Innholdsfortegnelse for #508 i Techlife News

Amazon is tired of ringing doorbells. The online shopping giant is pushing landlords around the country — sometimes with financial incentives — to give its drivers the ability to unlock apartment-building doors themselves with a mobile device. The service, dubbed Key for Business, is pitched as a way to cut down on stolen packages by making it easy to leave them in lobbies and not outside. Amazon benefits because it enables delivery workers to make their rounds faster. And fewer stolen packages reduce costs and could give Amazon an edge over competitors. Those who have installed the device say it reduces the constant buzzing by delivery people and is a safer alternative to giving out codes to scores of delivery people. But the Amazon program, first announced in 2018, may…

Time is finally on their side. The Rolling Stones announced on Thursday the relaunch of their U.S. “No Filter” tour, which had been derailed by the pandemic, beginning in St. Louis on Sept. 26. “I’m so excited to get back on the stage again and want to thank everyone for their patience,” frontman Mick Jagger said in a statement. “See you soon!” Added Keith Richards: “We’re back on the road! See you there!” The 2021 No Filter tour begins Sept. 26 at The Dome at America’s Center in St. Louis, followed by rescheduled stops in Charlotte, Pittsburgh, Nashville, Minneapolis, Tampa, Dallas, Atlanta, Detroit and Austin. The band has also added three new dates, including the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival — their first time playing there — on Oct.…

French President Emmanuel Macron held an emergency cybersecurity meeting Thursday to weigh possible government action after reports that his cellphone and those of government ministers may have been targeted by spyware. Macron changes his phones regularly and is “taking the matter very seriously,” government spokesman Gabriel Attal said Thursday on France-Inter radio. A global media consortium reported this week that Pegasus spyware made by Israeli company NSO Group may have been used to target politicians, activists and journalists in several countries. French newspaper Le Monde, a member of the consortium, reported that a Moroccan security agency had the cellphones of Macron and 15 then-members of the French government on a list of potential targets of the spyware in 2019. Morocco’s government denied wrongdoing. Investigations are under way to determine whether…

The Hubble Space Telescope should be back in action soon, following a tricky, remote repair job by NASA. The orbiting observatory went dark in mid-June, with all astronomical viewing halted. NASA initially suspected a 1980s-era computer as the source of the problem. But after the backup payload computer also failed, flight controllers at Maryland’s Goddard Space Flight Center focused on the science instruments’ bigger and more encompassing command and data unit, installed by spacewalking astronauts in 2009. Engineers successfully switched to the backup equipment last week, and the crucial payload computer kicked in. NASA said that science observations should resume quickly, if everything goes well. A similar switch took place in 2008 after part of the older system failed. “Congrats to the team!” NASA’s science mission chief Thomas Zurbuchen tweeted.…

Netflix reported its worst slowdown in subscriber growth in eight years as people emerged from their pandemic cocoons. But it has an answer to that: Video games. The streaming giant announced plans to begin adding video games to its existing subscription plans at no extra cost. It didn’t release details except to note that it will initially focus on mobile games. The confirmation of the long-anticipated gaming expansion came in conjunction with the release of the latest Netflix earnings report. That financial breakdown showed the video service added 1.5 million subscribers during the April-June period. That’s slightly better than the modest increase that management forecast after the service stumbled to a sluggish start during the winter months, but still far below its growth rate in recent years. The 5.5 million…

President Joe Biden tempered his assessment that social media giants are “killing people” by hosting misinformation about the COVID-19 vaccines on their platforms, saying that he hoped they would not take it “personally” and instead would act to save lives. While companies like Facebook defend their practices and say they’re helping people around the world access verified information about the shots, the White House says they haven’t done enough to stop misinformation that has helped slow the pace of new vaccinations in the U.S. to a trickle. It comes as the U.S. sees a rise in virus cases and deaths among those who haven’t gotten a shot, in what officials call an emerging “pandemic of the unvaccinated.” Speaking at the White House, Biden insisted he meant “precisely what I said”…

Americans would be freer to repair their broken cellphones, computers, videogame consoles and even tractors themselves or to use independent repair shops under changes being eyed by federal regulators that target manufacturer restrictions. Responding to a new competition directive from the Biden White House, the Federal Trade Commission is moving toward writing new rules aimed at helping small repair businesses and saving consumers money on repair costs. The five FTC commissioners took up the so-called “right to repair” issue this week. Unavailable parts, instruction manuals and diagnostic software and tools, product design restrictions and locks on software embedded in devices have made many consumer products harder to fix and maintain, regulators and industry critics say. Do-it-yourself repairs often require specialized tools, hard-to-obtain parts and access to diagnostic software that’s guarded…

The Biden administration and Western allies formally blamed China for a massive hack of Microsoft Exchange email server software and asserted that criminal hackers associated with the Chinese government have carried out ransomware and other illicit cyber operations. The announcements, though not accompanied by sanctions against the Chinese government, were intended as a forceful condemnation of activities a senior Biden administration official described as part of a “pattern of irresponsible behavior in cyberspace.” They highlighted the ongoing threat from Chinese hackers even as the administration remains consumed with trying to curb ransomware attacks from Russia-based syndicates that have targeted critical infrastructure. The broad range of cyberthreats from Beijing disclosed this week included a ransomware attack from government-affiliated hackers that has targeted victims — including in the U.S. — with demands…

Canada announced this week it will begin letting fully vaccinated U.S. citizens into Canada on Aug. 9, and those from the rest of the world on Sept. 7. Officials said the 14-day quarantine requirement will be waived as of Aug. 9 for eligible travelers who are currently residing in the United States and have received a full course of a COVID-19 vaccine approved for use in Canada. Public Safety Minister Bill Blair, who said he spoke with U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, said the U.S. has not yet indicated any plan to change current restrictions at the land border. Canadians are able to fly into the United States with a negative COVID-19 test. Asked in Washington if the U.S. would reciprocate, White House press secretary Jen Psaki said, “We…

When a religious publication used smartphone app data to deduce the sexual orientation of a high-ranking Roman Catholic official, it exposed a problem that goes far beyond a debate over church doctrine and priestly celibacy. With few U.S. restrictions on what companies can do with the vast amount of data they collect from web page visits, apps and location tracking built into phones, there’s not much to stop similar spying on politicians, celebrities and just about anyone that’s a target of another person’s curiosity — or malice. Citing allegations of “possible improper behavior,” the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops announced the resignation of its top administrative official, Monsignor Jeffrey Burrill, ahead of a report by the Catholic news outlet The Pillar that probed his private romantic life. The Pillar said…

American Airlines and Southwest Airlines both posted second-quarter profits on Thursday thanks to generous federal pandemic relief that covers most of their labor costs. The reports on Thursday underscored the progress that airlines are making in rebuilding after the coronavirus crushed air travel — and how much farther they must go to fully recover. American eked out a second-quarter profit of $19 million due to nearly $1.5 billion in taxpayer support. Southwest reported a profit of $348 million, including $724 million in federal help. Southwest said it made money in June even without the government aid. CEO Gary Kelly said the recent quarter “marked an important milestone in the pandemic recovery as leisure travel demand surged.” He added that Southwest hopes to be profitable by any measure in the third…

The Netherlands’ Data Protection Authority said Thursday it has fined TikTok 750,000 euros ($885,000) for not offering a privacy statement in Dutch, saying many children who use the popular video sharing app would be unable to understand the information. The agency said that by not offering a Dutch-language privacy statement, “TikTok failed to provide an adequate explanation of how the app collects, processes and uses personal data.” It said TikTok has some 3.5 million users in the Netherlands and that Dutch privacy law is “based on the principle that people must always be given a clear idea of what is being done with their personal data.” The data protection authority said TikTok had “lodged an objection to the fine.” TikTok said in a statement that its privacy policy and a…

Our iPhones and Apple Watches have come a long way over the past ten years, and today’s devices challenge the performance of top-end PCs and consoles. But whilst Apple offers a range of innovative accessories like AirTags, charging pads, and MagSafe battery packs, it’s worth turning to third-party accessory makers to find unique solutions that could make your devices even smarter. TRANSFORMING YOUR APPLE WATCH Although Apple Watch is the world’s most popular watch, outselling the entire Swiss watch industry, the Cupertino company often comes into criticism in regards to the customization of the wearable, with many preferring the more traditional aesthetics of the Samsung Galaxy Watch, as an example. Indeed, the square watch face has suffered a raft of criticism over the years, so much so that the company…

Zoom, the videoconferencing company whose growth was supercharged by the pandemic over the past year, will buy the cloud call center company Five9 in an all-stock deal valued at about $14.7 billion. That is far greater than Zoom’s market valuation a little over two years ago when it went public for slightly more than $9 billion. Zoom founder and CEO Eric Yuan said in a blog post that the acquisition will accelerate the company’s long-term growth by adding the $24 billion contact center market. That will give Zoom greater exposure to more business clients. Yuan added that it also the deal also complements the Zoom Phone, a cloud phone system that is seeing strong demand. The size of the deal would have seemed unthinkable when Zoom Video Communications Inc. went…

The United Nations’ human rights chief voiced alarm over the reported use of military-grade malware from Israel-based NSO Group to spy on journalists, human rights activists and political dissidents. U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet’s comments came after an investigation by a global media consortium based on leaked targeting data provided further evidence of the malware’s use. “Revelations regarding the apparent widespread use of the Pegasus software to spy on journalists, human rights defenders, politicians and others in a variety of countries are extremely alarming, and seem to confirm some of the worst fears about the potential misuse of surveillance technology to illegally undermine people’s human rights,” Bachelet said in a statement released in Geneva. Given that that software and others “enable extremely deep intrusions into people’s devices,…

The revelation that a documentary filmmaker used voice-cloning software to make the late chef Anthony Bourdain say words he never spoke has drawn criticism amid ethical concerns about use of the powerful technology. The movie “Roadrunner: A Film About Anthony Bourdain” appeared in cinemas last Friday and mostly features real footage of the beloved celebrity chef and globe-trotting television host before he died in 2018. But its director, Morgan Neville, told The New Yorker that a snippet of dialogue was created using artificial intelligence technology. That’s renewed a debate about the future of voice-cloning technology, not just in the entertainment world but in politics and a fast-growing commercial sector dedicated to transforming text into realistic-sounding human speech. “Unapproved voice cloning is a slippery slope,” said Andrew Mason, the founder and…

Russian aircraft makers unveiled a prototype of a new fighter jet that features stealth capabilities and other advanced characteristics and will be offered to foreign buyers. Russian President Vladimir Putin inspected the prospective warplane displayed with much fanfare at the MAKS-2021 International Aviation and Space Salon, which opened Tuesday in Zhukovsky, outside Moscow. Russian aircraft maker Sukhoi developed the new fighter under the LTS program, a Russian acronym for the Light Tactical Aircraft. Its makers said the prototype is set to make its maiden flight in 2023 and deliveries could start in 2026. They said the new design could be converted to an unpiloted version and a two-seat model. The prospective warplane, marketed under the project name Checkmate, has one engine and is designed to be smaller and cheaper than…

Struggling businesses forced to temporarily shut down around Olympics venues. Olympic visitors ordered to install invasive apps and allow GPS tracking. Minders staking out hotels to keep participants from coming into contact with ordinary Japanese or visiting restaurants to sample the sushi. Japan’s massive security apparatus has raised complaints that the nation, during the weeks of the Games, will look more like authoritarian North Korea or China than one of the world’s most powerful, vibrant democracies. The worry for many here, however, isn’t too much Big Brother. It’s that all the increased precautions won’t be nearly enough to stop the estimated 85,000 athletes, officials, journalists and other workers coming into Japan from introducing fast-spreading coronavirus variants to a largely unvaccinated population already struggling with mounting cases. “It’s all based on…

The Walt Disney Co. stands to benefit from more than a half billion dollars in tax breaks for building a new regional campus in Florida that promises to employ at least 2,000 professional employees who will be relocating from Southern California to work in digital technology, finance and product development. The company could claim more than $570 million in tax breaks over 20 years for the project, which would be among the largest in Florida history for a single corporation, according to documents obtained this week through a public records request by the Orlando Sentinel from the state’s Department of Economic Opportunity. Disney’s capital investment for the project could be as much as $864 million, the documents showed. The company already has a theme park resort in central Florida that…

Small businesses in the U.S. that depend on tourism and vacationers say business is bouncing back, as Americans rebook postponed trips and spend freely on food, entertainment and souvenirs. U.S. states and cities have loosened many of their restrictions on crowd size and mask-wearing, a positive sign for businesses that struggled for more than a year when theme parks and other tourist attractions were shuttered. Still, the return to a pre-pandemic “normal” is a way off for most. There are few business travelers and international tourists. Many businesses are grappling with staff shortages and other challenges. And if a surge of the more contagious delta variant or another variant of the coronavirus forces states to reenact restrictions or lockdowns, the progress might be lost. The U.S. Travel Association, a travel…

Jeff Bezos blasted into space Tuesday on his rocket company’s first flight with people on board, becoming the second billionaire in just over a week to ride his own spacecraft. The Amazon founder was accompanied by a hand-picked group: his brother, an 18-year-old from the Netherlands and an 82-year-old aviation pioneer from Texas — the youngest and oldest to ever fly in space. “Best day ever!” Bezos said when the capsule touched down on the desert floor in remote West Texas after the 10-minute flight. Named after America’s first astronaut, Blue Origin’s New Shepard rocket soared on the 52nd anniversary of the Apollo 11 moon landing, a date chosen by Bezos for its historical significance. He held fast to it, even as Virgin Galactic’s Richard Branson pushed up his own…

The leader of the world’s fourth-largest automaker expects a global computer chip shortage that has cut vehicle production to last into next year. Stellantis CEO Carlos Tavares says the shortage will easily drag into 2022. He doesn’t see enough signs that chip makers in Asia are increasing semiconductor production that will come to the west. The shortage has forced most automakers to halt production at times, creating shortages and driving up demand and prices. The average cost of a new vehicle in the U.S. hit a record of over $42,000 in June, according to Kelley Blue Book. Tavares told the Automotive Press Association of Detroit this week that the shortage will force his company to make key parts on its own rather than rely on suppliers. He says Stellantis is…

The Department of Homeland Security announced new requirements for U.S. pipeline operators to bolster cybersecurity following a May ransomware attack that disrupted gas delivery across the East Coast. In a statement, DHS said it would require operators of federally designated critical pipelines to implement “specific mitigation measures” to prevent ransomware attacks and other cyber intrusions. Operators must also implement contingency plans and conduct what the department calls a “cybersecurity architecture design review.” It’s the latest response by the Biden administration to a series of ransomware attacks and intrusions hitting critical U.S. infrastructure and raising fears about American cybersecurity. DHS did not immediately release further details about the guidance, which comes after another directive issued weeks after the May 7 attack on Georgia-based Colonial Pipeline. U.S. agencies also disclosed that Chinese…

Ford Motor Co. and a self-driving vehicle company it partly owns will join with the Lyft ride-hailing service to offer autonomous rides on the Lyft network. The service using Ford vehicles and a driving system developed by Pittsburgh-based Argo AI will begin in Miami later this year and start in Austin, Texas, in 2022. It will start with human backup drivers and go fully autonomous at an unspecified date. The cars will gather data to lay the groundwork to deploy 1,000 robotaxis on the Lyft network in multiple markets during the next five years, the companies said in a statement. Until April, Lyft was developing its own autonomous vehicle systems, but the company ended up selling its unit to Woven Planet, a Toyota Motor Corp. subsidiary, for $550 million. The…

IndyCar announced an extension with NBC Sports that guarantees a majority of its races will be on the main network broadcast rather than cable, including a series-high 13 events on the flagship channel next season. Still, the migration toward streaming will hit full speed next season as NBC Sports plans to exclusively stream two IndyCar races on Peacock. The rest of the IndyCar schedule, which is expected to be 17 races but has not yet been released, will air on USA Network. Jon Miller, president of NBC Sports programming, said the network never wavered in its desire to extend its relationship with IndyCar because “we think its some of the most competitive racing out there. We think it is, quite honestly, really, really good racing.” He cited this season’s move…

Conservationists suing a federal agency over approval of a mine at the largest known U.S. deposit of lithium urged a judge to issue a temporary restraining order blocking excavations they say would disturb sacred tribal burial grounds near the Nevada-Oregon line. Overshadowed by conflict at a lithium mine planned north of Las Vegas where the government intends to declare a rare wildflower threatened or endangered, Lithium Nevada Corp.’s proposed Thacker Pass mine is emerging as a potentially bigger battleground in the debate over environmental trade-offs tied to President Joe Biden’s push for renewable energy. Lithium is a key component in electric vehicle batteries. Lawyers for the mine, the Bureau of Land Management and four conservation groups opened their arguments Wednesday morning before U.S. District Judge Miranda Du in Reno as…