Like Facebook earlier, Microsoft has revealed some details about the number of government requests for data that it receives, and is for the first time including national security requests in the total count. Also similar to Facebook, Microsoft says the requests cover a tiny fraction of the accounts it serves, with between 6,000 and 7,000 criminal and national security requests covering between 31,000 and 32,000 accounts received over the last six months. Microsoft also noted precisely what it can reveal (included below), adding the numbers between all agencies, all company consumer services, in bands of 1,000 and for the period between July and December last year. Microsoft also parroted Facebook's hope that the government would allow "greater steps" in allowing transparency in the future. Returning to a previous Microsoft transparency report, Reuters points out it indicated receiving requests concerning 24,565 accounts in 2012 -- by halving that number it roughly estimates national security requests are touching the majority of the accounts counted.Here is what the data shows: For the six months ended December 31, 2012, Microsoft received between 6,000 and 7,000 criminal and national security warrants, subpoenas and orders affecting between 31,000 and 32,000 consumer accounts from U.S. governmental entities (including local, state and federal). This only impacts a tiny fraction of Microsoft's global customer base.We are permitted to publish data on national security orders received (including, if any, FISA Orders and FISA Directives), but only if aggregated with law enforcement requests from all other U.S. local, state and federal law enforcement agencies; only for the six-month period of July 1, 2012 thru December 31, 2012; only if the totals are presented in bands of 1,000; and all Microsoft consumer services had to be reported together.
Facebook lawyer Ted Ullyot revealed in a post tonight precisely how many user-data requests it receives from government entities, and that it's negotiated the ability to include national security-related (FISA and National Security Letters) inquiries in the report. Until now, the companies that receive such requests, whether through the recently uncovered PRISM program or not, have not been able to say anything about them, or report how many there are. Still, the stats it's able to release aren't specific, and include all requests from the last six months in a range, said to be between 9,000 and 10,000, covering between 18,000 and 19,000 accounts. We still have no official reports on what those inquiries cover, how wide reaching a single one can be or what information has been passed along. Facebook however, is quick to point out that these cover "only a tiny fraction of one percent" of its 1.1 billion active user accounts.Along with Microsoft and Google, Facebook has publicly petitioned the government to let it be more transparent about the size and scope of the requests it receives, and Reuters reports tonight that "several" internet companies have struck an agreement to do so. Expect more reports to arrive soon in similar formats, however Ullyot states Facebook will continue to push the government to be "as transparent as possible."For the six months ending December 31, 2012, the total number of user-data requests Facebook received from any and all government entities in the U.S. (including local, state, and federal, and including criminal and national security-related requests) – was between 9,000 and 10,000. These requests run the gamut – from things like a local sheriff trying to find a missing child, to a federal marshal tracking a fugitive, to a police department investigating an assault, to a national security official investigating a terrorist threat. The total number of Facebook user accounts for which data was requested pursuant to the entirety of those 9-10 thousand requests was between 18,000 and 19,000 accounts.
Granted, it's not a 3D printer in every home, but it's surely a step in the right direction. MakerBot announced today that its Replicator 2 will be joining Amazon's new 3D Printer Store, a central location on the site for devices, accessories, books and the like. The store features a number of other devices from the competition, though MakerBot seems to be far and away the biggest name involved at the moment. Surely the days of printing up those Amazon orders can't be too far off, right?MakerBot Replicator 2 Desktop 3D Printers Available on AmazonMakerBot Replicator 2 Desktop 3D Printers Available on AmazonNew 3D Printer Store on Amazon Becomes a MakerBot ResellerBrooklyn, N.Y., June 14, 2013 – MakerBot, the leader in desktop 3D printers, is excited to announce that its MakerBot® Replicator® 2 Desktop 3D Printers will be available in Amazon's recently launched 3D Printer Store. Amazon is now an official reseller of the MakerBot Replicator 2 Desktop 3D Printer and will start selling a limited number of the top-selling desktop 3D printer later this month. MakerBots will also still be available on MakerBot's own website, www.MakerBot.com, and sold internationally through its partner distributors."We are excited to see Amazon embracing 3D printing and devoting an online store to the technology," noted Bre Pettis, CEO of MakerBot. "Being a part of Amazon takes 3D printing and the MakerBot Replicator 2 Desktop 3D Printer to a whole new level, and reaches a much broader consumer market. We're pretty excited about this opportunity."The MakerBot Replicator 2 Desktop 3D Printer is one of the most successful, affordable and accessible desktop 3D printers on the market and is helping to lead the Next Industrial Revolution. The MakerBot Replicator 2 Desktop 3D Printer is MakerBot's fourth generation 3D printer and one of the easiest and fastest tools for making professional-quality models and prototypes. The MakerBot Replicator 2 Desktop 3D Printer features a 100-micron layer resolution, and offers a 410 cubic inch build volume (11.2" L x 6.0" W x 6.1" H), setting a new standard in desktop 3D printing.In addition to the MakerBot Replicator 2 Desktop 3D Printer, MakerBot offers a full MakerBot 3D Printing Ecosystem that makes designing and printing in 3D even easier. The MakerBot 3D Ecosystem includes MakerBot's 3D printers, MakerWare software, MakerCare service, Thingiverse.com with more than 100,000 available digital designs, MakerBot Filament, the MakerBot Store, a 3D Photo Booth, and strategic partnerships with Autodesk, Adafruit, Nokia, OUYA, Amazon, and others. Bre Pettis, CEO of MakerBot, even wrote the book on 3D printing with Getting Started with MakerBot (O'Reilly, $15.99).
While it's been easy for Canadians to get data plans for the iPad and iPad mini, they haven't had the luxury of picking one up at a carrier store like their American neighbors. They will soon, however: Rogers and Telus say they'll be selling the LTE versions of both iPads sometime in the "coming weeks." Details are scarce, although the two networks promise that they'll keep offering contract-free data plans. We've reached out to learn whether or not Bell is following suit.There isn't any talk of similar offerings with smaller providers, although Wind Mobile is offering an olive branch to iPhone owners. The carrier is now selling $25 nano-SIM cards for those who've bought an unlocked,AWS-friendly iPhone 5 through Apple. These customers won't have LTE, but they'll get HSPA+ data on less expensive (and less restricted) plans. Hit Wind's Facebook page to learn just which devices qualify.
