BATTERYFORPC BLOG
Theranos trial: Elizabeth Holmes makes surprise testimony
An entrepreneur accused of scamming investors for millions of dollars with a bogus blood test has surprised a US court by testifying in her defence. Elizabeth Holmes is accused of making false claims about her firm Theranos, including that its technology could detect diseases with a drop of blood. Ms Holmes, 37, faces multiple charges of fraud and could spend years in jail if found guilty. She d ... Read more
2021-11-21 18:43:23
'Piracy' website offers NFT art as free downloads
An Australian artist and programmer has created a website that claims to let people download "every NFT" on the Ethereum blockchain in one go. NFTs are digital tokens that proponents say can prove ownership of digital items - including artwork. Many have sold for hundreds of thousands of dollars, even though anybody can view the attached artwork. Geoffrey Huntley, who created the NFT ... Read more
2021-11-19 18:31:17
Facebook gives users 'more control' over news feed
Facebook says it is introducing new features to give people more control over what appears in their news feeds. The social network has been under intense scrutiny in recent years for how its algorithms promote content. Now, it says it is testing controls to "adjust people's ranking preferences" and customise the feed. That includes, for example, increasing the number of posts from fri ... Read more
2021-11-19 18:30:59
Climate change: Conspiracy theories found on foreign-language Wikipedia
Several foreign-language Wikipedia pages seen by BBC News are promoting conspiracy theories and making misleading claims about climate change. A number, including some in Swahili, Kazakh and Byelorussian, suggest scientists are divided over its causes. The overwhelming scientific consensus is global warming is caused by humans. A representative of the Wikimedia Foundation, which runs Wikipedia, ... Read more
2021-11-18 18:51:26
Instagram: US states investigate how platform targets children
A group of US states is investigating how Instagram targets children, despite it posing potential risks to them. The group - made up of both Democrat and Republican states - is investigating Instagram and Facebook's parent company Meta to determine if consumer protection laws were broken. It comes after a company whistleblower testified in the US that the company knew its products can harm child ... Read more
2021-11-18 18:50:49
Apple announces self-service repair scheme in win for campaigners
Apple has announced a "self-service repair" programme so "customers who are comfortable" can fix their own devices. At launch, in early 2022 in the US, it will cover replacing the batteries, screens and cameras of recent iPhones. But Apple's new repair store will sell more than 200 parts and tools. It comes after months of increasing pressure on Apple from the grassroots rig ... Read more
2021-11-17 18:34:56
Crypto bid to buy US constitution print raises millions
A crowd-funded effort to buy a rare 1787 copy of the US constitution at auction claims to have received more than $13m (£9.6m) worth of cryptocurrency donations. The group, ConstitutionDAO, says it plans "to put the constitution in the hands of the people", and hopes to raise at least $20m. But it is not clear how ownership will be arranged if the bid succeeds. The BBC has approached ... Read more
2021-11-17 18:33:53
Arm-Nvidia deal: UK orders further inquiry
A $40bn (£29bn) takeover of UK chip designer Arm by US giant Nvidia will be subject to an in-depth inquiry by the UK's competition watchdog. Citing security and competition concerns, Digital Secretary Nadine Dorries told the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) to launch a phase two investigation. An initial inquiry by the CMA found "significant competition concerns". Nvidia said, ... Read more
2021-11-16 18:40:43
Halo Infinite given early multiplayer launch for 20th anniversary
The latest game in the Halo series has been released three weeks early to coincide with the franchise's 20th anniversary. Halo: Infinite was originally supposed to be released last year but was delayed until December 2021. But on Monday, at an Xbox 20th anniversary event, Microsoft revealed the multiplayer part of the game was being released the same day. The single-player campaign is still bei ... Read more
2021-11-16 18:40:24
Apple digital ID scheme comes with conditions and costs
Apple's much promoted digital driver's licence feature comes at a cost to the taxpayer, according to reports. Announced in September, it will allow residents in eight US states to store state IDs and driver's licences inside the Apple Wallet app on their iPhone. Apple has "sole control" of several aspects of the rollout, CNBC reports. But Arizona, Connecticut, Georgia, Iowa, Kentucky, ... Read more
2021-11-15 19:04:49