Technology

A US government default would trigger an initial pull-back from crypto currencies followed by a “push upward” the CEO of London-based crypto firm Blockchain said on Thursday. The U.S. government could fall behind on its bills next month – and even default on its debt – if Congress does not raise a $31.4 trillion cap on government borrowing, a failure that …

OpenAI Chief Executive Sam Altman has raised $115 million in a Series C funding round led by Blockchain Capital for Worldcoin, a cryptocurrency project he co-founded. The project, Worldcoin, aims to distribute a crypto token to people “just for being a unique individual”. The project uses a device to scan irises to confirm their identity, after which they are given …

Researchers have discovered Israeli-made Pegasus phone hacking software deployed against targets across Armenia, including reporters at a U.S. government-funded news organization, a report released on Thursday found. A team of researchers from digital rights group Access Now, human rights organization Amnesty International, Canadian internet watchdog Citizen Lab, Armenian digital defense group CyberHUB-AM and independent researcher Ruben Muradyan, said they had confirmed at …

Scientists suffering insults and mass-spam are abandoning Twitter for alternative social networks as hostile climate-change denialism surges on the platform following Elon Musk’s takeover. Researchers have documented an explosion of hate and misinformation on Twitter since the Tesla billionaire took over in October 2022 — and now experts say communicating about climate science on the social network on which many …

It is more than clear that the future of the world will be shaped up by advanced technology, innovation and sustainability. The concentrated movement towards innovating and fine-tuning technology is bound to substantially alter human existence and would do wonders. Increasing focus on sustainability and decarbonisation of the economy are among the most obvious advances and though challenges ahead are …

Figure, a startup that wants to build general-purpose humanoid robots, has raised $70 million from investors led by Parkway Venture Capital in its first external round, the company said on Wednesday. The new funding will be used to accelerate the development and manufacturing of the company’s first autonomous humanoid, which is expected to launch in the next few months. The …

The top US health official on Tuesday issued a stark warning to parents, tech companies and regulators, saying the evidence is growing that social media use may seriously harm children. In a lengthy advisory, US surgeon general Vivek Murthy said that while not without benefits, “there are ample indicators that social media can also have a profound risk of harm …

San Francisco: WhatsApp has granted users one of its most awaited features — the ability to edit messages. “For the moments when you make a mistake or simply change your mind, you can now edit your sent messages on WhatsApp,” the Meta Platforms Inc-owned messaging app said in a blog post on Monday.     With the feature rolling out …

DUBLIN: Meta was hit with a record 1.2 billion euro ($1.3 billion) fine by its lead European Union privacy regulator over its handling of user information and given five months to stop transferring users’ data to the United States. The fine, imposed by Ireland’s Data Protection Commissioner (DPC), came after Meta continued to transfer data beyond a 2020 EU court …

Violent protests broke out in the country on May 9, hours after PTI Chairman Imran Khan was arrested from the premises of the Islamabad High Court (IHC). Within moments of these protests, videos of people vandalising public and private properties, torching buildings, and clashing with police started circulating on social media. The authorities quickly pulled the plug on mobile internet and blocked public access …