ICT news

• AT&T Pretends To Love Net Neutrality, Joins Tomorrow's Protest With A Straight Face

  11-07-2017 21:30 via rss.slashdot.org
  
  Karl Bode, writing for TechDirt: You'd be hard pressed to find a bigger enemy of net neutrality than the fine folks at AT&T. The company has a history of all manner of anti-competitive assaults on the open and competitive internet, from blocking customer access to Apple FaceTime unless users subscribed to more expensive plans, to exempting its own content from arbitrary and unnecessary usage caps while penalizing streaming competitors. AT&T also played a starring role in ensuring the FCC
  
  Read more

• Germany's Sovereign Tech Fund Now Supporting FFmpeg

  17-05-2024 09:00 via news.slashdot.org
  
  Michael Larabel reports via Phoronix: Following Germany's Sovereign Tech Fund providing significant funding for GNOME, Rust Coreutils, PHP, a systemd bug bounty, and numerous other free software projects, the FFmpeg multimedia library is the latest beneficiary to this funding from the Germany government. The Sovereign Tech Fund notes that the FFmpeg project is receiving 157,580 euros for 2024 and 2025.An announcement on the FFmpeg.org project site notes: "The FFmpeg community is excited to annou
  
  Read more

• Archie, the Internet's First Search Engine, Is Rescued and Running

  17-05-2024 05:30 via tech.slashdot.org
  
  An anonymous reader quotes a report from Ars Technica: It's amazing, and a little sad, to think that something created in 1989 that changed how people used and viewed the then-nascent Internet had nearly vanished by 2024. Nearly, that is, because the dogged researchers and enthusiasts at The Serial Port channel on YouTube have found what is likely the last existing copy of Archie. Archie, first crafted by Alan Emtage while a student at McGill University in Montreal, Quebec, allowed for the searc
  
  Read more

• NetBSD Bans AI-Generated Code

  17-05-2024 04:02 via tech.slashdot.org
  
  Seven Spirals writes: NetBSD committers are now banned from using any AI-generated code from ChatGPT, CoPilot, or other AI tools. Time will tell how this plays out with both their users and core team. "If you commit code that was not written by yourself, double check that the license on that code permits import into the NetBSD source repository, and permits free distribution," reads NetBSD's updated commit guidelines. "Check with the author(s) of the code, make sure that they were the sole autho
  
  Read more

• Advertisement

• In a Milestone, the US Exceeds 5 Million Solar Installations

  17-05-2024 03:25 via hardware.slashdot.org
  
  According to the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA), the U.S. has officially surpassed 5 million solar installations. "The 5 million milestone comes just eight years after the U.S. achieved its first million in 2016 -- a stark contrast to the four decades it took to reach that initial milestone since the first grid-connected solar project in 1973," reports Electrek. From the report: Since the beginning of 2020, more than half of all U.S. solar installations have come online, and over 25%
  
  Read more

• Winamp Is 'Opening Up' Its Source Code

  17-05-2024 02:45 via news.slashdot.org
  
  In a press release today, the best music player of the 1990s announced that it'll open up its source code to developers worldwide. "Winamp will open up its code for the player used on Windows, enabling the entire community to participate in its development," said the company. "This is an invitation to global collaboration, where developers worldwide can contribute their expertise, ideas, and passion to help this iconic software evolve."Alexandre Saboundjian, CEO of Winamp, explains: "This is a d
  
  Read more

• Sony Lays Down the Gauntlet on AI

  17-05-2024 02:01 via tech.slashdot.org
  
  Sony Music Group, one of the world's biggest record labels, warned AI companies and music streaming platforms not to use the company's content without explicit permission. From a report: Sony Music, whose artists include Lil Nas X and Celine Dion, sent letters to more than 700 companies in an effort to protect its intellectual property, which includes album cover art, metadata, musical compositions and lyrics, from being used for training AI models. "Unauthorized use" of Sony Music Group content
  
  Read more

• Reddit Reintroduces Its Awards System

  17-05-2024 01:20 via tech.slashdot.org
  
  After shutting down its awards system last July, Reddit announced that it is bringing it back, with much of the same and some new features. There'll be "a new design for awards, a new award button under eligible posts and a leaderboard showing top awards earned for a comment or a post," reports TechCrunch. From the report: The company sunset its awards program last year along with the ability for users to purchase coins. At the same time, Reddit introduced "Golden Upvotes," which were purchased
  
  Read more

• Advertisement

• GTA 6 Release Date Narrowed To Fall 2025 Amid Questions about Delays

  17-05-2024 00:41 via games.slashdot.org
  
  Take-Two Interactive is doubling down Grand Theft Auto VI's release date, saying the long-awaited sequel will be out fall 2025 despite rumors of a possible delay into 2026. From a report: Take-Two announced GTA 6's updated release window in its latest earnings report, saying that its current outlook is based on the new date. "We do feel highly confident that we'll deliver [Grand Theft Auto VI] in fall of 2025," Take-Two CEO Strauss Zelnick told IGN in an interview when asked if he was concerned
  
  Read more

• Another Billionaire Pushes a Bid For TikTok, But To Decentralize It

  17-05-2024 00:02 via tech.slashdot.org
  
  An anonymous reader quotes a report from Techdirt, written by Mike Masnick: If you're a fan of chaos, well, the TikTok ban situation is providing plenty of chaos to follow. Ever since the US government made it clear it was seriously going to move forward with the obviously unconstitutional and counterproductive plan to force ByteDance to divest from TikTok or have the app effectively banned from the U.S., various rich people have been stepping up with promises to buy the app. There was former Tr
  
  Read more

• Hugging Face Is Sharing $10 Million Worth of Compute To Help Beat the Big AI Companies

  16-05-2024 23:20 via hardware.slashdot.org
  
  Kylie Robison reports via The Verge: Hugging Face, one of the biggest names in machine learning, is committing $10 million in free shared GPUs to help developers create new AI technologies. The goal is to help small developers, academics, and startups counter the centralization of AI advancements. [...] Delangue is concerned about AI startups' ability to compete with the tech giants. Most significant advancements in artificial intelligence -- like GPT-4, the algorithms behind Google Search, and
  
  Read more

• Palo Alto Networks Is Buying Security Assets From IBM

  16-05-2024 22:40 via it.slashdot.org
  
  Palo Alto Networks is acquiring IBM's QRadar cloud software and migrating customers to its Cortex Xsiam platform as part of a broader partnership aimed at expanding its consulting capabilities and customer base. The sum of the deal was not disclosed. CNBC reports: The move normally takes one to three months, Nikesh Arora, Palo Alto's CEO, told CNBC. Also, IBM will train more than 1,000 of its consulting employees on Palo Alto's products. [...] For IBM, a more robust lineup of contemporary securi
  
  Read more

• EU Opens Child Safety Probes of Facebook and Instagram, Citing Addictive Design Concerns

  16-05-2024 22:06 via meta.slashdot.org
  
  An anonymous reader quotes a report from TechCrunch: Facebook and Instagram are under formal investigation in the European Union over child protection concerns, the Commission announced Thursday. The proceedings follow a raft of requests for information to parent entity Meta since the bloc's online governance regime, the Digital Services Act (DSA), started applying last August. The development could be significant as the formal proceedings unlock additional investigatory powers for EU enforcers,
  
  Read more

• Russia Directing Hackers To Attack UK and West, Says Director of GCHQ

  16-05-2024 21:20 via news.slashdot.org
  
  Russia is increasingly seeking to encourage and direct hackers to attack British and other western targets, the director of GCHQ has said in her first keynote speech as head of the British intelligence agency. From a report: Anne Keast-Butler said her agency was "increasingly concerned about growing links" between the Russian intelligence services and proxy hacker groups who have long taken advantage of a permissive environment within the country. "Before, Russia simply created the right environ
  
  Read more

• Samsung Mocks Apple's Controversial 'Crush' Ad With 'UnCrush' Pitch

  16-05-2024 20:40 via apple.slashdot.org
  
  Samsung has released a response to Apple's recently criticized "Crush" ad, which featured the destruction of instruments, arcade games, and sculptures to promote the new iPad Pro. Apple subsequently apologized, with an executive admitting they "missed the mark."
  In a video titled "UnCrush," created by BBH USA and directed by Zen Pace, Samsung depicts a woman navigating debris reminiscent of Apple's ad, using a Galaxy Tab S9 and Galaxy AI to play guitar, in contrast to Apple's destructive message
  
  Read more

• Revolutionary New Google Feature Hidden Under 'More' Tab Shows Links To Web Pages

  16-05-2024 20:01 via tech.slashdot.org
  
  An anonymous reader shares a report: After launching a feature that adds more AI junk than ever to search results, Google is experimenting with a radical new feature that lets users see only the results they were looking for, in the form of normal text links. As in, what most people actually use Google for. "We've launched a new 'Web' filter that shows only text-based links, just like you might filter to show other types of results, such as images or videos," the official Google Search Liaison T
  
  Read more

• Smartphones Can Now Last 7 Years

  16-05-2024 19:22 via mobile.slashdot.org
  
  Google and Samsung used to update smartphone software for only three years. That has changed. From a report: Every smartphone has an expiration date. That day arrives when the software updates stop coming and you start missing out on new apps and security protections. With most phones, this used to happen after about only three years. But things are finally starting to change. The new number is seven. I first noticed this shift when I reviewed Google's $700 Pixel 8 smartphone in October. Google
  
  Read more

• US House of Representatives Passes TICKET Act To Create Transparency in Pricing

  16-05-2024 18:40 via news.slashdot.org
  
  After bipartisan constituents introduced the Transparency in Charges for Key Events Ticketing (TICKET) Act in June 2023, the United States House of Representatives passed the legislation this week in the ongoing efforts to reform the ticketing industry. From a report: The bill received a substantial amount of bipartisan support, passing 338-24. This comes after the House of Representatives' Energy and Commerce Committee unanimously approved the bill 45-0 in Dec. 2023. It will, of course, now nee
  
  Read more

• Toshiba To Cut 4,000 Jobs in Restructuring Drive

  16-05-2024 18:00 via it.slashdot.org
  
  Japan's Toshiba said on Thursday it will cut up to 4,000 jobs domestically as the industrial conglomerate accelerates restructuring under new ownership. From a report: Toshiba delisted in December due to a $13 billion takeover by a consortium led by private equity firm Japan Industrial Partners, capping a decade of scandal and upheaval. The consortium's efforts to engineer a turnaround at Toshiba are seen as a test for private equity in Japan, which used to be seen as "hagetaka" or vultures due
  
  Read more

• Visa Adds New Way To Share Customer Shopping Data With Retailers

  16-05-2024 17:20 via news.slashdot.org
  
  Visa is rolling out new technology that will allow the payments giant to share more information about customers' preferences [non-paywalled source] based on their shopping history with retailers as it seeks to remain a top player in the competitive e-commerce space. From a report: The data will be shared via the payments giant's proprietary "tokens," which provide an added layer of security between a consumer's bank information and a merchant. Shopping inclinations and other information based on
  
  Read more

• 'Microsoft's Quest For Short-Term $$$ is Doing Long-Term Damage To Windows, Surface, Xbox, and Beyond'

  16-05-2024 16:40 via games.slashdot.org
  
  In an op-ed on Windows Central, the site's co-managing editor Jez Corden laments Microsoft's "short-sighted" decision-making and "inconsistent" investment in its products and services, which he argues has led to a loss of trust among customers and missed opportunities in the tech industry. Despite Microsoft's advancements in AI and cloud computing, the company has made "baffling" decisions such as shutting down Windows Phone, under-investing in Xbox, and canceling promising Surface products.
  The
  
  Read more

• Microsoft Asks Hundreds of China-Based AI Staff To Consider Relocating Amid US-China Tensions

  16-05-2024 16:00 via slashdot.org
  
  Microsoft is asking hundreds of employees in its China-based cloud-computing and AI operations to consider transferring outside the country, as tensions between Washington and Beijing mount around the critical technology. WSJ: Such staff, mostly engineers with Chinese nationality, were recently offered the opportunity to transfer to countries including the U.S., Ireland, Australia and New Zealand, people familiar with the matter said. The company is asking about 700 to 800 people [non-paywalled
  
  Read more

• Airbus Unveils Half-Plane, Half-Copter In Quest For Speed

  16-05-2024 15:00 via tech.slashdot.org
  
  An anonymous reader quotes a report from The Verge: Airbus Helicopters showcased an experimental half-plane, half-helicopter on Wednesday in a quest for speed as competition heats up to define the rotorcraft of the future. The $217 million Racer is a one-off demonstrator model combining traditional overhead rotors with two forward-facing propellors in a bid to combine stability and speed, shortening response times for critical missions like search-and-rescue. "There are missions where the quicke
  
  Read more

• AT&T Goes Up Against T-Mobile, Starlink With AST SpaceMobile Satellite Deal

  16-05-2024 12:00 via tech.slashdot.org
  
  Michael Kan reports via PCMag: AT&T has struck a deal to bring satellite internet connectivity to phones through AST SpaceMobile, a potential rival to SpaceX's Starlink. AT&T says the commercial agreement will last until 2030. The goal is "to provide a space-based broadband network to everyday cell phones," a spokesperson tells PCMag, meaning customers can receive a cellular signal in remote areas where traditional cell towers are few and far between. All they'll need to do is ensure the
  
  Read more

• Microsoft's AI Push Imperils Climate Goal As Carbon Emissions Jump 30%

  16-05-2024 09:00 via slashdot.org
  
  Microsoft's ambitious goal to be carbon negative by 2030 is threatened by its expanding AI operations, which have increased its carbon footprint by 30% since 2020. To meet its targets, Microsoft must quickly adopt green technologies and improve efficiency in its data centers, which are critical for AI but heavily reliant on carbon-intensive resources. Bloomberg reports: Now to meet its goals, the software giant will have to make serious progress very quickly in gaining access to green steel and
  
  Read more

• Wallet Recovery Firms Buzz as Locked-out Crypto Investors Panic in Bitcoin Boom

  16-05-2024 07:30 via it.slashdot.org
  
  The recent surge in bitcoin prices has the phones at crypto wallet recovery firms ringing off the hook, as retail investors locked out of their digital vaults make frantic calls to regain access to their accounts. From a report: Cryptocurrencies exist on a decentralized digital ledger known as blockchain and investors may opt to access their holdings either through a locally stored software wallet or a hardware wallet, to avoid risks related to owning crypto with an exchange, as in the case of t
  
  Read more

• MIT Students Stole $25 Million In Seconds By Exploiting ETH Blockchain Bug, DOJ Says

  16-05-2024 05:30 via slashdot.org
  
  An anonymous reader quotes a report from Ars Technica: Within approximately 12 seconds, two highly educated brothers allegedly stole $25 million by tampering with the ethereum blockchain in a never-before-seen cryptocurrency scheme, according to an indictment that the US Department of Justice unsealed Wednesday. In a DOJ press release, US Attorney Damian Williams said the scheme was so sophisticated that it "calls the very integrity of the blockchain into question.""The brothers, who studied com
  
  Read more

• Bay Area City Orders Scientists To Stop Controversial Cloud Brightening Experiment

  16-05-2024 04:02 via news.slashdot.org
  
  Last month, researchers from the University of Washington started conducting an experiment on a decommissioned naval ship in Alameda to test if spraying salt water into the air could brighten clouds and cool the planet. However, their project was forced to stop this month after the city got word of what was going on. SFGate reports: According to a city press release, scientists were ordered to halt the experiment because it violated Alameda's lease with the USS Hornet, the aircraft carrier from
  
  Read more

• Netflix To Take On Google and Amazon By Building Its Own Ad Server

  16-05-2024 03:25 via tech.slashdot.org
  
  Lauren Forristal writes via TechCrunch: Netflix announced during its Upfronts presentation on Wednesday that it's launching its own advertising technology platform only a year and a half after entering the ads business. This move pits it against other industry heavyweights with ad servers, like Google, Amazon and Comcast. The announcement signifies a significant shake-up in the streaming giant's advertising approach. The company originally partnered with Microsoft to develop its ad tech, letting
  
  Read more

• US Regulators Approve Rule That Could Speed Renewables

  16-05-2024 02:45 via hardware.slashdot.org
  
  Longtime Slashdot reader necro81 writes: The U.S. Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC), which controls interstate energy infrastructure, approved a rule Monday that should boost new transmission infrastructure and make it easier to connect renewable energy projects. (More coverage here, here, and here.)Some 11,000 projects totaling 2,600 GW of capacity are in planning, waiting to break ground, or connect to the grid. But they're stymied by the need for costly upgrades, or simply waiting f
  
  Read more

Follow @newslocke_ict on Twitter!