[ad_1] While sites and apps have made sneaker shopping safer, this digital shift has presented an entirely new challenge for companies: bots, automated computer scripts that can buy items faster than a human can. Bots, which are mostly used by resellers looking to profit off highly coveted shoes are now what people blame every time […]
Category: Internet
Watch the first ever image of a black hole be livestreamed here
[ad_1] Scientists have long studied the effects of black holes on the universe, but because of their light-devouring properties, it’s never been possible to capture an image of the so-called event horizon, where matter and energy can no longer escape the hole’s clutches. Today’s ground-breaking image has been captured by the Event Horizon Telescope (EHT), […]
Airbnb reverses ban on West Bank listings
[ad_1] The lawsuit had accused Airbnb of discriminating against Jewish listings, noting that it still let Christians and Palestinians host guests. Airbnb objected to the claims, though, rejecting implications that it supported a movement to boycott Israel. It pointed to the 20,000-plus Israeli hosts as further proof. “We have always sought to bring people together,” […]
Senate bill would ban deceptive data collection by internet giants
[ad_1] The legislation would also require disclosure of experiments to users and the public at least once every 90 days, and would mandate independent review boards for any behavioral or psychological research. The Federal Trade Commission would handle any violations alongside an external registered agency. As Senators Fischer and Warner describe DETOUR, this is about […]
Firefox will soon protect you against crypto-mining scripts
[ad_1] For the uninitiated, illicit crypto-mining sees bad actors harnessing your machine to covertly mine cryptocurrency — a process that cranks up CPU activity and drains power. This is generally achieved through scripts running behind-the-scenes on websites. The latest Firefox update blocks the cryptocurrency scripts contained in Disconnect’s list. The same goes for fingerprinting: a […]
Microsoft says FCC data on improved broadband coverage is misleading
[ad_1] According to the FCC, some 25 million people don’t have access to broadband. In leveraging data from its various online services, however, Microsoft says that some 163 million people “do not use the internet at broadband speeds.” Evidently, not having access to broadband and not using the internet at broadband speeds are not the […]
J.J. Abrams will turn Stephen King’s ‘Lisey’s Story’ into an Apple TV+ series
[ad_1] Apple promised us ad-free original shows when its TV service debuts this fall, and one of them will apparently be the Stephen King novel Lisey’s Story. According to Hollywood Reporter, Apple has ordered an eight-episode series to be written by King himself and produced by Bad Robot Productions’ J.J. Abrams and Ben Stephenson. Julianne […]
Digital music may not have saved the environment after all
[ad_1] The publicly available data leaves some questions. It’s not clear that the findings account for savings from reduced transportation costs, packaging and other savings that come when the music doesn’t have to physically travel somewhere. This also doesn’t account for multitasking. If you’re listening to music while you’re already at your computer, for instance, […]
Amazon Alexa provides more detailed news briefings in the US
[ad_1] Voice assistants usually only give you brief summaries of the news — helpful if you’re in a hurry, but that’s about it. Amazon is betting that you’ll want something deeper. It’s rolling out an Alexa feature in the US that provides long-form news from Bloomberg, CNBC, CNN, Fox News, Newsy and NPR. Ask Alexa […]
Snapchat’s new Android app is better, but imperfect
[ad_1] So what can Android users expect from the Snapchat revamp? A Snap Inc. spokesman told Engadget on Monday that early tests of its new Android app revealed a 20 percent reduction in the amount of time it takes to open the app. Android users should also look out for faster loading times on Lens […]