ICT news

• New York Launches Mobile Driver's Licenses

  12-06-2024 01:20 via news.slashdot.org
  
  New York has launched its mobile ID program, "giving residents the option to digitize their driver's license or non-driver ID," reports The Verge. From the report: Beginning today, the New York Mobile ID app is available from Apple's App Store and Google Play. The app can be used for identity verification at airports. A physical license, permit, or non-driver ID is required to activate a mobile ID; you'll need to take a photo of the front and back with your phone during the enrollment process. T
  
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• Matter 1.4 Tries To Set the Smart Home Standard Back On Track

  09-11-2024 02:50 via mobile.slashdot.org
  Longtime Slashdot reader AmiMoJo shares a report from The Verge: It's been two long years since the launch of Matter -- the one smart home standard designed to rule them all -- and there's been a fair amount of disappointment around a sometimes buggy rollout, slow adoption by companies like Apple, Amazon, and Google, and frustrating setup experiences. However, the launch of the Matter 1.4 specification this week shows some signs that the Connectivity Standards Alliance (CSA, the organization beh
  
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• Pirating 'The Pirate Bay' TV Series Is Ironically Difficult

  09-11-2024 02:10 via yro.slashdot.org
  
  With the debut of the Pirate Bay TV series in Sweden, international viewers are finding it surprisingly difficult to pirate. TorrentFreak reports: The series premiered at the on-demand platform of the Swedish national broadcaster SVT a few hours ago. International deals haven't been announced, but pirates can generally get access anyway. Soon after the first two episodes of The Pirate Bay series came out, scene release copies started circulating online. As one would expect.The Scene group OLLONB
  
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• Hackers Are Sending Fraudulent Police Data Requests To Tech Giants To Steal People's Private Information

  09-11-2024 01:30 via yro.slashdot.org
  
  An anonymous reader quotes a report from TechCrunch: The FBI is warning that hackers are obtaining private user information — including emails and phone numbers — from U.S.-based tech companies by compromising government and police email addresses to submit "emergency" data requests. The FBI's public notice filed this week is a rare admission from the federal government about the threat from fraudulent emergency data requests, a legal process designed to help police and federal autho
  
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• TSMC Halts Advanced Chip Shipments To Chinese AI Companies

  09-11-2024 00:50 via hardware.slashdot.org
  
  Starting November 11, TSMC plans to stop supplying 7 nm and smaller chips to Chinese companies working on AI processors and GPUs. "The move is reportedly to ensure it remains compliant with US export restrictions," reports The Register. From the report: This will not affect Chinese customers wanting 7 nm chips from TSMC for other applications such as mobile and communications, according to Nikkei, which said the overall impact on the chipmaker's revenue is likely to be minimal. TrendForce furthe
  
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• New Mac Mini Has Modular Storage, 256GB Model Will Have Faster SSD

  09-11-2024 00:10 via hardware.slashdot.org
  
  According to a partial teardown video of Apple's new Mac mini, the new machine features modular storage that can be removed. "As we saw with the Mac Studio, however, replacing the modular storage is complicated," notes MacRumors. The teardown also reveals two 128GB storage chips in the 256GB model, enabling faster SSD speeds comparable to higher-capacity versions. From the report: The criticism surrounding Apple's decision to use a single 256GB chip in some base-model Macs a few years ago primar
  
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• Claude AI To Process Secret Government Data Through New Palantir Deal

  08-11-2024 23:31 via tech.slashdot.org
  
  An anonymous reader quotes a report from Ars Technica: Anthropic has announced a partnership with Palantir and Amazon Web Services to bring its Claude AI models to unspecified US intelligence and defense agencies. Claude, a family of AI language models similar to those that power ChatGPT, will work within Palantir's platform using AWS hosting to process and analyze data. But some critics have called out the deal as contradictory to Anthropic's widely-publicized "AI safety" aims. On X, former Goo
  
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• Scalpers Are Struggling To Resell the PlayStation 5 Pro Because It's in Stock at Most Retailers

  08-11-2024 20:43 via games.slashdot.org
  
  Scalpers attempting to profit from Sony's new PlayStation 5 Pro are struggling to sell units above retail price, as widespread availability dampens resale prospects. The $699 console, launched this week with enhanced graphics capabilities, remains in stock at major retailers across the United States and Europe. eBay listings show PS5 Pro units selling below the manufacturer's suggested retail price, with some auctions starting at $640.
  While isolated listings reach $2,300, most hover near retail
  
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• FBI Says Hackers Are Sending Fraudulent Police Data Requests To Tech Giants To Steal People's Private Information

  08-11-2024 18:22 via yro.slashdot.org
  
  The FBI is warning that hackers are obtaining private user information -- including emails and phone numbers -- from U.S.-based tech companies by compromising government and police email addresses to submit "emergency" data requests. From a report: The FBI's public notice filed this week is a rare admission from the federal government about the threat from fraudulent emergency data requests, a legal process designed to help police and federal authorities obtain information from companies to resp
  
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• 'PS5 Pro Signposts a Disc-Less Future That Few Actually Want'

  08-11-2024 17:45 via games.slashdot.org
  
  From an opinion piece on GamesIndustry.biz about the recently launched PS5 Pro that went on sale this week: What I'd argue is actually more interesting about PS5 Pro in a wider perspective isn't what Sony has done to the chips in the system -- it's what they've chosen not to include, and what it tells us about the decision-making process that's likely occurring for the company's future hardware. PS5 Pro doesn't have a disc drive. Anyone who wants to play disc-based games on the system will need
  
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• Cop29 CEO Filmed Agreeing To Facilitate Fossil Fuel Deals at Climate Summit

  08-11-2024 17:08 via news.slashdot.org
  
  The chief executive of Cop29 has been filmed apparently agreeing to facilitate fossil fuel deals at the climate summit. From a report: The recording has amplified calls by campaigners who want the fossil fuel industry and its lobbyists to be banned from future Cop talks. The campaign group Global Witness posed undercover as a fake oil and gas group asking for deals to be facilitated in exchange for sponsoring the event.In the calls, Elnur Soltanov, Azerbaijan's deputy energy minister and chief e
  
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• Europe's Largest Local Authority Slammed For 'Poorest' ERP Rollout Ever

  08-11-2024 16:29 via it.slashdot.org
  
  UK government-appointed commissioners have labeled Birmingham City Council's Oracle Fusion rollout as "the poorest ERP deployment" they have seen. From a report: A report published by the UK council's Corporate Finance Overview and Scrutiny Committee found that 18 months after Fusion went live, the largest public authority in Europe "had not tactically stabilized the system or formulated clear plans to resolve the system issues and recover the operation."
  The city council's cloud-based Oracle te
  
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• AMD's Desktop PC Market Share Skyrockets Amid Intel's Raptor Lake CPU Crashing Scandal

  08-11-2024 15:52 via tech.slashdot.org
  
  An anonymous reader shares a report: AMD has gained a substantial 5.7 percentage points of share of the desktop x86 CPU market in the third quarter compared to Q2, the largest quarterly share gain since we began tracking the market share reports in 2016. It also represents an incredible ten percentage point improvement over the prior year. AMD also raked in a strong increase in revenue share, jumping 8.5 percentage points over the prior quarter, indicating that it is selling a strong mix of high
  
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• Jack Dorsey's Block Scraps 'Web5' Project

  08-11-2024 15:11 via tech.slashdot.org
  
  Block will abandon development of its Web5 decentralized internet project and reduce investment in music streaming service Tidal to focus on bitcoin mining hardware and self-custody wallets, the payments company announced in its third-quarter letter to shareholders. The Jack Dorsey-led firm cited strong market demand for its bitcoin mining products and Bitkey wallet as key drivers behind the strategic shift.Read more of this story at Slashdot.
  
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• Intel Brings Back Workers' Free Coffee To Boost Morale

  08-11-2024 14:00 via developers.slashdot.org
  
  An anonymous reader quotes a report from Oregon Live: Intel told employees this week that it will bring back free coffee and tea at its work sites, one of many benefits the chipmaker eliminated last summer as it sought to slash $10 billion from its annual budget. "Although Intel still faces cost challenges, we understand that small comforts play a significant role in our daily routines," Intel wrote on its internal messaging forum, called Circuit. "We know this is a small step, but we hope it is
  
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• New 'Star Wars' Trilogy In the Works

  08-11-2024 11:00 via entertainment.slashdot.org
  
  According to Deadline's Mike Fleming Jr, Lucasfilm is developing a new Star Wars trilogy. It will be written by Simon Kinberg, who will also produce the films alongside Lucasfilm chief Kathleen Kennedy. From the report: I heard this will comprise Episodes 10-12 of The Skywalker Saga that began with George Lucas's 1977 first film, which, along with Steven Spielberg's Jaws, reshaped the global blockbuster game. Insiders disputed my intel that Kinberg will continue that storyline, saying this inste
  
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• IBM Sued Again In Storm Over Weather Channel Data Sharing

  08-11-2024 08:00 via yro.slashdot.org
  
  IBM is facing a new lawsuit alleging that its Weather Channel website shared users' personal data with third-party ad partners without consent, violating the Video Privacy Protection Act (VPPA). The Register reports: In the absence of a comprehensive federal privacy law, the complaint [PDF] claims Big Blue violated America's Video Privacy Protection Act (VPPA), enacted in 1988 in response to the disclosure of Supreme Court nominee Robert Bork's videotape rental records. IBM was sued in 2019 (PDF
  
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• 'Mass Effect' TV Series Is In the Works At Amazon

  08-11-2024 04:30 via entertainment.slashdot.org
  
  An anonymous reader quotes a report from Variety: A "Mass Effect" TV series is officially in development at Amazon MGM Studios, Variety has learned exclusively. Daniel Casey is set to write and executive produce the adaptation. Karim Zreik will executive produce under his Cedar Tree Productions banner, with Ari Arad and EA's Michael Gamble also executive producing. Cedar Tree is currently under an overall deal at Amazon MGM Studios. Exact plot details are being kept under wraps. [...]The first "
  
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• Max Is Getting Ready For Its Own Password-Sharing Crackdown

  08-11-2024 02:30 via news.slashdot.org
  
  Max will begin a gradual password-sharing crackdown with "soft messaging" over the next few months, with a potential price increase to follow. The Verge reports: During Warner Bros. Discovery's Q3 earnings call on Thursday, chief financial officer Gunnar Wiedenfels said this initial rollout would be followed by more progress in 2025 and 2026. Wiedenfels called password sharing "a form of price rises," as the company is "asking members who have not signed up, or multi-household members to pay a l
  
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• Elwood Edwards, Voice of AOL's 'You've Got Mail,' Dies At 74

  08-11-2024 01:50 via slashdot.org
  
  Elwood Edwards, the voice of AOL's "You've Got Mail" greeting, has died at age 74 following a long illness, according to local Ohio news station WKYC. "He worked at 3News for many years as graphics guru, camera operator, and general jack-of-all-trades, yet it was a somewhat random opportunity in 1989 that earned him international fame." From the report: That year, Elwood received $200 from the then-unknown America Online, merely because his wife worked at a predecessor company. He was asked to s
  
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• Voted In America? VoteRef Probably Doxed You

  08-11-2024 01:10 via politics.slashdot.org
  
  An anonymous reader quotes a report from 404 Media: If you voted in the U.S. presidential election yesterday in which Donald Trump won comfortably, or a previous election, a website powered by a right-wing group is probably doxing you. VoteRef makes it trivial for anyone to search the name, physical address, age, party affiliation, and whether someone voted that year for people living in most states instantly and for free. This can include ordinary citizens, celebrities, domestic abuse survivors
  
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• US Cellular To Sell Some Spectrum Licenses To AT&T For $1 Billion

  08-11-2024 00:30 via mobile.slashdot.org
  
  U.S. Cellular has agreed to sell $1.02 billion worth of spectrum licenses to AT&T as part of its strategy to monetize its spectrum assets that were not included in an earlier $4.4 billion deal with T-Mobile. Reuters reports: Last month, U.S. Cellular agreed to sell select spectrum licenses for $1 billion to Verizon. It also signed deals with two other mobile network operators, but did not disclose the details. The latest agreement "adds a fourth mobile network operator, in addition to T-Mobi
  
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• Even Microsoft Notepad Is Getting AI Text Editing Now

  07-11-2024 23:50 via tech.slashdot.org
  
  Microsoft is introducing a feature to Notepad called Rewrite that will let you use AI to "rephrase sentences, adjust tone, and modify the length of your content." The Verge reports: If you're a Windows Insider with early access to the feature, you can try it by highlighting the text you want to adjust in Notepad, right-clicking it, and choosing Rewrite. Notepad will then display a dialogue box where you can decide how they want to change their text -- for example, if it needs to be longer or sho
  
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• Toronto Crypto Company CEO Kidnapped, Held For $1 Million Ransom Before Being Released

  07-11-2024 23:10 via yro.slashdot.org
  
  An anonymous reader quotes a report from CBC News: The head of a company specializing in cryptocurrency was kidnapped and held for ransom in downtown Toronto during rush hour Wednesday. Police were called about a kidnapping in the area of University Avenue and Richmond Street W. just before 6 p.m., says a spokesperson with the Toronto Police Service. The suspects forced the victim into a vehicle and made a demand for money, the spokesperson said. The man was later located in Centennial Park in E
  
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• Interview with Programmer Steve Yegge On the Future of AI Coding

  07-11-2024 22:30 via developers.slashdot.org
  
  I had the opportunity to interview esteemed programmer Steve Yegge for the SourceForge Podcast to ask him all about AI-powered coding assistants and the future of programming. "We're moving from where you have to write the code to where the LLM will write the code and you're just having a conversation with it about the code," said Yegge. "That is much more accessible to people who are just getting into the industry."Steve has nearly 30 years of programming experience working at Geoworks, Amazon,
  
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• Apple Scraps Plans for 27-inch iMac

  07-11-2024 21:50 via apple.slashdot.org
  
  Apple has confirmed it has no plans to release a 27-inch iMac, ending speculation about a larger successor to its flagship desktop computer. The tech giant will instead focus on its 24-inch M3 iMac and Mac Studio offerings.Read more of this story at Slashdot.
  
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• Global Temperatures Likely To Exceed Key Limit For First Time

  07-11-2024 21:08 via news.slashdot.org
  
  With October's initial temperature data in, 2024 will rank as the first calendar year in modern record-keeping in which global average surface temperatures exceed the Paris Agreement's aspirational 1.5C guardrail. From a report:Holding long-term warming to the 1.5-degree target compared to the preindustrial era is crucial for lowering the risk of triggering climate change tipping points, beyond which potentially catastrophic impacts have a higher likelihood of occurring, studies show. Holding wa
  
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• US Agency Warns Employees About Phone Use Amid Ongoing China Hack

  07-11-2024 20:27 via news.slashdot.org
  
  A federal agency has issued a directive to employees to reduce the use of their phones for work matters due to China's recent hack of U.S. telecommunications infrastructure, WSJ reported on Thursday, citing people familiar with the matter. From the report: In an email to staff sent Thursday, the chief information officer at the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau warned that internal and external work-related meetings and conversations that involve nonpublic data should only be held on platform
  
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• Hacker Says They Banned 'Thousands' of Call of Duty Gamers By Abusing Anti-Cheat Flaw

  07-11-2024 19:49 via it.slashdot.org
  
  An anonymous reader shares a report: In October, video game giant Activision said it had fixed a bug in its anti-cheat system that affected "a small number of legitimate player accounts," who were getting banned because of the bug. In reality, according to the hacker who found the bug and was exploiting it, they were able to ban "thousands upon thousands" of Call of Duty players, who they essentially framed as cheaters. The hacker, who goes by Vizor, spoke to TechCrunch about the exploit, and to
  
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• 'Just Have AI Build an App For That'

  07-11-2024 19:10 via tech.slashdot.org
  
  Software engineer David Gomes writes in a blog post: I sometimes need to search for a website that will "convert a PNG to SVG", or "remove page from PDF" or "resize svg". And these apps are... okay. I don't really trust most of them with my data, and also a lot of times they just don't work or have too many ads. So, I've been noticing a trend of people just using AI agents to create full blown apps for these simple use cases.
  I decided to try it myself for a "resize SVG" app since I recently had
  
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