a News thread for all things Technology & Internet related...

Just thought it may be worth having a news thread for all things technological and internet related - articles and info that may interest to - or may affect - us members on here…

There are also a fair few Technology based threads in the Media Index Thread (under the Technology section 😉)

‘Tim Berners-Lee launches campaign to save the web from abuse’:-

A ‘Magna Carta for the web’ will protect people’s rights online from threats such as fake news, prejudice and hate, says founder of the internet.

https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2018/nov/05/tim-berners-lee-launches-campaign-to-save-the-web-from-abuse

^ Am intrigued to see how this is meant to work - and if it will actually work (or have an effect)… roll on May 2019 - and anything else that helps meanwhile.

From a couple of weeks ago, though may be of interest who missed it…
 

‘Apple and Samsung fined for deliberately slowing down phones’:-

Italian investigation found software updates ‘significantly reduced performance’, hastening new purchases.

https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2018/oct/24/apple-samsung-fined-for-slowing-down-phones

or…

‘Finally, someone takes a stand against Apple, Samsung for slowing people’s phones. Just a few million dollars, tho’:-

Smartmobe-borking updates make Italians see red.

https://www.theregister.co.uk/2018/10/24/apple_samsung_fined/
 

^ Apologies mate. I’d somehow overlooked your technology thread when coming up with the idea for this one - I’ll keep this thread as more of an ‘IT news’ thread - if good with you? No worries if not - I’ll ask the mods to lock/delete this one if you wish?

‘Facebook quietly admits role in Myanmar killing fields – but fret not, it will do better next time’:-

Social networks played key role in genocide says UN, Amnesty.

https://www.theregister.co.uk/2018/11/06/facebook_myanmar_report/
 

‘Samsung folding smartphone revealed to developers’…

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-46130071

(with a bit of illustrated history of how mobile phone screens have evolved over the years)
 

‘Google Play Offering All Movie Rentals Just For $0.99 On Thanksgiving’…

https://fossbytes.com/google-play-offering-all-movie-rentals-cents-99-on-thanksgiving/
 

‘Space Odyssey helps launch first 8K TV channel’…

Stanley Kubrick’s 2001: A Space Odyssey will help launch the world’s first super-high definition 8K television channel on Saturday.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-46403539
 

^ 4k now 8k ? how much is enough ? great to have a high definition image and all but it makes me wonder what is next.Super Duper Hyper Ultra Mega Double Extra Triple Extreme Infinity TV ?

How much is enough? There is always scope to sell us more, even if it reaches the stage that we’re unable to recognise any improvements. 😉

For example: https://www.premiumbeat.com/blog/4k-vs-hd-can-audiences-tell-the-differnce/

Interesting…

https://www.cnbc.com/2018/11/30/microsoft-apple-end-trading-market-cap.html

I am holding out for smell o vision in 5000 FK .

Tim Berners-Lee: ‘Stop web’s downward plunge to dysfunctional future’:-

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-47524474

‘Global action is required to tackle the web’s “downward plunge to a dysfunctional future”, its inventor Sir Tim Berners-Lee has told the BBC.’
 

^ an intriguing article (with video - and a few useful links contained within) on how data breaches, hacking and misinformation could be tackled - along with three specific areas of ‘dysfunction’ that he said were harming the web today:-

• malicious activity such as hacking and harassment
• problematic system design such as business models that reward clickbait
• unintended consequences - such as aggressive or polarised discussions

and also Tim Berners-Lee on 30 years of the web: ‘If we dream a little, we can get the web we want’:-

https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2019/mar/12/tim-berners-lee-on-30-years-of-the-web-if-we-dream-a-little-we-can-get-the-web-we-want
 

a round-up of some of the Russian-based interference in other states’ affairs over the past few years (and likely to come again soon…)
 

‘Russian “troll slayer” goes undercover at troll factory, finds hundreds working in rotating shifts’ (March 2019):-

https://www.unian.info/world/10486230-russian-troll-slayer-goes-undercover-at-troll-factory-finds-hundreds-working-in-rotating-shifts.html

and

‘The trolls are winning, says Russian troll hunter’ - at the Pri website (March 2019)

‘The St. Petersburg Troll Factory Targets Elections from Germany to the United States’ - at the euvsdisinfo website (April 2019)

‘Project Veritas Is Breaking Facebook’s “Authentic Behavior” Rule. Now What?’ - at the intercept website (June 2019)

‘Web of deceit: disinformation could prove the most powerful weapon of all’ - at The Spectator website (August 2019)
 

a little wider background on the issue…

‘Former employees expose inner workings of Russian troll farm’ - at the abc news website (2017)

‘Meet The Activist Who Uncovered The Russian Troll Factory Named In The Mueller Probe’ - at the NPR website (2018)

‘The Russians Who Exposed Russia’s Trolls’ - at the medium website (2018)

‘How Russian Trolls Used Meme Warfare to Divide America’ - at Wired website (2018)

‘Russian trolls who interfered in 2016 U.S. election also made ad money, report says’ - at the nbc news website (2019)

‘Brave accuses Google of trampling Europe’s GDPR with stealthy netizen-stalking adverts’:-

Our ads? Stomping on people’s privacy? Never! Not us! sobs search giant

https://www.theregister.co.uk/2019/09/04/google_gdpr_brave (as ever with The Reg, the comments section is always worth a read too)
 

‘Report: Apple Won’t Let Siri Say Feminism’:

https://gizmodo.com/report-apple-wont-let-siri-say-feminism-1837927620

https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2019/sep/06/apple-rewrote-siri-to-deflect-questions-about-feminism

& https://gizmodo.com/apple-contractors-reportedly-overhear-sensitive-informa-1836760314
 

These IOT devices and the main social media outlets create more trouble than they are worth. They are reluctant to act on the issues they cause, deflect (literally) away criticism and even questions, and yet are content to profit from them.

‘Russian trolls’ chief target was ‘black US voters’ in 2016’:-

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-49987657
 

'A Senate inquiry has concluded that a Russian fake-news campaign targeted “no single group… more than African-Americans.”

It says Russian operatives used social media to deter black people from voting and planted subtly racist content to incite conflict between ethnicities.

The report comes two years into the Senate Intelligence Committee’s investigation into the 2016 election.

Social media firms say they are trying to prevent it from happening again.

Thousands of Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and You Tube accounts created by the St. Petersburg-based Internet Research Agency (IRA) were aimed at harming Hillary Clinton’s campaign and supporting Donald Trump, the committee concludes.

More than 66% of Facebook adverts posted by the Russian troll farm contained a term related to race.

African-American community voters were discouraged from voting, and from supporting Hillary Clinton.’

^ more in the article linked above.

The Report itself:-

https://www.intelligence.senate.gov/sites/default/files/documents/Report_Volume2.pdf

‘Remember the FBI’s promise it wasn’t abusing the NSA’s data on US citizens? Well, guess what…’

Turns out the Feds make the CIA and NSA actually look good

https://www.theregister.co.uk/2019/10/08/fbi_spying_abuse

^ as ever with El Reg, the comments section is well worth a read too 😉

‘Twitter: No, really, we’re very sorry we sold your security info for a boatload of cash’…

https://www.theregister.co.uk/2019/10/09/twitter_data_leak/