Technology

Elon Musk faced SEC questions over his timing in disclosing Twitter stake

Elon Musk has faced questions from the US Securities and Exchange Commission about how and when he disclosed his large stake in Twitter last month, prior to agreeing to buy the social media company.

Paris Hilton wants to be the 'Queen of the Metaverse'

A fuschia Bentley drives down a twisty desert road toward the entrance of the Neon Carnival, an after-party held each year during Coachella. Paris Hilton has arrived. Her hair is in pigtails, twisted in part with white flowers, and she's wearing a sparkly pink romper that matches her platform boots. She greets fans on a red carpet, heads to a packed dance floor and eventually finds her way to the go-karts.

Money-saving secret your cable and internet provider doesn't want you to know

If you’re heading off for a long trip, spending time in a seasonal home, or otherwise away, here’s a smart way to save money: Pause your cable and internet.

Scientists send glider drone into Gulf of Alaska to learn more about ocean's CO2 levels

News/Canada/British Columbia: Designed to dive 1,000 metres and roam remote parts of the ocean, an autonomous vehicle was deployed in the Gulf of Alaska this spring to provide a deeper understanding of the ocean's chemistry in the era of climate change.

Why environmentalists want us to stop decluttering

News/Science: In this week's issue of our environment newsletter, we look at why decluttering may not be so good for the planet and why some people feel e-bikes are an undervalued sustainability option.

Chipmaker Broadcom to buy cloud services firm VMware in $61 billion deal

Chipmaker Broadcom is buying cloud services provider VMware in a cash-and-stock deal valued at $61 billion to speed up its expansion into the enterprise software business.

Virtual learning apps tracked and shared kids' data and online activities with advertisers, report says

Millions of students who participated in virtual learning during the Covid-19 pandemic had their personal data and online behaviors tracked by educational apps and websites without their consent and in many cases shared with third-party advertising technology companies, a new report has found.

Apple boosts starting pay for US workers to $22 per hour

Apple will raise the starting pay for its US employees, the iPhone maker said on Wednesday, as companies face a tight labor market and a surge in unionization efforts amid rising inflation.

Boeing capsule returns from space station after test flight with no crew

News/Science: Boeing's crew taxi returned to Earth from the International Space Station on Wednesday, nearly two-and-a-half years after its first botched attempt. The Starliner mission moves NASA closer to a new option for rides to and from the ISS.

Twitter agrees to pay millions in fines after US government alleges privacy violations

Twitter has agreed to pay $150 million in fines after the US government sued the social media company on Wednesday, alleging that it misled consumers about how it protects their personal data.

Boeing's Starliner capsule on its way home from test mission

Twitter holds annual shareholder meeting amid uncertainty with Elon Musk deal

Twitter on Wednesday held what could be its last annual shareholder meeting as a public company for a long time after Elon Musk agreed to take it private in a $44 billion deal.

Google should limit location data collection to protect abortion seekers, US lawmakers say

Dozens of Democratic lawmakers urged Google on Tuesday to limit the amount of location data it collects and keeps on its users amid fears the information could be used against abortion seekers.

Underwater rescue: Spanish divers free whale trapped in illegal fishing net

News/World: In a gripping underwater rescue, Spanish divers freed a 12-metre long humpback whale that became entangled in an illegal drift net off the Balearic island of Mallorca.

Overwintering monarch butterfly numbers rise by 35% in Mexico

News/Science: Mexican experts said Monday that 35 per cent more monarch butterflies arrived this year to spend the winter in mountaintop forests, compared to the previous season.

Forecasters call for 3 to 6 major hurricanes in Atlantic this season

News/Science: Both Canadian and U.S. forecasters are forecasting yet another active 2022 hurricane season, with the total number of storms predicted to be above average.

Federal appeals court rules for social media companies in battle over content moderation

Key parts of a Florida law restricting social media platforms' ability to moderate content likely violate the First Amendment, a federal appeals court ruled Monday, in a victory for the tech industry amid a wider battle over digital speech.

Google's new Street View camera is more portable (and looks weirdly cute)

Since launching in five US cities in 2007, Google's Street View cars have been circling the globe, using roof-mounted cameras to map more than 10 million miles of imagery — pictures that have been stitched together to build a visual map of much of the world.

She thought a dark moment in her past was forgotten. Then she scanned her face online

Cher Scarlett, a software engineer, has a history of being misidentified by face-scanning technology, including one instance that may have surfaced a distant ancestor in a photo. So when she was introduced to an online facial-recognition tool she hadn't heard of, she wanted to see whether it would mistake photos of her mom or daughter for her.

Samsung plans to create 80,000 new jobs with $356 billion investment

Samsung on Tuesday outlined a plan to pour more than $350 billion into its businesses and create tens of thousands of new jobs over the next five years.