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India’s biggest mobile carrier left COVID-19 self-test data unsecured

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Jio, the Indian mobile giant Facebook just bought a 9.9 percent stake in, may be at the center of its own privacy snafu. According to TechCrunch, the company didn’t secure a database connected to a COVID-19 symptom checker it launched in March. Security researcher Anurag Sen found this database, and alerted our sister publication, who then passed on the information to Jio. 

The database contained logs running from April 17th through to when Jio was informed of the breach and took the information down. It reportedly contained self-test data, including people’s family relationships, age, gender and symptoms that could be linked to their wider online activity. More troubling is that the records, in some cases, included location data that could be used to find their home addresses. 

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Airbus to deploy ‘game-changing’ bomb-sniffing sensors at airports

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In light of the COVID-19 pandemic, the companies are also looking into ways to detect biological hazards like contagious viruses. Koniku has touted security as well as medical applications, with sniffers that can detect signs of cancer — in much the same way dogs can detect prostate cancer with extreme accuracy. “You wake up in the morning, you breathe on our device… and we are analyzing, in a longitudinal fashion, your state of health. That is one of our big visions,” Agabi said.

Devices that can supposedly test travelers for traces of dangerous chemicals have met with very limited success, so it’s easy to be skeptical about any new tech. However, the fact that it’s being tested by Airbus is a good sign for Koniku, a relatively small company with just 20 employees. Airbus has been working with Koniku since 2017 and said they plan to create “a game-changing, end-to-end security solution.”

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Tesla may bring it’s PowerPack battery grid tech to the UK

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Tesla could also be planning to deploy a new platform called Autobidder in the nation. It uses Tesla’s machine-learning tech and cloud platform to optimize power utility assets, including battery packs, generating plants and distribution infrastructure. “Autobidder can be trusted to capture revenues immediately after project energization,” Tesla wrote on the product page. It already uses the tech at its Hornsdale battery installation, and said it has “added competition to drive down energy prices.”

The company may also be interested in deploying vehicle-grid tech on a larger scale. It recently teamed with Octopus energy in the UK to offer cheaper electricity tariffs to Telsa owners who also have solar panels, a Powerwall or both. “Your solar system, Powerwall and EV charging are connected to Tesla’s energy management platform,” the company wrote in a FAQ. “It is designed to improve the way you use your energy to power your lifestyle and allows any stored by your Powerwall to be exported back to the grid, to benefit both you and the community.”

Tesla has yet to say what it plans to do in the UK with an energy license, if it gets one, but Engadget has reached out to the company for comment.

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‘Half-Life: Alyx’ added nearly 1 million VR users to Steam

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Half-Life: Alyx appears to have given VR gaming a serious boost. Road to VR has used historical data and direct Valve data to calculate that Steam users added nearly 950,000 VR headsets in April — a huge spike over March. While the Steam info doesn’t say how many of those were new (it’s possible some were just linked to Steam for the first time), it’s clear Alyx prompted spurred SteamVR adoption on a level not seen before.

The data also provides some insight as to what headsets people were using to play. The biggest beneficiary was apparently the Oculus Quest, whose share doubled in April. The recently added ability to use the Quest as a PC headset may have spurred gamers ahead of Alyx’s March 23rd launch. Valve’s own Index headset did see more adoption, but not by nearly as much. While it’s touted as the ideal headset for Alyx, its high price has frequently been seen as a hurdle. Most gamers are using either Oculus (44.6 percent) or HTC (30.3 percent) headsets.

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Australia exposed data for over 774,000 migrants

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Carelessness with data is dangerous as a general rule, but it’s particularly damaging when it affects vulnerable groups. The Australian government is facing criticism after its home affairs department left the personal details of over 774,000 existing and would-be migrants exposed online. As The Guardian observed, the country’s SkillsSelect digital platform made it all too easy to filter down expressions of interest (that is, people intending to migrate) to see sensitive details like age, birth country, marital status, qualifications and the outcome of an application. You could learn a significant amount about someone’s personal life if you had a vague idea of who you were looking for.

The employment department took SkillsSelect offline for “maintenance” soon after The Guardian got in touch, but it’s not clear when the migrant tool might come back. Officials may be in trouble in the meantime, though, as they’re required to notify both the privacy commissioner and victims.

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France will start testing its COVID-19 tracking app the week of May 11th

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France was one of the first countries scrambling to create a COVID-19 contact tracing app, and now it’s close to finding out how its app works in practice. Digital Affairs Minister Cedric O has stated (via Reuters) that France’s StopCOVID should enter real-world testing the week of May 11th, right as the country will start easing pandemic lockdown measures. He didn’t say when the app might be ready for widespread use, although that’s likely to depend on initial results.

And before you ask: no, France isn’t budging on its desire to loosen Apple’s Bluetooth restrictions for the sake of the app. While O acknowledged that both France’s centralized approach (which stores identifiers for positive contacts in one place) had Apple’s decentralized method had flaws, he argued that the method supported by iOS was “crippling.” It allegedly had inferior data protections and gave up control, making it difficult for a health authority to learn from info without asking tech companies.

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FCC ordered to provide IP addresses tied to fake net neutrality comments

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The NYT reporters filed a Freedom of Information Request for the data after the FCC refused to show logs. In theory, they’ll show both the extent of fake commenting and help trace it back to groups that may have been involved. Investigations have suggested that over half of the comments are fake, and some of the comments appear linked to dark money groups determined to skew the political discussion.

The FCC hasn’t commented on the decision. However, it has a long history of fighting attempts to address the flawed net neutrality commenting process. In addition to trying to block log requests, it insisted its comment system had fallen prey to a cyberattack only to admit the attack never happened. It even rejected city governments’ requests in recent weeks to extend a commenting window. It won’t be surprising if the FCC contests this court ruling in a last-ditch bid to keep the comments’ origins a secret.

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Amazon discounts its Echo Show speakers to as low as $50

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Buy Amazon Echo Show 8 on Amazon – $80

The Echo Show 5 is clearly meant as a nightstand companion and won’t blow you away with its 5-inch screen, but it delivers better sound quality than you’d expect for the size while including helpful alarm clock features like a sunrise alarm and an ambient light sensor. The Echo Show 8 can fill that role, but its 8-inch display makes it the better of the two for following recipes or catching up on your Netflix queue.

In both cases, Alexa is the main draw — it’s still one of the most capable voice assistants and helps you control smart home devices, play music or start video chats (there’s thankfully a built-in privacy shutter). So long as you’re comfortable with Amazon’s ecosystem in the first place, they should fit right in to your household.

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Google’s original Home smart speaker is on sale for $30

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Buy Google Home on Google Store – $29

The Home’s design may seem a bit old compared to newer Google smart speakers, but it’s still capable. It should sound better overall than the Nest Mini, and its customizable base lets you match it to your decor. Apart from that, the Home shares many things in common with more recent counterparts. Google Assistant remains a powerful AI helper that has improved over time (particularly for smart home integration), and it’s still a good choice if you like to cast audio from Google-friendly services. You won’t get stunning audio quality or a display, but at $30 it’s a better value than just about anything else in Google’s lineup — and rival speakers like Amazon’s Echo, for that matter.

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Uber is developing tech to ensure drivers wear face masks

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Uber has already been supplying masks and disinfectants to drivers, but this new policy might be vital if the company hopes to revitalize its business as governments lift their lockdown restrictions. Ridesharing has taken a sharp hit as stay-at-home orders, closed stores and fear of travel have left would-be customers reluctant to go anywhere — especially in the close confines of a car. Masks would not only reduce the chances of infection, but increase trust for both sides.

It might also be necessary for the survival of the company. Lyft recently laid off more than 1,000 employees to adapt to the financial realities of the pandemic, and The Information has claimed that Uber is looking at laying off roughly 20 percent of its staff. Job cuts like these could help the companies weather declines for a while, but they might not be enough if would-be customers remain frightened.

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