India’s lunar mission just got one giant leap closer to the moon
India’s uncrewed lunar mission entered into the moon’s orbit on Tuesday, bringing it within striking distance of its historic goal, according to an announcement from the Indian Space Research Organisation. The Chandrayaan-2 spacecraft is expected to land on the surface of the moon on September 7
Facebook is hiring actual human journalists to fight fake news
Facebook is looking to hire journalists whose job will be to fight fake news. The social media giant said it plans to hire a team of journalists that will curate a dedicated news section known as the News Tab within the mobile app. Facebook posted job listings for journalists on Tuesday, August 20.
China is running Hong Kong disinformation campaigns through Facebook and Twitter
Facebook and Twitter removed accounts from their platforms that they say were focused on discrediting the protest situation in Hong Kong. The two social networks announced that they found accounts, pages, and groups that had coordinated, manipulative content regarding the Hong Kong protests.
Buy less, give more: Amazon will donate products you don’t buy to charity
Amazon will now donate all unsold and returned products to charities with a new initiative the company is calling Fulfillment by Amazon (FBA) Donations. Marketplace sellers on Amazon can use the FBA program to donate eligible products starting in September. Currently, many unsold products end up in landfills.
Amazon’s facial recognition updates can detect fear, among other emotions
Amazon’s facial recognition software can detect emotion on people’s faces, including fear. The company announced improvements in gender identification and emotion detection, including: Happy, sad, angry, surprised, disgusted, calm, confused, and fear.
British Airways will test virtual reality headsets for first-class passengers
First-class passengers on British Airways will soon get even more perks when the airline begins testing a new virtual headset. For the rest of the year, first-class customers on select international flights can watch in-flight entertainment through custom VR headsets for the eight-hour flight duration.
Facebook admits it was listening to your private conversations, too
Facebook outsourced contractors to listen in on your audio messenger chats and transcribe them. Contractors were not told why they were listening in on audio recordings and did not know why they were transcribing them. Facebook confirmed the reports but said the company is no longer transcribing audio.
You can get up to $500 if you ever owned a first-gen Google Pixel
If you had an original Google Pixel, you could be eligible to file for a $500 claim. The claims website is now open to people who bought an original Pixel or Pixel XL in the U.S. that was manufactured before January 4, 2017. Pixel owners could get up to $500 if multiple defective devices were purchased.
CBS and Viacom merge into ViacomCBS to create original premium content
Media giants CBS and Viacom announced on Tuesday plans to reunite that will combine the companies into one as ViacomCBS. The combined content library of ViacomCBS will include more than 140,000 TV episodes and 3,600 films, with plans to create new, original content as well.
Domino’s swerves around traffic by expanding its ebike pizza delivery service
Your Domino’s pizza could now be delivered to you via ebike, according to an announcement from the pizza company. Through a partnership with Rad Power Bikes, Domino’s is hoping to solve the problems of traffic congestion and the difficulty of finding parking for those delivering pizza in a car.
The FBI wants to get its hands on your Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram data
The FBI is looking for a partner to collect data from your social media profiles, which could pit it against new privacy policies Facebook agreed to as part of its $5 billion settlement with the Federal Trade Commission (FTC).
Facebook could pay another multibillion-dollar fine over facial recognition
Facebook could have to pay yet another multi-billion dollar fine after losing an appeals court decision on Thursday regarding the company’s use of facial recognition data. The company could appeal the decision and take it all the way to the Supreme Court.
Can Subway’s new meatless meatball sub put it back in the game?
Subway announced on Wednesday that it would begin selling meatless "meatball" sandwiches made from plant-based Beyond Meat next month. The move comes as the fast food chain attempts to lure back customers amid struggling sales.
Elizabeth Warren says screw your ISP. Let’s make the internet a public utility
Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) announced her plan to increase rural internet access by creating what she called a “public option for broadband." Warren laid out a plan to increase municipal broadband to bring a high-speed internet connection to every American home
Leapfrog tablets may have exposed your kid’s location data
Leapfrog was found to have security vulnerabilities that could have let strangers locate young users and send them messages. A new report from CheckMarx revealed that the LeapPad Ultimate tablet used an insecure internet connection that could have revealed personal information.
White House invites tech companies to discuss online extremism after shootings
The White House has invited major tech companies to discuss the threat of violent extremism on online platforms on Friday, coming in the wake of two mass shootings over the weekend that left more than 30 people dead.
Watch live as SpaceX launches (but doesn’t land) a rocket tonight
SpaceX will launch the AMOS-17 satellite into orbit using its Falcon 9 rocket on Wednesday, and you can watch the event via livestream. The rocket carrying the satellite will take off at approximately 3:53 p.m. PT from the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station's Space Launch Complex 40 in Florida.
President Trump attacks Google and says he’s watching the company ‘very closely’
In a series of tweets on Tuesday morning, President Donald Trump claimed without evidence that Google has an anti-conservative bias and accused the company of trying to ensure he loses the 2020 presidential election. Trump said he would be "watching Google very closely."
Facebook just deleted fake accounts from the Middle East
Facebook removed fake accounts from UAE, Egypt and Saudi Arabia because of coordinated inauthentic behavior. The social network announced in a blog post the removal of pages, groups, and accounts.The two operations included one originating from UAE and Egypt and one from Saudi Arabia.
The FTC wants to know exactly why Facebook bought Instagram and WhatsApp
The Federal Trade Commission's antitrust investigation into Facebook will focus in on the tech giant's acquisition of Instagram and WhatsApp. The FTC wants to know if Facebook tried to acquire its social media rivals before they would become a threat to its business
Half of Americans will have 5G by 2020, Verizon CEO claims
Verizon CEO Hans Vestberg told CNBC that half of Americans would have access to 5G technology by next year. He also said that half of Americans would own a 5G compatible phone by 2024. He added that 4G was a much slower process than 5G is proving to be. Verizon recently rolled out 5G in four more cities.
Malfunctioning postal delivery drone crashes and nearly hits kindergarten class
A Matternet delivery drone used by Swiss Post deployed its emergency parachute too early, causing it to break and crash about 50 yards away from a group of kindergarten children playing. The drone was a part of a pilot program that Swiss Post was testing in three Switzerland cities.
Looking forward to that $125 Equifax settlement? FTC says it will be much less
People affected by the 2017 Equifax data breach who chose to receive $125 from the Federal Trade Commission settlement may be disappointed with their decision -- they're likely to get far less than $125 when all is said and done, according to the FTC. This is due to the huge number of people who have filed a claim.
NASA will work with SpaceX on orbital refueling tech to get to the moon and Mars
NASA has tapped SpaceX to figure out a way to allow ships to refuel in orbit, the space agency announced Tuesday. The groundbreaking technology could eventually help crewed ships get to the moon and Mars in the future
Authorities have opened a new investigation into the Capital One data breach
New York Attorney General Letitia James has already opened up an investigation into the Capital One data breach, she announced Tuesday -- less than 24 hours after the company revealed the massive hack of more than 100 million people's personal information.
Deal with Amazon requires local police to encourage people to buy Ring products
Amazon has struck up deals with local police departments to encourage people to buy its Ring security products in exchange for free Ring video doorbells and access to a special police-focused Ring portal.
Facebook let advertisers target you using two-factor authentication numbers
A complaint coming with an expected $5 billion settlement between Facebook and the FTC will say that Facebook improperly allowed advertisers to use phone numbers users used for two-factor authentication to target ads.
How to file a claim for $125 if you were hit by the 2017 Equifax data breach
If your Social Security number was exposed in the 2017 Equifax data breach, you can finally file a claim for $125 -- or potentially more -- in compensation. The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has set up a one-stop-shop website for all claims
If a $5 billion fine won’t get Facebook under control, what will?
Facebook will pay the Federal Trade Commission a $5 billion fine as part of a settlement over privacy violations announced on Wednesday, but don't expect the company to meaningfully change its behavior. The punishment seems huge, but is not a major hit to Facebook's bottom line.
Facebook to pay a historic $5 billion penalty in final settlement with FTC
The FTC has officially penalized Facebook a groundbreaking $5 billion, the largest in FTC history. Facebook will also have to submit to new restrictions, as well as a modified corporate structure that will hold the company accountable in decisions made about users’ privacy.
Amazon will give you $5K in free smart home tech and more when you buy a house
You can now get up to $5,000 in Amazon credit if you buy a house through Amazon’s new TurnKey program. The $5,000 incentive was announced Tuesday and includes smart home and home theater equipment along with services like unpacking and cleaning.
