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Tech NewsAmazon Sells Everything, Including Tons of Unsafe Products: Report
Amazon, as a consumer-facing brand, is one of the most trusted institutions in America (second only to the military), which drives home how well the company’s e-commerce scheme works. Amazon is not a singular institution. Not really. The overwhelming majority of items for sale on the site aren’t sold by Amazon at all, but by … Continued
By Avery Ellis -
Tech NewsPrivacy and SecurityAlex Stamos, Ex-Facebook Security Chief, Blames Journalists for Cambridge Analytica Fallout
A Facebook initiative announced last year designed to generate “independent, credible research about the role of social media in elections” is faltering, BuzzFeed reported this week, citing multiple sources with knowledge of the program and its participants. According to Facebook’s former chief security officer, reporters who covered the company’s Cambridge Analytica scandal are at least … Continued
By Dell Cameron -
Tech NewsFacebookJudge Pauses Roll Out of Facebook’s ‘Clear History’ Tool Over Fears of Evidence Destruction
Facebook showed its whole snooping ass last year during the Cambridge Analytica scandal, and Mark Zuckerberg promptly promised to deliver users a tool that would give them some more power over how their data is used. Over a year later, and Facebook is finally beginning to roll out such a feature, but a state judge … Continued
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Tech NewsNewsDozens Charged Over $6 Million Fraud and Internet Romance Scheme
Eighty people have been charged in a massive international fraud scheme that sought to steal tens of millions of dollars from victims globally, including both businesses and individuals—some of whom prosecutors say were elderly. A 145-page indictment unsealed Thursday following the arrest of 14 of the 80 individuals named in connection with the Los Angeles-based … Continued
By Catie Keck -
Tech NewsFacebookFacebook Discloses Cambridge Analytica Email It Fought for Months to Keep Secret
More than a year ago, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg laid out on his personal page a “timeline” related to the Cambridge Analytica “situation.” But he omitted a key piece of information, which was finally made public on Friday. As reported in March, internal emails show a Facebook employee warned the company about Cambridge Analytica in … Continued
By Dell Cameron -
Tech NewsGadgetsThis Company Claims to Have Invented an AirPower-like Charging Mat That Actually Works
Announced when Apple added wireless charging to the iPhone, the AirPower charging pad was never to see the light of day. The company was vague about why the product never panned out, simply claiming it did not achieve Apple’s high standards. Everyone assumed that if a company that spends billions on R&D couldn’t crack the … Continued
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Tech NewsPrivacy and SecurityMurder Suspect Caught After AI Detected Victim’s Face When Used to Apply for Online Loan
An online lending company tipped off police to a suspected murder after a man allegedly tried to scan his dead girlfriend’s face. When police found the 29-year-old man in southeast China, he was reportedly attempting to burn the woman’s body on a farm, according to the South China Morning Post, which says the story was … Continued
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Tech NewsGoogleGoogle Photos Now Lets You Search for Specific Text Inside Your Pics
Google Photos already features handy automatic tagging features that let you find every picture you’ve ever taken of, say, a dog or flower with one simple search. But now, after some eagle-eyed users spotted a new feature, Google has confirmed that Photos is getting the ability to search for photos based on text captured in … Continued
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Tech NewsGadgetsWhy Nest Accounts are Becoming Google Accounts and What You Can Do About It
It’s official: If you’ve got a Nest account, you can now swap everything over to your Google account. But should you do it right away, if at all? And why is Google asking you to combine accounts anyway? Here’s everything you need to know if you’ve got Nest-branded smart home gear set up. A brief … Continued
By David Nield -
Tech NewsNewsSphero Just Bought littleBits to Become One of the Largest Makers of Educational Toys
Late last year Sphero revealed that it was going to stop producing toy robots based on popular characters like R2D2, BB-8, and Lightning McQueen. Many wondered if the company’s decision to return its focus to the educational market signified the beginning of its end, but today Sphero announced it has acquired littleBits, creating one of … Continued
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Tech NewsFacebookMembers of Facebook’s ‘Crypto Mafia’ Reportedly Getting Cold Feet About Libra Currency
At least two of the 28 entities that have signed on for Facebook’s planned Libra currency are now getting nervous about the project, according to a new report from the Financial Times. And Facebook is just as worried about being the only company currently with its “neck out,” as regulators push back against the plan … Continued
By Matt Novak -
Tech NewsFacebookApparently, Facebook Had to Crack Down On Major Pro-Trump Advertiser. But That’s Not the Weird Bit…
Facebook banned the second-largest supplier of pro-Trump ads on its platform, the Epoch Times, after the group tried to sneak thousands of ads past its review system, according to an NBC report Thursday. The conservative and vehemently anti-communist publication has purportedly spent more than $1.5 million on Facebook advertising supporting President Donald Trump in the … Continued
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Tech NewsNewsDoorDash Announces It’s Replacing That Whole Tip-Skimming Scheme Thing
Apparently taking Amazon’s lead, DoorDash announced a revised pay model on Thursday that should fetch its couriers “more money on average,” according to DoorDash CEO Tony Xu—that is, compared to the previous tip-skimming operation the company has been getting chewed out over for months. With this older model, the food delivery app used tips from … Continued
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Tech NewsNewsYouTube Dismantles ‘Influence Operation’ Targeting Hong Kong Protests, Avoids Discussing Its Reach
YouTube has disabled some 210 channels it says were used in a coordinated “influence operation” spreading disinformation related to the ongoing protests in Hong Kong. However, the company refused to answer any questions on Thursday when asked how users had been successfully targeted. The channels it removed behaved “in a coordinated manner,” Shane Huntley, a … Continued
By Dell Cameron -
Tech NewsPrivacy and SecurityA Crackdown on the Use of Face Recognition Tech Is Brewing in the EU: Report
European citizens may soon have protections most Americans lack: control over the use of their face recognition data. Facial recognition tech remains largely unregulated, and we’ve seen what police and other government operators can get away with in the absence of any meaningful rules. A few cities in the U.S. have outright banned its use … Continued
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Tech NewsAmazonAmazon Promises to Stop Taking Delivery Drivers’ Tips in DoorDash-Style Scheme [Updated]
As we collectively await word from DoorDash that it’s finally made good on a promise to overhaul its tip-skimming operation, Amazon—which had a similar pay model in place for its Flex workers—has decided maybe that wasn’t such a great idea after all. The Los Angeles Times first reported the news Thursday, citing an email circulated … Continued
By Catie Keck -
Tech NewsI Liked Something Online Today
It’s hard to shock the staff of Gizmodo dot com. Collectively, we’ve spent millions of hours online, covering everything from fishman dildos to catfish fetishists. Today, however, we discovered something truly surprising: Reddit Public Access Network, the platform’s new experiment with livestreaming, is honestly pretty good. Launched on Monday as a five-day test, RPAN invites … Continued
By Hudson Hongo -
Tech NewsGoogle‘Knewz’ Is Krupert Kmurdoch’s Kgoogle Knews Kalternative
There’s some good knewz for people who don’t mind really dumb names and do believe that big tech has an anti-conservative bias—New Corp has been building an alternative to Google News, tentatively called Knewz.com. The Wall Street Journal reported that its parent company is planning on releasing the news-aggregation platform later this year, but could … Continued
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Tech NewsTech PolicyBig Telecom, Every U.S. State Vow to End America’s Robocall Hell
Twelve major phones companies and the attorneys general of every state in the U.S. announced a plan on Thursday intended not only to stem the flood of illegal robocalls that have forced many Americans to stop answering their phones, but aid law enforcement in hunting down the soulless ghouls responsible. “Robocalls are a scourge—at best, … Continued
By Dell Cameron
