Webtagr - Technology News Summarizer

Former DOGE Aide Violated Treasury Policy by Leaking Unencrypted Database

2025-03-18

Marko Elez, a former aide to DOGE (a Trump-aligned unit run by Elon Musk), violated US Treasury policy by emailing an unencrypted database containing personal information to two Trump administration officials. A lawsuit filed by New York's Attorney General and 18 other state AGs alleges unauthorized access to the Treasury Department's Bureau of Fiscal Services (BFS), which handles trillions of dollars annually. The investigation revealed Elez violated Treasury regulations by sending an unencrypted database containing personally identifiable information without prior approval. Elez subsequently resigned following the discovery of hateful tweets. While analysis showed Elez didn't alter payment systems, his sending of the unencrypted database still violated BFS policy.

(www.theregister.com)

Tech

Europe's Cloud Conundrum: A Path to Self-Reliance

2025-03-18

Europe's reliance on American cloud services leaves it vulnerable. Market forces haven't delivered a viable European alternative, and businesses are hesitant to adopt unproven solutions. This article advocates for industrial policy: targeted government procurement, strategic subsidies, and leveraging open-source collaboration to build a sovereign cloud ecosystem. Success hinges on governments developing deep industry knowledge, learning from past large-scale project failures, and fostering homegrown talent to achieve cloud independence.

(berthub.eu)

Tech Industrial Policy

Environmental DNA: A New Frontier in Forensics

2025-03-18

Environmental DNA (eDNA) is emerging as a powerful tool in forensic science. This technology leverages DNA fragments extracted from environmental samples like air and clothing to provide new leads in criminal investigations. A comprehensive review of literature explores how shed cells and skin fragments carry DNA, the effects of environmental factors (UV radiation, humidity) on DNA degradation, and the challenges of DNA transfer and contamination. The studies highlight how actions like speaking and contact spread DNA and how procedural improvements can mitigate contamination. While promising for improving accuracy and efficiency in forensic analysis, challenges remain in interpreting low-level DNA and distinguishing background eDNA from crime-relevant DNA.

(www.nature.com)

Tech environmental DNA DNA contamination

Hollywood Stars Unite Against AI Copyright Grab

2025-03-18

Over 400 Hollywood creative leaders signed an open letter to the Trump administration, protesting AI companies' use of copyrighted material without permission for AI training. They argue this undermines the economic and cultural strength of America's creative industries. The letter, signed by A-list stars like Ben Stiller, Mark Ruffalo, and Cate Blanchett, calls for upholding existing copyright laws and has sparked widespread industry debate.

(variety.com)

Tech

BYD Unveils 1000kW Supercharging Platform: 5-Minute Charge for 400km Range

2025-03-18

BYD launched a new super-fast charging platform for electric vehicles (EVs), boasting charging speeds comparable to refueling gasoline cars. They also announced plans to build a nationwide charging network across China. The platform achieves peak charging speeds of 1000 kW, enabling a 5-minute charge to deliver a 400km range, significantly surpassing Tesla's 500kW superchargers. BYD aims to build over 4,000 ultra-fast charging stations to address range anxiety, marking the industry's first achievement of megawatt charging power. This new architecture will initially power the Han L sedan and Tang L SUV.

(finance.yahoo.com)

Tech Fast Charging

Google Kills Individual Storage in Free G Suite Accounts

2025-03-18

Google is ending individual storage allowances for its legacy free G Suite accounts, switching to pooled storage shared across all users starting May 1st. This affects users who've kept their accounts since Google stopped offering them in 2012. While the total storage remains the same, users needing more will have to pay, though Google promises a discount. Admins can set individual user limits to prevent hoarding. This change, initially announced in 2022 and then reversed, simplifies storage management but adds extra work for admins preferring the old system. It benefits groups wanting to share unused storage.

(www.theverge.com)

Tech Storage

Betelgeuse: The Upcoming Cosmic Fireworks Show?

2025-03-17

Betelgeuse, a red supergiant star about 500 light-years from Earth, is nearing the end of its life. It could go supernova at any time, resulting in a spectacle visible even during the day, slightly dimmer than a full moon and lasting for months. Despite its incredible brightness, the vast distance and the inverse square law will protect Earth from harmful radiation, leaving us to enjoy a breathtaking cosmic fireworks display.

(www.universetoday.com)

Tech Betelgeuse

Alphabet in Talks to Acquire Cybersecurity Startup Wiz for $30B

2025-03-17

Alphabet, Google's parent company, is reportedly in advanced talks to acquire cybersecurity startup Wiz for approximately $30 billion, potentially its largest acquisition ever. Wiz offers AI-powered cloud-based cybersecurity solutions, helping companies mitigate critical risks. While the deal is not finalized and could change, it signifies Alphabet's significant investment in the booming cybersecurity market and expansion of its cloud infrastructure business. Regulatory scrutiny is likely given the size and Alphabet's market position.

(finance.yahoo.com)

Tech

The Enduring Appeal of Tiny Laptops: A 17-Year Retrospective

2025-03-17

Seventeen years ago, Steve Jobs unveiled the first Macbook Air, a revolutionary device compared to the bulky netbooks of the time. The author reminisces about their Lenovo IdeaPad S10e and expresses a continued yearning for small, lightweight laptops. Despite advancements in hardware, the author believes an A4-sized Macbook Air or Macbook Mini, paired with a powerful home server, represents the ideal remote work solution. Portability and remote work are the future.

(gokmengorgen.net)

Tech lightweight laptops

PrintedLabs: Open-Source 3D-Printed Science Lab

2025-03-17

PrintedLabs is an open-source platform providing low-cost, 3D-printable scientific lab equipment and software, fostering STEM engagement. Whether for teachers demonstrating experiments, students conducting independent research, or hobbyists pursuing personal projects, PrintedLabs offers readily accessible tools and resources. It aims to cultivate analytical thinking, problem-solving, and structured workflows through hands-on experimentation, teaching fundamental data processing and analysis. Since 2021, it's been integrated into the practical physics course at the University of Bayreuth.

(printedlabs.uni-bayreuth.de)

Tech science experiments STEM education

Apple Considered Portless iPhone 17 Air: A Glimpse into the Future?

2025-03-17

Bloomberg's Mark Gurman reports that Apple considered releasing the iPhone 17 Air without a USB-C charging port. While ultimately scrapped, the idea remains on the table for future models. The iPhone 17 Air will "foreshadow a move to slimmer models without charging ports." Apple executives see this as a potential sea change; if successful, they intend to pursue portless iPhones more broadly. This represents a significant design shift, potentially ushering in a new era of portless smartphones.

(www.macrumors.com)

Tech Portless iPhone

US Treasury Hacked via Decade-Old PostgreSQL Zero-Day

2025-03-17

The US Treasury suffered a data breach exploited via a nearly decade-old SQL injection vulnerability in PostgreSQL. The attack wasn't a simple SQL injection; it leveraged the output of an internal Postgres string escaping method fed directly into the psql command-line tool. Attackers used two bytes, `c0 27`, bypassing Beyond Trust's PAM tool and the pg_escape_string function, gaining full psql control and executing arbitrary system commands. This highlights how subtle, long-standing vulnerabilities, even in heavily scrutinized open-source projects, can lead to severe security breaches.

(slamdunksoftware.substack.com)

Tech PostgreSQL Vulnerability

Don't Believe the Hype: Archival Storage is an Economic, Not Technical Problem

2025-03-17

This talk challenges the conventional wisdom around 'immortal' storage media solving the archival data problem. The author uses their personal backup strategy as an example, highlighting that backup and archiving are distinct problems; backups focus on recovery time, not media lifespan. Inexpensive DVD-Rs suffice for their backups. For archiving, the author argues that 'immortal' media have a small market size, long technology maturation cycles, and are inaccessible to consumers. Large cloud providers dominate archival storage, and their pricing strategies reflect economies of scale and lock-in. Finally, the author stresses the importance of retrieval strategies and cites the LOCKSS project, emphasizing the importance of redundant backups over reliance on a single expensive, durable medium.

(blog.dshr.org)

Tech

Taara Lightbridge: Bridging the Connectivity Gap with Light

2025-03-17

Taara addresses the growing global demand for data by offering a solution to the high cost and difficulty of traditional fiber optic cable deployment. Their Lightbridge system uses narrow beams of light to transmit data wirelessly at speeds up to 20 Gbps over distances of up to 20 kilometers. Installation takes only hours, eliminating the need for trenching or cable laying. This technology brings high-speed internet access to areas previously underserved, including dense cities, across bodies of water, and in rugged terrain, unlocking economic, educational, and social benefits.

(x.company)

Tech optical communication high-speed internet wireless connectivity

Europe's Tech Industry Calls for 'Radical Action' to Build a 'Euro Stack'

2025-03-17

Amidst rising geopolitical tensions, over 80 European tech organizations penned a letter to the EU, urging "radical action" to lessen reliance on foreign-owned digital infrastructure and services. They advocate for a "Euro Stack," prioritizing homegrown alternatives with strong commercial potential, ranging from apps and AI models to chips and connectivity. The letter stresses reducing dependence on US tech giants, proposing "Buy European" public procurement mandates and subsidies for local providers to boost demand and foster European tech growth and innovation. This follows concerns over US executive orders potentially disrupting services and highlights the need for digital sovereignty.

(techcrunch.com)

Tech Euro Stack Digital Sovereignty Tech Autonomy

LAPD's Use of Dataminr to Monitor Pro-Palestine Protests Raises Privacy Concerns

2025-03-17

The Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) used Dataminr, a social media surveillance firm, to track pro-Palestine protests, raising concerns about privacy and freedom of speech. Dataminr provided real-time alerts to the LAPD, including information about upcoming demonstrations. Critics argue this infringes on First Amendment rights and could lead to self-censorship. Dataminr defends its actions by stating it only provides publicly available information, but its powerful data processing capabilities allow it to monitor information inaccessible to ordinary users. This incident highlights the potential threat of social media surveillance to freedom of speech and the ethical concerns surrounding government collaboration with private companies for mass surveillance.

(theintercept.com)

Tech Police Surveillance

Wall Street's Dark Pools Get Even Darker: The Rise of Private Trading Rooms

2025-03-17

Wall Street's dark pools, already shrouded in secrecy, are becoming even more opaque with the introduction of private trading rooms. These exclusive venues offer the core benefit of dark pools – hiding large trades to avoid price impact – but with added exclusivity, specifying who can participate. While currently a minority of dark pool volume, their adoption is rapidly growing among broker-dealers, market makers, hedge funds, and asset managers. This raises concerns about market transparency and fragmentation, but also offers improved execution quality and allows firms to handpick counterparties. However, this lack of transparency presents challenges, including difficulty gauging market depth and potential regulatory risks.

(finance.yahoo.com)

Tech dark pools market transparency high-frequency trading

Michael Larabel: 20 Years of Deep Dives into Linux Hardware

2025-03-17

Michael Larabel, founder and principal author of Phoronix.com, has dedicated himself since 2004 to enriching the Linux hardware experience. He's written over 20,000 articles covering Linux hardware support, performance, graphics drivers, and more. He's also the lead developer behind the Phoronix Test Suite, Phoromatic, and OpenBenchmarking.org automated benchmarking software.

(www.phoronix.com)

Tech

Akira Ransomware Cracked: GPU Brute-Force Method Discovered

2025-03-17

Security researcher Tinyhack has discovered a GPU-based brute-force method to decrypt the Akira ransomware. Akira, known for its exorbitant ransom demands (reaching tens of millions of dollars), targets high-profile victims. Using an RTX 4090, Tinyhack cracked encrypted files in 7 days; 16 GPUs reduced this to just over 10 hours. The method exploits four nanosecond timestamps used as seeds in Akira's encryption, brute-forcing to find the precise timestamps and generate decryption keys. Success requires untouched files and local disk storage (NFS complicates decryption). While a significant cybersecurity win, Akira's developers will likely patch this vulnerability quickly.

(www.tomshardware.com)

Tech GPU brute-force

Exploiting a Flaw in LCP DRM: A Simple Bypass in the Thorium Reader

2025-03-17

A blogger discovered a way to bypass LCP DRM, an ebook digital rights management scheme. The method leverages the Thorium reader's debugging functionality to easily extract unencrypted ebook content, including text, images, and metadata, without cracking encryption. This prompted a discussion with the Readium consortium (LCP DRM developers), who acknowledged a security vulnerability and stated they would improve security measures. The blogger argues this highlights deficiencies in LCP DRM, and both readers and publishers should be aware of the issue.

(shkspr.mobi)

Tech

The Animal That Doesn't Breathe: Henneguya salminicola

2025-03-17

Scientists have discovered Henneguya salminicola, a parasite and the only known animal on Earth that doesn't breathe. This parasite, which lives in fish and underwater worms, lacks the mitochondrial genome—the crucial DNA responsible for respiration—found in all other multicellular animals. Research suggests this minimalist genome, shedding most multicellular traits like tissues, nerve cells, and muscles, evolved for rapid reproduction. While its energy acquisition method remains unclear, researchers hypothesize it may directly obtain energy from its host. This discovery challenges our understanding of animal evolution and fundamental life requirements.

(www.livescience.com)

Tech genome

FSF's 40th Anniversary Auction: Bid on Pieces of Free Software History!

2025-03-17

To celebrate its 40th anniversary, the Free Software Foundation (FSF) is hosting an online auction featuring 25 pieces of historic free software memorabilia. The auction is split into a silent online auction (March 17-21 on the LibrePlanet wiki) and a live auction (March 23). Items include vintage computers, plushies, original artwork promoting free software, and awards received by the FSF and its founder. All proceeds support the FSF's continued work. The live auction features six particularly significant items, including the original GNU head logo, the Norbert Wiener Award, and artwork from the GCC manual. These artifacts represent milestones in the free software movement.

(www.fsf.org)

Tech

Facebook's Autocracy: A Whistleblower's Tale

2025-03-17

Sarah Wynn-Williams' new book, "Careless People," exposes the inner workings of Facebook, detailing its failures in Myanmar, its ethically dubious attempts to enter the Chinese market, and Mark Zuckerberg's unchecked power. Wynn-Williams, a former Facebook policy executive, describes a company hampered by weak content moderation, slow responses to hate speech, and a leadership that prioritizes business interests over social responsibility. She alleges that Zuckerberg deliberately misled Congress and portrays Facebook as a personal autocracy, raising concerns about its long-term impact on global information ecosystems.

(web.archive.org)

Tech Power

Bluesky's Controversial AI Data Scraping Proposal

2025-03-17

Bluesky, a social network, proposed a new system allowing users to opt in or out of having their data used for generative AI training and public archiving. This sparked controversy, with some users accusing Bluesky of breaking its promise not to sell user data to advertisers or use user posts for AI training. CEO Jay Graber responded that generative AI companies already scrape public data, including from Bluesky, and that the platform is trying to create a new standard similar to robots.txt, but without legal enforceability. Users can choose to allow or disallow their data for generative AI, protocol bridging, bulk datasets, and web archiving. While some consider it a good proposal, others worry that scrapers might disregard user preferences.

(techcrunch.com)

Tech user privacy

Genomic Study Suggests Human Language Capacity Emerged 135,000 Years Ago

2025-03-17

A new genomic study suggests that our unique capacity for language was present at least 135,000 years ago. Researchers analyzed 15 genetic studies and found that early human populations began diverging geographically around 135,000 years ago, indicating the presence of language capacity at that time. Around 100,000 years ago, language entered widespread social use, coinciding with archaeological evidence of symbolic activity such as markings on objects and the use of ochre. This research provides a new perspective on the origins of human language and prompts further exploration of the relationship between language, human cognition, and social development.

(phys.org)

Tech language origins

Amnesty's Mobile Verification Toolkit: A Forensic Tool for Spyware Detection

2025-03-17

Amnesty International's Security Lab released the Mobile Verification Toolkit (MVT) in July 2021. This tool helps simplify and automate the process of gathering forensic evidence to identify potential compromises on Android and iOS devices. MVT uses publicly available Indicators of Compromise (IOCs) to scan for traces of known spyware campaigns, but it's crucial to remember that this is not a guarantee of complete device security. Intended for technologists and investigators familiar with digital forensics and command-line tools, MVT is not for general self-assessment.

(github.com)

Tech digital forensics

Photocatalysis: Unlocking Sustainable Chemical Synthesis?

2025-03-17

Photocatalysis has emerged as a promising technology for sustainable chemical synthesis. Researchers are harnessing light energy to drive various chemical reactions, including converting carbon dioxide to methane and using water as an electron donor for organic molecule hydrogenation. These reactions offer efficient energy utilization and reduce reliance on fossil fuels, paving the way for eco-friendly chemical industries. However, challenges remain, such as improving the efficiency and stability of photocatalysts and exploring broader applications.

(www.nature.com)

Tech photocatalysis sustainable chemistry green chemistry

New Bill Aims to Tackle IoT Device Security Risks

2025-03-17

Consumer Reports, Secure Resilient Future Foundation, and others have drafted the "Connected Consumer Products End of Life Disclosure Act." This bill mandates manufacturers and ISPs to clearly disclose the support lifecycle of connected devices, including software and security update durations. The initiative addresses the growing security risk posed by outdated IoT devices, often exploited by malicious actors after support ends. A survey reveals 72% of US smart device owners support mandatory disclosure of device support lifecycles.

(advocacy.consumerreports.org)

Tech

WHOIS Sunset: RDAP Takes Over gTLD Registration Data

2025-03-17

Starting January 28, 2025, the Registration Data Access Protocol (RDAP) becomes the primary source for generic top-level domain (gTLD) registration information, replacing the sunsetting WHOIS service. RDAP offers improvements such as internationalization support, secure access, authoritative service discovery, and differentiated data access. Developed by the IETF, RDAP has been used by ICANN-accredited registrars since 2019. Users can access data via ICANN's RDAP lookup service (https://lookup.icann.org/en) or its open-source command-line client. For non-public data, use the Registration Data Request Service (RDRS) or contact the registrar directly.

(www.icann.org)

Tech gTLD

62-Million-Year-Old Skeleton Reveals Surprising Relative of Humans

2025-03-17

A new study sheds light on *Mixodectes pungens*, a small, tree-dwelling mammal from the early Paleocene of western North America. Analysis of the most complete skeleton ever found reveals details about its anatomy, behavior, and diet. Weighing about 3 pounds, *Mixodectes* was an arboreal leaf-eater, surprisingly closely related to primates and colugos (flying lemurs), making it a relatively close relative to humans. This discovery provides crucial insights into the diversification of early mammals and their adaptation to new ecological niches following the extinction of the dinosaurs. The research significantly refines our understanding of early mammalian evolution.

(www.sciencedaily.com)

Tech mammals

Category: Tech