ICT news

• Amazon Says Germany Customers Won't Lose Amazon Prime As a Result of Nokia Patent Win

  07-02-2025 23:40 via yro.slashdot.org
  
  A German court has ruled that Amazon's Prime Video service violates a Nokia-owned patent, ordering Amazon to stop streaming in its current form or face fines of 250,000 euros per violation. However, Amazon assured customers in a statement on Friday that there is no risk of losing access to Prime Video because the decision affects only a limited functionality related to casting videos between devices."Prime Video will comply with this local judgement and is currently considering next steps. Howev
  
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• Football Manager 25 Canceled In a Refreshing Show of Concern For Quality

  07-02-2025 23:02 via games.slashdot.org
  
  An anonymous reader quotes a report from Ars Technica written by Kevin Purdy: There are only two licensed professional sports games included in Wikipedia's "List of video games notable for negative reception." Do not be fooled, however: WWE 2K20 and eFootball 2022 are just the outliers, arriving so poorly crafted as to cause notable outcry and an actual change to development plans. Most licensed professional sports games come out yearly, whether fully baked, notably improved, or not, and fans wh
  
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• Salesforce, Workday Are Hiring More Overseas To Save Cash

  07-02-2025 22:21 via slashdot.org
  
  Software companies are under pressure to invest in new AI capabilities without denting profits. One increasingly popular strategy to keep costs low is to shift hiring outside the US. From a report:Â Salesforce and Workday are simultaneously cutting jobs and highlighting the cost savings from adding workers internationally. "Do we need to hire everybody in San Francisco?" Salesforce Chief Operating Officer Brian Millham said at an event hosted by Barclays in December. "Or can we think about
  
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• Microsoft 365 Price Rises Are Coming - Pay Up or Opt Out

  07-02-2025 21:41 via it.slashdot.org
  
  An anonymous reader shares a report: Users are now receiving notifications regarding their Microsoft 365 subscriptions and must take action if they wish to avoid Copilot and its extra charges.
  The email from Microsoft warns that the cost of a 365 Personal Subscription will jump, however, there is no need to worry -- Microsoft knows what's best and will increase your payment in return for all those AI-powered Copilot services it knows you want.
  We noted the upcoming increases last month and how u
  
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• Most Britons Back Ban on 'Smarter-than-Human' AI Models, Poll Shows

  07-02-2025 21:00 via news.slashdot.org
  
  Most Britons support strict controls on AI systems that could surpass human capabilities, according to a YouGov poll, highlighting a growing divide between public opinion and government policy. The survey of 2,344 adults found 87% back laws requiring AI developers to prove their systems are safe before release, while 60% favor banning the development of "smarter-than-human" AI models. Only 9% trust tech CEOs to act in the public interest on AI regulation.Read more of this story at Slashdot.
  
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• India To Launch New Domain Name For Banks To Fight Digital Fraud

  07-02-2025 20:21 via tech.slashdot.org
  
  An anonymous reader shares a report: India's central bank is introducing an exclusive ".bank.in" domain for banks from April 2025 as part of efforts to combat rising digital payment frauds and bolster trust in online banking services.
  [...] The central bank plans to roll out a separate 'fin.in' domain for non-bank financial institutions. "Increased instances of fraud in digital payments are a significant concern," said RBI Governor Sanjay Malhotra, adding that the new domain system aims to reduc
  
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• Phishing Tests, the Bane of Work Life, Are Getting Meaner

  07-02-2025 19:40 via it.slashdot.org
  
  U.S. employers are deploying increasingly aggressive phishing tests to combat cyber threats, sparking backlash from workers who say the simulated scams create unnecessary panic and distrust in the workplace. At the University of California, Santa Cruz, a test email about a fake Ebola outbreak sent staff scrambling before learning it was a security drill. At Lehigh Valley Health Network, employees who fall for phishing tests lose external email access, with termination possible after three failur
  
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• Google Pulls Incorrect Gouda Stat From Its AI Super Bowl Ad

  07-02-2025 19:00 via tech.slashdot.org
  
  An anonymous reader shares a report: Google has edited Gemini's AI response in a Super Bowl commercial to remove an incorrect statistic about cheese. The ad, which shows a small business owner using Gemini to write a website description about Gouda, no longer says the variety makes up "50 to 60 percent of the world's cheese consumption."
  In the edited YouTube video, Gemini's response now skips over the specifics and says Gouda is "one of the most popular cheeses in the world." Google Cloud apps
  
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• 'Zombie Devices' Raise Cybersecurity Alarm as Consumers Ignore Smart Tech Expiry Dates

  07-02-2025 18:20 via it.slashdot.org
  
  A survey of 2,130 Americans has revealed widespread vulnerability to cyber attacks through unsupported smart devices, with 43% unaware their devices might lose software support. The security threat was underscored in December 2023 when U.S. authorities disrupted a Chinese state-sponsored botnet targeting home routers and cameras that had stopped receiving security updates. Cloudflare separately reported a record-breaking DDoS attack in late 2023, primarily originating from compromised smart TVs
  
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• French Train Passenger Fined $155 For Using Phone on Speaker

  07-02-2025 17:40 via entertainment.slashdot.org
  
  A passenger on the French rail network SNCF has revealed that he received a $155 fine for using his phone on loud speaker within a train station. From a report: The passenger, named only as David, told French TV channel BFM that he was on the phone to his sister while waiting at Nantes station when the SNCF staff member told him to switch his phone's loud speaker off, or risk being fined. When he argued, he was served with the $155 fine, which has been increased to $207 because he did not pay it
  
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• British Hydrogen Bus Supplier Aeristech Collapses

  07-02-2025 17:00 via news.slashdot.org
  
  A British manufacturer of hydrogen fuel cell components for London's double-decker bus fleet has collapsed into administration, jeopardizing a $15.8 million government-backed project to cut transport emissions. Aeristech Limited, which was developing high-powered compressors for hydrogen fuel cells, was working on Project HEIDI to retrofit London buses with hydrogen technology. The project received $7.84 million in government funding last year, with additional investment from project partners in
  
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• 'Torrenting From a Corporate Laptop Doesn't Feel Right': Meta Emails Unsealed

  07-02-2025 16:21 via tech.slashdot.org
  
  An anonymous reader shares a report: Newly unsealed emails allegedly provide the "most damning evidence" yet against Meta in a copyright case raised by book authors alleging that Meta illegally trained its AI models on pirated books.
  Last month, Meta admitted to torrenting a controversial large dataset known as LibGen, which includes tens of millions of pirated books. But details around the torrenting were murky until yesterday, when Meta's unredacted emails were made public for the first time.
  
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• Asahi Linux Lead Developer Hector Martin Resigns From Linux Kernel

  07-02-2025 15:40 via linux.slashdot.org
  
  Asahi lead developer Hector Martin, writing in an email: I no longer have any faith left in the kernel development process or community management approach.
  Apple/ARM platform development will continue downstream. If I feel like sending some patches upstream in the future myself for whatever subtree I may, or I may not. Anyone who feels like fighting the upstreaming fight themselves is welcome to do so.Read more of this story at Slashdot.
  
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• UK Orders Apple To Let It Spy on Users' Encrypted Accounts

  07-02-2025 15:00 via apple.slashdot.org
  
  The UK government has ordered Apple to create a backdoor allowing access to encrypted cloud backups of users worldwide, Washington Post reported Friday, citing multiple sources familiar with the matter. The unprecedented demand, issued last month through a technical capability notice under the UK Investigatory Powers Act, requires Apple to provide blanket access to fully encrypted material rather than assistance with specific accounts.
  Apple is likely to discontinue its encrypted storage service
  
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• Scientists Find That Things Really Do Seem Better In the Morning

  07-02-2025 14:00 via science.slashdot.org
  
  An anonymous reader quotes a report from The Guardian: In the most comprehensive study of its kind, scientists have found that generally, the world feels brighter when you wake up. People start the day in the best frame of mind in the morning, but end in the worst, at about midnight, the findings suggest, with the day of the week and the season also playing a part. Mental health also tends to be more varied at weekends but steadier during the week, according to the study led by University Colleg
  
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• Trimble Releases Security Updates to Address a Vulnerability in Cityworks Software

  07-02-2025 13:00 via cisa.gov
  CISA is collaborating with private industry partners to respond to reports of exploitation of a vulnerability (CVE-2025-0994) discovered by Trimble impacting its Cityworks Server AMS (Asset Management System). Trimble has released security updates and an advisory addressing a recently discovered a deserialization vulnerability enabling an external actor to potentially conduct remote code execution (RCE) against a customer’s Microsoft Internet Information Services (IIS) web server. 
  C
  
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• Boeing's Starliner Losses Top $2 Billion

  07-02-2025 11:00 via science.slashdot.org
  
  After a $523 million charge on its CST-100 Starliner program in 2024, Boeing's total losses on the commercial crew vehicle now exceed $2 billion -- and there's still no clear timeline for its next flight. SpaceNews reports: In the company's 10-K annual filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission Feb. 3, Boeing said it took $523 million in charges on Starliner in 2024. The company blamed the losses on "schedule delays and higher testing and certification costs as well as higher costs
  
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• NASA Plans Twitch Stream From ISS

  07-02-2025 08:00 via science.slashdot.org
  
  NASA is planning to host a live Twitch stream next week from the International Space Station (ISS). "The stream, which takes place on February 12th at 11:45AM ET on NASA's Twitch channel, will feature Don Pettit, an astronaut currently on the ISS, and Matt Dominick, who returned to Earth from the ISS in October," reports The Verge. From the report: The astronauts will discuss "daily life aboard the space station and the research conducted in microgravity" and viewers will be able to ask them que
  
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• Ransomware Payments Dropped 35% In 2024

  07-02-2025 04:30 via it.slashdot.org
  
  An anonymous reader quotes a report from CyberScoop: Ransomware payments saw a dramatic 35% drop last year compared to 2023, even as the overall frequency of ransomware attacks increased, according to a new report released by blockchain analysis firm Chainalysis. The considerable decline in extortion payments is somewhat surprising, given that other cybersecurity firms have claimed that 2024 saw the most ransomware activity to date. Chainalysis itself warned in its mid-year report that 2024's ac
  
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• Arm Ends Legal Efforts To Terminate Qualcomm's License

  07-02-2025 03:10 via slashdot.org
  
  Arm has dropped its attempt to terminate Qualcomm's Architecture License Agreement (ALA), allowing Qualcomm to continue developing and producing Arm-compatible chips for PCs, smartphones, and servers. "The Brit biz had sought to end that license in a lawsuit it brought against Qualcomm in 2022," notes The Register. "That suit is rooted in Qualcomm's 2021 acquisition of a startup called Nuvia, which was co-founded by the brains behind Apple's custom processors and had signed an architecture licen
  
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• Apple's Long-Awaited Overhaul of iPhone SE Nears Release

  07-02-2025 02:30 via apple.slashdot.org
  
  Apple plans to unveil a long-anticipated overhaul of the iPhone SE in the coming days, a move that will modernize its lower-cost model in a bid to spur growth and entice consumers to switch from other brands. Bloomberg: The company expects to announce the device as early as next week, ahead of it going on sale later in the month, according to people with knowledge of the matter. [...] The new device, code-named V59, also will be Apple's first with an in-house cellular modem, replacing a componen
  
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• Google Tests AI-Powered Search Mode With Employees

  07-02-2025 02:10 via tech.slashdot.org
  
  Google has begun internal testing of a new "AI Mode" for its search engine, powered by its Gemini 2.0 AI model, according to a company email seen by technology news site 9to5Google. The feature, which appears alongside existing filters like Images and News, creates a chatbot-like interface for handling complex queries and follow-up questions.
  It generates detailed responses with web links displayed in a card format on the right side of the screen. AI Mode targets exploratory searches such as pro
  
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• Bill Banning Social Media For Youngsters Advances

  07-02-2025 01:30 via yro.slashdot.org
  
  The Senate Commerce Committee approved the Kids Off Social Media Act, banning children under 13 from social media and requiring federally funded schools to restrict access on networks and devices. Politico reports: The panel approved the Kids Off Social Media Act -- sponsored by the panel's chair, Texas Republican Ted Cruz, and a senior Democrat on the panel, Hawaii's Brian Schatz -- by voice vote, clearing the way for consideration by the full Senate. Only Ed Markey (D-Mass.) asked to be record
  
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• OpenAI Considering 16 States For Data Center Campuses

  07-02-2025 00:50 via slashdot.org
  
  OpenAI is considering building large-scale data center campuses in 16 states as part of the Stargate initiative, a $100 billion joint venture with Oracle and SoftBank aimed at strengthening U.S. AI infrastructure. CNBC reports: On a call with reporters, OpenAI executives said it sent out a request for proposals (RFP) to states less than a week ago. "A project of this size represents an opportunity to both re-industrialize parts of the country, but also to help revitalize where the American Dream
  
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• Boston Dynamics Joins Forces With Its Former CEO

  07-02-2025 00:10 via hardware.slashdot.org
  
  An anonymous reader quotes a report from TechCrunch: Boston Dynamics Wednesday announced a partnership designed to bring improved reinforcement learning to its electric Atlas humanoid robot. The tie-up is with the Robotics & AI Institute (RAI Institute), earlier known as The Boston Dynamics AI Institute. Both organizations were founded by Marc Raibert, a former MIT professor who served as Boston Dynamics' CEO for 30 years. The Institute, founded in 2022, allows Raibert to continue the resear
  
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