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Tech NewsPrivacy & SecurityFirefox’s Latest Update Promises Safer, More Secure Browsing
The latest Firefox update is finally here, and comes packaged with a new feature that tries to make browsing a bit less scary. “What might that be?” you’d be right to ask: an option to flip on what’s called “HTTPS-only mode.” In this state, Firefox will try to establish an HTTPS connection with every website, … Continued
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Tech NewsBig Tech Election Interference Hearing Interrupted by Senator’s Election Interference Scandal
Thank the gods for Lindsey Graham’s alleged spineless criminality. Without the presence of the senator from South Carolina, today’s Big Tech hearing on censorship and election interference on social media might’ve been completely off-topic. Back in October, Americans were staring down the horror of Election Day and Senator Graham was filled with righteous indignation over … Continued
By Rhett Jones -
Tech NewsGadgetsOppo Is Jumping On the Smart Glasses Bandwagon, and They Don’t Look Terrible
Plenty of big-name tech giants have tried their hand at augmented reality headsets or smart glasses. Most have failed. That’s not stopping Oppo, however, which announced at its Oppo Inno Day conference today that it plans to release its own pair of smart glasses next year. The glasses certainly look futuristic, or kind of like … Continued
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Tech NewsSocial MediaTwitter Debuts Coward Mode
Great news for chickens: It’s now easier than ever to pretend you never posted that cringe to Twitter, which is rolling out a new, Instagram Stories-like type of post that auto-deletes after 24 hours. These are called Fleets, which is slightly confusing until you realize it’s a bad pun. Fleets has already been tested in … Continued
By Tom McKay -
Tech NewsMicrosoft Says Xbox Series X and S Shortages Could Last Until April 2021
While Microsoft has declared the release of the Xbox Series X and S as its biggest console launch ever, one thing that could seriously sales of Microsoft’s next-gen system over the new few months is limited supply, which based on some recent info, could continue until April of next year. The latest on the Xbox … Continued
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Tech NewsTeens Surely Rejoicing As TikTok Rolls Out Even More Parental Controls
Even if you haven’t been on TikTok, you probably know that the app is full of teens, and teens, in general, don’t always have the best judgement. In light of that, the platform unveiled a bevvy of new parental controls today geared towards keeping the millions of teens on the platform safe from the creeps, … Continued
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Tech NewsGadgetsThis Nice Looking Smartwatch Has Not One, But Two Voice Assistants
It’s barely been three months since Huami launched the Zepp E smartwatch, and yet it’s already got its second Zepp smartwatch ready to go. This time, we’ve got the Zepp Z, a more classic looking watch that adds Amazon Alexa compatibility. In terms of specs and features, there’s not that much of a difference between … Continued
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Tech NewsGoogle Fit and Wear OS Are Getting Some Long-Overdue Updates
While it’s hard to say that Wear OS is innovating the wearables field, in the past year it’s done quite a bit of catching up. Today, Google’s announcing a few new updates to the Google Fit and Wear OS that should help close the gap between it and other smartwatch platforms. For starters, both Google … Continued
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Tech NewsBleak: Amazon Is a Pharmacy Now
In addition to presiding over our food, the supply chain, and acting as a rent-seeking middleman for retail while quietly picking off the competition, Amazon will now oversee drugs. Today, the behemoth launched Amazon Pharmacy, which is certain to leave more small business owners out in the cold. Amazon Pharmacy expands on PillPack, a monthly … Continued
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Tech NewsCrimePonzi Scheme Suspect Flees FBI Using Handheld Sea Scooter, Fails Miserably
Federal agents arrested Matthew Piercey near Redding, California, on Monday over an alleged $35 million Ponzi scheme, but Piercey didn’t surrender quietly. The suspect reportedly fled FBI agents in a truck before jumping out, getting something out of his vehicle, and hiding in the freezing water of Lake Shasta for 25 minutes. How did he … Continued
By Matt Novak -
Tech NewsU.S. Destroys Mock ICBM in Space During New Anti-Missile Test
The U.S. Navy destroyed a mock intercontinental ballistic missile over the Pacific Ocean early Tuesday morning in a successful test of America’s experimental missile defense system, according to press releases from the U.S. Missile Defense Agency and defense contractor Raytheon. The new test was notable for destroying a target missile while it was outside Earth’s … Continued
By Matt Novak -
Tech NewsSocial MediaFacebook Knows That Labeling Trump’s Election Lies Hasn’t Stopped His Posts From Going Viral
Facebook’s attempt to slow the spread of President Trump’s misinformation and outright lies by affixing warning labels to the content has done little to stop the posts from going viral—and the platform is apparently well aware. According to internal conversations reviewed by Buzzfeed News, data scientists in the employ of Facebook freely admit that the … Continued
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Tech NewsTesla Will Be Added to the S&P 500 on December 21
After months of speculation, car manufacturing startup Tesla will become the newest addition to the S&P Dow Jones Indices on December 21, the index announced on Monday. The value of Tesla’s shares jumped more than 10% in the after-hours session on Monday in response to the news . The brainchild of billionaire Space Karen Elon … Continued
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Tech NewsInternetWelp, Hulu With Live TV Is Jacking Up Its Prices Too
Brace yourself for another hit to your monthly subscription budget. Hulu with Live TV, the very good live TV alternative that bundles live and linear programming with Hulu’s on-demand library, is getting yet another price hike. Per a notice that appeared on Hulu’s price guide support page, the company next month will raise the base … Continued
By Catie Keck -
Tech NewsTower Records Rockets From the Tomb
If you’re of a certain age and cultural predilection, you’ll remember Tower Records with great fondness. Founded in 1960, the store was a bulwark against normality for years and probably one of the best places to buy vinyl, tapes, CDs, books, and merch for all your favorite pre-Spotify bands. When it died 14 years ago, … Continued
By John Biggs -
Tech NewsPrivacy & SecurityApple’s Ad Practices Are The Latest Target For Privacy Activists
After making a name for himself going after Facebook’s and Google’s data practices, Austrian lawyer Max Schrems—and his advocacy group Noyb—is setting his sights on a new tech giant. According to two separate complaints his group filed with regulatory bodies based in Germany and Spain, the advertising tech that comes baked into Apple’s iPhones allows … Continued
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Tech NewsGitHub Defies Copyright Cops, Restores YouTube Downloader
Last month, GitHub removed a popular tool that is used to download videos from websites like YouTube after it received a DMCA takedown notice from the Recording Industry Association of America. For a moment, it seemed that GitHub might throw developers under the bus in the same fashion that Twitch has recently treated its streamers. … Continued
By Rhett Jones -
Tech NewsPrivacy & SecurityBumble Left Daters’ Location Data Up For Grabs For Over Six Months
Bumble, the dating app behemoth that’s allegedly headed to a major IPO as soon as next year, apparently took over half a year to deal with major security flaws that left sensitive information its millions of users vulnerable. That’s according to new research posted over the weekend by cybersecurity firm Independent Security Evaluators (ISE) detailing … Continued
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Tech NewsGoogle Will Make It Slightly Easier to Turn Off Smart Features, Slightly Harder for Regulators to Break Up Google
Soon, Google will present you with a clear choice to disable smart features, like Google assistant reminders to pay your bills and predictive text in Gmail. Whether you like the Gmail mindreader function that autofills “all the best” and “reaching out,” or have long dreaded the arrival of the machine staring back from the void,: … Continued
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Tech NewsRedesigned Solar Panels Could One Day Charge Your Gadgets From a Lamp
Despite being excellent tools for harvesting the free energy the sun is blasting towards our planet all day long, the solar panels you see dotting roofs and blanketing fields don’t really work with artificial light. But as researchers sought out new materials to improve the efficiency of solar photovoltaics, they also discovered these materials could … Continued