The Linkielist

Linking ideas with the world

Top EU court says there is no right to online anonymity, because copyright is more important

Posted on by Robin Edgar

A year ago, Walled Culture wrote about an extremely important case that was being considered by the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU), the EU’s top court. The central question was whether the judges considered that copyright was more important than privacy. The bad news is that the CJEU has just decided that Read more about Top EU court says there is no right to online anonymity, because copyright is more important[…]

Gene therapy relieves back pain, repairs damaged disc in mice

Posted on by Robin Edgar

Disc-related back pain may one day meet its therapeutic match: gene therapy delivered by naturally derived nanocarriers that, a new study shows, repairs damaged discs in the spine and lowers pain symptoms in mice. Scientists engineered nanocarriers using mouse connective-tissue cells called fibroblasts as a model of skin cells and loaded them with genetic material Read more about Gene therapy relieves back pain, repairs damaged disc in mice[…]

Flood of Fake Science Forces Multiple Journal Closures

Posted on by Robin Edgar

Fake studies have flooded the publishers of top scientific journals, leading to thousands of retractions and millions of dollars in lost revenue. The biggest hit has come to Wiley, a 217-year-old publisher based in Hoboken, N.J., which Tuesday will announce that it is closing 19 journals, some of which were infected by large-scale research fraud. Read more about Flood of Fake Science Forces Multiple Journal Closures[…]

Patent troll hits Microsoft with $242 million US verdict in Cortana lawsuit

Posted on by Robin Edgar

Microsoft (MSFT.O) must pay patent owner IPA Technologies $242 million, a federal jury in Delaware said on Friday after determining that Microsoft’s Cortana virtual-assistant software infringed an IPA patent. The jury agreed with IPA after a week-long trial that Microsoft’s voice-recognition technology violates IPA’s patent rights in computer-communications software. IPA is a subsidiary of patent-licensing Read more about Patent troll hits Microsoft with $242 million US verdict in Cortana lawsuit[…]

iPhone users report deleted photos reappearing after update – turns out for Apple, delete doesn’t mean delete

Posted on by Robin Edgar

Some iPhone users are reportedly seeing photos they had previously deleted resurface on their devices ever since updating to the latest version of iOS. The user reports originate from Reddit, and it’s not just a couple of Apple users experiencing issues. By our count, 16 people who deleted their photos say they’ve come back. The Read more about iPhone users report deleted photos reappearing after update – turns out for Apple, delete doesn’t mean delete[…]

MIT students stole $25M in seconds by exploiting ETH blockchain bug, DOJ says

Posted on by Robin Edgar

Within approximately 12 seconds, two highly educated brothers allegedly stole $25 million by tampering with the ethereum blockchain in a never-before-seen cryptocurrency scheme, according to an indictment that the US Department of Justice unsealed Wednesday. In a DOJ press release, US Attorney Damian Williams said the scheme was so sophisticated that it “calls the very Read more about MIT students stole $25M in seconds by exploiting ETH blockchain bug, DOJ says[…]

Dell hack but who Dell didn’t think it was a big deal now includes customer phone numbers

Posted on by Robin Edgar

The person who claimed to have stolen the physical addresses of 49 million Dell customers appears to have taken more data from a different Dell portal, TechCrunch has learned. The newly compromised data includes names, phone numbers and email addresses of Dell customers. This personal data is contained in customer “service reports,” which also include Read more about Dell hack but who Dell didn’t think it was a big deal now includes customer phone numbers[…]

sonos music player being destroyed by an axe chopping it in half

Sonos App Redesign AMA – 769 angry questions, 19 corporate useless answers

Posted on by Robin Edgar

After the absolute shitshow and riots around the release of the new app, which missed core functionalities and broke systems, Sonos did participate in their promised Ask Me Anything. Kind of. Three Sonos employees apparently attended, but managed to barely respond to any of the questions – which were almost all overwhelmingly angry, disappointed and Read more about Sonos App Redesign AMA – 769 angry questions, 19 corporate useless answers[…]

Capacitor Breakthrough: 19-Fold Increase in Energy Storage Potential – could kill batteries

Posted on by Robin Edgar

A battery’s best friend is a capacitor. Powering everything from smartphones to electric vehicles, capacitors store energy from a battery in the form of an electrical charge and enable ultrafast charging and discharging. However, their Achilles’ heel has always been their limited energy storage efficiency. Now, Washington University in St. Louis researchers have unveiled a Read more about Capacitor Breakthrough: 19-Fold Increase in Energy Storage Potential – could kill batteries[…]

US Patent and Trademark Office confirms another leak of filers’ address data

Posted on by Robin Edgar

The federal government agency responsible for granting patents and trademarks is alerting thousands of filers whose private addresses were exposed following a second data spill in as many years. The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) said in an email to affected trademark applicants this week that their private domicile address — which can include Read more about US Patent and Trademark Office confirms another leak of filers’ address data[…]

Dell customer order database stolen, 49m records for sale on dark web

Posted on by Robin Edgar

Dell has confirmed information about its customers and their orders has been stolen from one of its portals. Though the thief claimed to have swiped 49 million records, which are now up for sale on the dark web, the IT giant declined to say how many people may be affected. According to the US computer Read more about Dell customer order database stolen, 49m records for sale on dark web[…]

Google Cloud accidentally deletes UniSuper’s online account with 620k customers due to ‘unprecedented misconfiguration’

Posted on by Robin Edgar

More than half a million UniSuper fund members went a week with no access to their superannuation accounts after a “one-of-a-kind” Google Cloud “misconfiguration” led to the financial services provider’s private cloud account being deleted, Google and UniSuper have revealed. Services began being restored for UniSuper customers on Thursday, more than a week after the Read more about Google Cloud accidentally deletes UniSuper’s online account with 620k customers due to ‘unprecedented misconfiguration’[…]

Sonos releases new but hugely broken, incomplete app causing shitstorm

Posted on by Robin Edgar

Sonos launched a new version of its app this week, altering the software experience that tens of millions of users rely on to control the company’s premium home wireless home speaker systems. Turns out, people really hate it! The response from users on Reddit, on audio forums, and on social media has been almost total Read more about Sonos releases new but hugely broken, incomplete app causing shitstorm[…]

Attack against virtually all VPN apps neuters their entire purpose

Posted on by Robin Edgar

Researchers have devised an attack against nearly all virtual private network applications that forces them to send and receive some or all traffic outside of the encrypted tunnel designed to protect it from snooping or tampering. TunnelVision, as the researchers have named their attack, largely negates the entire purpose and selling point of VPNs, which Read more about Attack against virtually all VPN apps neuters their entire purpose[…]

Helldivers 2 Won’t Require PSN Account On Steam after all, Sony Confirms

Posted on by Robin Edgar

PlayStation has announced that, after about three days of online yelling and reviewing bombing, it will no longer require Helldivers 2 players on PC to link their Steam account to a PlayStation Network account in order to continue accessing the popular sci-fi co-op shooter. On May 2, PlayStation and Arrowhead Games Studios—the developers behind Helldivers Read more about Helldivers 2 Won’t Require PSN Account On Steam after all, Sony Confirms[…]

FCC fines America’s largest wireless carriers $200 million for selling customer location data without permission

Posted on by Robin Edgar

The Federal Communications Commission has slapped the largest mobile carriers in the US with a collective fine worth $200 million for selling access to their customers’ location information without consent. AT&T was ordered to pay $57 million, while Verizon has to pay $47 million. Meanwhile, Sprint and T-Mobile are facing a penalty with a total Read more about FCC fines America’s largest wireless carriers $200 million for selling customer location data without permission[…]

Microsoft’s latest Windows security updates might break your VPN

Posted on by Robin Edgar

Microsoft says the April security updates for Windows may break your VPN. (Oops!) “Windows devices might face VPN connection failures after installing the April 2024 security update (KB5036893) or the April 2024 non-security preview update,” the company wrote in a status update. It’s working on a fix. Bleeping Computer first reported the issue, which affects Read more about Microsoft’s latest Windows security updates might break your VPN[…]

Helldivers 2 PC players suddenly have to link to a PSN account and they’re not being chill about it

Posted on by Robin Edgar

Nintendo sent a Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) notice for over 8,000 GitHub repositories hosting code from the Yuzu Switch emulator, which the Zelda maker previously described as enabling “piracy at a colossal scale.” The sweeping takedown comes two months after Yuzu’s creators quickly settled a lawsuit with Nintendo and its notoriously trigger-happy legal team Read more about Helldivers 2 PC players suddenly have to link to a PSN account and they’re not being chill about it[…]

Nintendo blitzes GitHub with over 8,000 emulator-related DMCA takedowns

Posted on by Robin Edgar

Nintendo sent a Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) notice for over 8,000 GitHub repositories hosting code from the Yuzu Switch emulator, which the Zelda maker previously described as enabling “piracy at a colossal scale.” The sweeping takedown comes two months after Yuzu’s creators quickly settled a lawsuit with Nintendo and its notoriously trigger-happy legal team Read more about Nintendo blitzes GitHub with over 8,000 emulator-related DMCA takedowns[…]

Use This App to Block Ads on Windows 11

Posted on by Robin Edgar

Advertisements—sometimes prompts to do something that would financially benefit Microsoft and sometimes actual paid advertisements—are showing up all over Windows 11. Start menu ads are rolling out to all users this month, taking the shape of “Recommended” applications you haven’t installed. Ads also briefly showed up in File Explorer, though this was apparently unintentional. And Read more about Use This App to Block Ads on Windows 11[…]

UK becomes first country to ban default bad passwords on IoT devices

Posted on by Robin Edgar

[…] On Monday, the United Kingdom became the first country in the world to ban default guessable usernames and passwords from these IoT devices. Unique passwords installed by default are still permitted. The Product Security and Telecommunications Infrastructure Act 2022 (PSTI) introduces new minimum-security standards for manufacturers, and demands that these companies are open with Read more about UK becomes first country to ban default bad passwords on IoT devices[…]

Russia arrests in absentia former world chess champion Garry Kasparov on foreign agent and terrorist charges

Posted on by Robin Edgar

Russia has arrested Garry Kasparov and charged him in connection with foreign agent and terrorist charges – much to the former chess champion’s amusement. The city court in Syktyvkar, the largest city in Russia‘s northwestern Komi region, announced it had arrested the grandmaster in absentia alongside former Russian parliament member Gennady Gudkov, Ivan Tyutrin co-founder Read more about Russia arrests in absentia former world chess champion Garry Kasparov on foreign agent and terrorist charges[…]

Apple’s ‘incredibly private’ Safari not so private in Europe, allows

Posted on by Robin Edgar

Apple’s grudging accommodation of European antitrust rules by allowing third-party app stores on iPhones has left users of its Safari browser exposed to potential web activity tracking. Developers Talal Haj Bakry and Tommy Mysk looked into the way Apple implemented the installation process for third-party software marketplaces on iOS with Safari, and concluded Cupertino’s approach Read more about Apple’s ‘incredibly private’ Safari not so private in Europe, allows[…]

People Are Slowly Realizing Their Auto Insurance Rates Are Skyrocketing Because Their Car Is Covertly Spying On Them

Posted on by Robin Edgar

Last month the New York Times’ Kashmir Hill published a major story on how GM collects driver behavior data then sells access (through LexisNexis) to insurance companies, which will then jack up your rates. The absolute bare minimum you could could expect from the auto industry here is that they’re doing this in a way that’s clear to car Read more about People Are Slowly Realizing Their Auto Insurance Rates Are Skyrocketing Because Their Car Is Covertly Spying On Them[…]