Tech news

The ACLU has released documents showing the NSA improperly collected Americans' call and text logs in 2017 and 2018. The unauthorized collections occurred just four months after the agency announced it was deleting more than 620 million call detail records acquired since 2015 under Title V of the Foreign Intelligence Service Act. The NSA relied on the improperly collected information from the February 2018 violation to seek approval from the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court to spy on individuals, the ACLU said. from TechNewsWorld https://ift.tt/2Lnd81n

Chinese hackers likely are behind a series of cyberattacks against telecommunications companies around the world, security researchers have reported. The campaign, dubbed "Operation Soft Cell," has been active since 2012, according to Cybereason. There is some evidence suggesting even earlier activity against the telecommunications providers, all of whom were outside North America. The attackers attempted to steal all data stored in the active directory servers of the organizations, including all usernames and passwords in the companies. from TechNewsWorld https://ift.tt/2xe5hLt

The next big Raspberry Pi thing is now here, with lots more computing power and more options. The Raspberry Pi Foundation has announced the availability of Raspberry Pi 4, a comprehensive upgrade that touches nearly every element of the computing platform. Raspberry Pi 4 offers users a choice of three memory capacities. The entry-level 1 GB RAM retains the signature $35 price; 2 GB costs $45; 4 GB sells for $55. Prices exclude sales tax, import duty and shipping. from TechNewsWorld http://bit.ly/2Xv7lxf

A Democrat and a Republican have filed a U.S. Senate bill to require companies to report to financial regulators and to the public what consumer data they collect and how they leverage it for profit. "When a big tech company says its product is free, consumers are the ones being sold," said Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo. "These 'free' products track everything we do so tech companies can sell our information to the highest bidder and use it to target us with creepy ads." Hawley and Sen. Mark R. Warner, D-Va., introduced the DASHBOARD Act. from TechNewsWorld http://bit.ly/2J3HGCK

We all thought we'd have flying cars by the end of last century, but we are due to be up to our armpits in them by the end of next decade if trials continue to go well. I touched on the drone drop issue a little last week, and I have been thinking about it ever since. With the advent of drone deliveries, we need a safe place to drop packages. For homes, the roof would be best because it generally has clear airspace above, it is sturdy in case the package drops prematurely, and it is a ton more secure than a driveway, lawn or porch. from TechNewsWorld http://bit.ly/2RxIaF9

Uber Elevate, the aerial arm of rideshare service Uber, will test a fast food delivery by drone service later this summer in San Diego. Delivery destinations won't be houses or apartment buildings, however, but instead will be "designated safe landing zones." Those landing zones could include the roof of a parked Uber vehicle in one scenario. An Uber courier would receive the package and hand-deliver it to the consumer. McDonald's is one of Uber's partners, and it has been developing special packaging to keep food hot and intact. from TechNewsWorld http://bit.ly/2WYsgJy

Firefox users should update their browsers immediately to fix a critical zero-day vulnerability. Anyone using Firefox on a Windows, macOS or Linux desktop is at risk. Mozilla issued a patch Tuesday, but the vulnerability was discovered by Samuel Groß of Google Project Zero on April 15. Mozilla implemented the fix after digital currency exchange Coinbase reported exploitation of the vulnerability for targeted spearphishing attacks. Hackers have been going after cryptocurrency with a vengeance. from TechNewsWorld http://bit.ly/31NYN4b

As the way we work changes, the degree of literacy required for some occupations is already shifting. It's anticipated that in the next five years 90 percent of the workforce will require at least basic computer skills, such as using email or company software. In the next 2-3 years, over 50 percent will need to be able to use, configure and build digital systems. Those who lack digital literacy may soon find themselves at a huge disadvantage. from TechNewsWorld http://bit.ly/2WTMe8B

Facebook's plans to mint its own digital coin next year will test the company's consumer credibility. After being savaged for months for its cavalier attitude toward users' privacy, the social network will be asking those same users to trust its new cryptocurrency. The currency, called "Libra," will be stashed in a digital wallet, the first product of new Facebook financial services subsidiary Calibra. The wallet will be available in Messenger and WhatsApp, as well as in a standalone program. from TechNewsWorld http://bit.ly/2MZZR1r

Account hijacking has become a nettlesome problem at Instagram so the social media company has begun testing a simpler method for users to reclaim their compromised accounts. It allows users locked out of their hacked accounts to ask for a six-digit code to be sent to the email address or phone number originally used to open the account. The company also has taken steps to address the issue of user name theft. After hijacking an account and changing its settings to lock out its owner, some hackers will try to sell its name. from TechNewsWorld http://bit.ly/2IS9qtV

At Cisco Live, one of the things that impressed me was how many amazing things the company has been doing that have nothing to do with products, services or revenue. Most companies have a philanthropic budget and donate, but they don't really seem to care if the money makes a difference. For most, philanthropy is more about uplifting their image than making a difference. Cisco's Chuck Robbins is my standard for how a CEO should behave. For instance, rather than starting his efforts on diversity at the bottom, he started at the top. from TechNewsWorld http://bit.ly/2Rkzhyw

E3, the Electronic Entertainment Expo, was in full swing in Los Angeles this week. The annual trade show for the video game industry was not without a few surprises, a few disappointments and as usual a few companies that opted to forego the whole thing. Sony was among the companies that chose to skip the event, while rival Microsoft was present only via its annual press conference. Sony announced last year that it would be pulling out of E3 and instead would consider other opportunities to connect with the gaming community. from TechNewsWorld http://bit.ly/2Rdox4Q

Two of the more commonly used cloud storage services for personal use are Google Drive and Dropbox. Either one can be a suitable choice for storing personal files using free or paid plans. That said, Google Drive, despite long-festering promises by Google to provide a non-browser-based file client for Linux users, requires a manual overhead to manage files through its Web browser-only interface. Coming to the rescue are a variety of free and low-cost commercial solutions for Linux users to sync files automatically. from TechNewsWorld http://bit.ly/2WzjvR9

A study that estimates Google last year raked in $4.7 billion from news content has drawn widespread criticism. That $4.7 billion is a conservative estimate, according to the News Media Alliance, the trade group that released the study. That's because the estimate doesn't take into account Google's advertising revenue from publishers and data collected from news content. The actual value of news content to Google is difficult to quantify because of the ways it uses news to drive traffic, develop its products, and entrench its dominant position. from TechNewsWorld http://bit.ly/2KePN2a

Microsoft whetted the appetite of power-hungry Xbox gamers at its E3 preview, with new details about its next-generation gaming console code-named "Project Scarlett." The new Xbox will have a custom-designed AMD processor based on the latest Zen 2 and Radeon RDNA technology. Along with that processor -- which will make the new console four times more powerful than the Xbox One X -- Scarlett will have high-bandwidth GDDR6 memory and a next-generation solid state drive for faster I/O, according to Microsoft. from TechNewsWorld http://bit.ly/2MH3xVx

Amazon plans to begin drone deliveries within the next several months. The drones have become far more capable, safer, and less noisy, but there are five other problems that will need to be addressed before this delivery method reaches its full potential. Now, don't get me wrong. I'm looking forward to drone delivery, which might be ideal for Uber eats if it wasn't for the problem of cold air blowing on the food the entire transit time. Still, there are several things that will need to be addressed. from TechNewsWorld http://bit.ly/2WZDehc

Despite complaints about user privacy and the sharing of personal data, Facebook remains the de facto powerhouse in the world of social media. It may have started out as a place to connect with friends, but with 2.23 billion users worldwide it isn't hard to see why it matters to marketers. For the past decade Facebook has been a proven way for small businesses to connect with customers -- at least in theory. Although many millennials and even some older users see it as passé, it has a massive audience. from TechNewsWorld http://bit.ly/2Wlmwo8

Big data -- a term used with increasing frequency -- refers to the rafts of data that businesses collect on a day-to-day basis, both advertently and inadvertently. The number of avenues that data can be gathered from is always growing and becoming easier to access. By 2025, more than 150 trillion gigabytes of data will need analysis. But it's not the volume that matters, it's how businesses process and use the data that's important. Enter data scientists. from TechNewsWorld http://bit.ly/31ohKds

MX Linux is an appealing midweight Linux operating system. The midweight category is a bit unusual. Desktop environments that run well on minimal hardware typically fall into the lightweight category. Lightweight environments like Xfce, LXDE/LXQt, Enlightenment and iceWM often are paired with software applications that do not tax system resources with heavy graphics and animations. Lightweight Linux distros are good choices to keep aging computers running fast and furious. So-called midweight distros push the resource limits a bit. from TechNewsWorld http://bit.ly/2K1dWJv

The National Museum of the US Air Force in Dayton, Ohio, is honoring the exploits and sacrifices of the Greatest Generation in a new augmented reality exhibit "D-Day: Freedom from Above." This AR experience commemorates the 75th anniversary of the Normandy landings, which helped liberate France and Western Europe from the Nazis and lead to the Allied victory in the Second World War. The 3,500 square foot exhibit focuses on the D-Day missions of the 82nd and 101st Airborne divisions landings in Normandy. from TechNewsWorld http://bit.ly/2WlHFyG

YouTube on Wednesday demonetized the account of right-wing commentator Steven Crowder following widespread indignation over its initial response to his attacks on Vox host Carlos Maza. Crowder for years has attacked Maza, host of Vox's Strikethrough series. Crowder's homophobic and racist comments often spurred mass social media attacks and other abuse against Maza. Maza repeatedly flagged Crowder's vitriolic YouTube videos, but his reports apparently went unheeded until late last month, when he posted a tweet that went viral. from TechNewsWorld http://bit.ly/2K19f2x

Apple dangled the next versions of iOS, macOS and watchOS before developers' eyes during the keynote event at its World Wide Developers Conference in San Jose, California. In this round of operating system upgrades, Apple seems focused on improvements. "They're polishing a number of aspects of the operating systems, " said Ross Rubin, principal analyst at Reticle Research, a consumer technology advisory firm in New York City. "They're breaking out the iPadOS into it's own code base, and continuing a path toward autonomy for watchOS." from TechNewsWorld http://bit.ly/2wF4NO1

Privacy, a new muscular Mac Pro workstation, and the debut of iPadOS were topline items at Apple's WWDC keynote. During its more than two-hour presentation, Apple emphasized new features in its products aimed at protecting users' data and privacy. "At Apple, we believe privacy is a fundamental human right and we engineer it into everything we do," Craig Federighi told the enthusiastic crowd. One way Apple is protecting privacy iOS 13, is by giving users greater control of the use of location data by applications. from TechNewsWorld http://www.technewsworld.com/story/86054.html?rss=1

Like a lot of folks, I'm a tad sick of Intel. Last month we learned of its second big security scandal in as many years. Once again, the company not only neglected to disclose the problems in a timely way but also lacked a plan to recall the failed parts. Once again, buyers likely will have to cripple their Intel processors if they want to use them safely. Intel for some time has seemed disinterested in PCs and servers and instead seems more focused on things like its lagging autonomous car effort and drone swarms. from TechNewsWorld http://bit.ly/2W7shFT

When live streaming first started to roll out across multiple social media platforms, it remained pretty unclear how this new technology would interface with Internet users. More often a source for friends to include one another on events they're missing out on, frequent uses of live video streaming felt experimental in nature. What was it all about? How could I interface with it? Facebook and Instagram live streams felt like happy accidents, with users hopping on for a few minutes only to jump off again. from TechNewsWorld http://bit.ly/2EMRUGe