Today’s Tech Sightings:

FILE – An online user searches different sites as he shops online. (AP)

Five Ways Fraudsters Could Make a Fool of You

Criminals are constantly refining malware and finding new ways to fleece consumers, from phishing emails to adding followers that stalk you on social media to get you to click on a malicious link. Writer Tom Cheshire takes a look at some of the newest schemes criminals are hatching up to steal your money and data. Once you know what you’re up against, writer Zach Whittaker has a few tips that can help you protect yourself.

Game Publisher Wins Right to Store Your Biometric Facial Data

Video game publisher 2K now has the right to collect and store players’ facial data used in sports titles to create better avatars. 2K won a court case in New York against two gamers who were concerned about how the company intended to use their data. The judge ruled against them for lack of any evidence that face-scanning caused them ‘sufficient injury.’ But the landmark ruling raises questions about digital ownership rights for future considerations.

Supermarkets, Retailers Define Future Shopping Trends

British online retailer Ocado is using robot arms in its warehouse to pack orders as part of a European Union effort to create robotic arms that can handle fragile objects. For the moment, one of the key challenges is finding ways for the robotic arms to handle oddly-shaped items like fruits and vegetables without damaging them. In the U.S., clothing retailer Gap took a step toward augmented reality shopping with DressingRoom, an app that lets users try out clothes from the comfort of their home. Once shoppers offer up their size and measurements, they can then see how a garment they like looks on a computer generated image representing their body type.

More:

• How VR Is Making Surgery Simpler
• Researchers Create High Capacity Battery Technology Without Lithium-Ion’s Risks
• Trump Targets Tech’s H-1B Visa Hiring Tool
• Trump’s H-1B Visa Bill Spooks India’s IT Companies
• Thousands of Googlers Protest Immigration Ban

• Tech Companies to Meet on Legal Challenge to Trump Immigration order
• Hackers Targeted DC Police Cams Days Before Inauguration
• Why Criminals Are Using This Old Technique to Take Cyberattacks Back to the Future
• Forgotten Passwords Are Bane of the Internet. Facebook Wants to Fix That
• Twitter’s Rolling Out New Features to Counter Abuse Soon
• Quantum Computing Paranoia Creates a New Industry