Technology news

The company behind Facebook’s massive data leak scandal, Cambridge Analytica, attempted to develop its own cryptocurrency this past year and intended to raise funds through an initial coin offering, Reuters and The New York Times reported today. The digital coin would have helped people store online personal data and even sell it, former Cambridge Analytica employee Brittany Kaiser told the Times.
Cambridge Analytica, which obtained the data of 87 million Facebook users, was hoping to rai

The Chinese government announced today that it plans to change the rules for foreign car manufacturers that want to make vehicles in the country. It’s a major shift in the larger landscape for American, Asian, and European automakers. It’s also one that could benefit Tesla — though maybe not without burdening the company, which is already stretched thin as it tries to crank out Model 3s here in the United States.Until now, foreign automakers were not allowed to own more than 5

There have been reports about upcoming changes to Spotify’s free tier of service over the past couple of weeks, and it appears the music service is now serving the updated UI to select users. While The Verge cannot confirm if this is officially the new form of the free version for mobile expected to roll out next week, these UI changes, which include the option to play songs on demand in select playlists, would make the Free tier act more like a Premium account. Spotify declined to commen

The Internal Revenue Service isn’t the most technologically sophisticated government agency in the US. As evidence, check out its online payment system, called Direct Pay, that still remains out of service on the tax filing deadline for the entire country, as noted by Engadget. The Direct Pay system went down sometime early this morning as part of a widespread failure of the IRS’s electronic filing system, due most likely to a technical glitch possibly related to the huge influx of

The Internal Revenue Service isn’t the most technologically sophisticated government agency in the US. As evidence, check out its online payment system, called Direct Pay, that still remains out of service on the tax filing deadline day for the entire country, as noted by Engadget. The Direct Pay system went down sometime early this morning as part of a widespread failure of the IRS’s electronic filing system, due most likely to a technical glitch possibly related to the huge influx

The Internal Revenue Service isn’t the most technologically sophisticated government agency in the US. As evidence, check out its online payment system, called Direct Pay, that still remains out of service on the tax filing deadline for the entire country, as noted by Engadget. The Direct Pay system went down sometime early this morning as part of a widespread failure of the IRS’s electronic filing system, due most likely to a technical glitch possibly related to the huge influx of

A Southwest flight en route from New York City to Dallas made an emergency landing in Philadelphia after one of its engines blew out, shattering a window, leaving one passenger dead and injuring seven others. One female passenger was almost sucked out of the plane after the explosion caused a depressurization, the passenger’s father told MSNBC. It is unclear, though, whether she was the passenger that ultimately died.National Traffic Safety Board chairman Robert Sumwalt said in a news con

Buick may still have a reputation for making pleasant if less-than-exciting sedans for older buyers, but it’s one of China’s most popular brands. That’s why the Enspire concept is being shown at this year’s Auto China show in Beijing, and it’s full of advanced technology promises.
The Enspire, announced on Tuesday in China, is a design and technology study for General Motors to explore what the public thinks of the brand’s idea for an all-electric SUV. It ado

New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman launched an investigation into bitcoin exchanges today, his office announced. He’s looking into thirteen major exchanges, including Coinbase, Gemini Trust, and Bitfinex, requesting information on their operations and what measures they have in place to protect consumers.
“Too often, consumers don’t have the basic facts they need to assess the fairness, integrity, and security of these trading platforms,” Schneiderman said in a

Thirty-four major technology companies — including Facebook, Microsoft, HP, ARM, Cisco, and Oracle — have signed a new Cybersecurity Tech Accord. The pledge spans helping to protect against cyberattacks as well as to not helping governments — including the United States — “launch cyberattacks against innocent citizens and enterprises,” as first reported by The New York Times.
According to the NYT, the driving impetus for the coalition has been Microsoft presi

Mignon Clyburn, one of five commissioners for the Federal Communications Commission and a staunch supporter of net neutrality, announced her decision to step down from her role today after more than eight years at the agency. Clyburn, a Democrat, may be replaced by FCC official Geoffrey Starks, who Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) has reportedly been eyeing to take up the second of two Democratic seats on the Republican-controlled FCC. It is typically customary for the FCC commission

Amazon is working on a TV adaptation of the 2014 William Gibson novel The Peripheral. Although the project is still in the early stages of development, it could bypass Amazon’s regular pilot process and get a straight-to-series order, Variety reports. Novelist Scott B. Smith is attached to write and executive produce alongside Westworld creators Jonathan Nolan and Lisa Joy.
The original novel is a complicated story about time travel, divergent futures, religious protest groups, and a mass

Ian Balina, a former IBM salesman who became a full-time cryptocurrency trader and pundit, is not known for his modesty. Like many YouTube personalities in the vein of motivational speaker Gary Vaynerchuk, he brands himself as a self-starter-made-good who now wants to teach you how he did it (while clarifying, of course, that his recommendations are not investment advice). He regularly shares screenshots of his extensive portfolio, which was valued at more than $3 million on April 14th, accordi

In December 2016 — in the wake of sexual assault allegations against prominent men like Bill Cosby, Roger Ailes, and then-President-elect Donald Trump — tech writer April Glaser posited a simple solution for combating sexual assault: create a tool that would combine identity verification, encryption, anonymization, and messaging to enable sexual assault victims to report their assaults and connect with other victims who had reported the same perpetrator.As Glaser envisioned it, this

Casio is introducing a new smartwatch for the outdoors today that runs Google’s Wear OS, but it doesn’t look all that different from some of Casio’s older Wear OS watches. In fact, it looks exactly the same and appears to have all the same specs and features, except for one: it costs $100 less.
The new Pro Trek Smart Outdoor Watch, or the WSD-F20A will sell for $399 when it launches on May 1st. That’s $100 less than the WSD-F20, which was introduced in January. The two w

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John Scalzi is known for his witty science fiction thrillers. Old Man’s War and its sequels are his take on military science fiction, while last year’s Collapsing Empire was a new foray into space opera. His latest novel Head On is a techno-thriller involving robotic sports leagues and murder, and it’s a book that’s particularly relevant in our own, technological world.
Some spoilers ahead for Head On.Head On is the sequel to Scalzi’s 2014 thriller Lock In and an a

The new $170 Jabra Elite 65t earbuds are my go-to recommendation for anyone who wants truly wireless earbuds that aren’t Apple’s AirPods. As good as the AirPods are, there are several things that might rule them out for some people. If you’re like me, it’s the one-size-fits-most design; my ears just aren’t a good match, and buying aftermarket ear hooks for a snug, secure fit is a hassle. And then there’s the outside noise; the open design of AirPods, though gr

What does the future of fake news look like? No one really knows, but here’s a little sampler from Jordan Peele and BuzzFeed, who teamed up to make the above PSA. Using some of the latest AI techniques, Peele ventriloquizes Barack Obama, having him voice his opinion on Black Panther (“Killmonger was right”) and call President Donald Trump “a total and complete dipshit.”
The video was made by Peele’s production company using a combination of old and new techno

It’s been more than a year since Apple released the AirPods, but it’s only now that other companies are really starting to match them when it comes to the style and shape of wireless earbuds. The latest are from Mobvoi, which is starting an Indiegogo campaign to sell the TicPods Free, a pair of wireless earbuds that look like a slightly thicker, more angular version of the AirPods. Plus, they come in colors other than white.
The TicPods offer the same feature set of the AirPods: the

Cambridge Analytica and its partners used data from previously unknown “Facebook-connected questionnaires” to obtain user data from the social media service, according to testimony from a former Cambridge Analytica employee.
Kaiser said a “sex compass” app was used to obtain data
Brittany Kaiser provided evidence to the British Parliament today as part of a hearing on fake news. Kaiser, who worked on the business team at Cambridge Analytica’s parent company until J

Cambridge Analytica and its partners used data from previously unknown “Facebook-connected questionnaires” to obtain user data from the social media service, according to testimony from a former Cambridge Analytica employee.
Kaiser said a “sex compass” app was used to obtain data
Brittany Kaiser provided evidence to the British Parliament today as part of a hearing on fake news. Kaiser, who worked on the business team at Cambridge Analytica’s parent company until J

Picking the right dating site for you can be a difficult task.
SEE ALSO: The most popular dating sites in the UK, just in time for cuffing season
Dating is a competitive market, with a lot of options to consider. To make the process easier for you, we have put together seven of the most popular dating sites in the UK, taking into consideration the dating pool, customer service, success rate, and much more.
Elite SinglesLearn more at Elite SinglesSee DetailsThe theme of Elite Singles is pretty se

Knowing which dating site best suits your needs can be a minefield. 
SEE ALSO: The most popular dating sites in the UK, just in time for cuffing season
Dating is a competitive market. So to make the process easier for you, we've gathered 7 of the most popular dating sites — whether that's sites that are easy to use or have good customer service: 
Elite SinglesImage: Elite Singles
Learn more at Elite SinglesSee DetailsThe theme of Elite Singles is pretty self-explanatory, with the

When one of the most prominent information security conferences in the world, the RSA conference, announced its keynote speakers in February, professionals across the industry went to Twitter complain. With the exception of Monica Lewinsky — who was to give a talk titled “The Price of Shame” — every single keynote speaker was a man.Within five days of a tweet by Alex Stamos, currently chief information security officer at Facebook, suggesting that it was time to start an

If you need to know one thing about rare earth metals, it’s that they’re crucial to modern technology, helping power everything from MRI machines and satellites to headphones and nuclear reactors. If you need to know two things, it’s that despite their name, they’re not at all rare.This second fact is crucial when putting recent headlines about these 17 oddly named elements in proper context. Last week, many publications covered the news that a Japanese team of scientist

All the talk about virtual reality revolutionizing the gaming industry is “just first-day stuff,” says VR expert Peter Rubin. Forget 360-degree video and video games, he says. That’s just the beginning, and focusing too much on these uses takes away from the true potential of VR: a social technology to bring us together.Rubin is a journalist at Wired and the author of Future Presence: How Virtual Reality Is Changing Human Connection, Intimacy, and the Limits of Ordinary Life,

Boosted is best known for its orange-wheeled electric longboard, but that’s about to change because the company has made the biggest expansion yet to its product lineup. Four new boards were announced today in two different form factors, including the company’s smallest and cheapest electric skateboard, the Boosted Mini.
The Boosted Mini comes in two versions: a standard range model (S) that lasts up to seven miles and has a top speed of 18 miles per hour, and an extended range (X)

Walmart has announced that it is revamping its website, introducing a completely new design beginning in May. Aside from a visual overhaul, the new site will focus on personalization and specialty shopping experiences.
In the comparison below, you can get a glimpse of what the new look will be like. It’s cleaner, with more modern fonts, and it features what Walmart calls “relatable photography,” otherwise known as humans doing human things. It’s definitely a step up from

Facebook is introducing third-party fact-checking in India, with a pilot program first starting in the state of Karnataka. Facebook says the fact-checking program is aimed at fighting “the spread of false news,” and the company has partnered with independent journalism initiative BOOM, which is certified by the International Fact-Checking Network.According to The Indian Express, Facebook says India has 201 million active Facebook users as of 2017, falling just behind the United Stat

Sprint has announced that on June 1st, it’ll be ending its long-offered Google Voice integration, which let users use their regular Sprint number on their phone as a Google Voice number, via Android Police.The partnership with Google dates back to 2011, when the two companies teamed up to integrate Sprint numbers with Google’s then-nascent Voice service, letting you use your existing number through Sprint with Google Voice, complete with call and message forwarding, the Google Voice

B&O Play is launching a new Bluetooth speaker that does what all B&O Play speakers do best: look really good, cost a lot of money, and probably sound good, too.
The new speaker is called the Beoplay P6, and it’s the second portable Bluetooth speaker B&O Play has on sale that also includes a built-in microphone to support use with voice assistants. B&O doesn’t list which assistants it supports, so it sounds like it’ll probably just play from whichever phone it&r

According to Parsley Health,the average adult spends 19 minutes with their physician every year. Seventy percent of the time, these short visits result in the prescription of a medication.
“According to the CDC, 70% of diseases in our country are chronic and lifestyle-driven,” said Parsley Health founder and CEO Dr. Robin Berzin. “And yet instead of addressing the root causes of health problems, medicine’s toolkit is limited to prescriptions and procedures, driving up cos

Season two of Circuit Breaker Live is almost over, so you have to enjoy the show while you still can. Nilay’s wife Becky had a baby, so he’ll be streaming it live at home, just like you. His baby is going to learn about gadgets, just like you, too. As always, we’ll be live at 4PM ET on The Verge’s YouTube channel. Paul and I will be hosting this episode where we’ll talk with Chaim Gartenberg about Nintendo Switch projectors.Sean O’Kane will join us later to t

From the U.S. to Europe and Asia, Twitter has left us. 
"Something is technically wrong," the website reads. The site claims it will have "things back to normal soon." The Twitter app for iPhone will load, but if you try refreshing the feed, you'll see the message, "Tweets aren't loading right now."Image:screenshot: Pete pachal/twitterWe've reached out to Twitter for comment, and will update this story when we have more information. 
This story is developing...WATCH: This scene in 'A Q

Snap is expanding its developer platform to let creators build face filters for the first time, the company said today. Four months after introducing its Lens Studio platform, which allowed creators to build the augmented reality objects that Snap calls “world lenses,” Snap is releasing seven new templates into Lens Studio to let creators build digital masks. The templates, which range in complexity, include virtual baseball hats, face paint, and tools to attach three-dimensional ob