Month: April 2025

Apple to Spy on User Emails and other Data on Devices to Bolster AI Technology

Posted on by Robin Edgar

Apple Inc. will begin analyzing data on customers’ devices in a bid to improve its artificial intelligence platform, a move designed to safeguard user information while still helping it catch up with AI rivals. Today, Apple typically trains AI models using synthetic data — information that’s meant to mimic real-world inputs without any personal details. Read more about Apple to Spy on User Emails and other Data on Devices to Bolster AI Technology[…]

EU gives burner phones and laptops on visits to U.S. (as well as they have been doing for China)

Posted on by Robin Edgar

The European Commission has started issuing burner phones and stripped-down laptops to staff visiting the U.S. over concerns that the treatment of visitors to the country has become a security risk, according to a new report from the Financial Times. And it’s just the latest news that America’s slide into fascism under Donald Trump is Read more about EU gives burner phones and laptops on visits to U.S. (as well as they have been doing for China)[…]

Cholera Outbreak Traced to Holy Water From Ethiopia

Posted on by Robin Edgar

A sacred pilgrimage ended up in the toilet for several travelers earlier this year. Health officials in Europe have reported an outbreak of superbug cholera traced back to tainted holy water sourced from Ethiopia. Health officials in Germany and the UK detailed the strange outbreak in a report published Thursday in the journal Eurosurveillance. At least Read more about Cholera Outbreak Traced to Holy Water From Ethiopia[…]

VMware revives its free ESXi hypervisor

Posted on by Robin Edgar

News of the offering emerged in a throwaway line in the Release Notes for version 8.0 Update 3e of the Broadcom business unit’s ESXi hypervisor. Just below the “What’s New” section of that document is the statement: “Broadcom makes available the VMware vSphere Hypervisor version 8, an entry-level hypervisor. You can download it free of Read more about VMware revives its free ESXi hypervisor[…]

Windows’ Recall Spyware Is Back—Here’s How to Control It

Posted on by Robin Edgar

Remember Recall? It’s been close to full trip around the sun since Microsoft announced then suddenly pulled its AI-powered, auto-screenshotting “photographic memory” software for Copilot+ PCs. Whether you want it or not, the feature is coming back, and you should be prepared for it not just if you’re planning to use it, but if you imagine Read more about Windows’ Recall Spyware Is Back—Here’s How to Control It[…]

Germany’s ‘Universal Basic Income’ Experiment Proves It Doesn’t Encourage Unmployment

Posted on by Robin Edgar

People “are likely to continue working full-time even if they receive no-strings-attached universal basic income payments,” reports CNN, citing results from a recent experiment in Germany (discussed on Slashdot in 2020): Mein Grundeinkommen (My Basic Income), the Berlin-based non-profit that ran the German study, followed 122 people for three years. From June 2021 to May Read more about Germany’s ‘Universal Basic Income’ Experiment Proves It Doesn’t Encourage Unmployment[…]

Quasicrystals found to increase the strength of 3D-printed metal

Posted on by Robin Edgar

[…] The alloy formed under the extreme conditions of metal 3D printing, a new way to make metal parts. Understanding this aluminum on the atomic scale will enable a whole new category of 3D-printed parts such as airplane components, heat exchangers and car chassis. It will also open the door to research on new aluminum Read more about Quasicrystals found to increase the strength of 3D-printed metal[…]

Zeiss Smart glass windows would beam in-flight info over scenic views

Posted on by Robin Edgar

[…] According to an announcement earlier this month, Zeiss wants to upgrade commercial jets with touch-free holographic Multifunctional Smart Glass systems. The new technology is on display from April 8-10 during the Aircraft Interiors Expo  2025 in Hamburg, Germany. The company wants to move beyond the showroom floor and into more planes within the coming Read more about Zeiss Smart glass windows would beam in-flight info over scenic views[…]

UK Effort to Keep Apple Encryption Fight Secret Is Blocked

Posted on by Robin Edgar

A court has blocked a British government attempt to keep secret a legal case over its demand to access Apple Inc. user data in a victory for privacy advocates. The UK Investigatory Powers Tribunal, a special court that handles cases related to government surveillance, said the authorities’ efforts were a “fundamental interference with the principle Read more about UK Effort to Keep Apple Encryption Fight Secret Is Blocked[…]

UK finally gets around to banning fake reviews and ‘sneaky’ fees for online products

Posted on by Robin Edgar

The United Kingdom has banned “outrageous fake reviews and sneaky hidden fees” to make life easier for online shoppers. New measures under the Digital Markets, Competition, and Consumer Act 2024 came into force on Sunday that require online platforms to transparently include all mandatory fees within a product’s advertised price, including booking or admin charges. Read more about UK finally gets around to banning fake reviews and ‘sneaky’ fees for online products[…]

China launches HDMI and DisplayPort alternative — GPMI boasts up to 192 Gbps bandwidth, 480W power delivery

Posted on by Robin Edgar

The Shenzhen 8K UHD Video Industry Cooperation Alliance, a group made up of more than 50 Chinese companies, just released a new wired media communication standard called the General Purpose Media Interface or GPMI. This standard was developed to support 8K and reduce the number of cables required to stream data and power from one Read more about China launches HDMI and DisplayPort alternative — GPMI boasts up to 192 Gbps bandwidth, 480W power delivery[…]

Meta gets caught gaming AI benchmarks with Llama 4

Posted on by Robin Edgar

tl;dr – Meta did a VW by using a special version of their AI which was optimised to score higher on the most important metric for AI performance. Over the weekend, Meta dropped two new Llama 4 models: a smaller model named Scout, and Maverick, a mid-size model that the company claims can beat GPT-4o Read more about Meta gets caught gaming AI benchmarks with Llama 4[…]

Don’t open that file in WhatsApp for Windows just yet – there is no check if it’s not just a renamed .exe

Posted on by Robin Edgar

A bug in WhatsApp for Windows can be exploited to execute malicious code by anyone crafty enough to persuade a user to open a rigged attachment – and, to be fair, it doesn’t take much craft to pull that off. The spoofing flaw, tracked as CVE-2025-30401, affects all versions of WhatsApp Desktop for Windows prior Read more about Don’t open that file in WhatsApp for Windows just yet – there is no check if it’s not just a renamed .exe[…]

Boeing 787 radio software patch didn’t work, says Qatar, it still turns itself off and changes frequencies by itself.

Posted on by Robin Edgar

Boeing issued a software safety patch for the VHF radio systems used on its 787 aircraft, and the update turned out to be ineffective, Qatar Airways has complained. In February, the US Department of Transportation issued an advisory [PDF] about a problem with the aircraft’s electronics that was causing VHF radio traffic to unexpectedly switch Read more about Boeing 787 radio software patch didn’t work, says Qatar, it still turns itself off and changes frequencies by itself.[…]

Speech now streaming from brains in real-time, code open sourced

Posted on by Robin Edgar

Described in a paper published in Nature Neuroscience this week, the neuroprosthesis is intended to allow patients with severe paralysis and anarthria – loss of speech – to communicate by turning brain signals into synthesized words. “Our streaming approach brings the same rapid speech decoding capacity of devices like Alexa and Siri to neuroprostheses,” said Read more about Speech now streaming from brains in real-time, code open sourced[…]

Unique Study Is Latest to Show Shingles Vaccine Can Help Prevent Dementia

Posted on by Robin Edgar

[…] Scientists at Stanford University led the research, published in Nature. They compared people born before and after they were eligible to take the shingles vaccine in a certain part of the UK, finding that vaccinated people were 20% less likely to be diagnosed with dementia over a seven year period. More research is needed to Read more about Unique Study Is Latest to Show Shingles Vaccine Can Help Prevent Dementia[…]

Using the Earth’s atmosphere as a global sensor shows promise

Posted on by Robin Edgar

AtmoSense, which began in late 2020, set out to understand the fundamentals of energy propagation from the Earth’s surface to the ionosphere to determine whether the atmosphere can be used as a sensor. A fundamental science effort, AtmoSense aimed to measure acoustic and electromagnetic waves propagating through the atmosphere to see if they could provide Read more about Using the Earth’s atmosphere as a global sensor shows promise[…]

EU: These are scary times – let’s backdoor encryption and make everyone unsafe!

Posted on by Robin Edgar

The EU has shared its plans to ostensibly keep the continent’s denizens secure – and among the pages of bureaucratese are a few worrying sections that indicate the political union wants to backdoor encryption by 2026, or even sooner. While the superstate has made noises about backdooring encryption before, the ProtectEU plan [PDF], launched on Read more about EU: These are scary times – let’s backdoor encryption and make everyone unsafe![…]

T-Mobile SyncUP Bug Reveals Names, Images, and Locations of Random Children

Posted on by Robin Edgar

T-Mobile sells a little-known GPS service called SyncUP, which allows users who are parents to monitor the locations of their children. This week, an apparent glitch in the service’s system obscured the locations of users’ own children while sending them detailed information and the locations of other, random children. 404 Media first reported on the Read more about T-Mobile SyncUP Bug Reveals Names, Images, and Locations of Random Children[…]

Wealthy Americans have death rates on par with poor Europeans

Posted on by Robin Edgar

It’s well-established that, on the whole, Americans die younger than people in most other high-income countries. For instance, an analysis from 2022 found that the average life expectancy of someone born in Switzerland or Spain in 2019 was 84 years. Meanwhile, the average US life expectancy was 78.8, lower than nearly all other high-income countries, Read more about Wealthy Americans have death rates on par with poor Europeans[…]

NSA warns about “fast flux” – cycling IP addresses quickly lets attackers keep attacking

Posted on by Robin Edgar

[…] fast flux. It allows decentralized networks operated by threat actors to hide their infrastructure and survive takedown attempts that would otherwise succeed. Fast flux works by cycling through a range of IP addresses and domain names that these botnets use to connect to the Internet. In some cases, IPs and domain names change every Read more about NSA warns about “fast flux” – cycling IP addresses quickly lets attackers keep attacking[…]

Scientists pioneer method to tackle PFAS ‘forever chemicals’

Posted on by Robin Edgar

Rice University researchers have developed an innovative solution to a pressing environmental challenge: removing and destroying per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), commonly called “forever chemicals.” A study led byJames Tour, the T.T. and W.F. Chao Professor of Chemistry and professor of materials science and nanoengineering, and graduate student Phelecia Scotland unveils a method that not Read more about Scientists pioneer method to tackle PFAS ‘forever chemicals’[…]

Indiana security prof and wife vanish after FBI raid

Posted on by Robin Edgar

A tenured computer security professor at Indiana University and his university-employed wife have not been seen publicly since federal agents raided their homes late last week. On Friday, the FBI with help from the cops searched two properties in Bloomington and Carmel, Indiana, belonging to Xiaofeng Wang, a professor at the Indiana Luddy School of Read more about Indiana security prof and wife vanish after FBI raid[…]