Month: August 2021

National Cyber Security Centre recommends approach for improved combination of usability and safety It is far better to concoct passwords made up of three random words than to use more complex variations involving streams of letters, numbers and symbols, government experts have said. The National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC), part of Government Communications Headquarters, highlighted …

Password of three random words better than complex variation, experts say Read More »

The messaging app does not comply with laws protecting children, say prosecutors, in fresh crackdown on tech firms Prosecutors in Beijing have initiated a civil lawsuit against a subsidiary of Tencent, saying the “youth mode” on the company’s popular social messaging app WeChat does not comply with laws protecting minors. Related: No cults, no politics, …

WeChat’s youth mode is illegal, says lawsuit, as China steps up attack on Tencent Read More »

Silicon Valley makes billions by stealing your attention. No wonder it’s so hard to focus… One Friday in April 2016, as that year’s polarising US presidential race intensified, and more than 30 armed conflicts raged around the globe, approximately 3 million people spent part of their day watching two reporters from BuzzFeed wrap rubber bands …

At best, we’re on Earth for around 4,000 weeks – so why do we lose so much time to online distraction? Read More »

For £1m a week you can rent 126-metre ship built for Paul Allen, with two helicopters, two subs and a recording studio A vast “explorer class” superyacht built for Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen has been sold for almost £200m, and is now available to rent for anyone with about a £1m to drop for a …

Secret buyer nabs Microsoft grandee’s superyacht for £200m Read More »

President outlines plan to tackle the climate crisis by cutting emissions and tightening pollution standards for cars and trucks Joe Biden is setting a goal for half of all new US vehicle sales to be electric by 2030 while also tightening pollution standards for cars and trucks, in a barrage of action aimed at reducing …

Biden sets goal for 50% of new US vehicles to be electric by 2030 Read More »

Security researchers fear neuralMatch system could be misused to spy on citizens Apple has unveiled plans to scan its iPhones in the US for images of child sexual abuse, drawing praise from child protection groups but raising concern among some security researchers that the system could be misused, including by governments looking to surveil their …

Apple plans to scan US iPhones for child sexual abuse images Read More »

App does not distinguish between trips inside and outside restricted areas, forcing drivers to either give up work or break rules Uber drivers who live in the most heavily locked-down areas of western and south-western Sydney are still being offered work outside of their local government areas, with drivers asking for more clarity from the …

Uber drivers in Sydney’s Covid hotspots being offered jobs that breach restrictions Read More »

Amy Westervelt’s Drilled considers the terrifying practices of the natural gas industry. Plus: an epic podcast about a reclusive writer, and the rise and fall of a prominent megachurch Drilled Climate-focused investigative journalist Amy Westervelt has hosted this true crime show of sorts since 2018, highlighting the often terrifying practices of some of the biggest …

A horrifying ‘true crime’ show on the climate crisis – podcasts of the week Read More »

A non-player character evolves into a sentient AI in a cheerfully silly riff on The Truman Show, with Taika Waititi and Jodie Comer The great big handsome-goofy face of Ryan Reynolds looms out of the screen in this fantasy comedy from screenwriter Matt Lieberman and director Shawn Levy (of the Night at the Museum franchise). …

Free Guy review – Ryan Reynolds bounces through fun videogame existential crisis Read More »

Imagine a massive, invisible world that surrounds you but which you cannot see or engage unless you own the correct – expensive – technology Look at all of our tech billionaires trying to leave the world to evade responsibility for their malevolent influence on it. Anything to avoid being confronted by the workers they exploit …

Move over, space. Tech billionaires have a new utopian boondoggle: the ‘metaverse’ | Jessa Crispin Read More »