ICT news

• Will Smarter Cars Bring 'Optimized' Traffic Lights?

  13-05-2024 05:54 via tech.slashdot.org
  
  "Researchers are exploring ways to use features in modern cars, such as GPS, to make traffic safer and more efficient," reports the Associated Press.
  "Eventually, the upgrades could do away entirely with the red, yellow and green lights of today, ceding control to driverless cars."Among those reimagining traffic flows is a team at North Carolina State University led by Ali Hajbabaie, an associate engineering professor. Rather than doing away with today's traffic signals, Hajbabaie suggests addin
  
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• eBay To Drop American Express Over Fees

  07-06-2024 04:00 via news.slashdot.org
  
  Online marketplace behemoth eBay said it plans to no longer accept American Express, citing what the company says are "unacceptably high fees." CNBC: It's a notable blow to American Express, whose customers are often the most attractive among merchants and spend the most money per month on their cards. But it's not the first time merchants have voiced opposition to AmEx's business practices by walking away, most notably the warehouse chain Costco nearly a decade ago.
  [...] Overland said that eBa
  
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• GOG Will Start Deleting Cloud Saves This Summer

  07-06-2024 02:01 via games.slashdot.org
  
  GOG, a Poland-based popular gaming platform, has announced plans to enforce a 200MB limit on cloud save files per game. This move may adversely affect players of open-world titles like Cyberpunk 2077, where save folders can reach several gigabytes. A report adds: The company will begin deleting game saves that exceed the limit on Aug 31. When the deadline rolls around, GOG will delete saves for each game, beginning with the oldest until it's below the 200MB threshold. That means your newest save
  
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• Artists Are Deleting Instagram For New App Cara In Protest of Meta AI Scraping

  07-06-2024 01:20 via tech.slashdot.org
  
  Some artists are jumping ship for the anti-AI portfolio app Cara after Meta began using Instagram content to train its AI models. Fast Company explains: The portfolio app bills itself as a platform that protects artists' images from being used to train AI, and only allowing AI content to be posted if it's clearly labeled. Based on the number of new users the Cara app has garnered over the past few days, there seems to be a need. Between May 31 and June 2, Cara's user base tripled from less than
  
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• Adobe Responds To Vocal Uproar Over New Terms of Service Language

  07-06-2024 00:40 via slashdot.org
  
  Adobe is facing backlash over new Terms of Service language amid its embrace of generative AI in products like Photoshop and customer experience software. The ToS, sent to Creative Cloud Suite users, doesn't mention AI explicitly but includes a reference to machine learning and a clause prohibiting AI model training on Adobe software. From a report: In particular, users have objected to Adobe's claims that it "may access, view, or listen to your Content through both automated and manual methods
  
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• Google Is Working On a Recall-Like Feature For Chromebooks, Too

  07-06-2024 00:00 via tech.slashdot.org
  
  In an interview with PCWorld's Mark Hachman, Google's ChromeOS chief said the company is cautiously exploring a Recall-like feature for Chromebooks, dubbed "memory." Microsoft's AI-powered Recall feature for Windows 11 was unveiled at the company's Build 2024 conference last month. The feature aims to improve local searches by making them as efficient as web searches, allowing users to quickly retrieve anything they've seen on their PC. Using voice commands and contextual clues, Recall can find
  
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• FBI Recovers 7,000 LockBit Keys, Urges Ransomware Victims To Reach Out

  06-06-2024 23:20 via it.slashdot.org
  
  An anonymous reader quotes a report from BleepingComputer: The FBI urges past victims of LockBit ransomware attacks to come forward after revealing that it has obtained over 7,000 LockBit decryption keys that they can use to recover encrypted data for free. FBI Cyber Division Assistant Director Bryan Vorndran announced this on Wednesday at the 2024 Boston Conference on Cyber Security. "From our ongoing disruption of LockBit, we now have over 7,000 decryption keys and can help victims reclaim the
  
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• Apple Commits To At Least Five Years of iPhone Security Updates

  06-06-2024 22:40 via mobile.slashdot.org
  
  When buying a new smartphone, it's important to consider the duration of software updates, as it impacts security and longevity. In a rare public commitment on Monday, thanks to the UK's new Product Security and Telecommunications Infrastructure (PSTI) regulations, Apple said it guarantees a minimum of five years of security updates for the iPhone 15 Pro Max. "In other words, the iPhone 15 is officially guaranteed to receive security updates until September 22, 2028," reports Android Authority.
  
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• Sony Removes 8K Claim From PlayStation 5 Boxes

  06-06-2024 22:02 via games.slashdot.org
  
  Fans have noticed that, over the last few months, Sony quietly removed any mention of 8K on the PlayStation 5 boxes. "I have been endlessly bitching since the PS5 released about that 8k Badge," writes X user @DeathlyPrice. "It is false Advertising and Sony should be sued for it." Others shared their grievances via PlayStation Lifestyle and a Reddit thread. GameSpot reports: A FAQ on Sony's official site in 2020 stated that "PS5 is compatible with 8K displays at launch, and after a future system
  
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• DuckDuckGo Offers 'Anonymous' Access To AI Chatbots Through New Service

  06-06-2024 21:25 via slashdot.org
  
  An anonymous reader quotes a report from Ars Technica: On Thursday, DuckDuckGo unveiled a new "AI Chat" service that allows users to converse with four mid-range large language models (LLMs) from OpenAI, Anthropic, Meta, and Mistral in an interface similar to ChatGPT while attempting to preserve privacy and anonymity. While the AI models involved can output inaccurate information readily, the site allows users to test different mid-range LLMs without having to install anything or sign up for an
  
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• Google To Start Permanently Deleting Users' Location History

  06-06-2024 20:45 via tech.slashdot.org
  
  Google will delete everything it knows about users' previously visited locations, the company has said, a year after it committed to reducing the amount of personal data it stores about users. From a report: The company's "timeline" feature -- previously known as Location History -- will still work for those who choose to use it, letting them scroll back through potentially decades of travel history to check where they were at a specific time. But all the data required to make the feature work w
  
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• Humane Said To Be Seeking a $1 Billion Buyout After Only 10,000 Orders of Its AI Pin

  06-06-2024 20:17 via slashdot.org
  
  An anonymous reader writes: It emerged recently that Humane was trying to sell itself for as much as $1 billion after its confuddling, expensive and ultimately pretty useless AI Pin flopped. A New York Times report that dropped on Thursday shed a little more light on the company's sales figures and, like the wearable AI assistant itself, the details are not good.
  By early April, around the time that many devastating reviews of the AI Pin were published, Humane is said to have received around 10,
  
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• Intel Ditches Hyperthreading For Lunar Lake CPUs

  06-06-2024 19:22 via it.slashdot.org
  
  An anonymous reader shares a report: Intel's fastest processors have included hyperthreading, a technique that lets more than one thread run on a single CPU core, for over 20 years -- and it's used by AMD (which calls it "simultaneous multi-threading") as well. But you won't see a little "HT" on the Intel sticker for any Lunar Lake laptops, because none of them use it. Hyperthreading will be disabled on all Lunar Lake CPU cores, including both performance and efficiency cores. Why? The reason is
  
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• 'Microsoft Has Lost Trust With Its Users and Windows Recall is the Straw That Broke the Camel's Back'

  06-06-2024 18:41 via it.slashdot.org
  
  In a column at Windows Central, a blog that focuses on Microsoft news, senior editor Zac Bowden discusses the backlash against Windows Recall, a new AI feature in Microsoft's Copilot+ PCs. While the feature is impressive, allowing users to search their entire Windows history, many are concerned about privacy and security. Bowden argues that Microsoft's history of questionable practices, such as ads and bloatware, has eroded user trust, making people skeptical of Recall's intentions. Additionally
  
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• SpaceX Soars Through New Milestones in Test Flight of the Most Powerful Rocket Ever Built

  06-06-2024 18:02 via science.slashdot.org
  
  New submitter OwnedByTwoCats writes: SpaceX's Starship, the most powerful launch vehicle ever built, launched Thursday and achieved key objectives laid out for its fourth test flight that demonstrated the vehicle's reusability. The highly anticipated event was the company's second uncrewed test of 2024. Launch occurred from the private Starbase facility in Boca Chica, Texas, at 7:50 a.m. CT (8:50 a.m. ET), and the company streamed live coverage on X, formerly known as Twitter, drawing millions o
  
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• Japan's Birth Rate Falls To a Record Low

  06-06-2024 17:31 via news.slashdot.org
  
  Japan's birth rate fell to a new low for the eighth straight year in 2023, according to Health Ministry data released on Wednesday. A government official described the situation as critical and urged authorities to do everything they can to reverse the trend. From a report: The data underscores Japan's long-standing issues of a rapidly aging and shrinking population, which has serious implications for the country's economy and national security -- especially against the backdrop of China's incre
  
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• US Regulators To Open Antitrust Inquiries of Microsoft, OpenAI and Nvidia

  06-06-2024 16:42 via news.slashdot.org
  
  The U.S. Justice Department and the Federal Trade Commission have reached a deal that allows them to proceed with antitrust investigations into the dominant roles that Microsoft, OpenAI and Nvidia play in the artificial intelligence industry, Reuters reported Thursday, citing a source familiar with the matter. From the report: Under the deal, the U.S. Department of Justice will take the lead in investigating whether Nvidia violated antitrust laws, while the FTC will examine the conduct of OpenAI
  
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• Court Rules $17 Billion UK Advertising Lawsuit Against Google Can Go Ahead

  06-06-2024 15:00 via yro.slashdot.org
  
  An anonymous reader quotes a report from Reuters: Google parent Alphabet must face a lawsuit worth up to $17.4 billion for allegedly abusing its dominance in the online advertising market, London's Competition Appeal Tribunal (CAT) ruled on Wednesday. The lawsuit, which seeks damages on behalf of publishers of websites and apps based in the United Kingdom, is the latest case to focus on the search giant's business practices. Ad Tech Collective Action is bringing the claim on behalf of publishers
  
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• Amazon Acquires MX Player

  06-06-2024 13:59 via news.slashdot.org
  
  An anonymous reader shared a report: Amazon has agreed to acquire key assets of Indian video streaming service MX Player from the local media powerhouse Times Internet, the latest step by the e-commerce giant to make its services and brand popular in smaller cities and towns in the key overseas market.
  [...] Times Internet acquired MX Player in 2018 for $140 million. The app, which originated in South Korea, gained immense popularity in India due to its unique local video playback feature. This
  
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• Nearly All of Apple's Newest Devices Have an Unannounced Thread Radio On Board

  06-06-2024 12:00 via mobile.slashdot.org
  
  Apple has quietly added a Thread radio to nearly all of its newest iPads, MacBooks, and iMacs. The Verge reports: While the company doesn't list Thread on the specs of any of these products, FCC reports indicate that many of Apple's latest devices have had Thread radios tested for compliance. Generally, you don't test a radio that's not there. We found evidence of Thread testing in the following models: iPad Pro 13-inch (M4) (Wi-Fi + Cellular), iPad Pro 11-inch (M4) (Wi-Fi + Cellular), iPad Pro
  
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• Study Finds 268% Higher Failure Rates For Agile Software Projects

  06-06-2024 09:00 via tech.slashdot.org
  
  Richard Speed reports via The Register: A study has found that software projects adopting Agile practices are 268 percent more likely to fail than those that do not. Even though the research commissioned by consultancy Engprax could be seen as a thinly veiled plug for Impact Engineering methodology, it feeds into the suspicion that the Agile Manifesto might not be all it's cracked up to be. The study's fieldwork was conducted between May 3 and May 7 with 600 software engineers (250 in the UK and
  
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• NewsBreak, Most Downloaded US News App, Caught Sharing 'Entirely False' AI-Generated Stories

  06-06-2024 05:30 via news.slashdot.org
  
  An anonymous reader quotes a report from Reuters: Last Christmas Eve, NewsBreak, a free app with roots in China that is the most downloaded news app in the United States, published an alarming piece about a small town shooting. It was headlined "Christmas Day Tragedy Strikes Bridgeton, New Jersey Amid Rising Gun Violence in Small Towns." The problem was, no such shooting took place. The Bridgeton, New Jersey police department posted a statement on Facebook on December 27 dismissing the article -
  
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• Mike Karels, of 4.4 BSD Fame, Has Died

  06-06-2024 03:50 via bsd.slashdot.org
  
  Michael 'Mike' Karels, one of the authors of "The Design and Implementation of the 4.4Bsd Operating System" and a part of the Computer Systems Research Group at Berkeley, who received the USENIX Association Lifetime Achievement Award, has died. Longtime Slashdot reader bplipschitz shared the news.The FreeBSD Foundation issued a statement in memory of Karels: "We are deeply saddened about the passing of Mike Karels, a pivotal figure in the history of BSD UNIX, a respected member of the FreeBSD co
  
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• UK Imposes Mysterious Ban On Quantum Computer Exports

  06-06-2024 03:25 via tech.slashdot.org
  
  Longtime Slashdot reader MattSparkes shares a report from NewScientist: Quantum computing experts are baffled by the UK governmentâ(TM)s new export restrictions on the exotic devices, saying they make little sense. [The UK government has set limits on the capabilities of quantum computers that can be exported -- starting with those above 34 qubits, and rising as long as error rates are also higher -- and has declined to explain these limits on the grounds of national security.] The legisla
  
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• Remote Amazon Tribe Connects To Internet, Gets Addicted To Porn and Social Media

  06-06-2024 03:10 via tech.slashdot.org
  
  The Marubo people, an isolated Indigenous tribe in the Amazon, have gained high-speed internet access through Elon Musk's Starlink service, drastically altering their traditional way of life. While the internet has brought significant benefits like improved communication and emergency response, it has also introduced challenges such as social media addiction, exposure to inappropriate content, and cultural erosion. The New York Times reports: After only nine months with Starlink, the Marubo are
  
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• A Billionaire-Backed Texas Stock Exchange Is In The Works

  06-06-2024 02:30 via news.slashdot.org
  
  Cailey Gleeson reports via Forbes: A group backed by more than two dozen investors -- including Citadel Securities and BlackRock -- is planning to start its own stock exchange in Texas, it said Wednesday, in an attempt to compete with the New York Stock Exchange and Nasdaq. The Texas Stock Exchange (TXSE) -- owned by TXSE Group Inc. and founded in 2023, per its LinkedIn -- will be a "fully electronic national securities exchange" that seeks to expand access to markets for all investors and those
  
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• Israel Reportedly Uses Fake Social Media Accounts To Influence US Lawmakers On Gaza War

  06-06-2024 01:50 via tech.slashdot.org
  
  An anonymous reader quotes a report from the New York Times: Israel organized and paid for an influence campaign last year targeting U.S. lawmakers and the American public with pro-Israel messaging, as it aimed to foster support for its actions in the war with Gaza, according to officials involved in the effort and documents related to the operation. The covert campaign was commissioned by Israel's Ministry of Diaspora Affairs, a government body that connects Jews around the world with the State
  
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• Humane Warns AI Pin Owners To 'Immediately' Stop Using Its Charging Case

  06-06-2024 01:10 via tech.slashdot.org
  
  Humane is telling AI Pin owners today that they should "immediately" stop using the charging case that came with its AI gadget. From a report: There are issues with a third-party battery cell that "may pose a fire safety risk," the company wrote in an email to customers. Humane says it has "disqualified" that vendor and is moving to find another supplier. It also specified that the AI Pin itself, the magnetic Battery Booster, and its charging pad are "not affected." As recompense, the company is
  
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• Nvidia Hits $3 Trillion Market Cap On Back of AI Boom

  06-06-2024 00:30 via news.slashdot.org
  
  Nvidia has reached a market cap of $3 trillion, surpassing Apple to become the second-largest public company behind Microsoft. CNBC reports: Nvidia's milestone is the latest stunning mark in a run that has seen the stock soar more than 3,224% over the past five years. The company will split its stock 100-for-1 later this month. Apple was the first U.S. company to reach a $3 trillion market cap during intraday trading in January 2022. Microsoft hit $3 trillion in market value in January 2024. Nvi
  
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• Oral-B Bricking Alexa Toothbrush Is a Cautionary Tale Against Buzzy Tech

  05-06-2024 23:50 via tech.slashdot.org
  
  An anonymous reader quotes a report from Ars Technica: As we're currently seeing with AI, when a new technology becomes buzzy, companies will do almost anything to cram that tech into their products. Trends fade, however, and corporate priorities shift -- resulting in bricked gadgets and buyer's remorse. That's what's happening to some who bought into Oral-B toothbrushes with Amazon Alexa built in. Oral-B released the Guide for $230 in August 2020 but bricked the ability to set up or reconfigure
  
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