With WhatsApp, Facebook, Instagram down at the start of this week, people were left with a lot of free time on their hands.&nbsp;&nbsp;

A&nbsp;lot of us were left wondering what to do. While many flooded Twitter, quite a few people resorted to another popular website.

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/technology/mark-zuckerberg-loses-7-billion-in-hours-as-facebook-plunges-418427">Mark Zuckerberg loses $7 billion in hours as Facebook plunges</a>

Popular X-rated website, Pornhub has revealed that their traffic surged by as much as 10.5 per cent, which equates to about half a million extra users per hour during the hours that the Facebook servers were down.

Since the website came out with this information, Twitter has seen quite a few hilarious tweets. Since most of them are NSFW, we can't add them here. But, we do have some hilarious and&nbsp;SFW for you:

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How does it compare to any other Monday? Those % changes seem to be hour to hour, how does 1200 oct 4th compare to 1200 Sep 27th?<a href="https://twitter.com/Pornhub?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Pornhub</a> inquiring minds want to know.
— Jake (@JakesMath) <a href="https://twitter.com/JakesMath/status/1446434631327404076?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 8, 2021</a></blockquote>
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&nbsp;

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They were just accessing Pornhub for the articles.
— jimmywahaa (@jimmywahaa) <a href="https://twitter.com/jimmywahaa/status/1446361859678883843?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 8, 2021</a></blockquote>
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Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/technology/why-did-facebook-instagram-and-whatsapp-shut-down-418476">Why did Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp shut down?</a>

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But is Pornhub down? Asking for a friend obviously.<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/outage?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#outage</a>
— Simon Rees (@simonreeswales) <a href="https://twitter.com/simonreeswales/status/1445138541139345408?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 4, 2021</a></blockquote>
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the world only survived the FB/Insta/WhatsApp outage yesterday because 
 
twitter and pornhub we're still up :-)
— SaaS Trash 🔥 (@saastrash) <a href="https://twitter.com/saastrash/status/1445448720976211971?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 5, 2021</a></blockquote>
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If pornhub and onlyfans had an outage this would be many users <a href="https://t.co/pC6MwfUcEj">pic.twitter.com/pC6MwfUcEj</a>
— MAD (@Mark_anthonyd) <a href="https://twitter.com/Mark_anthonyd/status/1445152183209562119?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 4, 2021</a></blockquote>
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Dear <a href="https://twitter.com/Pornhub?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Pornhub</a> I hope you learned from FB mistake and that you will never, never, never experience such an outage. 
Sincirelly thankful for your work
— Bigger Better Wolf 🌈 (@MojoTheGray) <a href="https://twitter.com/MojoTheGray/status/1445375131057065989?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 5, 2021</a></blockquote>
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I completed <a href="https://twitter.com/Pornhub?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Pornhub</a> during the outage!!
— Stanley (@Stanley69450533) <a href="https://twitter.com/Stanley69450533/status/1445159331536715779?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 4, 2021</a></blockquote>
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&gt;internet died 
 
The world: arright time to crank one <a href="https://t.co/uAuqeLirGX">https://t.co/uAuqeLirGX</a>
— CBM (@Cubanoman) <a href="https://twitter.com/Cubanoman/status/1446193772769988613?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 7, 2021</a></blockquote>
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Hundreds of millions of people were unable to access&nbsp;Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp for more than six hours on Monday, underscoring the world's reliance on platforms owned by the Silicon Valley giant.&nbsp;

Facebook said that the major outage of its main social media app along with WhatsApp and Instagram was caused due to&nbsp;configuration changes it made to routers that coordinate network traffic between its data centers.

This prevented the company`s 3.5 billion users from accessing its social media and messaging services.

With WhatsApp, Facebook, Instagram down at the start of this week, people were left with a lot of free time on their hands. A lot of us were left wondering what to do.

With WhatsApp, Facebook, Instagram down at the start of this week, people were left with a lot of free time on their hands. A lot of us were left wondering what to do. While many flooded Twitter, quite a few people resorted to another popular website. Also read | Mark Zuckerberg loses $7 billion in hours as Facebook plunges Popular X-rated website, Pornhub has revealed that their traffic surged by as much as 10.5 per cent, which equates to about half a million extra users per hour during the hours that the Facebook servers were down. Since the website came out with this information, Twitter has seen quite a few hilarious tweets. Since most of them are NSFW, we can't add them here. But, we do have some hilarious and SFW for you: How does it compare to any other Monday? Those % changes seem to be hour to hour, how does 1200 oct 4th compare to 1200 Sep 27th?@Pornhub inquiring minds want to know. — Jake (@JakesMath) October 8, 2021 × They were just accessing Pornhub for the articles. — jimmywahaa (@jimmywahaa) October 8, 2021 × Also read | Why did Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp shut down? But is Pornhub down? Asking for a friend obviously.#outage — Simon Rees (@simonreeswales) October 4, 2021 × the world only survived the FB/Insta/WhatsApp outage yesterday because twitter and pornhub we're still up :-) — SaaS Trash 🔥 (@saastrash) October 5, 2021 × If pornhub and onlyfans had an outage this would be many users pic.twitter.com/pC6MwfUcEj — MAD (@Mark_anthonyd) October 4, 2021 × Dear @Pornhub I hope you learned from FB mistake and that you will never, never, never experience such an outage. Sincirelly thankful for your work — Bigger Better Wolf 🌈 (@MojoTheGray) October 5, 2021 × I completed @Pornhub during the outage!! — Stanley (@Stanley69450533) October 4, 2021 × >internet died The world: arright time to crank one https://t.co/uAuqeLirGX — CBM (@Cubanoman) October 7, 2021 × Hundreds of millions of people were unable to access Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp for more than six hours on Monday, underscoring the world's reliance on platforms owned by the Silicon Valley giant. Facebook said that the major outage of its main social media app along with WhatsApp and Instagram was caused due to configuration changes it made to routers that coordinate network traffic between its data centers. This prevented the company`s 3.5 billion users from accessing its social media and messaging services.

'Here for the articles': Pornhub goes up as Facebook servers were down

Hundreds of millions of people were unable to access&nbsp;Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp for more than six hours on Monday, underscoring the world's reliance on platforms owned by the Silicon Valley giant.&nbsp;

But what actually caused the outage? &nbsp;

What does&nbsp;Facebook&nbsp;say happened?

In an apologetic blog post, Santosh Janardhan,&nbsp;Facebook's vice president of infrastructure, said that "configuration changes on the backbone routers that coordinate network traffic between our data centres caused issues that interrupted this communication".

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/technology/mark-zuckerberg-loses-7-billion-in-hours-as-facebook-plunges-418427">Mark Zuckerberg loses $7 billion in hours as Facebook plunges</a>

Can you explain that in plain English?&nbsp;

Cyber experts think the problem boils down to something called BGP, or Border Gateway Protocol -- the system the internet uses to pick the quickest route to move packets of information around.&nbsp;

Sami Slim of data centre company Telehouse compared BGP to "the internet equivalent of air traffic control".&nbsp;

In the same way that air traffic controllers sometimes make changes to flight schedules, "Facebook&nbsp;did an update of these routes," Slim said.&nbsp;

But this update contained a crucial error.

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/technology/facebook-instagram-whatsapp-services-down-for-users-418225">Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp services down for users</a>

It's not yet clear how or why, but&nbsp;Facebook's routers essentially sent a message to the internet announcing that the company's servers no longer existed.&nbsp;

Why did it take so long to fix the problem?

Experts say&nbsp;Facebook's technical infrastructure is unusually reliant on its own systems -- and that proved disastrous on Monday.&nbsp;

After&nbsp;Facebook&nbsp;sent the fateful routing update, its engineers got locked out of the system that would allow them to communicate that the update had, in fact, been an error.&nbsp;So they couldn't fix the problem.&nbsp;

"Normally it's good not to put all your eggs in one basket," said Pierre Bonis of AFNIC, the association that manages domain names in France.&nbsp;

"For security reasons,&nbsp;Facebook&nbsp;has had to very strongly concentrate its infrastructure," he said.&nbsp;

"That streamlines things on a daily basis -- but because everything is in the same place, when that place has a problem, nothing works."

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/router-was-bad-says-facebook-after-fb-instagram-whatsapp-go-down-418265">Router was bad, says Facebook after FB, Instagram, WhatsApp go down</a>

The knock-on effects of the shutdown included some&nbsp;Facebook&nbsp;employees being unable to even enter their buildings because their security badges no longer worked, further slowing the response.&nbsp;

Is this unprecedented?

Social media outages are not uncommon: Instagram alone has experienced more than 80 in the past year in the United States, according to website builder ToolTester.&nbsp;

This week's&nbsp;Facebook&nbsp;outage was rare in its length and scale, however.&nbsp;

There is also a precedent for BGP meddling being at the root of a social media shutdown.

In 2008, when a Pakistani internet service provider was attempting to block YouTube for domestic users, it inadvertently shut down the global website for several hours.&nbsp;

And the outage's impact?&nbsp;

Between&nbsp;Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp and&nbsp;Facebook&nbsp;Messenger, "billions of users have been impacted by the services being entirely offline", the Downdetector tracking service said.

Facebook, whose shares fell nearly five per cent over the outage, has stressed there is "no evidence that user data was compromised as a result of this downtime".

Watch |&nbsp;Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp restored after hours-long outage

<div class="videoWrapper trancodeVideo"><iframe allowfullscreen="" autoplay="1" class="includeVideo" frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.wionews.com/videos/facebook-instagram-and-whatsapp-restored-after-hours-long-outage-418270/embed" style="width:100%;max-width:560px;" width="560"></iframe></div>

But even though it lasted just a few hours, the impact of the shutdown ran deep.&nbsp;

Facebook's services are crucial for many businesses around the world, and users complained of being cut off from their livelihoods.&nbsp;

Facebook&nbsp;accounts are also commonly used to log in to other websites, which faced additional problems due to the company's technical meltdown.&nbsp;

Rival instant messaging services meanwhile reported that they had benefited from the fact that WhatsApp and&nbsp;Facebook&nbsp;Messenger were down.&nbsp;

Telegram went from the 56th most downloaded free app in the US to the fifth, according to monitoring firm SensorTower, while Signal tweeted that "millions" of new users had joined.

And among the more curious side-effects, several domain name registration companies listed&nbsp;Facebook.com as available for purchase.&nbsp;

"There was never any reason to believe&nbsp;Facebook.com would actually be sold as a result, but it's fun to consider how many billions of dollars it could fetch on the open market," said cyber security expert Brian Krebs.

Hundreds of millions of people were unable to access Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp for more than six hours on Monday, underscoring the world's reliance on platforms owned by the Silicon Valley giant.

Hundreds of millions of people were unable to access Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp for more than six hours on Monday, underscoring the world's reliance on platforms owned by the Silicon Valley giant. But what actually caused the outage? What does Facebook say happened? In an apologetic blog post, Santosh Janardhan, Facebook's vice president of infrastructure, said that "configuration changes on the backbone routers that coordinate network traffic between our data centres caused issues that interrupted this communication". Also read | Mark Zuckerberg loses $7 billion in hours as Facebook plunges Can you explain that in plain English? Cyber experts think the problem boils down to something called BGP, or Border Gateway Protocol -- the system the internet uses to pick the quickest route to move packets of information around. Sami Slim of data centre company Telehouse compared BGP to "the internet equivalent of air traffic control". In the same way that air traffic controllers sometimes make changes to flight schedules, "Facebook did an update of these routes," Slim said. But this update contained a crucial error. Also read | Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp services down for users It's not yet clear how or why, but Facebook's routers essentially sent a message to the internet announcing that the company's servers no longer existed. Why did it take so long to fix the problem? Experts say Facebook's technical infrastructure is unusually reliant on its own systems -- and that proved disastrous on Monday. After Facebook sent the fateful routing update, its engineers got locked out of the system that would allow them to communicate that the update had, in fact, been an error. So they couldn't fix the problem. "Normally it's good not to put all your eggs in one basket," said Pierre Bonis of AFNIC, the association that manages domain names in France. "For security reasons, Facebook has had to very strongly concentrate its infrastructure," he said. "That streamlines things on a daily basis -- but because everything is in the same place, when that place has a problem, nothing works." Also read | Router was bad, says Facebook after FB, Instagram, WhatsApp go down The knock-on effects of the shutdown included some Facebook employees being unable to even enter their buildings because their security badges no longer worked, further slowing the response. Is this unprecedented? Social media outages are not uncommon: Instagram alone has experienced more than 80 in the past year in the United States, according to website builder ToolTester. This week's Facebook outage was rare in its length and scale, however. There is also a precedent for BGP meddling being at the root of a social media shutdown. In 2008, when a Pakistani internet service provider was attempting to block YouTube for domestic users, it inadvertently shut down the global website for several hours. And the outage's impact? Between Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp and Facebook Messenger, "billions of users have been impacted by the services being entirely offline", the Downdetector tracking service said. Facebook, whose shares fell nearly five per cent over the outage, has stressed there is "no evidence that user data was compromised as a result of this downtime". Watch | Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp restored after hours-long outage But even though it lasted just a few hours, the impact of the shutdown ran deep. Facebook's services are crucial for many businesses around the world, and users complained of being cut off from their livelihoods. Facebook accounts are also commonly used to log in to other websites, which faced additional problems due to the company's technical meltdown. Rival instant messaging services meanwhile reported that they had benefited from the fact that WhatsApp and Facebook Messenger were down. Telegram went from the 56th most downloaded free app in the US to the fifth, according to monitoring firm SensorTower, while Signal tweeted that "millions" of new users had joined. And among the more curious side-effects, several domain name registration companies listed Facebook.com as available for purchase. "There was never any reason to believe Facebook.com would actually be sold as a result, but it's fun to consider how many billions of dollars it could fetch on the open market," said cyber security expert Brian Krebs.

Why did Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp shut down?

To address environmental issues in the national capital, Delhi Environment Minister Gopal Rai on Tuesday launched an advanced Green War Room and Green App that will look into the problems pertaining to 10 kinds of pollution throughout the winter season.

"People of Delhi can register complaints regarding 10 kinds of pollution via Green Delhi App throughout this winter season (ie from October to February). Our 21 member team will work actively during this time," he said while launching the 24X7 Green War Room.

Also Read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-news/pm-modi-launches-jal-jeevan-mission-app-rashtriya-jal-jeevan-kosh-today-417578">PM Modi launches Jal Jeevan Mission app, Rashtriya Jal Jeevan Kosh today</a>

The room is permanent which will look into the problem related to waste, bio-mass burning, industrial pollution, construction or demolition related pollution, waste on roads, pollution emitting vehicles, noise pollution, among others, Rai added.

"Green War Room is a joint platform of 27 departments of Delhi and Central government and the Municipal Corporation. Complaints received via Green Delhi App are resolved with the help of the joint action plan of these departments. Every department will have a nodal point and nearly 2,500 people have been trained in batches for the proper implementation of the plan," he said.

The Green Delhi App was launched in 2020 to enable Delhi residents to register complaints about violations of anti-pollution guidelines. However, the app was only available on Android phones then.

"From now on, the app is also available for iOS users," Rai said, adding that the Delhi government had received 27,000 complaints, out of which over 23,000 have already been resolved.

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-news/air-quality-index-india-worlds-second-most-polluted-country-415692">Air Quality Index: India world’s second most polluted country</a>

"The 150 pollution hotspots that we have come to know about via the app will be continuously monitored in this room," he said.

A team of 70 Green Marshals have been set up who will work as a task force to ensure whether the registered complaints have actually been solved or not.

The minister also said that the process for recruitment of 50 engineers has already been started by Delhi Pollution Control Committee to fill vacancies.

To address environmental issues in the national capital, Delhi Environment Minister Gopal Rai on Tuesday launched an advanced Green War Room and Green App that will look into the problems pertaining to 10 kinds of pollution throughout the winter season.

To address environmental issues in the national capital, Delhi Environment Minister Gopal Rai on Tuesday launched an advanced Green War Room and Green App that will look into the problems pertaining to 10 kinds of pollution throughout the winter season. "People of Delhi can register complaints regarding 10 kinds of pollution via Green Delhi App throughout this winter season (ie from October to February). Our 21 member team will work actively during this time," he said while launching the 24X7 Green War Room. Also Read | PM Modi launches Jal Jeevan Mission app, Rashtriya Jal Jeevan Kosh today The room is permanent which will look into the problem related to waste, bio-mass burning, industrial pollution, construction or demolition related pollution, waste on roads, pollution emitting vehicles, noise pollution, among others, Rai added. "Green War Room is a joint platform of 27 departments of Delhi and Central government and the Municipal Corporation. Complaints received via Green Delhi App are resolved with the help of the joint action plan of these departments. Every department will have a nodal point and nearly 2,500 people have been trained in batches for the proper implementation of the plan," he said. The Green Delhi App was launched in 2020 to enable Delhi residents to register complaints about violations of anti-pollution guidelines. However, the app was only available on Android phones then. "From now on, the app is also available for iOS users," Rai said, adding that the Delhi government had received 27,000 complaints, out of which over 23,000 have already been resolved. Also read | Air Quality Index: India world’s second most polluted country "The 150 pollution hotspots that we have come to know about via the app will be continuously monitored in this room," he said. A team of 70 Green Marshals have been set up who will work as a task force to ensure whether the registered complaints have actually been solved or not. The minister also said that the process for recruitment of 50 engineers has already been started by Delhi Pollution Control Committee to fill vacancies.

Delhi government launches advanced Green War Room app to address 10 kinds of pollution

Is the iPhone13 really 'revolutionary'? Are there any significant changes? Is it worth the money? If you're looking to upgrade, watch this report by Palki Sharma before taking the decision.

Gravitas: Is iPhone 13 really 'revolutionary'?

A new crop of mobile money apps are promoting themselves as part of the solution to a stubborn problem: a lack of financial savvy, particularly among young Americans.

The apps offer slick educational videos and tools while enabling children and teenagers to save and spend — and even invest in stocks. The apps pair with plastic debit cards designed with kids and teens in mind. They have caught the attention of researchers and financial advisers who say the tools may help engage and enlighten young users, even as they worry that the apps, without close parental involvement, may encourage bad financial behavior.

Numerous reports have noted that financial literacy in the United States has resisted improvement for some time, even though more states have begun requiring schools to teach it. An analysis published this month by the Milken Institute, a public policy think tank in Santa Monica, California, deemed the lack of sound financial knowledge among young people and adults to be a “worrisome” barrier to economic advancement.

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/technology/apple-to-allow-developers-to-email-customers-about-payment-options-408878" hreflang="en">Apple to allow developers to email customers about payment options</a>

Yet although many Americans lack the knowledge necessary to make smart decisions about money, the Milken report said, digital tools have the potential to be a “catalyst” for financial education, particularly among young people, who are avid users of apps.

Young people may tune out dry concepts they hear in a classroom, but the apps convert information into colorful, interactive graphs. “The tool makes it very real,” said Oscar Contreras, an economist at the Milken Institute and one of the report’s authors.

Financial technology, or “fintech,” startup companies are embracing the financial literacy trend, seeing a way to sign up customers early by offering personal finance instruction along with spending and saving tools.

Copper, for instance, bills itself as “the only bank that teaches teens about money,” and offers brief, peppy videos and a financial literacy quiz that teens or their parents can take. A sample question: “Suppose you have $100 in a savings account earning 2% a year. After five years how much would you have? (A) More than $102; (B) Exactly $102; (C) Less than $102; (D) I honestly don’t know. (The desired answer is A, because of the effect of compound interest — a bedrock financial concept.)

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/technology/microsoft-warns-thousands-of-cloud-customers-of-exposed-databases-408805" hreflang="en">Microsoft warns thousands of cloud customers of exposed databases</a>

Engaging tools and clear information are key, said Copper co-founder and CEO Eddie Behringer. The rise in student debt coincided with the explosion of smartphones, he said, suggesting that “increasing digital access doesn’t always translate to financial literacy.”

Rachel Pendergrass, a teacher and softball coach at Columbia High School in Huntsville, Alabama, said she found Copper last spring while searching online for updated lessons to use in a personal-finance class she was teaching for the first time.

“I didn’t feel like teaching them to write a check was very relevant to them,” she said.

Copper provided introductory letters that Pendergrass sent home to parents, who could approve their child for the app, which links to a digital bank account and a debit card — or not.

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/technology/what-are-recommendation-algorithms-that-china-is-cracking-down-on-and-how-do-they-affect-internet-users-408781" hreflang="en">What are recommendation algorithms that China is cracking down on, and how do they affect internet users?</a>

Most were receptive, she said, because they liked the idea of being able to easily send their children money: “It was all voluntary, not an assignment.” In the classroom, Copper’s “cheat code” videos, which offer quick lessons on topics such as “What do banks actually do?” and “What is an IPO?,” helped inspire discussions.

Step, an app that is intended for teenagers and has about 2 million users, declares on its website: “We want to make learning about money fun and interesting.” Step’s website offers trendy videos and short articles such as “Outfits that slay: The ultimate guide to thrifting showstopping, back-to-school looks.”

“Most schools don’t teach kids about money, and most families don’t talk about money,” said CJ MacDonald, Step’s founder and CEO. “It became very clear there was a gap in the market.”

Step offers a secured credit card rather than a debit card. With secured cards, users make a deposit that serves as collateral; they can spend up to the amount of the deposit, and build credit when using it.

The card provides “training wheels” so users can transition to real credit cards when they are old enough, MacDonald said. (The minimum age to open a credit card is 18, but people younger than 21 face tougher criteria to qualify.)

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/technology/facebook-said-to-consider-forming-an-election-commission-408506" hreflang="en">Facebook said to consider forming an election commission</a>

Greenlight began as a tool to help parents manage children’s chores and pay them an allowance or give them spending money, since people increasingly don’t have cash on hand. Now Greenlight, which debuted in 2017, has more than 4 million accounts and has added features, including cash back on its debit card, and an option that lets kids invest through a brokerage account opened in a parent’s name.

Kids of any age can research, buy and sell stocks — including fractional shares — as well as exchange-traded funds. The app including the investing option costs about $8 a month, but there’s no extra fee for trades. To trade, the child must request approval from the parent through the Greenlight app.

Greenlight CEO Tim Sheehan said the investment option was a logical step after children learned the basics of saving and spending within their means. The option includes access to research from Morningstar and offers short videos that explain investing concepts, including a price-to-earnings ratio.

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/technology/tech-giants-pledge-billions-for-security-against-cyber-threats-408431" hreflang="en">Tech giants pledge billions for security against cyber threats</a>

Although the apps appear promising, they make some financial education advocates wary. Lennette Coleman, president of the FoolProof Foundation, which promotes “healthy skepticism” about financial products, said it felt “irresponsible” to allow children — who may not have fully absorbed lessons about the necessity of working to earn money, saving it and spending it wisely — to invest in stocks. If apps make a game out of investing, she added, children may be more engaged — but they may also be more likely to take risks.

“There’s a lot of nuance in the stock market,” she said, “and they don’t understand those nuances.”

Tim Lambrecht, director of education at Budget Challenge, a program that uses simulations to teach students about bill paying, budgeting and investing, said that apps could get teens excited about investing, but that most emphasized buying individual stocks and skimped on information about long-term investing in index funds in tax-advantaged accounts.

“That sends the wrong message,” he said. “You have to invest for retirement; you can’t save enough.”

A new crop of mobile money apps are promoting themselves as part of the solution to a stubborn problem: a lack of financial savvy, particularly among young Americans.

A new crop of mobile money apps are promoting themselves as part of the solution to a stubborn problem: a lack of financial savvy, particularly among young Americans. The apps offer slick educational videos and tools while enabling children and teenagers to save and spend — and even invest in stocks. The apps pair with plastic debit cards designed with kids and teens in mind. They have caught the attention of researchers and financial advisers who say the tools may help engage and enlighten young users, even as they worry that the apps, without close parental involvement, may encourage bad financial behavior. Numerous reports have noted that financial literacy in the United States has resisted improvement for some time, even though more states have begun requiring schools to teach it. An analysis published this month by the Milken Institute, a public policy think tank in Santa Monica, California, deemed the lack of sound financial knowledge among young people and adults to be a “worrisome” barrier to economic advancement. Also read | Apple to allow developers to email customers about payment options Yet although many Americans lack the knowledge necessary to make smart decisions about money, the Milken report said, digital tools have the potential to be a “catalyst” for financial education, particularly among young people, who are avid users of apps. Young people may tune out dry concepts they hear in a classroom, but the apps convert information into colorful, interactive graphs. “The tool makes it very real,” said Oscar Contreras, an economist at the Milken Institute and one of the report’s authors. Financial technology, or “fintech,” startup companies are embracing the financial literacy trend, seeing a way to sign up customers early by offering personal finance instruction along with spending and saving tools. Copper, for instance, bills itself as “the only bank that teaches teens about money,” and offers brief, peppy videos and a financial literacy quiz that teens or their parents can take. A sample question: “Suppose you have $100 in a savings account earning 2% a year. After five years how much would you have? (A) More than $102; (B) Exactly $102; (C) Less than $102; (D) I honestly don’t know. (The desired answer is A, because of the effect of compound interest — a bedrock financial concept.) Also read | Microsoft warns thousands of cloud customers of exposed databases Engaging tools and clear information are key, said Copper co-founder and CEO Eddie Behringer. The rise in student debt coincided with the explosion of smartphones, he said, suggesting that “increasing digital access doesn’t always translate to financial literacy.” Rachel Pendergrass, a teacher and softball coach at Columbia High School in Huntsville, Alabama, said she found Copper last spring while searching online for updated lessons to use in a personal-finance class she was teaching for the first time. “I didn’t feel like teaching them to write a check was very relevant to them,” she said. Copper provided introductory letters that Pendergrass sent home to parents, who could approve their child for the app, which links to a digital bank account and a debit card — or not. Also read | What are recommendation algorithms that China is cracking down on, and how do they affect internet users? Most were receptive, she said, because they liked the idea of being able to easily send their children money: “It was all voluntary, not an assignment.” In the classroom, Copper’s “cheat code” videos, which offer quick lessons on topics such as “What do banks actually do?” and “What is an IPO?,” helped inspire discussions. Step, an app that is intended for teenagers and has about 2 million users, declares on its website: “We want to make learning about money fun and interesting.” Step’s website offers trendy videos and short articles such as “Outfits that slay: The ultimate guide to thrifting showstopping, back-to-school looks.” “Most schools don’t teach kids about money, and most families don’t talk about money,” said CJ MacDonald, Step’s founder and CEO. “It became very clear there was a gap in the market.” Step offers a secured credit card rather than a debit card. With secured cards, users make a deposit that serves as collateral; they can spend up to the amount of the deposit, and build credit when using it. The card provides “training wheels” so users can transition to real credit cards when they are old enough, MacDonald said. (The minimum age to open a credit card is 18, but people younger than 21 face tougher criteria to qualify.) Also read | Facebook said to consider forming an election commission Greenlight began as a tool to help parents manage children’s chores and pay them an allowance or give them spending money, since people increasingly don’t have cash on hand. Now Greenlight, which debuted in 2017, has more than 4 million accounts and has added features, including cash back on its debit card, and an option that lets kids invest through a brokerage account opened in a parent’s name. Kids of any age can research, buy and sell stocks — including fractional shares — as well as exchange-traded funds. The app including the investing option costs about $8 a month, but there’s no extra fee for trades. To trade, the child must request approval from the parent through the Greenlight app. Greenlight CEO Tim Sheehan said the investment option was a logical step after children learned the basics of saving and spending within their means. The option includes access to research from Morningstar and offers short videos that explain investing concepts, including a price-to-earnings ratio. Also read | Tech giants pledge billions for security against cyber threats Although the apps appear promising, they make some financial education advocates wary. Lennette Coleman, president of the FoolProof Foundation, which promotes “healthy skepticism” about financial products, said it felt “irresponsible” to allow children — who may not have fully absorbed lessons about the necessity of working to earn money, saving it and spending it wisely — to invest in stocks. If apps make a game out of investing, she added, children may be more engaged — but they may also be more likely to take risks. “There’s a lot of nuance in the stock market,” she said, “and they don’t understand those nuances.” Tim Lambrecht, director of education at Budget Challenge, a program that uses simulations to teach students about bill paying, budgeting and investing, said that apps could get teens excited about investing, but that most emphasized buying individual stocks and skimped on information about long-term investing in index funds in tax-advantaged accounts. “That sends the wrong message,” he said. “You have to invest for retirement; you can’t save enough.”

Apps try putting financial literacy at kids’ fingertips

Marathon world record holder and Olympic champion Eliud Kipchoge hopes that technology will take "centre stage" as athletes strive for improvement and chase faster times in the future. 
 
The Kenyan, who overcame humid conditions in Tokyo earlier this month to claim gold in the marathon, was among a host of runners who ran in specially designed Nike shoes fitted with carbon-fibre plates for more spring and quicker times, once again rekindling a debate around "technological doping". 
 
"If we don`t embrace technology then we are not moving... I know regulations will be there but technology should take centre stage," Kipchoge told Reuters. 
 
"Let all athletes have top technology, have top innovation. That`s the only way to think and actually try to improve your performance." 
 
Other athletes such as Karsten Warholm, who won the Olympic 400 metres hurdles title in world record time, have been critical of rapidly advancing shoe technology. 
 
"When somebody does a great performance now, everybody will question if it`s the shoe, and that is the credibility problem," the Norwegian told Reuters earlier this month. 
 
Kipchoge`s footwear played a big part in him becoming the first man to run a marathon in under two hours in 2019, a remarkable feat that is now the subject of a new documentary, "Kipchoge: The Last Milestone". 
 
The film chronicles how Kipchoge worked with scientists and a group of fellow elite runners to run in an unofficial world record time of one hour, 59 minutes and 40 seconds in Vienna two years ago, an achievement many thought was impossible. 
 
The 36-year-old said that his message of "no human is limited" extends beyond sport as he looks to inspire people from all walks of life. 
 
"(This) is a huge message, not actually facing sportsmen and sportswomen alone. It`s all around, it touches every profession... my lasting legacy will be purely about inspiration because that`s what I want to drive in the mind of every human being in this world." 
 
Kipchoge added that retirement was not on his mind as he was motivated to keep chasing titles by athletes who were still competitive well into their 30s and even 40s. 
 
"I am being inspired by many people, the footballers, (Cristiano) Ronaldo is doing well (at 36), (Lewis) Hamilton is still very sharp as far as Formula One is concerned, Valentino Rossi is driving in the MotoGP at 42," said Kipchoge. 
 
"For now I have to rest, pick up training in September and plan what next... I am enjoying what happened in Tokyo for now. So I`m mixing rest and enjoying the medal. But all in all there are still good things in the future."

Marathon world record holder and Olympic champion Eliud Kipchoge hopes that technology will take "centre stage" as athletes strive for improvement and chase faster times in the future.

Marathon world record holder and Olympic champion Eliud Kipchoge hopes that technology will take "centre stage" as athletes strive for improvement and chase faster times in the future. The Kenyan, who overcame humid conditions in Tokyo earlier this month to claim gold in the marathon, was among a host of runners who ran in specially designed Nike shoes fitted with carbon-fibre plates for more spring and quicker times, once again rekindling a debate around "technological doping". "If we don`t embrace technology then we are not moving... I know regulations will be there but technology should take centre stage," Kipchoge told Reuters. "Let all athletes have top technology, have top innovation. That`s the only way to think and actually try to improve your performance." Other athletes such as Karsten Warholm, who won the Olympic 400 metres hurdles title in world record time, have been critical of rapidly advancing shoe technology. "When somebody does a great performance now, everybody will question if it`s the shoe, and that is the credibility problem," the Norwegian told Reuters earlier this month. Kipchoge`s footwear played a big part in him becoming the first man to run a marathon in under two hours in 2019, a remarkable feat that is now the subject of a new documentary, "Kipchoge: The Last Milestone". The film chronicles how Kipchoge worked with scientists and a group of fellow elite runners to run in an unofficial world record time of one hour, 59 minutes and 40 seconds in Vienna two years ago, an achievement many thought was impossible. The 36-year-old said that his message of "no human is limited" extends beyond sport as he looks to inspire people from all walks of life. "(This) is a huge message, not actually facing sportsmen and sportswomen alone. It`s all around, it touches every profession... my lasting legacy will be purely about inspiration because that`s what I want to drive in the mind of every human being in this world." Kipchoge added that retirement was not on his mind as he was motivated to keep chasing titles by athletes who were still competitive well into their 30s and even 40s. "I am being inspired by many people, the footballers, (Cristiano) Ronaldo is doing well (at 36), (Lewis) Hamilton is still very sharp as far as Formula One is concerned, Valentino Rossi is driving in the MotoGP at 42," said Kipchoge. "For now I have to rest, pick up training in September and plan what next... I am enjoying what happened in Tokyo for now. So I`m mixing rest and enjoying the medal. But all in all there are still good things in the future."

Can't move forward without embracing technology, says Kipchoge

When people enter Teeth, a bar in San Francisco’s Mission neighborhood, the bouncer gives them options. They can order food and drinks at the bar, he says, or they can order via a QR code.

Each table at Teeth has a card emblazoned with the code, a pixelated black-and-white square. Customers simply scan it with their phone camera to open a website for the online menu. Then they can input their credit card information to pay, all without touching a paper menu or interacting with a server.

A scene like this was a rarity 18 months ago, but not anymore. “In 13 years of bar ownership in San Francisco, I’ve never seen a sea change like this that brought the majority of customers into a new behavior so quickly,” said Ben Bleiman, Teeth’s owner.

QR codes — essentially a kind of bar code that allows transactions to be touchless — have emerged as a permanent tech fixture from the coronavirus pandemic. Restaurants have adopted them en masse, retailers including CVS and Foot Locker have added them to checkout registers, and marketers have splashed them all over retail packaging, direct mail, billboards and TV advertisements.

But the spread of the codes has also let businesses integrate more tools for tracking, targeting and analytics, raising red flags for privacy experts. That’s because QR codes can store digital information such as when, where and how often a scan occurs. They can also open an app or a website that then tracks people’s personal information or requires them to input it.

As a result, QR codes have allowed some restaurants to build a database of their customers’ order histories and contact information. At retail chains, people may soon be confronted by personalized offers and incentives marketed within QR code payment systems.

“People don’t understand that when you use a QR code, it inserts the entire apparatus of online tracking between you and your meal,” said Jay Stanley, a senior policy analyst at the American Civil Liberties Union. “Suddenly your offline activity of sitting down for a meal has become part of the online advertising empire.”

QR codes may be new to many American shoppers, but they have been popular internationally for years. Invented in 1994 to streamline car manufacturing at a Japanese company, QR codes became widely used in China in recent years after being integrated into the AliPay and WeChat Pay digital payment apps.

In the United States, the technology was hampered by clumsy marketing, a lack of consumer understanding and the hassle of needing a special app to scan the codes, said Scott Stratten, who wrote the 2013 business book “QR Codes Kill Kittens” with his wife, Alison Stratten.

That has changed for two reasons, Scott Stratten said. In 2017, he said, Apple made it possible for the cameras in iPhones to recognize QR codes, spreading the technology more widely. Then came the “pandemic, and it’s amazing what a pandemic can make us do,” he said.

Half of all full-service restaurant operators in the United States have added QR code menus since the start of the pandemic, according to the National Restaurant Association. In May 2020, PayPal introduced QR code payments and has since added them at CVS, Nike, Foot Locker and around 1 million small businesses. Square, another digital payments firm, rolled out a QR code ordering system for restaurants and retailers in September.

Cheqout and Mr. Yum, two startups that sell technology for creating QR code menus at restaurants, also said the codes had brought advantages to businesses.

Restaurants that use QR code menus can save 30% to 50% on labor costs by reducing or eliminating the need for servers to take orders and collect payments, said Tom Sharon, a co-founder of Cheqout.

Digital menus also make it easier to persuade people to spend more with offers to add fries or substitute more expensive spirits in a cocktail, with photographs of menu items to make them more appealing, said Kim Teo, a Mr. Yum co-founder. Orders placed through the QR code menu also let Mr. Yum inform restaurants what items are selling, so they can add a menu section with the most popular items or highlight dishes they want to sell.

These increased digital abilities are what worry privacy experts. Mr. Yum, for instance, uses cookies in the digital menu to track a customer’s purchase history and gives restaurants access to that information, tied to the customer’s phone number and credit cards. It is piloting software in Australia so restaurants can offer people a “recommended to you” section based on their previous orders, Teo said.

QR codes “are an important first step toward making your experience in physical space outside of your home feel just like being tracked by Google on your screen,” said Lucy Bernholz, director of Stanford University’s Digital Civil Society Lab.

Teo said that each restaurant’s customer data was available only to that establishment and that Mr. Yum did not use the information to reach out to customers. It also does not sell the data to any third-party brokers, she said.

Cheqout collects only customers’ names, phone numbers and protected payment information, which it does not sell to third parties, Sharon said.

On a recent blustery evening at Teeth, customers shared mixed reviews of the QR code ordering system from Cheqout, which the bar had installed in August. Some said it was convenient, but added that they would prefer a traditional menu at a fine dining establishment.

“If you’re on a date and you’re whipping your phone out, it’s a distraction,” Daniela Sernich, 29, said.

Jonathan Brooner-Contreras, 26, said that QR code ordering was convenient but that he feared the technology would put him out of his job as a bartender at a different bar in the neighborhood.

“It’s like if a factory replaced all of its workers with robots,” he said. “People depend on those 40 hours.”

Regardless of customers’ feelings, Bleiman said Cheqout’s data showed that about half of Teeth’s orders — and as much as 65% during televised sports games — were coming through the QR code system.

“They may not like it,” he said in a text message. “But they’re doing it!”

When people enter Teeth, a bar in San Francisco’s Mission neighborhood, the bouncer gives them options. They can order food and drinks at the bar, he says, or they can order via a QR code.

When people enter Teeth, a bar in San Francisco’s Mission neighborhood, the bouncer gives them options. They can order food and drinks at the bar, he says, or they can order via a QR code. Each table at Teeth has a card emblazoned with the code, a pixelated black-and-white square. Customers simply scan it with their phone camera to open a website for the online menu. Then they can input their credit card information to pay, all without touching a paper menu or interacting with a server. A scene like this was a rarity 18 months ago, but not anymore. “In 13 years of bar ownership in San Francisco, I’ve never seen a sea change like this that brought the majority of customers into a new behavior so quickly,” said Ben Bleiman, Teeth’s owner. QR codes — essentially a kind of bar code that allows transactions to be touchless — have emerged as a permanent tech fixture from the coronavirus pandemic. Restaurants have adopted them en masse, retailers including CVS and Foot Locker have added them to checkout registers, and marketers have splashed them all over retail packaging, direct mail, billboards and TV advertisements. But the spread of the codes has also let businesses integrate more tools for tracking, targeting and analytics, raising red flags for privacy experts. That’s because QR codes can store digital information such as when, where and how often a scan occurs. They can also open an app or a website that then tracks people’s personal information or requires them to input it. As a result, QR codes have allowed some restaurants to build a database of their customers’ order histories and contact information. At retail chains, people may soon be confronted by personalized offers and incentives marketed within QR code payment systems. “People don’t understand that when you use a QR code, it inserts the entire apparatus of online tracking between you and your meal,” said Jay Stanley, a senior policy analyst at the American Civil Liberties Union. “Suddenly your offline activity of sitting down for a meal has become part of the online advertising empire.” QR codes may be new to many American shoppers, but they have been popular internationally for years. Invented in 1994 to streamline car manufacturing at a Japanese company, QR codes became widely used in China in recent years after being integrated into the AliPay and WeChat Pay digital payment apps. In the United States, the technology was hampered by clumsy marketing, a lack of consumer understanding and the hassle of needing a special app to scan the codes, said Scott Stratten, who wrote the 2013 business book “QR Codes Kill Kittens” with his wife, Alison Stratten. That has changed for two reasons, Scott Stratten said. In 2017, he said, Apple made it possible for the cameras in iPhones to recognize QR codes, spreading the technology more widely. Then came the “pandemic, and it’s amazing what a pandemic can make us do,” he said. Half of all full-service restaurant operators in the United States have added QR code menus since the start of the pandemic, according to the National Restaurant Association. In May 2020, PayPal introduced QR code payments and has since added them at CVS, Nike, Foot Locker and around 1 million small businesses. Square, another digital payments firm, rolled out a QR code ordering system for restaurants and retailers in September. Cheqout and Mr. Yum, two startups that sell technology for creating QR code menus at restaurants, also said the codes had brought advantages to businesses. Restaurants that use QR code menus can save 30% to 50% on labor costs by reducing or eliminating the need for servers to take orders and collect payments, said Tom Sharon, a co-founder of Cheqout. Digital menus also make it easier to persuade people to spend more with offers to add fries or substitute more expensive spirits in a cocktail, with photographs of menu items to make them more appealing, said Kim Teo, a Mr. Yum co-founder. Orders placed through the QR code menu also let Mr. Yum inform restaurants what items are selling, so they can add a menu section with the most popular items or highlight dishes they want to sell. These increased digital abilities are what worry privacy experts. Mr. Yum, for instance, uses cookies in the digital menu to track a customer’s purchase history and gives restaurants access to that information, tied to the customer’s phone number and credit cards. It is piloting software in Australia so restaurants can offer people a “recommended to you” section based on their previous orders, Teo said. QR codes “are an important first step toward making your experience in physical space outside of your home feel just like being tracked by Google on your screen,” said Lucy Bernholz, director of Stanford University’s Digital Civil Society Lab. Teo said that each restaurant’s customer data was available only to that establishment and that Mr. Yum did not use the information to reach out to customers. It also does not sell the data to any third-party brokers, she said. Cheqout collects only customers’ names, phone numbers and protected payment information, which it does not sell to third parties, Sharon said. On a recent blustery evening at Teeth, customers shared mixed reviews of the QR code ordering system from Cheqout, which the bar had installed in August. Some said it was convenient, but added that they would prefer a traditional menu at a fine dining establishment. “If you’re on a date and you’re whipping your phone out, it’s a distraction,” Daniela Sernich, 29, said. Jonathan Brooner-Contreras, 26, said that QR code ordering was convenient but that he feared the technology would put him out of his job as a bartender at a different bar in the neighborhood. “It’s like if a factory replaced all of its workers with robots,” he said. “People depend on those 40 hours.” Regardless of customers’ feelings, Bleiman said Cheqout’s data showed that about half of Teeth’s orders — and as much as 65% during televised sports games — were coming through the QR code system. “They may not like it,” he said in a text message. “But they’re doing it!”

QR codes are here to stay. So is the tracking they allow.

Bots have a bad rep. Shady manipulators have used these automated computer programs on social networks to spread conspiracy theories, spew vitriol and scam people. But when bots are programmed to do good, they can help us accomplish the seemingly impossible.

Take buying a PlayStation 5. Since the Sony console was released in November, it has been hard to find in physical and online stores, partly because a global chip shortage has slowed down manufacturing of all kinds of tech products, from graphics cards to automobiles.

As a result, when the new PlayStation appears online on sites like Amazon, Target and Best Buy, it sells out in minutes — sometimes seconds. Sony has said that demand for the PlayStation 5 is unprecedented and that supply constraints could continue through next year. That makes the odds of buying the console feel as random as winning the lottery.

Someone is buying them, though, and the lucky few I’ve talked to relied on some form of automation.

“It’s really difficult to get one without any bots,” said SV Yesvanth, an information security engineer who wrote a web script to automatically scan online stores for available consoles after his own struggles to buy one in Hyderabad, India. After he succeeded in buying a PlayStation, he said, he connected his bot to a Twitter account and helped hundreds of other eager shoppers.

This month, I joined the club. I volunteered to help a friend who had been trying to buy a PlayStation for six months. After setting up several Twitter bots to blast alerts to my phone as new consoles were stocked, I managed to snag one within a week. It wasn’t easy — I failed three times on Best Buy’s website and ultimately succeeded with GameStop. But the bots gave me a necessary edge to beat thousands of others furiously refreshing their web browsers.

You can’t pick just any bot and expect to land the device. I interviewed several creators of automated tools that have helped people score PlayStations. They said there were traps to avoid, like scammy bots purporting to sell consoles. There are also some hidden tricks to speed up orders. Here’s what you need to know.

Bots can be your friend …

Dozens of bots online publish a post on Twitter whenever a retailer refreshes its inventory with more PlayStations. They all generally work the same way: They search an online store’s web code for a signal — like an “add to cart” button — indicating that the PlayStation is back in stock. As soon as they detect that the console is available, they publish an alert on Twitter.

The first step is to follow trustworthy bots. Here are some reliable Twitter accounts I vetted:

— @PS5StockAlerts, which tweets when consoles are available at Best Buy, Sam’s Club and Walmart, among others.

— @mattswider, which initially relied on information from bots for restock updates but is now curated entirely by Matt Swider, the editor-in-chief of the blog TechRadar. Swider gets a heads-up from sources at big-box retailers and some independent stores before they refresh PlayStation inventory, he said.

— @ps5_india, the account run by SV Yesvanth, has a small following focused on obtaining a PlayStation in India, where it has been especially challenging to buy the console.

— @iloveps_5, a bot hosted by Kevin Hirczy, a software developer in Austria. Hirczy’s bot focuses on PlayStation availability in Europe.

You could scan your Twitter feed for in-stock alerts from these accounts. But a more efficient route is to set up notifications to show up on your phone whenever the accounts tweet. To do that, download the Twitter mobile app and allow it to push notifications to your phone. Then follow Twitter’s instructions to set specific accounts to send notifications to your phone when they tweet.

Once you see that consoles have come back in stock, don’t hesitate: Click through and add the item to the cart as quickly as you can.

... but most bots should be avoided

The risky part about relying on bots is that more often than not, you will run into scammers. The general rule of thumb: Avoid Twitter accounts offering to sell you a PlayStation 5 directly. Once they receive your payment, you probably won’t hear from them again.

So be very careful about which Twitter accounts you follow. Some scammers use account names and avatars that closely resemble the names of legitimate accounts. It’s best to follow only accounts that post links to trusted retailers.

“The scary thing is there are so many scam accounts that try to piggyback off legitimate accounts,” Swider said. “It’s hard to tell them apart.”

Other bots to avoid are the automatic checkout tools, like browser add-ons that refresh websites and try to order the PlayStation for you. Many retailer sites have systems that detect orders placed by nonhumans, so using these tools could cause your order to fail, SV Yesvanth said.

There are hidden tricks

Beyond following some bots and setting up alerts for your phone, you can tilt the odds in your favor with a few more steps:

— On retail sites such as GameStop and Best Buy, create a membership account and fill out your mailing address and credit card information ahead of time. This will speed up checkout by valuable seconds, Swider said.

— In rare cases, PlayStation orders have failed in the middle of a credit card transaction. On some store sites, like Amazon, you can buy gift credit for yourself, which allows you to skip the credit card verification process, SV Yesvanth said. (The downside is this strategy commits you to trying to buy the console from a specific retailer.)

— Some online stores have quirks. On Best Buy, for example, you shouldn’t refresh the website after clicking the “add to cart” button — that could cause you to lose your PlayStation. Swider regularly streams live YouTube videos walking people through the different checkout processes, and SV Yesvanth and Hirczy host group chats on Discord where people discuss what’s working for them.

At the end of the day, the sheer amount of effort to buy a product may sound absurd. But in an era when frantic shoppers compete even for hand sanitizer and toilet paper, bots may lead the path to victory.

Bots have a bad rep. Shady manipulators have used these automated computer programs on social networks to spread conspiracy theories, spew vitriol and scam people.

Bots have a bad rep. Shady manipulators have used these automated computer programs on social networks to spread conspiracy theories, spew vitriol and scam people. But when bots are programmed to do good, they can help us accomplish the seemingly impossible. Take buying a PlayStation 5. Since the Sony console was released in November, it has been hard to find in physical and online stores, partly because a global chip shortage has slowed down manufacturing of all kinds of tech products, from graphics cards to automobiles. As a result, when the new PlayStation appears online on sites like Amazon, Target and Best Buy, it sells out in minutes — sometimes seconds. Sony has said that demand for the PlayStation 5 is unprecedented and that supply constraints could continue through next year. That makes the odds of buying the console feel as random as winning the lottery. Someone is buying them, though, and the lucky few I’ve talked to relied on some form of automation. “It’s really difficult to get one without any bots,” said SV Yesvanth, an information security engineer who wrote a web script to automatically scan online stores for available consoles after his own struggles to buy one in Hyderabad, India. After he succeeded in buying a PlayStation, he said, he connected his bot to a Twitter account and helped hundreds of other eager shoppers. This month, I joined the club. I volunteered to help a friend who had been trying to buy a PlayStation for six months. After setting up several Twitter bots to blast alerts to my phone as new consoles were stocked, I managed to snag one within a week. It wasn’t easy — I failed three times on Best Buy’s website and ultimately succeeded with GameStop. But the bots gave me a necessary edge to beat thousands of others furiously refreshing their web browsers. You can’t pick just any bot and expect to land the device. I interviewed several creators of automated tools that have helped people score PlayStations. They said there were traps to avoid, like scammy bots purporting to sell consoles. There are also some hidden tricks to speed up orders. Here’s what you need to know. Bots can be your friend … Dozens of bots online publish a post on Twitter whenever a retailer refreshes its inventory with more PlayStations. They all generally work the same way: They search an online store’s web code for a signal — like an “add to cart” button — indicating that the PlayStation is back in stock. As soon as they detect that the console is available, they publish an alert on Twitter. The first step is to follow trustworthy bots. Here are some reliable Twitter accounts I vetted: — @PS5StockAlerts, which tweets when consoles are available at Best Buy, Sam’s Club and Walmart, among others. — @mattswider, which initially relied on information from bots for restock updates but is now curated entirely by Matt Swider, the editor-in-chief of the blog TechRadar. Swider gets a heads-up from sources at big-box retailers and some independent stores before they refresh PlayStation inventory, he said. — @ps5_india, the account run by SV Yesvanth, has a small following focused on obtaining a PlayStation in India, where it has been especially challenging to buy the console. — @iloveps_5, a bot hosted by Kevin Hirczy, a software developer in Austria. Hirczy’s bot focuses on PlayStation availability in Europe. You could scan your Twitter feed for in-stock alerts from these accounts. But a more efficient route is to set up notifications to show up on your phone whenever the accounts tweet. To do that, download the Twitter mobile app and allow it to push notifications to your phone. Then follow Twitter’s instructions to set specific accounts to send notifications to your phone when they tweet. Once you see that consoles have come back in stock, don’t hesitate: Click through and add the item to the cart as quickly as you can. ... but most bots should be avoided The risky part about relying on bots is that more often than not, you will run into scammers. The general rule of thumb: Avoid Twitter accounts offering to sell you a PlayStation 5 directly. Once they receive your payment, you probably won’t hear from them again. So be very careful about which Twitter accounts you follow. Some scammers use account names and avatars that closely resemble the names of legitimate accounts. It’s best to follow only accounts that post links to trusted retailers. “The scary thing is there are so many scam accounts that try to piggyback off legitimate accounts,” Swider said. “It’s hard to tell them apart.” Other bots to avoid are the automatic checkout tools, like browser add-ons that refresh websites and try to order the PlayStation for you. Many retailer sites have systems that detect orders placed by nonhumans, so using these tools could cause your order to fail, SV Yesvanth said. There are hidden tricks Beyond following some bots and setting up alerts for your phone, you can tilt the odds in your favor with a few more steps: — On retail sites such as GameStop and Best Buy, create a membership account and fill out your mailing address and credit card information ahead of time. This will speed up checkout by valuable seconds, Swider said. — In rare cases, PlayStation orders have failed in the middle of a credit card transaction. On some store sites, like Amazon, you can buy gift credit for yourself, which allows you to skip the credit card verification process, SV Yesvanth said. (The downside is this strategy commits you to trying to buy the console from a specific retailer.) — Some online stores have quirks. On Best Buy, for example, you shouldn’t refresh the website after clicking the “add to cart” button — that could cause you to lose your PlayStation. Swider regularly streams live YouTube videos walking people through the different checkout processes, and SV Yesvanth and Hirczy host group chats on Discord where people discuss what’s working for them. At the end of the day, the sheer amount of effort to buy a product may sound absurd. But in an era when frantic shoppers compete even for hand sanitizer and toilet paper, bots may lead the path to victory.

Want to buy a PlayStation 5? Befriend a bot.

Israel's technology firm NSO has been accused of using its cyber spyware Pegasus to surveil journalists globally. The latest findings are part of a global investigation called the Pegasus project.

Israel's NSO accused of using Pegasus for spying

Yup, you heard me right. The headline of this review isn't merely&nbsp;a&nbsp;clickbait but is&nbsp;actually&nbsp;accurate. Despite the debate around privacy, I have been a fan of smart home devices simply because of how they simplify my daily life. Trust me, if you&nbsp;are a working parent trying to navigate through the many monotonous yet imperative chores of the daily grind, you may forget about which app is tracking what as long as you can book you a cab, schedule an appointment, track a shopping order or even entertain your toddler while you try and squeeze in a workout to meet that lockdown goal. You can slot this under unpopular opinion.&nbsp;

And the new Amazon Echo Show 10 can do all of it. Though priced high, it helps me get through the day, entertains my son and even helps me meet my daily calorie burn goal.&nbsp;

Time to meet&nbsp;the latest Amazon Echo smart speaker,&nbsp;the Echo Show 10,&nbsp;which is priced at a jaw-dropping Rs 24,999. So,&nbsp;the question is, is it worth it?&nbsp;

I say yes because if you're building a smart home and relying on technology to help make&nbsp;your&nbsp;life easier, this is an investment.&nbsp;

Design&nbsp;

Say hello to the biggest model in the product family. This one is heavy and&nbsp;takes&nbsp;pride&nbsp;in&nbsp;itself&nbsp;as it has&nbsp;smart display and&nbsp;speaker. Why do I say heavy? Because you'll need to mount it in a clutter-free space to accommodate its three-driver system that acts as a backbone but also provides booming sound.&nbsp;

And here's the party trick,&nbsp;the motion sensor allows the screen to turn towards the voice command. So,&nbsp;if you're belting out orders from another corner of the kitchen to follow the recipe of a recent cooking experiment, the screen will follow you and a helpful Alexa will tell you what to do.&nbsp;

The&nbsp;third&nbsp;gen smart display comes with a brilliant 1,280 X 800 pixels&nbsp;screen with a separate speaker attached at the back. And if you don't have enough space for the massive display to swivel around, simply turn off the motion sensor from the swipe down tab at the top. Remember, this heavy body needs to be connected to a power source at all times. I wouldn't let kids lift it up as it's bound to fall from nimble hands. If you're putting it on a counter top, get rid of all decorative items since this bad boy needs some space to move. For those with privacy concerns, you can turn off the camera from the buttons on the top.&nbsp;

Display&nbsp;

I loved watching content on the Echo Show 10's display. Only those with extremely high-end televisions will disagree. The sound quality and viewing experience leaves little room for&nbsp;any&nbsp;complaint. Alexa's know-how gets better with every upgrade and she knows what you want and therein lies the conundrum about voice assistants and their indelible footprint in our lives. Use the drop-in feature to make your home truly&nbsp;smart.&nbsp;

Great for kids&nbsp;

Are we still advocating zero screen time for kids when online classes have become an intrinsic part of our lives, even for children as young as three years old? Like I always say, these gadgets are built for children and are intuitive at best. My son knows what to play, when to play, how to play. I have thoroughly enjoyed teaching him some fundamentals from across the room with a simple, "Alexa, tell us about the planets in the Solar System!" Just make sure your child isn't too close to the screen because we need to be prudent while being creative.&nbsp;

Pro Tips&nbsp;

Try using the Toy Doctor skill on Alexa. The Kids' skills are more creative, fun to indulge in, and are more engaging for different age groups. If you have other smart gadgets, connect your smart bulbs, air purifiers and regulate your electricity bill.&nbsp;

How I used Echo Show 10?&nbsp;

I can regale you all with fancy specifications, tech jargon and even some gasp-worthy features in a review. Let us cut through the noise and talk about how you would use an expensive smart display such as this one in your daily life.&nbsp;

Exercise: Given the compact space it&nbsp;occupies,&nbsp;you can plug it in any corner. The sound and display will push you to do those extra burpees, push-ups or squats depending on your punishment of choice.&nbsp;

Cook up a storm: For cooks, this is a best friend. Alexa will follow your visual and audio cues and show you what needs to be done so you can be a MasterChef in your own right.&nbsp;

Bedtime for kids: Say goodnight and the Echo Show 10 transforms from an overeager employee to a calming best friend.&nbsp;Colours&nbsp;and lights are dimmed, lullabies are played and it's time to call it a night.&nbsp;

Should you buy it?&nbsp;

We've been here before. We've been wooed with a smart display and smart speaker all in one. But as someone who sees her son marvel at technology each day, I was sold when Alexa followed him around while he jumped to&nbsp;'Wheels on the&nbsp;Bus'&nbsp;and I got to catch a breath. At nearly Rs 25,000, it is an investment. Lockdowns have taught us that technology cannot just simplify our lives but also keep us engaged. So,&nbsp;go for this smart display and speaker if you have the budget. Be prepared for Alexa to follow you around.&nbsp;

Yup, you heard me right. The headline of this review isn't merely a clickbait but is actually accurate. Despite the debate around privacy, I have been a fan of smart home devices simply because of how they simplify my daily life.

Yup, you heard me right. The headline of this review isn't merely a clickbait but is actually accurate. Despite the debate around privacy, I have been a fan of smart home devices simply because of how they simplify my daily life. Trust me, if you are a working parent trying to navigate through the many monotonous yet imperative chores of the daily grind, you may forget about which app is tracking what as long as you can book you a cab, schedule an appointment, track a shopping order or even entertain your toddler while you try and squeeze in a workout to meet that lockdown goal. You can slot this under unpopular opinion. And the new Amazon Echo Show 10 can do all of it. Though priced high, it helps me get through the day, entertains my son and even helps me meet my daily calorie burn goal. Time to meet the latest Amazon Echo smart speaker, the Echo Show 10, which is priced at a jaw-dropping Rs 24,999. So, the question is, is it worth it? I say yes because if you're building a smart home and relying on technology to help make your life easier, this is an investment. Design Say hello to the biggest model in the product family. This one is heavy and takes pride in itself as it has smart display and speaker. Why do I say heavy? Because you'll need to mount it in a clutter-free space to accommodate its three-driver system that acts as a backbone but also provides booming sound. And here's the party trick, the motion sensor allows the screen to turn towards the voice command. So, if you're belting out orders from another corner of the kitchen to follow the recipe of a recent cooking experiment, the screen will follow you and a helpful Alexa will tell you what to do. The third gen smart display comes with a brilliant 1,280 X 800 pixels screen with a separate speaker attached at the back. And if you don't have enough space for the massive display to swivel around, simply turn off the motion sensor from the swipe down tab at the top. Remember, this heavy body needs to be connected to a power source at all times. I wouldn't let kids lift it up as it's bound to fall from nimble hands. If you're putting it on a counter top, get rid of all decorative items since this bad boy needs some space to move. For those with privacy concerns, you can turn off the camera from the buttons on the top. Display I loved watching content on the Echo Show 10's display. Only those with extremely high-end televisions will disagree. The sound quality and viewing experience leaves little room for any complaint. Alexa's know-how gets better with every upgrade and she knows what you want and therein lies the conundrum about voice assistants and their indelible footprint in our lives. Use the drop-in feature to make your home truly smart. Great for kids Are we still advocating zero screen time for kids when online classes have become an intrinsic part of our lives, even for children as young as three years old? Like I always say, these gadgets are built for children and are intuitive at best. My son knows what to play, when to play, how to play. I have thoroughly enjoyed teaching him some fundamentals from across the room with a simple, "Alexa, tell us about the planets in the Solar System!" Just make sure your child isn't too close to the screen because we need to be prudent while being creative. Pro Tips Try using the Toy Doctor skill on Alexa. The Kids' skills are more creative, fun to indulge in, and are more engaging for different age groups. If you have other smart gadgets, connect your smart bulbs, air purifiers and regulate your electricity bill. How I used Echo Show 10? I can regale you all with fancy specifications, tech jargon and even some gasp-worthy features in a review. Let us cut through the noise and talk about how you would use an expensive smart display such as this one in your daily life. Exercise: Given the compact space it occupies, you can plug it in any corner. The sound and display will push you to do those extra burpees, push-ups or squats depending on your punishment of choice. Cook up a storm: For cooks, this is a best friend. Alexa will follow your visual and audio cues and show you what needs to be done so you can be a MasterChef in your own right. Bedtime for kids: Say goodnight and the Echo Show 10 transforms from an overeager employee to a calming best friend. Colours and lights are dimmed, lullabies are played and it's time to call it a night. Should you buy it? We've been here before. We've been wooed with a smart display and smart speaker all in one. But as someone who sees her son marvel at technology each day, I was sold when Alexa followed him around while he jumped to 'Wheels on the Bus' and I got to catch a breath. At nearly Rs 25,000, it is an investment. Lockdowns have taught us that technology cannot just simplify our lives but also keep us engaged. So, go for this smart display and speaker if you have the budget. Be prepared for Alexa to follow you around.

Alexa can now follow you around  

The age of 'killer robots' is upon us. Several countries are relying on autonomous weapons for warfare with drones becoming a defining feature. But like any other weapon, drone technology is proving to be a double-edged sword. Palki Sharma tells you how.

Gravitas: Drones are transforming modern warfare

A US&nbsp;judge on Monday dismissed federal and state antitrust complaints against Facebook Inc that sought to force the social media company to sell Instagram and WhatsApp, saying the federal complaint was "legally insufficient." 
 
Facebook shares rose more than 4% after the ruling. The share price rise put Facebook`s market capitalisation over $1 trillion for the first time. 
 
The dismissal was the first big blow to state and federal lawsuits against Big Tech firms last year seeking to rein in alleged abuses of their massive market power. 
 
Judge James Boasberg of the US&nbsp;District Court for the District of Columbia said the FTC failed to show that Facebook had monopoly power in the social-networking market but said the FTC could file a new complaint by July 29. 
 
He also dismissed a lawsuit by multiple US&nbsp;states, saying they waited too long to challenge the acquisitions of Instagram and WhatsApp in 2012 and 2014 respectively. The judge did not invite the states to refile their complaint. 
 
A spokesperson for the New York Attorney General’s office said it was "considering our legal options." 
 
Facebook had asked for the lawsuits to be dismissed. 
 
Regarding the FTC lawsuit, the judge wrote: "Although the court does not agree with all of Facebook`s contentions here, it ultimately concurs that the agency`s complaint is legally insufficient and must therefore be dismissed." 
 
A Facebook spokesperson said: "We are pleased that today’s decisions recognise the defects in the government complaints filed against Facebook." An FTC spokesperson said the agency was "closely reviewing the opinion and assessing the best option forward." 
 
A bright spot for the FTC in the opinion was the judge`s saying that the agency was "on firmer ground in scrutinising the acquisitions of Instagram and WhatsApp, as the court rejects Facebook`s argument that the FTC lacks authority to seek injunctive relief against those purchases." 
 
The FTC and a big group of states filed separate lawsuits last year that accused Facebook of breaking antitrust law to keep smaller competitors at bay by snapping up rivals, such as Instagram for $1 billion and WhatsApp for $19 billion. 
 
JUDGE FINDS FLAWS IN MARKET SHARE CLAIM 
 
The federal government and states filed a total of five lawsuits against Facebook and Alphabet Inc`s Google last year following bipartisan outrage over their social media clout in the economy and the political sphere. 
 
The judge said that the FTC did not adequately support its assertion that Facebook has more than 60% of the market. But Boasberg said the agency could potentially fix the issue in a refiling. 
 
The judge also criticised portions of the FTC`s case regarding its refusal to allow interoperability permissions with competing apps. 
 
Republican Senator Josh Hawley criticised the court`s decision on the FTC lawsuit as "deeply disappointing."

A US judge on Monday dismissed federal and state antitrust complaints against Facebook Inc that sought to force the social media company to sell Instagram and WhatsApp, saying the federal complaint was "legally insufficient.

A US judge on Monday dismissed federal and state antitrust complaints against Facebook Inc that sought to force the social media company to sell Instagram and WhatsApp, saying the federal complaint was "legally insufficient." Facebook shares rose more than 4% after the ruling. The share price rise put Facebook`s market capitalisation over $1 trillion for the first time. The dismissal was the first big blow to state and federal lawsuits against Big Tech firms last year seeking to rein in alleged abuses of their massive market power. Judge James Boasberg of the US District Court for the District of Columbia said the FTC failed to show that Facebook had monopoly power in the social-networking market but said the FTC could file a new complaint by July 29. He also dismissed a lawsuit by multiple US states, saying they waited too long to challenge the acquisitions of Instagram and WhatsApp in 2012 and 2014 respectively. The judge did not invite the states to refile their complaint. A spokesperson for the New York Attorney General’s office said it was "considering our legal options." Facebook had asked for the lawsuits to be dismissed. Regarding the FTC lawsuit, the judge wrote: "Although the court does not agree with all of Facebook`s contentions here, it ultimately concurs that the agency`s complaint is legally insufficient and must therefore be dismissed." A Facebook spokesperson said: "We are pleased that today’s decisions recognise the defects in the government complaints filed against Facebook." An FTC spokesperson said the agency was "closely reviewing the opinion and assessing the best option forward." A bright spot for the FTC in the opinion was the judge`s saying that the agency was "on firmer ground in scrutinising the acquisitions of Instagram and WhatsApp, as the court rejects Facebook`s argument that the FTC lacks authority to seek injunctive relief against those purchases." The FTC and a big group of states filed separate lawsuits last year that accused Facebook of breaking antitrust law to keep smaller competitors at bay by snapping up rivals, such as Instagram for $1 billion and WhatsApp for $19 billion. JUDGE FINDS FLAWS IN MARKET SHARE CLAIM The federal government and states filed a total of five lawsuits against Facebook and Alphabet Inc`s Google last year following bipartisan outrage over their social media clout in the economy and the political sphere. The judge said that the FTC did not adequately support its assertion that Facebook has more than 60% of the market. But Boasberg said the agency could potentially fix the issue in a refiling. The judge also criticised portions of the FTC`s case regarding its refusal to allow interoperability permissions with competing apps. Republican Senator Josh Hawley criticised the court`s decision on the FTC lawsuit as "deeply disappointing."

Facebook hits $1 trillion value after judge rejects antitrust complaints

Technology is redefining the way music is made and played. This video is about a young talent who can play music with her eyes. Find out how.

Tech It Out | How technology is empowering musicians

A group of 50 investors managing more than $4.5 trillion in assets is calling on companies involved in the development and use of facial recognition technology, such as Amazon and Facebook, to do so in an ethical way. 
 
The investor group, which is led by asset manager Candriam, a European division of US&nbsp;financial services company New York Life, said in a statement the technology could infringe on an individual's privacy rights, given the lack of consent of those being identified, and that there is often no official oversight. 
 
The initiative shows how fund managers are increasingly taking up policy issues that were once considered fringe subjects for shareholders as retail investors pour billions of dollars into funds focused on ethical and sustainability criteria. 
 
Human rights advocates say face recognition technology, which can be used to unlock smart phones or verify bank accounts, also has the potential to be used by governments to track citizens and suppress political dissent. 
 
The investor group said it would begin a two-year process of engagement with companies developing or using the technology. It said it considers 34 companies to be leaders in facial recognition, including Amazon, Facebook, and Asian tech companies Alibaba and Huawei. 
 
An Amazon spokesperson declined to comment. The other companies did not immediately comment when contacted. 
 
Amazon said last month it was extending a moratorium it imposed on police use of its facial recognition technology. Civil liberties groups have warned inaccurate matching could lead to unjust arrests. 
 
"For investors to be able to fulfil our own responsibility to respect human rights, we call on companies to proactively assess, disclose, mitigate and remediate human rights risks related to their facial recognition products and services," said Rosa van den Beemt, Responsible Investment Analyst at BMO Global Asset Management, one of the investors that has signed up to the initiative. 
 
The facial recognition technology market is set to grow to around $10 billion in 2020, Candriam said in a report published in March, citing a 2018 survey by Allied Market Research. 
 
Among those to sign up to the investor initiative were Britain's Aviva Investors, Royal London Asset Management, Canada's BMO Global Asset Management, Dutch-based NN Investment Partners and Norway's KLP. 
 
"The increasing deployment and use of facial recognition technologies have human rights implications which are not fully being considered by companies," said Louise Piffaut, Senior ESG analyst at Aviva Investors. 
 
Candriam said there was currently no global framework governing the collection and use of biometric data, but the European Union has proposed its first ever legal framework and China has published a draft standard. 
 
The European Union's privacy watchdog said in April, the technology should be banned in Europe because of its 'deep and non-democratic intrusion' into people's private lives. 
 
(With inputs from agencies)

A group of 50 investors managing more than $4.5 trillion in assets is calling on companies involved in the development and use of facial recognition technology, such as Amazon and Facebook, to do so in an ethical way.

A group of 50 investors managing more than $4.5 trillion in assets is calling on companies involved in the development and use of facial recognition technology, such as Amazon and Facebook, to do so in an ethical way. The investor group, which is led by asset manager Candriam, a European division of US financial services company New York Life, said in a statement the technology could infringe on an individual's privacy rights, given the lack of consent of those being identified, and that there is often no official oversight. The initiative shows how fund managers are increasingly taking up policy issues that were once considered fringe subjects for shareholders as retail investors pour billions of dollars into funds focused on ethical and sustainability criteria. Human rights advocates say face recognition technology, which can be used to unlock smart phones or verify bank accounts, also has the potential to be used by governments to track citizens and suppress political dissent. The investor group said it would begin a two-year process of engagement with companies developing or using the technology. It said it considers 34 companies to be leaders in facial recognition, including Amazon, Facebook, and Asian tech companies Alibaba and Huawei. An Amazon spokesperson declined to comment. The other companies did not immediately comment when contacted. Amazon said last month it was extending a moratorium it imposed on police use of its facial recognition technology. Civil liberties groups have warned inaccurate matching could lead to unjust arrests. "For investors to be able to fulfil our own responsibility to respect human rights, we call on companies to proactively assess, disclose, mitigate and remediate human rights risks related to their facial recognition products and services," said Rosa van den Beemt, Responsible Investment Analyst at BMO Global Asset Management, one of the investors that has signed up to the initiative. The facial recognition technology market is set to grow to around $10 billion in 2020, Candriam said in a report published in March, citing a 2018 survey by Allied Market Research. Among those to sign up to the investor initiative were Britain's Aviva Investors, Royal London Asset Management, Canada's BMO Global Asset Management, Dutch-based NN Investment Partners and Norway's KLP. "The increasing deployment and use of facial recognition technologies have human rights implications which are not fully being considered by companies," said Louise Piffaut, Senior ESG analyst at Aviva Investors. Candriam said there was currently no global framework governing the collection and use of biometric data, but the European Union has proposed its first ever legal framework and China has published a draft standard. The European Union's privacy watchdog said in April, the technology should be banned in Europe because of its 'deep and non-democratic intrusion' into people's private lives. (With inputs from agencies)

Investors call for ethical approach to facial recognition technology

There is a lot of buzz and excitement around the super-fast speeds of 5G, the next-generation mobile wireless network. But there are also fears that the 5G technology could harm our health. We separate facts from myths and bring you the truth.

Tech It Out: Is 5G safe to use?

Intel Corp's CEO said on Monday it could take several years for a global shortage of semiconductors to be resolved, a problem that has shuttered some auto production lines and is also being felt in other areas, including consumer electronics. 
 
Pat Gelsinger told a virtual session of the Computex trade show in Taipei that the work-and-study-from-home trend during the COVID-19 pandemic had led to a "cycle of explosive growth in semiconductors" that has placed huge strain on global supply chains. 
 
"But while the industry has taken steps to address near term constraints it could still take a couple of years for the ecosystem to address shortages of foundry capacity, substrates and components." 
 
Gelsinger had told The Washington Post in an interview in mid-April the shortage was going to take "a couple of years" to abate, and that it planned to start producing chips within six to nine months to address shortages at U.S. car plants. 
 
Intel announced a $20 billion plan in March to expand its advanced chip manufacturing capacity, building two factories in Arizona and opening its plants to outside customers. 
 
"We plan to expand to other locations in the U.S. and Europe, ensuring a sustainable and secure semiconductor supply chain for the world," Gelsinger said, without elaborating. 
 
Intel`s plans could directly challenge the two other companies in the world that can make the most advanced chips - Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co Ltd (TSMC) and South Korea`s Samsung Electronics Co Ltd. 
 
The two have come to dominate the semiconductor manufacturing business, moving its centre of gravity from the United States, where much of the technology was once invented, to Asia, where more than two-thirds of advanced chips are now manufactured.

Intel Corp's CEO said on Monday it could take several years for a global shortage of semiconductors to be resolved, a problem that has shuttered some auto production lines and is also being felt in other areas, including consumer electronics.

Intel Corp's CEO said on Monday it could take several years for a global shortage of semiconductors to be resolved, a problem that has shuttered some auto production lines and is also being felt in other areas, including consumer electronics. Pat Gelsinger told a virtual session of the Computex trade show in Taipei that the work-and-study-from-home trend during the COVID-19 pandemic had led to a "cycle of explosive growth in semiconductors" that has placed huge strain on global supply chains. "But while the industry has taken steps to address near term constraints it could still take a couple of years for the ecosystem to address shortages of foundry capacity, substrates and components." Gelsinger had told The Washington Post in an interview in mid-April the shortage was going to take "a couple of years" to abate, and that it planned to start producing chips within six to nine months to address shortages at U.S. car plants. Intel announced a $20 billion plan in March to expand its advanced chip manufacturing capacity, building two factories in Arizona and opening its plants to outside customers. "We plan to expand to other locations in the U.S. and Europe, ensuring a sustainable and secure semiconductor supply chain for the world," Gelsinger said, without elaborating. Intel`s plans could directly challenge the two other companies in the world that can make the most advanced chips - Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co Ltd (TSMC) and South Korea`s Samsung Electronics Co Ltd. The two have come to dominate the semiconductor manufacturing business, moving its centre of gravity from the United States, where much of the technology was once invented, to Asia, where more than two-thirds of advanced chips are now manufactured.

Intel reiterates chip supply shortages could last several years

Temperature control and lighting are regarded the predominant energy-consuming resources in large buildings and office complexes that use conventional glass windows.

Now, researchers from IIT Guwahati claim to have developed smart window materials that can control the amount of light and heat permeating through, when a voltage is passed thought it. They say this can help develop efficient automatic climate control systems in buildings.&nbsp;

Smart window materials developed by the researchers make use of 'noble metals' and their comparatively inexpensive alternatives.

According to Ashish Kumar Chowdhary, a research scholar at IIT Guwahati, their design involved an electro-optical polymer which&nbsp;was sandwiched between ultra-thin metal layers.

The filtering of light would thus be enabled by applying a voltage and changing the refractive index (how light moves through a material) of the electro-optical polymer.&nbsp;

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="http://13.235.153.162/india-news/iit-madras-alumnis-startup-3d-prints-600sqft-concrete-home-comprising-hall-kitchen-bedroom-381123" hreflang="en">IIT Madras alumni’s startup 3D prints 600sqft concrete home comprising hall, kitchen, bedroom</a>

While performing simulations, researchers considered using gold and silver as the outer metal layers, but conducted the tests with copper and indium tin oxide.

Researchers claim that under certain conditions, the smart glass was able to selectively filter solar radiation that spans the visible, infrared and shortwave infrared wavelengths, including heat and light reflected from neighbouring buildings and structures.

The results of this study have recently been published in the journal Solar Energy Materials and Solar Cells.

The team believes that such smart materials can be applied to obtain efficient automatic climate control in vehicles, locomotives, airplanes and greenhouses of the future.

They claim that the material proposed by their team can easily be fabricated using existing state-of-the-art nanoscale fabrication methods such as e-beam evaporation and graphoepitaxy techniques.

According to the researchers, the working of these materials is dependent on the surface smoothness and other physical properties of the layers. The team plans to conduct further studies on the same.

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="http://13.235.153.162/india-news/iit-madras-incubated-start-up-pi-beam-launches-made-in-india-e-bike-362688" hreflang="en">IIT Madras incubated start-up ‘Pi-beam’ launches 'Made in India' e-bike&nbsp;</a>

“We believe that our smart windows can provide an alternative solution for maintaining ambient indoor temperature and lighting inside a building or a vehicle by integrating those with usual glass windows or walls, thereby reducing the need of air-conditioning systems", said Dr. Debabrata Sikdar, Assistant Professor, Department of Electronics and Electrical Engineering.

Temperature control and lighting are regarded the predominant energy-consuming resources in large buildings and office complexes that use conventional glass windows.

Temperature control and lighting are regarded the predominant energy-consuming resources in large buildings and office complexes that use conventional glass windows. Now, researchers from IIT Guwahati claim to have developed smart window materials that can control the amount of light and heat permeating through, when a voltage is passed thought it. They say this can help develop efficient automatic climate control systems in buildings. Smart window materials developed by the researchers make use of 'noble metals' and their comparatively inexpensive alternatives. According to Ashish Kumar Chowdhary, a research scholar at IIT Guwahati, their design involved an electro-optical polymer which was sandwiched between ultra-thin metal layers. The filtering of light would thus be enabled by applying a voltage and changing the refractive index (how light moves through a material) of the electro-optical polymer. Also read: IIT Madras alumni’s startup 3D prints 600sqft concrete home comprising hall, kitchen, bedroom While performing simulations, researchers considered using gold and silver as the outer metal layers, but conducted the tests with copper and indium tin oxide. Researchers claim that under certain conditions, the smart glass was able to selectively filter solar radiation that spans the visible, infrared and shortwave infrared wavelengths, including heat and light reflected from neighbouring buildings and structures. The results of this study have recently been published in the journal Solar Energy Materials and Solar Cells. The team believes that such smart materials can be applied to obtain efficient automatic climate control in vehicles, locomotives, airplanes and greenhouses of the future. They claim that the material proposed by their team can easily be fabricated using existing state-of-the-art nanoscale fabrication methods such as e-beam evaporation and graphoepitaxy techniques. According to the researchers, the working of these materials is dependent on the surface smoothness and other physical properties of the layers. The team plans to conduct further studies on the same. Also read: IIT Madras incubated start-up ‘Pi-beam’ launches 'Made in India' e-bike “We believe that our smart windows can provide an alternative solution for maintaining ambient indoor temperature and lighting inside a building or a vehicle by integrating those with usual glass windows or walls, thereby reducing the need of air-conditioning systems", said Dr. Debabrata Sikdar, Assistant Professor, Department of Electronics and Electrical Engineering.

India's IIT researchers develop smart windows that regulate light, heat to conserve power in buildings

Amazon said on Tuesday, it is extending its ban on the use of its facial recognition tools for law enforcement, amid persistent concerns of bias in the technology.&nbsp;

The tech giant in last June announced, it was implementing a one-year moratorium on police use of its technology, saying the pause could give Congress time to enact safeguards against misuse of facial recognition.&nbsp;

The company confirmed on Tuesday an extension of that ban 'until further notice' without elaborating.&nbsp;

Last year's move came amid widespread protests over police brutality and concerns that facial recognition technology is flawed, especially in analysing features of African Americans.&nbsp;

Activists also say the technology tools may use algorithms, which discriminate, intentionally or not, against Black people.&nbsp;

Activists have targeted Amazon Web Services cloud computing unit's 'Rekognition' facial recognition technology and Ring surveillance cameras used for home security. It was not clear the degree to which police have used the systems.&nbsp;

Amazon last year called for governments to put in place ‘stronger regulations to govern the ethical use of facial recognition technology’.&nbsp;

Its ban was followed by Microsoft and IBM, which made similar announcements.&nbsp;

Last week, a coalition of activist groups called for Amazon to permanently stop selling its Rekognition system and on Tuesday said, the company should commit to scrapping the system.&nbsp;

"Facial recognition technology is too dangerous for it to be implemented at the whims of corporations like Amazon," said Evan Greer of the activist group, Fight for the Future, one of the groups in the coalition.&nbsp;

(With inputs from agencies)

Amazon said on Tuesday, it is extending its ban on the use of its facial recognition tools for law enforcement, amid persistent concerns of bias in the technology.

Amazon said on Tuesday, it is extending its ban on the use of its facial recognition tools for law enforcement, amid persistent concerns of bias in the technology. The tech giant in last June announced, it was implementing a one-year moratorium on police use of its technology, saying the pause could give Congress time to enact safeguards against misuse of facial recognition. The company confirmed on Tuesday an extension of that ban 'until further notice' without elaborating. Last year's move came amid widespread protests over police brutality and concerns that facial recognition technology is flawed, especially in analysing features of African Americans. Activists also say the technology tools may use algorithms, which discriminate, intentionally or not, against Black people. Activists have targeted Amazon Web Services cloud computing unit's 'Rekognition' facial recognition technology and Ring surveillance cameras used for home security. It was not clear the degree to which police have used the systems. Amazon last year called for governments to put in place ‘stronger regulations to govern the ethical use of facial recognition technology’. Its ban was followed by Microsoft and IBM, which made similar announcements. Last week, a coalition of activist groups called for Amazon to permanently stop selling its Rekognition system and on Tuesday said, the company should commit to scrapping the system. "Facial recognition technology is too dangerous for it to be implemented at the whims of corporations like Amazon," said Evan Greer of the activist group, Fight for the Future, one of the groups in the coalition. (With inputs from agencies)

Amazon to extend ban on police use of face recognition tech 

Bashar Abo Khalil's PUBG character dashes around a wall in a pink dress and samurai helmet, thwacking an enemy with a frying pan -- standard fare in the mobile game that is a mega-sensation in Iraq.

The online star, known as G2G, is one of many&nbsp;Iraqis&nbsp;hooked&nbsp;on&nbsp;PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds -- a battle royale first-person shooter game that's reminiscent of the book and film series 'The Hunger Games'.

Also read- <a href="'Escape COVID-19': Computer game helping health workers combat virus spread">'Escape COVID-19': Computer game helping health workers combat virus spread</a>

The mobile version of the game has become so popular in Iraq, where 60 percent of the 40-million-strong population is under 25, that the country's youth have been dubbed the 'PUBG generation'.

Iraqis&nbsp;across the country are spending hours every day&nbsp;on&nbsp;the game's&nbsp;virtual&nbsp;battleground, socialising via its live chat, playing competitively or even falling in love.

Abo Khalil, 31, said he used to play for hours to "stop thinking about problems".

"When you're playing the game you can become closed off to the rest of the world. It can be like a drug," he added.

Now based in Turkey, he earns a living streaming games and making videos.

Fan Dalya Waheed said she plays PUBG for an hour or two a day with friends she met&nbsp;on&nbsp;the game, and has even set up a gaming hub at the electronics reseller where she works.

"It's really easy to meet people&nbsp;on&nbsp;PUBG," said the woman in her thirties, who lives in Iraq's autonomous Kurdish region.

Some Iraqi parents have criticised the game as time-sucking or have expressed worry about the violence it portrays, with guns-a-plenty and explosives sending up blood spatter.

But Reshar Ibrahim, who plays PUBG Mobile competitively, said the game would never be as bad as what many&nbsp;Iraqis&nbsp;had experienced in real life over the decades of conflicts that have devastated the country.

"It's just a game," said the 19-year-old Iraqi Kurd, who has lived in Sweden for the past three years.

In 2019, the country's parliament banned PUBG amid local reports it was leading to bankruptcy, suicide and divorce.

The move, which was easily circumvented, was criticised as being out of touch with the real challenges facing&nbsp;Iraqis.

Nearly 40 percent of Iraqi youth are unemployed, according to the World Bank, and the country's poverty rate has doubled to 40 percent during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Later that year, thousands of young&nbsp;Iraqis&nbsp;-- some dressed in PUBG outfits -- filled the streets to protest endemic corruption and unemployment. Over the months that followed, some 600 demonstrators were killed in protest-related violence.

Abo Khalil and Ibrahim are just two of many successful Iraqi gamers outside the country, away from the additional challenges of poor internet and unreliable electricity that players back home face.

Ibrahim, aka Freak, recently won Most Valuable Player in the PUBG Mobile Star Arabia Challenge, which doled out $100,000 in total prize money.

His team, GunZ Esports, won the competition despite one player in Iraq losing power mid-game and another having to travel from southern Najaf to the northern Kurdistan region -- where internet connectivity "is slightly better", Ibrahim said.

Helmat Shiar, 23, who competed in the tournament with the Iraqi iKurd E-Sports team, said it wasn't just that&nbsp;Iraqis&nbsp;"play against teams abroad who have much stronger internet".

There was also 'no support'&nbsp;from private or governmental sponsors, he lamented.

Elsewhere in the Arab world, governments and major sponsors are pouring money into eSports.

In the Gulf, the gaming market is expected to reach $821 million this year, according to consulting firm Strategy&amp;.

Hayder Jaafar said he had struggled for 10 years to register his non-governmental Iraqi Electronic Sports Federation as a full member of the international gaming body before succeeding in 2020.

"The youth ministry structure for eSports was last modified in 2009, and a lot has changed in eSports since then," the 38-year-old told AFP.

Iraq suffers from war-ravaged infrastructure and poor electricity -- most households only have a few hours of state-provided electricity per day.

But there are 40 million mobile phone connections in the country and 30 million internet users, according to a 2021 DataReportal study.

Last year, PUBG was the 11th-most-searched term in Iraq&nbsp;on&nbsp;Google, and variations&nbsp;on&nbsp;the game's name took several top spots&nbsp;on&nbsp;YouTube searches as well.

PUBG's widespread popularity is in part due to the launch of a free-to-play mobile version by Chinese tech giant Tencent, which said in March that over one billion people had downloaded the app since 2018.

iKurd player Jiner Hekmat, 18, said he was hooked&nbsp;on&nbsp;the mobile version but wasn't banking all his hopes&nbsp;on&nbsp;being a competitive player, saying he wanted to focus&nbsp;on&nbsp;his studies.&nbsp;

But, he added, "I'm also going to do everything I can to keep my level in PUBG, and keep playing as long as the game exists".

Bashar Abo Khalil's PUBG character dashes around a wall in a pink dress and samurai helmet, thwacking an enemy with a frying pan -- standard fare in the mobile game that is a mega-sensation in Iraq.

Bashar Abo Khalil's PUBG character dashes around a wall in a pink dress and samurai helmet, thwacking an enemy with a frying pan -- standard fare in the mobile game that is a mega-sensation in Iraq. The online star, known as G2G, is one of many Iraqis hooked on PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds -- a battle royale first-person shooter game that's reminiscent of the book and film series 'The Hunger Games'. Also read- 'Escape COVID-19': Computer game helping health workers combat virus spread The mobile version of the game has become so popular in Iraq, where 60 percent of the 40-million-strong population is under 25, that the country's youth have been dubbed the 'PUBG generation'. Iraqis across the country are spending hours every day on the game's virtual battleground, socialising via its live chat, playing competitively or even falling in love. Abo Khalil, 31, said he used to play for hours to "stop thinking about problems". "When you're playing the game you can become closed off to the rest of the world. It can be like a drug," he added. Now based in Turkey, he earns a living streaming games and making videos. Fan Dalya Waheed said she plays PUBG for an hour or two a day with friends she met on the game, and has even set up a gaming hub at the electronics reseller where she works. "It's really easy to meet people on PUBG," said the woman in her thirties, who lives in Iraq's autonomous Kurdish region. Some Iraqi parents have criticised the game as time-sucking or have expressed worry about the violence it portrays, with guns-a-plenty and explosives sending up blood spatter. But Reshar Ibrahim, who plays PUBG Mobile competitively, said the game would never be as bad as what many Iraqis had experienced in real life over the decades of conflicts that have devastated the country. "It's just a game," said the 19-year-old Iraqi Kurd, who has lived in Sweden for the past three years. In 2019, the country's parliament banned PUBG amid local reports it was leading to bankruptcy, suicide and divorce. The move, which was easily circumvented, was criticised as being out of touch with the real challenges facing Iraqis. Nearly 40 percent of Iraqi youth are unemployed, according to the World Bank, and the country's poverty rate has doubled to 40 percent during the Covid-19 pandemic. Later that year, thousands of young Iraqis -- some dressed in PUBG outfits -- filled the streets to protest endemic corruption and unemployment. Over the months that followed, some 600 demonstrators were killed in protest-related violence. Abo Khalil and Ibrahim are just two of many successful Iraqi gamers outside the country, away from the additional challenges of poor internet and unreliable electricity that players back home face. Ibrahim, aka Freak, recently won Most Valuable Player in the PUBG Mobile Star Arabia Challenge, which doled out $100,000 in total prize money. His team, GunZ Esports, won the competition despite one player in Iraq losing power mid-game and another having to travel from southern Najaf to the northern Kurdistan region -- where internet connectivity "is slightly better", Ibrahim said. Helmat Shiar, 23, who competed in the tournament with the Iraqi iKurd E-Sports team, said it wasn't just that Iraqis "play against teams abroad who have much stronger internet". There was also 'no support' from private or governmental sponsors, he lamented. Elsewhere in the Arab world, governments and major sponsors are pouring money into eSports. In the Gulf, the gaming market is expected to reach $821 million this year, according to consulting firm Strategy&. Hayder Jaafar said he had struggled for 10 years to register his non-governmental Iraqi Electronic Sports Federation as a full member of the international gaming body before succeeding in 2020. "The youth ministry structure for eSports was last modified in 2009, and a lot has changed in eSports since then," the 38-year-old told AFP. Iraq suffers from war-ravaged infrastructure and poor electricity -- most households only have a few hours of state-provided electricity per day. But there are 40 million mobile phone connections in the country and 30 million internet users, according to a 2021 DataReportal study. Last year, PUBG was the 11th-most-searched term in Iraq on Google, and variations on the game's name took several top spots on YouTube searches as well. PUBG's widespread popularity is in part due to the launch of a free-to-play mobile version by Chinese tech giant Tencent, which said in March that over one billion people had downloaded the app since 2018. iKurd player Jiner Hekmat, 18, said he was hooked on the mobile version but wasn't banking all his hopes on being a competitive player, saying he wanted to focus on his studies. But, he added, "I'm also going to do everything I can to keep my level in PUBG, and keep playing as long as the game exists".

Iraqis find escape, success on a virtual battleground

Recent reports suggest that Amazon had access to the ballots from the recent union elections which worked out in favour of the company and had the potential to alter the future of workers rights in Amazon warehouses across the world.

Amazon employee Kevin Jackson told National Labour Relations Board that&nbsp;security guards at the Alabama warehouse&nbsp;had access to keys of the mailbox containing ballots of the high-profile union election held earlier this year.

Jackson added that&nbsp;while he was finishing up a night shift, he saw the guards going through the opened mailbox for "a minute or two"&nbsp;as though looking for something.&nbsp;

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="Why Amazon’s workers sided with the company over a union">Why Amazon’s workers sided with the company over a union</a>

If true, this directly breaches the legality imbued in the elections, for only the US Postal Service had the right to open the ballots.&nbsp;Now, many believe such invasion could prompt the National Labor Relations Board to overturn the results.&nbsp;

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="Amazon leads union election by 2-1; count to resume on Friday">Amazon leads union election by 2-1; count to resume on Friday</a>

The mailbox was installed by US Postal Services at Amazon's request. Now,&nbsp;workers have accused the company of spying over them. They found Amazon's interference&nbsp;illegal as law restricts the surveillance of employees’ union election activities.&nbsp;

In an April 16 complaint, Retail Wholesale and Department Store Union accused Amazon of misconduct for issuing anti-union threats, firing an employee for distributing union cards, and pressuring workers to use the mailbox to cast their votes.

Amazon has constantly refused the allegations saying, "This mailbox — which only the USPS had access to — was a simple, secure, and completely optional way to make it easy for employees to vote, no more and no less." However, Jackson's testimony contradicted Amazon's assertion.&nbsp;

Out of 1798 who voted, 738 Amazon employees cast votes&nbsp;against the union with 505 other disputed ballots uncounted. The labour board holds the power of rejecting the polls if this could have altered the outcome and prevented employees from their choice to unionise.

Recent reports suggest that Amazon had access to the ballots from the recent union elections which worked out in favour of the company and had the potential to alter the future of workers rights in Amazon warehouses across the world.

Recent reports suggest that Amazon had access to the ballots from the recent union elections which worked out in favour of the company and had the potential to alter the future of workers rights in Amazon warehouses across the world. Amazon employee Kevin Jackson told National Labour Relations Board that security guards at the Alabama warehouse had access to keys of the mailbox containing ballots of the high-profile union election held earlier this year. Jackson added that while he was finishing up a night shift, he saw the guards going through the opened mailbox for "a minute or two" as though looking for something. Also read: Why Amazon’s workers sided with the company over a union If true, this directly breaches the legality imbued in the elections, for only the US Postal Service had the right to open the ballots. Now, many believe such invasion could prompt the National Labor Relations Board to overturn the results. Also read: Amazon leads union election by 2-1; count to resume on Friday The mailbox was installed by US Postal Services at Amazon's request. Now, workers have accused the company of spying over them. They found Amazon's interference illegal as law restricts the surveillance of employees’ union election activities. In an April 16 complaint, Retail Wholesale and Department Store Union accused Amazon of misconduct for issuing anti-union threats, firing an employee for distributing union cards, and pressuring workers to use the mailbox to cast their votes. Amazon has constantly refused the allegations saying, "This mailbox — which only the USPS had access to — was a simple, secure, and completely optional way to make it easy for employees to vote, no more and no less." However, Jackson's testimony contradicted Amazon's assertion. Out of 1798 who voted, 738 Amazon employees cast votes against the union with 505 other disputed ballots uncounted. The labour board holds the power of rejecting the polls if this could have altered the outcome and prevented employees from their choice to unionise.

Amazon employees say company had access to warehouse ballots in Alabama. What happens now?

For decades, each generation of computer&nbsp;chips got&nbsp;faster&nbsp;and more power-efficient because their most basic building blocks, called transistors, got smaller.

The pace of those improvements has slowed, but International Business Machines Corp on Thursday said that silicon has at least one more generational advance in store.

IBM&nbsp;introduced what it says is the world's first 2-nanomere chipmaking&nbsp;technology. The&nbsp;technology&nbsp;could be as much as 45%&nbsp;faster&nbsp;than the mainstream 7-nanometre chips in many of today's laptops and phones and up to 75% more power efficient, the company said.

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="Scientists fuse nature with tech as 'robo-plants' surge">Scientists fuse nature with tech as 'robo-plants' surge</a>

The&nbsp;technology&nbsp;likely will take several years to come to market. Once a major manufacturer of&nbsp;chips,&nbsp;IBM&nbsp;now outsources its high-volume&nbsp;chip&nbsp;production to Samsung Electronics Co Ltd but maintains a&nbsp;chip&nbsp;manufacturing research centre in Albany, New York that produces test runs of&nbsp;chips and has joint&nbsp;technology&nbsp;development deals with Samsung and Intel Corp to use&nbsp;IBM's&nbsp;chipmaking&nbsp;technology.

The 2-nanometre chips will be smaller and&nbsp;faster&nbsp;than today's leading edge 5-nanonmetre chips, which are just now showing up in premium smartphones like Apple Inc's iPhone 12 models, and the 3-nanometre chips expected to come after 5-nanometre.

The&nbsp;technology&nbsp;IBM&nbsp;showed on Thursday is the most basic building block of a&nbsp;chip: a transistor, which acts like an electrical on-off switch to form the 1s and 0s of binary digits at that foundation of all modern&nbsp;computing.

Making the switches very tiny makes them&nbsp;faster&nbsp;and more power efficient, but it also creates problems with electrons leaking when the switches are supposed to be off. Darío Gil, senior vice president and director of&nbsp;IBM&nbsp;Research, told Reuters in an interview that scientists were able to drape sheets of insulating material just a few&nbsp;nanometers thick to stop leaks.

"In the end, there's transistors, and everything else (in&nbsp;computing) relies on whether that transistor gets better or not. And it's not a guarantee that there will be a transistor advance generation to generation anymore. So it's a big deal every time we get a chance to say there will be another," Gil said.

For decades, each generation of computer chips got faster and more power-efficient because their most basic building blocks, called transistors, got smaller. The pace of those improvements has slowed, but International Business Machines Corp on Thursday said that silicon has at least one more generational advance in store.

For decades, each generation of computer chips got faster and more power-efficient because their most basic building blocks, called transistors, got smaller. The pace of those improvements has slowed, but International Business Machines Corp on Thursday said that silicon has at least one more generational advance in store. IBM introduced what it says is the world's first 2-nanomere chipmaking technology. The technology could be as much as 45% faster than the mainstream 7-nanometre chips in many of today's laptops and phones and up to 75% more power efficient, the company said. Also read: Scientists fuse nature with tech as 'robo-plants' surge The technology likely will take several years to come to market. Once a major manufacturer of chips, IBM now outsources its high-volume chip production to Samsung Electronics Co Ltd but maintains a chip manufacturing research centre in Albany, New York that produces test runs of chips and has joint technology development deals with Samsung and Intel Corp to use IBM's chipmaking technology. The 2-nanometre chips will be smaller and faster than today's leading edge 5-nanonmetre chips, which are just now showing up in premium smartphones like Apple Inc's iPhone 12 models, and the 3-nanometre chips expected to come after 5-nanometre. The technology IBM showed on Thursday is the most basic building block of a chip: a transistor, which acts like an electrical on-off switch to form the 1s and 0s of binary digits at that foundation of all modern computing. Making the switches very tiny makes them faster and more power efficient, but it also creates problems with electrons leaking when the switches are supposed to be off. Darío Gil, senior vice president and director of IBM Research, told Reuters in an interview that scientists were able to drape sheets of insulating material just a few nanometers thick to stop leaks. "In the end, there's transistors, and everything else (in computing) relies on whether that transistor gets better or not. And it's not a guarantee that there will be a transistor advance generation to generation anymore. So it's a big deal every time we get a chance to say there will be another," Gil said.

IBM unveils 2-nanometre chip technology for faster computing

NFTs have exploded in popularity and people are spending millions on them.

NFTs: Everything you need to know about the emerging tech trend | Tech It Out

Facebook is advertising alcohol and smoking to children who have listed them as interests on their profile. WION's Palki tells you why Facebook is harvesting teenagers' data and what you can do to protect them.

Gravitas: Facebook advertising alcohol, smoking to Aussie children

The hearing marked an escalation of lawmakers’ antitrust scrutiny on smartphone makers, and particularly Apple.

Apple, Google come under fire at Senate antitrust hearing

Hawley’s bill tackles some of the same problems as an antitrust bill introduced by Democratic Senator Amy Klobuchar in February and contains some similar measures.

Republican senator wants to ban Big Tech from buying anything ever again

"Camello", the autonomous delivery robots created by local technology company OTSAW are giving a helping hand to around 700 households in a residential area for a trial, one-year period. They will bring shoppers items they've bought online from a nearby supermarket as well as online shopping parcels, at no extra cost.

Too tired to carry groceries? Singapore robots will bring them to you

IT spending in India is projected to total $93 billion in 2021, an increase of 7.3 per cent from 2020, according to a forecast by Gartner on Wednesday. 
 
The growth in India will be lower than the global average, as worldwide IT spending is projected to total $4.1 trillion in 2021, an increase of 8.4 per cent from 2020. 
 
"IT no longer just supports corporate operations as it traditionally has, but is fully participating in business value delivery," John-David Lovelock, Distinguished Research Vice President at Gartner, said in a statement. 
 
"Not only does this shift IT from a back-office role to the front of the business, but it also changes the source of funding from an overhead expense that is maintained, monitored and sometimes cut, to the thing that drives revenue." 
 
All IT spending segments are forecast to have positive growth through 2022. 
 
The highest growth will come from devices (14 per cent) and enterprise software (10.8 per cent) as organisations shift their focus to providing a more comfortable, innovative and productive environment for their workforce, Gartner said. 
 
Cloud is expected to drive the majority of the expected software growth in India during 2021, it added. 
 
"The Indian economy is observing a slow but steady growth trajectory this year," said Naveen Mishra, Senior Research Director at Gartner. 
 
"Additionally, the government relaxation of foreign investment in certain sectors such as insurance, infrastructure, telecommunications will provide additional funds for business and IT leaders to accelerate their digital transformation journey."

IT spending in India is projected to total $93 billion in 2021, an increase of 7.3 per cent from 2020, according to a forecast by Gartner on Wednesday. The growth in India will be lower than the global average, as worldwide IT spending is projected to total $4.

IT spending in India is projected to total $93 billion in 2021, an increase of 7.3 per cent from 2020, according to a forecast by Gartner on Wednesday. The growth in India will be lower than the global average, as worldwide IT spending is projected to total $4.1 trillion in 2021, an increase of 8.4 per cent from 2020. "IT no longer just supports corporate operations as it traditionally has, but is fully participating in business value delivery," John-David Lovelock, Distinguished Research Vice President at Gartner, said in a statement. "Not only does this shift IT from a back-office role to the front of the business, but it also changes the source of funding from an overhead expense that is maintained, monitored and sometimes cut, to the thing that drives revenue." All IT spending segments are forecast to have positive growth through 2022. The highest growth will come from devices (14 per cent) and enterprise software (10.8 per cent) as organisations shift their focus to providing a more comfortable, innovative and productive environment for their workforce, Gartner said. Cloud is expected to drive the majority of the expected software growth in India during 2021, it added. "The Indian economy is observing a slow but steady growth trajectory this year," said Naveen Mishra, Senior Research Director at Gartner. "Additionally, the government relaxation of foreign investment in certain sectors such as insurance, infrastructure, telecommunications will provide additional funds for business and IT leaders to accelerate their digital transformation journey."

IT spending in India to reach $93 billion in 2021: Gartner

Think you can live without the internet and your devices for 24 hours? Well, you may be eligible for a $2,400 reward.

Reviews(dot)org, a comparison website for products is offering the amount to one person who survives 24 hours without using any technology. The company calls it a “Digital Detox” challenge, and announced it earlier in March.

If chosen, the person is expected to not use any personal technology for 24 hours - mobile phones, television, video games, computers, or even wearable technology. From the day of being selected, the person will have a 14-day window to do the detox on the day of their choice.

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/technology/facebook-google-ceos-suggest-ways-to-reform-key-internet-law-372984" hreflang="en">Facebook, Google CEOs suggest ways to reform key internet law</a>

However, the company is allowing participants to curate their own “tech-less care package”, consisting of items essential to a tech-free entertainment.&nbsp; They could invest in an array of things, ranging from board games to typewriters - basically anything not electronic.

Once the challenge is complete, the user will be required to submit screen time reports to win the prize. The company is accepting applications upto March 26.

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/technology/twitter-ceo-jack-dorseys-first-tweet-sold-for-29-million-as-nft-372474" hreflang="en">Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey's first Tweet sold for $2.9 million as NFT</a>

Such challenges sponsored by websites are common on the internet, especially in the era of technology dependency. In 2019, the same portal hired five people to watch 30 movies on Disney+ for 30 days.

Other companies are no stranger to such challenges. In 2018, the mammoth Amazon offered its warehouse and customer service employees $5,000 if they quit technology voluntarily.

Think you can live without the internet and your devices for 24 hours? Well, you may be eligible for a $2,400 reward. Reviews(dot)org, a comparison website for products is offering the amount to one person who survives 24 hours without using any technology.

Think you can live without the internet and your devices for 24 hours? Well, you may be eligible for a $2,400 reward. Reviews(dot)org, a comparison website for products is offering the amount to one person who survives 24 hours without using any technology. The company calls it a “Digital Detox” challenge, and announced it earlier in March. If chosen, the person is expected to not use any personal technology for 24 hours - mobile phones, television, video games, computers, or even wearable technology. From the day of being selected, the person will have a 14-day window to do the detox on the day of their choice. Also read: Facebook, Google CEOs suggest ways to reform key internet law However, the company is allowing participants to curate their own “tech-less care package”, consisting of items essential to a tech-free entertainment. They could invest in an array of things, ranging from board games to typewriters - basically anything not electronic. Once the challenge is complete, the user will be required to submit screen time reports to win the prize. The company is accepting applications upto March 26. Also read: Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey's first Tweet sold for $2.9 million as NFT Such challenges sponsored by websites are common on the internet, especially in the era of technology dependency. In 2019, the same portal hired five people to watch 30 movies on Disney+ for 30 days. Other companies are no stranger to such challenges. In 2018, the mammoth Amazon offered its warehouse and customer service employees $5,000 if they quit technology voluntarily.

This company will pay you $2,400 to disregard technology for 24 hours

Microsoft Corp is in talks to buy messaging platform Discord Inc for more than $10 billion, Bloomberg News reported, citing people familiar with the matter. 
 
Discord has reached out to potential buyers and Microsoft is one of them, the report said, citing people familiar with the matter. One person said it was more likely to go public than sell itself. 
 
Earlier in the day, VentureBeat reported that Discord was exploring a sale and it was in final talks with a party.&nbsp; 
 
Microsoft declined to comment, while Discord did not immediately respond to Reuters request. 
 
Discord, which is valued at around $7 billion as of last December, is a platform on which users coordinate group activities such as games, discussions and even virtual parties. 
 
The Xbox maker has been seeking to strengthen its video game offerings with $7.5 billion acquisition of ZeniMax Media last year, its biggest gaming acquisition ever. 
 
The COVID-19 pandemic has boosted the prospects of gaming companies as people stayed at home and turned to video games for entertainment during lockdowns. 
 
With its strong gaming business, Microsoft has also been looking to own mass social media platforms. Its last big social media deal was the $26.2 billion acquisition of LinkedIn in 2016, while it failed in its bid for short video app TikTok`s US&nbsp;assets in September last year. 
 
Recently, the Financial Times reported about Microsoft`s interest in buying social media platform Pinterest Inc.

Microsoft Corp is in talks to buy messaging platform Discord Inc for more than $10 billion, Bloomberg News reported, citing people familiar with the matter. Discord has reached out to potential buyers and Microsoft is one of them, the report said, citing people familiar with the matter.

Microsoft Corp is in talks to buy messaging platform Discord Inc for more than $10 billion, Bloomberg News reported, citing people familiar with the matter. Discord has reached out to potential buyers and Microsoft is one of them, the report said, citing people familiar with the matter. One person said it was more likely to go public than sell itself. Earlier in the day, VentureBeat reported that Discord was exploring a sale and it was in final talks with a party. Microsoft declined to comment, while Discord did not immediately respond to Reuters request. Discord, which is valued at around $7 billion as of last December, is a platform on which users coordinate group activities such as games, discussions and even virtual parties. The Xbox maker has been seeking to strengthen its video game offerings with $7.5 billion acquisition of ZeniMax Media last year, its biggest gaming acquisition ever. The COVID-19 pandemic has boosted the prospects of gaming companies as people stayed at home and turned to video games for entertainment during lockdowns. With its strong gaming business, Microsoft has also been looking to own mass social media platforms. Its last big social media deal was the $26.2 billion acquisition of LinkedIn in 2016, while it failed in its bid for short video app TikTok`s US assets in September last year. Recently, the Financial Times reported about Microsoft`s interest in buying social media platform Pinterest Inc.

Microsoft in talks to acquire Discord for more than $10 billion: Report

Facebook owned WhatsApp has decided that it will allow its users to accept the terms as per there own time, however the company has also announced a deadline before which people have to agree to the terms i.e 15th May 2021. The company will also be adding a banner providing additional information.

WhatsApp Privacy : Controversial policy back with extended deadline

While US reviews the policy, the Biden administration asked a court on Thursday to suspend litigation connected to former president Donald Trump's proposed ban on WeChat.&nbsp;

The Justice Department filed a request with the US Court of Appeals seeking a suspension of the case. That follows action on Wednesday, when the department asked a federal court for a pause on proceedings aimed at banning TikTok.&nbsp;

Newly-installed Commerce Department officials have begun a review of the prior administration's actions on WeChat, including ‘an evaluation of the underlying record justifying those prohibitions’, the DOJ said in the filing.&nbsp;

"The government will then be better positioned to determine whether the regulatory purpose of protecting the security of Americans and their data, continue to warrant the identified prohibitions," the filing added.&nbsp;

Trump issued an executive order in last August declaring both WeChat and TikTok as threats to national security because of data collection practices affecting Americans.&nbsp;

However, US courts have blocked the bans from going into effect, leading to appeals lodged in the final months of the Trump administration seeking to override the lower courts.&nbsp;

The DOJ said the Commerce Department 'remains committed to a robust defence of national security as well as ensuring the viability of our economy and preserving individual rights and data’.

While US reviews the policy, the Biden administration asked a court on Thursday to suspend litigation connected to former president Donald Trump's proposed ban on WeChat.

While US reviews the policy, the Biden administration asked a court on Thursday to suspend litigation connected to former president Donald Trump's proposed ban on WeChat. The Justice Department filed a request with the US Court of Appeals seeking a suspension of the case. That follows action on Wednesday, when the department asked a federal court for a pause on proceedings aimed at banning TikTok. Newly-installed Commerce Department officials have begun a review of the prior administration's actions on WeChat, including ‘an evaluation of the underlying record justifying those prohibitions’, the DOJ said in the filing. "The government will then be better positioned to determine whether the regulatory purpose of protecting the security of Americans and their data, continue to warrant the identified prohibitions," the filing added. Trump issued an executive order in last August declaring both WeChat and TikTok as threats to national security because of data collection practices affecting Americans. However, US courts have blocked the bans from going into effect, leading to appeals lodged in the final months of the Trump administration seeking to override the lower courts. The DOJ said the Commerce Department 'remains committed to a robust defence of national security as well as ensuring the viability of our economy and preserving individual rights and data’.

After TikTok, Biden team seeks pause in litigation over WeChat ban in US

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