wink Wink Demands Monthly Fee, Threatens to Disable Smart Home Devices Wink announces a sudden $4.99 monthly subscription requirement that renders all user hardware useless without payment. The company gives customers less than one week to accept the new terms before their smart home systems stop working.
spacex SpaceX Starship SN4 Prototype Aces First Engine Firing Test SpaceX successfully completes the first static fire test of its Starship SN4 prototype in South Texas. This milestone paves the way for a brief uncrewed test flight in the near future.
love bug Love Bug Creator Finally Admits Guilt Two Decades After Global Cyberattack Twenty years after unleashing the devastating Love Bug computer worm, Filipino creator Onel de Guzman publicly admits his guilt and expresses regret. The 2000 attack infected 45 million machines and caused billions in damages worldwide.
tokopedia Hacker Sells 91 Million Tokopedia User Records on Dark Web A cybercriminal is selling a massive database of 91 million Tokopedia users for just $5,000, and other attackers are already cracking and sharing the exposed passwords online.
china China's Mobile Data Traffic Surges 40% as Pandemic Drives Digital Shift China experiences a massive 39.3% jump in mobile data traffic for March as homebound residents rely heavily on telecommuting and online education platforms to navigate the coronavirus pandemic.
huawei Huawei's HiSilicon Surpasses Qualcomm to Lead China's Smartphone Chip Market Huawei's chip unit HiSilicon overtakes Qualcomm as China's top smartphone processor supplier for the first time as the broader market slumps amid the pandemic.
financial times Financial Times Blocks Access Due to Security Verification Error The Financial Times website currently displays a 403 error message that requires users to enable JavaScript and cookies to proceed. The automated security challenge prevents readers from accessing the intended article content.
aarogya setu India Requires Private Sector Employees to Use Aarogya Setu App The Indian government mandates all private sector employees to download the Aarogya Setu contact tracing app before returning to workplaces.
artificial intelligence Researchers Combine Neural Networks and Symbolic Logic for AI Common Sense Artificial intelligence struggles with basic common-sense reasoning, as shown when advanced language models fail simple physical world questions. A new approach merging deep learning with symbolic logic offers promising progress toward solving this decades-old challenge.
icann ICANN Board Rejects Ethos Capital Takeover of .ORG Registry The ICANN Board officially withholds consent for the proposed sale of the Public Interest Registry to Ethos Capital. The decision follows months of extensive due diligence and stakeholder input regarding the change from a non-profit to a for-profit entity.
steamvr Valve Ends SteamVR Support for Mac, Shifts Focus to Windows and Linux Valve drops official macOS support for its SteamVR platform, leaving Mac owners to rely on legacy builds or Windows installations. The decision comes less than two years after Apple heavily promoted VR capabilities at its developer conference.
smartphones Global Smartphone Shipments Hit Record Low Amid Coronavirus Pandemic The coronavirus outbreak causes the largest year-over-year decline in worldwide smartphone shipments ever recorded during the first quarter. IDC reports a massive drop in consumer demand as global lockdowns force retail closures.
amazon Amazon Fires Staten Island Worker Following COVID-19 Safety Protest An Amazon employee claims the company fired him for leading a walkout at a Staten Island warehouse over coronavirus safety concerns. Amazon states the termination occurs because the worker violated a paid quarantine order.
microsoft Microsoft Shuts Down Mixer, Partners With Facebook Gaming Microsoft closes its struggling live-streaming platform Mixer and redirects users to Facebook Gaming. The partnership also integrates Microsoft's xCloud game-streaming service directly into Facebook's platform.
amazon Amazon Terminates Employee Behind Staten Island Virus Safety Strike Amazon fires a Staten Island warehouse worker who organized a strike over coronavirus safety concerns. The termination draws condemnation from the New York Attorney General and allegations of illegal retaliation.