The Linkielist

Linking ideas with the world

Italy’s Piracy Shield Blocks Innocent Web Sites, Makes It Hard For Them To Appeal so ISPs are ignoring the law because it’s stupid

Posted on by Robin Edgar

Italy’s newly-installed Piracy Shield system, put in place by the country’s national telecoms regulator, Autorità per le Garanzie nelle Comunicazioni (Authority for Communications Guarantees, AGCOM), is already failing in significant ways. One issue became evident in February, when the VPN provider AirVPN announced that it would no longer accept users resident in Italy because of the “burdensome” requirements Read more about Italy’s Piracy Shield Blocks Innocent Web Sites, Makes It Hard For Them To Appeal so ISPs are ignoring the law because it’s stupid[…]

Our Brains Are in Trouble: Nearly Half the World Living with Neurological Illness

Posted on by Robin Edgar

[…]According to the authors of this new paper, published this month in The Lancet Neurology, there hasn’t yet been a full accounting of all the illnesses tied to our brain and nervous system, such as neurodevelopmental disorders. For this study, scientists looked at 37 unique conditions in total, including migraines, seizures, various forms of dementia, Read more about Our Brains Are in Trouble: Nearly Half the World Living with Neurological Illness[…]

Commercial Bank of Ethiopia glitch lets customers withdraw millions

Posted on by Robin Edgar

Ethiopia’s biggest commercial bank is scrambling to recoup large sums of money withdrawn by customers after a “systems glitch”. The customers discovered early on Saturday that they could take out more cash than they had in their accounts at the Commercial Bank of Ethiopia (CBE). More than $40m (£31m) was withdrawn or transferred to other Read more about Commercial Bank of Ethiopia glitch lets customers withdraw millions[…]

Google DeepMind’s new AI assistant helps elite soccer coaches get even better

Posted on by Robin Edgar

They might want to add a new AI assistant developed by Google DeepMind to their arsenal. It can suggest tactics for soccer set-pieces that are even better than those created by professional club coaches. The system, called TacticAI, works by analyzing a dataset of 7,176 corner kicks taken by players for Liverpool FC, one of Read more about Google DeepMind’s new AI assistant helps elite soccer coaches get even better[…]

VPN Demand Surges 234.8% After Adult Site Restriction on Texas-Based Users

Posted on by Robin Edgar

VPN demand in Texas skyrocketed by 234.8% on March 15, 2024, after state authorities enacted a law requiring adult sites to verify users’ ages before granting them access to the websites’ content. Texas’ age verification law was passed in June 2023 and was set to take effect in September of the same year. However, a Read more about VPN Demand Surges 234.8% After Adult Site Restriction on Texas-Based Users[…]

Google researchers unveil ‘VLOGGER’, an AI that can animate a single still photos to allow them to talk

Posted on by Robin Edgar

Described in a research paper titled “VLOGGER: Multimodal Diffusion for Embodied Avatar Synthesis,” the AI model can take a photo of a person and an audio clip as input, and then output a video that matches the audio, showing the person speaking the words and making corresponding facial expressions, head movements and hand gestures. The Read more about Google researchers unveil ‘VLOGGER’, an AI that can animate a single still photos to allow them to talk[…]

Apex Legends streamers surprised to find aimbot and other hacks added to their PCs in the middle of major competition

Posted on by Robin Edgar

The Apex Legends Global Series is currently in regional finals mode, but the North America finals have been delayed after two players were hacked mid-match. First, Noyan “Genburten” Ozkose of DarkZero suddenly found himself able to see other players through walls, then Phillip “ImperialHal” Dosen of TSM was given an aimbot. Genburten’s hack happened part Read more about Apex Legends streamers surprised to find aimbot and other hacks added to their PCs in the middle of major competition[…]

Europe’s landmark AI Act passes Parliament vote

Posted on by Robin Edgar

After a 523-46 voting result, with 49 abstentions, the act heads down a lengthy and complex implementation path. An AI Office that will guide the process under the Commission’s wing has already started hiring. The Act sets out a tiered approach to regulation based on how risky applications of the technology are deemed and sets Read more about Europe’s landmark AI Act passes Parliament vote[…]

Dog DNA testing company identifies human as dog

Posted on by Robin Edgar

On Wednesday, WBZ News reported its investigations team receiving dog breed results from the company DNA My Dog after one of its reporters sent in a swab sample – from her own cheek. According to the results from the Toronto-based company, WBZ News reporter Christina Hager is 40% Alaskan malamute, 35% shar-pei and 25% labrador. Read more about Dog DNA testing company identifies human as dog[…]

Pornhub disables website in Texas after AG sues for not verifying users’ ages

Posted on by Robin Edgar

Pornhub has disabled its site in Texas to object to a state law that requires the company to verify the age of users to prevent minors from accessing the site. Texas residents who visit the site are met with a message from the company that criticizes the state’s elected officials who are requiring them to Read more about Pornhub disables website in Texas after AG sues for not verifying users’ ages[…]

Wind Wing sails saved cargo ship up to 12 tons of fuel per day

Posted on by Robin Edgar

A shipping vessel left China for Brazil while sporting some new improvements last August—a pair of 123-feet-tall, solid “wings” retrofitted atop its deck to harness wind power for propulsion assistance. But after its six-week maiden voyage testing the green energy tech, the Pyxis Ocean MC Shipping Kamsarmax vessel apparently had many more trips ahead of Read more about Wind Wing sails saved cargo ship up to 12 tons of fuel per day[…]

Microsoft is once again asking Chrome users to try Bing through unblockable pop-ups – wait, you are not using Firefox?

Posted on by Robin Edgar

Microsoft has been pushing Bing pop-up ads in Chrome on Windows 10 and 11. Windows Latest and The Verge reported on Friday that the ad encourages Chrome users (in bold lettering) to use Bing instead of Google search. “Chat with GPT-4 for free on Chrome! Get hundreds of daily chat turns with Bing Al”, the Read more about Microsoft is once again asking Chrome users to try Bing through unblockable pop-ups – wait, you are not using Firefox?[…]

Epic accuses Apple of flouting court order by charging for external links on iOS apps

Posted on by Robin Edgar

Epic Games has already accused Apple of “malicious compliance” with the EU’s new competition laws, and now it’s making the same allegation stateside. In a new legal filing, it accused Apple of non-compliance with a 2021 ruling that allowed developers to bypass Apple’s 30 percent cut of in-app payments and is asking the court to Read more about Epic accuses Apple of flouting court order by charging for external links on iOS apps[…]

COVID-19 Leaves Its Mark on the Brain. Significant Drops in IQ Scores Are Noted.

Posted on by Robin Edgar

From the very early days of the pandemic, brain fog emerged as a significant health condition that many experience after COVID-19. Brain fog is a colloquial term that describes a state of mental sluggishness or lack of clarity and haziness that makes it difficult to concentrate, remember things and think clearly. Fast-forward four years and Read more about COVID-19 Leaves Its Mark on the Brain. Significant Drops in IQ Scores Are Noted.[…]

Brave, Mozilla, Vivaldi see browser installs rise on iOS since DMA – forcing competition does indeed give rise to diversity. Now Google.

Posted on by Robin Edgar

Since Apple implemented a browser choice screen for iPhones earlier this month to comply with Europe’s Digital Markets Act (DMA), Brave Software, Mozilla, and Vivaldi have seen a surge in the number of people installing their web browsers. It’s an early sign the Europe Union’s competition rules may actually … get this … enhance competition Read more about Brave, Mozilla, Vivaldi see browser installs rise on iOS since DMA – forcing competition does indeed give rise to diversity. Now Google.[…]

Breach in French labor history database impacts up to 43 million people for past 20 years showing what a great idea huge centralised databases are

Posted on by Robin Edgar

A French government department – responsible for registering and assisting unemployed people – is the latest victim of a mega data breach that compromised the information of up to 43 million citizens. France Travail announced on Wednesday that it informed the country’s data protection watchdog (CNIL) of an incident that exposed a swathe of personal Read more about Breach in French labor history database impacts up to 43 million people for past 20 years showing what a great idea huge centralised databases are[…]

Under New Management Detects when your extensions have changed owners

Posted on by Robin Edgar

Intermittenty checks your installed extensions to see if the developer information listed on the Chrome Web Store or Firefox Addons store has changed. If anything is different, the extension icon will display a red badge, alerting you to the change. Why is this needed? Extension developers are constantly getting offers to buy their extensions. In Read more about Under New Management Detects when your extensions have changed owners[…]

Vehicle Cloning — Another Reason Not To Use Automated License Plate Readers

Posted on by Robin Edgar

Over the last decade, increasing numbers of automated license plate readers (ALPR) have been installed on roads, bringing with them a variety of privacy problems, as Techdirt has reported. It’s easy to see why ALPR is popular with the authorities: license plate readers seem a simple way to monitor driving behavior and to catch people Read more about Vehicle Cloning — Another Reason Not To Use Automated License Plate Readers[…]

Makers of Switch emulator Yuzu crushed quickly by Nintendo

Posted on by Robin Edgar

Tropic Haze, the popular Yuzu Nintendo Switch emulator developer, appears to have agreed to settle Nintendo’s lawsuit against it. Less than a week after Nintendo filed the legal action, accusing the emulator’s creators of “piracy at a colossal scale,” a joint final judgment and permanent injunction filed Tuesday says Tropic Haze has agreed to pay Read more about Makers of Switch emulator Yuzu crushed quickly by Nintendo[…]

Apple stamps feet but now to let EU developers distribute apps from the web

Posted on by Robin Edgar

Apple’s compliance measures with the EU’s Digital Markets Act haven’t exactly been universally well received, so the iMaker is making a few tweaks to appease the software-developing masses. In a post to its developer site today, Apple said it is modifying not only how developers can distribute apps, but also changing the structure of alternative Read more about Apple stamps feet but now to let EU developers distribute apps from the web[…]

car with eye in sky

Automakers Are Sharing Consumers’ Driving Behavior With Insurance Companies

Posted on by Robin Edgar

Kenn Dahl says he has always been a careful driver. The owner of a software company near Seattle, he drives a leased Chevrolet Bolt. He’s never been responsible for an accident. So Mr. Dahl, 65, was surprised in 2022 when the cost of his car insurance jumped by 21 percent. Quotes from other insurance companies Read more about Automakers Are Sharing Consumers’ Driving Behavior With Insurance Companies[…]

European Commission broke data protection law with Microsoft Office 365 – duh

Posted on by Robin Edgar

The European Commission has been reprimanded for infringing data protection regulations when using Microsoft 365. The rebuke came from the European Data Protection Supervisor (EDPS) and is the culmination of an investigation that kicked off in May 2021, following the Schrems II judgement. According to the EDPS, the EC infringed several data protection regulations, including Read more about European Commission broke data protection law with Microsoft Office 365 – duh[…]