Miscellaneous Tech News
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Apple patent explores crease-free folding phone
Apple is exploring plans for a foldable version of the iPhone, according to a patent filed in the US.
The design features an innovative hinge mechanism that would prevent creasing issues similar devices have suffered from. Movable flaps would prevent unsightly marks by keeping the device in a semi-curved state when shut. Huawei, Samsung and Lenovo were among those to release foldable devices in 2019, to varying levels of success. "Apple has a long history of assessing technology and only jumping into the market when it feels a particular technology is mature enough or that it can use it in a way that makes a meaningful difference to its products," said analyst Ben Wood. -
Xbox says Nintendo and Sony no longer main rivals
Microsoft no longer sees PlayStation-maker Sony and Nintendo as the biggest competition for its Xbox platform.
Phil Spencer, Microsoft's head of gaming, said he now considered Amazon and Google as his top rivals because of their cloud-computing infrastructure. Cloud gaming tackles some common frustrations experienced by players but introduces some issues of its own. But Mr Spencer said his "traditional" rivals Nintendo and Sony were out of step with the future of gaming. "When you talk about Nintendo and Sony, we have a tonne of respect for them, but we see Amazon and Google as the main competitors going forward," he told Protocol, a new technology news website. "That's not to disrespect Nintendo and Sony but the traditional gaming companies are somewhat out of position." -
iPhone 11 Pro said to emit twice the FCC's legal limit for RF radiation
https://bgr.com/2020/02/04/iphone-11-pro-radiation-level-case-dangerous-high-fcc/
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NSPCC urges Facebook to stop encryption plans
Child-protection organisations say Facebook's decision to strongly encrypt messages will give offenders a place to hide.
The company is moving ahead with plans to implement the measure on Facebook Messenger and Instagram Direct. But more than 100 organisations, led by the NSPCC, have signed an open letter warning the plans will undermine efforts to catch abusers. Home Secretary Priti Patel said she "fully supported" the move. In a statement to the BBC, she said: "Tech companies like Facebook have a vital responsibility to balance privacy with the safety of vulnerable children." -
@mlnews said in Miscellaneous Tech News:
NSPCC urges Facebook to stop encryption plans
Child-protection organisations say Facebook's decision to strongly encrypt messages will give offenders a place to hide.
The company is moving ahead with plans to implement the measure on Facebook Messenger and Instagram Direct. But more than 100 organisations, led by the NSPCC, have signed an open letter warning the plans will undermine efforts to catch abusers. Home Secretary Priti Patel said she "fully supported" the move. In a statement to the BBC, she said: "Tech companies like Facebook have a vital responsibility to balance privacy with the safety of vulnerable children."Only the dumb ones. The real assholes are already way good at covering their tracks. Otherwise they would be busted already.
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@JaredBusch said in Miscellaneous Tech News:
@mlnews said in Miscellaneous Tech News:
NSPCC urges Facebook to stop encryption plans
Child-protection organisations say Facebook's decision to strongly encrypt messages will give offenders a place to hide.
The company is moving ahead with plans to implement the measure on Facebook Messenger and Instagram Direct. But more than 100 organisations, led by the NSPCC, have signed an open letter warning the plans will undermine efforts to catch abusers. Home Secretary Priti Patel said she "fully supported" the move. In a statement to the BBC, she said: "Tech companies like Facebook have a vital responsibility to balance privacy with the safety of vulnerable children."Only the dumb ones. The real assholes are already way good at covering their tracks. Otherwise they would be busted already.
Exactly - these idiots are .... well - just idiots... all that desire to drive behind something, to bad they can't be refocused onto something useful.
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Self-driving delivery van ditches 'human controls'
The first self-driving vehicle designed without basic human controls such as steering wheels, pedals or side view mirrors has been granted permission to test on US roads.
Nuro, the company behind the design, makes autonomous delivery vans. The vehicle is Nuro's second generation of its vehicles, which it is calling R2 and will be tested in Houston, Texas. This is the first exemption to a rule requiring vehicles to have controls for human operators. Most of the rules for testing vehicles require features that allow a driver to safely take control of them. But in a statement, the US transport secretary Elaine Chao said given that the vehicle's top speed is capped at 25mph, these requirements "no longer make sense". -
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Coronavirus: Sony and Amazon pull out of major tech show
Sony and Amazon are the latest major companies to pull out of one of the world's largest tech shows because of risks posed by coronavirus.
Sony said it would no longer take part in Mobile World Congress in Barcelona after "monitoring the evolving situation" after the coronavirus outbreak. The organiser has said the event, which attracts 100,000 people, will go ahead. But it admitted other companies are considering whether to attend. South Korea's LG Electronics, Ericsson, the Swedish telecoms equipment-maker, and US chip company NVIDIA have all withdrawn from the conference, which runs between 24 and 27 February. -
China launches coronavirus 'close contact detector' app
China has launched an app that allows people to check whether they have been at risk of catching the coronavirus.
The 'close contact detector' tells users if they have been near a person who has been confirmed or suspected of having the virus. People identified as being at risk are advised to stay at home and inform local health authorities. The technology shines a light on the Chinese government's close surveillance of its population. To make an inquiry users scan a Quick Response (QR) code on their smartphones using apps like the payment service Alipay or social media platform WeChat. Once the new app is registered with a phone number, users are asked to enter their name and ID number. Every registered phone number can then be used to check the status of up to three ID numbers. -
@mlnews said in Miscellaneous Tech News:
stay at home and inform local health authorities.
So that the Chinese government can weld their doors closed with them inside. . .
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US telecoms giants get $26bn takeover green light
A US judge has given the go-ahead for telecoms giant T-Mobile US to buy its smaller rival Sprint.
The $26bn (£20bn) deal will mark a major shakeup of the industry as it will mean there will be just three major players in the American mobile phone market.
The ruling will pave the way for the completion of a deal first agreed two years ago.
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Cyber-crime profits reached $3.5bn in 2019, says FBI
Criminals netted $3.5bn (£2.7bn) from cyber-crimes reported to the FBI alone in 2019, according to the service's internet crime complaint centre (IC3).
It received 467,361 complaints from individuals and businesses during the year and has had nearly five million since its inception in 2000. Phishing and extortion remain the most popular ways of scamming people. It says techniques are becoming more sophisticated, making it harder for people to tell "real from fake". This is especially true of web and email addresses that are fooling people because they look increasingly legitimate. Last year IC3 had 13,633 complaints from victims of so-called tech-support fraud, which involves a scammer phoning an individual and claiming there is a problem with their computer that needs immediate fixing. -
U.S. Officials Say Huawei Can Covertly Access Telecom Networks
https://www.wsj.com/articles/u-s-officials-say-huawei-can-covertly-access-telecom-networks-11581452256 -
@black3dynamite said in Miscellaneous Tech News:
U.S. Officials Say Huawei Can Covertly Access Telecom Networks
https://www.wsj.com/articles/u-s-officials-say-huawei-can-covertly-access-telecom-networks-11581452256And in doing so, admitted that law enforcement has inappropriate access to those systems.
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Facebook Dating delayed after row with regulator
Facebook has delayed the launch of its new dating feature in Europe, after a last-minute visit by officers from the Irish Data Protection Commission (DPC).
The DPC said it had been told about the feature just 10 days ahead of the planned launch and "no information or documentation was provided to us". "We were very concerned that this was the first that we'd heard," it said. Officers had gathered documents during Monday's inspection of Facebook's EU headquarters, in Dublin, the DPC said. The move also affects the UK market, which is bound to EU rules during the post-Brexit transition period this year. Facebook, however, said it had completed the necessary paperwork and shared it when asked. "It's really important that we get the launch of Facebook Dating right, so we are taking a bit more time to make sure the product is ready for the European market," a representative said. -
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Facebook boss 'happy to pay more tax in Europe'
The boss of Facebook says he accepts tech giants may have to pay more tax in Europe in future and recognises people's "frustration" over the issue.
Mark Zuckerberg also said he backed plans by think tank the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development to find a global solution. Facebook and others have been accused of not paying their fair share of tax in countries where they operate. But some say the OECD is moving too slowly towards its goal of a 2020 deal. In the UK, Facebook paid just £28.5m in corporation tax in 2018 despite generating a record £1.65bn in British sales. At the time tax campaigner and MP Margaret Hodge said such a low bill was "outrageous", but Facebook said it pays what it owes. -
Mark Zuckerberg: Facebook boss urges tighter regulation
Facebook boss Mark Zuckerberg has called for more regulation of harmful online content, saying it was not for companies like his to decide what counts as legitimate free speech.
Citing China, Mr Zuckerberg also warned excessive control risked stifling individual expression.
He was speaking at the Munich Security Conference in Germany. Social media giants like Facebook are under increasing pressure to stop the spread of false information. Facebook in particular has been criticised for its policy on political advertising. The company launched new policies for political advertising in the US in 2018 and globally the following year. These rules require political ads to display who had paid for them, and a copy of the ad is kept in a publicly-searchable database for seven years.
