador to coincide with a a United Nations diplomatic summit this week.

Assange, who remains holed up in Ecuador's London embassy in … Read more

The FBI is renewing its request for new Internet surveillance laws, saying technological advances hinder surveillance and warning that companies should be required to build in back doors for police.

"We must ensure that our ability to obtain communications pursuant to court order is not eroded," FBI director Robert Mueller told a U.S. Senate committee this week. Currently, he said, many communications providers "are not required to build or maintain intercept capabilities."

Mueller's prepared remarks reignite a long-simmering debate pitting the values of privacy, limited government, and freedom to innovate against law enforcement requests … Read more

WikiLeaks, the highly controversial whistleblowing group, has begun publishing more than two million emails from Syrian political figures, ministries, and associated companies.

WikiLeaks says the data derives from 680 Syria-related entities or domain names, including those from the ministries of presidential affairs, foreign affairs, finance, information, transport, and culture.

Today's publication of dozens of emails mark the first cache released, with more to be published over the coming months. A number of media outlets are working in partnership with Wikileaks, including the Associated Press.

WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange said the Syrian government will not be the only ones facing … Read more