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‘Pokémon GO’ Goes to India; ‘Popcorn Time’ Redefines Ransomware

Posted December 13th, 2016 at 10:17 am (UTC-4)
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Today’s Tech Sightings: Reliance Jio Brings ‘Pokémon GO’ to India Starting Wednesday India is about to catch the Pokémon GO craze – beginning Wednesday. The country’s 4G-LTE carrier, Reliance Jio, has partnered with Niantic, Pokémon GO’s publisher and developer to bring the game to the Indian masses. Unofficially, however, many Indians have already been busy […]

For Developing World, 2016 Brought Education, Drones, Big Data

Posted December 9th, 2016 at 11:18 am (UTC-4)
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2016 opened new technology frontiers for developing countries in education and healthcare, thanks to mobile devices and a little help from nonprofits and tech giants. In parts of the developing world, mobile technology has been bridging the gap where there is spotty or no traditional internet connectivity, a lack of teachers, limited school resources, and […]

German Firm Suffers Massive Cyberattack; Facebook Tackles Fake News

Posted December 8th, 2016 at 11:49 am (UTC-4)
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Today’s Tech Sightings: ThyssenKrupp Secrets Stolen in ‘Massive’ Cyberattack Germany’s ThyssenKrupp AG conglomerate said Thursday a massive cyberattack stole trade secrets from its steel production and manufacturing plant design divisions. The attack was discovered in April and traced back to February. The company, one of the world’s largest steel makers, is still trying to determine […]

Malicious Ads Put Millions at Risk; the Trouble With Smart Cities

Posted December 7th, 2016 at 1:03 pm (UTC-4)
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Today’s Tech Sightings: Malicious Online Ads Expose Millions to Possible Hack Cybersecurity firm ESET says infected banner ads have put millions of internet users at risk of installing Trojans and spyware on their computers since October. The company said Stegano, as the attack campaign is called, has spread from malicious ads on several reputable sites, […]

Connected Toys Raise New Fears; Hackers Target Wi-Fi Router Keys

Posted December 6th, 2016 at 12:43 pm (UTC-4)
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Today’s Tech Sightings: Consumer Groups Warn Connected Toys Open Bedroom Door to Strangers The Norwegian Consumer Council and various consumer rights groups in Europe and the United States say Internet-connected toys subject children to hidden marketing messages and let them chat with strangers over their Bluetooth connection. The toys also record conversations and send them […]

Ransomware Gets Bolder as Bigger Players Join the Game

Posted December 2nd, 2016 at 11:00 am (UTC-4)
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Ransomware attacks are becoming more brazen if the November 25 assault on the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency’s (SFMTA) is any indication. And cybersecurity experts project a surge in these types of digital assault as new players get into the act. “Unfortunately, this is a trend,” said Comodo Senior Research Scientist, Kenneth Geers. “And it works.” […]

Wechat’s Censorship Game; FireEye: Russia Weaponized Social Media

Posted December 1st, 2016 at 12:29 pm (UTC-4)
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Today’s Tech Sightings: Report: China’s WeChat Censors Users Abroad A new report from Toronto’s Citizen Lab says China’s top messaging app WeChat censors or blocks key words and sensitive terms in messages sent from overseas to mainland China. The block affects group chats of three or more users and messages containing terms not sanctioned by […]

Google Hacked; Trump Mobile Alerts Are Coming to Your Phone

Posted November 30th, 2016 at 2:28 pm (UTC-4)
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Today’s Tech Sightings: At Least 1 Million Google Accounts Breached by Gooligan Android Malware An Android-based malware dubbed Gooligan has compromised up to one million Google accounts. Researchers from security firm Check Point Software Technologies found the strain in at least 86 apps available in third-party marketplaces. When the apps are installed, they gain high-level access to […]

Television Is Taking Over Social Media; 2016’s Biggest Breaches

Posted November 29th, 2016 at 11:21 am (UTC-4)
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Today’s Tech Sightings: Social Media Is Killing Discourse Because It’s Too Much Like TV Writer Hossein Derakshan argues social media now represents the ascendance of television over other media. As video and graphic content replace text and hypertext, he says social media is recreating television, albeit with new problems. On social media, he argues, algorithms […]

By the Way

Posted November 25th, 2016 at 11:35 am (UTC-4)
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