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Microsoft demos its bid at creating ‘secure’ voting systems

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After you’ve cast your ballot using either the Surface or the controller, ElectionGuard uses homomorphic encryption to count the vote while keeping the data encrypted. It also offers a tracking code that voters can enter on the web to verify that their vote was both counted and hasn’t been changed. And yes, there will be a paper trail. A separate paper ballot you can mark and place into a box to serve as an extra level of verification.

You won’t see this exact device at a polling place. Microsoft’s open source tech works with other voting systems, and there are partnerships in place with companies that produce more than half of the voting machines the US is currently using. It’s adding support for two voting tech vendors, Clear Ballot and Smartmatic, in the process.

It will take a while for ElectionGuard to ramp up. Microsoft said it was “piloting” the platform in the 2020 US elections. There are certainly incentives to put it in place sooner than later, mind you. Microsoft warned that its AccountGuard system issued 781 notifications of nation-state account attacks (mostly from Russia, Iran and North Korea) since its debut in August 2018, with nearly 10,000 customers learning that they’ve either been targeted or victims. Other countries are eager to meddle with politics using cyberattacks, and vulnerable voting machines could be easy prey.

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NBC revives ‘A.P. Bio’ for its streaming service

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“I’m so overwhelmed by the outpouring of support from the fans,” said showrunner Mike O’Brien to THR. “The cast and I are thrilled that we get to make more and I’m excited to work with the NBCU streaming platform.” With its renewal, A.P. Bio earns the distinction of becoming the first canceled broadcast television show to get a new life on the network’s own streaming platform. While streaming services like Hulu and Netflix were once seen as viable homes for canceled cable TV shows, recent cancellation sprees seem to suggest otherwise. Reverting A.P. Bio to streaming-only seems to suggest that NBC understands the show’s potential to do well — but perhaps with a specific audience.

A.P. Bio is the first scripted comedy series secured by NBCUniversal’s streaming platform, which is expected to debut sometime in 2020. The still unnamed service will be free to cable subscribers and feature entire catalogs of network hits like The Office. Given that A.P. Bio already had a strong digital performance with the 18-34 demographic, it may fare better on the new streaming service.

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Oakland bans city use of facial recognition software

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Oakland, Calif. is now the third US city to ban the use of facial recognition technology. The city passed an ordinance yesterday that prohibits the use of the technology on the grounds that it is often inaccurate, potentially invasive and lacks standards. “Face recognition technology runs the risk of making Oakland residents less safe as the misidentification of individuals could lead to the misuse of force, false incarceration, and minority-based persecution,” Council President Rebecca Kaplan wrote in a letter recommending the ban.

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Google pulls stalking apps from the Play Store

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The apps were frequently pitched as employee and parental monitoring tools, but CNET found that some people weren’t using the app that way. Reviews for Spy Tracker, for instance, included numerous people using the app to stalk romantic partners. The clients were mildly popular — they had 130,000 total downloads.

When asked for comment, Google confirmed to Engadget that it pulled the apps. The company already has policies forbidding these apps and has taken some steps to fight partner abuse, such as donating resources to anti-domestic violence charities like Refuge and working with privacy and security researchers. It also published a study in 2017 to guide privacy and security practices when dealing with abusers.

The app report is a not-so-subtle plug for Avast’s stalking app detection tools, but it also illustrates the challenges Google faces in keeping these kinds of apps out of its catalog. These apps can clear the Play Store’s automated app screening even though they’re designed with malicious intent, and they might not be reported until after they’ve had an opportunity to do some damage.

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Hulu will add NASA TV to its lineup of live channels

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Among the series and events you’ll be able to check out on demand are Earth Views, NASA’s Look at 50 Years of Apollo, the Emmy-nominated InSight Mars Landing, SpaceX Dragon Crew Capsule and the TESS launch. Hulu plans to stream an array of other space-themed content over the next couple of weeks, including The Last Man (July 18th), Apollo 11 (July 20th), Planet 51 (July 23rd) and After Darkness (July 29).



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Netflix Q2 report points to price hikes for lower than expected growth

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Netflix just released its financial results for the second quarter of 2019 (PDF), and a number that jumps out is that its service grew by 2.7 million subscribers. That’s a problem for shareholders because in its last report, the company predicted it would be up about 5 million in Q2, and in the US it actually lost more subscribers than it added for only the second time ever, dropping by 130,000.

While any results tied to its juggernaut Stranger Things won’t show up until the Q3 report arrives in a few months, Netflix said “Our missed forecast was across all regions, but slightly more so in regions with price increases.” Another possible reason for the gap between expectations and reality is its big Q1 — the company experienced its second-largest period of subscriber growth ever with 9.6 million new customers.

Whatever the reason, Netflix’s letter is quick to make sure no one makes the mistake of attributing the gap to competition (which mostly hasn’t launched yet) or highly-viewed licensed content that will go away in the future like The Office.

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Apple renews ‘Carpool Karaoke’ for a third season

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Production for the third season is already underway, and is expected to include the cast of Stranger Things. The number of episodes for the new season hasn’t been announced yet — Seasons 1 and 2 contained 21 and 20 episodes, respectively. Most episodes have featured at least two celebrity guests, often in odd pairings (i.e. Neil Patrick Harris and Tyler Perry, Linkin Park and Ken Jeong). Stranger Things won’t be the first TV show to have its stars make a Carpool Karaoke appearance; actors from Star Trek: Discovery and Game of Thrones have also lent their voice talents.

Since Carpool Karaoke‘s debut in 2017, Apple has announced ambitious plans to expand original programming for its streaming service. The company is expected to spend $2 billion this year on original shows, which includes deals with the likes of Oprah Winfrey, Steven Spielberg, Reese Witherspoon, Jennifer Aniston and other A-list talent. While the critical reaction to Carpool Karaoke has been mixed, the show’s all-ages accessibility and viral nature (clips of celebrity guests quickly show up on Twitter and YouTube) makes it a safe bet for Apple TV.

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AI learns to solve a Rubik’s Cube in 1.2 seconds

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However, UC Irvine’s DeepCubeA doesn’t hold the record for automated Rubik’s Cube solving. Last year, researchers built a robot that could complete the puzzle in 0.38 seconds. Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s min2phase algorithm, which isn’t an AI system, solved it three times faster than DeepCubeA. While other methods were specifically designed to solve the cube, DeepCubeA had to forge its own path.

Curiously, the researchers aren’t quite sure exactly how DeepCubeA figured out how to make sure the Rubik’s Cube had a solid block of color on each of its six faces. There are billions of possible combinations for the cube, but only one completed state. While the scientists showed the AI what the end result looked like, DeepCubeA had to figure out how to get there and they don’t yet have a full understanding of how it developed its strategies.

The researchers started with a simulated version of a completed Rubik’s Cube, then scrambled it. DeepCubeA then trained itself to solve the puzzle over two days, improving its skill as it attempted increasingly difficult combinations. According to a paper published in Nature, researchers gave DeepCubeA 10 billion combinations and urged it to solve the puzzles in 30 or fewer moves.

The AI was then put to the test on a thousand combinations. It cracked the puzzle every time, and did so in the minimum number of moves in around 60 percent of attempts. The algorithm can also find solutions to other games including the sliding tile puzzle, Lights Out and Sokoban.

DeepCubeA uses a neural network (which apes how the human mind processes information) along with machine learning techniques, in which an AI system learns by detecting patterns and theorizing with little human input. It adopts a reinforcement learning approach, by which it learned “how to solve increasingly difficult states in reverse from the goal state without any specific domain knowledge.”

The researchers previously published a paper on a different approach to the puzzle, Approximate Policy Iteration. While that also solved the Rubik’s Cube every time, it did so typically in 30 moves with a median solve time of 10 minutes.

Since DeepCubeA wasn’t specifically designed for solving maddening plastic puzzle cubes from the ’70s, the algorithm could have some broader implications. “How do we create advanced AI that is smarter, more robust and capable of reasoning, understanding and planning?” computer science professor and study senior author Pierre Baldi said in a statement. “This work is a step toward this hefty goal.”

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A Bluetooth vulnerability could give hackers your location

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The vulnerability has to do with the way Bluetooth-enabled devices pair with each other. In that relationship, one device serves as the central connection and the other plays a peripheral role. The peripheral device sends out a signal that contains a unique address — similar to an IP address — and data about the connection. Most devices produce a randomized address which automatically reconfigures periodically. That’s meant to protect users’ privacy, but the BU researchers found that, using an open-source “sniffer” algorithm, they could identify Bluetooth connections even when their addresses changed.

While the vulnerability doesn’t leak personal data, it could be used to track Bluetooth devices and their users. Android might get a pass here. The researchers say Android devices don’t appear to be vulnerable, but Windows 10 and iOS devices can be tracked. FitBit users have it the worst. According to the researchers, FitBits don’t automatically update or randomize their addresses, making them even easier to track.

As a silver lining, thwarting this security gap can be as simple as turning off your Bluetooth connection and then turning it on again — at least for Windows 10 and iOS devices. And don’t get ready to ditch your Bluetooth gadgets just yet. As BU researcher Johannes Becker points out, “There are tons of ways to track people, with or without Bluetooth.” But it’s important to be aware of the signals you’re sending out and who might have access to your sensitive information.

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Spotify adds long-overdue iPad multitasking

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Spotify has been available on the iPad for several years, but it hasn’t really evolved to take advantage of the Apple tablet’s growing multitasking abilities. You’ve still had to switch to a full-screen view just to start a new playlist or see what friends are playing. At last, though, it’s getting more respect. Spotify has stealthily updated its iPad app with support for multitasking modes like Slide Over and Split View. You can keep tabs on an album while you’re reading the artist’s bio on the web, or browse podcasts without disrupting your group chat.

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