The Linkielist

Linking ideas with the world

Fresh Cambridge Analytica leak ‘shows global manipulation is out of control’

Posted on by Robin Edgar

An explosive leak of tens of thousands of documents from the defunct data firm Cambridge Analytica is set to expose the inner workings of the company that collapsed after the Observer revealed it had misappropriated 87 million Facebook profiles. More than 100,000 documents relating to work in 68 countries that will lay bare the global Read more about Fresh Cambridge Analytica leak ‘shows global manipulation is out of control’[…]

U.S. government limits exports of artificial intelligence software – seem to have forgotten what happened when they limited cryptographic exports in the 90s

Posted on by Robin Edgar

The Trump administration will make it more difficult to export artificial intelligence software as of next week, part of a bid to keep sensitive technologies out of the hands of rival powers like China. Under a new rule that goes into effect on Monday, companies that export certain types of geospatial imagery software from the Read more about U.S. government limits exports of artificial intelligence software – seem to have forgotten what happened when they limited cryptographic exports in the 90s[…]

Bosch’s LCD Car Visor Only Blocks Your View of the Road Where the Sun Is In Your Eyes

Posted on by Robin Edgar

Instead of a rigid panel wrapped in fabric, Bosch’s Virtual Visor features an LCD panel that can be flipped down when the sun is hanging out on the horizon. The panel works alongside a camera that’s pointed at a driver’s face whose live video feed is processed using a custom trained AI to recognize facial Read more about Bosch’s LCD Car Visor Only Blocks Your View of the Road Where the Sun Is In Your Eyes[…]

Smart speaker maker Sonos takes heat for deliberately bricking older kit with ‘Trade Up’ plan

Posted on by Robin Edgar

Soundbar and smart-speaker-flinger Sonos is starting the new year with the wrong kind of publicity. Customers and netizens are protesting against its policy of deliberately rendering working systems unusable, which is bad for the environment as it sends devices prematurely to an electronic waste graveyard. The policy is also hazardous for those who unknowingly purchase Read more about Smart speaker maker Sonos takes heat for deliberately bricking older kit with ‘Trade Up’ plan[…]

This particle accelerator fits on the head of a pin

Posted on by Robin Edgar

If you know nothing else about particle accelerators, you probably know that they’re big — sometimes miles long. But a new approach from Stanford researchers has led to an accelerator shorter from end to end than a human hair is wide. The general idea behind particle accelerators is that they’re a long line of radiation Read more about This particle accelerator fits on the head of a pin[…]

Government exposes addresses of > 1000 new year honours recipients

Posted on by Robin Edgar

More than 1,000 celebrities, government employees and politicians who have received honours had their home and work addresses posted on a government website, the Guardian can reveal. The accidental disclosure of the tranche of personal details is likely to be considered a significant security breach, particularly as senior police and Ministry of Defence staff were Read more about Government exposes addresses of > 1000 new year honours recipients[…]

Wyze data leak may have exposed personal data of millions of users

Posted on by Robin Edgar

Security camera startup Wyze has confirmed it suffered a data leak this month that may have left the personal information of millions of its customers exposed on the internet. No passwords or financial information were exposed, but email addresses, Wi-Fi network IDs and body metrics were left unprotected from Dec. 4 through Dec. 26, the Read more about Wyze data leak may have exposed personal data of millions of users[…]

Researchers detail AI that de-hazes and colorizes underwater photos

Posted on by Robin Edgar

Ever notice that underwater images tend to be be blurry and somewhat distorted? That’s because phenomena like light attenuation and back-scattering adversely affect visibility. To remedy this, researchers at Harbin Engineering University in China devised a machine learning algorithm that generates realistic water images, along with a second algorithm that trains on those images to Read more about Researchers detail AI that de-hazes and colorizes underwater photos[…]

France slaps Google with $166M antitrust fine for opaque and inconsistent ad rules

Posted on by Robin Edgar

France’s competition watchdog has slapped Google with a €150 million (~$166 million) fine after finding the tech giant abused its dominant position in the online search advertising market. In a decision announced today — following a lengthy investigation into the online ad sector — the competition authority sanctioned Google for adopting what it describes as Read more about France slaps Google with $166M antitrust fine for opaque and inconsistent ad rules[…]

Twitter Warns Millions of Android App Users to Update Immediately

Posted on by Robin Edgar

This week, Twitter confirmed a vulnerability in its Android app that could let hackers see your “nonpublic account information” and commandeer your account to send tweets and direct messages. According to a Twitter Privacy Center blog posted Friday, the (recently patched) security issue could allow hackers to gain control of an account and access data Read more about Twitter Warns Millions of Android App Users to Update Immediately[…]

Chinese hacker group caught bypassing 2FA

Posted on by Robin Edgar

Security researchers say they found evidence that a Chinese government-linked hacking group has been bypassing two-factor authentication (2FA) in a recent wave of attacks. The attacks have been attributed to a group the cyber-security industry is tracking as APT20, believed to operate on the behest of the Beijing government, Dutch cyber-security firm Fox-IT said in Read more about Chinese hacker group caught bypassing 2FA[…]

Twelve Million Phones, One Dataset (no, not  your phone companies’), Zero Privacy – The New York Times

Posted on by Robin Edgar

Every minute of every day, everywhere on the planet, dozens of companies — largely unregulated, little scrutinized — are logging the movements of tens of millions of people with mobile phones and storing the information in gigantic data files. The Times Privacy Project obtained one such file, by far the largest and most sensitive ever Read more about Twelve Million Phones, One Dataset (no, not  your phone companies’), Zero Privacy – The New York Times[…]

267 Million Phone Numbers & Facebook User IDs Exposed Online

Posted on by Robin Edgar

A database containing more than 267 million Facebook user IDs, phone numbers, and names was left exposed on the web for anyone to access without a password or any other authentication. Comparitech partnered with security researcher Bob Diachenko to uncover the Elasticsearch cluster. Diachenko believes the trove of data is most likely the result of Read more about 267 Million Phone Numbers & Facebook User IDs Exposed Online[…]

Airbnb is a platform not an estate agent, says Europe’s top court – means they don’t have to collect taxes for counties either

Posted on by Robin Edgar

Airbnb will be breathing a sigh of relief today: Europe’s top court has judged it to be an online platform, which merely connects people looking for short-term accommodation, rather than a full-blown estate agent. The ruling may make it harder for the “home sharing” platform to be forced to comply with local property regulations — Read more about Airbnb is a platform not an estate agent, says Europe’s top court – means they don’t have to collect taxes for counties either[…]

IBM Research Created a New Battery That Outperforms Lithium-Ion, uses seawater instead of nickel and lithium

Posted on by Robin Edgar

scientists at IBM Research have developed a new battery whose unique ingredients can be extracted from seawater instead of mining. The problems with the design of current battery technologies like lithium-ion are well known, we just tend to turn a blind eye when it means our smartphones can run for a full day without a Read more about IBM Research Created a New Battery That Outperforms Lithium-Ion, uses seawater instead of nickel and lithium[…]

A Data Leak Exposed The Personal Information Of Over 3,000 Ring Users – Really, just don’t get one of these things!

Posted on by Robin Edgar

The log-in credentials for 3,672 Ring camera owners were compromised this week, exposing log-in emails, passwords, time zones, and the names people give to specific Ring cameras, which are often the same as camera locations, such as “bedroom” or “front door.” Using the log-in email and password, an intruder could access a Ring customer’s home Read more about A Data Leak Exposed The Personal Information Of Over 3,000 Ring Users – Really, just don’t get one of these things![…]

HP loses appeal vs 123inkt for suddenly borking non-HP ink cartridges in their printer with a software update

Posted on by Robin Edgar

HP is being held liable for damages to 123inkt customers who bought the ink cartridges which they suddenly couldn’t use any more. From personal experience I know how annoying this is as several printers have started doing very sketchy things suddenly which were magically ‘fixed’ by inserting HP ink cartridges. It’s ink, people, there’s no Read more about HP loses appeal vs 123inkt for suddenly borking non-HP ink cartridges in their printer with a software update[…]

Private equity buys Lastpass owner LogMeIn – will they start monetising your logins?

Posted on by Robin Edgar

Remote access, collaboration and password manager provider LogMeIn has been sold to a private equity outfit for $4.3bn. A consortium led by private equity firm Francisco Partners (along with Evergreen, the PE arm of tech activist investor Elliott Management), will pay $86.05 in cash for each LogMeIn share – a 25 per cent premium on Read more about Private equity buys Lastpass owner LogMeIn – will they start monetising your logins?[…]

Amazon, Apple, Google, and the Zigbee Alliance joined together to form working group to develop open standard for smart home devices

Posted on by Robin Edgar

Amazon, Apple, Google, and the Zigbee Alliance joined together to promote the formation of the Working Group. Zigbee Alliance board member companies IKEA, Legrand, NXP Semiconductors, Resideo, Samsung SmartThings, Schneider Electric, Signify (formerly Philips Lighting), Silicon Labs, Somfy, and Wulian are also on board to join the Working Group and contribute to the project. The Read more about Amazon, Apple, Google, and the Zigbee Alliance joined together to form working group to develop open standard for smart home devices[…]

Camouflage made of quantum material could hide you from infrared cameras

Posted on by Robin Edgar

Infrared cameras detect people and other objects by the heat they emit. Now, researchers have discovered the uncanny ability of a material to hide a target by masking its telltale heat properties. The effect works for a range of temperatures that one day could include humans and vehicles, presenting a future asset to stealth technologies, Read more about Camouflage made of quantum material could hide you from infrared cameras[…]

Remember Unrollme, the biz that helped you automatically ditch unwanted emails? Yeah, it was selling your data, even though it said it wouldn’t

Posted on by Robin Edgar

If you were one of the millions of people that signed up with Unrollme to cut down on the emails from outfits you once bought a product from, we have some bad news for you: it has been storing and selling your data. On Tuesday, America’s Federal Trade Commission finalized a settlement [PDF] with the Read more about Remember Unrollme, the biz that helped you automatically ditch unwanted emails? Yeah, it was selling your data, even though it said it wouldn’t[…]