Category: Tech News

Artificial Intelligence-Powered ‘Robot Lawyer’ to Represent Human in Court Next Month

A robot powered by artificial intelligence is set to become the world’s first “robot lawyer” and will take on speeding ticket cases in court next month, its creators have said. Joshua Browder, the CEO of Startup DoNotPay, which bills itself as “the home of the world’s first robot lawyer” confirmed the news on Twitter on Monday. Browder said…


New Jersey Prohibits Use of TikTok and 14 Other Social Media Apps on State-Owned Devices

New Jersey is the latest state to ban the use of TikTok on all state-owned or managed devices, along with 14 other social media apps. Democrat Gov. Phil Murphy issued a directive on Monday to remove high-risk software on state government devices. TikTok, a popular video-based social media platform, is gradually being banned by both state and federal authorities for…


FAA Proposes Requiring 5G Safeguards on Planes by Early 2024

WASHINGTON—The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said Monday it is proposing a requirement that passenger and cargo aircraft in the United States have 5G C-Band-tolerant radio altimeters or install approved filters by early 2024. Concerns that 5G service could interfere with airplane altimeters, which give data on a plane’s height above the ground and are crucial…


Seattle Schools Sue Tech Giants Over Social Media Harm

SEATTLE—The public school district in Seattle has filed a novel lawsuit against the tech giants behind TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, and Snapchat, seeking to hold them accountable for the mental health crisis among youth. Seattle Public Schools filed the lawsuit Friday in U.S. District Court. The 91-page complaint (pdf) says the social media companies have…


WhatsApp Announces New Proxy Support Feature to Bypass Internet Shutdowns

Meta Platforms Inc.’s WhatsApp said on Thursday users of the messaging app will now be able to use proxy servers to access the service in countries where the app is blocked. A proxy server is an intermediary between users and web services and acts as a web filter that allow netizens to circumvent restrictions and…


Twitter Leak Exposes 235 Million Email Addresses From Hack

Personal emails linked to 235 million Twitter accounts hacked some time ago have been exposed according to Israeli security researcher Alon Gal—making millions vulnerable to having their accounts compromised or identities exposed if they have used the site anonymously to criticize oppressive governments, for instance. Gal, who is the co-founder and chief technology officer at…


New York City Public Schools Block AI Chatbot Over Cheating Concerns

The New York City Department of Education (NYCDOE) has blocked OpenAI’s ChatGPT service access on its networks and devices amid fears that students will use it to cheat on assignments and other school tasks. ChatGPT is an artificial intelligence chatbot capable of producing content mimicking human speech. Accessible for free, the service can be used…


New Twitter Files Reveal How Company Allowed Intelligence Agencies to Influence It

A series of tweets by investigative reporter Matt Taibbi has revealed how Twitter came under the influence of American intelligence agencies after concerns about foreign influence put the company under the spotlight. Until August 2017, Twitter was not on many people’s radars with regard to the Trump–Russia foreign influence scandal. In September that year, Twitter…


Security Loophole in Google Home Speakers Let Hackers Snoop on Private Conversations

It was recently revealed that a security loophole within Google Home speakers allowed hackers to snoop on conversations. A bug allowed hackers to install a backdoor account on a Google Home smart speaker device and use it via remote control to eavesdrop on unsuspecting owners by accessing its microphone feed, reported Bleeping Computer. Security researcher Matt…


FAA Says It Fixed Computer Issue That Delayed Florida Flights

A problem with a critical air traffic control system that caused flight delays at major airports in Florida on Monday has been fixed, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said. “The computer issue has been resolved. The FAA is working toward safely returning to a normal traffic rate in the Florida airspace,” the agency said in…