ICT news

• Automakers Sold Driver Data For Pennies, Senators Say

  26-07-2024 23:20 via tech.slashdot.org
  
  An anonymous reader quotes a report from the New York Times: If you drive a car made by General Motors and it has an internet connection, your car's movements and exact location are being collected and shared anonymously with a data broker. This practice, disclosed in a letter (PDF) sent by Senators Ron Wyden of Oregon and Edward J. Markey of Massachusetts to the Federal Trade Commission on Friday, is yet another way in which automakers are tracking drivers (source may be paywalled; alternative
  
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• ISPs Seeking Government Handouts Try To Avoid Offering Low-Cost Broadband

  26-07-2024 22:41 via tech.slashdot.org
  
  Internet service providers are pushing back against the Biden administration's requirement for low-cost options even as they are attempting to secure funds from a $42.45 billion government broadband initiative. The Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment program, established by law to expand internet access, mandates that recipients offer affordable plans to eligible low-income subscribers, a stipulation the providers argue infringes on legal prohibitions against rate regulation. ISPs claim tha
  
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• 2U, Once a Giant in Online Education, Files for Chapter 11 Bankruptcy

  26-07-2024 22:01 via news.slashdot.org
  
  Online education company 2U filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection and is being taken private in a deal that will wipe out more than half of its $945 million debt [non-paywalled link]. From a report: 2U was a pioneer in the online education space, joining with schools including the University of Southern California, Georgetown University and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill to design and operate online courses in fields including nursing and social work. But it struggled in re
  
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• Pixel 9 AI Will Add You To Group Photos Even When You're Not There

  26-07-2024 21:25 via tech.slashdot.org
  
  Google's upcoming Pixel 9 smartphones are set to introduce new AI-powered features, including "Add Me," a tool that will allow users to insert themselves into group photos after those pictures have been taken, according to leaked promotional video obtained by Android Headlines. This feature builds on the Pixel 8's "Best Take" function, which allowed face swapping in group shots.Read more of this story at Slashdot.
  
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• FTC's Khan Backs Open AI Models in Bid to Avoid Monopolies

  26-07-2024 20:45 via news.slashdot.org
  
  Open AI models that allow developers to customize them with few restrictions are more likely to promote competition, FTC Chair Lina Khan said, weighing in on a key debate within the industry. From a report: "There's tremendous potential for open-weight models to promote competition," Khan said Thursday in San Francisco at startup incubator Y Combinator. "Open-weight models can liberate startups from the arbitrary whims of closed developers and cloud gatekeepers."
  "Open-weight" models disclose wh
  
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• Russia To Slow YouTube Speeds

  26-07-2024 20:06 via news.slashdot.org
  
  Russia admitted that it's deliberately slowing YouTube's loading speeds and said it plans to throttle the download speeds on the Google platform by up to 70% by the end of next week. Russia is taking this stand in response to Google's refusal to comply with the demands of the Russian authorities, local lawmaker Alexander Khinshtein said. From a report: Khinshtein, the head of the State Duma's Information Policy Committee, claimed that the move is "not aimed against Russian users, but against the
  
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• No Fix For Intel's Crashing 13th and 14th Gen CPUs - Any Damage is Permanent

  26-07-2024 19:30 via it.slashdot.org
  
  An anonymous reader shares a report: On Monday, it initially seemed like the beginning of the end for Intel's desktop CPU instability woes -- the company confirmed a patch is coming in mid-August that should address the "root cause" of exposure to elevated voltage. But if your 13th or 14th Gen Intel Core processor is already crashing, that patch apparently won't fix it.
  Citing unnamed sources, Tom's Hardware reports that any degradation of the processor is irreversible, and an Intel spokesperson
  
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• Marvel's Kevin Feige Defends Sequels as an 'Absolute Pillar of the Industry'

  26-07-2024 18:48 via entertainment.slashdot.org
  
  Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige, who has overseen the Marvel Cinematic Universe's unprecedented success, has expressed his longstanding appreciation for sequels and world-building in cinema at a time when Disney's top executive has admitted that the company has diluted audience's attention by making too many TV shows and movies.
  "I was never cynical or rolling my eyes the way people still do today for some reason, even though there've been sequels since the '30s and they're an absolute pill
  
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• It Is Now Easier To Pass AP Tests

  26-07-2024 18:05 via news.slashdot.org
  
  More students are getting high scores on Advanced Placement tests, long seen as a gateway to elite college admissions as well as a way to earn college credit during high school. From a report: Changes by the tests' maker in recent years have shifted scores upward. That has led to hundreds of thousands of additional students getting what's considered a passing score -- 3 or above on the 1-to-5 scale -- on exams in popular courses including AP U.S. History and AP U.S. Government.
  The nonprofit beh
  
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• Childhood Air Pollution Directly Linked To Adult Lung Health, Study Says

  26-07-2024 17:36 via science.slashdot.org
  
  Air pollution breathed in during childhood is one of the factors in adult lung health, according to a new study. From a report: The origins of the study date back to 1992 when researchers began investigating the effects of air pollution on groups of children in California. Some of these children are now in their 40s. Dr Erika Garcia and colleagues from the University of Southern California decided to see how they were getting on. More than 1,300 people replied and filled in detailed questionnair
  
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• Windows 11 Will Soon Add Your Android Phone To File Explorer

  26-07-2024 16:44 via it.slashdot.org
  
  Microsoft has started testing a new way to access your Android phone from directly within Windows 11's File Explorer. From a report: Windows Insiders are now able to test this new feature, which lets you wirelessly browse through folders and files on your Android phone. The integration in File Explorer means your Android device appears just like a regular USB device on the left-hand side, with the ability to copy or move files between a PC and Android phone, and rename or delete them. It's certa
  
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• Microsoft Pushes for Windows Changes After CrowdStrike Incident

  26-07-2024 16:06 via slashdot.org
  
  In the wake of a major incident that affected millions of Windows PCs, Microsoft is calling for significant changes to enhance the resilience of its operating system. John Cable, Microsoft's vice president of program management for Windows servicing and delivery, said there was a need for "end-to-end resilience" in a blog post, signaling a potential shift in Microsoft's approach to third-party access to the Windows kernel.
  While not explicitly detailing planned improvements, Cable pointed to rec
  
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• New Chrome Feature Scans Password-Protected Files For Malicious Content

  26-07-2024 15:00 via tech.slashdot.org
  
  An anonymous reader quotes a report from The Hacker News: Google said it's adding new security warnings when downloading potentially suspicious and malicious files via its Chrome web browser. "We have replaced our previous warning messages with more detailed ones that convey more nuance about the nature of the danger and can help users make more informed decisions," Jasika Bawa, Lily Chen, and Daniel Rubery from the Chrome Security team said. To that end, the search giant is introducing a two-ti
  
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• Bizarre Secrets Found Investigating Corrupt Winamp Skins

  26-07-2024 12:00 via news.slashdot.org
  
  Longtime Slashdot reader sandbagger shares a blog post from Meta Engineer Jordan Eldredge, with the caption: A biography of jazz trumpeter Chet Baker, weird images, a worm.exe, random images, encrypted files, a gift a dad in Thailand had made for his two-and-a-half-year-old son, and much more could be found when investigating corrupt WinAmp files. Who knew? "In January of 2021, I was exploring the corpus of skins I collected for the Winamp Skin Museum and found some that seemed corrupted, so I d
  
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• US Solar Production Soars By 25 Percent In Just One Year

  26-07-2024 09:00 via hardware.slashdot.org
  
  Yesterday, the Energy Information Agency (EIA) released electricity generation numbers for the first five months of 2024, revealing that solar power generation increased by 25% compared to the same period last year. Ars Technica's John Timmer reports: The EIA breaks down solar production according to the size of the plant. Large grid-scale facilities have their production tracked, giving the EIA hard numbers. For smaller installations, like rooftop solar on residential and commercial buildings,
  
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• Chemist Explains the Chemistry Behind Decaf Coffee

  26-07-2024 05:30 via developers.slashdot.org
  
  An anonymous reader quotes a report from The Conversation, written by Michael W. Crowder, Professor of Chemistry and Biochemistry and Dean of the Graduate School at Miami University: For many people, the aroma of freshly brewed coffee is the start of a great day. But caffeine can cause headaches and jitters in others. That's why many people reach for a decaffeinated cup instead. I'm a chemistry professor who has taught lectures on why chemicals dissolve in some liquids but not in others. The pro
  
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• AI Models Face Collapse If They Overdose On Their Own Output

  26-07-2024 04:02 via tech.slashdot.org
  
  According to a new study published in Nature, researchers found that training AI models using AI-generated datasets can lead to "model collapse," where models produce increasingly nonsensical outputs over generations. "In one example, a model started with a text about European architecture in the Middle Ages and ended up -- in the ninth generation -- spouting nonsense about jackrabbits," writes The Register's Lindsay Clark. From the report: [W]ork led by Ilia Shumailov, Google DeepMind and Oxfor
  
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• California Supreme Court Upholds Gig Worker Law In a Win For Ride-Hail Companies

  26-07-2024 03:25 via yro.slashdot.org
  
  In a major victory for ride-hail companies, California Supreme Court upheld a law classifying gig workers as independent contractors, maintaining their ineligibility for benefits such as sick leave and workers' compensation. This decision concludes a prolonged legal battle and supports the 2020 ballot measure Proposition 22, despite opposition from labor groups who argued it was unconstitutional. Politico reports: Thursday's ruling capped a yearslong battle between labor and the companies over t
  
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• ServiceNow Embroiled In DOJ Probe of Government Contract Award

  26-07-2024 02:45 via yro.slashdot.org
  
  snydeq shares a report from CIO.com: ServiceNow has reported potential compliance issues to the US Department of Justice "related to one of its government contracts" as well as the hiring of the then-CIO of the US Army to be its head of global public sector, the company said in regulatory filings on Wednesday. The DOJ is looking into the matter. Following an internal investigation, ServiceNow said, its President and COO, CJ Desai, has resigned, while "the other individual has also departed the c
  
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• Video Game Performers Will Go On Strike Over AI Concerns

  26-07-2024 02:02 via games.slashdot.org
  
  An anonymous reader quotes a report from the Associated Press: Hollywood's video game performers voted to go on strike Thursday, throwing part of the entertainment industry into another work stoppage after talks for a new contract with major game studios broke down over artificial intelligence protections. The strike -- the second for video game voice actors and motion capture performers under the Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists -- will begin at 12:01 a.m.
  
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• Oracle's Java Pricing Brews Bitter Taste, Subscribers Spill Over To OpenJDK

  26-07-2024 01:20 via developers.slashdot.org
  
  Lindsay Clark reports via The Register: Only 14 percent of Oracle Java subscribers plan to stay on Big Red's runtime environment, according to a study following the introduction of an employee-based subscription model. At the same time, 36 percent of the 663 Java users questioned said they had already moved to the employee-based pricing model introduced in January 2023. Shortly after the new model was implemented, experts warned that it would create a significant price hike for users adopting it
  
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• iFixit CEO Takes Shots At Anthropic For 'Hitting Our Servers a Million Times In 24 Hours'

  26-07-2024 00:40 via tech.slashdot.org
  
  Yesterday, iFixit CEO Kyle Wiens asked AI company Anthropic why it was clogging up their server bandwidth without permission. "Do you really need to hit our servers a million times in 24 hours?" Wiens wrote on X. "You're not only taking our content without paying, you're tying up our DevOps resources. Not cool." PC Gamer's Jacob Fox reports: Assuming Wiens isn't massively exaggerating, it's no surprise that this is "typing up our devops resources." A million "hits" per day would do it, and would
  
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• Secure Boot Is Completely Broken On 200+ Models From 5 Big Device Makers

  26-07-2024 00:00 via it.slashdot.org
  
  An anonymous reader quotes a report from Ars Technica, written by Dan Goodin: On Thursday, researchers from security firm Binarly revealed that Secure Boot is completely compromised on more than 200 device models sold by Acer, Dell, Gigabyte, Intel, and Supermicro. The cause: a cryptographic key underpinning Secure Boot on those models that was compromised in 2022. In a public GitHub repository committed in December of that year, someone working for multiple US-based device manufacturers publish
  
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