BATTERYFORPC BLOG
Buying a pink NFT cat was a crypto nightmare
The hype surrounding NFTs (non-fungible tokens) has been hard to ignore. Bright, colourful digital-only art that is selling for millions - who wouldn’t be intrigued? But my first experience of investing in this world was a nightmare - with far too much time, money and stress wasted on… well, not very much. Because an NFT doesn’t have a physical representation like a painting, it exists only as ... Read more
2021-05-30 20:38:34
Legality of collecting faces online challenged
Clearview AI, a US firm with a database of three billion facial images from the internet, is facing a new legal challenge from privacy campaigners. Privacy International and others argue its methods of collecting photos and selling them to private firms and the police "go beyond what we could ever expect as online users". Clearview has said is has no contracts with any EU-based custome ... Read more
2021-05-27 20:47:39
Instagram lets users hide likes to reduce social media pressure
Instagram is offering its users the option to hide the number of likes they receive on posts on the app. The aim is to “depressurize people’s experience” on the platform, the social media giant said. Users with the feature enabled will now see the username of a follower who has liked the post, “and others”, instead of a number. The tool has been tested in several countries since 2019, but it is ... Read more
2021-05-27 20:04:26
Iran bans cryptocurrency mining for four months after blackouts
Iran has announced a four-month ban on the energy-consuming mining of cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin after cities suffered unplanned blackouts. President Hassan Rouhani told a cabinet meeting the main cause of the blackouts was a drought that had affected hydro-electric power generation. But he said cryptocurrency mining, 85% of which is unlicensed, was draining more than 2GW from the grid eac ... Read more
2021-05-26 19:57:12
Instagram lets users hide likes to reduce social media pressure
Instagram is offering its users the option to hide the number of likes they receive on posts on the app. The aim is to “depressurize people’s experience” on the platform, the social media giant said. Users with the feature enabled will now see the username of a follower who has liked the post, “and others”, instead of a number. The tool has been tested in several countries since 2019, but it is ... Read more
2021-05-26 19:55:58
Bitcoin Mining Council to report renewable energy usage
A new Bitcoin Mining Council has been created to improve the crypto-currency's sustainability, following a meeting of "leading" Bitcoin miners and Elon Musk. The Tesla CEO tweeted the development was "potentially promising". It's hoped the council will "promote energy usage transparency" and encourage miners to use renewable sources. The process of creating Bitcoin ... Read more
2021-05-25 19:45:02
AI emotion-detection software tested on Uyghurs
A camera system that uses AI and facial recognition intended to reveal states of emotion has been tested on Uyghurs in Xinjiang, the BBC has been told. A software engineer claimed to have installed such systems in police stations in the province. A human rights advocate who was shown the evidence described it as shocking. The Chinese embassy in London has not responded directly to the claims bu ... Read more
2021-05-25 19:44:24
Epic v Apple: What have we learned?
The much-hyped Epic v Apple trial is due to finish on Monday in California. Epic Games is suing Apple over the way it runs its App Store. It says the store is a monopoly and charges exorbitant fees on games like Epic's popular Fortnite. Apple makes Epic pay a 30% commission on in-app payments. The judge may take weeks, if not months, to make a ruling. But during the three-week trial we've seen ... Read more
2021-05-24 19:53:54
Epic v Apple: What have we learned?
The much-hyped Epic v Apple trial is due to finish on Monday in California. Epic Games is suing Apple over the way it runs its App Store. It says the store is a monopoly and charges exorbitant fees on games like Epic's popular Fortnite. Apple makes Epic pay a 30% commission on in-app payments. The judge may take weeks, if not months, to make a ruling. But during the three-week trial we've seen ... Read more
2021-05-24 19:53:29
Florida governor signs bill to ban Big Tech 'deplatforming'
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has signed a first-in-the-nation bill that can penalise tech companies for deplatforming politicians. The legislation states that platforms can only suspend accounts for 14 days, and will be fined as much as $250,000 (£176,000) per day for violations. NetChoice, a tech lobbying group whose members include Twitter and Facebook, testified against the bill in March. T ... Read more
2021-05-24 19:52:31