IN THE NEWS: PASSWORD DISPUTE
DENVER (AP) -- In a legal case, does turning over a computer password amount to self-incrimination? That's the question related to a mortgage and real estate fraud investigation in Colorado. And a federal appeals court in Denver isn't going to get involved in the issue. The appeals court says it doesn't have the jurisdiction because the case hasn't been resolved in a lower court. That leaves a Colorado Springs woman obligated to follow a judge's order to turn over an unencrypted version her hard drive that requires a password for investigators to examine documents. Her lawyer and civil rights groups say it would violate the Fifth Amendment. The attorney says his client will do her best to comply with the judge's order to turn over the hard drive by Monday. He also says the woman probably isn't the one who set up the encryption and may not know or remember the password or passphrase.
IN THE NEWS: BRITAIN-FACEBOOK JUSTICE
LONDON (AP) -- Status update: You're sued. A British judge says it's OK to use Facebook to serve legal claims. Lawyers in a case had been trying to track someone in order to serve legal documents. One of the attorneys says a copy of the suit was left at the man's last known address, but that it wasn't clear whether he was still living there, and they didn't have his email address. So, they applied for permission to send him the claim through Facebook. She says they monitored the account and know he checked it regularly. Ordinarily, British legal claims are served in person, by mail, or by fax, although unconventional methods are used occasionally if the people involved are hard to pin down. Last year, a judge filed an injunction against London-based Occupy protesters via text message.
ON THE WEB: PREMIUM MAIL FORWARDING
CYBERSPACE (AP) -- Now it's easier to get your mail while you're away. The Postal Service has added its Premium Forwarding Service to its list of online products and services. It's accessible through a USPS.com account. Let's say you're away from home or taking a trip for 2 weeks or even up to a year. For a fee the Postal Service will hold your mail, package it up and reship it to you by Priority Mail.
Online: https://www.usps.com/
IN STORES: SONY'S PLAYSTATION VITA
UNDATED (AP) -- Sony's PlayStation Vita is out in the U.S. and Europe. A reviewer says it sets a new standard for portable games. He says more than any previous handheld, the Vita feels immediately comfortable to a gamer who's spent years with a PlayStation controller in his hands. For the most part, the buttons are close to where they are on Sony's DualShock. The device has a 5-inch OLED (organic light-emitting diode) screen, which also serves as a touch screen. There's also a second touch pad on the back for controlling onscreen action without blocking it with your fingers. Other features include cameras on the front and back which let you superimpose game graphics on top of real-world settings. But the reviewer says you may not want to use the cameras to take photos. He found the results unacceptably grainy.
Copyright 2012. The Associated Press.
