ICT news

• Brave Browser Now Features Vertical Tabs For Desktop Users

  01-06-2023 23:20 via tech.slashdot.org
  
  Speaking of Brave, the browser-maker is introducing vertical tabs. From a blog post: With today's 1.52 desktop release, the vertical tabs setting is available to Brave users on Windows, macOS, and Linux. Enabling the vertical tabs setting relocates your open tabs from the top of your browser window (i.e. above the address bar) to the left side of the window, where they'll appear stacked vertically rather than horizontally. To do so, right-click an existing horizontal tab and select "use vertical
  
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• Throwaway Britain: What Happens To Our Old Tech?

  01-06-2023 22:40 via tech.slashdot.org
  
  An anonymous reader shares a report: We fitted trackers in old, broken FT laptops -- cleared of data -- and gave them to the UK's six most prominent retailers, who are legally obliged to take back old goods from customers buying new ones. Over the next six months, the trackers took us on a curious tour of Britain, with stops at a Norfolk beach, two residential addresses in Slough and a warehouse in rural Wales. They opened a window into an industry plagued by an Achilles heel it calls "leakage"
  
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• Apple Denies Surveillance Claims Made By Russia's FSB

  01-06-2023 22:00 via apple.slashdot.org
  
  Apple is denying claims made by Russia's Federal Security Service (FSB) that it cooperated with American spies to surveil Russian iPhone users. From a report: In a statement, the company said it has "never worked with any government to insert a backdoor into any apple product and never will."Read more of this story at Slashdot.
  
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• Apple Tests New High-End Macs With M2 Max and M2 Ultra Chips Ahead of WWDC

  01-06-2023 21:20 via apple.slashdot.org
  
  Apple is testing a pair of new high-end Macs and their accompanying processors ahead of its Worldwide Developers Conference next week, suggesting that it's nearing the release of professional-focused desktop computers. From a report: The company is planning two new Mac models -- labeled internally as Mac 14,13 and Mac 14,14 -- that run the M2 Max processor announced in January and a yet-to-be-unveiled M2 Ultra chip. That second processor would replace the M1 Ultra model currently featured in the
  
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• Microsoft Signs Deal for AI Computing Power With Nvidia-backed CoreWeave That Could Be Worth Billions

  01-06-2023 20:44 via slashdot.org
  
  Microsoft's massive investment in OpenAI has put the company at the center of the artificial intelligence boom. But it's not the only place where the software giant is opening its wallet to meet the surging demand for AI-powered services. From a report: CNBC has learned from people with knowledge of the matter that Microsoft has agreed to spend potentially billions of dollars over multiple years on cloud-computing infrastructure from startup CoreWeave, which announced on Wednesday that it raised
  
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• Russia Says US Hacked Thousands of iPhones in iOS Zero-Click Attacks

  01-06-2023 20:00 via news.slashdot.org
  
  Russian cybersecurity firm Kaspersky says some iPhones on its network were hacked using an iOS vulnerability that installed malware via iMessage zero-click exploits. From a report: The delivery of the message exploits a vulnerability that leads to code execution without requiring any user interaction, leading to the download of additional malicious from the attackers' server. Subsequently, the message and attachment are wiped from the device. At the same time, the payload stays behind, running w
  
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• Google VP Calls Out Microsoft's Cloud Software Licensing 'Tax'

  01-06-2023 19:20 via tech.slashdot.org
  
  Google is very publicly adding to the chorus of complaints about Microsoft's alleged restrictive cloud software licensing policies, claiming that unless the European Union formally tackles it, the industry and customers will suffer lasting damage. From a report: Amit Zavery, vice president, general manager, and head of platform at Google Cloud, says antitrust regulators are "starting to understand the situation" and are asking questions. "Any enterprise company will be impacted negatively if thi
  
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• Bill Ackman Says Jamie Dimon Should Run for President in 2024

  01-06-2023 18:40 via news.slashdot.org
  
  Bill Ackman said JPMorgan Chase chief executive Jamie Dimon should run for president in the upcoming 2024 election after the Wall Street titan hinted that he has considered pursuing a political career. From a report: Ackman said in a lengthy tweet that Dimon is a political centrist who is pro-business and pro-free enterprise, while also supportive of "well-designed social programs and rational tax policies that can help the less fortunate." Ackman also said he thinks Dimon, 67, could beat Presid
  
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• US Eating Disorder Helpline Takes Down AI Chatbot Over Harmful Advice

  01-06-2023 18:00 via tech.slashdot.org
  
  The National Eating Disorder Association (Neda) has taken down an artificial intelligence chatbot, "Tessa," after reports that the chatbot was providing harmful advice. From a report: Neda has been under criticism over the last few months after it fired four employees in March who worked for its helpline and had formed a union. The helpline allowed people to call, text or message volunteers who offered support and resources to those concerned about an eating disorder. Members of the union, Helpl
  
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• Meta Announces Its Quest 3 VR Headset, Which Will Cost $500

  01-06-2023 17:20 via tech.slashdot.org
  
  Meta has officially announced its Quest 3 VR headset in a post on Mark Zuckerberg's Instagram. The $499.99 headset is "coming this fall," and the post confirms that its design is 40 percent lighter than the Quest 2, with a new next-generation Snapdragon chip inside. From a report: This is coming just days before Apple is expected to announce its long-rumored mixed reality headset and hours ahead of a showcase for games on Meta's VR platform that begins later today at 1PM ET. We already had a pre
  
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• Maryland License Plates Now Inadvertently Advertising Filipino Online Casino

  01-06-2023 16:40 via news.slashdot.org
  
  Roughly 800,000 Maryland drivers with license plates designed to commemorate the War of 1812 are now inadvertently advertising a website for an online casino based in the Philippines. From a report: In 2012, to celebrate the 200th anniversary of the War of 1812, Maryland redesigned its standard license plate to read "MARYLAND WAR OF 1812." The license plates, which were the default between 2012 and 2016, have the URL www.starspangled200.org printed at the bottom.
  Sometime within the last year, w
  
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• Investors Turn To AI-Guided Dealmaking To Gain Edge Over Rivals

  01-06-2023 16:00 via tech.slashdot.org
  
  Venture capital funds, private equity groups and accountancy firms are using the latest artificial intelligence to pick acquisition targets and start-ups for investment, betting the technology can give them an edge over rivals. From a report: Big Four accountant KPMG, hedge fund Coatue and venture capital firm Headline are among those using the latest AI tools to advise clients and help guide their dealmaking. With investors under pressure to identify the next high-growth start-up at a time when
  
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• Climate Crisis Makes It Impossible For Some US Residents To Get Home Insurance

  01-06-2023 15:00 via news.slashdot.org
  
  An anonymous reader shares an opinion piece from the Guardian's Arwa Mahdawi: Insurance company documents aren't exactly renowned for being riveting reading. This week, however, State Farm, the largest insurance firm in the US by premium volume, came out with an eyeball-grabbing update: it has stopped accepting new homeowner insurance applications in California. In a statement, the company said the decision was based on the heightened risk of natural disasters, such as wildfires, along with hist
  
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• Progress Software Releases Security Advisory for MOVEit Transfer

  01-06-2023 14:00 via cisa.gov
  Progress Software has released a security advisory for a vulnerability in MOVEit Transfer—a Managed File Transfer Software. A cyber threat actor could exploit this vulnerability to take over an affected system.
  CISA urgers users and organizations to review the MOVEit Transfer Advisory, follow the mitigation steps, apply the necessary updates, and hunt for any malicious activity. 
  
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• China Begins Drilling a 10-Kilometer-Deep Hole In Earth's Crust

  01-06-2023 12:00 via news.slashdot.org
  
  China has begun digging a 10-kilometer-deep hole in the Earth's crust in the Tarim Basin, Xinjiang province, as part of its exploration of the planet's interior. From a report: The team will dig deep into the Earth, penetrating more than 10 continental strata, which can be used to reconstruct the history of the Earth's continents, including the evolution of landscapes, climate change, and the distribution of life. Continental strata are layers of rock, which are an important resource for underst
  
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• Hubble Network Wants To Connect a Billion Devices With Space-Based Bluetooth Network

  01-06-2023 09:00 via science.slashdot.org
  
  Seattle-based startup Hubble Network plans to launch a constellation of 300 satellites to create a global satellite network that any Bluetooth-enabled device can connect to, anywhere in the world. The network aims to provide real-time updates for devices equipped with Bluetooth low energy (BLE) chips, offering connectivity to over a billion devices. TechCrunch reports: Hubble Network CEO Alex Haro says the company has engineered "technical tricks" to make this scale of connectivity possible for
  
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• The First X-Ray Taken of a Single Atom

  01-06-2023 05:30 via science.slashdot.org
  
  An anonymous reader quotes a report from Ars Technica: Atomic-scale imaging emerged in the mid-1950s and has been advancing rapidly ever since -- so much so, that back in 2008, physicists successfully used an electron microscope to image a single hydrogen atom. Five years later, scientists were able to peer inside a hydrogen atom using a "quantum microscope," resulting in the first direct observation of electron orbitals. And now we have the first X-ray taken of a single atom, courtesy of scient
  
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• US Announces $46 Million In Funds To Eight Nuclear Fusion Companies

  01-06-2023 03:25 via hardware.slashdot.org
  
  The US Department of Energy has announced that eight American companies working on nuclear fusion energy will receive $46 million in government funding to pursue pilot plants aimed at generating power from fusion reactions. Reuters reports: The Energy Department's Milestone-Based Fusion Development Program hopes to help develop pilot-scale demonstration of fusion within a decade. "The Biden-Harris Administration is committed to partnering with innovative researchers and companies across the coun
  
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• New Report Says American Government Agencies Are Using Malware Similar To Banned Pegasus Spyware

  01-06-2023 02:45 via yro.slashdot.org
  
  A new report has revealed that a government agency in the US, namely the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA), is allegedly using a spyware called Paragon Graphite that shares similarities with the notorious Pegasus spyware. From a report: Pegasus was sold off to the government and other law firms. Moreover, we saw the firm making plenty of purchases through the likes of hackers. The software tends to give in to exploitation that can be achieved through zero clicks, all thanks to the great skill of hac
  
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• Meta Threatens To Yank News Content From California Over Payments Bill

  01-06-2023 02:02 via yro.slashdot.org
  
  Meta announced that it would remove news content from its platform in California if the state government passes legislation requiring tech companies to pay publishers. Reuters reports: The proposed California Journalism Preservation Act would require "online platforms" to pay a "journalism usage fee" to news providers whose work appears on their services, aimed at reversing a decline in the local news sector. In a tweeted statement, Meta spokesman Andy Stone called the payment structure a "slush
  
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• Wall Street Firms To Take On Binance, Coinbase, Other Crypto-Native Exchanges

  01-06-2023 01:20 via slashdot.org
  
  An anonymous reader quotes a report from CryptoSlate: Traditional financial firms, including Standard Chartered, Nomura, and Charles Schwab, are busy building or funding new crypto exchange and custody platforms, FT reported on May 31. These well-known Wall Street firms are betting that fund managers are still interested in trading crypto even after last year's market downturn and the string of crypto scandals. The FTX bankruptcy and Terra ecosystem implosion, among others, highlighted the risk
  
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• Amazon To Pay $30 Million For Alexa, Ring Privacy Violations

  01-06-2023 00:40 via yro.slashdot.org
  
  Amazon and its subsidiary, Ring, have agreed to separate multi-million dollar settlements with the U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC) over privacy violations involving children's use of Alexa and homeowners' use of Ring doorbell cameras. Amazon will pay $25 million for failing to delete Alexa recordings as requested by parents and for keeping them longer than necessary, while Ring will pay $5.8 million for mishandling customers' videos. Reuters reports: "While we disagree with the FTC's claims
  
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• Brave Releases Its Search API

  01-06-2023 00:00 via tech.slashdot.org
  
  Brave has launched its Brave Search API, allowing third parties to integrate its privacy-preserving and ad-free search results into their applications through a simple API call. Thurrott reports: Brave notes that its Search API is inexpensive and that it's a great fit for Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Large Language Models developers in particular because it provides access to a collection of high-quality, Web-scale data including recent events. Brave claims that its standalone Brave Search o
  
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