ICT news

• Framework Notifies 'All Customers' of a Data Breach Via Compromised Metabase BI Service

  07-08-2026 21:00 via yro.slashdot.org
  "Framework has been sending out email notifications to customers alerting of a limited data breach in which customer information was accessed through a Metabase BI service zero-day exploit," writes Slashdot reader DuoDreamer. Data includes customer names, email addresses, phone numbers, and physical addresses. "Framework is investigating whether or not this included Framework for Business customers as well." TechCrunch reports: Framework's spokesperson Eric Schumacher told TechCrunch that the br
  
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• Three Supermassive Black Holes Discovered In a Single Galaxy For the First Time

  14-08-2026 13:00 via science.slashdot.org
  Astronomers using JWST have found three actively feeding supermassive black holes in the distant galaxy J0148-4214, seen as it existed about 1.2 billion years after the Big Bang. Two sit just 620 light-years apart near the galaxy's center and are expected to merge within a few hundred million years. Phys.org reports: Theories of galaxy evolution -- based on observations -- suggest that, early in the history of the universe, galaxies came very close to one another and merged. In the process, blac
  
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• Scientists Turn Starlink Into a Giant Scanner For Earth's Upper Atmosphere

  14-08-2026 09:00 via science.slashdot.org
  alternative_right shares a report from ScienceDaily: Researchers have found a clever new way to map a part of Earth's upper atmosphere that is notoriously difficult to observe. Using orbital data from roughly 1,200 Starlink satellites, they reconstructed changes in atmospheric density about 500 kilometers above Earth. [...] The resulting density patterns also showed strong consistency with observations from the European Space Agency's SWARM satellites, which measure changes in atmospheric densit
  
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• UK Scientists To Grow Miniature Human Organs For Drug Testing

  14-08-2026 05:30 via science.slashdot.org
  An anonymous reader quotes a report from The Guardian: Miniature human organs and other tissues are to be grown from NHS patients' cells in a drive to improve medicine testing and reduce the number of animals used in drug development. Scientists will use the clumps of tissue to learn how diseases vary between patients, helping them identify which treatments are best for different people based on the particular pathology underlying their condition. The move marks a shift away from the traditional
  
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• Microsoft Retreats In China

  14-08-2026 01:00 via tech.slashdot.org
  Microsoft has been steadily scaling back its China presence, closing at least 15 branch offices and joint ventures over the past five years as Beijing favors domestic software. U.S. export controls also make it harder to grow its cloud and AI businesses, leaving the market with relatively little economic upside. Reuters reports: Microsoft took a major hit from the erosion of trust between Washington and Beijing, the five people said. China has since 2017 pushed the use of domestic software, whic
  
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• Google's Gemini 3.7 Flash Targets Coding and Agents With a 50% Price Cut

  14-08-2026 00:00 via developers.slashdot.org
  Google has released Gemini 3.7 Flash just three weeks after 3.6 Flash, focusing on better coding, agentic workflows, and enterprise automation while temporarily cutting API prices in half through the end of 2026. VentureBeat reports: For enterprise developers, the more consequential story may be the combination of those intelligence gains with lower inference costs: through the end of 2026, Gemini 3.7 Flash costs $0.75 per million input tokens and $3.75 per million output tokens.Starting Jan. 1,
  
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• Microsoft Is Combining Its Copilot Apps Ahead of a 'Super App'

  13-08-2026 23:00 via slashdot.org
  Microsoft is merging its consumer Copilot and Microsoft 365 Copilot apps ahead of a broader "super app" launch later this year. "Both personal and work accounts will be moved to the new unified app, which recycles the 'Microsoft Copilot' name but features an updated app icon," reports The Verge. "The single app also means there won't be two annoying Copilot icons in the system tray or taskbar anymore." From the report: The updates are intended to be a technical milestone in preparation of the "s
  
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• Amazon Will Train On Twitch Streamers' Content By Default, Unless They Opt Out

  13-08-2026 22:00 via games.slashdot.org
  Twitch will begin allowing Amazon to use streamers' content to train generative AI models by default, requiring creators to manually opt out if they don't want their videos and audio included. The decision has drawn backlash from creators, with Twitch's own product chief acknowledging that an opt-in system would likely attract almost no participants."Why is it not opt-in? That's what everybody is spamming in chat. I get it. 'Let me opt in versus making me opt out,'" said Twitch Chief Product Off
  
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• Anthropic Could Be Worth $2 Trillion When It Goes Public

  13-08-2026 21:00 via slashdot.org
  An anonymous reader quotes a report from the Financial Times: Anthropic investors expect the AI startup to float at a valuation of $2 trillion or more in October, a dizzying figure that would eclipse SpaceX and make the AI lab's debut the largest-ever initial public offering. Half a dozen of the company's backers told the FT that Anthropic's rapidly rising revenue would enable it to more than double its current valuation in a planned autumn float. A listing at that level could unlock billions of
  
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• World's Largest 106-Foot Electric Plane Takes Maiden Flight In New York

  13-08-2026 20:00 via tech.slashdot.org
  Heart Aerospace's X1, billed as the world's largest battery-electric aircraft, completed a 27-minute maiden flight in New York using more than 1 MW of power and only about $5 worth of electricity. The 106-foot-wingspan demonstrator is a precursor to the company's 30-seat hybrid-electric ES-30 regional airliner, targeted for service in 2031. Interesting Engineering reports: Developed by Heart Aerospace, the X1 demonstrator lifted off from Plattsburgh International Airport in New York on Wednesday
  
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• Apple Turns to Publishers For Help With Siri AI

  13-08-2026 19:00 via apple.slashdot.org
  Apple is reportedly negotiating multi-year deals with news publishers to give its redesigned Siri access to current news and other information, with payments potentially tied to how often publishers' content is used. The talks come as Apple prepares to launch its long-delayed Siri AI later this year, after partnering with Google to use distilled Gemini models. Engadget reports: [The Wall Street Journal] did not reveal the specific publishers Apple reached out to, but did note the company has pro
  
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• University of Michigan Drops First-Semester Grades to 'Curb Mental Health Crisis'

  13-08-2026 17:00 via news.slashdot.org
  "In order to salve the mental health of freshman students, the University of Michigan has implemented a Pass/No Credit system for new students to improve their mental health," writes Slashdot reader Ol Olsoc. "The process, called 'Grade Covering,' is aimed at helping with the mental health crisis that students face by lessening grade pressure." Axios reports: U-M's College of Literature, Science and the Arts plans to replace first-semester letter grades on freshmen's transcripts with pass/no-cre
  
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• VA Launches Psilocybin Trial For Veterans With Treatment-Resistant Depression

  13-08-2026 13:00 via science.slashdot.org
  Longtime Slashdot reader sbinning shares a press release: The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs announced the launch of a new clinical trial to evaluate the effectiveness and safety of psilocybin to treat major depression in Veterans, including those with concurrent PTSD. The new trial comes after a recent executive order on "Accelerating Medical Treatments for Serious Mental Illness," which aims to increase clinical trial participation and accelerate innovative research models and drug approv
  
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• Scientists Create Largest 2D Map of the Universe

  13-08-2026 09:00 via science.slashdot.org
  After 13 years of observations and data processing, astronomers have released the largest two-dimensional map of the universe ever assembled, "offering a sweeping new view of nearly 4 billion celestial objects across roughly three-quarters of the sky," reports Space.com. From the report: The new map, created by the Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument (DESI) Legacy Imaging Surveys team, contains a staggering 5.6 trillion pixels and combines more than 263,000 telescope exposures collected over mo
  
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• How Social Media Spurred a Refugee Crisis Between Spain and Morocco

  13-08-2026 05:30 via news.slashdot.org
  An anonymous reader quotes a report from The New York Times: Two days before tens of thousands of migrants surged into Ceuta, one of Spain's enclaves on Morocco's northern coast, a newspaper there posted a video on TikTok and Instagram showing two young women walking in the city in wet suits, their hair still damp. The posts didn't say so explicitly, but the implication was clear: The women had just swum across the border from Morocco. "Ceuta can't take it anymore," the newspaper, El Faro de Ceu
  
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• Trump Administration Enlists Private Companies To Hack Foreign Cybercrime Groups

  13-08-2026 03:00 via news.slashdot.org
  The Trump administration today unveiled a new program that will allow vetted U.S. companies to conduct cyber surveillance and offensive cyber operations against foreign transnational criminal organizations. A presidential memorandum signed August 12 directs the National Coordination Center to establish and manage the program, expanding the government's fight against cybercrime by tapping the technical capabilities of the private sector. It builds on a March executive order that called for greate
  
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• Big Tech Wants to Harvest Your Thoughts

  13-08-2026 01:00 via tech.slashdot.org
  Wired reports that consumer neurotechnology is rapidly moving from the lab into workplaces and homes, with companies including Apple, Meta, and Snap developing products that can monitor or interpret brain activity. Researchers warn that as these systems improve, neural data could become the next major privacy battleground. Some neuroscientists are already calling for a series of core rights, coined "neurorights," that protect "mental privacy," "identity," and personal "agency." Here's an excerpt
  
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• 'Godmother of AI' Says Biggest AI Risk In Schools Is Students Losing the Desire to Learn

  13-08-2026 00:00 via news.slashdot.org
  Fei-Fei Li, aka The Godmother of AI, says the biggest AI risk in education may be students losing the motivation and agency to learn, rather than simply using the technology to cheat. She argues against banning AI outright, saying it can be valuable when used to support engaged students instead of replacing the thinking and struggle that learning requires. Techspot reports: Speaking on an episode of the science podcast Huberman Lab this week, Li talked about the fears around how students are usi
  
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• US Tries to Override New York Gambling Laws, Orders Kalshi to Keep Operating

  12-08-2026 23:00 via yro.slashdot.org
  The CFTC has ordered Kalshi to keep operating in New York, claiming the state's lawsuit against the prediction market created a "market emergency." They said it acted "to ensure market stability" and "ordered the exchange to continue to operate in accordance with the Commodity Exchange Act's Core Principles." Ars Technica reports: The market emergency alleged by the CFTC is that New York Attorney General Letitia James sued Kalshi on July 31. James' lawsuit seeks a court order to permanently enjo
  
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• China-Linked Hackers Used AI To Run First-Ever 'Autonomous' Cyberattack On Taiwan

  12-08-2026 22:00 via it.slashdot.org
  Researchers at Israeli cybersecurity firm Dream say suspected China-linked hackers used an open-source AI-agent system to conduct what may be the first observed end-to-end autonomous cyberattack against a government. According to the Financial Times (paywalled), the attack compromised at least 85 accounts and resulted in the theft of more than 2,500 personnel records from Taiwanese systems. Tom's Hardware reports: The campaign reportedly ran for four days at the beginning of July and at times de
  
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• DEF CON Crowd Suspected In Fake-Hotspot Attack On Delta Flight

  12-08-2026 21:00 via mobile.slashdot.org
  An anonymous reader quotes a report from Ars Technica: On Monday, passengers aboard Delta flight 591 going from Las Vegas to Atlanta allegedly spoofed the onboard Wi-Fi, raising the attention of federal law enforcement. The incident came one day after the DEF CON security conference concluded in Las Vegas, and was first described on social media accounts that follow publicly available air-to-ground messages, known as ACARS.According to the "ACARS Drama" account, a message was sent by pilots from
  
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• The Pixel Tag Is Google's Answer To the AirTag

  12-08-2026 20:00 via tech.slashdot.org
  Google has unveiled the $29 Pixel Tag, its long-awaited AirTag rival that combines UWB with Bluetooth 6.0 Channel Sounding for two forms of precision tracking. It launches November 11. The Verge reports: The Pixel Tag is a slim oblong device available in one grayish color -- Fog -- that weighs about 12g, or 0.4oz. Like the AirTag, it has no built-in hooks or clips for attaching to objects you want to track. There's a single button that will trigger a sound on your phone, for the rare occasion wh
  
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• German Advocacy Group Lodges Criminal Complaint Over Meta AI Glasses

  12-08-2026 19:00 via yro.slashdot.org
  A German digital-rights group has filed a criminal complaint against Meta, Ray-Ban parent EssilorLuxottica, and several retailers over Meta's AI smart glasses, arguing the devices can enable covert recording in violation of German privacy law. Prosecutors have begun a preliminary review, while Germany's network regulator says smart glasses are legal "as long as the recording function is clearly visible." Reuters reports: "There's no place to escape from smart glasses. You have to expect at any m
  
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• Google Unveils Pixel 11 Lineup

  12-08-2026 18:00 via hardware.slashdot.org
  At its Made by Google 2026 event today, Google unveiled a slew of new devices, headlined by the Pixel 11, Pixel 11 Pro, and Pixel 11 Pro Fold. Here's a breakdown of the company's latest smartphones, provided by TechCrunch: Pixel 11: The standard Pixel 11 gets a redesigned camera bar that is thinner than the one on the previous generation. Google says the new camera bar is more than 40% thinner and now uses an all-glass surface that stretches across the width of the phone. Google is also increasi
  
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• US Hires Over 2,000 Video Gamers As Air Traffic Controllers

  12-08-2026 17:00 via games.slashdot.org
  The FAA says its push to recruit video gamers as air traffic controllers has helped it hire more than 2,000 trainees, reaching 94% of its hiring goal. Another 2,000-plus candidates are in the pipeline. CBS News reports: U.S. Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy said in a recent social media post that the federal agency's recruitment campaign to recruit gamers as air traffic controllers has been a "game changer" for the Federal Aviation Administration. [...] When Duffy announced the initiative
  
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• Swarms of Tiny Robots Remove Microplastics From Soil and Water

  12-08-2026 13:00 via hardware.slashdot.org
  alternative_right shares a report from Phys.org: Scientists from the Czech Republic have created microscopic cleanup robots that successfully removed microplastics from both soil and aquatic environments in the lab. Details of their work are published in the journal npg Asia Materials. To build the robots, researchers started with microscopic MXene particles made of ultrathin, stacked layers. The material has a large surface area and surface chemistry that help it attract and hold plastic. They
  
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• Behold the 'Glueball,' a Strange New Form of Matter

  12-08-2026 09:00 via science.slashdot.org
  sciencehabit shares a report from Science Magazine: For more than half a century, physicists have searched for one of the strangest particles predicted by modern theory. It would be made almost entirely of gluons, the elusive subatomic particles that carry the strong nuclear force. Now, using a particle collider in Beijing, researchers say they have effectively proved the existence of such a "glueball."In a preprint posted last month on arXiv and in a presentation last week at the International
  
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• Contiguous US Breaks Its Record For Hottest Month Ever, NOAA Says

  12-08-2026 05:30 via news.slashdot.org
  An anonymous reader quotes a report from the Associated Press: The contiguous United States sizzled to its hottest month ever last month, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. July averaged 76.89 degrees Fahrenheit (24.94 degrees Celsius) across the Lower 48 states, eclipsing the Dust Bowl's July 1936 by an eighth of a degree. Records go back to 1895. [...] Although it was unusually cool in Alaska, hotter-than-normal conditions blanketed the Lower 48, with the most ex
  
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• Linux Desktop Use Surged To 22% On One Workday, Cloudflare Data Shows

  12-08-2026 01:00 via linux.slashdot.org
  Cloudflare data suggests desktop Linux usage in North America has climbed to 6.4%, up from 4.1% a year earlier, with one post-holiday workday briefly spiking to 22%. ZDNet reports: [B]elieve it or not, on Monday, July 6, when people were back after the July 4 holiday, Linux usage jumped to a high of 22%. The users of these systems are not AI agents or bots, but real people. I set Cloudflare to count humans rather than bots. If you include people and bots, Linux has a 9.7% market share. That prop
  
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• Freenet Creator Ian Clarke Shares Progress on Its New Decentralized Network

  12-08-2026 00:00 via tech.slashdot.org
  Ian Clarke (aka ancient Slashdot reader Sanity), designer of the peer-to-peer communication platform Freenet, is back with an update on the project's progress following the launch of its P2P network in March. He writes: Earlier this year, Slashdot covered the launch of the completely redesigned Freenet. I recently gave a talk about what we've been building since then. Unlike traditional web applications, apps on Freenet have no central server or database; instead application state is distributed
  
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