Technology

LIVE WTF VIDEO: Starman Drives Tesla In Space

CNET reports: The revolution is being televised, live from space. The below live video feed is coming direct from Elon Musk’s 2008 Tesla Roadster, which is currently somewhere high, high above us. On Tuesday afternoon, Musk’s rocket company SpaceX successfully launched Falcon Heavy, the new most powerful rocket currently in use worldwide, from Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The payload …

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National Weather Service Issues False Tsunami Warning

The Associated Press reports: A routine National Weather Service test on Tuesday resulted in a false push notification to mobile phones about a tsunami warning, giving jolt to many residents on the East Coast. A glitch meant some people received what looked like an actual warning, NWS meteorologist Hendricus Lulofs said. The National Weather Service is trying to sort what …

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Federal Court Rules Grindr Not Liable For Impersonating Profiles That Sent Over 1000 Men To Victim’s Home

Courthouse News reports: A federal judge dismissed a 14-count lawsuit against Grindr on Thursday, finding that that the hook-up app for gay men is not liable for the malicious harassment wrought by an ex-boyfriend’s fake profile. U.S. District Judge Valerie Caproni dismissed with prejudice all claims but one for copyright infringement, which she dismissed without prejudice. Matthew Herrick blamed Grinder …

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Amazon Opens Its First “No Checkout” Store

USA Today reports: After a year of testing with its own employees, Amazon opens its store that lets you browse, grab and walk out — skipping the checkout line, but not the bill — to the public Monday. The convenience store and its proprietary technology, made up of hundreds of cameras and sensors and requiring a new Amazon app, dangled …

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Social Media Giants Testify On Battling Extremists

CNBC reports: Facebook, Google and Twitter told Congress Wednesday that they’ve gone beyond screening and removing extremist content and are creating more anti-terror propaganda to pre-empt violent messages at the source. Representatives from the three companies told the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation that they are, among other things, targeting people likely to be swayed by extremist messages …

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New Android Malware Has Extensive Spying Functions

Ars Technica reports: In a discovery that underscores the growing arms race among competing malware developers, researchers have uncovered a new Android spying platform that includes location-based audio recording and other features that have never been seen in the wild before. According to a report published Tuesday by antivirus provider Kaspersky Lab, “Skygofree” is most likely an offensive security product …

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Regulators To Review GM’s New Driverless Car

Agence France-Presse reports: Regulators will “carefully and responsibly” review General Motors’ request to test an autonomous car without a steering wheel, US Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao said Sunday. “It is now coming to the stage with the rapid advancement of self-driving technology that this request is now a reality,” Chao said on the sidelines of the Detroit Auto Show. “So …

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FCC Chair Skips Tech Show Over Death Threats

The Associated Press reports: Federal Communications Commission Chairman Ajit Pai is skipping the CES gadget show because of death threats, according to reports. Pai has scrapped popular net-neutrality rules that had barred broadband providers like AT&T, Comcast and Verizon from interfering with internet traffic. The policy’s supporters have reacted strongly. Pai and his staff have called out racist tweets and …

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Apple Sued Over Purposely Slowed-Down Older Phones

Reuters reports: Apple Inc defrauded iPhone users by slowing devices without warning to compensate for poor battery performance, according to eight lawsuits filed in various federal courts in the week since the company opened up about the year-old software change. The tweak may have led iPhone owners to misguided attempts to resolve issues over the last year, the lawsuits contend. …

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EU Top Court Strikes Regulatory Blow Against Uber

PBS NewsHour reports: Ride-hailing service Uber suffered a new blow Wednesday as the European Union’s top court ruled that it should be regulated like a taxi company and not a technology service, a decision that crimps its activities around Europe and could weigh on other app-based companies, too. Uber, which is wrapping up a particularly punishing year, sought to play …

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Facebook Rolls Out New Facial Recognition Feature

TechCrunch reports: Facebook wants to make sure you know about and control the photos of you people upload, even if they don’t tag you. So today, Facebook launched a new facial recognition feature called Photo Review that will alert you when your face shows up in newly posted photos so you can tag yourself, leave it be, ask the uploader …

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Harlem Shake Creator To Go After FCC Chairman

Engadget reports: This is a bit ironic. When FCC chairman and former Verizon lawyer Ajit Pai uploaded a video this week detailing all the things we’ll still be able to do after he killed net neutrality, he apparently forgot one key step: asking permission. You see, part of the smarmy and glib clip the FCC produced with The Daily Caller …

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FCC Chair: People Can Still Send Emails Today, Proving That The Net Neutrality “Hysteria” Was Stupid [VIDEO]

The Hill reports: Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Chairman Ajit Pai said Friday that supporters of net neutrality provisions that were repealed Thursday have been proven wrong, as internet users wake up still able to send emails and use Twitter after the regulations were struck down. Speaking on “Fox and Friends,” Pai said Friday that net neutrality supporters such as ABC …

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Twitter Goes Off On Junior Over Claim That Obama Appointed FCC Chairman (Junior’s Daddy Did That)

USA Today reports: Twitter users pounced on Donald Trump Jr. Thursday for a tweet about the debate over net neutrality that featured a prominent typo and an apparent misconception about which president appointed the current chairman of the Federal Communications Commission. In addition to misspelling neutrality, Trump Jr. was mistaken in referring to Chairman Ajit Pai as “Obama’s FCC chairman.” …

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Late Night Hosts Tear Into “Jackhole” FCC Chairman

The Daily Beast reports: “The Federal Communications Commission did something absolutely despicable today: They voted to put an end to net neutrality,” announced Jimmy Kimmel. The late-night host dedicated a portion of his Jimmy Kimmel Live! monologue Thursday night to the net neutrality vote, which ruled 3-2 (three Republicans for, two Democrats very much against) in favor of dismantling the …

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FCC Repeals Net Neutrality In 3-2 Vote [VIDEO]

The New York Times reports: The Federal Communications Commission voted on Thursday to dismantle landmark rules regulating the businesses that connect consumers to the internet, granting broadband companies power to potentially reshape Americans’ online experiences. The agency scrapped so-called net neutrality regulations that prohibited broadband providers from blocking websites or charging for higher-quality service or certain content. The federal government …

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Apple Buys Shazam In $400 Million Deal

The Guardian reports: Apple has bought Shazam, a London-based app that allows smartphone users to identify music, for a reported $400m (£300m). The US company, which revolutionised music with the introduction of the the iPod and iPhone, said Shazam was a natural fit for its Apple Music streaming service. “Apple Music and Shazam are a natural fit, sharing a passion …

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Google To Block YouTube From Amazon Devices

Reuters reports: A rare public spat in the technology industry escalated on Tuesday when Google said it would block its video streaming application YouTube from two Amazon.com Inc devices and criticized the online retailer for not selling Google hardware. The feud is the latest in Silicon Valley to put customers in the crossfire of major competitors. Amazon and Google, which …

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REVEALED: Comcast Deleted Net Neutrality Pledge On Day FCC First Announced Plans To Repeal Rules

Ars Technica reports: Comcast spokesperson Sena Fitzmaurice has been claiming that we got the story wrong. But a further examination of how Comcast’s net neutrality promises have changed over time reveals another interesting tidbit—Comcast deleted a “no paid prioritization” pledge from its net neutrality webpage on the very same day that the Federal Communications Commission announced its initial plan to …

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FCC Preps Full Repeal Of Net Neutrality Rules

The New York Times reports: The Federal Communications Commission is preparing a full repeal of net neutrality rules that require broadband providers to give consumers equal access to all content on the internet, putting more power in the hands of those companies to dictate people’s online experiences. Ajit Pai, the chairman of the F.C.C., plans to reveal a sweeping proposal …

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