Silicon Valley workers are revolting against lucrative contracts with US immigration and defense agenciesDuring the second world war, IBM supplied the Nazis with technology used to help transport millions of people to their deaths in the concentration camps.The American technology company leased punch-card machines through a German subsidiary for the purpose of tabulating a population census, which allowed the Nazis to identify and track the movements of Jews all the way to the gas chambers. In 1937, Hitler awarded a medal to the company’s CEO, Thomas Watson, in recognition of his services to the Third Reich. Continue reading...
Company paid for 12 trips to China, but politicians make more trips to Israel than anywhere elseTrips to Israel top the list of politicians’ travel paid for by non-Australian government sponsors, and the Chinese company Huawei has been the top corporate sponsor, a new report has revealed.The Australian Strategic Policy Institute’s report shows Israel, China and the United States are the top three destinations. Continue reading...
Humans have dreamed of weaponised lasers since HG Wells first mooted them. Should we be careful what we wish for?You can thank HG Wells for the idea of a ray gun. Weaponised lasers, microwave beams, particle beams and so on ... Wells’s Martian death rays in 1897’s War of the Worlds sparked the concept.Twenty years later one Albert Einstein offered a proof of concept in 1917, and then Charles Townes finally made one (OK, a laser) in 1951. Star Trek injected further vim to the fantasy of handheld zappers with its phasers, followed by the blasters of Star Wars – enough appetite to stimulate real military research – remember Ronald “Ray gun†and his Star Wars programme? Continue reading...
Ride-hailing firm accepts TfL’s initial decision but has passed last three inspectionsUber has launched a legal fight to regain its London licence, claiming that “wholesale†changes to its business practices should allow it to continue operating in the capital – although it admitted the original decision to punish the company was right .The San Francisco-based ride-hailing firm was told last year the licence for one of its most important foreign markets would not be renewed because of concerns about public safety and security, such as background checks on drivers. Continue reading...
Ubisoft’s CEO, Yves Guillemot, answers recent criticism that the company has been dodging the political implications of its games, saying they give players the tools to explore issues themselvesWhen veteran publisher Ubisoft showed off its tactical online shooter, Tom Clancy’s: The Division 2, at the E3 games expo this month, the political undertones of the game and its narrative seemed obvious. This is the story of a near-future America decimated by a terrorist attack in which a deadly toxin is released into the air over several major cities. In the aftermath, players must join a secret army of highly trained soldiers tasked with restoring the power of the government against gangs of rioters. It’s typical Tom Clancy fare: paranoid, technologically driven and unquestioning in its understanding of the US military as a force for good. It is, in other words, political.Set in Washington DC, the screenshots and trailers for Division 2 are awash with provocative imagery, including a smoking White House and a downed Air Force One plane. During the E3 presentation of the game, a voiceover declares that a corrupt force within the government is looking to take control of the country, bringing about a new civil war. Given the strife in the US over Donald Trump’s presidency, and the current issues of gun control, immigration and terrorism, it feels like an even more politically charged setup. Continue reading...
Company’s admission over faulty keyboards follows litany of complaintsApple has admitted that its MacBook and MacBook Pro laptop keyboards made since 2015 are susceptible to becoming stuck or breaking, and is promising to repair them for free.
An excellent critique of the social media giant underlines the threat it poses to us all – and suggests how it can be tamedThe best metaphor for Facebook is the monster created by Dr Frankenstein. Mary Shelley’s story shows how, as Fiona Sampson put it in a recent Guardian article, “aspiration and progress are indistinguishable from hubris – until something goes wrong, when suddenly we see all too clearly what was reasonable endeavour and what overreachingâ€. There are clear echoes of this in the evolution of Facebook. “It’s a storyâ€, writes Siva Vaidhyanathan in this excellent critique, “of the hubris of good intentions, a missionary spirit and an ideology that sees computer code as the universal solvent for all human problems. And it’s an indictment of how social media has fostered the deterioration of democratic and intellectual culture around the world.â€Facebook was founded by an undergraduate with good intentions but little understanding of human nature. He thought that by creating a machine for “connecting†people he might do some good for the world while also making himself some money. He wound up creating a corporate monster that is failing spectacularly at the former but succeeding brilliantly at the latter. Facebook is undermining democracy at the same time as it is making Mark Zuckerberg richer than Croesus. And it is now clear that this monster, like Dr Frankenstein’s, is beyond its creator’s control. Continue reading...
The massively multiplayer fantasy could be a huge hit due to groundbreaking SpatialOSAs tens of millions of gamers log on every day to play games such as Fortnite, developers are hoping their creation will become the next megahit.Worlds Adrift has elements of Fortnite - a “bright, brash multiplayer shooter†game - combined with World of Warcraft and has been spawned by a developer already used to turning simple ideas into viral smashes. Continue reading...
by Sally Weale Education correspondent on (#3S7H5)
Boys’ boarding school brings in policy to combat social media pressures and improve sleepBoys in their first year at Eton College have been ordered to hand over their mobile phones at night because of concerns about the pressures of social media.Simon Henderson, the headmaster at the boys’ boarding school, said the policy had also been introduced to reduce the amount of screen time pupils are exposed to and improve their sleep. Continue reading...
Sites are collecting people’s mugshots, then charging huge sums to remove them. Should Google be doing more to stop it?Gregory Rakoczy was asleep in his van at a Maryland campsite when six police officers knocked on his door. A fellow camper had Googled his name and found a mugshot indicating he was a felon on the run. He was not.Rakoczy was arrested and held for 20 hours. Afterward he immediately Googled his own name and found that his picture had recently gone up on Mugshots.com for criminal charges he had faced 15 years ago. Continue reading...
The news from Bethesda and Microsoft’s E3 2018 press conferences, as it happened.5.44am BSTIf you’re just joining us, here are the key revelations from Monday’s Xbox and Bethesda presentations. Read our full summary of the day’s events right here:Related: E3 2018: Bethesda and Microsoft unveil Fallout, Elder Scrolls VI, Halo and Gears of War4.22am BSTThank you for joining us for day one of our E3 live blog! Tomorrow we’ll be back for Ubisoft and Sony’s press conferences, from 12pm to 8pm PDT. Continue reading...
Readers share their experiences of the classic carI own a mid-grey 1967 Morris Minor Traveller (Ian Allen’s letter, 7 June). Recently, I was returning to it in a Sainsbury’s car park in Macclesfield with some shopping. Hanging around the rear of the car I noticed an elderly lady wearing a Giles cartoon grandma-style hat with a flower in it and a dark ill-fitting coat. When I approached, she asked: “Young man [I’m 72!], is this your car?†When I replied “Yesâ€, she whimpered a little and shuffled around the rear of the car to peer in a side window.Then came the swinging 60s punchline: “Young man, I’d like you to know that I lost my virginity in the back of one of those.†I was a bit taken aback but managed to ask if she enjoyed the experience, to which she replied, “No, not reallyâ€, and shuffled off with her trolley! Continue reading...
by Presented by Jordan Erica Webber and produced by D on (#3RX8S)
An exhibition in London looked at how digital touch technologies could reconnect a person in care with their loved onesSubscribe and review: Acast, Apple, Spotify, Soundcloud, Audioboom, Mixcloud. Join the discussion on Facebook, Twitter or email us at chipspodcast@theguardian.com.Touch is a fundamental part of human interaction. Even when our communication is mitigated by technology, as it so frequently is nowadays, it’s often via some sort of touchscreen. But as far as physical interaction with other human beings in the same space, some people think we’re living through a crisis of touch, especially when it comes to older people. Continue reading...
Scooters from the tech startup Lime issue verbal warnings to those who touch them without paying. The scooters, scattered on streets in major cities, shout: 'Unlock me to ride me or I'll call the police!' There was no evidence the devices actually made the call Continue reading...
Intelligence committee wants to know what data was shared with Chinese firms and whyMalcolm Turnbull would “love to see the boss†of Facebook appear before Australia’s intelligence committee, as parliament grapples with new security threats wrought by global internet and social network giants.After coming to terms on the government’s proposed foreign interference and espionage laws, which are expected to have bipartisan support when the joint committee hands down its report later on Thursday, attention has turned to potential backdoor information sources. Continue reading...
Silicon Valley believes there is no problem they can’t solve, even if the problem is that their tech is making us miserableApple’s software keynotes are normally about how the ways you’ll be able to get your devices to do more, but Monday’s event had an unusually paternalistic bent. Demonstrating their new “time well spent†apps, Apple execs showed how your iPhone will get you to spend less time on your iPhone. So if you’ve spent longer stalking your crush on Instagram then you had previously planned it will say: “You went over your Instagram limit two times this week†– presumably it’s not angry, just disappointed.Related: Apple's new 'digital wellbeing' tools aim to help reduce screen time Continue reading...
‘Screen Time’ app show how long you spend on each app and lets people set daily limitsApple has unveiled digital wellbeing tools to help people reduce the time they spend glued to their screens.A new app called Screen Time will offer iPhone and iPad users a dashboard highlighting how much time they have spent using which apps, how many notifications they receive, how often they pick up their device and how their usage patterns compare to the average. Continue reading...
by Written by Ben Tarnoff and Moira Weigel, read by K on (#3RDRH)
Tech insiders have finally started admitting their mistakes – but the solutions they are offering could just help the big players get even more powerful
My friend John Gozzard, who has died aged 85, was an inventor and engineer whose most notable achievement was the creation of a zeppelin-shaped windshield for microphones, much seen on television and film sets, which stops wind and other extraneous noises interfering with sound recordings.John’s invention was not only far better than previous attempts at minimising unwanted noise, but was also lighter and more durable than the alternatives. Having established its usefulness he set up a company, Rycote, to manufacture the windshield, and the firm continues to this day from its base in Stroud, Gloucestershire. Throughout his time at Rycote John continued to apply his skills to produce items that perfected audio capture, and many of his designs are used worldwide. Continue reading...
Grieving father calls for removal of ‘disgusting’ game that allows users to play the killer in a school massacreA video game that simulates a school shooting incident has been labelled “disgusting†and “despicable†by parents of children who died during the mass shooting at a school in Parkland, Florida, in February.Billed by its Russian publisher, Acid, as a swat team simulator, Active Shooter invites players to take on the role of an armed officer responding to a school shooting. However, the game also allows users to play as the shooter or as a civilian attempting to escape the scene. Continue reading...
Huawei has another hit on its hands with a good balance of features, price and feel for £400 – if you forget the AI cameraThe Honor 10 is Huawei’s cut-price premium smartphone offering that hopes to go toe-to-toe with iPhones and Samsungs for about one-third less than the average price.
Jaron Lanier, pioneer turned digital sceptic, explains in an extract from his new book why we must take back controlIt might not seem like it at first, but I’m an optimist. I don’t think we have to throw the whole digital world away. But there is one particular hi-tech thing that is toxic even in small quantities.The issue isn’t only that internet users are crammed into environments that can bring out the worst in us, or that so much power has concentrated into a tiny number of hands that control giant cloud computers. A bigger problem is that we are all carrying around devices that are suitable for mass behaviour modification. For example, with old-fashioned advertising, you could measure whether a product did better after an ad was run, but now companies are measuring whether individuals change their behaviours as they browse, and the feeds for each person are constantly tweaked to get the desired result. In short, your behaviour has been turned into a product – and corporate and political clients are lining up to modify it. Continue reading...
As tax credits threaten to run out and more powerful and expensive versions launch, buyers are still waitingThis week saw Tesla’s enigmatic chief executive Elon Musk take to Twitter to announce two more powerful, and more expensive, versions of the auto firm’s Model 3 – the much lauded “mass market†vehicle that appears, for now, to be veering further and further away from its $35,000 price tag.
Inboxes around the world are clogging up as deadline for companies to comply with new regulations nearsA last-minute flurry of emails from companies trying to retain customers ahead of the deadline for Europe’s new General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) has prompted a slew of complaints - and memes - on social media.Friday is the last day for companies to comply with GDPR regulations and as a result, inboxes around the world are clogging up with emails warnings that “the privacy policy has changed†and pleas to “just click here so we can stay in touchâ€. Continue reading...
The social media company suggests that sending it naked pictures is the best way to protect yourself from revenge porn. But can it be trusted?If you have been the victim of “revenge porn†– intimate pictures stolen and published in an attempt to humiliate or blackmail – Facebook has a proposal that might sound counterintuitive: cc them in to your sexts.But give it a chance. The company’s offering is a better idea than it sounds. Facebook has spent years working with other large technology firms to build software that can identify problem images the second they hit the net, and flag and remove them without the need for human intervention. The scheme, which has already been trialled in Australia, will be tested in the UK from this week. Continue reading...
by Gwyn Topham, transport correspondent, and Sarah Bu on (#3QVD6)
Workers across Europe, including 70,000 in UK, to be offered pay protections under new insurance policyUber is to provide additional protection for its drivers and couriers across Europe, including 70,000 in the UK, with limited insurance against sickness and injury as well as small maternity and paternity payments.The ride-hailing service said a new insurance policy, to be provided free to its drivers, would give them “peace of mind while preserving the flexibility they valueâ€. Continue reading...
British negotiators warn of security dangers as they call for preferential treatmentUK negotiators in Brussels have warned of significant economic and security dangers for Europe should the EU not grant a special deal on data-sharing laws after Brexit.In an appeal for immediate talks on the issue, a government presentation given to Michel Barnier’s EU team on Tuesday included a mixture of implicit threats and expressions of concern for the future. Continue reading...
US president reportedly resisted White House security checks for Twitter phone for ‘as long as five months’Donald Trump is reportedly shunning security advice by using at least two iPhones, refusing to allow some of them to be screened for hacking attempts because it is “too inconvenientâ€.The US president, who has not used email while in office, has one iPhone capable only of making calls and another that is used as his Twitter phone, with access to a series of news sites and the social network, according to White House officials talking to Politico. Continue reading...
by Anne Perkins Deputy political editor on (#3QN5Q)
Industrial strategy plans to develop artificial intelligence using algorithms built from NHS patient dataTheresa May will pledge millions of pounds of government funding to develop artificial intelligence able to transform outcomes through early diagnosis of cancer and chronic disease.In a speech in Mansfield on Monday that is being billed as the first of a series on industrial strategy, May will say: “Late diagnosis of otherwise treatable illnesses is one of the biggest causes of avoidable deaths. Continue reading...
by Presented by Jordan Erica Webber and produced by D on (#3QGZ4)
Scientists in Seoul have built a robot tortoise to help teach children not to ill-treat robots. Jordan Erica Webber investigates the ethical issues surrounding the advance of AISubscribe and review: Acast, Apple, Spotify, Soundcloud, Audioboom, Mixcloud. Join the discussion on Facebook, Twitter or email us at chipspodcast@theguardian.com.We’re getting more and more used to talking to robots. Personal assistants such as Amazon’s Alexa or the Google Assistant are growing in popularity, and children love them. Continue reading...
Company confirms its technology failed to stop collision on same day US traffic safety watchdog opens investigation into crashA Tesla car was driving in “autopilot†mode when it crashed into a stopped firetruck in Utah, the company said in a report to police that repeatedly cast blame on the driver, not its semi-autonomous driving system.The confirmation that the vehicle’s technology failed to prevent it from colliding with a stopped object in its path came the same day that the US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) announced it was sending a team to investigate the 11 May crash in Utah.
The system will use behavioral signals – how users react to a tweet – to assess if an account is adding to or detracting from conversationsTwitter is announcing a global change to its ranking algorithm this week, its first step toward improving the “health†of online conversations since it launched a renewed effort to address rampant trolling, harassment and abuse in March.“It’s shaping up to be one of the highest-impact things that we’ve done,†the chief executive, Jack Dorsey ,said of the update, which will change how tweets appear in search results or conversations. “The spirit of the thing is that we want to take the burden off the person receiving abuse or mob-like behavior.†Continue reading...
MPs inquiring into Cambridge Analytica breach urge Facebook CEO to appear via video linkFacebook has said Mark Zuckerberg has no plans to come to the UK to give evidence to parliament despite the threat of a formal summons, prompting frustrated MPs inquiring into the Cambridge Analytica data breach to ask if he would appear via video link instead.Related: Zuckerberg's refusal to testify before UK MPs 'absolutely astonishing' Continue reading...
Firm’s first quarterly moderation report also shows scale of spam, hate speech and violenceFacebook took moderation action against almost 1.5bn accounts and posts which violated its community standards in the first three months of 2018, the company has revealed.In its first quarterly Community Standards Enforcement Report, Facebook said the overwhelming majority of moderation action was against spam posts and fake accounts: it took action on 837m pieces of spam, and shut down a further 583m fake accounts on the site in the three months. But Facebook also moderated 2.5m pieces of hate speech, 1.9m pieces of terrorist propaganda, 3.4m pieces of graphic violence and 21m pieces of content featuring adult nudity and sexual activity. Continue reading...
Medical records not exposed in data breach but information sent by clients seeking an appointment may have been compromised• Sign up to receive the top stories in Australia every day at noon The personal information of clients of a family planning service could have been compromised in a cyber-attack and ransom demand on Anzac Day.Family Planning New South Wales said medical records had not been accessed. But databases containing information from clients who had contacted FPNSW seeking appointments or leaving feedback during the past two and a half years may have been breached. Continue reading...
Tabletop games join trend for ‘the real thing’ over digital – and for having fun with other peopleForget Candy Crush, Fifa and Call of Duty – millennials are putting down their Xbox controllers and smartphones and picking up their dice as they embrace games their parents and grandparents used to love.More and more people are exchanging marathon gaming sessions alone in a darkened room for the social fun of board games. With bars and cafes such as Thirsty Meeples in Oxford, and Draughts in London having a library of more than 800 games catering for the “cocktails and Cluedo†set, board games – as with colouring books – are no longer just Christmas presents for children. Continue reading...
Contrary to the accusations levelled at China’s tech sector, the firm bought its patents fair and square. But is it facing losses?The war of words between the US and China over trade has many subtexts, but treatment of intellectual property (IP) is a major factor. Donald Trump believes that the world’s second-largest economy gains an unfair advantage over its main rival due to an overly aggressive and sometimes underhand approach to IP – the patents and copyrights that underpin big tech, manufacturing and creative breakthroughs.So what happens when China plays the game fairly and buys American IP to gain a foothold in the world’s biggest economy? In the case of Lenovo, one of China’s biggest tech firms, doing so has been no guarantee of success. The Beijing-based company has bought three respected US tech businesses since 2005: IBM’s PC arm and low-cost server unit, and Motorola smartphones. None of them has worked out. Continue reading...
Google Duplex, which simulates human speech with lifelike inflections, criticised as unethicalGoogle’s AI assistant will identify itself as a robot when calling up businesses on behalf of human users, the company has confirmed, following accusations that the technology was deceitful and unethical.The feature, called Google Duplex, was demonstrated at the company’s I/O developers’ conference on Tuesday. It is not yet a finished product, but in the two demos played for the assembled crowd, it still managed to be eerily lifelike as it made bookings at a hair salon and a restaurant. Continue reading...
The latest in the God of War series, an affectionate father-son psychodrama, shows how video game bruisers are maturing alongside their creatorsIn an industry now in its mid-to-late 30s, and still with a predominantly male workforce, the glut of recent blockbuster video games featuring father-child relationships surely reflects the preoccupations of the men who make them. God of War is the latest specimen: a game in which a monosyllabic muscleman is on a journey to scatter his late wife’s ashes on the tallest mountain in Norse myth, while accompanied by his young son.Previously the God of War series, which debuted in 2005, had little time to explore the emotional landscape of its testosterone-pumped protagonist Kratos, whose only downtime from tearing the balls from mythological monsters was spent gruffly shagging mute slave girls. God of War was always something akin to Marvel does Greek mythology (which, to be fair, was pretty much how Homer did Greek mythology): all brutal set-pieces that, with their lingering camera angles and splattering money shots, treated violence as pornography. It was a peculiarly American vision for the mid-2000s video game action blockbuster, one that has aged quicker than its protagonist’s tribal tattoos. Continue reading...
Ivana is on a budget but still wants a new 13in machine that can handle tougher tasks than email and browsingI left my corporate job a few months ago and now need to purchase a new laptop for my work. I am looking for a 13in laptop in the £500-£700 range. I am not too picky about the aesthetics. What matters most is that it’s fast and can handle more tasks than just email and browsing. What is my best bet? Ivana
Firm counts cost of backlash by social media users after share price hits record lowShares in Snapchat’s parent company have hit a record low after its results revealed the cost of a backlash against a redesign of the social messaging app.Snap’s share price fell 22% to $10.96 (£8.05) in early trading as investors reacted to ongoing concerns over its struggle to compete with Facebook and its subsidiary Instagram. Continue reading...
Judges say Investigatory Powers Act is incompatible with EU law after legal challenge by LibertyThe British government must rewrite its mass data surveillance legislation because it is incompatible with European law, the high court has ruled.Judges have given ministers and officials six months to redraft the 2016 Investigatory Powers Act, labelled the snooper’s charter by critics, following a crowdfunded challenge by the human rights group Liberty.
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