Claims that Meta can read encrypted WhatsApp chats, Space race goes nuclear

Share

US authorities have reportedly investigated claims that Meta can read users’ encrypted chats on the WhatsApp messaging platform, which it owns. The reports follow a lawsuit filed last week, which claimed Meta “can access virtually all of WhatsApp users’ purportedly ‘private’ communications”. Meta has denied the allegation, reported by Bloomberg, calling the lawsuit’s claim “categorically false and absurd”. It suggested the claim was a tactic to support the NSO Group, an Israeli firm that develops spyware used against activists and journalists, and which recently lost a lawsuit brought by WhatsApp. Guardian

At the height of the Cold War, US Air Force officials proposed a terrifying plan to help America demonstrate its superiority over the Soviet Union: detonating a nuclear bomb on the Moon. The top secret programme, Project A119, envisaged carrying a hydrogen bomb aboard an intercontinental ballistic missile into space and exploding it on the lunar surface. The detonation was to be visible from Earth and show American muscle after Russia had gained a lead in the space race. Fortunately, the 1958 project was cancelled over fears of nuclear fallout poisoning future astronauts. Yet now, the global space race is on the brink of going nuclear once again. Telegraph 

Until recently, Elon Musk claimed that Tesla’s Optimus robot (pictured) was already deployed in the company’s factories and could be ready for sale to private customers by 2027. However, this now appears to be far from the truth. Contrary to earlier statements, not a single Optimus unit is currently performing productive work in Tesla’s plants. Musk himself confirmed during the latest earnings call that the robot remains in development and is currently being trained – “it’s more so that the robot can learn,” as he put it – rather than actually assisting in production. NotebookCheck

We have seen this before. Hijacked Google search results to direct users to malicious websites or installs. And now here we go again. This time with an attack that specifically targets millions of Apple users. Make sure you do not fall victim. Per Apple Insider, sponsored Google ads are now “leading users on to faked Apple support pages that try to get the user to use the Terminal and install malware on Macs.” The ads show when users search for “mac cleaner” in Google rather than using a legitimate app store to find a suitable option. Forbes 

I have spent the last few months investigating AI music. What has emerged is a picture of a vast attempted fraud, as technologically-equipped criminals use AI tools to try and take billions of pounds away from real-life musicians. The fraud takes place in two stages which sound like something from a science-fiction novel, but are now part of everyday life in the hidden world of the internet economy. First, the fraudsters make huge amounts of AI music. Then, they build bots to stream that music over and over again and thereby make some royalties. Sky News 

For latest tech stories go to TechDigest.tv