Across America, 400 police forces have signed up to work with Amazon's Ring doorbell camera service. The deal gives the police access to surveillance footage from cameras mounted on people's doorways. The program has generated concerns from civil liberties activists, but has also helped create a new digitized "neighborhood watch." Drew Harwell reports for The Washington Post: The doorbell-camera company Ring has quietly forged video-sharing partnerships with more than 400 police forces across the United States, granting them access to homeowners’ camera footage and a powerful role in what … [Read more...]
Will Facebook’s Libra Pass the Anti-Trust Test in Europe?
Over the last two years Facebook has been a regular target of European regulators, and the plan for its new crypto-currency, Libra, is bringing the social media giant under new scrutiny. The FT reports: Facebook’s new digital currency, Libra, is under early scrutiny from the EU’s antitrust regulators, according to two people familiar with the matter. The European Commission has sent out questionnaires to groups involved with the Libra project as part of a preliminary information-gathering operation, amid concerns the currency could unfairly disadvantage rivals, the people … [Read more...]
Have You Cut the Cord Yet with Cable?
If you have cut the cord from cable, you are one of a rapidly growing number of Americans. In 2019, the number of American households that will have made the switch will reach 22 million. Anna Nicolaou reports that costs and the annoyance of commercial breaks are driving Americans to get rid of traditional cable and to instead watch streaming television. She writes at The Financial Times: More and more Americans are rejecting cable’s hefty monthly costs and commercial breaks as they decide on-demand streaming services such as Netflix, YouTube and Amazon Prime can satisfy their viewing … [Read more...]
Apple Stops Listening to You
After years of eavesdropping on Siri users to improve the product's voice recognition, Apple has announced that it will suspend its "grading" system of listening to users. This comes as Google and Amazon are also coming under increased scrutiny for listening to customers' conversations. Bloomberg's Mark Gurman reports: Apple Inc. said on Thursday it is suspending its global internal program for “grading” a portion of user Siri commands after some consumers raised concerns about the program. The Cupertino, California-based technology giant employs people that listen to less than 1% of Siri … [Read more...]
Microsoft’s New Success? The Cloud
Microsoft's cloud computing service boosted sales in the fourth quarter by 39%. Angus Loten reports at The Wall Street Journal that the company's success has come from its advantage in understanding large corporations. He writes: The success rests on its technology, combined with an understanding of complex enterprises’ software needs. The company over a period of decades has developed the ability to understand large corporations. This has enabled Microsoft to develop a range of technologies that allows customers to consolidate their purchases with a familiar source. At the same time, it has … [Read more...]
The Next Revolution in Mobile Phones May Be Dumber Phones
Have you recently paid $1,000 or more for a fully loaded smartphone that can do it all? If you're like many Americans, the answer is probably yes. the prices people are paying for smartphones has skyrocketed. But those expensive phones still aren't available to many people around the world who simply don't earn enough to afford the high price. In places where people can't afford high end smart phones, a new trend is occurring, the rise of what are known as "smart feature phones." These are phones with features similar to a smartphone, but without all the bells and whistles. Newley Purnell … [Read more...]
Imagine How Much Money is Going to Be Destroyed in the Streaming War
A wave of new streaming services backed by vast amounts of money are about to hit American consumers' Internet connections. With the explosion in new supply will likely come a reckoning in the streaming market. Holman W. Jenkins, Jr. reports at The Wall Street Journal: Who’s going to benefit when the streaming TV bubble pops? Maybe one answer is to be found here: In March the tiny Chicken Soup for the Soul Entertainment bought a controlling stake in Crackle, the free, ad-supported streaming service that Sony nurtured with millions of dollars without ever quite finding the sweet spot. When a … [Read more...]
Tired of Sitting in the Waiting Room? There May Be a Solution
With the preponderance of technological solutions helping humans live easier each day, one nuisance of life has somehow survived, waiting in the doctor's office. Now, a company named Omada is looking to cut down the amount of time people spend in doctors' offices by using technology to deliver some services right to patients' homes. CNBC's Christina Farr reports: Omada now has 550 companies paying for its services that they provide to customers. Those clients include Costco, Cigna and Lowe’s, as well as more than 35 health plans. Unlike many other digital health start-ups, Omada focused … [Read more...]
Will Iran Retaliate with a Digital Pearl Harbor?
In this U.S. Naval Institute Blog, Commander Brent Spillner, talks about “Preparing for a Digital Pearl Harbor” weeks before the United States completed its cyber-attack against Iran. Will we be ready if Iran decides to attack us? It’s important to look back. Spillner writes: A front-page headline in the 7 December 1941, New York Times boldly declared “Navy Is Superior to Any, Says Knox.”[ii] The next four years would prove the Secretary of the Navy correct, but nevertheless the bombers that would hand his superior Navy its worst-ever defeat were scrambling for takeoff just a few hours after … [Read more...]
Does that Local Business Google Found for You Even Exist?
Tech solutions have made many aspects of life easier, but sometimes that ease of use also leaves tech open to exploitation. Google Maps is facing a problem in which some companies showing up on its maps don't exist at all, and other exist purely to perpetrate fraud. At The Wall Street Journal, Katherine Bindley discusses fake listings: Some fake business listings might just be a popular search term or phrase. The address might be occupied by an entirely different company, or it might not exist at all. The phone number might route you to a marketing firm, known as a lead-generation business, … [Read more...]
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