ICT news

• Louisiana Passes Bill Banning Kids From the Internet Without Parental Consent

  08-06-2023 23:40 via yro.slashdot.org
  
  Louisiana lawmakers have passed a bill that would prohibit minors from creating their own social media accounts without parental consent, potentially impacting popular platforms like Instagram and online games such as Roblox and Fortnite. The Verge reports: The bill, HB61, would ban "interactive computer services" from allowing people under 18 to sign up for their own accounts without parental consent. The bill's definition of online services is extremely broad, seemingly barring minors from cre
  
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• Smart TV Industry Rocked By Alleged Patent Conspiracy From Chipmaker

  08-06-2023 23:00 via yro.slashdot.org
  
  An anonymous reader quotes a report from Ars Technica: During the pandemic, the demand for smart TVs dwindled as the supply chain for critical TV components became unreliable and consumers began tightening up on frivolous spending. Amid this smart TV demand slump, one of the world's top TV chipmakers, Taiwan-based Realtek, was hit with multiple meritless lawsuits by an alleged patent troll, Future Link Systems. These actions, Realtek said, drained its resources, made Realtek appear unreliable as
  
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• Meta Plans To Put AI Everywhere on Its Platforms

  08-06-2023 21:36 via tech.slashdot.org
  
  Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg announced a plan to employees on Thursday that will see it put generative AI text, image and video generators into its flagship products, such as Facebook and Instagram. From a report: At an all-hands meeting with workers on Thursday, Zuckerberg announced a range of technologies at various stages of development, with some for internal use but many designed directly for consumers. One, for example, will allow customers to use a text prompt to modify their own photos and s
  
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• Google Lifts Ban on Downloader App

  08-06-2023 20:47 via tech.slashdot.org
  
  Google has reversed the suspension of an Android TV app that was hit with a copyright complaint simply because it is able to load a pirate website that can also be loaded in any standard web browser. From a report: The Downloader app, which combines a web browser with a file manager, is back in the Google Play Store after an absence of nearly three weeks. As we previously reported, Google suspended the app based on a Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) complaint from several Israeli TV compa
  
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• Google's Password Manager Gains Biometric Authentication on Desktop

  08-06-2023 20:16 via tech.slashdot.org
  
  Google's aiming to make it easier to use and secure passwords -- at least, for users of the Password Manager tool built into its Chrome browser. From a report: Today, the tech giant announced that Password Manager, which generates unique passwords and autofills them across platforms, will soon gain biometric authentication on PC. (Android and iOS have had biometric authentication for some time.) When enabled, it'll require an additional layer of security, like fingerprint recognition or facial r
  
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• Apollo, Popular Reddit App, To Shut Down June 30 Following API Price Surge

  08-06-2023 19:42 via developers.slashdot.org
  
  Popular Reddit app Apollo, which recently warned that social firm's API price hike would cost the developer $20 million a year for access, announced today that it's shutting shop: In order to avoid incurring charges I will delete Apollo's API token on the evening of June 30th PST. Until that point, Apollo should continue to operate as it has, but after that date attempts to connect to the Reddit API will fail. I will put up an explainer in the app prior to that which will go live at that date. I
  
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• Global Greenhouse Gas Emissions at All-Time High, Study Finds

  08-06-2023 18:57 via news.slashdot.org
  
  Greenhouse gas emissions have reached an all-time high, threatening to push the world into "unprecedented" levels of global heating, scientists have warned. From a report: The world is rapidly running out of "carbon budget," the amount of carbon dioxide that can be poured into the atmosphere if we are to stay within the vital threshold of 1.5C above pre-industrial temperatures, according to a study published in the journal Earth System Science Data on Thursday.
  Only about 250bn tonnes of carbon
  
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• Apple, Epic Ask US Appeals Court To Reconsider Its Antitrust Ruling

  08-06-2023 18:00 via apple.slashdot.org
  
  Apple and "Fortnite" maker Epic Games have both asked a U.S. appeals court to reconsider its April ruling in an antitrust case that could force Apple to change payment practices in its App Store. From a report: Apple and Epic, in separate court filings, mounted challenges to a ruling by a three-judge panel of the San Francisco-based 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. Lawyers for the two companies said the panel should rehear the case or the court should convene "en banc," as an 11-judge panel, t
  
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• iOS 17 Automatically Removes Tracking Parameters From Links You Click On

  08-06-2023 17:20 via yro.slashdot.org
  
  iOS 17 and macOS Sonoma include even more privacy-preserving features while browsing the web. From a report: Link Tracking Protection is a new feature automatically activated in Mail, Messages, and Safari in Private Browsing mode. It detects user-identifiable tracking parameters in link URLs, and automatically removes them.
  Adding tracking parameters to links is one way advertisers and analytics firms try to track user activity across websites. Rather than storing third-party cookies, a tracking
  
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• Scientists Claim 99% Identification Rate of ChatGPT Content

  08-06-2023 16:40 via science.slashdot.org
  
  Academics have apparently trained a machine learning algorithm to detect scientific papers generated by ChatGPT and claim the software has over 99 percent accuracy. From a report: Generative AI models have dramatically improved at mimicking human writing over a short period of time, making it difficult for people to tell whether text was produced by a machine or human. Teachers and lecturers have raised concerns that students using the tools are committing plagiarism, or apparently cheating usin
  
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• EU Approves $8.7 Billion of State Aid for Tech Innovation Projects

  08-06-2023 16:00 via slashdot.org
  
  The European Commission has approved 8.1 billion euros ($8.7 billion) of state aid for microelectronics and communication technology projects as part of the European Union's drive to be at the cutting edge of technological innovation. From a report: The EU executive said on Thursday that 14 member countries could provide the aid to 68 projects involving companies including Airbus, ASML and Ericsson. The projects have been collectively designated an Important Project of Common European Interest (
  
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• AI System Devises First Optimizations To Sorting Code In Over a Decade

  08-06-2023 15:00 via developers.slashdot.org
  
  An anonymous reader quotes a report from Ars Technica: Anyone who has taken a basic computer science class has undoubtedly spent time devising a sorting algorithm -- code that will take an unordered list of items and put them in ascending or descending order. It's an interesting challenge because there are so many ways of doing it and because people have spent a lot of time figuring out how to do this sorting as efficiently as possible. Sorting is so basic that algorithms are built into most sta
  
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• VMware Releases Security Update for Aria Operations for Networks

  08-06-2023 14:00 via cisa.gov
  VMware has released a security update to address multiple vulnerabilities in Aria Operations for Networks (Formerly vRealize Network Insight). The vulnerabilities were evaluated to fall within the critical severity range, as a malicious actor with network access may be able to perform a command injection attack resulting in remote code execution. Patches have been made available to remediate the vulnerabilities found in VMWare products.  CISA encourages users and administrators to revi
  
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• Malwarebytes Faces Lawsuit For Classifying Rival's Anti-Spyware Program As a Threat

  08-06-2023 12:00 via yro.slashdot.org
  
  Enigma software group has won a crucial case in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, allowing it to proceed with its lawsuit against Malwarebytes for flagging its anti-spyware software as a 'potentially unwanted program.' The lawsuit alleges that Malwarebytes has engaged in anti-competitive conduct under the Lanham Act and tortious interference with Enigma's business. TechSpot reports: The ruling has been lambasted by some legal experts, who believe it could hamper cybersecurity serv
  
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• Artificial Photosynthesis Could Be The Secret to Colonizing Space

  08-06-2023 09:00 via science.slashdot.org
  
  Artificial photosynthesis, inspired by the natural process that enables plants to convert sunlight, water, and carbon dioxide into oxygen and energy, could be crucial for space exploration and colonization. By using semiconductor materials and metallic catalysts, these devices could efficiently produce oxygen and recycle carbon dioxide, reducing reliance on heavy and unreliable systems currently used on the International Space Station. ScienceAlert reports: As my colleagues and I have investigat
  
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• 10 Years After Snowden's First Leak, What Have We Learned?

  08-06-2023 05:30 via yro.slashdot.org
  
  An anonymous reader quotes a report from The Register: The world got a first glimpse into the US government's far-reaching surveillance of American citizens' communications -- namely, their Verizon telephone calls -- 10 years ago this week when Edward Snowden's initial leaks hit the press. [...] In the decade since then, "reformers have made real progress advancing the bipartisan notion that Americans' liberty and security are not mutually exclusive," [US Senator Ron Wyden (D-OR)] said. "That ha
  
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• Twitch Walks Back Controversial Ad Rules Policy

  08-06-2023 04:02 via games.slashdot.org
  
  Twitch has reversed its recently announced rules regarding ad display on the platform after facing swift backlash from streamers and content creators. The Verge reports: On Tuesday, Twitch released new rules concerning the way streamers could display ads on the platform. The rules prohibited "burned in" video, display, and audio ads -- the first two of which were popular and common formats used throughout Twitch. Twitch apparently did not discuss the new rules with ambassadors or streamers befor
  
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• Instagram's Recommendation Algorithms Are Promoting Pedophile Networks

  08-06-2023 03:25 via tech.slashdot.org
  
  According to a joint investigation from The Wall Street Journal and researchers at Stanford University and the University of Massachusetts Amherst, Instagram's algorithms are actively promoting networks of pedophiles who commission and sell child sexual abuse content on the app. The Verge reports: Accounts found by the researchers are advertised using blatant and explicit hashtags like #pedowhore, #preteensex, and #pedobait. They offer "menus" of content for users to buy or commission, including
  
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• United Airlines Adding 4K OLED TVs For In-Flight Entertainment

  08-06-2023 02:45 via tech.slashdot.org
  
  United Airlines is set to introduce the next-generation Astrove in-flight entertainment system, featuring Panasonic's 4K OLED TVs, with larger screens and thinner bezels than current models. The system also offers Bluetooth 5.0 connectivity, allowing passengers to use their own wireless headphones, and includes two 67W USB-C chargers for charging mobile devices. However, these new entertainment systems will only be available on United's new Airbus A321XLRs and Boeing 787s starting in 2025. Andro
  
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• Microsoft Says Clop Ransomware Gang Is Behind MOVEit Mass-Hacks

  08-06-2023 02:02 via it.slashdot.org
  
  An anonymous reader quotes a report from TechCrunch: Security researchers have linked to the notorious Clop ransomware gang a new wave of mass-hacks targeting a popular file transfer tool, as the first victims of the attacks begin to come forward. It was revealed last week that hackers are exploiting a newly discovered vulnerability in MOVEit Transfer, a file-transfer tool widely used by enterprises to share large files over the internet. The vulnerability allows hackers to gain unauthorized acc
  
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• Amazon Prime Video Is Reportedly Planning An Ad-Supported Tier

  08-06-2023 01:20 via entertainment.slashdot.org
  
  According to a report from the Wall Street Journal, Amazon is preparing to launch an ad-supported tier of Prime Video. The Verge reports: Amazon currently offers Prime Video as part of its $14.99 per month Prime membership or for $8.99 per month as a standalone subscription. Subscribers can tack on other ad-free subscriptions to services like Max, Paramount Plus, and Showtime through Prime Video Channels. As noted by the WSJ, Amazon is currently weighing several ways it could implement ads in Pr
  
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• OpenAI CEO Suggests International Agency Like UN's Nuclear Watchdog Could Oversee AI

  08-06-2023 00:40 via slashdot.org
  
  OpenAI CEO Sam Altman warned during a visit to the United Arab Emirates that AI poses an "existential risk" to humanity and suggested the establishment of an international agency, similar to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), to oversee AI. The Associated Press reports: "We face serious risk. We face existential risk," said Altman, 38. "The challenge that the world has is how we're going to manage those risks and make sure we still get to enjoy those tremendous benefits. No one wants
  
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• GameStop Fires Its CEO; Meme Stock Investor Ryan Cohen Takes Over

  08-06-2023 00:03 via slashdot.org
  
  An anonymous reader quotes a report from The Verge: GameStop has fired CEO Matt Furlong, the company announced as part of its first quarter 2023 earnings on Wednesday. There's no immediate replacement, though board chairman Ryan Cohen has been appointed executive chairman, the company said in a short press release about Furlong's firing. Cohen, who founded the e-commerce site Chewy, has invested in a number of "memestocks" including GameStop and Bed, Bath and Beyond. His surprise sale of Bed, Ba
  
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