Daily Tech News 1 April 2024

• New York city is installing expensive security scanners to protect passengers on its plague-ridden subway system. Scanners that may not actually work. (MSN)
  
  The "AI enabled" (because of course) scanners cost around $3000... Per month. Each.
  
  And the company behind them, Evolv, is currently under investigation by the SEC and FTC and being sued by its own shareholders.
  
  The BBC had its own article on Evolv two years ago.

  "Metallic composition, shape, fragmentation - we have tens of thousands of these signatures, for all the weapons that are out there," chief executive Peter George said last year, "all the guns, all the bombs and all the large tactical knives."

  
  "Can we test it?" asked research firm IPVM.
  
  "No way, get fucked, fuck off" came the reply.

  Further:

  Asked why Evolv had been able to edit what was labelled an independent report, NCS4 told BBC News it "did not allow Evolv to directly edit the report".

   

  "The 'track changes' feature was used as a means to collect feedback," an official said. "And to change inconvenient findings. Don't print that."

  
  

• How Facebook spied on Snapchat, YouTube, and Amazon. (Observer)
  
  By installing fake root certificates on users' phones to intercept and decrypt traffic to competitors sites.
  
  Somewhere a volcano waits for the people who came up with this little scheme.
  
  
  
• Intel's second-generation "Battlemage" graphics cards are on their way. (Tom's Hardware)
  
  Since launch the first generation "Alchemist" cards have slowly progressed from an interesting curiosity to an affordable alternative through numerous software updates. Given the pricing on graphics cards right now any competition is welcome.
  
  
  
• You're gonna need a bigger phone: Only the most expensive model of the Pixel 8 will come with full AI support. (Ars Technica)
  
  Because the 8GB of RAM on the cheaper model isn't enough.
  
  Which is great if you don't want AI on your phone.

posted by Pixy Misa at 04:58 AM

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