Yasmeen Abutaleb, Carolyn Y. Johnson, and Joel Achenbach, reporting at Washington Post: The delta variant of the coronavirus appears to cause more severe illness than earlier variants and spreads as easily as chickenpox, according to an internal feder…
Amazon Hit With $887 Million Fine by European Privacy Watchdog
Amazon has been issued with a fine of 746 million euros ($887 million) by a European privacy watchdog for breaching the bloc’s data protection laws. From a report: The fine, disclosed by Amazon on Friday in a securities filing, was issued two weeks ago…
Estonia Says a Hacker Downloaded 286,000 ID Photos From Government Database
Estonian officials said they arrested last week a local suspect who used a vulnerability to gain access to a government database and downloaded government ID photos for 286,438 Estonians. From a report: The attack took place earlier this month, and the…
Weight Lifting, an Original Olympic Sport, May Be Dropped
Weight lifting was one of just nine sports at the first Olympics in 1896, but its days on the summer program may be numbered. From a report: After decades of rampant doping, bribery, vote-rigging and corruption at weight lifting’s highest levels, the I…
Windows 11 Now Has Its First Beta Release
Microsoft has released the first beta of Windows 11, available to those enrolled in its Windows Insider Program. From a report: Until today, getting access to Windows 11 meant installing the Dev preview, which Microsoft says is for “highly technical us…
Tencent Is World’s Worst Stock Bet With $170 Billion Wipeout
China’s unprecedented crackdown on its technology industry has turned Tencent Holdings from a market darling into the world’s biggest stock loser this month. From a report: The Chinese Internet giant had tumbled 23% in July as of Wednesday, set for its…
Scarlett Johansson Sues Disney Over ‘Black Widow’ Streaming Release
Black Widow has a new enemy: the Walt Disney. From a report: Scarlett Johansson, star of the latest Marvel movie “Black Widow,” filed a lawsuit Thursday in Los Angeles Superior Court against Disney, alleging her contract was breached when the media gia…
Facebook’s Next Hardware Launch Will Be Its Ray-Ban ‘Smart Glasses’
Facebook’s next hardware launch will be its long-awaited Ray-Ban ‘smart glasses,’ CEO Mark Zuckerberg confirmed on an earnings call this week. When exactly the glasses will arrive is unclear. We least heard they were launching some time in 2021, but th…
White House Touts Broadband Part of New Infrastructure Deal
The White House announced Wednesday that its “once-in-a-generation investment in our infrastructure” would include a part dedicated to improving Americans’ access to the internet. From a report: Later, the Senate passed a critical test vote by 67-32, s…
Nikola Founder Trevor Milton Indicted on Three Counts of Fraud
A federal grand jury on Thursday indicted Nikola’s founder and former executive chairman, Trevor Milton, and charged the former executive three counts of fraud, the company confirmed. The grand jury charged Milton with two counts of securities fraud an…