Tech News

‘Ring Vaccinations’ Continue in Congo as Ebola Death Toll Rises

The latest Ebola outbreak has claimed yet another life in the Democratic Republic of Congo, raising the death toll to 12—though the actual number may be as high as 27. Using a strategy known as “ring vaccinations,” officials began treating doctors and other frontline healthcare workers in Bikoro, the town where the outbreak was first … Continued

Tech NewsPrivacy and Security

Canadian Banks: Cyber Thieves Claim They Have Stolen 40,000 Clients’ Data

Two of Canada’s biggest banks fear that they’ve been the victim of a data breach and are urging customers to take the necessary steps to protect themselves. Both banks claim that they were contacted by “fraudsters” on Sunday who claimed to have stolen personal and financial information, and both banks appear to think the claim … Continued

Tech NewsPrivacy and Security

This AI Knows Who You Are by the Way You Walk

Our individual walking styles, much like snowflakes, are unique. With this in mind, computer scientists have developed a powerful new footstep-recognition system using AI, and it could theoretically replace retinal scanners and fingerprinting at security checkpoints, including airports. Neural networks can find telltale patterns in a person’s gait that can be used to recognize and identify … Continued

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Tesla Model 3 Sets Record Distance on a Single Charge, But It Mysteriously Won’t Recharge [UPDATED]

With electric vehicles rapidly becoming more viable for long distance trips, enthusiasts like to push the limits of what their cars can do on a single charge. Two men in Denver set out to break the record distance in a Model 3 this weekend and after 32 hours, they were victorious. Unfortunately, the car is … Continued

Tech News

Phone or Computer?

In the annals of technology, no two devices have dominated the human condition more completely than the thing you’re reading this article on, and that other thing you could have read it on but just aren’t right now. I’m talking about phone and computer. Given the importance of these contraptions in our lives, it’s worth … Continued

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Lava From Kilauea Volcano Reaches Well at Geothermal Power Plant

Lava from Hawaii’s erupting Kilauea volcano has reached the Puna Geothermal Venture plant, covering a well and threatening another. At the same time, fast-moving lava flows are now threatening nearby communities, prompting new evacuations. “Lava flow from Fissures 7 and 21 crossed into PGV [Puna Geothermal Venture] property overnight and has now covered one well … Continued

Tech NewsPrivacy and Security

This Creepy Chrome Extension Pauses YouTube for You When You Look Away

Want to trade the tattered remains of your privacy for a very minor convenience? Ever wish your computer would stare back at you while you hunt for that one good SNL skit on YouTube? If “yes” is your answer, do I have the tool for you. FacePause is a Chrome extension that tracks your face … Continued

Tech NewsGiz Asks

Are Plants Conscious?

Animal rights activists have done stellar work in foregrounding the question of creature-consciousness: no meat-eater is now ignorant of the fact that their food once lived, breathed, maybe nuzzled its kin in a blood-soaked slaughterhouse. Environmentalists have a harder go of it. Fracking footage will always be less upsetting than your average fast food expose: … Continued

Tech NewsGadgets

You Are Probably Using the Wrong HDMI Cord

It’s not your fault, but it is very likely that you’re using the wrong HDMI cord to plug that 4K Apple TV or PS4 Pro into your new TV. While you might have assumed that all HDMI cords are equal they are, unfortunately, not. And if you have the wrong cable, you could be missing … Continued

Tech News

What Inventions Do You Hate?

“If I had to tell you, what invention I don’t like I would say that I don’t like the phone,” wrote a second grader in Louisiana in response to a school writing prompt. “I don’t like the phone because my panert are on their phone every day. A phone is sometimes a really bad habet. … Continued

Tech NewsBest of the Week

Elon Musk’s Monkey Tests, Dating Site Hell, and Alexa Nightmares: The Best Gizmodo Stories of the Week

As Elon Musk’s ongoing campaign to piss off every journalist continued to make headlines, you may have missed a key bit of news: His secretive company Neuralink is funding primate research at the University of California as it pursues its quest to create brain-computer interfaces. So when, at some point in our weird inevitable future, … Continued

Tech NewsPrivacy and Security

Vermont Passes First-of-Its-Kind Law to Regulate Data Brokers

Earlier this week, Vermont became the first state in the nation to enact a law that will regulate data brokers that buy and sell personal information in an attempt to add a new layer of accountability to the massive, data-trading companies that often operate without much oversight. As TechCrunch noted, under the guidelines of the … Continued

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Elon Musk’s Idea of ‘Excellent’ Journalism Comes From an Alleged Sex Cult

Elon Musk, in the midst of a crusade against traditional media, offered up an example of an “excellent” analysis that could serve as an example of what good journalism should look like. Just one problem: as Slate pointed out, the publication seems to have ties to a cult. In a since-deleted tweet, Musk linked to … Continued

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Against All Odds, ISPs Have Managed to Become Even Less Popular

Americans like their internet service providers even less than they did last year, which is quite the accomplishment since the companies weren’t all that popular then, either. The American Customer Satisfaction Index’s report on telecommunications companies found ISPs hit an all-time low this year. Not one single ISP saw an improvement in customer satisfaction over … Continued

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Astronaut Alan Bean, the Fourth Man to Walk on the Moon, Has Died at 86

Alan Bean, the fourth of just 12 people to walk on the moon and one of the first Americans to spend an extended period living on a space station, died Saturday at Houston Methodist Hospital. He was 86. “Alan was the strongest and kindest man I ever knew. He was the love of my life … Continued

Tech NewsPrivacy and Security

French Teens Arrested for Hacking Vevo, Defacing Despacito Music Video

Last month, a handful of extremely popular music videos on YouTube were defaced. Now two 18-year-old French citizens are in police custody and have been charged with crimes related to the hack of Vevo YouTube accounts. Per Variety, the teens were taken in by law enforcement officers in Paris. The 18-year-olds, identified as “Nassim B.” … Continued

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Tesla Agrees to Settle Class Action Suit Over ‘Essentially Unusable’ Autopilot Feature [Updated]

Telsa agreed this week to a settlement in a class action lawsuit filed against the company by buyers of Tesla vehicles who alleged the company semi-autonomous, assisted driving feature was “essentially unusable and demonstrably dangerous.” The terms of the agreement, which have yet to be approved by US District Judge Beth Labson Freeman, will require … Continued

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Trump Announces Plan to Save ZTE After His Administration Basically Killed It

President Donald Trump announced Friday a deal to save Chinese phone manufacturer ZTE despite opposition from lawmakers in both parties, marking the latest in a bizarre and basically incoherent stretch of policymaking from the current administration. In a short series of tweets fired off late Friday afternoon, Trump said that he will allow ZTE to … Continued

Tech NewsApple

Apple Will Start Disclosing App Takedown Requests From Governments

Apple dropped its bi-annual transparency report Friday and offered a new pledge to its customers going forward. Starting with its end of year report for 2018, the company will disclose government requests to remove apps from the App Store. Here’s the promise from Apple, filed under the header “Matters of note for future reports” at … Continued

Tech NewsPrivacy and Security

Ad Blocker Ghostery Celebrates GDPR Day by Revealing Hundreds of User Email Addresses

Ad-blocking tool Ghostery suffered from a pretty impressive, self-inflicted screwup Friday when the privacy-minded company accidentally CCed hundreds of its users in an email, revealing their addresses to all recipients. Fittingly, the inadvertent data exposure came in the form of an email updating Ghostery users about the company’s data collection policies. The ad blocker was … Continued