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Thai Activists Fight for Web Freedom; Google to Train Millions in Africa

Posted July 27th, 2017 at 1:10 pm (UTC-4)
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Today’s Tech Sightings: Thai Activists Work to Keep Open Web Amid Online Freedom Restrictions Thailand’s military junta has been steadily pursuing people who allegedly have defamed the country’s king on Facebook and other online services. Writer Janjira Sombatpoonsiri notes that hundreds of websites were blocked in May as internet restrictions increased. But pro-democracy activists are […]

‘Petya’ Spreads as Questions Mount; Facebook’s Hate Speech Rules

Posted June 28th, 2017 at 1:57 pm (UTC-4)
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Today’s Tech Sightings: Massive Cyberattack Has Spread to More Than 64 Countries Ukraine has managed to control the latest ransomware strain known as “Petya” or “NotPetya” that started Tuesday and spread to more than 64 countries. Petya showed up last year, but this updated strain has new capabilities. Its predecessor, WannaCry, wreaked global havoc in […]

Facebook Changes Mission Statement; Hackers Altered US Voter Data

Posted June 22nd, 2017 at 1:11 pm (UTC-4)
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Today’s Tech Sightings: Facebook Changes Mission Statement to ‘Bring the World Closer Together’ Facebook’s original mission statement was “making the world more open and connected.” But as the company approaches two billion monthly users, CEO Mark Zuckerberg declared a new mission statement: to “give people the power to build community and bring the world closer […]

New Robots Debut in Shanghai; Russian Malware Found on Instagram

Posted June 8th, 2017 at 12:51 pm (UTC-4)
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Today’s Tech Sightings: Companion Robots Featured at Shanghai Electronics Show More than 50 Chinese companies are showcasing a new generation of robots at Shanghai’s CES electronics show. The robots have heightened dexterity and skills and are being touted as potential home companions, shopping attendants or entertainers. Russian Malware Controls Hiding on Britney Spears’ Instagram Page […]

China Loves Social Media; Wikimedia’s Use of Donor Funds Questioned

Posted June 7th, 2017 at 1:30 pm (UTC-4)
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Today’s Tech Sightings: Study Shows Chinese Okay With Social Media Being Bad for Health An overwhelming majority of Chinese social media users – nearly 90 percent – are unperturbed by the negative effects of excessive online use, according to a national study from research group Kantar. Despite loss of sleep and privacy and other negative […]

Uzbekistan Bans 34 Video Games; North Korea Reinvents the ‘iPad’

Posted May 31st, 2017 at 2:07 pm (UTC-4)
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Today’s Tech Sightings: Uzbekistan Bans 34 Games, Including The Sims 3 and 4, for ‘Distorting Values’ The Central Asian nation of Uzbekistan has banned The Sims video simulation game, among a growing list of video games deemed bad for the country’s values. The list also includes Mass Effect and Call of Duty: Black Ops, among […]

‘WannaCry’ Clues Point to China as New Vulnerability Raises Red Flags

Posted May 25th, 2017 at 1:32 pm (UTC-4)
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Today’s Tech Sightings: WannaCry Ransom Note Analysis Points to Chinese-speaking Perpetrator Cybersecurity experts continue to comb through evidence to identify the criminals who launched the global ‘WannaCry’ ransomware attack. While initial speculation linked the attackers to North Korea, researchers at cybersecurity firm Flashpoint now say Chinese speakers could be behind the English and Chinese versions […]

Social Media Access Urged After UK Attack; New Ransomware Detected

Posted May 24th, 2017 at 2:10 pm (UTC-4)
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Today’s Tech Sightings: UK Takes on Social Media Giants After Manchester Terror Attack U.K. Home Secretary Amber Rudd has urged social media services like Facebook and Twitter to tackle terrorism posts and give law enforcement access to encrypted messages. The appeal followed an Islamic State terrorist attack at a Manchester pop concert that left 22 […]

Keylogger Found on HP Laptops; Is Facebook Out of Touch?

Posted May 11th, 2017 at 12:43 pm (UTC-4)
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Today’s Tech Sightings: ‘Keylogger’ Found on Several HP Laptops A security researcher at Swiss firm Modzero has uncovered an audio driver on HP laptops with a keylogger feature that records every keystroke. Anyone with local access to the affected computer could comprise passwords and other data. The logging activity was discovered in the Conexant HD […]

The Trouble With Android; ‘Instant Apps’ Coming to Android JellyBean

Posted May 3rd, 2017 at 12:13 pm (UTC-4)
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Today’s Tech Sightings: Can Google Win Its Battle With Android Malware? The Android operating system continues to get the lion’s share of malware and ransomware by virtue of its large market dominance, according to recent data. Unlike Apple, which does not encourage non-Apple apps, Google allows Android users to download apps from other stores, in […]