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Showing posts from February, 2024

OpenAI, facing SEC probe, to name new board members within a month

The ChatGPT maker is under growing legal and regulatory scrutiny even as the AI boom continues https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2024/02/29/sec-openai-investors-board-sam-altman/?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=blogger

Knockoff doorbell cameras from Amazon, Walmart aren’t safe

A Consumer Reports investigation found smart doorbells with software vulnerabilities on Amazon, Walmart and Temu. The retailers are still selling them. https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2024/02/29/doorbell-cameras-aiwit-privacy-amazon-walmart-temu/?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=blogger

U.S. launches investigation of Chinese vehicles, citing security risks

The Biden administration announced a probe into possible security risks of Chinese-manufactured vehicles, citing modern cars’ sensors, cameras and software. https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2024/02/29/us-investigation-chinese-vehicles/?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=blogger

Despite issues, NASA calls Intuitive Machines’ lunar landing a success

Photos released Wednesday show the lander listing on the moon, with a broken leg. https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2024/02/28/lunar-lander-intuitive-machines-photos/?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=blogger

When you should (and shouldn’t) rely on AI tools

The groundbreaking AI chat bot from OpenAI comes with ethical snares — even for people at home. https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2023/01/18/chatgpt-personal-use/?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=blogger

Niklaus Wirth, software developer who saw power in simplicity, dies at 89

“The art in engineering is not so much to make something very complicated,” Dr. Wirth said. “The art is to make a complicated problem simpler.” https://www.washingtonpost.com/obituaries/2024/02/28/niklaus-wirth-pascal-software-dies/?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=blogger

Apple ramped up its autonomous car project last year. Now, it’s killing it.

Apple reportedly scales back autonomous car project, despite aggressively ramping up testing over the past year in California. The company still has 67 active test permits in the state. https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2024/02/28/apple-self-driving-car/?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=blogger

Justices appear skeptical of Texas, Florida social media laws

The Supreme Court on Monday will hear oral arguments in a pair of cases that could transform how social networks have operated for decades. https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2024/02/26/supreme-court-social-media-netchoice-texas-florida/?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=blogger

Meet the Amazon ‘influencers’ making money off everything they own

From kettlebells to rubber duckies, meet regular people who act as “Amazon influencers” reviewing everything they own. https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2024/02/18/amazon-influencers-money-review-products/?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=blogger

New Biden order would stem flow of Americans’ sensitive data to China

The effort aims to forestall foreign adversaries’ use of data to identify, target and surveil Americans. https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2024/02/26/biden-sensitive-data-china-ban/?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=blogger

I used AI work tools to do my job. Here’s how it went.

We tested Microsoft’s Copilot and Gemini for Google Workspace’s generative AI features and found them to be both helpful and a pain to use when it comes to everyday work tasks. https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2024/02/26/work-ai-copilot-gemini-test/?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=blogger

Tesla worker killed in fiery crash may be first ‘Full Self-Driving’ fatality

Hans von Ohain, a Tesla employee, died in a crash last year when his Model 3 suddenly veered off the road. https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/interactive/2024/tesla-full-self-driving-fatal-crash/?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=blogger

AI companies agree to limit election ‘deepfakes’ but fall short of ban

Google, Microsoft, OpenAI, Meta, TikTok and Adobe developed an accord to respond to the proliferation of AI-generated content in elections. https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2024/02/13/google-ai-elections-deepfakes-open/?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=blogger

San Francisco crowd sets self-driving car on fire

Scenes of the chaos spread across social media, showing the Waymo driverless taxi in flames. https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2024/02/12/waymo-set-on-fire-san-francisco/?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=blogger

I lived inside a Vision Pro for two weeks. Here’s what it was like.

To see what “spatial computing” could really do for me, I wore the Vision Pro every day for two weeks. Here’s what you should know. https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2024/02/12/apple-vision-pro-review/?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=blogger

Welcome to Silicon Desert: How Biden helped boost an Arizona boomtown

The promise of the Chips and Science Act of 2022 funding has sparked some of the biggest investments in the nation’s history, transforming Maricopa County. https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2024/02/12/phoenix-manufacturing-growth-biden-chips-act/?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=blogger

Biden campaign joins TikTok in an effort to reach younger voters

The account is run by the Biden-Harris’ reelection team. https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2024/02/11/biden-campaign-tiktok-account/?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=blogger

‘Boycott Tesla’ ads to air during Super Bowl

Tesla critic Dan O’Dowd is funding a Super Bowl ad campaign highlighting dangers of the company’s driver-assistance software for the second year in a row. https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2024/02/11/tesla-super-bowl-ads/?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=blogger

Placing a Super Bowl bet online? Here’s how to keep your data safe.

If you’re going to wager on the Super Bowl, that means knowing how to keep your data and bank account safe. Here’s what to know about online sports betting. https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2024/02/10/super-bowl-online-sports-betting-data-safety/?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=blogger

How a liberal billionaire became America’s leading anti-DEI crusader

Bill Ackman used Wall Street tactics to oust Harvard’s first Black president, part of a wave of business leaders attacking diversity initiatives spurred by George Floyd’s death. https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2024/02/10/bill-ackman-end-dei-industry/?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=blogger

Judge dismisses suit accusing X of conspiring with Saudi Arabia

Various Saudi officials and the kingdom itself were also named as defendants in the scheme. https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2024/02/09/twitter-x-lawsuit-saudi-arabia/?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=blogger

7 ways to watch the Super Bowl

We have the best options for most people, for total cheapskates, for sports nuts and for the old school. https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2024/02/09/super-bowl-2024-streaming-sports/?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=blogger

Inside Meta, a debate over when the word ‘Zionist’ is hate speech

To counter a surge of antisemitism online, Meta may more aggressively remove some social media posts containing the words “Zionist” -- drawing fears of censorship during the Israel-Gaza war. https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2024/02/09/meta-zionist-hate-speech/?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=blogger

In Big Tech’s backyard, California lawmaker unveils landmark AI bill

California’s landmark AI proposal could inspire regulation around the country, as more than 44 U.S. states take up the swiftly evolving technology. https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2024/02/08/california-legislation-artificial-intelligence-regulation/?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=blogger

TikTok search suggestions are manufacturing influencer drama

Over the past year, TikTok has moved aggressively into search. Creators say it needs to do a better job of making sure its suggestions don’t trigger inaccurate information. https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2024/02/08/tiktok-search-suggestions-inaccurate/?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=blogger

TikTok removes feature that critics used to study Israel-Gaza war videos

The change came after researchers used the video view counts to suggest the app favored one side over the other in the war. One group called the move “a step back for transparency.” https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2024/02/08/tiktok-remove-data-criticism-gaza/?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=blogger

To use Google’s newest AI chatbot, it’ll cost you $20 a month

The search giant wants its ‘Gemini’ tool to help it compete with OpenAI’s ChatGPT bot. https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2024/02/08/google-ai-gemini-cost-bard/?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=blogger

AI professional headshots are quick and easy. But should you use one?

AI headshot providers give you the chance to get dozens of professional headshots with the click of a button, but they’re not perfect or real and raise bigger questions. https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2024/02/08/ai-professional-headshots/?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=blogger

How to keep your kids safe online — without taking away their phone

Here’s what parents and caregivers really need to look out for -- and how to talk to their kids about the potential harms lurking in their direct messages. https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2024/02/07/social-media-safety/?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=blogger

An internet media company launches a plan to cover the election for Gen Z

Betches announces a partnership with @underthedesknews in the latest effort to take advantage of the growing role of social media in news coverage. https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2024/02/06/betches-election-coverage-instagram/?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=blogger

Everyone is using the Apple Vision Pro all wrong

A Stanford experiment and research into headsets like the Vision Pro suggests their use should be rare -- not for daily use at home, the office or in public. https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2024/02/06/apple-vision-pro-dos-donts/?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=blogger

YouTube’s newest numbers emphasize its growing entertainment role

The announcement is the latest sign of growing competition not just among social media platforms but between them and more traditional entertainment outlets such as Netflix. https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2024/02/06/you-tube-creators-earnings/?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=blogger

Bluesky, a trendy rival to X, finally opens to the public

CEO Jay Graber says the app aims to combine ease of Twitter and Threads with customizability of Mastodon. But it faces an uphill battle. https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2024/02/06/bluesky-launch-public-jay-graber/?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=blogger

Taylor Swift threatens legal action against student who tracks her jet

Taylor Swift’s attorney said Jack Sweeney’s social media accounts tracking celebrity jets constituted “stalking and harassing behavior.” https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2024/02/06/taylor-swift-jet-tracking-legal-threat/?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=blogger

Google agrees to pay $350 million settlement in security lapse case

A security lapse meant Google users’ data was exposed for years. Now the company is paying to settle a lawsuit stemming from the case. https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2024/02/05/google-plus-settlement-lawsuit-class-action/?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=blogger

Oversight Board rebukes Meta’s policies after altered Biden video spreads

Meta’s Oversight Board called company policies on manipulated media “incoherent” and “confusing,” after an altered video of President Biden spread on Facebook. https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2024/02/05/meta-oversight-board-deepfake-president-biden/?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=blogger

Victims say sexual assault in VR feels real. The law may see it differently.

A growing cohort of activists are urging police forces to grapple with sexual attacks in the metaverse, but prosecuting digital abuse could be tricky https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2024/02/04/metaverse-sexual-assault-prosecution/?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=blogger

The U.S. economy is booming. So why are tech companies laying off workers?

Google, Amazon, Microsoft and a raft of others fired thousands of workers in January, continuing a layoff wave that began in 2022. https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2024/02/03/tech-layoffs-us-economy-google-microsoft/?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=blogger

The wild probe into investors of DWAC, Trump Media’s proposed merger ally

An investigation into early investors of Digital World Acquisition included a government informant, a secret phone scan and an elite anti-money-laundering squad. It’s still going. https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2024/02/03/trump-social-dwac-investigation/?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=blogger

Companies’ hard-line stance on returning to the office is backfiring

Employers are losing patience with remote work, but they’re facing an uphill battle in getting workers back in person. https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2024/02/02/return-to-office-punishments-remote-hybrid-work/?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=blogger

Apple’s Vision Pro is ‘spatial computing.’ Nobody knows what it means.

Do you want a technology that can’t define itself? https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2024/02/02/apple-vision-pro-what-is-spatial-computing-ar-vr/?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=blogger

A Tesla crashed into Oslo’s harbor. A floating sauna came to the rescue.

Both saunas and Teslas are highly popular in Norway. https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2024/02/01/floating-sauna-tesla-norway/?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=blogger

Online safety legislation is opposed by many it claims to protect

Young people who listened to Wednesday’s hearing on online safety through a Discord server offered an angry critique. https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2024/02/01/online-safety-hearing-opposition/?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=blogger

Digital rights groups identity 35 Pegasus hacking victims in Jordan

They include more than a dozen media workers and several human rights lawyers and activists. https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2024/02/01/jordan-pegasus-hacks/?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=blogger