Month: November 2023

FBI Director Admits Agency Rarely Has Probable Cause When It Performs Backdoor Searches Of NSA Collections

Posted on by Robin Edgar

After years of continuous, unrepentant abuse of surveillance powers, the FBI is facing the real possibility of seeing Section 702 curtailed, if not scuttled entirely. Section 702 allows the NSA to gather foreign communications in bulk. The FBI benefits from this collection by being allowed to perform “backdoor” searches of NSA collections to obtain communications Read more about FBI Director Admits Agency Rarely Has Probable Cause When It Performs Backdoor Searches Of NSA Collections[…]

Former GTA Developer’s Blog Removed After Rockstar Complains

Posted on by Robin Edgar

Former Rockstar North developer Obbe Vermeij had been enjoying a few weeks of sharing some decades-old tales. Reminiscing on his many years with the GTA developer, Vermeij took to his personal blog to recall revealing inside stories behind games like San Andreas and Vice City, and everyone was having a good time. Until Rockstar North Read more about Former GTA Developer’s Blog Removed After Rockstar Complains[…]

Copyright Bot Can’t Tell The Difference Between Star Trek Ship And Adult Film Actress

Posted on by Robin Edgar

Given that the overwhelming majority of DMCA takedown notices are generated by copyright bots that are only moderately good at their job, at best, perhaps it’s not terribly surprising that these bots keep finding new and interesting ways to cause collateral damage unintentionally. […] a Tumblr site, called “Mapping La Sirena.” If you’re a fan Read more about Copyright Bot Can’t Tell The Difference Between Star Trek Ship And Adult Film Actress[…]

Limits for quantum computers: Perfect clocks are impossible, research finds

Posted on by Robin Edgar

[…] Every clock has two fundamental properties: a certain precision and a certain time resolution. The time resolution indicates how small the time intervals are that can be measured—i.e., how quickly the clock ticks. Precision tells you how much inaccuracy you have to expect with every single tick. The research team was able to show Read more about Limits for quantum computers: Perfect clocks are impossible, research finds[…]

How to bypass Windows Hello fingerprint login

Posted on by Robin Edgar

Hardware security hackers have detailed how it’s possible to bypass Windows Hello’s fingerprint authentication and login as someone else – if you can steal or be left alone with their vulnerable device. The research was carried out by Blackwing Intelligence, primarily Jesse D’Aguanno and Timo Teräs, and was commissioned and sponsored by Microsoft’s Offensive Research Read more about How to bypass Windows Hello fingerprint login[…]

Your Tastebuds Help Tell You When to Stop Eating, New Research Suggests

Posted on by Robin Edgar

Our mouths might help keep our hunger in check. A recent study found evidence in mice that our brains rely on two separate pathways to regulate our sense of fullness and satiety—one originating from the gut and the other from cells in the mouth that let us perceive taste. The findings could help scientists better Read more about Your Tastebuds Help Tell You When to Stop Eating, New Research Suggests[…]

Toxic air killed more than 500,000 people in EU in 2021, data shows

Posted on by Robin Edgar

Dirty air killed more than half a million people in the EU in 2021, estimates show, and about half of the deaths could have been avoided by cutting pollution to the limits recommended by doctors. The researchers from the European Environment Agency attributed 253,000 early deaths to concentrations of fine particulates known as PM2.5 that Read more about Toxic air killed more than 500,000 people in EU in 2021, data shows[…]

Ubisoft blames ‘technical error’ for showing pop-up ads in Assassin’s Creed

Posted on by Robin Edgar

Ubisoft is blaming a “technical error” for a fullscreen pop-up ad that appeared in Assassin’s Creed Odyssey this week. Reddit users say they spotted the pop-up on Xbox and PlayStation versions of the game, with an ad appearing just when you navigate to the map screen. “This is disgusting to experience while playing,” remarked one Read more about Ubisoft blames ‘technical error’ for showing pop-up ads in Assassin’s Creed[…]

A new way to predict ship-killing rogue waves, more importantly: to see how an AI finds its results

Posted on by Robin Edgar

[…] In a paper in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, a group of researchers led by Dion Häfner, a computer scientist at the University of Copenhagen, describe a clever way to make AI more understandable. They have managed to build a neural network, use it to solve a tricky problem, and then capture Read more about A new way to predict ship-killing rogue waves, more importantly: to see how an AI finds its results[…]

EU Parliament adopts Right to Repair law with broad support

Posted on by Robin Edgar

[…] At the Parliament’s plenary session in Strasbourg, the right to repair was adopted with 590 votes in favour. The legislative file, first presented by the EU Commission in March, aims to support the European Green Deal targets by increasing incentives for a circular economy, such as making repair a more attractive option than replacement Read more about EU Parliament adopts Right to Repair law with broad support[…]

Google reportedly struck a special with Spotify that let it skip Play Store fees revealed in Epic vs Google lawsuit

Posted on by Robin Edgar

Spotify struck a special deal with Google that lets it pay no commission to Google when people sign up for subscriptions using the music streaming service’s own payment system on Android, according to new testimony in the ongoing Epic v. Google trial first reported by The Verge. As part of the same deal, Spotify paid Read more about Google reportedly struck a special with Spotify that let it skip Play Store fees revealed in Epic vs Google lawsuit[…]

The AI startup behind Stable Diffusion is now testing generative video

Posted on by Robin Edgar

Stable Diffusion’s generative art can now be animated, developer Stability AI announced. The company has released a new product called Stable Video Diffusion into a research preview, allowing users to create video from a single image. “This state-of-the-art generative AI video model represents a significant step in our journey toward creating models for everyone of Read more about The AI startup behind Stable Diffusion is now testing generative video[…]

Commercial Flights Are Experiencing dozens of GPS Spoofing Attacks in the Middle East

Posted on by Robin Edgar

Commercial air crews are reporting something “unthinkable” in the skies above the Middle East: novel “spoofing” attacks have caused navigation systems to fail in dozens of incidents since September. In late September, multiple commercial flights near Iran went astray after navigation systems went blind. The planes first received spoofed GPS signals, meaning signals designed to Read more about Commercial Flights Are Experiencing dozens of GPS Spoofing Attacks in the Middle East[…]

US government pays AT&T to let cops search phone records without warrant

Posted on by Robin Edgar

A senator has alleged that American law enforcement agencies snoop on US citizens and residents, seemingly without regard for the privacy provisions of the Fourth Amendment, under a secret program called the Hemisphere Project that allows police to conduct searches of trillions of phone records. According to Senator Ron Wyden (D-OR), these searches “usually” happen Read more about US government pays AT&T to let cops search phone records without warrant[…]

Google admits it’s making YouTube worse for ad block and non-chrome (Edge, Firefox) users

Posted on by Robin Edgar

[…] Earlier this year, YouTube began interrupting videos for those using advert blockers with a pop-up encouraging them to either disable the offending extension or filter, or pay for YT’s ad-free premium tier. More recently, netizens have reported experiencing delays in playback when using non-Chrome browsers as well. Upon launching a video, Firefox users have Read more about Google admits it’s making YouTube worse for ad block and non-chrome (Edge, Firefox) users[…]

Aging (for men) – what nobody told you: pee slippers

Posted on by Robin Edgar

“The 100-year-old man set off in his pee-slippers (so called because men of an advanced age rarely pee farther than their shoes),” ― Jonas Jonasson, The 100-Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out the Window and Disappeared Guys, as you get older your bladder power goes down. This has some consequences – you don’t pee very far Read more about Aging (for men) – what nobody told you: pee slippers[…]

Sarah Silverman’s retarded AI Case Isn’t Going Very Well Either

Posted on by Robin Edgar

Just a few weeks ago Judge William Orrick massively trimmed back the first big lawsuit that was filed against generative AI companies for training their works on copyright-covered materials. Most of the case was dismissed, and what bits remained may not last much longer. And now, it appears that Judge Vince Chhabria (who has been Read more about Sarah Silverman’s retarded AI Case Isn’t Going Very Well Either[…]

“Make It Real” AI prototype wows UI devs by turning drawings into working software

Posted on by Robin Edgar

collaborative whiteboard app maker called “tldraw” made waves online by releasing a prototype of a feature called “Make it Real” that lets users draw an image of software and bring it to life using AI. The feature uses OpenAI’s GPT-4V API to visually interpret a vector drawing into functioning Tailwind CSS and JavaScript web code Read more about “Make It Real” AI prototype wows UI devs by turning drawings into working software[…]

The EU DMA will finally free Windows users from Bing (but not Edge) and allow 3rd parties into the widgets

Posted on by Robin Edgar

Microsoft will soon let Windows 11 users in the European Economic Area (EEA) disable its Bing web search, remove Microsoft Edge, and even add custom web search providers — including Google if it’s willing to build one — into its Windows Search interface. All of these Windows 11 changes are part of key tweaks that Read more about The EU DMA will finally free Windows users from Bing (but not Edge) and allow 3rd parties into the widgets[…]

Zimbra email vulnerability let hackers steal gov data – fix (and exploit) was easily visible on repository before updates

Posted on by Robin Edgar

Google’s Threat Analysis Group revealed on Thursday that it discovered and worked to help patch an email server flaw used to steal data from governments in Greece, Moldova, Tunisia, Vietnam and Pakistan. The exploit, known as CVE-2023-37580, targeted email server Zimbra Collaboration to pilfer email data, user credentials and authentication tokens from organizations. It started Read more about Zimbra email vulnerability let hackers steal gov data – fix (and exploit) was easily visible on repository before updates[…]

The Oura Ring Is a $300 Sleep Tracker Suddenly needs a Subscription

Posted on by Robin Edgar

[…] Now in its third iteration, the Oura Ring tracks and analyzes a host of metrics, including your heart-rate variability (HRV), blood oxygen rate, body temperature, and sleep duration. It uses this data to give you three daily scores, tallying the quality of your sleep, activity, and “readiness.” It can also determine your chronotype (your Read more about The Oura Ring Is a $300 Sleep Tracker Suddenly needs a Subscription[…]

The Netherlands wants EU measures against misleading “discounts” on altered prices

Posted on by Robin Edgar

From January 1, 2023, a seller may no longer increase the price of a product for a short period of time, then reduce the price and then present this ‘before’ price as an offer or a significant discount. Despite this tightening, consumers are still faced with misleading discounts, especially in the run-up to the holidays. Read more about The Netherlands wants EU measures against misleading “discounts” on altered prices[…]

Cracking group files SEC complaint on hacked company for failure to disclose breach

Posted on by Robin Edgar

affiliates of ransomware gang AlphV (aka BlackCat) claimed to have compromised digital lending firm MeridianLink – and reportedly filed an SEC complaint against the fintech firm for failing to disclose the intrusion to the US watchdog. First reported by DataBreaches, the break-in apparently happened on November 7. AlphaV’s operatives claimed they did not encrypt any Read more about Cracking group files SEC complaint on hacked company for failure to disclose breach[…]

The Epic Vs. Google Courtroom Battle Shows Google Routinely Hiding and Deleting Chats and Documents They Should (legally) Keep

Posted on by Robin Edgar

[…] back in 2020 Epic added an option to Fortnite on mobile that let players buy Fortnite’s in-game V-Bucks currency directly from the company at a discount, bypassing both Apple’s and Google’s app store fees. This violated Apple and Google policies Epic agreed to and quickly led to both companies removing Fortnite from their respective Read more about The Epic Vs. Google Courtroom Battle Shows Google Routinely Hiding and Deleting Chats and Documents They Should (legally) Keep[…]

Rivian update bricks infotainment – corp comms quickly and publicly on Reddit

Posted on by Robin Edgar

Hi All, We made an error with the 2023.42 OTA update – a fat finger where the wrong build with the wrong security certificates was sent out. We cancelled the campaign and we will restart it with the proper software that went through the different campaigns of beta testing. Service will be contacting impacted customers Read more about Rivian update bricks infotainment – corp comms quickly and publicly on Reddit[…]