Today’s Tech Sightings:
FILE – Facebook’s User Operations Safety Team workers look at reviews at Facebook headquarters in Menlo Park, California. (AP)
Big Questions Surround Facebook’s Suicide-Prevention Tools
Facebook has been ramping up its suicide-prevention tools to include ways to encourage users to report people whose Facebook streams contain signs of self-injury. The person with the perceived suicidal tendencies then sees a message that provides resources for help. Writer Rachel Metz says experts see this as a move in the right direction, although there is no scientific evidence that these types of tools are effective.
Inventive Dad Builds Son a Bionic Arm Using 3-D Printer
Sol Ryan’s arm was amputated when he was only 10 days old. After his Welsh father, Ben, was told there was nothing doctors could do for his son until he is three years old, he came up with the idea of developing a bionic arm for him, using 3-D printing technology. The prototype, based on a scan of the child’s arm, imitates the way spiders move, using liquid pressure, and allows the child to grab and manipulate objects.
This Old Ransomware Variant Is Back – With Sneaky New Tricks
TorrentLocker ransomware, also known as CryptoLocker, is making a comeback after two years in hibernation. The revived variant uses emails marked ‘high importance’ that include a malicious attachment. Once downloaded, the virus steals credentials and demands ransom. The previous version targeted Windows users in 2014.
More:
- How the Internet Threatens Democracy
- EU Warns It Will Rip Up Digital Privacy Pact if US Does not Adhere to It
- FCC Halts Data Security Rules
- ‘Cloudbleed’ Post-mortem Points to Huge Data Leak, but No Evidence of Exploitation
- Yahoo Says About 32 Million Accounts Accessed Using ‘Forged Cookies’
- Snapchat’s Two 20-something Founders Are Each Worth More Than $4 Billion
- The Incredible and Inspiring Life Story of Alibaba Founder Jack Ma
- Intel Shows How Smart Cities Are Constantly Communicating
