Technology

USA Today reports: The Federal Federal Trade Commission says it’s officially investigating the potential misuse of the personal information of as many as 50 million Facebook users by Trump-connected data analysis firm Cambridge Analytica. The agency’s action comes after it began a probe last week into the social network’s admission that it had suspended Cambridge Analytica, which had worked for …

The New York Post reports: Luluapp — a mobile app that, for a fee, promises to direct tourists and other assorted weak bladders to the nearest available bathroom — says it has already signed up more than 100 New York restaurants and bars ahead of its summer launch. “Instead of paying a lot of money for a Facebook or Yelp …

The Guardian reports: The first non-stop scheduled flight from Australia to the UK has landed in London – early – after a 17 hour, six minute journey across 9,240 miles (14,875km) from Perth. Qantas flight QF9, a Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner with more than 230 passengers and crew on board, touched down at 5.03am at Heathrow on a chilly Sunday morning …

Fast Company reports: The popular classifieds website has announced it has pulled its personal ads section from the site. Craiglist made the move after the passage of the Allow States and Victims to Fight Online Sex Trafficking Act (FOSTA) on Wednesday. The act makes it easier for sex trafficking victims and prosecutors to sue websites that allowed sex traffickers to …

USA Today reports: Facing growing criticism of his leadership of the social media giant he co-founded, CEO Mark Zuckerberg finally broke his silence on the escalating crisis over how Facebook handles people’s private information. Zuckerberg took responsibility for what he called “a breach of trust between Facebook and the people who share their data with us and expect us to …

Gizmodo reports: Last night a woman was struck by an autonomous Uber vehicle in Tempe, Arizona. She later died of her injuries in the hospital. The deadly collision—reported by ABC15 and later confirmed to Gizmodo by Uber and Tempe police—took place around 10PM at the intersection Mill Avenue and Curry Road. According to Tempe PD, the car was in autonomous …

Courthouse News reports: The Federal Communications Commission published its official order repealing net neutrality rules in the Federal Register Thursday, prompting New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman to immediately challenge the repeal along with 23 other attorneys general. FCC Chairman Ajit Pai, a former Verizon attorney appointed by President Donald Trump last year, completed his campaign to repeal the Obama-Era …

The Verge reports: We’ve seen Boston Dynamics robots open doors before, but this egress is different. Outfitted with an articulating arm and clamp similar to the one it used to wash dishes in the original video, we see the new SpotMini locate, recognize, and deftly operate a door handle, and then hold the door to let its arm-less sibling march …

The Daily Beast reports: Facebook is testing a “downvote” button with certain users, effectively creating the “dislike” button long predicted by memes and articles since inception of the Like button. The test appeared for several users on Thursday in the comment section of posts within Facebook groups and on old Facebook memories content. Users shared screenshots with The Daily Beast. …

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 …

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 …

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 …

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 …

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 …

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 …

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 …

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 …

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. …

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 …

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 …