Tech NewsGoogle

Students Pledge to Refuse Job Interviews at Google in Protest of Pentagon Work

Google will not seek to renew its artificial intelligence contract with the Department of Defense after it expires next year, Google Cloud CEO Diane Greene told employees last week. But despite the revelation that the contract has an end date, the pushback against it continues—within the company and externally. Under the contract, Google is providing … Continued

Tech NewsPrivacy and Security

Report: Hackers Could Easily Screw With Navigation Systems on Many Civilian Ships

Naval systems that track the current position of ships have an array of vulnerabilities that could make it simple for hackers to break in, the BBC reported on Thursday, which could enable attackers to set off collision alarms on other vessels. Ken Munro of Pen Test Partners (PTP), which is releasing some details of a … Continued

Tech NewsNews

The U.S. Army Is Exploring Mechanical Third Arms and Exoskeletons for Soldiers

We’re still a long way from a Metroid-style space bounty hunter suit, but the U.S. military is prototyping new wearables to enhance soldiers’ combat abilities. These include an exoskeleton similar to those being trialled for factory workers, and a prosthetic arm device, officially named the “Third Arm,” meant to make heavy machinery feel weightless. The … Continued

Tech NewsGadgets

Desktops Now Less Popular Than Tablets in the U.S.

The gadgets we use can be a good indicator of where our society is at today, and where it’s going in the future. And judging by numbers from a recent survey by the NTIA (National Telecommunications and Information Administration), some encouraging tech trends have been occurring over the last couple years. The data, which was … Continued

Tech NewsGoogle

Google Pulls Political Ads Thanks to Washington Law Forcing It to Say Who’s Buying Them

It’s becoming clear that online companies can do some of the hard things they’ve fought against tooth and nail—they just have to be forced to do it, although they apparently won’t prepare ahead of time. Case in point: Google has paused the sale of political ads in Washington state while it gets itself in line … Continued

Tech NewsFacebook

Instagram Reportedly Wants to Be YouTube Now

I’m sorry, but Instagram may start looking a lot more like YouTube in the future. On Wednesday TechCrunch reported that Instagram is looking to partner with content creators and publishers to develop long-form video content that might live on it’s own tab, somewhat akin to Snapchat Discover. This follows a recent Wall Street Journal report … Continued

Tech NewsGadgets

Everything You Need to Know About the Plan to Kill Internet Passwords

Passwords just don’t work all that well for our modern-day websites and web apps: They’re insecure, they’re hard to remember, and they’re a lot of hassle to manage for only the basic account protection that they provide. Now Chrome and Firefox are leading the charge to kill off passwords on the web for good. This … Continued

Tech NewsGadgets

BlackBerry Doesn’t Care About the Mainstream Anymore, and That’s For the Best 

After sales peaked in 2009 with just over 20 percent market share, BlackBerry phones quickly became irrelevant. Then TCL swooped in, bought the rights to make new BlackBerry handsets, and gave the once mighty brand a second chance. And with that rebirth came the realization that BlackBerry was now on the outside looking in, while … Continued

Tech News

Two Hours with Sony’s New RX100 VI Made Me Miss My Point and Shoot

Sony’s RX100 cameras, pricey point-and-shoots for those with cash to burn, have always been well-received. But smartphone cameras, now boasting features like optical zoom using multiple lenses, have made the simple dedicated camera more redundant than ever. But after spending a few hours with Sony’s latest version, the RX100 Mark VI, I realized something: Point-and-shoot … Continued

Tech News

The Amazon Fire TV Cube Is Another Alexa-Powered Curiosity

Amazon Fire TV has always been one of my favorite gadgets. The Amazon Echo, as I’ve previously explained, gives me pause. So when I heard that Amazon was combining Fire TV with Alexa capabilities to create a whole new device called the Amazon Fire TV Cube, my first thought seemed peculiar: Uh oh, people are … Continued

Tech NewsNews

Homeland Security Wants New Powers to Surveil and Destroy Drones in U.S. Airspace

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security is asking Congress to pass new legislation that would expand the agency’s power to surveil, research, and attack drones in U.S. airspace. Hayley Chang, DHS deputy general counsel, testified yesterday that there are a number of things that DHS “can’t do currently” because of outdated laws that have the … Continued

Tech NewsPrivacy and Security

US Hits ‘WannaCry Hero’ With More Malware Charges

Federal prosecutors charged security researcher Marcus Hutchins—better known by his online handle MalwareTech—with four new charges accusing him of creating and promoting malware used to steal financial information. Hutchins, recognized as the person responsible for stopping the spread of the WannaCry ransomware attack, called the charges “bullshit.” The new charges, introduced in a superseding indictment, … Continued

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Hawaii’s Kilauea Volcano Has Likely Now Destroyed at Least 350 Homes on the Big Island

A terrifying wall of lava from Kilauea volcano in its East Rift Zone has destroyed two entire tracts of suburban housing containing at least 280 units in the eastern part of Hawaii’s Big Island, Reuters reported on Wednesday, meaning that the ongoing eruption there has now claimed at least 350 homes. According to Reuters, the … Continued

Tech NewsPrivacy and Security

Government Researchers Say It’s Only a ‘Matter of Time’ Until a Commercial Airline is Hacked

Here’s a fun thing to think about as you plan your next vacation: researchers at a number of government agencies including the Department of Homeland Security believe that a cyberattack against an airplane is inevitable and could lead to a “catastrophic disaster.” Have a nice trip! Motherboard got its hands on a number of government … Continued

Tech NewsPrivacy and Security

Soldier Who Stole ‘Tank’ Was Anti-Social Justice Coder Who Threw Support to Alleged Rapist

A National Guard Soldier arrested Tuesday after stealing an armored personnel carrier Tuesday was cheered on by crowds online and even drew comparisons to Marvin Heemeyer (he of Killdozer fame). But after authorities identified Joshua Philip Yabut as the Fort Pickett soldier involved in the mid-speed chase, his face and name were quickly recognized by … Continued

Tech NewsPrivacy and Security

Trump Is Saving China’s ZTE for Some Reason and Congress Can’t Do Jack Shit About It

Chinese telecom ZTE faced almost certain death after the Department of Commerce slapped it with a seven-year ban on purchasing or using parts from US manufacturers earlier this year amid allegations it violated sanctions on North Korea and Iran. In May, the company ceased business operations—only to soon be brought back from the brink by … Continued

Tech NewsNews

No One Can Explain the Strange Sounds Making US Diplomats Sick in China

The US State Department evacuated at least two diplomats in China following a mysterious illness experienced after hearing strange noises—the latest in a series of unexplained sicknesses that have hit American diplomats and their family members in recent years. According to the New York Times, the State Department has flown in a medical team to … Continued

Tech NewsNews

Homeland Security to Test Face Recognition at U.S.–Mexico Border

Beginning in August, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) will begin piloting a new face recognition system at the Mexican border. Using a series of cameras, the CBP plans to use face recognition to remotely check the identifies of both drivers and passengers. Called the Vehicle Face System (VFS), the program will track drivers and … Continued

Tech NewsNews

Dave and Buster’s Promises ‘Truly Memorable’ VR Rides That Definitely Won’t Involve Puking

If you’ve ever wanted to look like a jackass in public and maybe take home a case of conjunctivitis for the memories, well, Dave and Buster’s has a deal for you. On Monday, the arcade and food franchise announced that it will deploy the “the largest commercial VR arcade partnership launch” in history. More than … Continued

Tech NewsNews

Landline Phone Service, Which Still Exists, Goes Down Across the U.S.

Comcast’s Xfinity landline service has been experiencing issues across the U.S. since this morning, with thousands of problems still being reported this afternoon, according to DownDetector.com. The outage map indicates that customers throughout the U.S. have encountered issues, with the most recent reports coming from San Francisco, Chicago, Portland, Mountain View, Denver, Seattle, Atlanta, Houston, … Continued