Apple’s newly announced hearing aid capability is officially the first over-the-counter (OTC) hearing aid software to be approved by the FDA. And it should be available on devices soon. The federal agency formally ushered in the tech giant’s new “Hearing Aid Feature” (or HAF, as the agency refers to it) …
Read More »Facebook flagged and removed emergency wildfire information as 'spam'
Facebook is reportedly taking down important safety information as wildfire season spreads across the western part of the country. An investigation by The Washington Post found dozens of instances of the tech giant flagging and removing posts since June, in areas that saw a total of 20 active fires. Posts …
Read More »Apple Watch Series 10 introduces a new sleep apnea feature
Opens in a new window Credit: Apple Apple Watch Series 10 Pre-order at Apple Pre-Order Here Apple’s “Glowtime” event kicked off with a dramatic unveiling of its new, sleeker Apple Watch Series 10, complete with new display, sound, and even health features. Wedged within announcements of a slimmer screen and …
Read More »AirPods can double as hearing aids now, as Apple commits further to 'hearing health'
“AirPods Pro can help with hearing loss,” reads a brand new Apple pop-up when users connect their AirPods Pro 2 devices. “Your AirPods Pro can be used as a clinical-grade hearing aid.” That’s right. AirPods Pro are now considered an “over-the-counter” option for those in need of external devices for …
Read More »Microsoft Bing amps up its ability to stop explicit deepfake images from appearing in Search results
Microsoft Bing now has more power to scrub AI-generated or deepfake images, a form of nonconsensual intimate image (NCII) abuse, from appearing on the search engine, as the company announces a new nonprofit partnership. A collaboration with victim advocacy tool StopNCII, Microsoft is supplementing its user-reporting with a more “victim-centered” …
Read More »X beefs up safety staff, a few dozen people at a time
X (formerly Twitter) is re-investing in its trust, safety and security teams pre-election, after CEO Elon Musk controversially dissolved the platform’s oversight council nearly two years ago. The company has opened up two dozen new safety and cybersecurity positions at sites across the United States, TechCrunch reported, a lean addition …
Read More »Scammers are using pictures of your home to amplify sextortion threats
As the tech landscape evolves, and the public’s awareness of digital attacks grows, scammers are harnessing every tool at their disposal — including Google Maps. A new sextortion scam (a form of financial coercion in which bad actors threaten to release personal, explicit images to the public) leverages publicly accessible …
Read More »Texas resident used Apple AirTags to track her recycling. It ended up in the middle of nowhere.
Dropping one of Apple‘s GPS AirTags into the trash may seem like a major error, but it could be key to unlocking the false, climate-forward promises of city leaders and corporations. Earlier this year, Brandy Deason, a Texas resident and climate justice coordinator for Air Alliance Houston, began dropping the …
Read More »Meta Horizon Worlds is letting preteens back into the world of virtual hangouts
Meta is cracking the door back open for minors interested in the company’s virtual offerings, with new parent-approved entry to the platform’s Horizon Worlds. Children (or “preteens,” as Meta refers to them) between the ages of 10 to 12 on parent-managed Meta accounts will be able to request access to …
Read More »How Big Tech is approaching explicit, nonconsensual deepfakes
In pursuit of technological innovation, generative AI‘s advocates have thrust the tools for highly-realistic, nonconsensual, synthetic forgeries, more commonly known as deepfake porn, into the hands of the Average Joe. Ads for “nudify” undressing apps may appear on the sidebars of popular websites and in between Facebook posts, while manipulated …
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