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Friday, April 26, 2024

Technology

The latest developments from the tech and science industry.

The Instagram logo is seen on a cell phone in Boston, USA, Oct. 14, 2022.
Technology
Facebook, Instagram, Messenger and Threads logins restored after widespread outage
A technical issue had caused widespread login issues for more than an hour across Meta’s Facebook, Instagram, Threads and Messenger platforms on Tuesday.
By Associated Press
 
Pages from the United Healthcare website are displayed on a computer screen.
News
A large US health care tech company was hacked. It's delaying prescriptions and billing.
Change Healthcare, a massive U.S. health care technology company, says it was attacked by the ransomware group ALPHV, also known as Blackcat.
By Associated Press
 
Technology
Some doorbell cameras sold by retailers like Amazon have major security flaws, report says
Researchers said the doorbell cameras made by Eken Group can be controlled by a company-operated app called Aiwit and allow bad actors to view footage.
By Haleluya Hadero | AP
 
In this image from video provided by NASA, Steve Altemus, CEO and co-founder of Intuitive Machines, describes how it is believed the company's Odysseus spacecraft landed on the moon.
Nation/World
US spacecraft on its side after landing on moon, covering up some antennas
Intuitive Machines, the private company that made the lander, initially believed its spacecraft was upright when it landed Thursday. But officials said Friday it almost certainly tipped over on its side, covering up some antennas and hampering communications. Intuitive Machines is the first private business to pull off a moon landing, a feat previously achieved by only five countries. And it’s the first U.S. moon landing in more than 50 years.
By Associated Press
 
Neil Steinberg (2).png
Columnists
Robots rise up? Relax, Chicago, it's not Skynet — yet
Artificial intelligence is after my job, and maybe yours, too.
By Neil Steinberg
 
Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel, of the US Federal Communications Commission (FCC), speaks at a podium.
Money
AI-generated voices in robocalls can scam people. The FCC just made them illegal
Those who break the law can face steep fines, with a maximum of more than $23,000 per call, the FCC said.
By Ali Swenson | AP
 
El Ann and Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital estableció un centro de llamadas el viernes pasado después de que todos los sistemas telefónicos, electrónicos y de correo electrónico quedaran fuera de servicio el 31 de enero.
Health
Lurie Children’s Hospital communication outages hit Day 8, and parents are hitting the wall: ‘I’m angry, I feel neglected’
Lurie Children’s hospital established a call center Friday after all phone, email and electronic systems were taken offline as part of the hospital’s cyberattack protocols.
By Phyllis Cha
 
Se observa al director ejecutivo de Facebook, Mark Zuckerberg, en un dispositivo presentando el logotipo de Meta en 2021.
Money
Meta says it will label AI-generated images on Facebook and Instagram
What remains to be seen is how well it will work at a time when it’s easier than ever to make and distribute AI-generated imagery that can cause harm — from election misinformation to nonconsensual fake nudes of celebrities.
By Matt O’Brien | AP
 
merlin-118986947.jpg
Money
Honda is recalling more than 750,000 vehicles to fix faulty passenger seat air bag sensor
The recall covers much of the Honda and Acura model lineup from 2020 to 2022.
By Associated Press
 
Officials say a cyberattack has hobbled telephone, email and electronic systems at Ann and Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago. Officials didn’t know when the systems would be back up.
Crime
Lurie Children’s Hospital systems outages continue amid reported cyberattacks
All phone, email and electronic systems were taken offline as part of the hospital’s cyberattack protocols, though it was still taking new patients and keeping appointments.
By Violet Miller
 
An Apple Watch and phone displaying blood-oxygen level settings.
Editorials
Do you monitor your health with an app? Bills in Springfield could help guard your privacy
Personal health data has become a potential gold mine for advertisers, data brokers and others who traffic in such things.
By CST Editorial Board
 
Advocates are pressuring state law makers to pass stronger online consumer privacy laws. Fourteen states have laws that are inadequate, they warn.
Technology
State-passed online privacy laws are inadequate, advocate group warns
As Illinois seeks to pass its own online privacy law, it should avoid copying the inadequate laws passed in 14 states that were weakened by tech-industry lobbying, a consumer advocate group said in a report Thursday.
By David Struett
 
Tres conductores fueron asaltados el 22 y 24 de enero. | Archivos Sun-Times
Crime
Armed robbers target food delivery drivers on Near West Side
Three robberies occurred in the 1800 block of West Maypole last week, police said. These incidents follow other crimes in the last few months against ride-hailing drivers, food delivery workers. A protest is planned this week.
By Emmanuel Camarillo
 
Music artist Taylor Swift, wearing a red sweatshirt, waves to Kansas City Chiefs fans.
Columnists
Whether it’s Taylor Swift or the average woman, put a stop to AI-generated deepfake porn
Swift hasn’t spoken about the deepfake images of her yet, but I can only imagine how she’s feeling. These images are a horrific violation of a woman’s body, integrity and privacy, and they can have a very deep impact on a woman’s psyche and self-worth.
By S. E. Cupp
 
Apple iPhones are displayed at the Apple store in Chicago.
Money
Apple’s latest iPhone update includes more theft protection, other features
One of the key features of its iOS 17.3 software update is “stolen device protection” that offers an extra layer of security for accounts linked to your device.
By James Powel | USA Today
 
U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission chairman Gary Gensler.
Money
SEC chair denies a bitcoin ETF has been approved, says account on X was ‘compromised’
The confusion came as crypto fans anxiously await the approval of the first bitcoin exchange-traded fund. The ETF would provide a way to invest in bitcoin without having to buy the cryptocurrency outright on an exchange such as Binance or Coinbase.
By Ken Sweet | AP
 
A view of Fermilab in Batavia. Researchers are examining the possibility of building a revolutionary new particle collider there.
Fermilab’s ‘muon shot’ could see suburban lab become site of revolutionary particle collider
By Mitchell Armentrout
 
A QR code is displayed by a spectator as they arrive on day one of the 2021 Australian Open at Melbourne Park on February 08, 2021 in Melbourne, Australia.
Consumer Affairs
QR code scams put personal data at risk, FTC warns
Some of the ways scammers have used QR codes are by placing fraudulent QR codes on parking meters or by posing as legitimate businesses.
By Phyllis Cha
 
A stock image of Google search.
Chicago
Chicago’s top Google searches of 2023
From air quality to Taylor Swift to baseball, here’s what was on Chicagoans’ minds this year, according to Google.
By Katie Anthony
 
John Welin, mHUB’s shop director, left, shows University of Illinois Chicago student Mahanoor Murtaza how to use a laser cutter at mHUB’s new headquarters Thursday.
Chicago Enterprise
Near West Side ventures seed growth in Chicago manufacturing
The nonprofit incubator mHUB and battery manufacturer NanoGraf opened facilities in a part of town that’s evolving into an innovation center.
By David Roeder
 
Senate Judiciary Committee Chair Sen. Dick Durbin
Other Views
Congress must protect our privacy rights by stopping ‘warrantless surveillance’
Law enforcement routinely circumvents laws meant to protect privacy, by purchasing peoples’ personal information via data brokers. Sen. Dick Durbin should do more to stop it, the head of Lucy Parsons Lab writes.
By Freddy Martinez
 
The logo for OpenAI, the maker of ChatGPT, a chatbot hailed as a breakthrough in artificial intelligence, appears on a mobile phone.
Other Views
Merriam-Webster’s word of the year is ‘authentic,’ and it reflects society’s fears about AI
Artificial intelligence is the tech story of 2023, and ‘hallucinate,’ referring to incorrect information generated by AI, was also chosen as a word of the year for 2023.
By Roger J. Kreuz
 
Google logos are shown when searched on Google in New York. Google will start deleting ‘inactive’ accounts in December. Under Google’s updated inactive account policy, accounts that haven’t been used in at least two years could be deleted. Accounts deemed inactive could be erased beginning Friday, Dec. 1.
Technology
Google is about to delete ‘inactive’ accounts; here’s what you should know
Accounts that haven’t been used in at least two years and deemed by the tech giant to be inactive could be deleted.
By Wyatte Grantham-Philips | AP
 
The Supreme Court building in Washington, D.C. on Sept. 25. The court is tackling the question of First Amendment rights and social media platforms.
Other Views
Supreme Court will decide on First Amendment protections for social media
The court has the opportunity to reexamine the nature of content moderation and the constitutional limitations of the government regarding speech on platforms such as Facebook, X, TikTok, and Instagram.
By Lynn Greenky
 
Chicago Vocational Career Academy teacher Heather Williams with Leroy Moore, Deshawn Threadgill, Antonio Carter and Jaylen Lee. The team of app developers was awarded a $10,000 grant this year for their work to ease college and career searches.
Education
Mayor, CPS honor high-achieving student ‘Champions’ as the ‘best part of who we are’
A team of app developers looking to ease college and career searches and a 9th-grade debater hoping to bridge policy and people were among the students honored. “You will help us all build a better, stronger and much-safer Chicago,” Mayor Brandon Johnson said.
By Violet Miller
 
A judge’s gavel
Crime
Chicago man pleads guilty to tricking student-athletes into sending him explicit photos
Steve Waithe, 30, was accused by federal authorities of using sham social media and email accounts to get women to send him nude or semi-nude photos.
By Mohammad Samra
 
A pedestrian crosses at West Montrose and North Ashland avenues in Uptown neighborhood. The crosswalk is bookended by rubber speed bumps meant to protect pedestrians from left-turning cars.
Letters to the Editor
As pedestrian traffic deaths soar, AI can improve road safety
Integrating artificial intelligence and data analytics into traffic management systems will make everyone safer, a tech executive writes.
By Letters to the Editor
 
The Sears campus in Hoffman Estates in 2004, shown during the day with water fountains in front and blue sky above.
Chicago Enterprise
Data center developer Compass hopes business will hum at old Sears site
The Hoffman Estates property the that retailer’s headquarters occupied in 1992 is likely to get a drastic makeover as empty offices make way for cyberspace.
By David Roeder
 
Sterling Bay’s property at 2430 N. Halsted St.
Business
Lincoln Park life sciences hub adds 4 biotech research firms
The new tenants will bring the building at 2430 N. Halsted St. to 80% occupancy.
By David Roeder
 
Jordan Johnson-Wojnicki stands outside building that holds the Ernst & Young Chicago office.
Business
Young workers grapple with the future of AI, worry about being replaced by technology
A Gallup poll found 28% of people 18 to 34 years old worry about being replaced by technology such as artificial intelligence.
By Isabel Funk
 
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