Technology

CNBC reports: The FBI has warned consumers against using free public charging stations, saying crooks have managed to hijack public chargers that can infect devices with malware, or software that can give hackers access to your phone, tablet or computer. The Federal Communications Commission has also warned about “juice jacking,” as the malware loading scheme is known, since 2021. Consumer …

Reuters reports: Tesla Inc assures its millions of electric car owners that their privacy “is and will always be enormously important to us.” The cameras it builds into vehicles to assist driving, it notes on its website, are “designed from the ground up to protect your privacy.” But between 2019 and 2022, groups of Tesla employees privately shared via an …

The Verge reports: A number of well-known AI researchers — and Elon Musk — have signed an open letter calling on AI labs around the world to pause development of large-scale AI systems, citing fears over the “profound risks to society and humanity” they claim this software poses. The letter, published by the nonprofit Future of Life Institute, notes that …

NPR reports: This palm reader will not be able to tell your fortune, but it will figure out if you are part of Panera’s loyalty program. Over the next few months, the bakery-café chain will roll out scanners that can access customers’ credit card and loyalty account using their palm. The biometric-gathering technology, developed by Amazon and called Amazon One, …

Gothamist reports: The mayor said his new plan, called “Charge safe, Ride safe,” will bring safe e-bike charging and storage stations across the city, including at NYCHA buildings and hubs the city establishes for delivery workers. Adams on Monday also signed a package of bills passed by the City Council earlier this month that include a ban on battery devices …

The New York Daily News reports: Major money is on the way for Ryan Reynolds. The actor’s Mint Mobile company is being acquired by T-Mobile as part of a larger deal worth up to $1.35 billion, executives announced Wednesday. “Mint Mobile is the best deal in wireless and today’s news only enhances our ability to deliver for our customers,” Reynolds …

The Washington Post reports: A group of conservative Colorado Catholics has spent millions of dollars to buy mobile app tracking data that identified priests who used gay dating and hookup apps and then shared it with bishops around the country. The secretive effort was the work of a Denver nonprofit called Catholic Laity and Clergy for Renewal, whose trustees are …

The Verge reports: TikTok has announced a batch of new features intended to reduce screen time and improve the well-being of its younger users. In the coming weeks, a daily screen time limit of 60 minutes will be automatically applied to every TikTok user under 18 years old. Teens that hit this limit will be asked to enter a passcode …

The Verge reports: Meta now has a team dedicated to building tools powered by artificial intelligence, CEO Mark Zuckerberg announced in a post on Monday. This could eventually include “AI personas” designed to help people in “various ways” in addition to new AI tools across its apps and services. More specifically, Zuckerberg says the company is working on AI “experiences” …

The Hill reports: President Biden has upheld an International Trade Commission (ITC) ruling that could result in an import ban on the Apple Watch, according to AliveCor, a medical device company that has accused Apple of patent infringement. The California startup said it was informed of Biden’s decision by the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) on Tuesday. It’s …

Newsweek reports: Viewers were left “creeped out” by Jason Derulo’s robotic backup dancers during a pre-Super Bowl performance. Derulo performed at the NFL’s TikTok Tailgate event to get fans excited for Super Bowl LVII, but one aspect of his performance didn’t have the desired effect. Derulo was joined on stage by a number of human backup dancers, who in turn, …

Bloomberg News reports: US regulators are investigating Elon Musk’s role in shaping Tesla Inc.’s self-driving car claims, the latest effort by watchdogs to scrutinize the actions of the world’s second-richest person. The review is part of an ongoing Securities and Exchange Commission probe of the company’s statements about its Autopilot driver-assistance system. He personally directed the creation of a 2016 …

The Verge reports: Is Boston Dynamics slowly preparing to put its bipedal robots to work? In a glossy new video, the company has shown off its prototype Atlas robot tossing planks and tool bags around in a fake construction site. It’s a notable change in messaging from the Hyundai-owned company, which has never previously emphasized how its bipedal machines could …

ABC News reports: A driver told authorities that their Tesla’s “full-self-driving” software braked unexpectedly and triggered an eight-car pileup in the San Francisco Bay Area last month that led to nine people being treated for minor injuries including one juvenile who was hospitalized, according to a California Highway Patrol traffic crash report. CNN Business obtained the report detailing the crash …

Via press release from Walmart: As of Dec. 15, 2022, Walmart drone delivery is available in select markets in Texas, Arizona and Florida. Many customers in the Tampa, Orlando, Phoenix and Dallas areas can take advantage of same-day delivery via drone. We continue to expand our delivery operations to help customers get the items they need when they need them, …

Axios reports: Increasingly sophisticated drone show technology — which enables massive swarms of tiny lit-up drones to fly in sync with one another displaying well-known logos, characters and so on — is pushing “skyvertising” to new heights. The company behind popular mobile game Candy Crush recently launched 500 drones from New Jersey, just across the Hudson River from downtown Manhattan, …

Baltimore’s NBC affiliate reports: Gov. Larry Hogan issued an emergency cybersecurity directive to prohibit the use of certain Chinese and Russian-influenced products and platforms, including the popular social media site TikTok. According to a release, it states that these entities present an unacceptable level of cybersecurity risk to the state, and may be involved in activities such as cyber-espionage, surveillance …

Bloomberg News reports: Apple Inc. was sued by two women who say its AirTag devices make it easy for stalkers to track and terrorize victims. An ex-boyfriend of one of the women who filed the lawsuit planted an AirTag in the wheel well of her car and was able to find out where she had moved to avoid his harassment, …

Bloomberg News reports: Elon Musk’s Neuralink Corp. aims to start putting its coin-sized computing brain implant into human patients within six months, the company announced at an event at its Fremont, Calif. headquarters on Wednesday evening. Neuralink has been refining the product, which consists of a tiny device and electrode-laced wires, along with a robot that carves out a piece of …

CBS News reports: Vonage will pay $100 million to settle claims it trapped customers in unwanted accounts by forcing people to call to cancel, keeping them on hold for hours and charging hundreds of dollars to end service, government regulators said Thursday. The New Jersey-based company, which provides internet-based phone services, made it easy for customers to sign up for …