LastPass admits attackers copied password vaults

Password locker LastPass has warned customers that the August 2022 attack on its systems saw unknown parties copy encrypted files that contains the passwords to their accounts. In a December 22nd update to its advice about the incident, LastPass brings customers up to date by explaining that the August 2022 attack saw “some source code Read more about LastPass admits attackers copied password vaults[…]

Epic Forced To Pay $520 Million Fine over Fortnite Privacy and Dark Patterns

Fortnite-maker Epic Games has agreed to pay a massive $520 million fine in settlements with the Federal Trade Commission for allegedly illegally gathering data from children and deploying dark patterns techniques to manipulate users into making unwanted in-game purchases. The fines mark a major regulatory win for the Biden administration’s progressive-minded FTC, who, up until Read more about Epic Forced To Pay $520 Million Fine over Fortnite Privacy and Dark Patterns[…]

China’s Setting the Standard for Deepfake Regulation

[…] On January 10, according to The South China Morning Post, China’s Cyberspace Administration will implement new rules that are intended to protect people from having their voice or image digitally impersonated without their consent. The regulators refer to platforms and services using the technology to edit a person’s voice or image as, “deep synthesis Read more about China’s Setting the Standard for Deepfake Regulation[…]

Transparent sunlight-activated antifogging metamaterials

[…] Here, guided by nucleation thermodynamics, we design a transparent, sunlight-activated, photothermal coating to inhibit fogging. The metamaterial coating contains a nanoscopically thin percolating gold layer and is most absorptive in the near-infrared range, where half of the sunlight energy resides, thus maintaining visible transparency. The photoinduced heating effect enables sustained and superior fog prevention Read more about Transparent sunlight-activated antifogging metamaterials[…]

Skyglow pollution is separating us from the stars but also killing earth knowledge and species

[…] It’s not only star gazing that’s in jeopardy. Culture, wildlife and other scientific advancements are being threatened by mass light infrastructure that is costing cities billions of dollars a year as it expands alongside exponential population growth. Some researchers call light pollution cultural genocide. Generations of complex knowledge systems, built by Indigenous Australians and Read more about Skyglow pollution is separating us from the stars but also killing earth knowledge and species[…]

Hertz Shells Out $168 Million To Settle 364 False Theft Reports

[…] Months of reporting tied to lawsuits filed by Hertz renters falsely accused of theft should now come to a halt. Maybe. Here’s the company’s statement on the multi-million dollar settlement, which doesn’t say much about Hertz’s culpability, nor any plans it has in place to prevent something that has only occurred with this rental Read more about Hertz Shells Out $168 Million To Settle 364 False Theft Reports[…]

Z-Wave Alliance Announces Z-Wave Source Code Project is Complete, Now Open and Widely Available to Members

The Z-Wave Alliance, the Standards Development Organization (SDO) dedicated to advancing the smart home and Z-Wave® technology, today announced the completion of the Z-Wave Source Code project, which has been published and made available on GitHub to Alliance members. The Z-Wave Source Code Project opens development of Z-Wave and enables members to contribute code to Read more about Z-Wave Alliance Announces Z-Wave Source Code Project is Complete, Now Open and Widely Available to Members[…]

Epic Cutting Off Online Service, Servers For Some Old Games

Fortnite developer Epic Games announced today that it will no longer provide online service or servers for 17 older games, including six from the Unreal series dating back as far as 1998, and it will end access to some additional games entirely. […] The full list of affected games is as follows: 1000 Tiny Claws Read more about Epic Cutting Off Online Service, Servers For Some Old Games[…]

U.S. authorities charge 8 social media influencers in pump and dump plan

U.S. prosecutors on Wednesday said they have charged eight individuals in a securities fraud scheme, alleging they reaped about $114 million from by using Twitter and Discord to manipulate stocks. The eight men allegedly purported to be successful traders on the social media platforms and then engaged in a so-called “pump and dump” scheme by Read more about U.S. authorities charge 8 social media influencers in pump and dump plan[…]

Large Hadron Collider Beauty releases first set of data to the public

[…] While all scientific results from the LHCb collaboration are already publicly available through open access papers, the data used by the researchers to produce these results is now accessible to anyone in the world through the CERN open data portal. The data release is made in the context of CERN’s Open Science Policy, reflecting Read more about Large Hadron Collider Beauty releases first set of data to the public[…]

Google must delete search results about you if they’re fake, EU court rules

People in Europe can get Google to delete search results about them if they prove the information is “manifestly inaccurate,” the EU’s top court ruled Thursday. The case kicked off when two investment managers requested Google to dereference results of a search made on the basis of their names, which provided links to certain articles Read more about Google must delete search results about you if they’re fake, EU court rules[…]

JetBlue no longer plans to offset emissions from domestic flights, will use sustainable fuel instead

[…] Back in 2020, JetBlue became the first US airline to voluntarily offset greenhouse gas emissions from all of its domestic flights. That effort ends in 2023, the company announced this week. The airline now plans to effectively cut its per-seat emissions in half by 2035. For flights to take off without generating as much Read more about JetBlue no longer plans to offset emissions from domestic flights, will use sustainable fuel instead[…]

Debate Continues Over What To Do About The Fact That Starlink, Other Low-Earth-Orbit Satellite Systems Are Causing Research-Harming Light Pollution

For years, scientific researchers have warned that Elon Musk’s Starlink low Earth orbit (LEO) satellite broadband constellations are harming scientific research. Simply put, the light pollution Musk claimed would never happen in the first place is making it far more difficult to study the night sky, a problem researchers say can be mitigated somewhat but never fully eliminated. Musk Read more about Debate Continues Over What To Do About The Fact That Starlink, Other Low-Earth-Orbit Satellite Systems Are Causing Research-Harming Light Pollution[…]

Polestar 2 gets a 68HP power boost through a paid update, no subscription required – but you are still charged twice what you already bought

Polestar is delivering a not-so-subtle snub to Mercedes’ subscription performance upgrade. The automaker has released an update that gives the Polestar 2’s long range dual motor variant a 68HP power boost (plus 15lb. ft. of torque) in the US and Canada for a one-time $1,195 fee. That’s far from a trivial expense, but it’s a Read more about Polestar 2 gets a 68HP power boost through a paid update, no subscription required – but you are still charged twice what you already bought[…]

Scammers Are Scamming Other Scammers Out of Millions of Dollars

Nobody is immune to being scammed online—not even the people running the scams. Cybercriminals using hacking forums to buy software exploits and stolen login details keep falling for cons and are getting ripped off thousands of dollars at a time, a new analysis has revealed. And what’s more, when the criminals complain that they are being Read more about Scammers Are Scamming Other Scammers Out of Millions of Dollars[…]

Telegram is auctioning phone numbers to let users sign up to the service without any SIM

After putting unique usernames on the auction on the TON blockchain, Telegram is now putting anonymous numbers up for bidding. These numbers could be used to sign up for Telegram without needing any SIM card. Just like the username auction, you can buy these virtual numbers on Fragment, which is a site specially created for Read more about Telegram is auctioning phone numbers to let users sign up to the service without any SIM[…]

Senator Urges Automakers to Keep Making Cars with AM Radio

he Boston Globe reports that U.S. Senator Ed. Markey just sent a letter to more than 20 car manufacturers asking them to continue including AM radios in future car models — including electric vehicles: Some EV manufacturers have raised concerns even as far back as 2016 about how the battery power of an EV can Read more about Senator Urges Automakers to Keep Making Cars with AM Radio[…]

Microsoft mistake took down Exchange Online and Teams on 2/12/22

Microsoft’s flagship cloudy productivity services are down across the Asia-Pacific region. “Our initial investigation indicates that there our service infrastructure is performing at a sub-optimal level, resulting in impact to general service functionality” states an advisory time-stamped 12:41PM on December 2. The incident means customers of Exchange Online may not be able to access the Read more about Microsoft mistake took down Exchange Online and Teams on 2/12/22[…]

Crucial Computer Program for Particle Physics at Risk of Obsolescence

Recently, I watched a fellow particle physicist talk about a calculation he had pushed to a new height of precision. His tool? A 1980s-era computer program called FORM […] Developed by the Dutch particle physicist Jos Vermaseren, FORM is a key part of the infrastructure of particle physics, necessary for the hardest calculations. However, as Read more about Crucial Computer Program for Particle Physics at Risk of Obsolescence[…]

Grad Students Analyze, Hack, and Remove Under-Desk Surveillance Devices Designed to Track Them – at  a privacy institute!

[…] graduate students at Northeastern University were able to organize and beat back an attempt at introducing invasive surveillance devices that were quietly placed under desks at their school. Early in October, Senior Vice Provost David Luzzi installed motion sensors under all the desks at the school’s Interdisciplinary Science & Engineering Complex (ISEC), a facility Read more about Grad Students Analyze, Hack, and Remove Under-Desk Surveillance Devices Designed to Track Them – at  a privacy institute![…]

RIVM Study: ‘Perception of General Aviation in Netherlands’

The Ministry of Infrastructure and Water Management wants to know how residents aged 16 and older in the Netherlands experience their living environment. In that context, it was investigated whether people experience nuisance from the noise caused by GA (“small aviation”). T he research shows that people experience little inconvenience from small aircraft. Most of the Read more about RIVM Study: ‘Perception of General Aviation in Netherlands’[…]

As US, UK Embrace ‘Age Verify Everyone!’ French Data Protection Agency Says Age Verification Is Unreliable And Violates Privacy Rights

[…] We’ve already spent many, many words explaining how age verification technology is inherently dangerous and actually puts children at greater risk. Not to mention it’s a privacy nightmare that normalizes the idea of mass surveillance, especially for children. But, why take our word for it? The French data protection agency, CNIL, has declared that Read more about As US, UK Embrace ‘Age Verify Everyone!’ French Data Protection Agency Says Age Verification Is Unreliable And Violates Privacy Rights[…]

Square Enix paid mobile games To Be Completely Disappeared With Studio Shutdown

It’s a lesson that apparently keeps needing to be re-learned over and over again: for far too many types of digital purchases, you simply don’t own the thing you bought. The arena for this perma-lesson are varied: movies, books, music. And, of course, video games. The earliest lesson in that space may have been when Read more about Square Enix paid mobile games To Be Completely Disappeared With Studio Shutdown[…]

Scientists simulate ‘baby’ wormhole in quantum computer

[…] Researchers have announced that they simulated two miniscule black holes in a quantum computer and transmitted a message between them through what amounted to a tunnel in space-time. They said that based on the quantum information teleported, a traversable wormhole appeared to have emerged, but that no rupture of space and time was physically Read more about Scientists simulate ‘baby’ wormhole in quantum computer[…]