Webtagr - Technology News Summarizer

Clearview AI: A Tech Company Fueled by the Far Right, Weaponizing Surveillance

2025-04-07

Clearview AI, a powerful facial recognition technology company, was founded by Hoan Ton-That, a figure with strong far-right ties and close connections to neoreactionaries and white nationalists. The company built a massive biometric database using billions of images scraped from the internet, offering facial recognition services to law enforcement and corporations, raising enormous privacy concerns. Clearview AI actively pursued partnerships with border patrol and is accused of using its technology to surveil protesters and political opponents. Despite facing multiple lawsuits and hefty fines, Clearview AI thrived under the Trump administration, forging close relationships with agencies like ICE, raising the specter of its technology being used for mass surveillance and deportation. The company's new leadership, openly embracing a MAGA agenda, suggests a continued threat to privacy and democratic institutions.

(www.motherjones.com)

Tech far-right

Revolutionary Plant-Based Chocolate: Ancient Brewing Tech Creates a New Treat

2025-04-07

ChoViva chocolate uses natural ingredients like sunflower seeds, sugar, and plant-based fats. An innovative fermentation process, mimicking ancient beer brewing techniques, is used to roast and grind the sunflower seeds into a concentrate similar to cocoa powder. This concentrate is then mixed with other plant-based ingredients, repeatedly ground, and conched with plant-based fats to achieve a creamy, smooth texture. This technology promises to revolutionize the chocolate industry.

(choviva.com)

Tech plant-based chocolate sustainable food

UK Cracks Down on Fake Online Reviews and Hidden Fees

2025-04-07

The UK has implemented new legislation to combat fake online reviews and the deceptive practice of 'drip pricing,' where additional fees are added during checkout. The Digital Markets, Competition, and Consumer Act 2024 mandates that all mandatory fees, such as booking or admin charges, be included in the advertised price. This applies to services like food delivery and ticket booking platforms. Businesses are also prohibited from using or commissioning fake reviews. Platforms are responsible for removing and preventing them, facing potential fines up to 10% of global annual turnover for non-compliance. The aim is to protect consumers and ensure fair competition.

(www.theverge.com)

Tech fake reviews drip pricing

50 Years of Open Source Software Supply Chain Security: From Multics to the xz Attack

2025-04-07

This article explores the challenges of open source software supply chain security over the past five decades. From potential backdoors identified in a 1974 Multics security evaluation to the 2024 xz compression library backdoor attack, the problem persists. Russ Cox, a core developer of the Go programming language, draws on personal experience and industry examples to discuss definitions of supply chain attacks and vulnerabilities, the complexity of software supply chains, and methods for strengthening defenses. These include software authentication, reproducible builds, rapid vulnerability discovery and patching, and vulnerability prevention strategies. The article highlights the underfunding of open source software, leaving projects vulnerable to malicious actors, illustrated by the xz attack. Ultimately, the author calls for increased funding and improved security practices in open source to address evolving threats.

(queue.acm.org)

Tech Vulnerabilities

How Much Does the Internet Weigh?

2025-04-07

The question of the internet's weight, seemingly absurd, has spurred scientific inquiry. Early estimates pegged it at roughly 50 grams, equivalent to a few strawberries. However, with the explosive growth of data, this figure is outdated. This article explores three calculation methods: server energy consumption, electron information transmission, and DNA storage density. The final calculation, based on the law of conservation of energy, reveals an incredibly small mass: 53 quadrillionths of a gram. Yet, regardless of its physical weight, the internet's impact on humanity remains immense.

(www.wired.com)

Tech data

Compressed Air Supercharging: The Next Big Thing in Drag Racing?

2025-04-07

Drag racers are ditching traditional turbos and blowers for a new technology called Compressed Air Supercharging (CAS). CAS uses high-pressure air to supercharge engines, requiring no engine power and delivering extremely cold, dense air for superior performance and efficiency compared to traditional methods. Pioneered by Dale Vaznaian, CAS is gaining traction with racers like Tina Pierce and Ryan Mitchell achieving impressive results. While still in its early stages, its potential is undeniable, promising a revolution in drag racing power.

(www.thedrive.com)

Tech Compressed Air Supercharging Drag Racing Automotive Technology

Apple Airlifts iPhones to Beat US Tariffs: India Emerges as Key Player

2025-04-07

To avoid newly imposed US tariffs, Apple urgently shipped five planeloads of iPhones and other products from India to the US in just three days at the end of March. This move aims to maintain current US pricing using existing inventory, preventing cost increases for consumers. The event highlights India's strategic importance in Apple's global supply chain. Due to tariff differences, iPhones manufactured in India offer a significant cost advantage over those made in China, suggesting Apple may further increase production in India.

(timesofindia.indiatimes.com)

Tech India Manufacturing

2,000-Year-Old Roman Battlefield Unearthed in Vienna

2025-04-07

During renovations of a sports field in Vienna, a mass grave containing the remains of approximately 150 soldiers was discovered. Archaeological analysis confirms the remains date to a battle between Roman legionaries and Germanic tribes sometime between the mid-first and early second centuries CE. The discovery, including weaponry (daggers, spears, helmet fragments) and a dagger sheath with silver wire inlays providing precise dating, offers the first direct archaeological evidence of a battle along the Danube Limes, a key part of the Roman Empire's eastern frontier. This find sheds new light on the origins of Vienna and the conflicts that led to the expansion of the Roman military camp Vindobona.

(gizmodo.com)

Tech

FCC's toothless bite: News Distortion Enforcement a Rare Bite

2025-04-07

A nearly quarter-century-old study reveals the FCC's incredibly rare punishment of news distortion. Since the Reagan-era deregulation of broadcast news in 1982, such penalties have plummeted. While the FCC lacks explicit rules against news distortion, a policy has emerged through case-by-case adjudications. Recent allegations, including the inaccurate 2000 election projections, rarely result in findings of news distortion. This highlights the FCC's surprisingly weak enforcement of news accuracy, revealing significant practical limitations.

(arstechnica.com)

Tech news distortion media regulation

US Tariffs Trigger a European Cloud & AI Shakeup

2025-04-07

New US tariffs are hitting global supply chains, significantly impacting European companies reliant on US-based hardware and cloud services. The cost of servers, networking equipment, and GPUs is soaring, driving up cloud prices and increasing AI development costs. This isn't just a financial issue; it's strategic. European businesses must adapt, shifting to EU cloud providers (like OVHcloud, IONOS), reassessing hardware sourcing, and monitoring potential EU countermeasures. This trade dispute could fragment the AI and cloud market, making regional resilience crucial.

(spark.temrel.com)

Tech

EU to Simplify GDPR: A Lifeline for Struggling Businesses?

2025-04-07

The European Union is poised to simplify its complex General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). Since its 2018 implementation, the GDPR has faced criticism for its burdensome compliance requirements, particularly impacting small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). Danish Digital Minister Caroline Stage Olsen highlighted the need for simplification, acknowledging the importance of privacy while advocating for less bureaucratic compliance. The European Commission has confirmed an upcoming proposal to streamline the GDPR, aiming to alleviate the compliance burden on SMEs and boost Europe's economy. This move echoes concerns raised by former Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi about Europe's complex regulations hindering innovation.

(www.politico.eu)

Tech

Sharp Drop in US International Arrivals: A Data-Driven Investigation

2025-04-07

Analyzing data from the CBP's Average Wait Time website, the author reveals a significant decline of over 10% in foreign travelers to the US since March. To validate the data's reliability, the author compared it to US traveler data, finding that only foreign arrivals decreased, ruling out data entry delays. While acknowledging data limitations and seasonal factors, the trend warrants attention, hinting at potential policy or other influences. The author uses San Antonio theft data as a parallel example, highlighting the need for caution in analyzing early data and accounting for potential biases and incomplete data sets. This detailed analysis underscores the importance of rigorous data verification before drawing conclusions.

(jasher.substack.com)

Tech US Arrivals Travel Trends

The CD-ROM Server Savior

2025-04-07

An aging server at Initrode Global was crashing frequently, requiring manual restarts. The IT manager was stumped until an engineer devised a quirky solution: using an old PC's CD-ROM drive and a modified script to automatically reboot the failing server. This makeshift 'robot,' dubbed ITAPPMONROBOT, provided a bizarre yet effective fix until a new server was deployed, then it continued its pointless routine until decommissioned.

(thedailywtf.com)

Tech emergency solution

Proxima Centauri Flares: A Lethal Threat to Potentially Habitable Planets?

2025-04-07

New research using the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) delves into the millimeter-wavelength flare activity of Proxima Centauri, revealing a worrying picture. Proxima Centauri's flares are far more powerful than the Sun's, and their frequent, intense outbursts could strip away the atmospheres of potentially habitable planets, rendering them uninhabitable. This multi-wavelength study found millimeter flares are far more frequent than previously observed, implying that the extreme-UV radiation environment of Proxima b may be far harsher than predicted. This highlights the urgent need for further multi-wavelength observations to better assess the habitability of planets in red dwarf systems.

(www.centauri-dreams.org)

Tech red dwarf flares

CDC Shuts Down Premier STD Lab, Leaving Experts Aghast

2025-04-07

The US government has shuttered the CDC's leading sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) laboratory, firing all 28 employees. This leaves experts concerned about the lack of monitoring for drug-resistant STDs, especially gonorrhea, where antimicrobial resistance is rising. The lab played a crucial role in global surveillance and treatment recommendations, and its closure is seen as a significant blow to public health efforts, particularly as new gonorrhea drugs are nearing completion. The lack of transparency surrounding the decision has further fueled concerns.

(www.statnews.com)

Tech STD Antibiotic Resistance

California Bill AB-501 Suddenly Altered: OpenAI's For-Profit Conversion in Jeopardy?

2025-04-07

California Assemblymember Diane Papan's bill, AB-501, aimed at preventing OpenAI's transition from a non-profit to a for-profit organization, has undergone a significant and mysterious amendment. The updated bill inexplicably includes provisions related to aircraft liens. Sources confirm this is not a clerical error. Rumors suggest OpenAI CEO Sam Altman contacted Papan before the change, but the conversation's content remains unknown. The situation has sparked intense scrutiny, with calls for media investigation into the circumstances surrounding this surprising alteration. Tens of billions of dollars are at stake, leaving OpenAI's future uncertain.

(garymarcus.substack.com)

Tech California Legislation

EU Eyes Tech Retaliation in US Trade War

2025-04-07

The US-EU trade war escalates as the EU considers retaliatory measures against US tariffs. France's suggestion to target currently untaxed digital services faced immediate pushback from Ireland, home to many US tech giants. The EU enjoys a large goods surplus but a significant deficit in services, making the tech sector a potential target for retaliation. French officials predict the trade war will reduce France's GDP by over 0.5% and increase job losses. The potential economic impact on Europe is substantial, leaving tech companies facing considerable uncertainty.

(www.politico.eu)

Tech

Smartphone Camera Sensors Revolutionize Antimatter Research

2025-04-07

The AEgIS collaboration, led by the Technical University of Munich, has repurposed smartphone camera sensors to create a detector capable of imaging antiproton annihilations in real time with unprecedented 0.6-micrometer resolution – a 35-fold improvement. This breakthrough, using 60 integrated camera sensors for a total of 3840 megapixels, surpasses previous methods relying on photographic plates. Human analysis of the images, despite its time-consuming nature, proved crucial for achieving this accuracy. This technology opens new avenues for studying low-energy antiparticle annihilation and the gravitational effects on antihydrogen.

(home.cern)

Tech

Data Deluge: Drowning in Digital Trash

2025-04-06

Trillions of blurry images, half-baked videos, and AI-generated content are being created and stored annually, leading to massive environmental waste. The author argues that most organizations lack proper data management, resulting in a deluge of redundant, outdated, and inaccurate information. Cloud storage exacerbates this, making data hoarding cheap and leading to a massive surge in digital garbage. This, in turn, negatively impacts AI training and accuracy. The article calls for better data management practices to combat this growing environmental and resource problem.

(gerrymcgovern.com)

Tech data management data waste

Sunbird: A Fusion-Powered Rocket to Revolutionize Space Travel

2025-04-06

Pulsar Fusion, a UK-based startup, is developing Sunbird, a space rocket designed to revolutionize space travel using nuclear fusion. The rocket will rendezvous with spacecraft in orbit, attaching and propelling them to speeds exceeding 800,000 kilometers per hour using fusion thrust. While terrestrial fusion power generation faces significant hurdles, using it for propulsion simplifies the challenge – only a sufficient plasma thrust is needed. Aimed for a 2027 in-orbit fusion test, Sunbird could halve Mars travel times and dramatically improve deep-space exploration efficiency.

(www.cnn.com)

Tech Space Travel

Beyond Altair: The Rise of the Early Personal Computer Industry and the Software Startup Boom

2025-04-06

This article chronicles the explosive growth of the early personal computer industry following the release of the Altair 8800. Hardware enthusiasts like Don Tarbell filled Altair's shortcomings by developing peripherals such as cassette interfaces, giving rise to companies like Processor Technology and Cromemco. Simultaneously, software startups emerged, with Bill Gates and Paul Allen's BASIC interpreter and Gary Kildall's CP/M operating system transforming software business models and driving the adoption of personal computers. IMSAI took a different approach, attempting to push personal computers into the business market, but ultimately failing. This history showcases the transition of personal computers from hobbyist projects to a mature industry and the crucial role of early entrepreneurs in shaping its development.

(technicshistory.com)

Tech personal computer history hardware startups software startups

10-Minute EV Charging in -10°C? Michigan Engineers Crack the Code

2025-04-06

University of Michigan engineers have developed a modified manufacturing process for EV batteries that solves the range vs. charging speed trade-off, especially in cold weather. By combining a stabilizing coating on the electrode with microscale channels, they achieved 500% faster charging at -10°C. This breakthrough addresses a major consumer concern, potentially boosting EV adoption by overcoming winter range anxiety and slow charging times. The technology is designed for easy integration into existing manufacturing processes.

(news.umich.edu)

Tech EV battery fast charging cold weather charging

Sony's Hawk-Eye Revolutionizes NFL Down Measurement

2025-04-06

Sony's Hawk-Eye technology will become the primary method for measuring the line to gain in the NFL, starting in the 2025 season. This system uses six 8K cameras for precise distance measurement, replacing the traditional chain gang, improving efficiency and accuracy. Hawk-Eye will be deployed across all 30 NFL stadiums and integrated with the league's existing replay system. This innovation enhances game fairness, efficiency, and provides a smoother viewing experience for fans, marking a significant step in technology-assisted officiating for the NFL.

(www.hawkeyeinnovations.com)

Tech Sports Tech

Gmail's E2EE: A Farce of Encryption?

2025-04-06

Google announced end-to-end encryption for Gmail, but its implementation has sparked controversy. The sender encrypts the message with their own key, and the recipient needs a tool called "minimal Gmail" to read it, essentially requiring Gmail usage even without a Google account. This isn't true end-to-end encryption; Google controls access, preventing reading or searching in other clients. The email becomes Google's data, turning 'encryption' into a control mechanism rather than a security enhancement. Users are likely to simply mark these emails as spam.

(michal.sapka.pl)

Tech

EU Prepares $1B+ Fine for X, Citing DSA Violation

2025-04-06

The European Union is reportedly preparing a massive fine, potentially exceeding $1 billion, against X (formerly Twitter) for violating the Digital Services Act (DSA). The penalty, expected this summer, would be the first under the new EU law. Regulators are considering calculating the fine based on the revenue of Elon Musk's other companies, like SpaceX. X has vehemently denied wrongdoing and claims to have complied with the DSA, vowing to fight the penalty, framing it as an attack on free speech. This move underscores the EU's assertive approach to regulating tech giants.

(arstechnica.com)

Tech DSA

Critical Apache Parquet RCE Vulnerability Discovered (CVE-2025-30065)

2025-04-06

A critical remote code execution (RCE) vulnerability (CVE-2025-30065), with a CVSS score of 10.0, has been found in Apache Parquet versions up to and including 1.15.0. Attackers can exploit this flaw by using specially crafted Parquet files to gain control of systems. This affects a wide range of big data platforms, including Hadoop, AWS, and is used by companies like Netflix and Uber. Version 1.15.1 patches this issue; immediate upgrade is recommended. While no active exploitation has been reported, the risk is high due to the severity and widespread use of Parquet.

(www.bleepingcomputer.com)

Tech RCE vulnerability Big Data Security

Apple's Hardware Prowess Masks Software Decline: Can Linux Be the Savior?

2025-04-06

The author argues that Apple's declining software quality is overshadowed by its superior hardware integration, keeping it dominant in the market. Users find it hard to abandon the seamless synergy between Apple devices. The article explores Linux as a potential competitor, highlighting its lack of a robust hardware ecosystem as the main hurdle. The author suggests that a large electronics manufacturer like Dell or Sony, by providing a Linux device ecosystem comparable to Apple's hardware integration, could significantly boost Linux adoption and force Apple to improve software quality, reshaping the personal computer market.

(ofb.biz)

Tech hardware ecosystem

Irish Minister Rejects Streaming Levy: Consumers Price Out

2025-04-06

Ireland's Minister for Media, Patrick O'Donovan, has opposed proposals for a levy on streaming services like Netflix, arguing it would price consumers out of entertainment. Despite previous preparations for the levy, intended to fund domestic programming as recommended by the Media Commission, O'Donovan will bring a memo to Cabinet opposing it. He believes the existing television license fee suffices for terrestrial television and plans to address legal loopholes via the Broadcasting Bill. Concerns over RTÉ funding also feature, with O'Donovan highlighting an almost 'monopolistic' situation regarding license fees, advertising, and Sound and Vision funding, and pushing for increased accountability.

(www.rte.ie)

Tech streaming levy Irish media

Trump's Foreign Aid Freeze: A Tuberculosis Time Bomb?

2025-04-06

The Trump administration's January 2025 freeze on foreign aid, implemented by Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency, has jeopardized global tuberculosis control. John Green's new book, *Everything is Tuberculosis*, explores the disease's history and its connection to societal biases. Historically romanticized, TB now devastates impoverished communities. The aid freeze, coupled with battles over TB drug patents, highlights medical inequities and threatens a resurgence of this preventable disease, endangering millions worldwide.

(thebulletin.org)

Tech Foreign Aid Medical Inequality

Hunting for a Fifth Dimension: Neutron Stars and the Weakness of Gravity

2025-04-06

From the mid-19th century's intriguing explorations of extra dimensions to the current search for evidence of a fifth dimension using the unusual behavior of neutron stars, physicists haven't stopped their pursuit. The article suggests that the unusually weak nature of gravity may hint at the existence of extra dimensions. Randall and Sundrum's 'brane-world' theory proposes that our universe may be a three-dimensional membrane embedded in a higher-dimensional 'bulk'. Gravity can escape into higher dimensions, explaining its weakness. Scientists are investigating the peculiar behavior of neutron stars, such as their anomalous mass and radiation beam characteristics, looking for clues of 'dark radiation' and 'dark pressure,' phenomena that might stem from the influence of an extra dimension on gravity. While there are no conclusive answers yet, neutron stars' anomalies offer new leads in the quest to uncover extra dimensions.

(nautil.us)

Tech extra dimensions neutron stars gravity

Category: Tech