Author: Robin Edgar

Organisational Structures | Technology and Science | Military, IT and Lifestyle consultancy | Social, Broadcast & Cross Media | Flying aircraft

Chinese Officials Are Weaponizing COVID Health Tracker to Block Protests

Posted on by Robin Edgar

Chinese bank depositors planning a protest about their frozen funds saw their health code mysteriously turn red and were stopped from traveling to the site of a rally, confirming fears that China’s vast COVID-tracking system could be weaponized as a powerful tool to stifle dissent. A red health code designated the would-be protesters as suspected Read more about Chinese Officials Are Weaponizing COVID Health Tracker to Block Protests[…]

Facebook and Anti-Abortion Clinics Are Collecting Highly Sensitive Info on Would-Be Patients

Posted on by Robin Edgar

Facebook is collecting ultra-sensitive personal data about abortion seekers and enabling anti-abortion organizations to use that data as a tool to target and influence people online, in violation of its own policies and promises. In the wake of a leaked Supreme Court opinion signaling the likely end of nationwide abortion protections, privacy experts are sounding Read more about Facebook and Anti-Abortion Clinics Are Collecting Highly Sensitive Info on Would-Be Patients[…]

Telegram criticizes Apple for subpar web app features on iOS, crippling app

Posted on by Robin Edgar

A week after confirming plans for Telegram Premium, the messaging platform’s CEO, Pavel Durov, is again criticizing Apple’s approach to its Safari browser for stifling the efforts of web developers. Durov would very much like his web-based messaging platform, Telegram Web, to be delivered as a web app rather than native, but is prevented from Read more about Telegram criticizes Apple for subpar web app features on iOS, crippling app[…]

Samsung accused of cheating on hardware benchmarks – again

Posted on by Robin Edgar

[…] The South Korean titan was said to have unfairly goosed Galaxy Note 3 phone benchmarks in 2013, and faced with similar allegations about the Galaxy S4 in 2018 settled that matter for $13.4 million. This time Samsung has allegedly fudged the results for its televisions, specifically the S95B QD-OLED and QN95B Neo OLED LCD Read more about Samsung accused of cheating on hardware benchmarks – again[…]

Time to throw out those older, vulnerable Cisco SMB routers – they’re not gonna fix critical bugs for you

Posted on by Robin Edgar

[…]Cisco has just released fixes for seven flaws, two of which are not great. First on the priority list should be a critical vulnerability in its enterprise security appliances, and the second concerns another critical bug in some of its outdated small business routers that it’s not going to fix. In other words, junk your Read more about Time to throw out those older, vulnerable Cisco SMB routers – they’re not gonna fix critical bugs for you[…]

Julian Assange Extradition to US Approved by UK Government

Posted on by Robin Edgar

Julian Assange—founder of the whistleblowing website WikiLeaks—can now be extradited from the United Kingdom to the United States, where he will face charges of espionage. In April, a London court filed a formal extradition order for Assange, and the UK Home Secretary approved the order today, meaning that Assange can be extradited back to the Read more about Julian Assange Extradition to US Approved by UK Government[…]

The Earth moves far under our feet: A new study shows that the inner core oscillates

Posted on by Robin Edgar

USC scientists have found evidence that the Earth’s inner core oscillates, contradicting previously accepted models that suggested it consistently rotates at a faster rate than the planet’s surface. Their study, published today in Science Advances, shows that the inner core changed direction in the six-year period from 1969–74, according to the analysis of seismic data. Read more about The Earth moves far under our feet: A new study shows that the inner core oscillates[…]

US Copyright Office sued for denying AI model authorship

Posted on by Robin Edgar

The US Copyright Office and its director Shira Perlmutter have been sued for rejecting one man’s request to register an AI model as the author of an image generated by the software. You guessed correct: Stephen Thaler is back. He said the digital artwork, depicting railway tracks and a tunnel in a wall surrounded by Read more about US Copyright Office sued for denying AI model authorship[…]

Scientists covered a robot finger in living human skin

Posted on by Robin Edgar

[…] At the moment, robots are sometimes coated in silicone rubber to give them a fleshy appearance, but the rubber lacks the texture of human skin, he says. To make more realistic-looking skin, Takeuchi and his colleagues bathed a plastic robot finger in a soup of collagen and human skin cells called fibroblasts for three Read more about Scientists covered a robot finger in living human skin[…]

Planting Undetectable Backdoors in Machine Learning Models

Posted on by Robin Edgar

We show how a malicious learner can plant an undetectable backdoor into a classifier. On the surface, such a backdoored classifier behaves normally, but in reality, the learner maintains a mechanism for changing the classification of any input, with only a slight perturbation. Importantly, without the appropriate “backdoor key”, the mechanism is hidden and cannot Read more about Planting Undetectable Backdoors in Machine Learning Models[…]

Testing firm Cignpost can profit from sale of Covid swabs with customer DNA

Posted on by Robin Edgar

A large Covid-19 testing provider is being investigated by the UK’s data privacy watchdog over its plans to sell swabs containing customers’ DNA for medical research. Cignpost Diagnostics, a government-approved supplier trading as ExpressTest, said it intended to analyse the samples to “learn more about human health”, to develop drugs and products or to sell Read more about Testing firm Cignpost can profit from sale of Covid swabs with customer DNA[…]

Find you: an airtag which Apple can’t find in unwanted tracking

Posted on by Robin Edgar

[…] In one exemplary stalking case, a fashion and fitness model discovered an AirTag in her coat pocket after having received a tracking warning notification from her iPhone. Other times, AirTags were placed in expensive cars or motorbikes to track them from parking spots to their owner’s home, where they were then stolen. On February Read more about Find you: an airtag which Apple can’t find in unwanted tracking[…]

Survey of Alternative Displays

Posted on by Robin Edgar

[Blair Nearl] has been working on an information database for artists and hackers – a collection of non-conventional display technologies available to us. We’ve covered this repository before, six years ago – since then, it’s moved to a more suitable platform, almost doubled in size, and currently covers over 40+ display technology types and related Read more about Survey of Alternative Displays[…]

Some of Canon’s wireless Pixma printers are stuck in reboot loops

Posted on by Robin Edgar

Over the last day or two, there have been a growing number of reports by people who own certain Canon Pixma printers that the devices either won’t turn on at all or, once turned on, get stuck in a reboot loop, cycling on and off as long as they’re plugged in. Verge reader Jamie pointed Read more about Some of Canon’s wireless Pixma printers are stuck in reboot loops[…]

What Is Pegasus Spyware? Why is it important? Infographic

Posted on by Robin Edgar

If you’ve been following the latest news on government surveillance scandals around the world, the name Pegasus may have popped up in your feed. It’s a complex story, so we’ve put together an infographic explainer that covers all the basics. How does Pegasus work? Check. Which world leaders were targeted? Check. Astonishing subscription costs? Check. Read more about What Is Pegasus Spyware? Why is it important? Infographic[…]

Fan’s Rare Recordings Of Lost 1963 Beatles’ Performances Can’t Be Heard, Because … Copyright

Posted on by Robin Edgar

There’s a story in the Daily Mail that underlines why it is important for people to make copies. It concerns the re-surfacing of rare recordings of the Beatles: In the summer of 1963, the BBC began a radio series called Pop Go The Beatles which went out at 5pm on Tuesdays on the Light Programme. Each Read more about Fan’s Rare Recordings Of Lost 1963 Beatles’ Performances Can’t Be Heard, Because … Copyright[…]

Microsoft’s free Top Gun ‘Flight Simulator’ expansion is finally here

Posted on by Robin Edgar

Now that Top Gun: Maverick is finally reaching theaters, the matching Microsoft Flight Simulator expansion is launching as well. Microsoft and Asobo Studio have released the free add-on to both hype up the Tom Cruise movie and give you a taste of the US Navy’s real-world flight training. You’ll get a “Maverick Edition” livery for Read more about Microsoft’s free Top Gun ‘Flight Simulator’ expansion is finally here[…]

Now Amazon to put creepy AI cameras in UK delivery vans

Posted on by Robin Edgar

Amazon is installing AI-powered cameras in delivery vans to keep tabs on its drivers in the UK. The technology was first deployed, with numerous errors that reportedly denied drivers’ bonuses after malfunctions, in the US. Last year, the internet giant produced a corporate video detailing how the cameras monitor drivers’ driving behavior for safety reasons. Read more about Now Amazon to put creepy AI cameras in UK delivery vans[…]

GM Discloses Data Breach of Cars’ Locations, Mileage, Service

Posted on by Robin Edgar

General Motors suffered a hack that exposed a significant amount of sensitive personal information on car owners—names, addresses, phone numbers, locations, car mileage, and maintenance history. The Detroit-based automaker revealed details of the incident in a breach disclosure filed with the California Attorney General’s Office on May 16. The disclosure explains that malicious login activity Read more about GM Discloses Data Breach of Cars’ Locations, Mileage, Service[…]

Cheap gel film pulls buckets of drinking water per day from thin air

Posted on by Robin Edgar

Water scarcity is a major problem for much of the world’s population, but with the right equipment drinking water can be wrung out of thin air. Researchers at the University of Texas at Austin have now demonstrated a low-cost gel film that can pull many liters of water per day out of even very dry Read more about Cheap gel film pulls buckets of drinking water per day from thin air[…]

MGM Resorts’ 142m person customer data now leaked on Telegram for free

Posted on by Robin Edgar

Miscreants have dumped on Telegram more than 142 million customer records stolen from MGM Resorts, exposing names, postal and email addresses, phone numbers, and dates of birth for any would-be identity thief. The vpnMentor research team stumbled upon the files, which totaled 8.7 GB of data, on the messaging platform earlier this week, and noted Read more about MGM Resorts’ 142m person customer data now leaked on Telegram for free[…]

Twitter fined $150 million after selling 2FA phone numbers + email addresses to targeting advertisers

Posted on by Robin Edgar

Twitter has agreed to pay a $150 million fine after federal law enforcement officials accused the social media company of illegally using peoples’ personal data over six years to help sell targeted advertisements. In court documents made public on Wednesday, the Federal Trade Commission and the Department of Justice say Twitter violated a 2011 agreement Read more about Twitter fined $150 million after selling 2FA phone numbers + email addresses to targeting advertisers[…]

GitHub saved plaintext passwords of npm users in log files

Posted on by Robin Edgar

GitHub has revealed it stored a “number of plaintext user credentials for the npm registry” in internal logs following the integration of the JavaScript package registry into GitHub’s logging systems. The information came to light when the company today published the results of its investigation into April’s unrelated OAuth token theft attack, where it described Read more about GitHub saved plaintext passwords of npm users in log files[…]

Clearview AI Ordered to Purge U.K. Face Scans, Pay GBP 7.5m Fine

Posted on by Robin Edgar

The United Kingdom has had it with creepy facial recognition firm Clearview AI. Under a new enforcement rule from the U.K.’s Information Commissioner’s office, Clearview must cease the collection and use of publicly available U.K. data and delete all data of U.K. residents from their database. The order, which will also require the company to pay Read more about Clearview AI Ordered to Purge U.K. Face Scans, Pay GBP 7.5m Fine[…]