BATTERYFORPC BLOG
Biden rows back on Facebook 'killing people' comment
US President Joe Biden has issued a statement clarifying that "Facebook isn't killing people", following his earlier criticism. The president had said "they're killing people" when asked about Facebook's role in the Covid pandemic, a comment which made headlines around the world. But he now says he was referring to leading misinformation spreaders on the platform. Facebook h ... Read more
2021-07-20 20:42:40
EU plans to make Bitcoin transfers more traceable
Proposed changes to EU law would force companies that transfer Bitcoin or other crypto-assets to collect details on the recipient and sender. The proposals would make crypto-assets more traceable, the EU Commission said, and would help stop money-laundering and the financing of terrorism. The new rules would also prohibit providing anonymous crypto-asset wallets. The proposals could take two ye ... Read more
2021-07-20 20:42:17
EU plans to make Bitcoin transfers more traceable
Proposed changes to EU law would force companies that transfer Bitcoin or other crypto-assets to collect details on the recipient and sender. The proposals would make crypto-assets more traceable, the EU Commission said, and would help stop money-laundering and the financing of terrorism. The new rules would also prohibit providing anonymous crypto-asset wallets. The proposals could take two ye ... Read more
2021-07-20 20:38:08
Pegasus: Spyware sold to governments 'targets activists'
Rights activists, journalists and lawyers around the world have been targeted with phone malware sold to authoritarian governments by an Israeli surveillance firm, media reports say. They are on a list of some 50,000 phone numbers of people believed to be of interest to clients of the company, NSO Group, leaked to major news outlets. It was not clear where the list came from - or how many phones ... Read more
2021-07-19 20:04:16
China accused of cyber-attack on Microsoft Exchange servers
The UK, US and EU have accused China of carrying out a major cyber-attack earlier this year. The attack targeted Microsoft Exchange servers, affecting at least 30,000 organisations globally. Western security services believe it signals a shift from a targeted espionage campaign to a smash-and-grab raid, leading to concerns Chinese cyber-behaviour is escalating. The Chinese Ministry of State Sec ... Read more
2021-07-19 20:03:25
AI narration of chef Anthony Bourdain's voice sparks row
A new documentary about Anthony Bourdain has ignited a debate, after film-makers revealed they had used an AI simulation of the late chef's voice. Roadrunner: A Film About Anthony Bourdain was narrated using archive material supplemented by a synthetic voice reading short extracts of writing by Mr Bourdain, who died in 2018. Director Morgan Neville called it a modern storytelling technique. But ... Read more
2021-07-18 20:58:51
Pegasus: Spyware sold to governments 'targets activists'
Rights activists, journalists and lawyers around the world have been targeted with phone malware sold to authoritarian governments by an Israeli surveillance firm, media reports say. They are on a list of up to 50,000 phone numbers of people believed to be of interest to clients of the company, NSO, leaked to major news outlets. It is not clear where the list came from - or whose phones had actu ... Read more
2021-07-18 20:58:29
Clippy returns - as an emoji
Microsoft's much-maligned mascot Clippy is coming back from the dead - but only as an emoji. Clippy the paperclip was a simplistic virtual assistant who offered tips and advice to Microsoft Office users, from 1997 and until the mid-2000s. Its constant pop-ups to suggest help with the simplest of tasks - such as writing a letter - annoyed many. But Microsoft says it is now bringing back the desi ... Read more
2021-07-15 20:02:23
Instagram admits moderation mistake over racist comments
Instagram has admitted a mistake in its technology meant racist comments and emojis were not removed. It comes after a flood of racist abuse was directed at England footballers Bukayo Saka, Marcus Rashford and Jadon Sancho following the men's Euro 2020 final. Instagram boss Adam Mosseri said content had "mistakenly" been identified as within guidelines instead of referred to human mode ... Read more
2021-07-15 19:59:10
REvil: Ransomware gang websites disappear from internet
Websites for a Russian-linked ransomware gang blamed for attacks on hundreds of businesses worldwide have gone offline. Monitors say a payment website and a blog run by the REvil group became suddenly unreachable on Tuesday. The reason behind the disappearance is unknown, but has sparked speculation that the group may have been targeted deliberately by authorities. It comes amid growing pressur ... Read more
2021-07-14 20:07:27