2025-02-21 08:08:36

HP is trying to force consumer PC and print customers to use online and other digital support channels by setting a minimum 15-minute wait time for anyone that phones the call center to get answers to troublesome queries. #customerservice
https://www.theregister.com/2025/02/20/hp_deliberately_adds_15_minutes/

2025-02-19 18:20:05

Development of #opensource #Android operating systems without# Google surveillance has been going on for years for phones, and we have good products to choose from. Tablets have been missing, but now #Murena has launched a #degoogled #tablet based on no less than Google Pixel.
https://murena.com/shop/smartphones/brand-new/murena-pixel-tablet/

2025-02-17 17:44:00

In addition to sewing machines and other things, Singer used to make computers.#streetphotography

2025-02-17 08:52:03

Text to speech model capable of cloning your voice with as little as five seconds of sample #audio. In our testing, we generated realistic results with less than half a minute of recorded #speech.
https://www.theregister.com/2025/02/16/ai_voice_clone

2025-02-16 08:41:22

I thought browser fingerprinting has been used by #surveillance businesses for years::
Fingerprinting and IP address collection are a blow to privacy because it is harder for users to control what data is collected about them. "By allowing #fingerprinting, #Google has given itself - and the advertising industry it dominates - permission to use a form of tracking that people can't do much to stop," said Martin Thomson, distinguished engineer at Mozilla.
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cm21g0052dno

2025-02-15 19:52:22

Bruce Schneier: More of our data is in the cloud, where companies have easier access to it. We have more Internet-of-Things devices around ourselves, which keep us under constant surveillance. And every one of us carries an incredibly sophisticated surveillance device around with us wherever we go: our smartphones. Everywhere you turn, #privacy is losing.
https://www.theregister.com/2025/02/15/interview_bruce_schneier/

2025-02-14 11:16:18

#Meta will allow rival classified ads service providers to post listings of their ads on #Facebook Marketplace three months after it was hit with a 797-million euro ($828 million) #EU #antitrust fine for giving its own service an unfair advantage.
https://www.reuters.com/technology/meta-show-rival-ads-providers-marketplace-after-eu-antitrust-fine-2025-02-13/

2025-02-13 16:17:25

Breezy beach house

2025-02-13 08:29:00

Many of Hong Kong’s basketball courts are located on rooftops. Bell used satellite images to map out potential locations before using his drone to snap photos. #photography #bookhttps://edition.cnn.com/2025/02/12/style/hong-kong-basketball-photography-austin-bell-hnk-intl/index.html

2025-02-12 08:39:00

People have nothing better to do than #travel wherever an #influencer tells them to go:A war between a TikTok influencer and Italian ski resorts has escalated after she urged her two million followers to “invade” one destination because she was blamed for causing chaos at another resort. #Italyhttps://edition.cnn.com/2025/02/11/travel/tiktok-hordes-intercepted-by-police-italy-ski-resort/index.html

2025-02-12 08:31:53

Good news for #EV drivers in #Europe :
#EU will support approximately 2,500 electric recharging points for light-duty vehicles and 2,400 for heavy-duty vehicles along the European TEN-T road network.
https://cinea.ec.europa.eu/news-events/news/alternative-fuels-eu422-million-eu-funding-boost-zero-emission-mobility-2025-02-06_en
Bad news for EV owners in the US:
https://thedriven.io/2025/02/10/trump-puts-a-halt-to-us5-billion-ev-charging-program/
Investments in charging infra halted.

2025-02-10 08:36:53

The court records reveal that #Meta used pirated #books - download of 81.7TB of data - from shadow libraries including Anna’s Archive, Z-Library, and LibGen. It then used this information to train its #AI models.
https://www.tomshardware.com/tech-industry/artificial-intelligence/meta-staff-torrented-nearly-82tb-of-pirated-books-for-ai-training-court-records-reveal-copyright-violations

2025-02-09 08:38:34

To better protect #privacy and how their data is handled by #AI is to move away from Big Tech, and opt for better privacy respecting alternatives. (also messages are input material for AI, including #Gmail) #bigtech
https://tuta.com/blog/ai-take-over-social-media

2025-02-08 08:17:00

Well, that’s the beauty of #travel. Recover, learn, adapt, and continue with one more experience richer and wiser. #Europehttps://klaava.com/nitpickers-travel-journal-travel-lessons-learned-in-2024/

2025-02-06 08:59:16

#Tesla has fallen out of top 10 in many European countries, but it doesn't necessarily mean #EV drivers (of European brands) would avoid #supercharger network.
https://arstechnica.com/cars/2025/02/tesla-sales-plummet-in-the-uk-france-and-germany/?utm_brand=arstechnica&utm_social-type=owned&utm_source=mastodon&utm_medium=social

2025-02-05 08:57:00

he resurgence of #Flickr is about taking back control of how and why you share your photos. It’s a reminder that you have options. You don’t have to feel at the mercy of platforms that pivot away from your passion. If #Instagram’s not doing it for you anymore, you can simply… walk away. #photographyhttps://fstoppers.com/news/tired-instagram-photographers-flock-back-flickr-love-photos-692024?utm_source=FS_RSS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=Main_RSS

2025-02-04 08:30:27

When the world moved online, so did criminals. They learned new tricks of the trade so well that today, large online travel and accommodation services like Booking.com and Airbnb are facing so skillful fraud schemes that both the services and travelers are worried for a reason. #travel #scam
https://klaava.com/booking-accommodation-has-high-risk-for-fraud-both-online-and-offline/

2025-02-02 08:28:54

The European Union is planning to make e-commerce platforms such as #Temu, #Shein and #Amazon liable for dangerous or illegal products sold online.
Customs reforms would oblige online platforms to provide data before goods arrive in the EU, allowing officials to better control and inspect packages. #EU
https://www.reuters.com/business/retail-consumer/eu-make-temu-shein-amazon-liable-unsafe-goods-ft-reports-2025-02-01/

2025-02-01 12:52:00

A picturesque port city in Japan has hired security guards to control selfie-taking tourists at a popular photo spot.A small city on the island of Hokkaido, #Japan deployed security guards to patrol a steep street known for its stunning views. #selfie #photographyhttps://petapixel.com/2025/01/31/japanese-city-otaru-hires-security-guards-to-stop-tourists-taking-selfies/

2025-01-31 08:29:25

Amazon obtained "backdoor access" to consumers' phones by providing tens of thousands of app developers with code known as #Amazon Ads SDK to be embedded in their apps. #tracking #adtech #privacy
https://www.msn.com/en-us/money/companies/lawsuit-accuses-amazon-of-secretly-tracking-consumers-through-cellphones/ar-AA1y51Wp