Tag Archives: author_name|Danny Gallagher

Belgian researchers found a huge privacy hole in six dating apps

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TechCrunch reported that a group of researchers from the university KU Leuven in Belgium identified six popular dating apps that malicious users can use to pinpoint the near-exact location of other users. Dating apps including Hinge, Happn, Bumble, Grindr, Badoo and Hily all exhibited some form of “trilateration” that could expose users’ approximate locations, which prompted some of the apps to take action and tighten their security, according to the published paper.

The term “trilateration” refers to a three-point measurement used in GPS to determine the relative distance to a target. The six named apps fell into one of three categories of trilateration” including “exact distance trilateration” in which a target is accurate to “at least a 111m by 111m square (at the equator),” “round distance trilateration” or “oracle trilateration” in which distance filters are used to approximate a rounded area much like a Venn diagram.

Grindr is “susceptible to exact distance trilateration” while Happn falls under “rounded distance trilateration.” The remaining four fall under “oracle trilateration” despite the fact that Hinge and Hily hide the distances of its users, according to the paper.

Karel Dhondt, one of the researchers involved in the study, told TechCrunch that a user with malicious intent could locate another user up to “2 meters” away using oracle trilateration. This method involves the malicious user going to a rough estimate of the victim's location based on their profile and moving in increments until the victim is no longer in proximity along three different positions and triangulating the data to one spot. 

Bumble’s vice president of global communication Gabrielle Ferree told the website that they “swiftly resolved the issues outlined” with its distance filter last year. Hily co-founder and chief technology officer Dmytro Kononov said in a statement that an investigation revealed “a potential possibility for trilateration” but “exploiting this for attacks was impossible.”

Happn chief executive officer and president Karima Ben Adelmalek told TechCrunch they discussed trilateration with the Belgian researchers. He says that an additional layer of protection designed to prevent trilateration “was not taken into account in their analysis.”

Grindr’s chief privacy officer Kelly Peterson Miranda noted that users can disable their distance display from their profile. She also noted that “Grindr users are in control of what location information they provide.” Hinge did not respond with a comment.

Other dating apps have taken extra steps to ensure its users are speaking to actual people and not spam bots or fake accounts. Tinder started requiring users in February in the US, UK, Brazil and Mexico to upload a copy of an official driver’s license or passport along with a video selfie as part of a new advanced ID verification system.

Update, July 31, 7:55PM ET: The story was updated to remove the statement that Badoo did not respond to a request for comment. As Badoo is owned by Bumble, Bumble VP Gabrielle Ferree's statement covers both brands.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/belgian-researchers-found-a-huge-privacy-hole-in-six-dating-apps-223227855.html?src=rss

Reddit CEO wants Microsoft to pay for its content

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Reddit’s chief executive officer Steve Huffman didn’t pull any punches with Microsoft in an interview with The Verge. He called out Microsoft and other AI search engines like Anthropic and Perplexity for not paying for the information they take from Reddit, some of which have already been blocked from Huffman’s website.

Reddit has deals in places with companies like Google and OpenAI to receive compensation for using its posts and information. The Verge paraphrased Huffman as saying Microsoft was one of several companies "refusing to negotiate," but a Reddit spokesperson disputed this characterization. The spokesperson told Engadget that Reddit and Microsoft did attempt to negotiate a solution, but didn't reach a deal they both agreed on.

“Without these agreements, we don’t have any say or knowledge of how our data is displayed and what it’s used for, which has put us in a position now of blocking folks who haven’t been willing to come to terms with how we’d like our data to be used or not used,” Huffman told The Verge’s deputy editor Alex Heath.

Huffman says if Microsoft and other AI search sites continue to use Reddit’s information without proper compensation, they’ll have to be blocked. He doesn’t want to do that because it’s “a real pain in the ass to block these companies.”

Reddit has started cracking down on search engines that expunge information from its various forms and communities. The website vowed to block unauthorized data scraping in June by updating its Robots Exclusion Protocol (robots.txt) and it’s already prevented Bing from accessing data from Reddit, a fact confirmed by Microsoft’s head of search Jordi Ribas on X.

Earlier this month, a source confirmed to Engadget's Will Shanklin that Microsoft’s refusal to work with Reddit’s terms of service led to the blocking of Bing. A spokesperson from Reddit also said, “Anyone accessing Reddit content must abide by our policies, including those in place to protect redditors. We are selective about who we work with and trust with large-scale access to Reddit content.”

Update, July 31, 7:40PM ET: This story was updated to include more detail on the talks between Reddit and Microsoft over scraping. A spokesperson for the site claimed that Microsoft and Reddit attempted to make a deal, but their negotiations ended without agreement.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/reddit-ceo-wants-microsoft-to-pay-for-its-content-212320245.html?src=rss

Bungie is laying off 220 employees

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The gaming industry has been plagued with rounds of layoffs and studio closures and it’s not showing any signs of stopping anytime soon. The latest round of layoffs comes from Sony-owned Bungie, best known at this point for Destiny 2.

Pete Parsons, the chief executive officer for Bungie, announced on its official website that it will eliminate 220 roles “representing roughly 17 percent of its workforce.” Executive and senior leader roles are the ones most affected by this round of layoffs but he also noted “these actions will affect every level of the company.”

Parsons blamed the need for layoffs on several factors including the “rising costs of development,” “industry shifts” and “enduring economic conditions.” He also noted the studio will focus its development efforts “entirely on Destiny and Marathon.”

Bungie and Sony seem to have been butting heads over economic concerns. Sony Interactive Entertainment chairman Hiroki Totoki noted during a February earnings call that he wanted to see more “accountability” with budgets and schedules from Bungie’s leaders. Destiny 2 alone has seen a noticeable dip in player numbers and revenues that fell 45 percent below its projections, according to PC Gamer.

Last year in October, Bloomberg reported that Bungie had to lay off an undetermined number of staffers that caused noticeable delays for its next game Marathon and an expansion for Destiny 2. A month later, Bungie announced it had to push back the release date for The Final Shape expansion for Destiny 2 from February to June.

Sony’s various game studios have also seen scores of layoffs in the last few months. Sony announced in February it had to eliminate around 900 positions from its PlayStation division as well as its Technology, Creative and Support teams. The cuts also affected studios like Insomniac, Naughty Dog and Guerilla that produced some of the PlayStation 5’s biggest titles like Marvel’s Spider-Man 2, The Last of Us and Horizon Forbidden West. Sony also shut down its London studio after more than 20 years in operation that was right in the middle of working on a new fantasy co-op multiplayer game for the PS5.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/bungie-is-laying-off-220-employees-200242815.html?src=rss

Ayaneo’s take on the Game Boy Micro is available to order starting at $190

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Ayaneo’s Pocket MICRO, a tangible tribute to Nintendo’s GameBoy Micro, is now available for pre-order on Indiegogo. The portable console maker started its crowdfunding campaign for the tiny, rectangular gaming device this morning and it’s already raised more than $50,000 in its opening day.

Ayaneo first announced its new line of portable game players back in May. The lineup included the Pocket MICRO and the Pocket DMG, a GameBoy-esque console with a left thumbstick and touchpad.

The Pocket MICRO may be smaller than the DMG but it offers some features its bigger brother doesn’t have like dual thumbsticks and a 960 x 640 borderless IPS screen. The pocket console’s frame is made from a premium CNC aluminum alloy and runs on a Helio G99 processor and 2,600mAH battery that can power up to 6 hours of play, according to the company’s website.

The Pocket MICRO is available for pre-order with “early bird prices” during the first week of the campaign. You can purchase your Pocket MICRO in one of three tiers: the 6G+128G Pocket Micro in “Magic Black” or “Soul Red” for $190, the 8GB+256GB Pocket Micro in black or red for $220 and the 8G+256GB in “Retro Grey” for $250. Shipping is $30 for each item and 400 orders will be taken for the first two tiers and 200 orders for the third tier.

The “early bird” orders also come with a special gift box that includes a coffee mug, a portable storage bag, a portable stand, tempered film for the screen, a joystick cap and a pack of Ayaneo stickers. The prices increase by $30 once the weeklong “early bird” promotion ends.

Ayaneo is known for its premium portable consoles and Steam Deck competitors, and this GameBoy Advance variant is competing with a ton of other devices that are over $100 cheaper. However, this new portable Android gaming device could feasibly create some real competition with its dual analogs that could play games from all sorts of consoles and streaming services.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ayaneos-take-on-the-game-boy-micro-is-available-to-order-starting-at-190-192714568.html?src=rss

Tesla involved in fatal Washington crash was using self-driving mode

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A deadly crash in Washington that took the life of a motorcyclist earlier this year was caused by a Tesla vehicle while it was in “Full Self Driving” mode. The Associated Press reported that investigators from the Washington State Patrol confirmed that a 2022 Tesla Model S involved in the fatal collision in April was in self-driving mode from the car’s event-data recorder.

The crash occurred on April 19 on the eastbound side of State Route 522 approximately 15 miles northeast of Seattle. The unidentified driver told police he had his Tesla’s self-driving mode on and was looking at his phone at the time of the crash. The vehicle crashed into the back of the motorcycle pinning Jeffrey Nissen, 28, underneath the vehicle. Paramedics pronounced Nissen dead at the scene, according to Seattle-based KIRO 7 News.

Tesla chief executive officer Elon Musk has been making promises for autonomous cars for years now. Musk’s promises coupled with vehicle safety concerns prompted Sen. Ed Markey and Richard Blumenthal to issue a letter to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) urging them to open an investigation into Tesla’s “misleading advertising and marketing” practices for its Autopilot and Full Self-Driving modes. Last year, the NHTSA recalled over 2 million Tesla vehicles due to concerns about driver inattention during Autopilot mode.

Musk also promised “one million robotaxis” in 2019 by the end of the following year. Four years later, the car company is still delaying the unveiling of its robotaxi initiative due to design changes.

The Washington incident happened just a few days before the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) concluded a review that linked 14 deaths caused by 13 crashes to Tesla vehicles operating in Autopilot mode. The NHTSA’s report concluded that “Tesla’s weak driver engagement system was not appropriate for Autopilot’s permissive operating capabilities” and the Full Self-Driving mode “did not adequately ensure that drivers maintained their attention on the driving task.”

The Wall Street Journal conducted its own investigation into Tesla’s Autopilot mode using data obtained from cars involved in accidents and published its findings on Monday. The video report found that Tesla reported over 1,000 crashes to the NHTSA since 2016. The data the WSJ obtained from 222 of those crashes determined that 44 were in Autopilot mode.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/tesla-involved-in-fatal-washington-crash-was-using-self-driving-mode-170706606.html?src=rss

Fresh leak shows the Google Pixel Watch 3 comes in two sizes instead of one

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The next Made by Google is just around the corner (Aug. 13, to be exact) but you may not have to wait to find out about the Google Pixel Watch 3. A leak from a Google source to the website Android Headlines reveals some new details about the new smartwatch.

The website received a bunch of promotional material from its Google source showing the specs of the Google Pixel Watch 3 and its improvements from its predecessor the Google Pixel Watch 2. The biggest difference is the size offerings in that you don’t have to settle for just one. Instead of just the standard 41mm size, the Google Pixel Watch 3 will be available in 41 and 45 mm.

Google is also replacing the Watch 2’s AMOLED display for an Actua display in the Google Pixel Watch 3 that’s 1,000 nits higher at its peak than the previous model. The battery can also charge 20 percent faster if you have the 41mm model. Battery life has long been an issue for the Pixel Watch line, and the improvements there are mixed: Google is still quoting the same 24 hours with the Always On display, but touts a new battery saver mode that extends battery life to up to 36 hours.

A leak to Android Headlines reveals some of the specs of the new Google Pixel Watch 3.
Android Headlines

The Google Pixel Watch 3 will also have a bunch of new functions. It can provide live video views from Nest Cam or Nest Doorbell devices with voice support and quick access to apps like Maps and Wallet. The new watch’s features have a big focus on fitness with workout tracking, haptic cues for jogging at certain paces and a detailed step tracker that can measure your average pace during a walk or a run. It also works with Fitbit Premium to provide a morning briefing of your daily fitness metrics, access to virtual trainers and ideas for recommended workouts.

Of course, none of this is official or confirmed yet. We won’t know all of the Google Pixel Watch 3’s features and capabilities until its big reveal on Aug. 13.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/fresh-leak-shows-the-google-pixel-watch-3-comes-in-two-sizes-instead-of-one-222109082.html?src=rss

This vacuum robot dog can find and suck up trash with its feet

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Cigarette butts pose a huge risk to the world’s oceans and can be a pain to clean up by hand especially on public spaces like beaches. A group of Italian scientists have built a quadruped robot that can identify litter and pick up the smaller bits with its leg mounted vacuums.

VERO, the vacuum equipped quadruped robot, is a four-legged device designed to look for and clean up litter on a variety of terrains. VERO was designed and built by a team of researchers from the Dynamic Legged Systems lab at the Italian Institute of Technology in Genoa, according to USA Today.

The group published a paper back in April on VERO’s development and effectiveness in the Journal of Field Robotics. The research paper states that cigarette butts are a serious concern. Discarded butts release toxic chemicals and microplastics into the ocean as they break down. It’s also the “second most common undisposed waste worldwide, in terrains that are hard to reach for wheeled and tracked robots.”

VERO is designed for picking up this common type of small litter. An operator sets up a field target for the robot to traverse. Then it slowly walks the entire length of the target while identifying litter with a special neural network and onboard cameras. The quadruped robot has a “convolutional neural network for litter detection” that can target litter and pick it up with one of four leg mounted vacuums, according to IEEE Spectrum.

Cleaning up beaches also can be a challenge because the sand makes it hard to lug wheeled trash bins or heavy receptacles over the terrain. The researchers conducted tests on “six different outdoor” scenarios to show VERO’s proficiency at navigating difficult terrain. It can steady itself while picking up trash with an Intel RealSense depth camera mounted on its chin.

The robot didn’t get every piece of trash in its initial test but it still picked up 90 percent of the cigarette butts identified in testing. That’s 90 percent less waste that ends up in the ocean.

There don’t seem to be any plans to implement VERO just yet. The researchers say VERO’s design could be programmed and engineered to do other tasks like spraying crops, looking for weaknesses in infrastructure and helping with construction projects.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/this-vacuum-robot-dog-can-find-and-suck-up-trash-with-its-feet-203952526.html?src=rss

ISPs are fighting to raise the price of low-income broadband

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A new government program is trying to encourage Internet service providers (ISPs) to offer lower rates for lower income customers by distributing federal funds through states. The only problem is the ISPs don’t want to offer the proposed rates.

Ars Technica obtained a letter sent to US Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo signed by more than 30 broadband industry trade groups like ACA Connects and the Fiber Broadband Association as well as several state based organizations. The letter raises “both a sense of alarm and urgency” about their ability to participate in the Broadband Equity, Access and Deployment (BEAD) program. The newly formed BEAD program provides over $42 billion in federal funds to “expand high-speed internet access by funding planning, infrastructure, deployment and adoption programs” in states across the country, according to the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA).

The money first goes to the NTIA and then it’s distributed to states after they obtain approval from the NTIA by presenting a low-cost broadband Internet option. The ISP industries’ letter claims a fixed rate of $30 per month for high speed Internet access is “completely unmoored from the economic realities of deploying and operating networks in the highest-cost, hardest-to-reach areas.”

The letter urges the NTIA to revise the low-cost service option rate proposed or approved so far. Twenty-six states have completed all of the BEAD program’s phases.

Americans pay an average of $89 a month for Internet access. New Jersey has the highest average bill at $126 per month, according to a survey conducted by U.S. News and World Report. A 2021 study from the Pew Research Center found that 57 percent of households with an annual salary of $30,000 or less have a broadband connection.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/isps-are-fighting-to-raise-the-price-of-low-income-broadband-220620369.html?src=rss

Amazon is giving The Boys the prequel treatment

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The Boys may be one season away from ending but it’s not done caking your screens with blood and torn muscle tissue. Cast member Jensen Ackles who plays Soldier Boy on The Boys revealed at the San Diego Comic-Con that Amazon will produce a prequel of the superhero show called Vought Rising.

The new prequel will take place in the 1950s during the early days of the evil Vought empire, the mega conglomerate that runs the entire superhero industry in The Boys’ universe. The new series will show the early exploits of characters like Soldier Boy and the almost-immortal Nazi supe Stormfront played by Aya Cash. The story will revolve around some kind of “twisted murder mystery about the origins of Vought,” according to executive producer Eric Kripke and showrunner and executive producer Paul Grellong.

Vought Rising sounds like a reimagining of Watchmen without the brooding and self-importance. That’s not to say Watchmen is bad. Those things and its brutal honesty about the nature of its characters are what makes it great but would it kill Rorschach to make just one curse-laden pop culture reference?

The Boys has become Amazon’s Game of Thrones. Even when the main series ends, it won’t be the last we hear from it. The same Comic-Con panel also revealed its college themed spinoff Gen V is getting another season, according to GamesRadar+. There’s also another spinoff in development called The Boys: Mexico with Diego Luna, Gael García Bernal and Blue Beetle writer Gareth Dunnet-Alcocer, according to Deadline.

There’s also The Boys Presents: Diabolical, the animated anthology series in which some of the original series’ writers and producers like Garth Ennis and Seth Rogen and special guest stars like Awkwafina and Andy Samberg penned original stories about supes and presented them in different animation styles. Not to sound ungrateful but when are we gonna get another season of that?

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/amazon-is-giving-the-boys-the-prequel-treatment-201058614.html?src=rss

You can date everything in Date Everything!

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Have you ever looked at something in your home like a dining room table or an adjustable height desk and wondered what it would be like to go on a date with it? Also, were you sober at the time? A new dating sim game called Date Everything! will let you see just what it’s like to search for true, meaningful love with the things you see almost every day (in the cleanest way possible, of course).

The surreal sounding dating sim game comes from an LA-based studio called Sassy Chap Games founded by a group of voice actors who’ve worked on games and shows like Critical Role, HiFi-Rush, One Punch Man, Final Fantasy XV, X-Men ‘97 and Genshin Impact. The indie game publisher Team17 will distribute the game for PC on Steam, the Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S, according to a press release.

The game puts players in the role of a lonely heart who receives a special pair of glasses called a “Dateviator” that transforms items in their home into human date candidates. For instance, the vacuum cleaner turns into a hunky heartthrob named Hoove and the laundry hamper transforms into a fiery redhead named Harper. Date Everything! has 100 possible mates in your home with their own voices, styles and personalities.

You get to know items like the refrigerator or the drawing room piano in their human forms. Depending on how things go, the relationship can end in one of three ways: Love, Friend or Hate. These relationships create a chain of different possible paths in which your choices influence the outcome along a “critical path tying it all together,” according to the press release.

Date the vacuum cleaner Hoove in the dating sim game Date Everything!
Team17/Sassy Chap Games

Since Date Everything! comes from a studio founded by voice actors, all of the characters are fully voiced. Some of the more familiar names include Felicia Day from Supernatural and Mystery Science Theater 3000, Johnny Yong Bosch from Mighty Morphin’ Power Rangers and Grey DeLisle from Scooby-Doo and The Last Airbender.

Date Everything! doesn’t just sound like a new and interesting twist on the dating sim game concept. It also sounds like a great way to boost your ego. If you’re down because you don’t have someone in your life, at least you can play the game and realize, “Well, at least I’m not trying to date my garbage disposal.”

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/you-can-date-everything-in-date-everything-190032967.html?src=rss