ICT news

• Papa John's Sued For 'Wiretap' Spying on Website Mouse Clicks, Keystrokes

  07-10-2022 23:30 via yro.slashdot.org
  Papa John's is being sued by a customer -- not for its pizza but for allegedly breaking the US Wiretap Act by snooping on the way he browsed the pie-slinger's website. From a report: The titan of greasy wheels is accused of falling foul of wiretapping rules by using so-called session replay software on its website. This software records and phones home everything a user does on the site, beyond what fetching pages and placing an order would submit, we're told. For instance, it tells Papa John's
  
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• Samsung Rings the Alarm For Electronics Sales

  07-10-2022 22:50 via slashdot.org
  schwit1 shares a report from Asia Times: The long, happy times enjoyed by the electronics sector are coming to an end, if a Friday alert published by industry colossus Samsung is any indication. According to an earnings guidance published today, the company anticipates consolidated sales of approximately 76 trillion won ($53.7 billion) and operating profits of 10.8 trillion ($7.6 billion) from this year's July-September period. According to South Korea's Joongang Ilbo newspaper, the profit figur
  
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• Google To Open First Japan Data Center To Accelerate Asia Push

  07-10-2022 22:10 via tech.slashdot.org
  An anonymous reader quotes a report from Bloomberg: Alphabet's Google will open its first data center in Japan next year as part of increasing investment in the world's third-biggest economy. The new facility, based in Inzai City, Chiba, will accelerate the operation of Google tools and services and support economic activity and jobs, Chief Executive Officer Sundar Pichai wrote in a blog post Friday. It's part of a broader $730 million investment in local infrastructure by the US company, which
  
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• Facebook Warns 1 Million Users Whose Logins Were Stolen By Scam Mobile Apps

  07-10-2022 21:30 via tech.slashdot.org
  Meta is warning Facebook users about hundreds of apps on Apple and Google's app stores that were specifically designed to steal login credentials to the social network app. From a report: The company says it's identified over 400 malicious apps disguised as games, photo editors, and other utilities and that it's notifying users who "may have unknowingly self-compromised their accounts by downloading these apps and sharing their credentials." According to Bloomberg, a million users were potential
  
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• Helium, the a16Z-backed Crypto Unicorn, Spars With Binance Over Delisting

  07-10-2022 21:01 via tech.slashdot.org
  A token created by Helium, a much-hyped crypto project hailed as one of the best use cases of Web3 technology, will be partially delisted from major cryptocurrency exchange Binance amid reports of poor revenue and misleading marketing at its parent company, as well as the network's abandonment of its native blockchain last month. From a report: In a blog post Thursday, Binance said that it would cease trading Helium Network Tokens, or HNT, with multiple trading pairs over the next week, effectiv
  
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• Biden Order Brings New Transatlantic Data Pact Ever Closer

  07-10-2022 20:17 via news.slashdot.org
  The European Union and U.S. moved a step closer to securing the privacy of transatlantic data flows as President Joe Biden moved to end years of uncertainty and allow thousands of companies to legally move customer data across the Atlantic. From a report: Biden signed an executive order Friday that'll create an independent court system in the US for EU citizens who think their data was unlawfully accessed or used by intelligence agencies. Decisions by the Data Protection Review Court will be bin
  
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• The Biden Administration Issues Sweeping New Rules on Chip-Tech Exports To China

  07-10-2022 19:34 via news.slashdot.org
  The U.S. unveiled a set of new regulations Friday that aim to choke off China's access to advanced chips, the tools necessary to manufacture years-old designs, and the service and support mechanisms needed to keep chip fabrication systems running smoothly. From a report: On a briefing call with reporters Thursday, administration officials said the goal is to block the People's Liberation Army and China's domestic surveillance apparatus from gaining access to advanced computing capabilities that
  
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• Zuckerberg's Metaverse Rush Pauses For 'Quality Lockdown'

  07-10-2022 18:50 via tech.slashdot.org
  A year after Meta announced its metaverse push, it has yet to demonstrate that its $10bn a year bet on an immersive virtual world will be a success. From a report: According to memos and conversations with 10 current and former employees, his 3bn user-strong social media empire is experiencing disruption and challenges as part of the pivot to Meta, and has already been forced to delay future launches and adjust expectations. In a September memo seen by the Financial Times, Vishal Shah, the vice-
  
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• Michigan is Becoming the Center of US Battery Manufacturing

  07-10-2022 18:00 via news.slashdot.org
  Michigan, long the automotive manufacturing capital of the United States, is now getting pumped with investment both publicly and privately to build out a series of battery manufacturing plants that will power the wave of electric vehicles coming to market. From a report: The demand for domestically produced batteries has reached new peaks after the passage of the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), which includes consumer tax incentives for buying EVs with battery material produced in the United Sta
  
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• Game Firm 2K Says Users Info Stolen

  07-10-2022 17:20 via it.slashdot.org
  Game company 2K has warned users to remain on the lookout for suspicious activity across their accounts following a breach last month that allowed a threat actor to obtain email addresses, names, and other sensitive information provided to 2K's support team. From a report: The breach occurred on September 19, when the threat actor illegally obtained system credentials belonging to a vendor 2K uses to run its help desk platform. 2K warned users a day later that the threat actor used unauthorized
  
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• FBI and CISA Publish a PSA on Information Manipulation Tactics for 2022 Midterm Elections

  07-10-2022 17:00 via us-cert.cisa.gov
  Original release date: October 7, 2022
  Title: FBI and CISA Publish a PSA on Information Manipulation Tactics for 2022 Midterm Elections Content:The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and CISA have published a joint public service announcement that:Describes methods that foreign actors use to spread and amplify false information—including reports of alleged malicious cyber activity—in attempts to undermine trust in election infrastructure.Confirms “the F
  
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• Amazon Abandons Home Delivery Robot Tests in Latest Cost Cuts

  07-10-2022 16:40 via hardware.slashdot.org
  Amazon is shutting down tests of its home delivery robot, the latest sign that the e-commerce giant is starting to wind down experimental projects amid slowing sales growth. From a report: Work on Scout, an autonomous machine launched about three years ago, has already been halted, according to a person familiar with the situation. Amazon spokesperson Alisa Carroll said the Scout team was being disbanded and would be offered new jobs in the organization. About 400 people were working on the proj
  
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• Binance-linked Blockchain Hit By $570 Million Crypto Hack, Binance Says

  07-10-2022 16:00 via it.slashdot.org
  A blockchain linked to Binance, the world's largest crypto exchange, has been hit by a $570 million hack, a Binance spokesperson said on Friday, the latest in a series of hacks to hit the crypto sector this year. From a report: Binance CEO Changpeng Zhao said in a tweet that tokens were stolen from a blockchain "bridge" used in the BNB Chain, which was known as Binance Smart Chain until February. Blockchain bridges are tools used to transfer cryptocurrencies between different applications. Zhao
  
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• Americans Are Less Likely To Cancel Amazon, Prime Netflix Than Cut Spending On Food

  07-10-2022 15:00 via entertainment.slashdot.org
  An anonymous reader quotes a report from CNBC: Even as Americans cut back in the face of rising prices and recessionary fears, fewer want to give up their streaming subscriptions, especially when it comes to TV, movies and music services, such as Amazon Prime, Netflix and Spotify. Roughly two-thirds of consumers said they will have to decrease their spending due to inflation; however, only about a quarter plan to cancel such subscriptions in the months ahead, according to a recent report by the
  
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• Bloomberg: Investment In Renewable Energy Needs To Quadruple By 2030

  07-10-2022 12:00 via news.slashdot.org
  To reach net-zero emissions by 2050 and limit global warming to 1.5C, investment in renewable energy sources needs to surpass finance flows to fossil fuels by a factor of four over the next decade, according to research from BloombergNEF. From the report: Currently, about 90 cents goes to low-carbon energy sources for every $1 put toward fossil fuels. That ratio needs to change dramatically by 2030, with an average $4 invested in renewables for every $1 allocated to high-polluting energy supplie
  
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• Space Billboards Could Cost $65 Million and Still Turn a Profit

  07-10-2022 09:00 via science.slashdot.org
  A new study suggests that a billboard-like constellation of about 50 satellites, costing $65 million all in, could shine ads to every corner of the Earth for months -- and potentially make money while doing so. TechCrunch reports: The study, from Russian researchers at the Skolkovo Institute of Science and Technology (Skoltech) and Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology (MIPT), presents a fairly compelling case that is bolstered by the recent controversy around SpaceX's highly visible Starli
  
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• Magic: the Gathering Celebrates 30 Year Anniversary By Selling $1,000 Boosters

  07-10-2022 05:30 via games.slashdot.org
  An anonymous reader quotes a report from Motherboard: Popular collectible card game Magic: The Gathering is celebrating its 30th anniversary by releasing packs of cards that cost $999. It's called Magic: The Gathering 30th Anniversary Edition and will contain some cards that haven't been reprinted in decades, all with their original art. Nine hundred ninety-nine dollars will buy a collector four sealed booster packs. "Each pack contains 15 cards, 13 cards in the modern frame -- 1 rare, 3 uncommo
  
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• Climate Change Made This Summer's Drought 20 Times More Likely, Study Finds

  07-10-2022 04:02 via news.slashdot.org
  Rising global temperatures caused by the burning of fossil fuels made this summer's brutal droughts across the Northern Hemisphere -- which dried up rivers, sparked unprecedented wildfires and led to widespread crop failure -- 20 times more likely, according to a new study. Yahoo News reports: Climate change is rewriting normal weather patterns in real time, said the study by World Weather Attribution, a consortium of international scientists who examine the link between rising average global te
  
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• Google Shows Off Wireless Charging Dock That Turns the Pixel Tablet Into a Smart Display

  07-10-2022 03:25 via hardware.slashdot.org
  Alongside today's launch of the Pixel 7, Pixel 7 Pro, and Pixel Watch, Google revealed more details about its upcoming Pixel Tablet that was first announced earlier this year at Google I/O. The biggest new feature is it's ability to transform into a smart display when paired with a magnetic wireless charging speaker dock. "When docked, it looks like a Nest Hub Max, responds to Google Assistant queries, and lets you control your smart home from the redesigned Home app," adds The Verge.Other featu
  
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• China Upgrades Great Firewall To Defeat Censor-Beating TLS Tools

  07-10-2022 02:45 via yro.slashdot.org
  Great Firewall Report (GFW), an organization that monitors and reports on China's censorship efforts, has this week posted a pair of assessments indicating a crackdown on TLS encryption-based tools used to evade the Firewall. The Register reports: The group's latest post opens with the observation that starting on October 3, "more than 100 users reported that at least one of their TLS-based censorship circumvention servers had been blocked. The TLS-based circumvention protocols that are reported
  
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• Court Blocks 13,445 'Pirate' Sites Proactively To Protect One Movie

  07-10-2022 02:02 via entertainment.slashdot.org
  An anonymous reader quotes a report from TorrentFreak: A court in India has granted what appears to be the most aggressive site-blocking injunction in the history of copyright law. In advance of the movie 'Vikram Vedha' premiering in cinemas last Friday, a judge handed down an injunction that ordered 40 internet service providers to proactively and immediately block an unprecedented 13,445 sites. [...] India began blocking pirate sites in 2011 but the public had no idea it was coming. In an earl
  
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• Blizzard Axes Controversial Overwatch 2 Phone Number Requirement

  07-10-2022 01:20 via games.slashdot.org
  Overwatch 2 will no longer require existing Overwatch players to cough up a phone number, as Blizzard rolls back the controversial anti-cheat system. TechRadar reports: All Overwatch 2 players were originally required to link an active phone number to their Battle.net account to play the hero shooter. Blizzard hoped the SMS Protect authentication system would help users verify their accounts, and prevent disruptive and abusive players from returning to the game after being banned. [...] Overwatc
  
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• Showtime May Be Merged Into Paramount+

  07-10-2022 00:40 via entertainment.slashdot.org
  "Paramount Global executive David Nevins, who has run the premium network Showtime since 2016, is leaving the company at the end of year," reports CNBC. According to the report, it may help give the media conglomerate "more flexibility to potentially merge Showtime into Paramount+." From the report: Along with his departure, Paramount Global is restructuring Showtime in ways that could give the company flexibility to effectively end Showtime as it's existed for decades -- as an independent premi
  
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• The Pixel Watch Is Official: $349, Good Looks, and a Four-Year-Old SoC

  07-10-2022 00:00 via tech.slashdot.org
  An anonymous reader quotes a report from Ars Technica: Google is clawing its way back into wearable relevance. Today the company took the wraps off what is officially its first self-branded smartwatch: the Pixel Watch. Google started revamping its wearable platform, Wear OS, in partnership with Samsung. While Wear OS 3, the new version of Google's wearable platform, technically launched with the Galaxy Watch 4 last year, this is the first time we'll be seeing an unskinned version on a real devic
  
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