Technology category, Page 20
Feds reviewing Musk tweet about disabling driver monitoring
DETROIT — A tweet from Elon Musk indicating that Tesla might allow some owners who are testing a “Full Self-Driving” system to disable an alert that reminds them to keep their hands on the steering wheel has drawn attention from U.S. safety regulators. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration says...
CES showcases electric hydrofoil boats
Flying cars and self-driving vehicles always get attention at the CES gadget show in Las Vegas, but this year electric recreational boats are making bigger waves. Swedish company Candela on Thursday unveiled a 28-foot (8.5-meter) electric-powered hydrofoil speedboat that can cruise for over two hours at 20 knots, or about...
See wireless TV, delivery robots and in-car VR at CES show
LAS VEGAS — Tech companies of all sizes are showing off their latest products at CES, formerly known as the Consumer Electronics show. The show is getting back to normal after going completely virtual in 2021 and seeing a significant drop in 2022 attendance because of the pandemic. On Wednesday,...
Amazon layoffs to hit 18,000 people
The wave of layoffs at Amazon will hit thousands more people than originally expected. Amazon CEO Andy Jassy said Wednesday evening the company planned to eliminate “just over” 18,000 roles. In November, when news of layoffs first broke, Amazon said the number of impacted roles remained fluid as leaders evaluated...
Salesforce to lay off 8,000 workers in latest tech purge
Business software maker Salesforce is laying off about 8,000 employees, or 10% of its workforce, as major technology companies continue to prune payrolls that rapidly expanded during the pandemic lockdown. The cuts announced Wednesday are by far the largest in the 23-year history of a San Francisco company founded by...
Electric skates, pet tech and AI for birds at CES 2023
LAS VEGAS — Tech companies of all sizes are showing off their latest products at CES, formerly known as the Consumer Electronics show. The show is getting back to normal after going completely virtual in 2021 and seeing a significant drop in 2022 attendance because of the pandemic. Exhibitors range...
FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried pleads not guilty in New York
NEW YORK — FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried pleaded not guilty in Manhattan federal court Tuesday to charges that he cheated investors and looted customer deposits on his cryptocurrency trading platform. Bankman-Fried, 30, is accused of illegally diverting massive sums of customer money from FTX to make lavish real estate purchases,...
God of War, Wordle lead a bumpy year in video games
It’s been a bumpy year for video games, in part thanks to the ongoing repercussions of the pandemic. Some major releases got delayed (2023 could be a doozy), but enough crossed the finish line to keep gamers happy. Indie developers held up their end, delivering innovative challenges and fascinating stories....
Explainer: 2023 tax credits for EVs will boost their appeal
WASHINGTON — Starting Jan. 1, many Americans will qualify for a tax credit of up to $7,500 for buying an electric vehicle. The credit, part of changes enacted in the Inflation Reduction Act, is designed to spur EV sales and reduce greenhouse emissions. But a complex web of requirements, including...
Rocky ride: Tesla stock on pace for worst year ever
LOS ANGELES — Owning Tesla stock this year has been anything but a smooth ride for investors. Shares in the electric vehicle maker are down nearly 70% since the start of the year, on pace to finish in the bottom five biggest decliners among S&P 500 stocks. By comparison, the...
Elon Musk says he’ll be Twitter CEO until a replacement is found
Elon Musk said Tuesday that he plans on remaining as Twitter’s CEO until he can find someone willing to replace him in the job. Musk’s announcement came after millions of Twitter users him asked to step down in an unscientific poll the billionaire himself created and promised to abide by....
Could lethal-force police robots be coming to other cities?
News out of San Francisco caught many off guard recently as city officials considered allowing the use of weaponized robots controlled by law enforcement officers. The city quickly dropped those plans after public outcry. The proposal would have allowed San Francisco police officers to use robots that can use deadly...
FBI: Steep climb in teens targeted by online ‘sextortion’
WASHINGTON — The FBI sounded the alarm Monday about an explosive increase in teenage boys being targeted online and extorted for money after being tricked into sending sexually explicit pictures. At least 3,000 children, mostly teenage boys, have been victims of the schemes that are connected to more than a...
Fortnite maker to pay $520M for privacy, e-commerce abuses
The maker of the popular Fortnite video game will pay $520 million in penalties and refunds to settle complaints revolving around children’s privacy and its payment methods that tricked players into making unintended purchases, U.S. federal regulators said Monday. The Federal Trade Commission reached the settlements to resolve two cases...
Twitter bans linking to Facebook, Instagram, other rivals
Twitter users will no longer be able to link to certain rival social media websites, including what the company described Sunday as “prohibited platforms” Facebook, Instagram and Mastodon. It’s the latest move by Twitter’s new owner Elon Musk to crack down on certain speech after he shut down a Twitter...
Journalist suspensions widen rift between Twitter and media
Elon Musk’s abrupt suspension of several journalists who cover Twitter widens a growing rift between the social media site and media organizations that have used the platform to build their audiences. Individual reporters with The New York Times, The Washington Post, CNN, Voice of America and other news agencies saw...
Voyeurism takes disturbing turn as mini cameras become more accessible
Across the country, miniaturized hidden cameras keep popping up in the most unseemly location: public restrooms, where latter-day peeping Toms record every zip, wipe and flush of unsuspecting victims. This year alone, the unwanted intrusions have shaken locals at a Utah university, inside a New York state middle school, at...
Twitter suspensions raise alarm in and outside media circles
Elon Musk’s abrupt suspension of several journalists who cover Twitter is adding to a growing rift between the social media site and media organizations that have used the platform to build their audiences. Accounts of reporters with The New York Times, Washington Post, CNN, Voice of America and other publications,...
Report: TikTok boosts posts about eating disorders, suicide
TikTok’s algorithms are promoting videos about self-harm and eating disorders to vulnerable teens, according to a report published Wednesday that highlights concerns about social media and its impact on youth mental health. Researchers at the nonprofit Center for Countering Digital Hate created TikTok accounts for fictional teen personas in the...
Senate crypto hearing yields big claims, possible regulation
Whether increased regulation would have prevented the spectacular collapse of cryptocurrency exchange FTX was fiercely debated at a hearing of the Senate’s banking committee Wednesday. However, new legislation is potentially on the way. Sen. Elizabeth Warren announced at the hearing bipartisan legislation aimed at cracking down on cryptocurrencies being used...
Apple: Most iCloud data can now be end-to-end encrypted
BOSTON — As part of an ongoing privacy push, Apple said Wednesday it will now offer full end-to-encryption for nearly all the data its users store in its global cloud-based storage system. That will make it more difficult for hackers, spies and law enforcement agencies to access sensitive user information....
FBI director raises national security concerns about TikTok
WASHINGTON — FBI Director Chris Wray is raising national security concerns about TikTok, warning Friday that control of the popular video sharing app is in the hands of a Chinese government “that doesn’t share our values.” Wray said the FBI was concerned that the Chinese had the ability to control...
Space Force opens Pittsburgh hub to boost regional space and tech industries
Nearly four decades after the collapse of the steel industry, the Pittsburgh region has emerged as a growing technology hub in the fields of robotics and life sciences. Those industries are likely to see a boost from the newly created Keystone Space Innovation Center on Pittsburgh’s North Side. The facility...
How Uber and Lyft are transforming U.S. cities
Over the last decade, the meteoric rise of ridesourcing services like Uber and Lyft have transformed the urban landscape, affecting travel patterns, car ownership, and congestion, and more broadly, the economy, the environment, and equity. The ways in which Uber and Lyft are redefining mobility is the focus of a...
Twitter ends enforcement of covid misinformation policy
Twitter will no longer enforce its policy against covid-19 misinformation, raising concerns among public health experts that the change could have serious consequences if it discourages vaccination and other efforts to combat the still-spreading virus. Eagle-eyed users spotted the change Monday night, noting that a one-sentence update had been made...
