Technology

T-Mobile Has Been Paying Former Trump Campaign Manager Corey Lewandowski For Sprint Merger “Advice”

Mediaite reports: Cellular provider T-Mobile is paying for advice from former Donald Trump campaign manager Corey Lewandowski on their upcoming merger with Sprint, according to a Wall Street Journal report. On Thursday, T-Mobile announced that it hired Turnberry Solutions back in August to help secure federal approval of the merging of the two companies in a takeover deal. Along with …

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FBI Warns Of Russian Malware: Reboot Botnet Devices

The Hill reports: The FBI on Friday issued a formal warning that a sophisticated Russia-linked hacking campaign is compromising hundreds of thousands of home network devices worldwide and it is advising owners to reboot these devices in an attempt to disrupt the malicious software. The law enforcement agency said foreign cyber actors are targeting routers in small or home offices …

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Facebook Suspends 200 Apps For “Misusing Data”

From Facebook’s corporate blog: The investigation process is in full swing, and it has two phases. First, a comprehensive review to identify every app that had access to this amount of Facebook data. And second, where we have concerns, we will conduct interviews, make requests for information (RFI) — which ask a series of detailed questions about the app and …

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YouTube Launches Opt-In “Digital Well-Being” Feature Reminding Users To “Take A Break” From Videos

Gizmodo reports: Google is well aware that YouTube is the internet’s biggest time suck, sending users down endless rabbit holes of related videos. Now, as part of the company’s apparent newfound interest in digital well-being, it’s introducing a feature that will encourage people to step away from the endless stream of videos—but only if they opt into it. The new …

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Robot Security Dogs To Go On Sale Next Year [VIDEO]

The New York Daily News reports: A robotics company known for its widely shared videos of nimble, legged robots opening doors or walking through rough terrain is preparing to sell some after more than a quarter century of research. Boston Dynamics CEO Marc Raibert said Friday that his company plans to begin selling the dog-like SpotMini robot next year, likely …

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California Mandates Solar Panels On New Homes

Business Insider reports: On Wednesday, The California Energy Commission approved a ruling requiring new homes and low-rise apartment buildings to include solar panels. The rule will take effect in January 2020. According to the AP, the mandate still needs final approval from the state’s Building Standards Commission, which will likely happen. The California Energy Commission, the agency that approved the …

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Uber Unveils Plan For Fleet Of Flying Taxis [VIDEO]

USA Today reports: Uber executives continue to grapple with a host of challenges, but that hasn’t put the brakes on the company’s futuristic — and somewhat outlandish — plans to develop a network of flying taxis. The project gained a bit more altitude at Tuesday’s kickoff of the two-day Uber Elevate conference in Los Angeles to discuss urban air transportation. …

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Apple’s Original iMac Turns 20 Years Old [VIDEO]

Engadget reports: There are few individual computer models that have left a lasting mark on the industry, but you can definitely put the iMac on that list. Apple introduced its signature all-in-one desktop at a special event on May 6th, 1998, and it’s safe to say the system has had a lasting impact on technology at large. At the same …

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Twitter Warns Users: Change Your Password Right Now

TechCrunch reports: Yes, it’s that time again — password changing time. On Thursday, Twitter revealed that a bug caused the platform to store user passwords in unmasked form. Normally, sensitive personal data like passwords would be stored in hashed form using a mix of letters and numbers to protect the content of the password itself. In this instance, it sounds …

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Zuckerberg: Facebook Will Launch A Dating Service

Reuters reports: Facebook Inc is entering the dating game, Chief Executive Mark Zuckerberg said on Tuesday, planning a dating service to matchmake millions of people on the world’s largest online social network and nudge them into spending more time there. The service, which Facebook had considered offering for over a decade and will launch soon, could help rebuild its popularity …

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POLL: Fewer Say Internet Is “Good For Society”

CNET reports: According to a Pew Research Center survey published on Monday, the majority of US adults surveyed in January said the internet is mostly a good thing for them personally and for society as a whole. But the number has declined since the Center started asking the questions in early 2014. An overwhelming majority of US adults still said …

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Europol Nabs Site Behind Millions Of DDoS Attacks

Krebs On Security reports: Authorities in the U.S., U.K. and the Netherlands on Tuesday took down popular online attack-for-hire service WebStresser.org and arrested its alleged administrators. Investigators say that prior to the takedown, the service had more than 136,000 registered users and was responsible for launching somewhere between four and six million attacks over the past three years. The action, …

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Gmail Launches First Major Update In Years [VIDEO]

The Verge reports: The world’s most popular email service is getting a big overhaul today. Google is making official the changes we saw leaked earlier this month, with email snoozing, nudging, and confidential mode making their debut alongside a substantial visual redesign for Gmail on the web. The new Gmail begins a global phased rollout today, which is to say …

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Airlines Inspect Engines After Fatal Southwest Incident

Reuters reports: Some major customers of Boeing Co’s popular 737 jets said on Wednesday they were inspecting engines of the type that blew apart mid-air on a fatal Southwest Airlines Co flight on Tuesday. European regulators this month began requiring an inspection by early next year, and a person familiar with the matter said U.S. regulators were near a similar …

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Fake Obama Illustrates Danger Of New Video Tech

Buzzfeed News reports: Sitting before the Stars and Stripes, another flag pinned to his lapel, former President Barack Obama appears to be delivering an important message about fake news — but something seems slightly…off. As the video soon reveals, the man speaking is not the former commander-in-chief, but rather Oscar-winning filmmaker Jordan Peele with a warning for viewers about trusting …

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LIVE VIDEO: Zuckerberg Testifies Before Congress

CNBC reports: Mark Zuckerberg is testifying at a joint hearing of the Senate Judiciary and Commerce committees Tuesday, in the first of two congressional hearings for the Facebook founder and CEO. The company is facing questions following reports that research firm Cambridge Analytica improperly gained access to the personal data of as many as 87 million Facebook users. Zuckerberg is …

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Facebook Rolls Out Data Abuse Bounty Program

The Hill reports: Facebook on Tuesday officially launched a program to reward users for reporting “data abuse” on its platform. The move comes as Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg prepares to testify before lawmakers on Capitol Hill amid scrutiny over the controversy surrounding Cambridge Analytica, a data firm that Facebook says improperly obtained data on potentially 87 million of its users. …

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“Luxury Space Hotel” Begins Taking Reservations

The Guardian reports: A Houston-based company said this week it plans to open the “first luxury hotel in space” by late 2021. Orion Span’s compact Aurora Station – at 35ft-by-14ft its interior will be comparable to that of a Gulfstream jet, the company said – is projected to accommodate four travelers and two crew members for 12-day stays 200 miles …

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Apple Co-Founder Ditches Facebook Over Data Scandal

The Associated Press reports: Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak is shutting down his Facebook account as the social media giant struggles to cope with the worst privacy crisis in its history. In an email to USA Today, Wozniak says Facebook makes a lot of advertising money from personal details provided by users. He says the “profits are all based on the …

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Facebook Faces Potential Fines Of Over $1 Billion

The Washington Post reports: Facebook’s disclosure this week that its search tools were used to collect data on most of its 2.2 billion users could potentially trigger record fines and create new legal vulnerability for not having prevented risks to user data, said three former federal officials. The three former officials, all of whom were at the Federal Trade Commission …

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