Tech

Researchers say a new type of matter may hold the key to computers with more processing power Time crystals sound like majestic objects from science fiction movies that unlock passageways to alternate universes. In the Marvel universe, “time stones” give wielders control over the past, present, and future. While that …

Nigeria will soon lift its ban on Twitter after resolving some of its differences with the social media platform, Information Minister Lai Mohammed said on Wednesday, signaling the end of a policy widely condemned as an affront to freedom of expression. The Nigerian government suspended Twitter on June 4 after …

Facebook has removed hundreds of accounts linked to a disinformation network operating out of Russia that sought to smear COVID-19 vaccines made by Pfizer and AstraZeneca Facebook said Tuesday that it has removed hundreds of accounts linked to a mysterious advertising agency operating out of Russia that sought to pay …

Alphabet Inc’s (GOOGL.O) Google is blocking ad targeting based on the age, gender or interests of people under 18, the company said on Tuesday. It also said it would turn off its “location history” feature, which tracks location data, for users under 18 globally. It will further expand the types …

US iPhone users’ photos will be scanned by Apple’s automated “neutral match” system for pictures of child porn and abuse, according to reports. Security researchers are alarmed the scheme threatens privacy and encryption. Financial Times reported on the plan Thursday, citing anonymous sources briefed on Apple’s plans. The scheme was …

Chinese state media called online video games ‘spiritual opium’, sending stocks of Tencent, other gaming firms tumbling. Tencent Holdings Ltd shares were on track to fall by their most in 10 years on Tuesday after a Chinese state media outlet branded online video games “spiritual opium”, stoking concern that the …

The abuse of the Pegasus software by autocratic regimes has been known for several years, though, through recent revelations, it appeared to gain much traction in the mainstream media, owing to the high number of civilians who have reportedly been under surveillance through its use. The continuation of the long-standing …

Zoom, the video conferencing firm, has agreed to settle a class-action US privacy lawsuit for $85 million, it said Sunday. The suit charged that Zoom’s sharing of users’ personal data with Facebook, Google, and LinkedIn was a breach of privacy for millions. While Zoom denied wrongdoing, it did agree to …

Amazon has been handed an $888 million fine by European Union regulators for breaching the bloc’s data protection laws. The fine is the largest issued by the EU but is still less than one percent of the firm’s annual revenue. The Luxembourg National Commission for Data Protection (CNPD) issued the …

Russia on Friday blamed a software failure for an incident that briefly knocked the International Space Station (ISS) off course and said it was pressing ahead with work to activate a newly-attached module at the centre of the episode. The ISS was thrown off track on Thursday after the engines …

The decision by some EU countries to ban Huawei from supplying 5G infrastructure is based on “political motivation”, the Chinese company has said, as it defended its legacy and ongoing investments in the region. Abraham Liu, Huawei’s chief representative to the EU, said “when you talk about certain, very few …

The company is currently looking for a digital currency and blockchain product lead Bitcoin surged on Monday amid ongoing speculations that retail giant Amazon may start accepting the cryptocurrency for payments. On Sunday, the virtual currency recorded its greatest increase in over six weeks, after reports that Amazon was looking …

Many popular websites fell offline on Thursday in a widespread global outage of service. Visitors attempting to reach some sites received DNS errors, meaning their requests could not reach the websites. Affected services included Airbnb, UPS, HSBC bank, British Airways and the PlayStation network used for online games. One popular …

Saudi Arabia’s state oil company acknowledged that some of its data is being held for ransom online. Aramco said it likely came from a third-party contractor, denying there’s been any breach of its computer systems. The company confirmed to AP on Wednesday it “recently became aware of the indirect release …

The popular TikTok video-sharing app was blocked Wednesday in Pakistan for a fourth time because of “inappropriate content”, the country’s telecommunication regulator said. The Chinese-owned site has fought a series of legal battles with religious activists and authorities in the conservative Muslim nation and was shut down two days earlier …

Beijing says Washington’s claims are incomplete and ‘hypocritical’, alleges the US is the main source of cyberattacks globally. China’s government has denied being responsible for cyberattacks against Western nations after the United States and its close allies accused it of a global cyberespionage campaign. The group of nations alleged on …

Jeff Bezos is about to soar on his space travel company’s first flight with people on board. The founder of Blue Origin as well as Amazon on Tuesday will become the second billionaire to ride his own rocket. He’ll launch from West Texas with his brother, an 18-year-old from the …

An Israeli company’s spyware was used in attempted and successful hacks of more than 50,000 smartphones belonging to journalists, government officials, and human rights activists around 50 countries, according to an investigation by 17 media organizations published on Sunday. One of the organizations, The Washington Post, said the Pegasus spyware …

The Russian Defense Ministry’s website has come under a cyberattack from outside of Russia that paralyzed the portal for an hour, the ministry has announced. The Defense Ministry said it had been hit by a distributed-denial-of-service (DDoS) attack on Friday. “The source of the attack on the… Defense Ministry’s website …

Twitter Inc saw a surge in government demands worldwide in 2020 to take down content posted by journalists and news outlets, according to data released by the social media platform. In its transparency report published on Wednesday, Twitter said verified accounts of 199 journalists and news outlets on its platform …