Also, the JPMorgan Chase hack, Apple identifies stolen iDevices, Rovio creates Angry Employees, and Selfie is a sitcom for geeks.

Hacked Celebrities Threaten To Sue Google

http://youtu.be/eVUIuldHLtA

A law firm claiming to represent "over a dozen female celebrities" is threatening to sue Google over its part in the leaking of nude photographs. The leak, euphemistically named The Fappening, saw hundreds of pictures of dozens of celebrities posted online to 4chan. The photos were stored on individual Apple iCloud accounts, with the affected celebrities thought to have fallen victim to phishing attempts. Apple maintains no widespread hack of iCloud ever occurred.

The letter sent to Google, and naming founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin, as well as others, pulls no punches, accuses the company of "despicable, reprehensible conduct" in "profiting from the victimization of women." The issue, as the lawyers see it, is a failure to remove the offending images from BlogSpot and YouTube despite DMCA notices having been sent. This means "Google’s 'Don't be evil' motto is a sham," and its actions could lead to a $100 million lawsuit.

This proves lawyers know how to ramp up the hyperbole, but it remains to be seen whether this threat will turn into direct action. Google has yet to respond to the letter. The biggest surprise for me is not that Google has been targeted ahead of the hackers themselves, Apple, or 4chan, but that BlogSpot is still a thing. Who knew?!

Windows 8 Is Dead, Long Live Windows 10

http://youtu.be/t9v95hzURkQ

It's a good thing Windows 10 is on the way, as Windows 8 is slowly dying. According to the latest figures from Net Applications (Operating Systems, Desktop Share by Version), usage of Windows 8 is actually dropping, with 12.26 percent of desktop users having Windows 8 or Windows 8.1 installed on their computer. This is a drop from the 13.37 percent using Windows 8 during the previous month.

During the same period, Windows XP usage stuck firm at 23.9 percent, while Windows 7 enjoyed a slight bump from 51.21 percent to 52.71 percent. The evidence is overwhelming: people are sticking with the version of Windows they already own rather than upgrade to Windows 8. Which is why Microsoft needs to get Windows 10 right or risk losing customers for good.

JPMorgan Chase Hack Hits 83 Million Customers

I dont encourage it but id like to meet the people with the mental capacity to hack Americas largest bank twice. Wow.

— #El Capitán (@ColinSt3wart) October 3, 2014

It has been revealed that JPMorgan Chase suffered a serious breach of its systems which exposed the personal data of up to 83 million customers. This number includes 76 million households and 7 million small businesses. The data stolen between June and August of this year includes names, addresses, phone numbers, and email addresses. However, JPMorgan Chase maintains that no financial data was stolen.

The bank revealed this information in a filing to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). According to a Customer Notice FAQ, the attack hit people who used Chase.com, JPMorganOnline, Chase Mobile or JPMorgan Mobile during the time period mentioned.

JPMorgan Chase states that because it has "seen no evidence of unusual fraud activity," credit and debit cards will not be reissued, and there is no need to subscribe to an identity theft monitoring service. You may disagree with this assessment.

Is That Used iDevice Stolen? Apple Knows

You can now check whether the used iPhone, iPad, or iPod Touch you're looking to buy has been previously lost or stolen. To do so, you simply type the device's IMEI (International Mobile Station Equipment Identity) or serial number into the online Activation Lock tool and Apple will tell you whether the seller is legit or trying to sell you stolen goods. Which is handy.

Rovio's Newest Game: Angry Employees

"But officer I wasn't texting while driving! I was playing Angry Birds!"

— Taylor Williamson (@TaylorComedy) September 29, 2014

Rovio, the Finnish company behind Angry Birds, is laying off 130 employees (16 percent of its staff) as a result of "assumptions of faster growth than have materialised." Despite these layoffs, Rovio is confident of turning things around, with CEO Mikael Hed claiming, "it is better to do them sooner rather than later, when we are in a good place to reignite growth.”

In other news, the animated Angry Birds movie now has a cast, with Danny McBride, Jason Sudeikis, Josh Gad, and Peter Dinklage among those providing voices. We're sure the staff facing unemployment won't begrudge these actors the huge pay packets they'll receive from spending a few days in a recording studio.

Selfie Sitcom Pokes Fun At Tech Addicts

http://youtu.be/j_2zwTIRRok

And finally, if you're the type of person who sits in a restaurant checking Facebook or live-tweeting about your meal, then a) stop doing that, and b) you should totally watch Selfie. Selfie is an ABC sitcom about a vacuous woman obsessed with social media. That is until Eliza Dooley, played by Karen Gillan, meets Henry Higgs, played by John Cho. He doesn't exactly cure her, but he does help.

I'm not saying Selfie is good, but it may provide geeks with a few laughs. Which can't be bad.

Your Views On Today’s Tech News

Is Google in any way culpable for the celebrity nudes scandal? Why did Microsoft get Windows 8 so badly wrong? And will Windows 10 save the day? Will you be watching Selfie?

Let us know your thoughts on the tech news of the day by posting to the comments section below. Because a healthy discussion is always welcome.

Image Credit: David Goehring via Flickr