Interesting news from around the World

We bring you a selection of interesting news from around the world…

Please note that Channel Eye is not responsible for the content of external sites.

Microsoft kills WordPad and will remove the app from Windows

The company says WordPad is no longer in development, it will not receive new features or updates, and a future Windows update will remove the program from the operating system.

The new spreadsheet? OpenAI introduces ChatGPT Enterprise for businesses

Unlimited GPT-4, encryption, 32K context, and more. Will it become an essential tool?

Scientists strengthen concrete by 30 percent with used coffee grounds

Humans produce around 4.4 billion tons of concrete every year. That process consumes around 8 billion tons of sand. At the same time, we generate about 10 billion kilograms of used coffee grounds over the same span.

Microsoft is bringing Python to Excel

The two worlds of Excel and Python are colliding thanks to Microsoft’s new integration to boost data analysis and visualizations.

Threads: Meta to launch web version of flagging Threads app

Meta is releasing a web version of Threads, as it attempts to revive the social media platform.

It’s in the cloud somewhere… Three-quarters of enterprises don’t know where their apps are

A new study reveals that 76 percent of enterprises don’t have complete visibility into the access policies and applications across multiple cloud platforms.

NFT owners sue Sotheby’s, celebs, and parent company as prices plummet

A case of blaming everyone but yourself?

Sleep streams: How people make money filming themselves sleep

Video platforms YouTube, TikTok and Twitch are filled with so-called ‘sleep streamers’, who broadcast live footage of themselves under the covers.

6 gaming startups to watch

From haptic clothing that lets you “feel” your games to technology that adds smell to your virtual reality experiences, here are the top gaming startups to watch this year.

80% of bosses regret earlier return-to-office plans: ‘A lot of executives have egg on their faces’

After three years of haphazard plans for getting workers back at their desks, the return-to-office movement has entered a phase of remorse.

Why it matters where your data is stored

Europe is heavily dependent on US firms for cloud services – the remote computing and data storage services dominated by US companies including Amazon and Microsoft. It can cause problems when the data of European customers is stored in a US cloud service, as there can be a conflict between the laws that apply.

Zoom orders their own workers back to the office

Zoom, the video communications company whose name became synonymous with remote work during the pandemic, has ordered staff back to the office.

Worldcoin suspended in Kenya as thousands queue for free money

The Kenyan government has ordered cryptocurrency project Worldcoin to stop signing up new users, citing data privacy concerns.

Employees share more secrets with AI than they would in a bar

A new study of 1,000 office workers across the US and UK shows half of us already use AI tools at work, one-third weekly and 12 percent daily.

Top résumé tips to stand out in automated screenings and with recruiters

Job recruiters share advice to help applicants increase the chance of landing the job, even as more tech is used in the process.

Seven AI companies agree to safeguards in the US

Seven leading companies in artificial intelligence have committed to managing risks posed by the tech, the White House has said.

Microsoft 365 Copilot: Coming to Office apps near you for $30 per user per month

Microsoft looks to be attempting to offer those who consider $360 per year to be too pricey an alternative. Bing Chat Enterprise, another generative AI service aimed at businesses, which will be available for no additional cost for some enterprise users, and for $5 per user per month for others.

A simple guide to help you understand AI

In this beginner’s guide we’ll move beyond chatbots to look at different types of AI – and see how it already plays a part in our lives.

So long, Calibri: Microsoft has chosen a new font for its Office apps

Aptos is a sans-serif font that also comes in monospaced and serifed varieties.

Artificial intelligence comes to the office

The latest technology should excite workers, not concern them – if company leaders learn to let their employees safely play.

Big tech can transfer Europeans’ data to US in win for Facebook and Google

EU-US data pact approved; privacy advocates to appeal because of US surveillance.

Being a good mentor

You may be wondering “Isn’t mentoring just another buzzword tossed around in the corporate world?” Here’s the thing — it is, and it isn’t.

E2E encryption: Should big tech be able to read people’s messages?

Meta’s Mark Zuckerberg is on a collision course with the UK government over continued plans to build super-secure messaging into all his apps despite a potential landmark law that could effectively outlaw the technology.

VPN use is at an all-time high – but are people actually safe?

A survey found that 40% are using free services that may be dangerous and even run by hackers.

That essential morning coffee may be a placebo

New research seeks to understand whether the effects of coffee is dependent on caffeine or if it’s the experience of drinking coffee that matters.

Facebook owner Meta set to launch Twitter rival on Thursday 6th July

The app, which is called Threads and is available for pre-order on the Apple App Store, will be linked to Instagram.

Google says it’ll scrape everything you post online for AI

An update to Google’s privacy policy suggests that the entire public internet is fair game for it’s AI projects.

OpenAI and Microsoft sued for $3 Billion over alleged ChatGPT ‘privacy violations’

The lawsuit claimed that OpenAI secretly “scraped 300 billion words from the internet.”

The Vatican releases its own AI ethics handbook

Rather than sit around and wait for an ‘AI apocalypse’, Pope Francis and company partnered with Santa Clara University on guidelines tech companies can use today.

EU advances rules that wrestle control of user data away from Big Tech

The Data Act aims to give users more control over the data generated from internet connected devices and protect them against unlawful data transfers. It has a long way to go before becoming law.

Apple releases VisionOS SDK, developers can apply for Vision Pro hardware kit

Apple will also open developer labs in six cities around the world to help software makers test their Vision Pro apps.

A daytime nap is good for the brain

Regularly finding time for a little snooze is good for our brain and helps keep it bigger for longer, say University College London researchers.

EU: Smartphones must have user-replaceable batteries by 2027

The European Parliament just caused a major headache for smartphone and tablet manufacturers.

Who owns the content? If ChatGPT’s AI helps write your content, does it still belong to you?

It’s complicated, so we reached out to legal experts for some definitive answers.

Google is ‘winding down’ Google Domains by selling it to Squarespace

Google Domains is yet another useful service to get the ax in favor of ‘focus’

Google tells employees to stay away from Its own Bard chatbot

Alphabet Inc. advised employees not to enter confidential information into chatbots like OpenAI’s ChatGPT or Google’s own Bard over fears of leaks.

Is the US trying to kill crypto?

Maybe…

EU lawmakers pass landmark artificial intelligence regulation

The European Union’s AI Act is the first comprehensive set of regulations for the artificial intelligence industry.

Vodafone to join with Three to create UK mobile giant

The firms plan to merge their UK-based operations, giving them around 27 million customers and making it the biggest mobile network in the UK.

The USA’s FTC files injunction to block Microsoft’s purchase of Activision Blizzard

This is on top of a lawsuit also meant to prevent the merger.

Facebook owner Meta plans to create Twitter rival

It could allow users to follow accounts they already follow on Instagram, Meta’s image-sharing app. It could also allow users to potentially allow them to bring over followers from decentralised platforms such as Mastodon.

Cyclists in Italy to be forced to have insurance, number plates and indicators under new law

The Deputy PM of Italy announced the proposed plans on Wednesday having snubbed the licence plate idea as “crazy” in 2015.

Google to start factoring office attendance into performance reviews

With its employees now expected to attend the office three days a week, Google is updating its hybrid work policy and getting stricter about workers who are flouting the current rules.

The Daily and Sunday Telegraph newspapers and Spectator magazine are to be put up for sale

Receivers Alix Partners have now taken control of the group, and replaced the current owners, the Barclay family.

US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) sues Binance and Coinbase

“You simply can’t ignore the rules because you don’t like them or because you’d prefer different ones: the consequences for the investing public are far too great.”

Do intelligent people think faster?

Researchers at a Berlin university, together with a colleague from Barcelona, make a surprising finding.

Scientists successfully transmit space-based solar power to Earth for first time

The breakthrough has moved us closer to achieving the transformative potential of space-based solar power.

How some people get away with doing nothing at work

‘Whatever the context, the boss is often to blame. The biggest component of how this happens is poor management.’

Capita hack: 90 organisations report data breaches to watchdog

The company suffered a cyber attack in March this year and it then emerged that Capita had left a pool of data unsecured online. Hundreds of thousands of people are now being warned that they could have been affected by the hack

France is fighting to save your iPhone from an early death

Paris prosecutor announces an official investigation into allegations that Apple is pursuing a business model of planned obsolescence – a term that refers to designing a product in a way that intentionally limits its lifespan.

ChatGPT-maker U-turns on threat to leave EU over AI law

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman U-turned on a threat he made earlier this week to leave the block if it becomes too hard to comply with upcoming laws on artificial intelligence (AI).

Windows 11 will soon have native support for Tar, 7-zip, rar, gz, and more

The addition of archive formats is great for Windows 11 users, as you’ll no longer have to install third-party apps to access these files.

Apple employees reportedly restricted from using ChatGPT and other artificial intelligence tools

Apple joins Samsung, JPMorgan, Bank of America and Citigroup who have also banned ChatGPT to protect confidential information.

Facebook fined £1bn for mishandling users’ data

Facebook’s owner, Meta, has been fined €1.2bn (£1bn) for mishandling people’s data when transferring it between Europe and the United States.

Australian ‘Big 4’ bank begins trial for cryptocurrency payment blocks

The ban comes on the same day Binance customers were told they could no longer use PayID to transfer Australian dollars to their accounts. Binance said a ‘third-party provider’ had placed restrictions on the exchange, affecting bank transfer withdrawals for now.

HP disables customers’ printers if they use ink cartridges from cheaper rivals

Hewlett-Packard, or HP, has sparked fury after issuing a recent ‘firmware’ update which blocks customers from using cheaper, non-HP ink cartridges in its printers.

Apple’s current market capitalization of ~$2.7 trillion exceeds entire market capitalization of UK

Not only is Apple bigger than all 595 companies that list in the United Kingdom, it’s bigger than all the companies in France (235 companies), and India (1,242 companies).

Mike Lynch: Autonomy founder extradited to US in criminal case

British tech entrepreneur Mike Lynch has been extradited to the US to face criminal charges over the $11bn sale of his firm Autonomy to Hewlett-Packard.

Google brings AI to search as it vies with Microsoft

Search Generative Experience – which will be part of Google – will craft responses to open-ended queries. However, the system will only be available to a limited number of users and is still in “experimental” phase.

Vodafone 3G turn-off sparks internet access fears

Vodafone will be the first UK telecoms firm to stop providing 3G when it begins a nationwide phase-out in June.

Microsoft’s Bing Chat AI is now open to everyone, with plug-ins coming soon

Microsoft is making its Bing GPT-4 chatbot available to everyone today, no more waitlist necessary.

Tracked by hidden tags? Apple and Google unite for safety and security standards

Apple’s AirTag system has famously been subjected to firmware hacking, used as a free low-bandwidth community radio network, and involved in a stalking incident that tragically ended in a murder charge.

Capita: Watchdog warns pension funds over data after hack

The Pensions Regulator has asked trustees responsible for funds that use Capita as an administrator to assess whether clients’ data is at risk.

ChatGPT accessible again in Italy

It was banned by the Italian data-protection authority at the start of April over privacy concerns.

£55bn withdrawn from Credit Suisse before rescue

The Swiss banking giant said 61.2bn Swiss francs (£55.2bn; $68.6bn) left the bank in the first three months of the year.

Google is reportedly developing a new AI-powered search engine

Facing renewed competition from Microsoft and OpenAI, Google is reportedly ‘racing’ to build an ‘all-new’ AI-powered search engine.

WhatsApp and other encrypted messaging apps unite against law plan

“Weakening encryption, undermining privacy and introducing the mass surveillance of people’s private communications is not the way forward,” an open letter warns.

PC motherboard maker MSI admits to breach, issues ‘rogue firmware’ alert

If you’re a gamer or an avid squeezer of raw computing power, you’ve probably spent hours tweaking your motherboard settings to eke out every last drop of performance.

The real-world costs of the digital race for bitcoin

Bitcoin mines cash in on electricity – by devouring it, selling it, even turning it off – and they cause immense pollution. In many cases, the public pays a price.

Art VS AI: Artists, defend and protect your artwork

Throughout history, creative people have been great risk-takers. Now, artificial intelligence is starting to take over this creative role and, with the help of algorithmic innovation, threatens the artist’s very existence.

OpenAI threatened with landmark defamation lawsuit over ChatGPT generated false claims

Human review needed of AI generated results as ChatGPT falsely claimed a mayor went to prison.

Novel social engineering attacks soar 135% amid uptake of generative AI

The novel social engineering attacks make use of ‘sophisticated linguistic techniques’, which Darktrace said include increasing text volume, sentence length, and punctuation in emails.

Mobile phone inventor made first call 50 years ago

On 3rd April 1973, Marty Cooper stood on a corner of Sixth Avenue in New York and took a phone book from his pocket.

Google to cut down on employee laptops, fitness classes and staplers

Google’s finance chief Ruth Porat recently said in a rare companywide email that the company is making cuts to employee services.

World Backup Day is here again – 5 tips to keep your precious data safe

Here are five short and simple tips for keeping your precious data safe…

ChatGPT banned in Italy over privacy concerns

The Italian data-protection authority said there were privacy concerns relating to the model, which was created by US start-up OpenAI and is backed by Microsoft.

71 percent of employees have sensitive work data on personal devices

Allowing people to use their own devices for work comes with risks. A new report from SlashNext shows that 43 percent of employees were found to have been the target of a work-related phishing attack on their personal devices.

Zoom’s new AI features help you catch up on meetings you’re late to

The video conferencing app is adding several new AI-powered features — along with new Mail and Calendar integrations — to compete with Microsoft Teams, Google Workspace, and Salesforce’s Slack.

Tech makers must provide repairs for up to 10 years under proposed EU law

Makers of numerous product categories, including TVs, vacuums, smartphones, and tablets, could be required to enable repairs for their products for up to 10 years after purchase, depending on the device type.

Thousands may have lost out to crypto trading app

Experts who have investigated the company say it could be one of the largest crypto scandals to date.

Microsoft brings ChatGPT-style tech to Office365

The technology behind the world’s most talked about artificial intelligence (AI) system, ChatGPT, is being added to its work software, Microsoft 365.

OpenAI announces ChatGPT successor GPT-4

The new version can respond to images – such as providing recipe suggestions from photos of ingredients, as well as writing captions and descriptions. It can also process up to 25,000 words, about eight times as many as ChatGPT.

Vinyl records outsell CDs for first time in decades

Vinyl record sales outperformed CDs in the US for the first time since 1987, according to a new report.

Tiny data centre used to heat public swimming pool

The heat generated by a washing-machine-sized data centre is being used to heat a Devon public swimming pool.

HSBC acquires British arm of stricken Silicon Valley Bank

The move comes after U.S. authorities moved to shore up deposits and stem any wider fallout from the sudden collapse of its parent, tech start-up lender Silicon Valley Bank.

Silicon Valley Bank: Regulators take over as failure raises fears of US banking sector

US regulators have shut down Silicon Valley Bank (SVB) and taken control of its customer deposits in the largest failure of a US bank since 2008.

White House releases new U.S. national cybersecurity strategy

The Biden-Harris administration today released its national cybersecurity strategy that focuses on shifting the burden of defending the country’s cyberspace towards software vendors and service providers.

ChatGPT and Whisper APIs debut, allowing devs to integrate them into apps

New ChatGPT API can generate text that’s a tenth of the cost of previous models.

Employers failing to offer hybrid work lose out in recruitment

By the end of 2023, only 9 percent of knowledge workers worldwide will be fully remote, but 39 percent will combine remote and office-based work, according to analysis by Gartner.

Even hackers are reportedly getting laid off by organized crime groups

Hackers and others perpetuating ransomware threats seem to be the latest tech industry workers navigating a shaky job market.

Roald Dahl: Original books to be kept in print following criticism

Roald Dahl’s books are to be printed in their original form, following criticism of the decision to amend novels including The BFG, making them more suitable for modern audiences.

GoDaddy: Hackers stole source code, installed malware in multi-year breach

While GoDaddy discovered the security breach following customer reports in early December 2022 that their sites were being used to redirect to random domains, the attackers had access to the company’s network for multiple years.

Codebreakers decipher Mary, Queen of Scots’ secret letters 436 years after execution

A team of codebreakers have discovered, and then cracked, more than 50 secret letters written by Mary Stuart, Queen of Scots while she was imprisoned in England by her cousin, Queen Elizabeth I.

Google’s Bard AI bot mistake wipes $100bn off shares

Google is searching for ways to reassure people that it is still out in front in the race for the best artificial intelligence technology. And so far, the internet giant seems to be coming up with the wrong answer.

Microsoft announces new Bing and Edge browser powered by upgraded ChatGPT AI

Microsoft says it’s using conversational AI to create a new way to browse the web. Users will be able to chat to Bing like ChatGPT, asking questions and receiving answers in natural language.

Google announces ChatGPT rival Bard, with wider availability in ‘coming weeks’

The ‘experimental conversational AI service’ is called Bard and is only being tested by a limited group.

Digital pound likely this decade, UK Treasury says [consultation paper here]

A state-backed digital pound is likely to be launched later this decade, according to the Treasury and the Bank of England. Both institutions want to ensure the public has access to safe money that is easy to use in the digital age.

Developer pleads guilty to hacking his own company after pretending to investigate himself

A former employee of network technology provider Ubiquiti pleaded guilty to multiple felony charges on Thursday after posing as an anonymous hacker in an attempt to extort almost $2 million worth of cryptocurrency while employed at the company.

Twitter to end free access to its API in Elon Musk’s latest monetization push

Twitter will discontinue offering free access to the Twitter API starting February 9 and will launch a paid version, the Elon Musk-owned microblogging website said as it looks for more avenues to monetize the platform.

Farewell radiators? Testing out electric infrared wallpaper

Look carefully and you will notice there is something slightly different about Kris Bilski’s house in Hull. It has no radiators.

ChatGPT firm trials $20 monthly subscription fee

For $20 (£16) per month, subscribers will get access to the platform even at peak times when it can be hard to log onto, and also ‘priority access’ to new features, chatbot creator OpenAI said.

Russia and Iran combine their banking systems to get around being banned from SWIFT

Several Iranian central bank officials confirmed the partnership with Russia’s central bank on Monday, Reuters first reported. However, Russia’s central bank has declined to comment on the matter or issue an official statement on its website.

JD Sports says 10 million customers hit by cyber attack

The company said information that “may have been accessed” by hackers included names, addresses, email accounts, phone numbers, order details and the final four digits of bank cards.

Ranking all 12 versions of Windows, from worst to best

You can tell a person’s age by which version of Windows is their favourite.

India demonstrates its mobile security-focused ‘BharOS’

Government officials teased a homegrown mobile OS earlier this month. Local media outlet Business Standard initially reported it would be called ‘IndOS’ and will be a collaboration between the government, academia, and startups.

That Stings: Microsoft hosts Sting concert before laying off 10,000 employees

Layoffs are plaguing the tech industry left and right, but that doesn’t mean the big-wigs have to suffer too. Ahead of laying off several thousand employees, Microsoft hosted an exclusive Sting concert at Davos for executives.

Apple releases Lisa source code on landmark machine’s 40th birthday

26 megabytes of history are yours for the downloading.

Crypto lender Genesis files for bankruptcy

The firm had recently been charged by US regulators Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) with illegally selling crypto.

Multi-million investment scammers busted in four-country Europol raid

Another day, another series of cryptocurrency scams… these, fortunately, brought to a halt, though sadly not before they’d defrauded “investors” around the globe to the tune of millions of dollars.

Norton Password Manager ‘hacked’, warning users about breaches

Customers of NortonLifeLock are being notified that Norton Password Manager accounts are being breached by hackers, performed via breaches of accounts on other platforms.

Royal Mail overseas deliveries hit by Russia-linked ransomware attack

The cyber-attack has affected the computer systems Royal Mail uses to despatch deliveries abroad.

US bank Silvergate hit with $8bn in crypto withdrawals

Around two-thirds of the bank’s customers pulled their deposits in the final three months of 2022. The bank has sold $5.2bn in assets to cover the cost and remain liquid.

LastPass users: Your info and password vault data are now in hackers’ hands

Password manager says breach it disclosed in August was much worse than thought.

Facebook owner Meta settles Cambridge Analytica scandal case for $725m

The proposed sum is the largest in a US data privacy class action, lawyers say.

The $11,500 toilet with Alexa inside can be in your home

Have you ever sat on the toilet, pondering your day, using your phone even though that’s kind of gross to do on the loo, avoiding everyone in the house, and thought, “I wish Alexa was in here with me?” That is, what I assume, the designers of the Smart Toilet were thinking when they made this $11,500 toilet.

Glaswegian who ‘invented’ chicken tikka masala dies

A Glaswegian chef credited with inventing the chicken tikka masala has died, aged 77.

Google introduces end-to-end encryption for Gmail

A new encryption software update is being rolled out in a beta test for eligible Google Workspace users.

Singapore’s crypto ambitions shaken by FTX collapse

There was a time when it seemed as though Singapore would become a global centre for cryptocurrency.

Binance auditor Mazars halts all crypto work

Mazars Group, the accounting firm used by crypto giant Binance Holdings Ltd. and other big players in the industry to vouch for their assets held in reserve, has halted all work for crypto clients, dealing a major blow to an industry seeking to shore up confidence in the wake of FTX’s collapse.

To protect its cloud, Microsoft bans crypto mining from its online services

Microsoft has quietly banned cryptocurrency mining from its online services, and says it did so to protect all customers of its clouds.

Airport security 100ml liquid rule to be scrapped

The UK Government has set a deadline of June 2024 for most UK airports to install new high-tech 3D scanners, that show more detailed images of baggage. The changes will see the 100ml liquid rule increased to two litres and mean passengers won’t need to remove electrical items from bags at security.

Tags: Interesting stories

Interesting news from around the World

Tim Bullock

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