Technology | The Guardian

Follow the launch of Apple’s latest hardware and software updates as they are announced

WhatsApp has accused an Israeli spyware company of hacking 1,400 of its users, including journalists, human rights activists and diplomatic officials. As new allegations emerge, Guardian US investigations correspondent Stephanie Kirchgaessner discusses how she first discovered the storyIn October 2019, the encrypted messaging app WhatsApp filed a lawsuit against a little known Israeli technology company called NSO Group. It accused the group of being responsible for a series of highly sophisticated cyber-attacks on 1,400 of its users, many of them human rights activists, journalists and diplomatic officials. It was the latest twist in a saga that the Guardian’s Stephanie Kirchgaessner had been investigating for months.She tells Anushka Asthana that after working with researchers at the Canadian firm Citizen Lab, which tracks the use of spyware, she believes current and former clients of NSO Group include Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Kazakhstan, Morocco, Mexico and the United Arab Emirates. Continue reading...

Amnesty alleges phone of Omar Radi in Morocco was infected by NSO’s Pegasus softwareAs NSO Group faced mounting criticism last year that its hacking software was being used illegally against journalists, dissidents and campaigners around the world, the Israeli spyware company unveiled a new policy that it said showed its commitment to human rights.Now an investigation has alleged that another journalist, Omar Radi in Morocco, was targeted with NSO’s Pegasus software and put under surveillance just days after the company made that promise. Continue reading...

Cut of up to 30% charged by app stores obstructs fair competition, claims Brad SmithMicrosoft has thrown its weight behind calls for an antitrust investigation into App Store monopolies, piling yet more pressure on Apple as the iPhone maker prepares for its annual developer conference on Monday.Brad Smith, Microsoft’s president, criticised the 30% cut that app stores take from developers this month, and argued that the policy is a far higher burden on fair competition than the issues that led to Microsoft’s antitrust case in the early 2000s. Continue reading...

PC; Riot Games

From the cheap and cheerful through to the classic or luxury, there’s something for everyoneWith many of us still stuck working at home because of the coronavirus crisis and some employers saying it could be months before they reopen offices, it is time to start seriously thinking about your home set-up and whether it could be more comfortable and efficient. A decent keyboard and mouse could prove a good investment – ensuring your working day takes less of a long-term toll on your joints.With seemingly endless options to choose from, here’s a quick guide to some standouts, from the dirt cheap to the ergonomic. Continue reading...

Scam email tries to exploit Microsoft platform used by schools in bid coinciding with prime minister’s warning of wider cyber-attack

The PM’s reluctance to be drawn on details is understandable but the curious way he presented the threat invited questionsIt was a moment of farce just hours after a sombre-sounding Australian prime minister delivered the grim news that a wide range of the nation’s public and private sector organisations “are currently being targeted by a sophisticated state-based cyber actor”.What, journalists wanted to know, did Scott Morrison mean by “currently” experiencing these attacks? Continue reading...

Security officials fear UK telcos could run out of vital parts if US pressure disrupts suppliesBritish security officials have told telecoms operators to ensure they have adequate stockpiles of Huawei equipment owing to fears that US sanctions will disrupt the Chinese firm’s ability to maintain critical supplies, according to a letter seen by Reuters.Senior officials at the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC), who are studying the impact of new US measures intended to restrict Huawei’s ability to source advanced microchips, wrote to BT and Vodafone last week, said three people familiar with the matter. Continue reading...

Matt Hancock had doubts about US software’s accuracy in measuring proximity to potential coronavirus carriers

Novel design blends open-ear but secure fit with good sound, great controls and long battery lifeMicrosoft has finally launched a competitor to Apple’s AirPods and Samsung’s Galaxy Buds+ with its Surface Earbuds – and they are just a little bit different from the rest.The Surface Earbuds cost £199.99 and only come in grey. Their distinctive design certainly stands out. Continue reading...

The ‘state-based cyber actor’ Morrison announced as having targeted Australia is exploiting well-known vulnerabilities, they say

It’s a bit fiddly on your phone, but guiding Soviet cosmonaut Ivan through lush jungles and forgotten cities is still a lot of fun

BBC radio boss tells MPs regulation could allow other digital assistants to competeServices such as Amazon’s Alexa could be regulated to allow rival digital assistants to operate on smart speakers and stop the tech giants building a monopoly “in people’s kitchens and living rooms”, the head of the BBC’s radio operation has said.James Purnell, the director of radio and education at the BBC, made the comments weeks after the BBC launched its own voice-activated digital assistant, named Beeb, which offers information such as news, weather and programmes. Continue reading...

EU will look at Apple practices after years of criticism from competitors and regulatorsApple Pay and the iOS App Store are being investigated over potential breaches of European competition rules, the EU’s competition commission announced on Tuesday.The two investigations come after years of growing criticism of Apple’s business practices from competitors like Spotify and regulators in the US and EU. If the iPhone maker is found to breach EU competetion rules it could face penalties of up to 10% of its global turnover. Continue reading...

Britain gave the world the first official group for female engineers, but still only 12% of the UK’s engineering workforce are womenIn June 1919, seven women came together in London to do something unprecedented: they founded the world’s first Women’s Engineering Society (WES), which survives to this day.The creation of WES was precipitated by the end of the first world war. Thousands of women had entered factories and gained practical engineering training, but the 1919 Restoration of Pre-War Practices Act forced women to hand over their jobs to men returninghome. The society’s founding aims were to protect job opportunities for women in engineering and to ensure training and educational prospects were available to make sure women could enter the field. Continue reading...

Social media site incorrectly removed historical photo on grounds of nudity, then for three days blocked and even banned users who posted link to articleFacebook has blocked and in some cases banned users who tried to share a Guardian article about the site incorrectly blocking an image of Aboriginal men in chains.On Saturday, Guardian Australia reported that Facebook had apologised for incorrectly preventing an Australian user from sharing the photo from the 1890s. Continue reading...

My friend Eric Solomon, who has died aged 85, was a renowned inventor of board games and puzzles, a keen sportsman and an operational researcher.I first met him on the testing panel of Games & Puzzles magazine in 1972. Eric provided the first in a series of “Readers’ Games” by describing his own (unpublished) game Fighting Sail. His subsequently published games were not numerous but were of sufficient originality to have withstood the test of time, being constantly republished over the years under various titles in the UK, Germany and the US. Continue reading...

It is the second-largest e-commerce platform in the US, yet remains anonymous. Will its new app change all that?You probably will not have heard of Shopify, or be able to say what the company does, but you will almost certainly have used it. The joggers you found on Instagram at the beginning of lockdown and have worn continually since? Those Gymshark shorts you haven’t used for months, now the gyms are closed? The coffee beans you bought online and ground at home, while you waited for the cafes to reopen?Shopify provides the technology for anyone to set up a store and sell their products online, from the visible end of the website to the processing capabilities necessary to add stock, track inventory and complete sales. Because it is affordable, Shopify is favoured by small- to medium-size brands that can’t afford to pay for costly, custom website builds. Basic packages start at £29 per month. About 1m brands use its services, including major names such as Pepsi and Fashion Nova, and 80,000 of those merchants are based in the UK. Continue reading...

Facebook also blocks users from sharing Guardian Australia’s story based on its use of the imageFacebook incorrectly removed a post critical of the prime minister’s comments regarding slavery in Australia that featured a photograph of Aboriginal men in neck chains from the late 1800s, claiming the photo featured nudity.On Thursday, Scott Morrison said that there was no slavery in this country. Continue reading...

The API gives firms access to a text generation AI for use in coding and dating entryOpenAI, the machine learning nonprofit co-founded by Elon Musk, has released its first commercial product: a rentable version of a text generation tool the organisation once deemed too dangerous to release.Dubbed simply “the API”, the new service lets businesses directly access the most powerful version of GPT-3, OpenAI’s general purpose text generation AI. Continue reading...

Health secretary heard saying he ‘should have known’ about video consultation breachThe health secretary was caught on a live microphone admitting he was unaware of a data breach involving confidential patient information at his own GP practice until asked about it at a virtual conference.Babylon Health, a telemedicine company that enables people to have GP consultations over video chat, admitted to the breach on Tuesday night. A software error in the company’s app had led to patients being presented with recordings of other users’ consultations with their doctors. At least three patients were affected, the company said, and none of them had viewed the videos. Continue reading...

Finally, a reality show in which contestants don’t have to feign interest in finding love and can be honest about the end goalInstant Influencer, a new competition to find YouTube’s next viral make-up vlogger, might be 2020’s most transparent reality show. Even for those completely horrified by every second word in that sentence, it’s a fascinating insight into a billion-dollar industry – both a completely vapid and endlessly interesting watch, bingeable in a night. Forget MasterChef: who knew video editing to a time limit could be so suspenseful?For once, contestants don’t have to feign interest in finding love and can be honest about the end goal: selling #spon on social media. Again and again across its four episodes and without any hint of self-awareness, the six contestants say they need to prove their talents as an influencer and an artist, always in that order. It would be depressing if it wasn’t so absorbing. Continue reading...

CEO writes to US Congress calling for ‘national dialogue’ about use in law enforcementIBM is pulling out of the facial recognition market and is calling for “a national dialogue” on the technology’s use in law enforcement.The abrupt about-face comes as technology companies are facing increased scrutiny over their contracts with police amid violent crackdowns on peaceful protest across America. Continue reading...

Activists say the company’s work, which includes commercial partnerships with law enforcement, harms communities of colorAmazon on Monday became the latest tech company to face criticism for sharing public-facing statements supporting police reform and the Black Lives Matter movement while continuing internal policies and business practices that perpetuate the status quo.Amazon on Twitter has called for an end to “the inequitable and brutal treatment of black people” in the US and has put a “Black lives matter” banner at the top of its home page. Its chief executive officer, Jeff Bezos, on Sunday posted on Instagram an email from a customer criticizing the BLM banner on Amazon’s home page, and said the emailer is the kind of customer he’s “happy to lose”. Continue reading...

Love The Sims, but wish it were more in line with your green sensibilities? The famous life-simulation game has had an eco makeover in its new expansion packThe Sims is often held up as a shiny, romanticised example of the capitalist ideal: work hard, earn money, acquire stuff, and happiness will follow. The game is stranger and funnier than that in reality – browse Sims YouTube for half an hour and you’ll quickly see that the stories players tell within this world are far weirder and more diverse than “get money, get happy”, often involving ghosts, thwarted dreams and scandalous pregnancies – but it’s still very much Conspicuous Consumption: The Game.Last week, however, The Sims went explicitly eco-conscious with a new expansion pack, Eco Lifestyle, which lets you design Sims and neighbourhoods around sustainability and climate-conscious choices. Or sack all of that off and live in a filthy, smoggy nightmare town covered in trash. The Sims has never judged you. Continue reading...

Firm’s plan to replace editors with AI backfires after wrong image of musician is publishedMicrosoft’s decision to replace human journalists with robots has backfired, after the tech company’s artificial intelligence software illustrated a news story about racism with a photo of the wrong mixed-race member of the band Little Mix.A week after the Guardian revealed plans to fire the human editors who run MSN.com and replace them with Microsoft’s artificial intelligence code, an early rollout of the software resulted in a story about the singer Jade Thirlwall’s personal reflections on racism being illustrated with a picture of her fellow band member Leigh-Anne Pinnock. Continue reading...

Exclusive: pressure grows on website’s founder over refusal to take down president’s postsPressure from Facebook staff is continuing to mount on Mark Zuckerberg over his policies towards posts by Donald Trump, with moderators joining those criticising their boss for his stance.The moderators penned an open letter to their colleagues in support of virtual walkouts that have broken out at the company, after Zuckerberg refused to take down posts by Trump that many believed breached the site’s policies on incitement of violence. Continue reading...

If software is not kept up-to-date, items can lose functionality and become a security riskSmart appliances that can be controlled remotely and will let you know if there is a fault or other problem may not be worth paying extra for unless manufacturers commit to keeping software updated, Which? has warned.The consumer group said that smart fridges, dishwashers and tumble dryers cost hundreds of pounds more than their conventional counterparts, but in some cases could be rendered obsolete after as little as two years. Continue reading...

Ministers call for evidence on video games such as Fifa that charge money for rewards

High-profile researchers urge CEO not to let president spread ‘misinformation and incendiary statements’ amid protests over racial injusticeMore than 140 scientists funded by Mark Zuckerberg have said Facebook should not be letting Donald Trump use the social media platform to “spread both misinformation and incendiary statements”.The researchers, who include more than 60 professors at leading US research institutions and one Nobel laureate, sent the Facebook CEO a letter on Saturday asking him to “consider stricter policies on misinformation and incendiary language that harms people”, especially during the current turmoil over racial injustice. Continue reading...

Still nimble-fingered pensioner Hamako Mori holds Guinness world record as oldest gaming YouTuberEvery day 90-year-old Japanese grandma Hamako Mori flexes her fingers to keep them nimble. Not for knitting or needlepoint, but to stay in shape for playing video games.The pensioner known as “Gamer Grandma” spends three or more hours a day battling monsters and going on missions in the virtual worlds of her favourite games, and even has a popular YouTube channel for her fans. Continue reading...

Donald Trump knows that Facebook can help him win in November, and Zuckerberg has too much to lose by censoring himWatching the violent chaos night after night in the US, I keep thinking of what Benjamin Franklin said to the woman who asked him, as he emerged from the constitutional convention in 1787: “Well, Doctor, what have we got, a republic or a monarchy?” To which he famously replied: “A republic, if you can keep it.” What’s happening on the streets there at the moment suggests that they could be coming close to losing it.When Trump was elected, I was assured by my American friends that the republic’s democratic institutions, conventions and constitution were strong enough to rein in the narcissistic despot. Sure, it might be a rollercoaster ride, they conceded, but the republic would pull through. Well, if my transatlantic email is anything to go by, some of that cheery confidence seems to have evaporated. Continue reading...

CEO acknowledges many staff believe social network ‘should have labeled’ president’s post criticized for inciting violenceMark Zuckerberg has said Facebook will review its content policies after facing widespread backlash, including from its own employees, over the decision to leave up controversial posts from Donald Trump.Facebook will look at improving content policies while also building products to advance racial justice, the CEO said on Friday in response to the protests in the United States. Continue reading...

After 70-plus folds a day for four months, the screen is pristine, the hinge is smooth, and it’s still the most interesting phone of the yearWhen Samsung released its Galaxy Z Flip, a phone with a screen that folds in half, the big question was whether the technology was really ready for use outside a lab. I spent the last four months with it to find out.Samsung’s second attempt at a smartphone with a folding screen, the Galaxy Z Flip promised one thing above all: a big, tall display that fits in a pocket. Continue reading...

The president’s account can remain on the platform, but will not be promoted in its Discover featureCiting a commitment not to “amplify voices who incite racial violence and injustice”, Snap said on Wednesday that it will no longer promote Donald Trump’s posts to users who do not already follow him, increasing pressure on Facebook over its stance on the president’s violent rhetoric.“We are not currently promoting the president’s content on Snapchat’s Discover platform,” a spokesperson for Snap said in a statement, referring to a section of the social media app where users can see content from news outlets, professional publishers and public figures. Continue reading...

Firm that said privacy no longer a ‘social norm’ rolls out tool to delete or archiveFacebook users no longer need to worry about their teenage posts coming back to haunt them in later life, thanks to a new tool for deleting hundreds or thousands of posts at once.The “manage activity” feature, available now on Facebook’s mobile apps, lets users search for and remove posts from a particular time, mentioning a particular person, or within a range of dates. Continue reading...

Google also aims to be part of rise in teleconferencing during coronavirus crisis

The teleconferencing company made $27m in the first quarter and expects sales to double despite security and privacy fearsCoronavirus latest updatesThe teleconferencing company Zoom has seen a massive increase in profits and has doubled its annual sales forecast, driven by a surge in users as more people work from home and connect with friends online during the coronavirus crisis.The once-obscure Zoom Video Communications, which has rapidly emerged as the latest Silicon Valley gold mine, released financial results on Tuesday showing the astronomical growth that has turned it into a stock market star. Continue reading...

Tom Cotton tells MPs the US will review intelligence sharing if firm’s kit is usedA Republican senator told MPs that using Huawei kit in 5G phone networks would be akin to allowing Russia to build submarines for western nations during the cold war, in a tense hearing that saw him clash with opposition MPs.Tom Cotton, who represents Arkansas, said he had geopolitical and technical objections to Huawei and claimed that, if hacked, its equipment could track the movements of key parts for F-35 fighter jets. Continue reading...

Is that accent dire? Is that disguise realistic? Could that car chase have really happened like that? This YouTube series brings in the expertsTo put on an accent is to invite criticism. We all remember those performances in which an actor has taken a flying leap at mimicking a linguistic form that is not their own and either nailed it, or sailed so far off the side of the balance beam they’ve landed on a broken ankle. In the former camp, in my books: Kate Winslet in The Dressmaker (it’s like she was born in Australia!) and Ben Schnetzer in Pride (he’s not from Northern Ireland?!). In the latter camp, well, you should hear my “Anthony Newley’s ‘Oirish’ accent in Doctor Dolittle” impression.That’s why when Wired teamed up with the dialect coach Eric Singer for Technique Critique, a 2016 video essay in which Singer assessed the performances of 32 actors doing accents, it was like Christmas for me. Continue reading...

Feature will not be part of app’s next release following accusations of hypocrisyGrindr is removing an “ethnicity filter” from its dating app as part of its support for the Black Lives Matter movement, the company announced on Monday.The controversial feature, limited to those who stump up £12.99 a month for the premium version of the app, allows users to sort search results based on reported ethnicity, height, weight and other characteristics. Continue reading...

The company recently announced it had raised an extra $4.1bn to be used for ‘strategic’ investmentsThe government-owned National Broadband Network should consider buying fibre networks from Telstra and other fibre operators across Australia covering up to 300,000 homes, Labor has said.Last month, NBN Co announced it had managed to raise an extra $4.1bn in private debt facility, pushing the total debt to be taken on by the company to $55bn. Continue reading...

Scientists use kirigami techniques to create a sole with pop-up, high-friction spikesThe Japanese art of paper cutting and folding, or kirigami, has led to mind-bending 3D structures from 2D sheets, including spectacular pop-up designs. But now researchers have been getting to grips with the technique for a very down-to-earth reason: creating non-slip shoes.Scientists have revealed they have developed a kirigami-inspired sole, where tiny spikes pop up from its surface as the shoe is bent during walking. The team found the spikes enhance grip, which could help prevent potentially fatal falls. Continue reading...

Lockdown has been good for Jelle’s Marble Runs, which has acquired more than 1m YouTube subscribers

The standout moments in this cutting-edge action game come not just from the many thrilling set pieces – but from the quiet intensity of the conversationsNow 25 years on from the outbreak, Seattle is completely overgrown. Abandoned cars are still lined up on the highway, rusted and rooted down by vegetation bursting through the tarmac. Skyscrapers still pierce the sky, their metal skeletons exposed by the bombs that were dropped in early, vain attempts to contain the fungal sickness that was spreading through the population. In any one of these buildings, there could still be the infected: aggressive runners, who still retain at least the appearance of humanity, or the skin-crawling clickers, hosts who have long since lost their sight and selves to the fungus – or worse.As usual in post-apocalyptic fiction, there are also other people out to do you harm. In The Last of Us Part II, you are Ellie, a 19-year-old survivor who happens to be the only known person with immunity to the contagion that’s destroyed humanity – but immunity won’t save her from bullets, or from being savaged to death, so whenever you get into a combat situation the tension is absurdly high. This isn’t a game with shootouts and explosions and powerful weapons – instead it’s desperate grappling with a knife, improvised molotov cocktails, hiding prone in long grass while people patrol with guard dogs. Continue reading...

Test your knowledge of the online world – and discover how easy it is to launch a website for your business

The NHS test and trace app fails on several counts; no wonder ministers are resorting to peer pressure to encourage uptake

Automatons have been chipping in with the effort to beat Covid, from disinfecting hospitals to delivering groceriesSingapore park-goers have been reminded of their social distancing obligations by Boston Dynamics’ yellow “dog”. The robot hound is equipped with numerous cameras and sensors, which it can use to detect transgressors and broadcast pre-recorded warnings. The authorities have reassured locals it is not a quadruped data-collection device. Continue reading...