Linux fréttir

U.S. Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard has condemned a British order requiring Apple to break its encrypted storage worldwide as an "egregious" violation of American rights that could breach the CLOUD Act facilitating cross-border investigations. In a letter [PDF] to Senator Ron Wyden and Representative Andy Biggs, Gabbard revealed she has directed a legal review of the secret order, which she learned about through media reports. "This would be a clear and egregious violation of Americans' privacy and civil liberties, and open up a serious vulnerability for cyber exploitation by adversarial actors," Gabbard wrote. The UK Home Office, under the Investigatory Powers Act, prohibited Apple from disclosing the order to Congress or U.S. regulators. The directive would have forced Apple to compromise its Advanced Data Protection encryption, enabling officials to access individual data. Apple refused compliance, instead withdrawing the secure storage option from UK customers while maintaining it elsewhere globally. Despite Apple's pullback, the UK demand for backdoor creation remains. Gabbard pledged to ensure UK actions protect American privacy rights "consistent with the CLOUD Act and other applicable laws."

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

Arm rolls out the Cortex-A320 for small embedded gear that needs the oomph for big-model inference

Arm predicts AI inferencing will soon be ubiquitous. In order to give devices the oomph they need for all that neural-network processing, it is beefing up its embedded platform with the first 64-bit Armv9 CPU core aimed at edge workloads.…

A Disney employee's download of an AI image generation tool from GitHub led to a massive data breach in July 2024, exposing over 44 million internal Slack messages. The software contained infostealer malware that compromised Matthew Van Andel's computer [non-paywalled source] for five months, giving hackers access to his 1Password manager. The attackers used the stolen credentials to access Disney's corporate systems, publishing sensitive information including customer data, employee passport numbers, and revenue figures from Disney's theme parks and streaming services. The breach also devastated Van Andel personally. Hackers exposed his Social Security number, financial login details, and even credentials for his home's Ring cameras. Shortly after the incident, Disney fired Van Andel following a forensic analysis of his work computer, citing misconduct he denies. Security researchers believe the attacker, who identified as part of a Russia-based hacktivist group called Nullbulge, is likely an American individual.

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

BP has announced it will cut its renewable energy investments and instead focus on increasing oil and gas production. The energy giant revealed the shift in strategy on Wednesday following pressure from some investors unhappy its profits and share price have been lower than its rivals. From a report: BP said it would increase its investments in oil and gas by about 20% to $10bn a year, while decreasing previously planned funding for renewables by more than $5bn. The move comes as rivals Shell and Norwegian company Equinor have also scaled back plans to invest in green energy and US President Donald Trump's "drill baby drill" comments have encouraged investment in fossil fuels.

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

Safeguard hold applied after designer darling borked by problematic update

Microsoft has thrown up another safeguard hold for Windows 11 24H2. This time, it's problems with AutoCAD 2022 that are to blame.…

Amazon has launched a comprehensive AI overhaul of Alexa, representing the voice assistant's most significant update since its 2014 debut. The new "Alexa Plus" enables multi-turn conversations without repeating wake words, replacing the previous command-response interaction model. The system now handles complex tasks including booking concert tickets, making restaurant reservations via Yelp integration, and creating smart home routines autonomously. Technical capabilities include image analysis, content-aware movie navigation, and semantic music search that processes vague descriptors rather than exact titles. Originally announced in September 2023 for early 2024 release, the update faced prolonged delays as Amazon engineers struggled with technical challenges. Internal testing revealed the new AI-powered assistant performed inconsistently against OpenAI's ChatGPT and suffered from verbose responses. Amazon's legacy architecture -- designed to retrieve predefined answers rather than generate responses dynamically -- complicated the transition to generative AI models. The launch represents a critical test for Devices & Services chief Panos Panay, who replaced Dave Limp amid reorganization following layoffs that affected the division.

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

CEO assures investors he'll plough headcount savings into risk-management enterprise product

Workday has confirmed that AI did indeed cost the job of colleagues that are leaving the organization following a restructuring plan cooked up by executive head chef Carl Eschenbach. How so? The money the org expects to save will be ploughed into its Agent System of Record platform.…

More than 90% of UK undergraduate students now use AI in their studies, up from two-thirds a year ago, according to a Higher Education Policy Institute survey released Wednesday. The poll of 1,041 full-time undergraduates found 88% used generative AI such as ChatGPT for assessments, compared with 53% in 2024, with science students more likely to use the technology than humanities peers. Half of students cited "saving time" and "improving work quality" as their primary motivations. The proportion considering it acceptable to include AI-generated text after editing rose to 25% from 17% last year, while only 6% approved using AI content without editing. "Every assessment must be reviewed in case it can be completed easily using AI," said Josh Freeman, policy manager at Hepi. The report identified "persistent digital divides" in AI competency, with men and students from wealthier backgrounds more likely to be frequent users.

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

Chromebook-area pricing for latest designs

Framework, maker of modular and repairable laptops, is aiming at a wider audience with an upcoming 12-inch touchscreen convertible that will target the entry-level market.…

The Guardian: For some, the adverts that precede the start of a film are the bane of a trip to the cinema; for others, they are a useful buffer as you stand in the popcorn queue. But for one man in India, the lengthy marathon of cinema advertising was so infuriating that he took the matter to the courts -- and won. Abhishek MR, a 30-year-old man from the southern city of Bangalore, had booked a trip to the cinema with friends in December last year to watch wartime drama Sam Bahadur. But while the scheduled time he had booked the ticket for was 4.05pm, he had to sit through 25 minutes of adverts for upcoming features and commercial items such as homewares, mobile phones and cars before the film actually began. Having planned to return to work straight after the film, Abhishek MR was angered by what he felt was a costly disruption to his life. He filed a lawsuit against PVR Inox, India's largest cinema multiplex chain, stating that: "The complainant could not attend other arrangements and appointments which were scheduled for the day and has faced losses that cannot be calculated in terms of money as compensation." Bruce66423 adds: Great outcome -- and only 25 minutes of garbage punished. Note that Indian cinemas also make patrons sit through 15 minutes of adverts in the middle of the film.

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

Technologist Bert Hubert tells The Reg Microsoft Outlook is a huge source of geopolitical risk

Interview Europeans are starting to worry that US companies’ dominance of the cloud represents untenable risk.…

British iPhone users have shown minimal reaction to Apple's decision to disable end-to-end encryption for UK iCloud customers, challenging the company's assumption about privacy priorities, a Bloomberg columnist notes. Rather than create a government-accessible backdoor demanded under Britain's Investigatory Powers Act, Apple chose to eliminate its Advanced Data Protection feature entirely for UK customers, effectively giving both authorities and potential hackers easier access to stored emails, photos and documents. The near absence of public outcry from British consumers points to what researchers call the "privacy paradox," where stated concerns about data security rarely translate to action. According to cited research, while 92% of American consumers believe they should control their online information, only 16% have stopped using services over data misuse. The quiet reception suggests Apple's principled stand against backdoors may have limited impact if customers don't understand or value encrypted protection, potentially undermining privacy's effectiveness as a marketing differentiator for the tech giant.

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

How hard can it be to add colors and percentages?

Microsoft has halted the rollout of a revamped battery indicator to Windows 11 Insiders in the Release Preview Channel.…

An anonymous reader quotes a report from Reuters: Meta Platforms is in discussions to construct a new data center campus for its artificial intelligence projects, with potential costs exceeding $200 billion, The Information reported on Tuesday, citing people familiar with the matter. Meta executives have informed data center developers that the company is considering building the campus in states including Louisiana, Wyoming or Texas, with senior leaders having visited potential sites this month, the report said.

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

Experts warned the UK’s recent 'victory' over Apple would kickstart something of a domino effect

Signal CEO Meredith Whittaker says her company will withdraw from countries that force messaging providers to allow law enforcement officials to access encrypted user data, as Sweden continues to mull such plans.…

North Korean hackers have executed the largest cryptocurrency theft in history, draining $1.5 billion from Dubai-based exchange Bybit by compromising its multisignature cold wallet system. The attackers stole over 400,000 ethereum and staked ethereum coins without exploiting code vulnerabilities or infrastructure. Security researchers from Elliptic identified North Korean signatures in the subsequent laundering operations, consistent with the nation's ongoing cryptocurrency theft operations that fund its weapons programs. Investigators determined the hackers manipulated the user interfaces on multiple Bybit employees' devices simultaneously, tricking authorized personnel into approving what appeared to be legitimate transactions. This sophisticated attack "altered the smart contract logic and masked the signing interface," according to Bybit's disclosure. "The Bybit hack has shattered long-held assumptions about crypto security," noted researchers at Check Point. "No matter how strong your smart contract logic or multisig protections are, the human element remains the weakest link."

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

All fixed for Flight Test Eight, OK?

As SpaceX prepares for a Friday launch of its next Starship flight test, Elon Musk's biz has explained that the failure of the previous test was due to a harmonic response.…

Privacy-centric Android makes more sense on this form factor than a phone

We had a play with Murena's first tablet, a Google Pixel running /e/OS, its in-house de-Googled Android 13 with additional privacy features.…

That's down on last year in terms of financial compensation and – given ink price hike – the number of supplies he is valued at

HP CEO Enrique Lores saw his total compensation shrink by a little more than $98,000 in the corporation's fiscal 2024. To mere mortals that would induce tears, but as for the executive himself, it likely just meant he had to opt for a slightly less shiny new suit.…

New research suggests that anthocyanins, the antioxidants responsible for the vibrant colors of fruits and flowers, may help counteract reproductive harm caused by microplastics. The Guardian reports: The new review of scientific literature on anthocyanins found that the compounds are probably protective against a range of plastic-induced impacts on hormones, reductions in testosterone and estrogen, decreased sperm counts, lower sperm quality, erectile dysfunction and ovarian damage. [...] Researchers said that mice exposed to microplastics, then treated with anthocyanins, showed increased sperm quality, including increased sperm count and motility, and the antioxidants overall reduced testicular damage. The new paper also pointed to research that found some microplastics reduce testosterone levels because they harm Leydig cells, which are responsible for the hormone's production. Anthocyanins seem to helped restore testosterone production and protect Leydig cells. In women, impacts on fertility and sexual development could be mitigated by anthocyanins that seem to protect hormone receptors from plastic chemicals such as bisphenol, phthalates and cadmium. The chemicals can mimic hormones, or cause hormonal responses. Microplastics in ovarian tissue cause inflammation that seems to lower levels of estrogen and other hormones. Research found that treating rats exposed to microplastics protected the ovarian tissue and normalized levels of estrogen and other hormones. "Its antioxidant properties help preserve ovarian function and potentially maintain fertility, highlighting its therapeutic potential in managing ovarian damage," the authors wrote.

Read more of this story at Slashdot.