Robber Mocks Victim on Facebook

Personal data sells for billions of dollars

(NEWSER) - Companies are observing nearly every move you make and selling your personal data for billions of dollars—and Washington appears helpless to stop them, the Los Angeles Times reports. Whether it's your smart phone, cable box, Facebook page, or video game, devices are amassing reams of data on your location, viewing habits, personal tastes, and much more. "Essentially, each of us is being tailed," says a digital rights advocacy lawyer. More»

Samuel A. Watson confessed his process to police

(NEWSER) - So you want to rob some houses, but you’re not sure where to start? Well, Samuel A. Watson came up with the idea to use Google Maps, he admits to Chicago police. Watson, suspected of breaking into as many as nine homes since March, “said he Googled ‘expensive homes along highways,’ and Indian Head Park and Burr Ridge came up,” says an officer. “He used the satellite view on those homes where you can see 360 degrees." More»

UK man robs betting agency with unwitting accomplice

(NEWSER) - A good sign your Facebook date is not going well: Your would-be beau asks you to stop at a betting parlor, pops inside, then runs back into the car wielding a knife and a bag of money, shouting, "Drive, drive!" Such is the tale of the UK's Leah Gibbs, who connected with Adam Minton on Facebook, met him in person, and agreed to drive as he ran a quick "errand" on that very first meeting. More»

Really, what are the odds?

(NEWSER) - A thief biking down the street plucks an iPhone out of a girl's hands and takes off. It's his lucky day, right? The girl is an intern on an errand for her boss—who also happens to own the phone. She's screwed, right? Except if her boss is an exec giving a demonstration to potential clients—of his real-time GPS tracking technology, using that same phone. More»

Don't worry, iPhone guy, it's not just you

(NEWSER) - The drunk Apple engineer who left his iPhone prototype in a bar shouldn’t feel too bad: At least he didn’t lose, say, blueprints for the H-bomb like one physicist did. The Daily Beast lists 11 other famously misplaced items:

• Top-secret laptop: Once again, alcohol is to blame. A senior MI6 agent imbibed a little too much at a tapas bar and left his laptop—presumably containing some fairly sensitive info.
• Passwords: Yes, more alcohol—probably. A USB memory stick containing 12 million passwords was found outside a Staffordshire pub.