ICT news

• FTC Launches Broad Microsoft Antitrust Investigation

  27-11-2024 23:40 via yro.slashdot.org
  
  The FTC has opened a broad antitrust investigation into Microsoft, including of its software licensing and cloud computing business. Bloomberg first reported the news. Reuters reports: The probe was approved by FTC Chair Lina Khan ahead of her likely departure in January. The election of Donald Trump as U.S. president and the expectation he will appoint a fellow Republican with a softer approach toward business, leaves the outcome of the investigation up in the air.The FTC is examining allegatio
  
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• Former Android Leaders Are Building an 'Operating System For AI Agents'

  27-11-2024 23:02 via tech.slashdot.org
  
  The Verge's Wes Davis reports: A new startup created by former Android leaders aims to build an operating system for AI agents. Among them is Hugo Barra, Google's former VP of Android product management, who says the new company -- named "/dev/agents" -- will revisit the leaders' "Android roots.""We can see the promise of AI agents, but as a developer, it's just too hard to build anything good," /dev/agents cofounder and CEO and Google's former Android VP of engineering David Singleton told Bloo
  
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• Hacker In Snowflake Extortions May Be a US Soldier

  27-11-2024 22:25 via it.slashdot.org
  
  An anonymous reader quotes a report from KrebsOnSecurity: Two men have been arrested for allegedly stealing data from and extorting dozens of companies that used the cloud data storage company Snowflake, but a third suspect -- a prolific hacker known as Kiberphant0m -- remains at large and continues to publicly extort victims. However, this person's identity may not remain a secret for long: A careful review of Kiberphant0m's daily chats across multiple cybercrime personas suggests they are a U.
  
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• LinkedIn Posts Are Now Mostly AI-Written, Study Shows

  27-11-2024 21:41 via slashdot.org
  
  More than half of longer English posts on LinkedIn are likely generated by AI, according to research from AI detection firm Originality AI. The company analyzed nearly 9,000 public posts over 100 words published between 2018 and 2024, finding AI usage surged 189% after ChatGPT's launch in early 2023, Wired reported Wednesday.
  LinkedIn, which also offers AI writing tools to premium subscribers, told Wired that it does not track AI-generated content levels but maintains "robust defenses" against l
  
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• Leica Just Recorded the Highest Revenue in Its Entire 100-Year History

  27-11-2024 21:01 via slashdot.org
  
  PetaPixel: Leica Camera announced that its 2023/2024 fiscal year saw it achieve the highest revenue in the entire history of the company. It saw 14% growth to 554 million euros ($586.3 million) over last year's already spectacular 485 million euros.
  Last winter, Leica announced that it had set a sales record for the 2022/23 financial year and it has shattered that achievement now in 2024. The company says it was able to build on its successful business and sustain the growth of its earnings. The
  
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• RIP Delicious Library

  27-11-2024 20:21 via tech.slashdot.org
  
  Wil Shipley, announcing the end of Delicious Library, a media cataloging app: Amazon has shut off the feed that allowed Delicious Library to look up items, unfortunately limiting the app to what users already have (or enter manually).
  I wasn't contacted about this.
  I've pulled it from the Mac App Store and shut down the website so nobody accidentally buys a non-functional app. John Gruber of DaringFireball adds: The end of an era, but it's kind of surprising it was still functional until now. (S
  
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• Philippines Recruits Civilian Tech Talent To Fend Off Cyber Attacks

  27-11-2024 19:41 via news.slashdot.org
  
  The Philippine Army is recruiting civilian hackers to bolster its cybersecurity defenses amid rising digital threats from China, army officials said. The 120-member Cyber Battalion has hired 70 tech experts in their 20s and 30s since 2020, offering them military training and the opportunity to serve the nation despite lower wages than private sector jobs.
  The initiative follows cyber attacks on Philippine government servers, including those of the Coast Guard and President Marcos Jr., which auth
  
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• China Woos Western Tech Talent in Race for Chip Supremacy

  27-11-2024 19:01 via tech.slashdot.org
  
  Chinese companies are aggressively recruiting foreign tech talent as a key strategy to gain technological supremacy, prompting national security concerns across Western nations and Asia, WSJ reported Wednesday, citing multiple intelligence officials and corporate sources. The campaign focuses particularly on advanced semiconductor expertise, with companies like Huawei offering triple salaries to employees at critical firms like Zeiss SMT and ASML, which produce essential components for cutting-e
  
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• Sony Says It Sold 160 Million PlayStation 2 Units in Milestone Disclosure

  27-11-2024 18:21 via games.slashdot.org
  
  Sony has confirmed the PlayStation 2 has sold over 160 million units worldwide since its 2000 launch, marking the first official acknowledgment of its record-breaking lifetime sales. The figure, revealed on Sony's 30th anniversary PlayStation website, cements PS2's position as the best-selling gaming console ever, ahead of Nintendo DS at 154.02 million units and Nintendo Switch at 146 million units.Read more of this story at Slashdot.
  
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• Italian Authorities Shut Down $3.2 Billion-a-Year Pirate TV, Streaming Ring

  27-11-2024 17:42 via yro.slashdot.org
  
  A piracy ring that gave 22 million subscribers in Europe cheap access to content stolen from international streaming services has been shut down by Italian authorities after a two-year investigation. From a report: The criminal enterprise used a complex international IT system to "capture and resell" live programming and other on-demand content from companies including sports broadcaster DAZN, Netflix, Amazon Prime, Paramount, Sky and Disney+, prosecutors said in a statement on Wednesday.
  Author
  
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• Most Smart Device Makers Fail To Reveal Software Support Periods, FTC Finds

  27-11-2024 17:01 via tech.slashdot.org
  
  Nearly 89% of smart device manufacturers fail to disclose how long they will provide software updates for their products, a Federal Trade Commission staff study found this week. The review of 184 connected devices, including hearing aids, security cameras and door locks, revealed that 161 products lacked clear information about software support duration on their websites.
  Basic internet searches failed to uncover this information for two-thirds of the devices. "Consumers stand to lose a lot of m
  
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• AI Publishing Startup Plans To Release 8,000 Books Next Year

  27-11-2024 16:22 via slashdot.org
  
  Startup Spines plans to publish up to 8,000 books in 2025 using AI, charging authors between $1,200 and $5,000 for editing, design and distribution services. The venture-backed company, which recently secured $16 million in funding, promises to reduce publishing timelines to two to three weeks while allowing authors to retain full royalties.
  Co-founder Yehuda Niv describes Spines as a "publishing platform" rather than self-publishing. The announcement has drawn criticism from industry profession
  
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• Singapore Emerges as Key Testing Ground for Autonomous Vehicles

  27-11-2024 15:41 via tech.slashdot.org
  
  Singapore is positioning itself as a key testing ground for autonomous vehicles, attracting major Chinese firms and establishing unified national guidelines that contrast with fragmented regulations in the U.S. and China.
  China's WeRide launched the country's first public autonomous bus service on Sentosa island in June, while multiple companies are deploying self-driving vehicles for logistics and transportation. The controlled rollout aligns with Singapore's strategy to address labor shortages
  
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• Microsoft Slaps Windows 11 Update Hold on Hardware Connected To eSCL Devices

  27-11-2024 15:01 via it.slashdot.org
  
  Microsoft has confirmed that Windows 11 24H2 has issues with USB-connected devices that support the Scanner Communication Language (eSCL) protocol. From a report: A compatibility hold has been applied to the hardware. The hold means that hardware connected to a USB device supporting the eSCL protocol will not be offered an upgrade to Windows 11 24H2. Microsoft said: "This issue primarily affects USB-connected multifunction devices or standalone scanners that support scan functionality and the eS
  
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• Russia-Linked Hackers Exploited Firefox, Windows Bugs In 'Widespread' Hacking Campaign

  27-11-2024 14:00 via it.slashdot.org
  
  An anonymous reader quotes a report from TechCrunch: Security researchers have uncovered two previously unknown zero-day vulnerabilities that are being actively exploited by RomCom, a Russian-linked hacking group, to target Firefox browser users and Windows device owners across Europe and North America. RomCom is a cybercrime group that is known to carry out cyberattacks and other digital intrusions for the Russian government. The group -- which was last month linked to a ransomware attack targe
  
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• Qualcomm Reportedly Loses Interest In Intel Takeover

  27-11-2024 11:00 via slashdot.org
  
  Qualcomm's interest in acquiring Intel is cooling due to the complexity of the deal, Intel's debt, and regulatory hurdles. However, according to Bloomberg, Qualcomm may still explore acquiring certain divisions of Intel to expand into markets like PCs and networking. Tom's Hardware reports: [T]he proposed acquisition faced significant obstacles, including Intel's $50 billion debt, dropping CPU market share, and its struggling semiconductor manufacturing unit, an area where Qualcomm lacks experti
  
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• FCC Approves T-Mobile, SpaceX License To Extend Coverage To Dead Zones

  27-11-2024 08:00 via tech.slashdot.org
  
  The FCC said it has approved a license for T-Mobile and SpaceX's Starlink to provide supplemental coverage to cover internet dead zones. Reuters reports: The license marks the first time the FCC has authorized a satellite operator collaborating with a wireless carrier to provide supplemental telecommunications coverage from space on some flexible-use spectrum bands allocated to terrestrial service. The partnership aims to extend the reach of wireless networks to remote areas and eliminate "dead
  
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• 'Lollipop' Device Brings Taste To Virtual Reality

  27-11-2024 04:30 via science.slashdot.org
  
  An anonymous reader quotes a report from IEEE Spectrum: Virtual- and augmented-reality setups already modify the way users see and hear the world around them. Add in haptic feedback for a sense of touch and a VR version of Smell-O-Vision, and only one major sense remains: taste. To fill the gap, researchers at the City University of Hong Kong have developed a new interface to simulate taste in virtual and other extended reality (XR). The group previously worked on other systems for wearable inte
  
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• 'Enshittification' Is Officially the Biggest Word of the Year

  27-11-2024 03:00 via tech.slashdot.org
  
  The Macquarie Dictionary, the national dictionary of Australia, has picked "enshittification" as its word of the year. Gizmodo reports: The Australians define the word as "the gradual deterioration of a service or product brought about by a reduction in the quality of service provided, especially of an online platform, and as a consequence of profit-seeking." We've all felt this. Google search is filled with garbage. The internet is clogged with SEO-farming websites that clog up results. Faceboo
  
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• Uber's Gig-Economy Workforce Now Includes Programmers

  27-11-2024 02:01 via slashdot.org
  
  Uber's gig-economy workforce now includes programmers. According to Bloomberg, "The company is expanding beyond its rideshare roots to enter a hot new market: helping other businesses outsource some of their artificial intellgience development to independent contractors." From the report: Its new AI training and data labeling division, called Scaled Solutions, builds on an internal team that tackles large-scale annotation tasks for Uber's rideshare, food delivery and freight units. According to
  
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• Job Seekers Doubt AI's Promised Productivity Gains

  27-11-2024 01:25 via slashdot.org
  
  Despite significant enterprise AI hype, most job seekers remain unconvinced of its benefits, with 69% doubting its ability to enhance work performance and 62% skeptical it reduces workloads. The findings come from a study conducted by Resume Genius. The Register reports: Consistent with the majority opinion that AI in the workplace has failed to impress, only 34 percent of respondents said they were worried about being replaced by a bot, while just 30 percent think AI will increase competition f
  
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• Huawei's Mate 70 Smartphones Will Run Its New Android-Free OS

  27-11-2024 00:45 via mobile.slashdot.org
  
  An anonymous reader quotes a report from The Verge: Huawei has announced its new Mate 70 series smartphone lineup, which will be the first offered with the company's new HarmonyOS Next operating system that doesn't rely on Google's Android services and won't run any Android apps, according to a report by Reuters. The four models of the Mate 70 also don't feature any US hardware following a half decade of US sanctions.The Mate 70, Mate 70 Pro, Mate 70 Pro Plus, and Mate 70 RS will also be offered
  
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• OpenAI's Sora Video Generator Appears To Have Leaked

  27-11-2024 00:04 via slashdot.org
  
  A group appears to have leaked access to Sora, OpenAI's video generator, in protest of what they're calling duplicity and "art washing" on OpenAI's part. From a report: On Tuesday, the group published a project on the AI dev platform Hugging Face seemingly connected to OpenAI's Sora API, which isn't yet publicly available. Using their authentication tokens -- presumably from an early access system -- the group created a frontend that lets users generate videos with Sora.Read more of this story a
  
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