Doctors worry about the terrifying possibility that vaping makes COVID-19 worse
Public health officials fear that vaping-related lung damage could cause the coronavirus, officially known as COVID-19, to present worse symptoms in users.
Coronavirus: Amazon suspends shipments of nonessential products to warehouses
To make room for high-demand items, Amazon will stop receiving nonessential products in its warehouses in the U.S. and U.K. amid the coronavirus pandemic
Amazon increases worker pay, ramps up hiring to cover COVID-19 needs
Amazon is upping its pay by $2 an hour in the U.S and hiring for 100,000 new full- and part-time positions across the country due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Hand-washing expert’s scanner shows you all the spots you may have missed
A handwashing expert invented a device to test for contaminants on hands. It doesn't test for coronavirus yet, but having truly clean hands is key to hygiene.
Iffy on the pronunciation of GIF? Jif peanut butter is here to help
Jif peanut butter has teamed up with the makers of Giphy, everyone’s favorite Slack function, to release a gif-themed peanut butter jar. This clears nothing up.
Would you sell your personal data for profit? Survey says ‘no’
The vast majority of people would never sell their personal data for a profit, according to a new survey released Monday. Only 3% polled would sell their data.
Chrome is ditching third-party cookies because Google wants your data all to itself
What looks like a win for privacy may be just the opposite
Is Clearview AI’s facial recognition legal? We need to figure it out soon
No one can figure out if what Clearview AI is doing with people's personal data is legal, and experts say we need to do better regarding facial recognition.
Iowa caucus app chaos shows why American elections should stay analog for now
This week's Iowa caucus voting app debacle, which wreaked havoc on the process, showed us just how unprepared we are for the realities of electronic voting.
Amazon’s airport ambitions might be squashed by a tiny group of activists
A group of environmental and labor activists in Southern California are taking on Amazon and the U.S. government. They're hoping to stop a new airport terminal that's expected to be used as a massive Amazon fulfillment center that could make air quality in the area even worse.
Clearview AI’s facial-recognition app is a nightmare for stalking victims
Clearview AI is a facial-recognition app that is so powerful that it can tell you a person’s name and contact information from one stray picture. Advocates worry this kind of facial-recognition technology could be a boon to stalkers and people with a history of domestic abuse.
Should you be afraid of an Iranian cyberattack? The answer is complicated
The good news is Iran likely won’t target ordinary Americans. The bad news is the Qassem Soleimani assassination carries more political weight than the Bin Laden raid. Any cyberattacks that will be carried out will be the beginning, not the end, of an Iranian offensive against the U.S.
After latest hack, experts say smart home security systems stink at securing data
Experts on cybersecurity told Digital Trends -- after another smart home hack exposed the data of 2.4 million people -- that these systems' lack of security amounts to gross negligence, and anyone who buys one should be aware that their videos are easily accessible to hackers worldwide.
The small cost to end child mining is not a price Big Tech is willing to pay
Cobalt is a key component of the lithium-ion battery in our smartphones, computers, and even cars -- items that are all inextricable from the way we live our lives in developed nations. But cobalt mining exploits child labor. What would happen if companies found more ethically extracted resources?
Hey @Jack Dorsey, decentralizing Twitter won’t solve hate speech problems
Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey has floated a compelling possibility: He wants to put together a team to explore decentralizing Twitter. But this could mean that Dorsey is simply trying to shunt off responsibility for Twitter’s persistent problems with harassment and abuse on the platform.
Facebook will protect your data — as long as no one’s paying them for it
Facebook pushed back against a request from three major world governments to halt plans to provide end-to-end encryption for its Messenger app. The move has been heralded by privacy rights groups over law enforcement objections, but Facebook still makes money off of your data.
The federal government is investigating Google for alleged union busting
The National Labor Relations Board has launched an investigation into Google following the firing of four Google employees -- the so-called Thanksgiving Four -- who were prominent in their attempts to organize a labor union before Google terminated them days before the Thanksgiving holiday.
Now that you can easily transfer photos out of Facebook, will you stay?
Facebook on December 2 announced a new data portability feature that will begin rolling out in Ireland before spreading elsewhere: The ability to transport your Facebook photos from Facebook to other platforms. Does this portend a new exodus from the social media platform?
‘We can’t say what’s safe’: Doctors react to Trump abandoning vape ban
One month after a high-school-age boy survived a double lung transplant due to vaping, the Trump administration reportedly abandoned a promised action to ban the sale of flavored e-cigarettes nationwide. The doctor who performed the surgery said the ban is needed to stop more cases of teen vaping.
Uber CEO apologizes for calling murder of Saudi journalist Khashoggi a ‘mistake’
Uber’s CEO Dara Khosrowshahi has apologized to his staff after calling the murder of Washington Post journalist Jamal Khashoggi a mistake during an interview on the HBO show Axios. I am sorry for what I said during that interview, he said. I think some folks are right to have been outraged.
Deepfake videos of U.K. leaders set chilling precedent for 2020 U.S. election
Deepfake videos of U.K. politicians Boris Johnson and Jeremy Corbyn surfaced on Tuesday morning, spread by a think tank aiming to raise awareness of the digital problem. Deepfakes could spell big trouble for the 2020 American presidential election, leaving voters uncertain of what to believe.
Is Twitter good now? Only if it can enforce its new rules
Twitter has created a new survey asking users what they want to see from Twitter's new deepfake rules. Between crowdsourcing a deepfake policy and removing political ads, Twitter seems to be redefining its image. But an expert fears that Twitter won't abide by its own rules.