Today in Tech News Digest, Edward Snowden appears at SXSW, MtGox secures bankruptcy protection, Twitter fixes "rare" bug, Titanfall drops, Microsoft finally releases the Power Cover for Surface 2, UC Browser HD v3.0 arrives, and an 8-bit version of True Detective pops up on YouTube.

Snowden Securely Screened At SXSW

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CPrDqoaHHSY

NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden appeared at SXSW (South by Southwest) via a Google Hangout encrypted to hide his location. In an hour-long interview conducted by Ben Wizner of the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), Snowden spoke about the kind of practices that need to be adopted in order to prevent mass surveillance by governments.

Snowden argued for encryption to be a basic and necessary tenet of online communication, which would "allow us to reclaim the open and trusted Internet.” He praised PGP and Tor, but expressed a desire for more common tools to adopt similar levels of security.

The full conversation, which took place in front of a packed crowd who were mostly appreciative and supportive of Snowden, is embedded above. Unfortunately, there's an echo on Snowden's voice that makes it a difficult listen. Still, at least he was able to appear, despite Rep. Mike Pompeo's best efforts to prevent him from doing so.

MtGox Wins U.S. Bankruptcy Protection

Where there’s money to be made, people will do the craziest things to get to the gold: http://t.co/XOQipMbV6S pic.twitter.com/QcxEIMjAi8

— Mathias Meyer (@roidrage) March 11, 2014

MtGox, the Tokyo-based Bitcoin exchange that is in serious financial trouble, has secured temporary protection from bankruptcy in the U.S. This means the company's assets are protected, and all legal action has to be halted, at least for the time being.

According to BBC News, MtGox is facing two lawsuits in the U.S.: a class-action in Chicago, and a breach-of-contract in Seattle. Allegations of "massive fraud" have been leveled at the people in charge of MtGox, but the investigation into what really happened is continuing.

Twitter Fixes Protected Accounts Bug

SMS follow issue (and fix) for protected accounts: https://t.co/mAhleInkQl

— Twitter (@twitter) March 9, 2014

Twitter has fixed a bug that meant the protected tweets of over 93,000 people could be read "via SMS or push notifications." Twitter has reached out to every user affected by the bug offering its "whole-hearted apologies," and "taken steps to protect against this kind of bug in the future." But something similar will happen again; it always does.

Titanfall Has Dropped

http://youtu.be/caiIamHIzBY

Today is the day that PC and Xbox One gamers in North America have been waiting for, with Titanfall being launched on their platforms. The FPS-with-mechs has gained impressive levels of hype in recent months, and is expected to be the biggest game of 2014 released so far.

Gamers from elsewhere in the world who are eager to play Titanfall will have to wait a few more days, while Xbox 360 owners will have to wait until March 25. PlayStation 4 owners have no option but to enviously eye the game up from afar.

Power Cover For Surface 2 Finally Ready

Pre-order the Power Cover for @Surface Pro, Surface 2 or Surface Pro 2 today. http://t.co/lvCgBrDmmx

— Microsoft Store (@MicrosoftStore) March 10, 2014

The Power Cover for the Surface Pro 2 is finally available to buy, with Microsoft promising to ship the item on March 19. The Power Cover, which was announced alongside the Surface 2 but wasn't ready in time to ship with Microsoft's tablets, is designed to extend battery by "up to 70%." And for that, Microsoft wants $199.99.

UC Browser HD v3.0 Arrives

Are you familiar with the new features in UC Browser HD 3.0? Read about what's new here: pic.twitter.com/QbZjHiqs7T

— UC Browser (@UCBrowser) March 11, 2014

UC Browser HD v3.0 is now available to download. The Web browser, optimized for use on Android tablets, has been given a significant makeover, with a built-in smart video player, new gesture controls, and automatic magnification of text amongst the improvements made.

True Detective Gets Retro Makeover

http://youtu.be/a3GEnHbfiUU

And finally, the first season of True Detective ended over the weekend, which has left many avid TV junkies experiencing withdrawal symptoms. And while there's no real alternative to watching Matthew McConaughey and Woody Harrelson act their little hearts out, this 8-bit (or possibly 16-bit) version may help slightly ease the pain. You're welcome.

Tech News Digest… Breaking News Into Bite-Sized Chunks.

Image Credit: Askyog via Flickr