ICT news

• OpenAI In Talks To Buy Windsurf For About $3 Billion

  16-04-2025 23:50 via slashdot.org
  
  According to Bloomberg (paywalled), OpenAI is in talks to buy AI-assisted coding tool Windsurf for about $3 billion. "The deal would be OpenAI's largest to date, the terms of which have not yet been finalized," notes Reuters. From a report: Windsurf was in talks with investors such as Kleiner Perkins and General Catalyst to raise funding at a $3 billion valuation, the report added. It closed a $150 million funding round led by General Catalyst last year, valuing it at $1.25 billion.Read more of
  
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• Google Used AI To Suspend Over 39 Million Ad Accounts Suspected of Fraud

  16-04-2025 23:10 via tech.slashdot.org
  
  An anonymous reader quotes a report from TechCrunch: Google on Wednesday said it suspended 39.2 million advertiser accounts on its platform in 2024 -- more than triple the number from the previous year -- in its latest crackdown on ad fraud. By leveraging large language models (LLMs) and using signals such as business impersonation and illegitimate payment details, the search giant said it could suspend a "vast majority" of ad accounts before they ever served an ad.Last year, Google launched ove
  
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• OpenAI Debuts Codex CLI, an Open Source Coding Tool For Terminals

  16-04-2025 22:30 via developers.slashdot.org
  
  OpenAI has released Codex CLI, an open-source coding agent that runs locally in users' terminal software. Announced alongside the company's new o3 and o4-mini models, Codex CLI directly connects OpenAI's AI systems with local code and computing tasks, enabling them to write and manipulate code on users' machines.
  The lightweight tool allows developers to leverage multimodal reasoning capabilities by passing screenshots or sketches to the model while providing access to local code repositories. U
  
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• OpenAI Unveils o3 and o4-mini Models

  16-04-2025 21:50 via slashdot.org
  
  OpenAI has released two new AI models that can "think with images" during their reasoning process. The o3 and o4-mini models represent a significant advancement in visual perception, enabling them to manipulate images -- cropping, zooming, and rotating -- as part of their analytical process.
  Unlike previous models, o3 and o4-mini can agentically use all of ChatGPT's tools, including web search, Python code execution, and image generation. This allows them to tackle multi-faceted problems by sele
  
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• Trump Administration Plans To End the IRS Direct File Program for Free Tax Filing

  16-04-2025 21:16 via news.slashdot.org
  
  The Trump administration plans to eliminate the IRS' Direct File program, an electronic system for filing tax returns directly to the agency for free, AP reported Wednesday, citing two people familiar with the decision. From the report: The program developed during Joe Biden's presidency was credited by users with making tax filing easy, fast and economical. But Republican lawmakers and commercial tax preparation companies complained it was a waste of taxpayer money because free filing programs
  
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• Google To Phase Out Country Code Top-level Domains

  16-04-2025 18:42 via tech.slashdot.org
  
  Google has announced that it will begin phasing out country code top-level domains (ccTLDs) such as google.ng and google.com.br, redirecting all traffic to google.com. The change comes after improvements in Google's localization capabilities rendered these separate domains unnecessary.
  Since 2017, Google has provided identical local search experiences whether users visited country-specific domains or google.com. The transition will roll out gradually over the coming months, and users may need to
  
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• AI-generated Music Accounts For 18% of All Tracks Uploaded To Deezer

  16-04-2025 18:31 via entertainment.slashdot.org
  
  About 18% of songs uploaded to Deezer are fully generated by AI, the French streaming platform said on Wednesday, underscoring the technology's growing use amid copyright risks and concerns about fair payouts to artists. From a report: Deezer said more than 20,000 AI-generated tracks are uploaded on its platform each day, which is nearly twice the number reported four months ago. "AI-generated content continues to flood streaming platforms like Deezer and we see no sign of it slowing down," said
  
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• Companies Are Slashing Their SaaS Spends, UBS Says

  16-04-2025 17:20 via tech.slashdot.org
  
  Enterprise software optimization is accelerating as companies face potential budget freezes in 2025, according to new research from UBS reviewed by Slashdot. Following discussions with two leading SaaSOps vendors, analysts report that 21% of organizations cut their SaaS spend last year, with a staggering 30% of existing licenses sitting unused.
  SaaS rationalization efforts are targeting familiar categories: collaboration tools (Zoom, Teams, Slack), project management solutions, and sales engagem
  
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• CISA Extends Funding To Ensure 'No Lapse in Critical CVE Services'

  16-04-2025 16:41 via it.slashdot.org
  
  CISA says the U.S. government has extended funding to ensure no continuity issues with the critical Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures (CVE) program. From a report: "The CVE Program is invaluable to cyber community and a priority of CISA," the U.S. cybersecurity agency told BleepingComputer. "Last night, CISA executed the option period on the contract to ensure there will be no lapse in critical CVE services. We appreciate our partners' and stakeholders' patience."
  The announcement follows a w
  
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• Immigrant Founders Are the Norm in Key US AI Firms: Study

  16-04-2025 16:03 via news.slashdot.org
  
  More than half of the top privately held AI companies based in the U.S. have at least one immigrant founder, according to an analysis from the Institute for Progress. From the report: The IFP analysis of the top AI-related startups in the Forbes AI 2025 list found that 25 -- or 60% -- of the 42 companies based in the U.S. were founded or co-founded by immigrants. The founders of those companies "hail from 25 countries, with India leading (nine founders), followed by China (eight founders) and th
  
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• Figma Confidentailly Files For IPO After Adobe Deal Collapses

  16-04-2025 15:00 via slashdot.org
  
  Figma has confidentially filed for an IPO with the SEC, marking a major move more than a year after scrapping its $20 billion acquisition deal with Adobe due to regulatory pushback. CNBC reports: Figma's software is popular among designers inside companies who need to collaborate on prototypes for websites and apps. The company was valued at $12.5 billion in a 2024 tender offer. "There are two paths that venture-funded startups go down," Dylan Field, Figma's co-founder and CEO, said in an interv
  
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• CISA Releases Guidance on Credential Risks Associated with Potential Legacy Oracle Cloud Compromise

  16-04-2025 14:00 via cisa.gov
  CISA is aware of public reporting regarding potential unauthorized access to a legacy Oracle cloud environment. While the scope and impact remains unconfirmed, the nature of the reported activity presents potential risk to organizations and individuals, particularly where credential material may be exposed, reused across separate, unaffiliated systems, or embedded (i.e., hardcoded into scripts, applications, infrastructure templates, or automation tools). When credential material is embedded, it
  
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• Cybersecurity World On Edge As CVE Program Prepares To Go Dark

  16-04-2025 12:00 via it.slashdot.org
  
  The CVE and CWE programs are at risk of shutdown as MITRE's DHS contract expires on April 16, 2025, with no confirmed renewal. Without continued funding, the ability to standardize, track, and respond to software vulnerabilities could collapse, leaving the cybersecurity community scrambling in a fragmented and dangerously opaque environment. Forbes reports: "Failure to renew MITRE's contract for the CVE program, seemingly set to expire on April 16, 2025, risks significant disruption," said Jason
  
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• Limited Edition of Doom Includes Game Box That, Itself, Plays Doom

  16-04-2025 09:00 via games.slashdot.org
  
  Limited Run Games is releasing physical editions of Doom and Doom II, including a $666 "Will it Run Edition" that features a literal game box capable of playing Doom. Engadget reports: It costs $666, which is a nod to the devilish source material, and is being kept to a limited run of 666 copies. It comes with the aforementioned screen-enabled game box that runs Doom, but that's just the beginning. The combo pack ships with the soundtrack on cassette, a certificate of authenticity and a trading
  
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• Older People Who Use Smartphones 'Have Lower Rates of Cognitive Decline'

  16-04-2025 05:30 via science.slashdot.org
  
  An anonymous reader quotes a report from The Guardian: Fears that smartphones, tablets and other devices could drive dementia in later life have been challenged by research that found lower rates of cognitive decline in older people who used the technology. An analysis of published studies that looked at technology use and mental skills in more than 400,000 older adults found that over-50s who routinely used digital devices had lower rates of cognitive decline than those who used them less. It i
  
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• Free Wi-Fi Is On Its Way To American Airlines

  16-04-2025 03:30 via mobile.slashdot.org
  
  American Airlines announced today that it will add free in-flight Wi-Fi starting in 2026. However, Axios notes you'll need to be an AAdvantage member (American's loyalty program) to access it. From the report: American is partnering with AT&T to introduce free WiFi in January. It will be available on about 90% of the airlines' fleet, which will be planes equipped with Viasat and Intelsat high-speed satellite connectivity, per a press release. More than 500 of the airlines regional planes are
  
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• Gemini App Rolling Out Veo 2 Video Generation For Advanced Users

  16-04-2025 02:50 via tech.slashdot.org
  
  Google is rolling out Veo 2 video generation in the Gemini app for Advanced subscribers, allowing users to create eight-second, 720p cinematic-style videos from text prompts. 9to5Google reports: Announced at the end of last year, Veo 2 touts "fluid character movement, lifelike scenes, and finer visual details across diverse subjects and styles," as well as "cinematic realism," thanks to an understanding of real-world physics and human motion. In Gemini, Veo 2 can create eight-second video clips
  
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• 4chan Has Been Down Since Monday Night After 'Pretty Comprehensive Own'

  16-04-2025 02:14 via tech.slashdot.org
  
  4chan was reportedly hacked Monday night, with rival imageboard Soyjack Party claiming responsibility and sharing screenshots suggesting deep access to 4chan's databases and admin tools. Ars Technica reports: Security researcher Kevin Beaumont described the hack as "a pretty comprehensive own" that included "SQL databases, source, and shell access." 404Media reports that the site used an outdated version of PHP that could have been used to gain access, including the phpMyAdmin tool, a common att
  
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• Insurance Firm Lemonade Says API Glitch Exposed Some Driver's License Numbers

  16-04-2025 01:30 via yro.slashdot.org
  
  An anonymous reader quotes a report from SecurityWeek: Insurance firm Lemonade is notifying roughly 190,000 individuals that their driver's license numbers were likely exposed due to a technical glitch. Copies of the notification letter that were submitted to regulators in several states show that the incident involved an online application that enables individuals to obtain car insurance quotes and purchase policies. According to the company, a vulnerability in the car insurance quote flow resu
  
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• Alamo Drafthouse Rejects Meta's Second-Screen Technology

  16-04-2025 00:50 via tech.slashdot.org
  
  Alamo Drafthouse will not implement Meta's new Movie Mate technology during the April 30 nationwide rerelease of Blumhouse's "M3GAN," Variety reports. The specialty theater chain confirmed it will maintain its strict no-phones policy despite Universal's promotion of the second-screen experience, with staff instructed to remove patrons attempting to access the feature during screenings.
  Movie Mate represents Meta's first integration of its interactive movie technology, which operates via Instagra
  
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• China Outs US Hackers for Attack, a New Frontier in Spy Games

  16-04-2025 00:10 via news.slashdot.org
  
  China's outing of alleged US National Security Agency hackers marks a major escalation in the ongoing tit-for-tat between Chinese and American intelligence agencies, according to analysts. From a report: Chinese authorities Tuesday said three NSA employees hacked the Asian Winter Games held this year in Harbin, accusing them of targeting systems that held vast amounts of personal information on people involved in the event. The hacks "severely endangered the security of China's critical informat
  
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