ICT news

• Science Editors Raise New Doubts on Meta's Claims It Isn't Polarizing

  27-09-2024 23:20 via tech.slashdot.org
  
  Meta Platforms' claims that Facebook doesn't polarize Americans came under new doubt as the journal Science raised questions about a prominent research paper the tech giant has cited to support its position. WSJ: In an editorial Thursday, Science said that Meta's emergency efforts to calm its platforms in the wake of the 2020 election may have swayed the conclusions of the paper, which the journal published in July 2023. The editorial, titled "Context matters in social media," was prompted by a
  
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• If 23andMe Is Up for Sale, So Is All That DNA

  27-09-2024 22:45 via yro.slashdot.org
  
  23andMe is not doing well. Its stock is on the verge of being delisted. It shut down its in-house drug-development unit last month, only the latest in several rounds of layoffs. Last week, the entire board of directors quit, save for Anne Wojcicki, a co-founder and the company's CEO. Amid this downward spiral, Wojcicki has said she'll consider selling 23andMe -- which means the DNA of 23andMe's 15 million customers would be up for sale, too. The Atlantic: 23andMe's trove of genetic data might be
  
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• Flaw In Kia's Web Portal Let Researchers Track, Hack Cars

  27-09-2024 22:02 via it.slashdot.org
  
  SpzToid shares a report: Today, a group of independent security researchers revealed that they'd found a flaw in a web portal operated by the carmaker Kia that let the researchers reassign control of the Internet-connected features of most modern Kia vehicles -- dozens of models representing millions of cars on the road -- from the smartphone of a car's owner to the hackers' own phone or computer. By exploiting that vulnerability and building their own custom app to send commands to target cars,
  
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• Europe's Space Agency Will Destroy a Brand-New Satellite in 2027 Just To See What Happens

  27-09-2024 21:25 via science.slashdot.org
  
  The European Space Agency (ESA) plans to launch a satellite into Earth's orbit in 2027 to watch it get wrecked as it reenters the atmosphere. From a report: The project is intended to help understand how exactly satellites break apart so that scientists can learn how to prevent the creation of more space debris. Space junk is becoming a bigger problem as we send more satellites into orbit, but there are efforts to try and address it. This mission is part of the ESA's Zero Debris Charter initiati
  
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• White House Agonizes Over UN Cybercrime Treaty

  27-09-2024 20:45 via yro.slashdot.org
  
  The United Nations is set to vote on a treaty later this year intended to create norms for fighting cybercrime -- and the Biden administration is fretting over whether to sign on. Politico: The uncertainty over the treaty stems from fears that countries including Russia, Iran and China could use the text as a guise for U.N. approval of their widespread surveillance measures and suppression of the digital rights of their citizens. If the United States chooses not to vote in favor of the treaty, i
  
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• Steam Will Let You Sue Valve Now

  27-09-2024 20:19 via slashdot.org
  
  Steam just removed its forced arbitration policy, opening the door for lawsuits against its parent company, Valve. From a report: In an update on Thursday, Steam says its subscriber agreement "now provides that any disputes are to go forward in court instead of arbitration." Many companies include a forced arbitration clause in their user agreement, waiving a person's right to a trial in court. Arbitration involves settling a dispute outside a legal system before an impartial third party. This m
  
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• Controversial Windows Recall AI Search Tool Returns

  27-09-2024 19:25 via it.slashdot.org
  
  wiredmikey writes: Three months after pulling previews of the controversial Windows Recall feature due to public backlash, Microsoft says it has completely overhauled the security architecture with proof-of-presence encryption, anti-tampering and DLP checks, and screenshot data managed in secure enclaves outside the main operating system.
  In an interview with SecurityWeek, Microsoft vice president David Weston said the company's engineers rewrote the security model of Windows Recall to reduce at
  
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• Iranian Operatives Charged in the US With Hacking Donald Trump's Presidential Campaign

  27-09-2024 18:50 via news.slashdot.org
  
  The Justice Department unsealed criminal charges Friday against three Iranian operatives suspected of hacking Donald Trump's presidential campaign and disseminating stolen information to media organizations. From a report: The three accused hackers were employed by Iran's paramilitary Revolutionary Guard and their operation also targeted a broad swath of targets, including government officials, members of the media and non-governmental organizations, the Justice Department said.
  The Trump campai
  
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• Apple Rolls Back Its Big Plans to Release Movies in Theaters

  27-09-2024 18:00 via apple.slashdot.org
  
  An anonymous reader shares a report: Apple is rethinking its movie strategy after the disappointing box office performance of several big-budget films, including Martin Scorsese's Killers of the Flower Moon, Napoleon, Argylle and Fly Me to the Moon. Apple canceled plans to release Wolfs -- an action comedy starring George Clooney and Brad Pitt -- in thousands of theaters globally. Instead, the picture made its debut in a limited number of venues before it became available on the Apple TV+ stream
  
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• TSMC Execs Dismiss OpenAI Chief's $7 Trillion Chip Plan as 'Podcasting Bro' Vision

  27-09-2024 17:20 via tech.slashdot.org
  
  Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC) executives have dismissed OpenAI CEO Sam Altman's ambitious chip-making proposal as unrealistic, according to The New York Times. Altman, seeking to boost AI computing power, pitched a $7 trillion plan to build 36 semiconductor plants over several years during a visit to TSMC's Taiwan headquarters. TSMC leaders reportedly found Altman's proposal so far-fetched that they privately referred to him as a "podcasting bro," reflecting skepticism about his g
  
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• Dell Mandates Five-Day Office Presence For Global Sales Team

  27-09-2024 16:40 via slashdot.org
  
  Dell is requiring global sales employees to work from offices five days a week starting September 30, according to an internal memo. The move aims to foster collaboration and skill development. Field representatives must spend five days weekly with customers, partners, or in-office, up from the previous three-day requirement, Dell says in the memo, according to Reuters. Remote workers unable to access Dell offices will continue working from home.Read more of this story at Slashdot.
  
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• Turning OpenAI Into a Real Business Is Tearing It Apart

  27-09-2024 16:00 via tech.slashdot.org
  
  OpenAI, creator of ChatGPT, is experiencing significant internal turmoil as a wave of high-profile departures, including Chief Technology Officer Mira Murati, rocks the company. Over 20 researchers and executives have left this year, reflecting deepening tensions between the organization's original nonprofit mission and its new profit-driven focus, WSJ reported Friday.
  Employees report rushed product launches and inadequate safety testing, raising concerns about OpenAI's technological edge. CEO
  
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• South Korea Criminalizes Watching Or Possessing Sexually Explicit Deepfakes

  27-09-2024 15:00 via yro.slashdot.org
  
  An anonymous reader quotes a report from Reuters: South Korean lawmakers on Thursday passed a bill that criminalizes possessing or watching sexually explicit deepfake images and videos, with penalties set to include prison terms and fines. There has been an outcry in South Korea over Telegram group chats where sexually explicit and illegal deepfakes were created and widely shared, prompting calls for tougher punishment. Anyone purchasing, saving or watching such material could face up to three y
  
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• Promises of 'Passive Income' On Amazon Led To Death Threats For Negative Online Review, FTC Says

  27-09-2024 12:00 via news.slashdot.org
  
  "The Federal Trade Commission is cracking down on 'automation' companies that launch and manage online businesses on behalf of customers in exchange for an upfront investment," reports CNBC's Annie Palmer. "The latest case targets Ascend Ecom, which ran an e-commerce money-making scheme, primarily on Amazon." The FTC accuses the e-commerce company of defrauding consumers of at least $25 million through false claims, deceptive marketing practices, and attempts to suppress negative reviews. From t
  
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• Starlink Is Now Available on All Hawaiian Airlines Airbus Flights

  27-09-2024 09:00 via mobile.slashdot.org
  
  Hot on the heels of United Airlines' Starlink announcement, Hawaiian Airlines said it, too, is offering "fast and free Starlink Wi-Fi" across its entire Airbus fleet. CNET reports: Hawaiian Airlines is now the first major carrier to use Elon Musk's satellite internet service, which taps more than 7,000 satellites in low earth orbit to deliver high-speed internet worldwide. "In Starlink's low earth orbit constellation of advanced satellites, the latest of which utilize a revolutionary laser mesh
  
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• HP Is Adding AI To Its Printers

  27-09-2024 05:30 via hardware.slashdot.org
  
  An anonymous reader quotes a report from PCWorld, written by Michael Crider: The latest perpetrator of questionable AI branding? HP. The company is introducing "Print AI," what it calls the "industry's first intelligent print experience for home, office, and large format printing." What does that mean? It's essentially a new beta software driver package for some HP printers. According to the press release, it can deliver "Perfect Output" -- capital P capital O -- a branded tool that reformats th
  
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• NIST Proposes Barring Some of the Most Nonsensical Password Rules

  27-09-2024 03:25 via yro.slashdot.org
  
  Ars Technica's Dan Goodin reports: Last week, NIST released its second public draft of SP 800-63-4, the latest version of its Digital Identity Guidelines. At roughly 35,000 words and filled with jargon and bureaucratic terms, the document is nearly impossible to read all the way through and just as hard to understand fully. It sets both the technical requirements and recommended best practices for determining the validity of methods used to authenticate digital identities online. Organizations t
  
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• Dozens of Fortune 100 Companies Have Unwittingly Hired North Korean IT Workers

  27-09-2024 02:45 via it.slashdot.org
  
  "Dozens of Fortune 100 organizations" have unknowingly hired North Korean IT workers using fake identities, generating revenue for the North Korean government while potentially compromising tech firms, according to Google's Mandiant unit. "In a report published Monday [...], researchers describe a common scheme orchestrated by the group it tracks as UNC5267, which has been active since 2018," reports The Record. "In most cases, the IT workers 'consist of individuals sent by the North Korean gove
  
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• Mozilla Hit With Privacy Complaint In EU Over Firefox Tracking Tech

  27-09-2024 02:03 via tech.slashdot.org
  
  Mozilla has been hit with a complaint by EU privacy group noyb, accusing it of violating GDPR by tracking Firefox users by default without their consent. TechCrunch reports: Mozilla calls the feature at issue "Privacy Preserving Attribution" (PPA). But noyb argues this is misdirection. And if EU privacy regulators agree with the complaint the Firefox-maker could be slapped with orders to change tack -- or even face a penalty (the GDPR allows for fines of up to 4% of global revenue). "Contrary to
  
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• Paralyzed Jockey Loses Ability To Walk After Manufacturer Refuses To Fix Battery For His $100,000 Exoskeleton

  27-09-2024 01:20 via hardware.slashdot.org
  
  An anonymous reader quotes a report from 404 Media: After a horseback riding accident left him paralyzed from the waist down in 2009, former jockey Michael Straight learned to walk again with the help of a $100,000 ReWalk Personal exoskeleton. Earlier this month, that exoskeleton broke because of a malfunctioning piece of wiring in an accompanying watch that makes the exoskeleton work. The manufacturer refused to fix it, saying the machine was now too old to be serviced, and Straight once again
  
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• Google's NotebookLM Can Help You Dive Deeper Into YouTube Videos

  27-09-2024 00:40 via news.slashdot.org
  
  The Verge's Emma Roth reports: NotebookLM, Google's AI note-taking app, can now summarize and help you dig deeper into YouTube videos. The new capability works by analyzing the text in a YouTube video's transcript, including autogenerated ones. Once you add a YouTube link to NotebookLM, it will use AI to provide a brief summary of key topics discussed in the transcript. You can then click on these topics to get more detailed information as well as ask questions. (If you're struggling to come up
  
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• US Justice Department Probes Super Micro Computer

  27-09-2024 00:00 via yro.slashdot.org
  
  According to the Wall Street Journal, the U.S. Department of Justice is investigating Super Micro Computer after short-seller Hindenburg Research alleged "accounting manipulation" at the AI server maker. Super Micro's shares fell about 12% following the report. Reuters reports: The WSJ report, which cited people familiar with the matter, said the probe was at an early stage and that a prosecutor at a U.S. attorney's office recently contacted people who may be holding relevant information. The pr
  
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