Today’s Tech Sightings: Friday’s IoT-based DDoS Attack Has Security Experts Worried Many experts believe cyberattacks that exploit Internet of Things (IoT) connected devices are just getting started. The massive Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attack that took down major websites last Friday reportedly exploited Internet-enabled webcams and digital recorders. Experts have been warning for some […]
More IoT-based Cyberattacks Coming; AR, VR Help With Low Vision
Posted October 25th, 2016 at 12:25 pm (UTC-5)
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Stephen Hawking Warns of AI Risks; India Suffers Massive Cyberattack
Posted October 20th, 2016 at 11:35 am (UTC-5)
Today’s Tech Sightings: Stephen Hawking: AI Could Be ‘Worst Thing to Happen to Humanity’ Renowned physicist and cosmologist Stephen Hawking again warned against the dangers of advancements in artificial intelligence. Speaking at the launch of The Leverhulme Centre for the Future of Intelligence (CFI) in Cambridge, England, Hawking said more advanced AI could lead to […]
Instagram Adds Mental Health Support; Teen App Helps Isolated Kids
Posted October 19th, 2016 at 12:49 pm (UTC-5)
Today’s Tech Sightings: Instagram Introduces Support Tool to Anonymously Help Those in Distress Social networking service Instagram is rolling out a new tool that will allow users to reach out to help people suffering from mental health issues who might be in danger of harming themselves. The new feature allows users to alert Instagram to […]
UK Snooping on Citizens for Years; Bill Gates, Tim Cook for VP?
Posted October 18th, 2016 at 12:56 pm (UTC-5)
Today’s Tech Sightings: UK Spies Have Been Snooping on Citizens Since 1998 Britain’s Investigatory Powers Tribunal found that intelligence agencies have been running bulk data-collection programs for the last 17 years, in violation of EU privacy protections in many cases. Web traffic, location and device data, biographies, and financial activities were all collected for years […]
Google Search Points Out US Election Polls; Twitter Bot Tracks Dictators
Posted October 13th, 2016 at 1:03 pm (UTC-5)
Today’s Tech Sightings: Google Now Will Tell You Where You Can Vote in US Election The clock is ticking ahead of the U.S. presidential election in November, and Google is offering to point you in the direction of the nearest polling station. Starting Thursday, searching in English or Spanish for “where to vote” will yield […]
White House Tackles AI Potential, Risks; Britain Unprepared for AI
Posted October 12th, 2016 at 12:39 pm (UTC-5)
Today’s Tech Sightings: White House: AI Has Potential to Be Major Driver of Economic Growth, Social Progress A study commissioned by the White House earlier this year to look into the potential impact of artificial intelligence has concluded the technology holds much promise. But the writers also caution that strong vigilance is needed, saying the […]
R.I.P Galaxy Note 7; Huawei Gets Serious About AI
Posted October 11th, 2016 at 2:31 pm (UTC-5)
Today’s Tech Sightings: Samsung Kills Galaxy Note 7 Over Fire Concerns Samsung on Tuesday killed its flagship Galaxy Note 7 smartphones, weeks after reports started coming in that the phones were exploding or going up in smoke. Even after a global recall of 2.5 million devices, so-called “safe” replacement smartphones also ran into trouble. The […]
Samsung’s Exploding Nightmare; Android Ransomware Spreading
Posted October 6th, 2016 at 12:36 pm (UTC-5)
Today’s Tech Sightings: Samsung’s Exploding-smartphone Nightmare Is Getting Even Worse Samsung is in the middle of a global recall of its new Galaxy Note 7 after its Lithium-ion batteries started catching fire and exploding, and has been replacing them with “safe” smartphones. But the “safe” replacement started smoking on a U.S. flight Wednesday, prompting an […]
Yahoo Disputes Scanning Report; Messenger Encrypted – With Strings
Posted October 5th, 2016 at 1:58 pm (UTC-5)
Today’s Tech Sightings: Yahoo Calls Report of Secret Email Scanning ‘Misleading’ Yahoo is disputing a Reuters’ story that said the company used custom software to scan users’ emails in real time for specific information to comply with a classified order from the U.S. government. Yahoo denied such a program exists and called the report misleading. […]
New Group Tackles AI Fears; ‘Brain Chips’ Herald New Computing Era
Posted September 29th, 2016 at 12:17 pm (UTC-5)
Today’s Tech Sightings: Five Tech Giants Team Up to Pacify AI Fears The rapidly-evolving field of artificial intelligence (AI) has raised concern either because of fears that robots will take over jobs or because of uncertainty about ethics and best practices, among other issues. The new nonprofit alliance includes Facebook, Google, Amazon, Microsoft and IBM, […]