Technology | The Guardian

As explanations swirl in Washington for how tools were stolen, sources say an agent, an unsecured computer and Russian hackers are the focusA careless agent. A cache of hacking tools left on a remote and unsecured computer. A shadowy group of Russian hackers. A fire-sale on the deep web.This is the current focus of a inquiry into a cache of NSA exploits that were dumped on to public websites last month by a group calling itself the Shadow Brokers, four people with direct knowledge of the probe investigation told Reuters. Continue reading...

Airbnb is worth more than Hilton Hotels, but its controversial business model depends on local authorities allowing it to operate outside of hotel lawsSleeping in other people’s beds has turned out to be a goldmine for rental startup Airbnb. The controversial Silicon Valley company has raised another half a billion dollars from investors at a price that values the company at $30bn.The company is expected to file a notice with the securities and exchange commission (SEC) on Thursday, according to Fortune, which first reported the news. Continue reading...

Despite some clumsy partnerships with brands and scrappy tools, Snapchat’s most evangelistic users say this is the new platform for emerging talentA meeting of Snapchat evangelists held in the heart of London’s hipster Silicon Roundabout district could have been ripe for mockery. And there was a lot of social media buzzwordery, with popular Snapchatters, brands and ad agencies talking about how the social app is evolving.Most of the Snapchat users at SnapHappen – an independent event not organised by Snapchat itself – describe themselves as “storytellers” and “great artists”, even those whose stories are bro-tastic vlogs or top-five listicle videos, and whose art is often promotional content for brands. The first mention of “thinking out of the box” came after 10am, but it wasn’t the last unfortunate quote. Continue reading...

State law has prevented the electric vehicle manufacturer from selling cars without franchised dealers, arguing that it is ‘entitled to a vehicle dealer license’Tesla is to sue Michigan governor Rick Snyder and other state officials in federal court over the state’s refusal to allow the company to sell its luxury electric cars directly to customers.The suit at the US district court in Michigan comes days after the state rejected the electric vehicle manufacturer’s application to directly sell vehicles to consumers. Unlike other automakers, Tesla does not sell vehicles through franchised dealers. Tesla’s suit says it is seeking on an expedited basis an order that it is “entitled to a vehicle dealer license”. Continue reading...

Newspaper companies urge ministers to ‘ensure that online platforms operate within a framework that is fair, non-abusive and respectful of media plurality’Newspaper publishers have called on the government to curb the activities of search engines and social media websites.Through their trade body, the News Media Association (NMA), they delivered a briefing to ministers on Thursday about their concerns. Continue reading...

This new NPR podcast tells the story of how modest entrepreneurs Kevin Systrom and Mike Krieger came up with one of the fastest-growing apps of all timeInstagram is one of those modern day inventions that nobody knew they wanted until it was there. In NPR’s brilliant new podcast, How I Built This, Guy Raz talks to Kevin Systrom and Mike Krieger, the two men responsible for bringing the ability to put a filter on your smashed avocado to the masses.“I think the best thing for any entrepreneur is failure,” says Systrom, whose road to success sounds like something out of a Douglas Coupland-esque fairytale. Working as a travel agent by day and learning to code by night, he came up with the idea for a check-in app, Burbn. After mingling with investors in a bar, he secured half a million dollars and found someone with a “shared interest in tinkering”: Krieger. “My future flashed before my eyes talking to Kevin,” he says. Continue reading...

Couple plans to invest $3bn over next decade to help scientists develop and utilise tools such as artificial intelligence and blood monitors to treat illnessesMark Zuckerberg and his wife, Priscilla Chan, have laid out plans to invest $3bn over the next 10 years with the not insignificant goal of tackling all diseases.“Can we cure, prevent or manage all disease by the end of this century?” asked Zuckerberg, speaking in front of a packed lecture theater at the University of California, San Francisco’s (UCSF) William J Rutter Center. Continue reading...

Variable State’s title offers a different way of storytelling, but relies heavily on unrelatable and abstract imageryLike all art, gaming is full of copycats. First-person shooters used to be known as “Doom clones”. There are probably as many match-3 games as there are planets in No Man’s Sky. But some games are less copied than others, even when they impress critics and inspire a cult following. So it’s good to see a new game that’s unabashedly inspired by Blendo Games’ Thirty Flights of Loving.Virginia may be longer than Thirty Flights, clocking in at about the length of a film, but it’s similar in form. It’s played in first-person, though the first scene begins with the player character in front of a mirror so you can see that she’s a woman of colour: Anne Tarver, newly appointed to the FBI. You play through a week in her life in the early 90s, as she and her partner Maria Halperin investigate the case of a missing child, in a series of short scenes. Continue reading...

Project focusing on tackling social issues and encouraging tolerance to feature an initial six YouTubers from around the world

Chinese drivers use zombie-like profile pictures in scam to trick users into paying a cancellation feeChina has a so-called “ghost driver” problem, with Uber passengers being scammed out of rides and money, fearful of being picked up by what looks like a zombie.

As smart toys gain popularity, many are hoping that when technology becomes less visible play will come to the fore

Mobile telecoms firm will halt 140 years of manufacturing in home country as part of cost cuts, according to Swedish mediaMobile telecoms company Ericsson is reportedly planning to close the last of its Swedish manufacturing sites as part of planned savings, cutting about 3,000 jobs and ending 140 years of production in its home country.

Ruth is upset because she’s receiving unwanted emails at Yahoo Mail and the firm isn’t helping. Is there anything she can do?For some time now, I have been receiving from five to 20 unwanted “adult” emails per day. I followed Yahoo’s advice on how to block these emails, but I still am receiving them. I contacted Yahoo again, but within the blink of an eye, I received a standard response email stating that my case was closed. I have also emailed the CEO of Yahoo UK, and I am angry with the complete indifference that Yahoo has shown.How can I stop these emails? I was thinking of sending them back to the sender, but I’m wondering if it will have any impact. Ruth Continue reading...

The ex-politician asked her to undress and masturbate over video chat, as well as engage in rape fantasies among plethora of erotic exchanges, Daily Mail reportsDisgraced former US congressman Anthony Weiner, whose career nosedived after he was caught sending sexually explicit texts and images to young women while he was still married, has allegedly spent several months this year in an online, highly explicit relationship with a 15-year-old girl, according to a new report.

Facebook chief executive Mark Zuckerberg and his wife, Priscilla Chan unveil plan to spend more than $3bn over 10 years to ‘cure, prevent or manage all disease within our children’s lifetime’. Investments will include a bioscience research centre, plans for a microchip to diagnose diseases, continuous bloodstream monitoring and a map of cell types in the body. Continue reading...

Jobs advertised on sites such as as Freelancer.com and PeoplePerHour leapt by 14% since May, says Online Labour indexThe number of jobs in the online gig economy advertised by UK employers has leapt by 14% since May, according to a new index.There has been a rapid increase in the use of online platforms by companies and individuals who want to engage remote workers for piecemeal, short-term or project-based work delivered over the internet. Continue reading...

Rumoured takeover of F1 team owner would be Apple’s biggest deal since it bought Beats headphones in 2014Apple has been linked with a shock £1.5bn deal to buy McLaren Technology Group, the Formula One team owner and supercar maker.

Margrethe Vestager is on a US charm offensive, making the case about recovering alleged unpaid taxes – but she has been met with more offense than charmIn the wake of last month’s controversial decision by the European Commission to seek “recovery of illegal state aid” for alleged unpaid taxes in Ireland from Apple of up to €13bn – plus interest – the European competition commissioner, Margrethe Vestager, went to the United States this week on a “charm offensive” to make her case to government officials, lawmakers and trade officials.Vestager met with US treasury secretary Jacob Lew, had a closed-door session with members of the US Senate finance committee, and spoke at the Global Antitrust Enforcement Symposium at Georgetown University, where she gave a vigorous defense of the EC’s decision. Continue reading...

Recruitment revamp will mix gaming with video interviews in attempt to limit unconscious bias in selection processUnilever has begun using mobile gaming to recruit staff, with the aim of speeding up recruitment, lowering costs and promoting diversity.The consumer goods giant, whose products range from Dove soap to Flora margarine and Marmite, plans to launch the process in the UK after introducing it in parts of Asia and the US. The British-Dutch company received 250,000 applications from graduates globally last year. Continue reading...

The Formula 1 and supercar manufacturer has expertise to turn prototype into product, just what Apple needs to get its self-driving car project back on the roadApple’s possible acquisition of McLaren Technology Group, first reported in the Financial Times, could be just what the company’s troubled self-driving car effort, code-named Project Titan, needs to get back on track.The loss-making British automotive group is far more than just a Formula 1 team and supercar manufacturer. It has a tradition for innovation stretching back decades, including the first carbon fibre car in Formula 1 and the first carbon fibre-bodied road car, the McLaren F1. Continue reading...

NHS waiting lists | Jeremy Corbyn’s nuclear stance | Drivers using mobiles | Cryptic crosswordAs I read your article about waiting lists of up to 467 days for cataract removal on the NHS (21 September), a circular arrived through my door offering cataract operations within two weeks from private healthcare provider Nuffield Health. Could the two be related, I wonder?

Your leader (20 September) is wrong to suggest that drivers who use the Uber app in London are not regulated. All UK drivers are licensed by the local authority and must have commercial insurance in place. In the capital, this process includes going through the same enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service check as teachers and black cab drivers, a medical assessment and a map reading test.What we object to is Transport for London piling unnecessary extra costs on to private hire drivers that won’t apply to black cab drivers, such as written English exams costing £200. These new rules threaten the livelihoods of thousands of drivers. Continue reading...

Brussels plans to scrap 90-day limit on free roaming after outcry from members of European parliamentConsumers across Europe should be able to pay the same for using their mobile phones abroad as they do in their home country for an unlimited number of days, under plans being debated by the European commission as it tries to abolish roaming charges.

We all know the feeling that comes the morning after an ill-advised message. When I Think About You I Text Myself provides an artful solutionIt’s late. You’re a little worse for wear. And feeling nostalgic.You know that what you really shouldn’t do now is send a text, yet the more you try to talk yourself out of it, the worse the urge gets. Continue reading...

A Silicon Valley apartment complex wants to attract high-income tenants who work at top tech firms – but critics ask, what is the human cost?The recent eviction notice that Laura Hernandez and her husband received at their one-bedroom apartment in Silicon Valley did not say why they were being kicked out.But executives at Trion Properties, a private equity firm that recently purchased their building, have made it unusually clear that they want a different kind of tenant – high-paid technology workers at the nearby headquarters of Facebook, which is planning a large campus expansion. Continue reading...

Coalition of officials and advocacy groups wants to return authority over domestic spying to townships and cities that legally oversee police departmentsLocal officials in 11 cities around the US launched a campaign on Wednesday to crack down on the unsanctioned police use of surveillance equipment, especially devices that imitate cellphone towers.

Google said Allo would only store user data ‘transiently’ – but reports suggest it has rolled back on the promise in return for better performanceGoogle’s new messaging app, Allo, is just a bit snoopier than the company promised it would be back in May.The app is already viewed with suspicion by many privacy advocates, because its integration with Google’s new AI assistant (called, imaginatively, Assistant) requires messages to be sent without end-to-end encryption on by default. That means Google’s Assistant can read your messages, and provide contextual aid – but it also means Google can read them, and so too can law enforcement, national security and anyone else with a valid warrant. Continue reading...

With the release of the virtual reality system in the UK we’d like to hear your reviews

AJ Odudu told to mark future similar Twitter posts with #ad to make it clear they are marketing

The business of selling spring and foam was once a staid affair. Now firms such as Simba, Casper and Eve are taking cues from – and sharing investors with – Twitter and SnapchatIf you’ve glanced at the ads for Simba, Eve or Casper, you’d be forgiven for thinking they were flogging some kind of new gadget. They have the aesthetic of tech startups everywhere, tout the research and development that went into their sparkly new products, and offer eye-catching, venture capital-funded deals. If you look more closely, however, you’ll see they’re actually selling mattresses.But why would companies selling foam, springs and fabric be posturing as Silicon Valley brands? The answer is mattress-selling has changed. Continue reading...

The cyber hackers are trying to conflate athletes’ therapeutic use drug exemptions with Russian state-sponsored doping. They do not amount to a ‘licence to dope’We live in an age when many Olympic and elite sporting feats are greeted with suspicion. Consciously or not, when something spectacular is achieved, there lingers scepticism. The seed of doubt has already been sown in the minds of many observers thanks to the misdemeanours of those that have gone before.Incidents of doping become conflated. Some perceive that everyone must be cheating. Arguments are made in favour of doping deregulation: scrap rules regarding banned substances and permit a free-for-all, to ensure a level playing field across sport. Continue reading...

Research shows a simple diet and exercise plan is more effective weight loss strategy than using Fitbit and Jawbone devicesThey have become the must-have for fitness fans but wearable gadgets that track users’ physical activity may not help people lose weight, a new study has found.Instead of motivating users to do more exercise over the day, the two-year survey found the devices were actually less effective at encouraging people to lose weight than simply following a diet and exercise plan. Continue reading...

Apparent error by a regime tech worker gave the world a rare glimpse into the few online sources of information availableThe internet is awash with news and comment about North Korea, from its nuclear tests to speculation about the health of its leader, Kim Jong-un. But its own contribution to the world wide web is tiny, according to a leak that revealed the country has just 28 registered domains.

Made of elastic spangles, this lightweight, ambidextrous glove can repel the sharpest of kitchen implements. But don’t we want a bit of skin in the game?The Microplane cut-resistant glove (£14.95, John Lewis) is a synthetic-knit hand cover. Flexible fibres withstand cutting action, protecting tactile members within. Continue reading...

The place to talk about games and other things that matterIt’s Wednesday. Continue reading...

A hyperlink from the airline’s website was an hour out, so when I got to the airport, the flight was closedI booked a return flight with easyJet from Gatwick to Ibiza in May. The confirmation email contained a hyperlink to add the details of the flight to the calendar function on my iPhone. It said the flight was due to leave at 6.35am; we turned up at the airport at 5am, only to find that the flight details had been incorrectly imported. The flight was in fact departing at 5.35am and the gate was closed.EasyJet had not heard of a problem like this before and was unable to help. We managed to find a flight with another carrier later in the day, but at considerable cost. Continue reading...

The new Super Mario Run game will take on Pokemon Go later this year but our writer goes one better – dressing up as the gaming icon for a go kart tour of TokyoTyres screech. Children scream. Men cry … I’m causing a scene on the streets of Tokyo. Perhaps it’s my shiny modified ride, all flashing indicators and gutsy exhaust. Or my cool ensemble of blue dungarees, tomato-red top and oversized cap. Or maybe it’s my new moustache, dangling limply from my sweaty upper lip.For today, and for one day only, just call me Mario. Super Mario, in fact – gaming icon and the planet’s most-cherished Italian plumber. Over the next three hours I’m touring the neighbourhoods of Tokyo in a pimped-up, road-ready go kart. Continue reading...

Google’s play for the future of chatbots and search includes smart replies, drawing on images, stickers and group chatGoogle has launched its latest mobile chat app, Allo, and with it Google Assistant – a chatbot that can be used in online conversations with friends.The messaging app, which is available for Android and the iPhone, has similar features to most other messaging clients: stickers, emoji, the ability to draw on images like Snapchat and the choice of group or one-on-one chats. Messages are not encrypted end-to-end by default – unlike on WhatsApp, which it will compete with – but can be switched to an incognito mode to do so and set how long they exist before they’re deleted. Continue reading...

ProPublica investigation found that algorithms placed items in the prominent ‘buy box’ on the website that weren’t always the cheapestAmazon’s algorithms encourage customers pay more than they need to for popular products and appear to give more prominence to items that benefit the retail giant, according to an investigation by ProPublica.

Sales of specialist bakeware rise during The Great British Bake Off and flat cap purchases peak during Peaky BlindersPrimetime TV programmes such as The Great British Bake Off and Game of Thrones have helped fuel a boom in “dual-screening” by consumers – watching television while simultaneously browsing and shopping online – new research has revealed.Reinforcing the ongoing “Bake Off effect” on retail sales, shoppers are snapping up specialist bakeware such as tins and cookie cutters from the comfort of their sofas via their laptop, tablet or smartphone during the programme, according to online marketplace eBay. Continue reading...

The virtual reality headset comes with access to hundreds of gaming experiences, with an Xbox controller included in the boxThe Oculus Rift virtual reality system has arrived in the UK for the first time, with consumers now able to buy the headset on the high street.The Facebook-owned system has been available in the US and online since earlier this year, although many customers have seen their shipments delayed due to the high demand and issues with supply. Continue reading...

Technique known as NAND mirroring, which focuses on bypassing limit on password retry attempts, can be used to break into any model up to the 6The FBI paid more than $1.3m to unlock the San Bernardino shooter’s iPhone 5C, but one computer scientist from Cambridge University has shown that the passcodes can be hacked using a store-bought kit worth less than $100.Sergei Skorobogatov demonstrated a technique known as NAND mirroring – dismissed by the FBI director, James Comey, as being unworkable – to break into any model of iPhone up to the iPhone 6, including the iPhone 5C. He outlined the attack in a paper published last week as well as a YouTube video. Continue reading...

A government proposal calls on automakers to voluntarily submit details of how autonomous vehicle systems work, and why they failThe Obama administration is proposing deeper government involvement in the design of autonomous vehicle systems and calling on manufacturers to share more information about how such systems work and why they fail.A proposal put forward on Tuesday by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) calls on automakers to voluntarily submit details of self-driving vehicle systems to regulators – a 15 point “safety assessment”. Continue reading...

Jury at Southwark crown court in London finds company guilty on four charges of breaching air navigation rulesAmazon has been found guilty of shipping dangerous goods by air. The items included lithium-ion batteries and flammable aerosols, which were flown in and out of the UK between January 2014 and June 2015.Related: Incentivised reviews are warping Amazon’s product star ratings, report says Continue reading...

Chinese researchers were able to interfere with the car’s brakes, door locks and other electronic features, demonstrating an attack that could cause havocThree months since the first fatal crash involving a Tesla driving in autopilot mode, hackers have taken remote control of a Tesla Model S from a distance of 12 miles, interfering with the car’s brakes, door locks, dashboard computer screen and other electronically controlled features in the high-tech car.A team of Chinese security researchers – Samuel LV, Sen Nie, Ling Liu and Wen Lu from Keen Security Lab – were able to target the car wirelessly and remotely in an attack that could cause havoc for any Tesla driver. Continue reading...

The appalling working conditions in the factories of China producing the iPhone are mirrored in the African mines where major phone manufacturers source their minerals (Your new iPhone features include oppression, inequality – and vast profit, 19 September). In the Democratic Republic of Congo workers toil for 12 hours a day with their bare hands to harvest coltan, a mineral used in smartphones and other consumer electronics. The miners who use picks and shovels to extract coltan in the sweltering heat are typically paid $5 a day, just above the minimum wage in the DRC of $3 a day. Many of the mines use illegal child labour and are controlled by militias who have used them to fund years of conflict in the country.But there is a more ethical alternative to the major brands. The Fairphone is produced in a factory that ensures health and safety, as well as decent wages. It is also made with conflict-free minerals, which is a key starting point in avoiding some of the worst abuses of workers. Fairphone has been conceived and produced by a social enterprise which has worked hard to deliver transparency in both its production and supply chain. As a customer-owned co-operative, we are proud to work with Fairphone and be part of a movement working to improve conditions in the supply chain for mobile phones.

Biotechnologist and pioneer in bioprinting with living cellsJemma Redmond, who has died aged 38, founded the Irish 3D bioprinting startup Ourobotics, and developed the first 10-material bioprinter capable of using live human cells. Bioprinting – the use of 3D printing, with largely organic materials – is creating organs for surgeons to use in patients. Today, surgery using bioprinted body parts is in its first trials.In February 2016, the neurosurgeon Ralph Mobbs in Australia placed two 3D-printed cervical vertebrae, made of titanium, in the upper neck of a patient whose cancer tumour was slowly compressing his brain stem and spinal cord. It was a world first, and a rarely attempted surgery, largely because of the difficulty in making a fit with bone from elsewhere in the body. But much more can be done by printing with actual cells, instead of titanium. The next step – printing surgically usable kidneys, livers and hearts – requires advances in two areas, bioprinting and stem-cell technology, allowing printing to use a person’s own cells. Continue reading...

Games like Dear Esther take the environmental lessons of shooters and divert the focus from action to introversionThere are no puzzles, no enemies. You’re alone on a remote Hebridean island with little evidence of life beyond the cawing gulls, and the odd glimpse of a shadowy figure on the horizon. There is one path to follow, which guides you over the dunes and into caves lit by phosphorescent flora. The story unravels, not through the completion of tasks, but through a pondering, poetic narration, and scattered letters.Are you playing a game? Continue reading...

Siri lands on the Mac, you can now copy things between different Mac and iOS devices, your desktop now lives in the cloud – and everything can be tabbedOS X is dead. Long live macOS. Apple’s new version of its Mac operating system – Sierra – will be available for download later today.

If a song is worth a thousand swipes, then Tinder’s new partnership with Spotify will help you understand very quickly what your date is really likeIn just the latest indication that there are no new ideas, Tinder and Spotify are teaming up to turn the dating app into MySpace circa 2002.Tinder users will now have the option to choose a single song – their “anthem”, as Tinder is calling it – to add to your profile alongside a picture of that time you hugged a tiger and that time you hugged a small child of a different race. Tinder promises that the new feature will make its app “where the lyrics of your life meet the rhythm of your soul”, though chances are it will remain the place where the expectations of your parents meet the reality that you’re going to die alone. Continue reading...