Technology

LIVE VIDEO: Apple Unveils New Streaming TV Service

CNET reports: Slick new gadgets are usually the stars of Apple’s splashy events. But on Monday, the company will put the spotlight on subscriptions and services. A star-studded new TV service is expected to headline Apple’s event at the Steve Jobs Theater in Cupertino, California. Apple will likely unveil a news subscription service built into a reimagined Apple News, as …

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Facebook Staffers Could Probably See Your Password

The Associated Press reports: Facebook left millions of user passwords readable by its employees for years, the company acknowledged Thursday after a security researcher exposed the lapse. By storing passwords in readable plain text, Facebook violated fundamental computer-security practices. Those call for organizations and websites to save passwords in a scrambled form that makes it almost impossible to recover the …

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Twitter May Remove Likes And Retweets Counters

NBC News reports: Twitter has offered the public its first look at a new prototype for the Twitter app, which the company is calling “twttr” in a nod to CEO and co-founder Jack Dorsey’s first tweet, that includes a variety of changes to how Twitter looks and operates, centered on a new format for conversations and color-coded replies. The prototype …

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Apple Teases Launch Of Streaming Television Service

Reuters reports: Apple Inc on Monday invited media to a March 25 event at the Steve Jobs Theater on its campus in Cupertino, California, where it is expected to launch a television and video service. Sources previously told Reuters that the company is targeting April for the launch of a streaming television service that will likely include subscription TV service. …

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Zuckerberg Vows “Privacy-Focused” Future At Facebook

CNBC reports: Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg on Wednesday posted a 3,000 word note outlining a more “privacy-focused” future for the tech company, saying that communications platforms that protect privacy will “become even more important than today’s open platforms.” “I believe the future of communication will increasingly shift to private, encrypted services where people can be confident what they say to …

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German Company Unveils Solar-Assisted Electric Car

Inside EVs reports: Sono Motors revealed series design of the Sion, electric car that probably will be the first series-produced EV with full-surface solar integration. The solar cells can generate enough electricity per day to cover an additional 34 km (21 miles), but that’s a best-case scenario in the summer months in Munich. The average result will be over 20 …

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YouTube To Disable Comments On All Clips Featuring Minors After Pedophiles Force Away Major Brands

The BBC reports: YouTube says it will switch off comments on almost all videos featuring under-18s, in an attempt to “better protect children and families.” Several brands stopped advertising on YouTube after discovering that pedophiles were leaving predatory comments on videos of children. YouTube had originally disabled comments on videos that were attracting predatory and obscene comments. But it will …

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Senate Questions Google Over Hidden Mic In Device

Next Gov reports: Google failed to mention that there’s a microphone inside its Nest Secure home device product and three Senate Republicans say Americans need to know more. Nest owners were caught by surprise earlier this month, when the company announced on its Twitter that users could activate a microphone within the Nest that would enable new features. Though the …

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Tik Tok App To Pay Record $5.7M Child Privacy Fine

Wired reports: When the lip-syncing app Musical.ly first exploded in popularity nearly four years ago, it was best known for being a teen sensation. But according to the Federal Trade Commission, the app also illegally collected information from children under the age of 13. The agency announced Wednesday that Musical.ly, now known as TikTok, has agreed to pay a $5.7 …

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Virgin Galactic Takes First Passenger On Suborbital Test

Engadget reports: Virgin Galactic sent its first test passenger into sub-space today. The company’s chief astronaut instructor Beth Moses accompanied two pilots on a flight 55.85 miles above the Earth, just a few miles below the internationally recognized space boundary, 62 miles. This will likely come as good news to the more than 600 people from 58 countries who have …

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Coast Guard’s “Insider Threat” Computer Program Led To Arrest Of Accused MAGA Terrorism Plotter [VIDEO]

The Washington Post reports: The U.S. Coast Guard lieutenant spent hours on end planning a wide-scale domestic terrorist attack, even logging in at his work computer on the job at headquarters to study the manifestos and heinous paths of mass shooters, prosecutors say. It was only after Hasson’s arrest last Friday at his workplace that the chilling plans prosecutors assert …

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Facebook CEO Floats Crowd-Sourced Fact-Checking

The Guardian reports: Facebook chief executive Mark Zuckerberg revealed that he is considering crowd sourcing as a new model for Facebook’s third-party fact checking partnerships. “I think that the real thing that we want to try to get to over time is more of a crowdsourced model where people, it’s not that people are trusting some sort, some basic set …

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Samsung Unveils $2000 Foldable Smartphone [VIDEO]

CNET reports: The foldable future is finally here, and it’s called the Galaxy Fold. Samsung on Wednesday showed off the new foldable phone during its Unpacked event in San Francisco. The device has a 4.6 inch display when folded, and a full 7.3 inch display when unfolded into a tablet. The phone will be available April 26 at a starting …

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BRITAIN: Parliament Issues Scathing Report Calling For Stiffer Regulation Of “Digital Gangsters” At Facebook

CBS News reports: Senior managers at Facebook knew about a data breach associated with campaign consulting firm Cambridge Analytica before it was first reported in the media in 2015, according to a U.K. Parliament report that concludes the company “deliberately misled” a wide-ranging investigation into disinformation, “fake news” and election interference. “Some malicious forces use Facebook to threaten and harass …

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Russia To Test “Unplugging” From Global Internet

The BBC reports: Russia is considering whether to disconnect from the global internet briefly, as part of a test of its cyber-defences. The test will mean data passing between Russian citizens and organisations stays inside the nation rather than being routed internationally. A draft law mandating technical changes needed to operate independently was introduced to its parliament last year. The …

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Facebook To Reveal Who Targeted You For Advertising

TechCrunch reports: Starting February 28th, Facebook’s “Why am I seeing this?” button in the drop-down menu of feed posts will reveal more than the brand that paid for the ad, some biographical details they targeted and if they’d uploaded your contact info. Facebook will start to show when your contact info was uploaded, if it was by the brand or …

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Texas Man Dies After Vaping Pen Explodes [VIDEO]

The Fort Worth Star-Telegram reports: A 24-year-old Fort Worth man died last month after his vape pen exploded in his face, according to the Tarrant County medical examiner’s office. William Brown was at a vaporizer store in Keller when it happened. His grandmother, Alice Brown, said he had just purchased the device and was using it for the first time …

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Apple Disables FaceTime Over Eavesdropping Bug

Business Insider reports: Apple temporarily disabled group FaceTime calls after it was alerted to a major bug, which allows iPhone or iPad users to secretly hear what someone is saying before they answer the call. Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey was among those advising people to disable FaceTime until Apple releases a fix, which it said could be as early as …

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YouTube Stops Promoting Conspiracy Theory Videos

Forbes reports: In an official blog post published January 25th about YouTube’s changes to its recommendation algorithm, the Google-owned company announced they would be cracking down on conspiracy-laden videos and other “borderline content”… by ceasing to list them in the “Up Next” sidebar. Examples listed of content no longer being recommended included 9/11 truther documentaries, flat earth conspiracy videos and …

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Drone Sightings Halt Flights At Newark Airport [VIDEO]

Bloomberg reports: The Federal Aviation Administration temporarily halted flights at Newark Liberty International Airport after a drone sighting. The civilian aircraft was spotted north of the New Jersey hub at an altitude of 3,500 feet, FAA spokesman Greg Martin said Tuesday. The U.S. government last week unveiled a long-awaited set of proposals to dramatically expand civilian drone flights while also …

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