ICT news

• Craig Wright Convicted For Repeatedly Lying About Inventing Bitcoin

  19-12-2024 23:50 via yro.slashdot.org
  
  Craig Wright, an Australian computer scientist living in the UK, has been found guilty of contempt of court for persistently and falsely claiming to be Bitcoin's creator, Satoshi Nakamoto, despite a High Court ruling against his claim. He has been sentenced to 12 months in prison, suspended for two years, and faces jail if he continues his assertions. The BBC reports: [...] Wright, who appeared via videolink, refused to disclose where he was, saying only he was in Asia. It means an international
  
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• Starlink's First Nationwide Satellite Texting Service Goes Live In New Zealand

  19-12-2024 23:10 via tech.slashdot.org
  
  SpaceX has partnered with telecommunications company One NZ to offer satellite-to-cell Starlink texting service to customers in New Zealand. It marks the first time a nationwide satellite text messaging service has been powered by Starlink. Engadget reports: Now onto the caveats, and there are a couple of big ones. Starlink texting is incredibly slow when compared to traditional methods. One NZ says that most messages should be sent and received within three minutes during the initial rollout, b
  
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• Feds Warn SMS Authentication Is Unsafe

  19-12-2024 22:33 via tech.slashdot.org
  
  An anonymous reader quotes a report from Gizmodo: Hackers aligned with the Chinese government have infiltrated U.S. telecommunications infrastructure so deeply that it allowed the interception of unencrypted communications on a number of people, according to reports that first emerged in October. The operation, dubbed Salt Typhoon, apparently allowed hackers to listen to phone calls and nab text messages, and the penetration has been so extensive they haven't even been booted from the telecom ne
  
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• Journal That Published Faulty Black Plastic Study Removed From Science Index

  19-12-2024 20:42 via science.slashdot.org
  
  The publisher of a high-profile, now-corrected study on black plastics has been removed from a critical index of academic journals amid questions about quality criteria, according to a report by Retraction Watch. From a report: On December 16, Clarivate -- a scholarly publication analytics company -- removed the journal Chemosphere from its platform, the Web of Science, which is a key index for academic journals. The indexing platform tracks citations and calculates journal "impact factors," a p
  
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• Microsoft Won't Let Customers Opt Out of Passkey Push

  19-12-2024 19:13 via it.slashdot.org
  
  Microsoft has lauded the success of its efforts to convince customers to use passkeys instead of passwords, without actually quantifying that success. From a report: The software megalith credits passkey adoption to its enrolment user experience, or UX, which owes its unspecified uptake to unavoidable passkey solicitations -- sometimes referred to as "nudges."
  "We're implementing logic that determines how often to show a nudge so as not to overwhelm users, but we don't let them permanently opt o
  
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• FAA Bans Drone Flights Near 'Critical Infrastructure' in New Jersey

  19-12-2024 18:25 via news.slashdot.org
  
  The Federal Aviation Administration has issued a monthlong ban on drone flights over a large swath of New Jersey, the first broad prohibition of its kind since the authorities began investigating a spate of sightings last month that set off fear and speculation. From a report:
  The ban began late on Wednesday and will continue through Jan. 17, according to an F.A.A. alert. The notification cited "special security reasons" for prohibiting flights in airspace near 22 New Jersey communities, includi
  
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• Biden Declares Tougher 2035 Emissions Targets Weeks Before Trump Return

  19-12-2024 17:56 via news.slashdot.org
  
  Joe Biden has announced tougher targets on the US's carbon dioxide emissions for the next decade, in a defiant final gesture intended as a "capstone" on his legacy on the climate. From a report: With just weeks to go before Donald Trump enters the White House, the Biden administration is formally filing new plans under the Paris agreement -- the global climate treaty from which Trump has vowed to withdraw.
  Under the new target, the US would have to cut greenhouse gases by between 61% and 66% by
  
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• UK Arts and Media Reject Plan To Let AI Firms Use Copyrighted Material

  19-12-2024 17:06 via news.slashdot.org
  
  Writers, publishers, musicians, photographers, movie producers and newspapers have rejected the Labour government's plan to create a copyright exemption to help AI companies train their algorithms. From a report: In a joint statement, bodies representing thousands of creatives dismissed the proposal made by ministers on Tuesday that would allow companies such as Open AI, Google and Meta to train their AI systems on published works unless their owners actively opt out.
  The Creative Rights in AI C
  
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• EU Pushes Apple To Make iPhones More Compatible With Rival Devices

  19-12-2024 16:28 via apple.slashdot.org
  
  The European Union has issued draft recommendations requiring Apple to make its iOS and iPadOS operating systems more compatible with competitors' devices, setting up a clash over privacy concerns. The proposals would allow third-party smartwatches and headsets to interact more seamlessly with iPhones.
  Apple has responded [PDF] with warnings about security risks, particularly citing Meta's requests for access to Apple's technology. The Commission seeks industry feedback by January 2025, with fin
  
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• Japan Sees Nuclear as Cheapest Baseload Power Source in 2040

  19-12-2024 15:42 via slashdot.org
  
  Nuclear power is forecast to be the cheapest baseload electricity source in Japan in 2040, highlighting the government's desire to restart the nation's idled reactors. From a report: The cost of constructing and operating a new nuclear power plant for 2040 is estimated at 12.5 yen ($0.08) per kilowatt-hour, according to documents released from a trade ministry panel meeting on Monday. This cost assumes reactors will be used for 40 years at a 70% operational rate. The meeting was held to discuss
  
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• Congress Funds Removal of Chinese Telecom Gear as Feds Probe Home Router Risks

  19-12-2024 15:03 via news.slashdot.org
  
  Congress approved $3 billion Wednesday for a long-languishing project to cull Chinese equipment from networks nationwide over fears they are vulnerable to cyberattacks, underscoring the risk Beijing-sponsored hackers pose to phone and internet networks. From a report: The new funding comes as the Commerce Department reviews whether to ban routers made by the Chinese-owned company TP-Link, which account for more than half of the U.S. retail router market.
  The actions reflect the heightened attent
  
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• NHTSA Will Require Audible Seatbelt Reminders For Everyone In the Car

  19-12-2024 11:00 via tech.slashdot.org
  
  Longtime Slashdot reader sinij shares a report from Car and Driver with the caption: "As someone that uses back seats to carry some luggage, I am not a fan of this requirement." From the report: Previously, federal standards governing seatbelt warnings only required manufacturers to monitor the driver's seat, issuing a chime if its seatbelt was unbuckled when the vehicle was underway. Now, a new rule has been finalized, requiring all new passenger vehicles sold in the U.S. to have enhanced front
  
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• Astronauts Who Flew To Space Aboard Starliner Face Additional Delay

  19-12-2024 08:00 via science.slashdot.org
  
  NASA has delayed the launch of SpaceX Crew-10 to late March 2025 to allow time for processing a new Dragon spacecraft, extending the stay of astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams on the ISS to about nine months. CNN reports: Williams and Wilmore launched to space in June, piloting the first crewed test flight of Boeing's Starliner spacecraft. Their trip, expected to last about a week, ballooned into a monthslong assignment after their vehicle experienced technical issues en route to the spa
  
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• Montana Supreme Court Upholds Right To 'Stable Climate System' For Youngsters

  19-12-2024 04:30 via yro.slashdot.org
  
  An anonymous reader quotes a report from The Guardian: Montana's top court on Wednesday held that the state's constitution guaranteed a right to a stable climate system and invalidated a law barring regulators from considering the effects of greenhouse gas emissions when permitting new fossil fuel projects. The Montana supreme court upheld a landmark trial court decision last August in favor of 16 young people who said their health and futures were being jeopardized by climate change, which the
  
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• 'World's First' Grid-Scale Nuclear Fusion Power Plant Announced In the US

  19-12-2024 03:20 via hardware.slashdot.org
  
  Longtime Slashdot reader timeOday shares a report from CNN: If all goes to plan, Virginia will be the site of the world's first grid-scale nuclear fusion power plant, able to harness this futuristic clean power and generate electricity from it by the early 2030s, according to an announcement Tuesday by the startup Commonwealth Fusion Systems. CFS, one of the largest and most-hyped nuclear fusion companies, will make a multibillion-dollar investment into building the facility near Richmond. When
  
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• Murder Mystery Solved By Google Street View

  19-12-2024 02:40 via yro.slashdot.org
  
  Spanish police have uncovered a major clue in the year-long investigation of a missing Cuban man, JLPO, after Google Street View images showed a man loading a body-shaped package into a car and pushing a wheelbarrow with a large white package. These images led to the discovery of the victim's dismembered remains in a cemetery and the arrest of two suspects, including the victim's wife and a bar worker. The Independent reports: Spanish police have said the pictures are a "decisive" clue in case,
  
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• Hackers Can Jailbreak Digital License Plates To Make Others Pay Their Tolls, Tickets

  19-12-2024 02:00 via it.slashdot.org
  
  Longtime Slashdot reader sinij shares a report from Wired with the caption: "This story will be an on-going payday for traffic ticket lawyers. I am ordering one now." From the report: Digital license plates, already legal to buy in a growing number of states and to drive with nationwide, offer a few perks over their sheet metal predecessors. You can change their display on the fly to frame your plate number with novelty messages, for instance, or to flag that your car has been stolen. Now one se
  
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• New Shelly Smart Devices Have One-Mile Range, Thanks To Z-Wave

  19-12-2024 01:20 via mobile.slashdot.org
  
  An anonymous reader quotes a report from PCWorld: Smart home devices compatible with the Matter standard have garnered most of our attention lately, but the compelling features in the latest generation of Z-Wave chips convinced the IoT developer Shelly Group to build no fewer than 11 new products powered by Z-Wave technology. The new collection includes a smart plug, in-wall dimmers, relays, and various sensors aimed at DIYers, installers, and commercial builders. Citing the ability of Z-Wave 80
  
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• CDC Confirms First Human Case of Severe Bird Flu In US

  19-12-2024 00:40 via science.slashdot.org
  
  The CDC has confirmed the first case of severe bird flu in the United States. NPR reports: Louisiana health officials initially reported the infection last week, saying a person was hospitalized after being exposed to sick and dead birds in backyard flocks. On Wednesday, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shared their findings that indicate the H5N1 virus responsible for the illness belongs to a genetic lineage that's circulating in wild birds and poultry -- different from what's spr
  
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• Apple Reportedly Won't Launch an iPhone Subscription Service

  19-12-2024 00:00 via apple.slashdot.org
  
  According to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman, Apple is no longer developing a hardware subscription service for iPhones that would let subscribers upgrade devices every year. Gurman first reported Apple's work on the service in 2022, noting it was delayed due to "software bugs and regulatory concerns." The Verge reports: While the hardware subscription service apparently won't see the light of day, Apple offers installment plans you can use to pay for an iPhone over time. The iPhone Upgrade Program spre
  
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