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Billionaire Elon Musk's company Neuralink is conceiving implants to be able to communicate with machines by thought.&nbsp;

Neuralink’s first clinical trials with a small number of human patients would be aimed at treating paralysis or paraplegia, the company’s head surgeon Dr. Matthew MacDougall said.

The neurotechnology firm aims to develop implants that can treat neural disorders&nbsp;and that may one day be powerful enough to put humanity on a more even footing with possible future superintelligent computers.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/science/synthetic-wombs-elon-musk-other-tech-entrepreneurs-discuss-population-collapse-solutions-446496">Also read |&nbsp;Synthetic wombs? Elon Musk, other tech entrepreneurs discuss population collapse, solutions</a>

Musk described Neuralink’s chip, which is roughly 23 millimeters (0.9 inch) in diameter, as “a Fitbit in your skull with tiny wires.”

Neuralink wants to first use the device with people who have severe spinal cord injury to help them talk, type and move using their brain waves.

The brain-chip startup had released footage on Friday appearing to show a monkey playing a simple videogame after getting implants of the new technology.

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Neuralink works by recording and decoding electrical signals from the brain using more than 2,000 electrodes implanted in regions of the monkey’s motor cortex that coordinate hand and arm movements, the video’s voiceover said.

Musk has a history of bringing together diverse experts to develop technology previously limited to academic labs through companies such as Tesla Inc, SpaceX and Boring Co.

Hooking a brain up directly to electronics is not new. Doctors implant electrodes in brains to deliver stimulation for treating such conditions as Parkinson’s disease, epilepsy and chronic pain. In experiments, implanted sensors have let paralyzed people use brain signals to operate computers and move robotic arms

But Musk’s proposal goes beyond this. Neuralink wants to build on those existing medical treatments as well as one day work on surgeries that could improve cognitive functioning.

Neuralink is not the only company working on artificial intelligence for the brain.&nbsp;

Entrepreneur Bryan Johnson, who sold his previous payments startup Braintree to PayPal for $800 million, started Kernel, a company working on “advanced neural interfaces” to treat disease and extend cognition, in 2016.

(With inputs from agencies)

Billionaire Elon Musk's company Neuralink is conceiving implants to be able to communicate with machines by thought. Neuralink’s first clinical trials with a small number of human patients would be aimed at treating paralysis or paraplegia, the company’s head surgeon Dr.

Billionaire Elon Musk's company Neuralink is conceiving implants to be able to communicate with machines by thought. Neuralink’s first clinical trials with a small number of human patients would be aimed at treating paralysis or paraplegia, the company’s head surgeon Dr. Matthew MacDougall said. The neurotechnology firm aims to develop implants that can treat neural disorders and that may one day be powerful enough to put humanity on a more even footing with possible future superintelligent computers. Also read | Synthetic wombs? Elon Musk, other tech entrepreneurs discuss population collapse, solutions Musk described Neuralink’s chip, which is roughly 23 millimeters (0.9 inch) in diameter, as “a Fitbit in your skull with tiny wires.” Neuralink wants to first use the device with people who have severe spinal cord injury to help them talk, type and move using their brain waves. The brain-chip startup had released footage on Friday appearing to show a monkey playing a simple videogame after getting implants of the new technology. Also read | Elon Musk to pay tax bill worth $11 billion from money collected by selling Tesla shares Neuralink works by recording and decoding electrical signals from the brain using more than 2,000 electrodes implanted in regions of the monkey’s motor cortex that coordinate hand and arm movements, the video’s voiceover said. Musk has a history of bringing together diverse experts to develop technology previously limited to academic labs through companies such as Tesla Inc, SpaceX and Boring Co. Hooking a brain up directly to electronics is not new. Doctors implant electrodes in brains to deliver stimulation for treating such conditions as Parkinson’s disease, epilepsy and chronic pain. In experiments, implanted sensors have let paralyzed people use brain signals to operate computers and move robotic arms But Musk’s proposal goes beyond this. Neuralink wants to build on those existing medical treatments as well as one day work on surgeries that could improve cognitive functioning. Neuralink is not the only company working on artificial intelligence for the brain. Entrepreneur Bryan Johnson, who sold his previous payments startup Braintree to PayPal for $800 million, started Kernel, a company working on “advanced neural interfaces” to treat disease and extend cognition, in 2016. (With inputs from agencies)

Elon Musk's Neuralink to start clinical trials of implanting brain chips in humans

The United States is using platforms like Facebook and WhatsApp to help the agencies spy on users in secret, Forbes reported citing newly-unsealed court documents show.

The United States is using platforms like Facebook and WhatsApp to help the agencies spy on users in secret, Forbes reported citing newly-unsealed court documents show. As per the report, the US federal agencies have been using a 35-year-old American surveillance law in order to track users on WhatsApp. It was mentioned in the report that there was no explanation for why was it done. Also, it was reportedly done without knowing who they are targeting. ALSO READ | One in ten COVID-19 patients could be infectious even after 10 days The report talks about a recently-unsealed government surveillance application that revealed that in November 2021. As per the report, the DEA investigators demanded the Facebook-owned messaging company to track seven users based in China and Macau. The application revealed that the DEA has no idea about the identities of any of the targets. However, they asked WhatsApp to monitor the IP addresses and numbers. The Forbes report mentioned that such surveillance is done using a technology known as a "pen register" - under the 1986 Pen Register Act. ALSO READ | India’s main cities record sharp fall in Covid infections It is understood that the 'pen registers' are surveillance devices that capture the phone numbers dialled on outgoing telephone calls. It traps and traces devices to capture the numbers identifying incoming calls. They are not supposed to reveal the content of communications and as mentioned by the Forbed report, the application doesn't seek any message content. On the other hand, WhatsApp couldn’t provide content, as it is end-to-end encrypted. Spyware Recently, Poland's ruling party leader admitted that the country bought Israeli spyware but dismissed claims it was used against the opposition. Recent allegations about the use of Pegasus software have rocked Poland, drawing comparisons to the Watergate investigation that led to US president Richard Nixon's resignation in 1974. Pegasus can turn smartphones into pocket spying devices, allowing the user to read the target's messages, track their location, and even turn on their camera and microphone without their knowledge.

Did US government agencies ask WhatsApp to help agencies spy on users in secret?

Let me paint you picture, a nerve-wracking scenario if you will. You board a flight with your toddler in the Covid era. Face masks are compulsory, double masking is recommended and Covid anxiety is peaking. A cough or sneeze gets sighs and noises of disapproval from one and all. Your toddler, who is excited at the prospect of taking off, refuses to calm down, keeps touching surfaces and his nose while you sanitise everything.

You're close to losing your cool. What can you do?

Well, in my case, the only reasonable option was to whip out the Lenovo Yoga Tab 11 with its useful kickstand and play Cocomelon or Blippi on loop. If you're a parent of a toddler in the pandemic era, you know exactly what I am talking about.

And alas, my otherwise excitable son put on his seatbelt, tightened his mask, sat tight while engrossed to "B-L-I-P-P-I!"

If this isn't the perfect case study for the need for a sturdy, portable tab in the pandemic era, I don't know what is. The Lenovo Yoga Tab 11 has become a great travel accessory for children and adults and through this review, I'll show you how and why. While Lenovo has priced its new tablet at Rs 40,000, it is currently available online for Rs 27,999 which is quite a competitive price for the features it offers.

Lenovo's Yoga series is famous for its multiple uses, entertainment prowess as well as portability.

CRISP DISPLAY WITH A USEFUL KICKSTAND

<img alt="Lenovo Yoga 11" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="03609067-edf5-4f2c-84a8-687616f904f0" src="//cdn.wionews.com/sites/default/files/inline-images/Yoga%20kickstand.JPG" />

(Image courtesy: Lenovo)

The cylindrical form factor of the Lenovo Yoga Tab 11 makes it look more like a notebook than a tablet and can be used both in portrait and landscape mode. The storm grey finish is elegant and will be a great investment for young professionals who are looking for a tablet which is more affordable than the ever-popular iPad.&nbsp;

The kickstand at the back is one of my favourite hardware features. It is sturdy enough to multi-task during a bumpy journey and handy enough to entertain children during a long road trip. Set it up on a table, on your car backseat tray, inside a long-haul flight and at all times, the kickstand is stable enough.

Watching content on this tab is a true delight. The massive 11-inch display comes with a crisp and clear resolution of 2000x1200 pixels and comes with Dolby Vision support. All this translates into a great display which performs well even under bright sunlight.&nbsp;

There are four speakers housed in the tab which offer booming sound so much so that I learnt all Cocomelon songs in a span of two days.

The tablet weighs around 650 grams and is a bit heavier than I would like. The good news is you don't have to worry about carrying a spaghetti of cables since the USB Type-C port makes charging easy with existing cables.

BIG USP: ENTERTAINMENT

<img alt="Lenovo Yoga 11" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="7adaa580-27bd-44a4-b600-aa1be96c3f3b" src="//cdn.wionews.com/sites/default/files/inline-images/Yoga%20entertainment.JPG" />

(Image courtesy: Lenovo)

The Yoga Tab 11 is powered by a MediaTek Helio G90T processor and comes with 4GB of RAM. This is sufficient to manage your daily workload, store content and data and multi-task. In my time with the gadget, there was no lag and the tablet breezed through most tasks without any hiccups.&nbsp;

Despite being an Apple user, it took me only a few minutes to get accustomed to Android 11 to make most of the interface. You get a few pre-installed apps like Amazon Prime and YouTube. Everything else, such as Netflix, can be downloaded from the Google Play Store. My only gripe was the Face ID which works through the selfie camera that didn't recognise my face as quickly as I'd hoped despite configuring the same multiple times.

I am not sure who uses a tablet for photography but if you are expecting rich camera features then let it be said that the 8MP primary camera is only good for long video calls especially during the pandemic.

Be it browsing through social media, catching up on trending videos, indulging in a Netflix binge, or playing Cocomelon on loop, all can be done on the Lenovo Yoga Tab 11 without worrying about battery.

And that brings me to a big deal clincher -- the battery life.

A LONG-LASTING WORKHORSE

<img alt="Lenovo Yoga 11" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="0387def6-b788-4771-af6d-9e5fb298f031" src="//cdn.wionews.com/sites/default/files/inline-images/Yoga%20workhorse.JPG" />

(Image courtesy: Lenovo)

Despite using the tab for checking mails, consuming content for hours at a time and browsing through social media, the Lenovo Yoga Tab 11 easily lasted me for 3 days on a full charge. Mind you, there was no gaming involved so you may have to factor that in. The 20W charger which comes in the box works well and it takes around two hours to charge the tab to the fullest. In the competitive tab market, great battery life is no longer a value addition but a necessity. Lenovo's Yoga Tab 11 scores big on this front.

A TAB WORTH BUYING?

The Lenovo Yoga Tab 11 positions itself well in a competitive market which is brimming with options from Samsung and Apple. And yet, it is carving a space for itself. If you're looking to move out of the Apple ecosystem and want a more affordable option, this tab is ideal for you. The kickstand, crisp display, long-lasting battery and portability make it a great tablet for content consumption whether you're isolating or travelling.

In the pandemic era, sturdy tablets have gone from being a luxury to a necessity and the Lenovo Yoga Tab 11 is ideal for new parents, young professionals and those working from home. 
&nbsp;

Let me paint you picture, a nerve-wracking scenario if you will. You board a flight with your toddler in the Covid era. Face masks are compulsory, double masking is recommended and Covid anxiety is peaking.

Let me paint you picture, a nerve-wracking scenario if you will. You board a flight with your toddler in the Covid era. Face masks are compulsory, double masking is recommended and Covid anxiety is peaking. A cough or sneeze gets sighs and noises of disapproval from one and all. Your toddler, who is excited at the prospect of taking off, refuses to calm down, keeps touching surfaces and his nose while you sanitise everything. You're close to losing your cool. What can you do? Well, in my case, the only reasonable option was to whip out the Lenovo Yoga Tab 11 with its useful kickstand and play Cocomelon or Blippi on loop. If you're a parent of a toddler in the pandemic era, you know exactly what I am talking about. And alas, my otherwise excitable son put on his seatbelt, tightened his mask, sat tight while engrossed to "B-L-I-P-P-I!" If this isn't the perfect case study for the need for a sturdy, portable tab in the pandemic era, I don't know what is. The Lenovo Yoga Tab 11 has become a great travel accessory for children and adults and through this review, I'll show you how and why. While Lenovo has priced its new tablet at Rs 40,000, it is currently available online for Rs 27,999 which is quite a competitive price for the features it offers. Lenovo's Yoga series is famous for its multiple uses, entertainment prowess as well as portability. CRISP DISPLAY WITH A USEFUL KICKSTAND (Image courtesy: Lenovo) The cylindrical form factor of the Lenovo Yoga Tab 11 makes it look more like a notebook than a tablet and can be used both in portrait and landscape mode. The storm grey finish is elegant and will be a great investment for young professionals who are looking for a tablet which is more affordable than the ever-popular iPad. The kickstand at the back is one of my favourite hardware features. It is sturdy enough to multi-task during a bumpy journey and handy enough to entertain children during a long road trip. Set it up on a table, on your car backseat tray, inside a long-haul flight and at all times, the kickstand is stable enough. Watching content on this tab is a true delight. The massive 11-inch display comes with a crisp and clear resolution of 2000x1200 pixels and comes with Dolby Vision support. All this translates into a great display which performs well even under bright sunlight. There are four speakers housed in the tab which offer booming sound so much so that I learnt all Cocomelon songs in a span of two days. The tablet weighs around 650 grams and is a bit heavier than I would like. The good news is you don't have to worry about carrying a spaghetti of cables since the USB Type-C port makes charging easy with existing cables. BIG USP: ENTERTAINMENT (Image courtesy: Lenovo) The Yoga Tab 11 is powered by a MediaTek Helio G90T processor and comes with 4GB of RAM. This is sufficient to manage your daily workload, store content and data and multi-task. In my time with the gadget, there was no lag and the tablet breezed through most tasks without any hiccups. Despite being an Apple user, it took me only a few minutes to get accustomed to Android 11 to make most of the interface. You get a few pre-installed apps like Amazon Prime and YouTube. Everything else, such as Netflix, can be downloaded from the Google Play Store. My only gripe was the Face ID which works through the selfie camera that didn't recognise my face as quickly as I'd hoped despite configuring the same multiple times. I am not sure who uses a tablet for photography but if you are expecting rich camera features then let it be said that the 8MP primary camera is only good for long video calls especially during the pandemic. Be it browsing through social media, catching up on trending videos, indulging in a Netflix binge, or playing Cocomelon on loop, all can be done on the Lenovo Yoga Tab 11 without worrying about battery. And that brings me to a big deal clincher -- the battery life. A LONG-LASTING WORKHORSE (Image courtesy: Lenovo) Despite using the tab for checking mails, consuming content for hours at a time and browsing through social media, the Lenovo Yoga Tab 11 easily lasted me for 3 days on a full charge. Mind you, there was no gaming involved so you may have to factor that in. The 20W charger which comes in the box works well and it takes around two hours to charge the tab to the fullest. In the competitive tab market, great battery life is no longer a value addition but a necessity. Lenovo's Yoga Tab 11 scores big on this front. A TAB WORTH BUYING? The Lenovo Yoga Tab 11 positions itself well in a competitive market which is brimming with options from Samsung and Apple. And yet, it is carving a space for itself. If you're looking to move out of the Apple ecosystem and want a more affordable option, this tab is ideal for you. The kickstand, crisp display, long-lasting battery and portability make it a great tablet for content consumption whether you're isolating or travelling. In the pandemic era, sturdy tablets have gone from being a luxury to a necessity and the Lenovo Yoga Tab 11 is ideal for new parents, young professionals and those working from home.

Lenovo Yoga Tab 11 review: It's an entertainment workhorse

A new lawsuit has claimed that Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg and Google CEO Sundar Pichai colluded in online ad sales.

According to an amended antitrust complaint filed by Texas and 15 other states, the two tech giants teamed up and hammered out the terms of the agreement.

The deal was allegedly struck as part of Google's effort to counter header bidding, which publishers wanted to use to make more money from advertising placed on their websites, the filing said.

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"Google quickly realised that this innovation substantially threatened its exchange’s ability to demand a very large&nbsp;19 to 22 per cent,&nbsp;cut on all advertising transactions," the filing said.

"Following the agreement, Facebook curtailed its involvement with header bidding in return for Google giving Facebook information, speed, and other advantages."

Facebook, which has since become Meta Platforms Inc, said in a statement that the deal was not exclusive to Google and that other agreements have increased competition for ad placements. It said it was better for advertisers "while fairly compensating publishers."

Also read|&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/facebook-google-slapped-with-huge-fines-in-france-over-cookies-442661" hreflang="en">Facebook, Google slapped with huge fines in France over 'cookies'</a>

Facebook’s former chief operating officer&nbsp;Sheryl Sandberg was “explicit that ‘this is a big deal strategically’” in a 2018 email thread about the deal that included Zuckerberg.

“We’re nearly ready to sign and need your approval to move forward,” the email read, according to the complaint. Zuckerberg wanted to meet with Sandberg and his other executives before making a decision, the complaint states.

In a statement, Google spokesperson Peter Schottenfels said the lawsuit is “full of inaccuracies and lacks legal merit.”

Meta spokesperson Chris Sgro said Friday that the company’s ad bidding agreement with Google and similar agreements it has with other bidding platforms “have helped to increase competition for ad placements.”

“These business relationships enable Meta to deliver more value to advertisers while fairly compensating publishers, resulting in better outcomes for all,” Sgro said.

(With inputs from agencies)

A new lawsuit has claimed that Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg and Google CEO Sundar Pichai colluded in online ad sales. According to an amended antitrust complaint filed by Texas and 15 other states, the two tech giants teamed up and hammered out the terms of the agreement.

A new lawsuit has claimed that Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg and Google CEO Sundar Pichai colluded in online ad sales. According to an amended antitrust complaint filed by Texas and 15 other states, the two tech giants teamed up and hammered out the terms of the agreement. The deal was allegedly struck as part of Google's effort to counter header bidding, which publishers wanted to use to make more money from advertising placed on their websites, the filing said. Also see | From meatless meat to Web 3.0: Here are the tech trends that can dominate in 2022 "Google quickly realised that this innovation substantially threatened its exchange’s ability to demand a very large 19 to 22 per cent, cut on all advertising transactions," the filing said. "Following the agreement, Facebook curtailed its involvement with header bidding in return for Google giving Facebook information, speed, and other advantages." Facebook, which has since become Meta Platforms Inc, said in a statement that the deal was not exclusive to Google and that other agreements have increased competition for ad placements. It said it was better for advertisers "while fairly compensating publishers." Also read| Facebook, Google slapped with huge fines in France over 'cookies' Facebook’s former chief operating officer Sheryl Sandberg was “explicit that ‘this is a big deal strategically’” in a 2018 email thread about the deal that included Zuckerberg. “We’re nearly ready to sign and need your approval to move forward,” the email read, according to the complaint. Zuckerberg wanted to meet with Sandberg and his other executives before making a decision, the complaint states. In a statement, Google spokesperson Peter Schottenfels said the lawsuit is “full of inaccuracies and lacks legal merit.” Meta spokesperson Chris Sgro said Friday that the company’s ad bidding agreement with Google and similar agreements it has with other bidding platforms “have helped to increase competition for ad placements.” “These business relationships enable Meta to deliver more value to advertisers while fairly compensating publishers, resulting in better outcomes for all,” Sgro said. (With inputs from agencies)

New lawsuit alleges Facebook and Google colluded in online ad sales

Before I begin talking about the new product that I have been using for the last two weeks, here's a confession. I love my AirPods. I am so accustomed to them that I don't even realise when I wear them to work, to the washroom, sometimes while watching the TV and even during serious conversations.

Before I begin talking about the new product that I have been using for the last two weeks, here's a confession. I love my AirPods. I am so accustomed to them that I don't even realise when I wear them to work, to the washroom, sometimes while watching the TV and even during serious conversations. They have become a habit. So, can a new set of in-ears make me ditch my AirPods? Let it be said that I don't use the noise-cancelling AirPods Pro, so this may be an unfair comparison. But even so, the new Sony WF-1000XM4 is slowly, steadily motivating me to make the switch. Price: Rs 19,990 Battery life: 5.5 hours with ANC Weight: 41g Waterproof rating: IPX4 App: Sony Headphones Connect Lo and behold, the new noise-cancelling earbuds from Sony with yet another complicated name. Sony, it's 2022, it's time to revamp your nomenclature for your superior gadgets! For the purpose of this review, we'll just call them then new Sony earbuds. The pricing is quite competitive for the segment at Rs 19,990. Right at the onset, pair them with the Sony Headphones Connect app which will guide you on how to set up your new earbuds. DESIGN The new Sony earbuds look sleek and stylish and are lighter than previous iterations. The grey colour with dull gold accents makes them look elegant and are light enough to carry anywhere. If you're an AirPods user, you may feel a bit overwhelmed about the size of the Sony earbuds which is why getting the right fit into your ear is essential to enjoy the sound quality. It may take you a few minutes to get accustomed to the new earbuds but once you do, you won't have to worry about losing an earbud. They are smaller and lighter and pretty comfortable once fitted in. You also get an extra pair of seals in the box which is quite useful. PERFORMANCE I paired the Sony earbuds with my iPhone and was setting myself up for disappointment since I knew I'd be missing out on quite a few features. For one, only Android phones can make use of Sony's use of the LDAC codec to transmit music wirelessly. Confused? LDAC is Sony's proprietary audio technology which allows you to enjoy high-quality wireless audio via Bluetooth. So, Apple users who invest in the new Sony earbuds will miss out on this feature. Having said that, the new processor called V1 provides crystal-clear audio. Consuming content solely on my phone is something I am guilty of and whether it was an action film, a melodrama or documentary, the Sony earbuds made consuming content a delight. The noise-cancelling works so well that my husband was seen flailing his arms desperately to catch my attention as I drowned out the world while watching a new Netflix documentary! Don't get me wrong, the noise cancellation is not so overwhelming that you feel you're sitting in a bubble. Here's a suggestion, turn on the ANC if you're in public and don't want to hear the noise and humdrum of daily life; turn it off in the office unless you want your co-workers to have to yell for attention. A word of praise for the Speak-to-Chat feature which lets you have conversations with earbuds in. What this means is that if someone wants to talk to you while you're immersed in your favourite tunes, the earbuds pause the music without any prompt and you can continue talking. This feature is quite intuitive and worked well 6 out of 10 times for me which isn't bad at all. There's also something called "Adaptive Sound Control", a feature which will keep popping up on the Headphones Connect app. The new Sony earbuds can adapt to the environment of the listener for an "ideal listening experience". As I shuttled from home to office, there were noticeable changes in the sound quality and while they were not much of value addition, there's some great software innovation here. I also travelled to the hills with these earbuds and boy, oh boy, there's something so liberating about listening to Prateek Kuhad's melodies on the Sony earbuds with the ANC turned on, watching the hills and valleys roll by. I won't lie, the Sony earbuds performed better than my AirPods. The fit gets more comfortable over time and listening for long hours feels like a breeze. But how long is long enough? BATTERY LIFE Sony claims the new earbuds will offer you uninterrupted 32 hours of listening WITH noise-cancellation activated. Now that's one big claim. And Sony wins big on this front. If battery life is a deal-clincher for you, then these are the best ANC earbuds in the market. You get nearly 5.5 hours of charge with ANC after which you can click them back into the sleek charging case for a whopping 20 hours of listening. At this price point, it beats the competition and Sony deserves applause for that. WORTH THE PRICE TAG? They say audio quality is subjective. What sounds great to me may sound mediocre to you. But even then, the new Sony earbuds leave little room for complaint. The sound quality is superior and gives the AirPods stiff competition. The comfort fit, stellar battery life and added features nearly justify the price tag of Rs 19,990. As always, it all trickles down to the age-old Apple versus Android debate. Apple loyalists may still lean towards the AirPods Pro but if they give the Sony WF-1000XM4 a listen, even they may be convinced to make the switch!

Drown out of the world with the new Sony earbuds

Wikipedia is the world's largest internet encyclopedia and is often the first result to pop up when users ask the internet a question.

It is a massively influential source of free information with entries that can in theory be written by anyone with an internet connection, in some 300 languages, it comes down to editing by mostly anonymous volunteers to police the site.

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The 21-year-old encyclopedia, which even has an article devoted to its own controversies, has received positive accolades in recent years for its fact-checking capacities.

It is hosted by the Wikimedia Foundation, an American non-profit organization funded mainly through small donations.

Its combined editions comprise more than 58 million articles, attracting around 2 billion unique device visits per month, and more than 17 million edits per month as per Wikipedia's website.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/technology/wikipedia-co-founder-sells-nft-of-first-ever-edit-made-on-its-site-for-750000-437399">Also read |&nbsp;Wikipedia co-founder sells NFT of first ever edit made on its site for $750,000</a>

Though it's a sprawling platform, the site does not seek to make money and so avoids the profit-over-safety criticism that has battered Facebook, for example.

Instead, Wikipedia has volunteers who are deeply invested in the site's stated mission of providing access to a written compendium of all branches of human knowledge. The platform requires reliable, published sources from news outlets or academia to underpin an article.

Alexa Internet Inc., an American web traffic analysis company based in San Francisco, had listed Wikipedia as the world's 13th most popular site.

Recently, a non-fungible token (NFT) &nbsp;memorialising Wikipedia of founder Jimmy Wales' first edit on the online reference resource 20 years ago and the computer he used when programming the platform sold for a total of almost $1 million at auction.

The NFT wass of Wikipedia's debut onscreen image when Wales posted the first words, "Hello world."

He has announced plans for a crowd-funded news website offering stories by journalists and volunteers working together, an initiative he hopes will counter the spread of fake news.

Jimmy Wales said the new platform, Wikitribune, would be free to read and carry no advertising, instead relying on supporters to fund it, while the accuracy of its articles would be easily verifiable as source material would be published.

(With inputs from agencies)

Wikipedia is the world's largest internet encyclopedia and is often the first result to pop up when users ask the internet a question. It is a massively influential source of free information with entries that can in theory be written by anyone with an internet connection, in some 300 languages, it comes down to editing by mostly anonymous volunteers to police the site.

Wikipedia is the world's largest internet encyclopedia and is often the first result to pop up when users ask the internet a question. It is a massively influential source of free information with entries that can in theory be written by anyone with an internet connection, in some 300 languages, it comes down to editing by mostly anonymous volunteers to police the site. Also read | Wikipedia unveils 'code of conduct' to stem misinformation The 21-year-old encyclopedia, which even has an article devoted to its own controversies, has received positive accolades in recent years for its fact-checking capacities. It is hosted by the Wikimedia Foundation, an American non-profit organization funded mainly through small donations. Its combined editions comprise more than 58 million articles, attracting around 2 billion unique device visits per month, and more than 17 million edits per month as per Wikipedia's website. Also read | Wikipedia co-founder sells NFT of first ever edit made on its site for $750,000 Though it's a sprawling platform, the site does not seek to make money and so avoids the profit-over-safety criticism that has battered Facebook, for example. Instead, Wikipedia has volunteers who are deeply invested in the site's stated mission of providing access to a written compendium of all branches of human knowledge. The platform requires reliable, published sources from news outlets or academia to underpin an article. Alexa Internet Inc., an American web traffic analysis company based in San Francisco, had listed Wikipedia as the world's 13th most popular site. Recently, a non-fungible token (NFT) memorialising Wikipedia of founder Jimmy Wales' first edit on the online reference resource 20 years ago and the computer he used when programming the platform sold for a total of almost $1 million at auction. The NFT wass of Wikipedia's debut onscreen image when Wales posted the first words, "Hello world." He has announced plans for a crowd-funded news website offering stories by journalists and volunteers working together, an initiative he hopes will counter the spread of fake news. Jimmy Wales said the new platform, Wikitribune, would be free to read and carry no advertising, instead relying on supporters to fund it, while the accuracy of its articles would be easily verifiable as source material would be published. (With inputs from agencies)

Wikipedia turns 21: All you need to know about world's largest internet encyclopedia

The Chinese government aims to turn Macau, the world's largest casino den, into a regional technological powerhouse.

According to the South China Morning Post, this comes as the Venetian Macao Convention and Exhibition Centre staged a large technology-themed trade show in December 2021, which is anticipated to spur the development of new sectors and rejuvenate the local economy.

According to the event's website, Macau will serve as "the new centre of international technology," connecting the Asia Pacific digital ecosystem to the rest of the world.&nbsp;

The Venetian Macao Convention and Exhibition Centre hosted a large technology-themed trade fair this week, with hundreds of mainland tech investors and executives crossing the border to discuss their visions for the city as the former Portuguese colony grapples with COVID-19 and Beijing's harsh stance on gambling.

The event takes place at a time when Macau's cornerstone business, gambling, is facing uncertainty, as Beijing expresses its discontent with Macau's casinos' position as illicit money drainage channels that threaten China's financial stability and capital account regulations.&nbsp;

Amid potential US penalties over Hong Kong, Chinese institutions are being pressured to move from SWIFT to a domestic financial network.

Since gambling became permitted in the former Portuguese province in the 1850s, Macau has been branded the "Gambling Capital of the World" and the "Monte Carlo of the East."

Before the pandemic, the gambling industry provided almost half of the city's $54 billion GDP and earned 80% of the local government's tax revenue, according to data.

The drop in gaming revenue of 80% last year resulted in a 50% drop in GDP.&nbsp;

(With inputs from agencies)

The Chinese government aims to turn Macau, the world's largest casino den, into a regional technological powerhouse. According to the South China Morning Post, this comes as the Venetian Macao Convention and Exhibition Centre staged a large technology-themed trade show in December 2021, which is anticipated to spur the development of new sectors and rejuvenate the local economy.

The Chinese government aims to turn Macau, the world's largest casino den, into a regional technological powerhouse. According to the South China Morning Post, this comes as the Venetian Macao Convention and Exhibition Centre staged a large technology-themed trade show in December 2021, which is anticipated to spur the development of new sectors and rejuvenate the local economy. According to the event's website, Macau will serve as "the new centre of international technology," connecting the Asia Pacific digital ecosystem to the rest of the world. The Venetian Macao Convention and Exhibition Centre hosted a large technology-themed trade fair this week, with hundreds of mainland tech investors and executives crossing the border to discuss their visions for the city as the former Portuguese colony grapples with COVID-19 and Beijing's harsh stance on gambling. The event takes place at a time when Macau's cornerstone business, gambling, is facing uncertainty, as Beijing expresses its discontent with Macau's casinos' position as illicit money drainage channels that threaten China's financial stability and capital account regulations. Amid potential US penalties over Hong Kong, Chinese institutions are being pressured to move from SWIFT to a domestic financial network. Since gambling became permitted in the former Portuguese province in the 1850s, Macau has been branded the "Gambling Capital of the World" and the "Monte Carlo of the East." Before the pandemic, the gambling industry provided almost half of the city's $54 billion GDP and earned 80% of the local government's tax revenue, according to data. The drop in gaming revenue of 80% last year resulted in a 50% drop in GDP. (With inputs from agencies)

From casino den to technology base: China wants to transform Macau

Apple has lowered the prices of various iPhone models, including the iPhone 11, iPhone 12, and iPhone 12 Mini.

Thanks to the latest price decrease, Apple's iPhone 12 series now starts at Rs 49,999 in India for the iPhone 12 Mini.

The new pricing may fluctuate depending on the colour and storage option selected by users.

On Amazon and Flipkart, the new tariffs are now available.

According to reports, this is a temporary price cut and will only be available for a limited time.

So, if you've been waiting for a new iPhone at a reasonable price, now is your chance.

Take a peek at the most recent pricing:&nbsp;

iPhone 12: The top-of-the-line 128GB iPhone 12 costs Rs 70,900 on Amazon and Rs 64,999 on Flipkart.

Flipkart is selling the iPhone 12 64GB for Rs 59,999, while Amazon is selling it for Rs 63,900.

On Flipkart, the blue colour 64 GB model costs Rs 60,4999.

iPhone 12 mini: The 128 GB iPhone 12 mini is now available at a discounted price of Rs 54,999 for red and Rs 64,900 for green.

The phone's starting price is Rs 69,900.

On Amazon, the 64 GB model is available in black, white, and blue colours for Rs 49,999.&nbsp;

The purple and green colours of the same variant are available for a premium at Rs 53,900 and Rs 59,900 respectively.

iPhone 11: On Flipkart, the 64GB iPhone 11 is available for Rs 49,000 while the 128GB iPhone 11 is available for Rs 54,999.

Apple is anticipated to release a new iPhone in 2022, the next iPhone SE in the inexpensive class, according to rumours.

In India, the iPhone SE 2020 costs Rs 42,500.

(With inputs from agencies)

Apple has lowered the prices of various iPhone models, including the iPhone 11, iPhone 12, and iPhone 12 Mini. Thanks to the latest price decrease, Apple's iPhone 12 series now starts at Rs 49,999 in India for the iPhone 12 Mini.

Apple has lowered the prices of various iPhone models, including the iPhone 11, iPhone 12, and iPhone 12 Mini. Thanks to the latest price decrease, Apple's iPhone 12 series now starts at Rs 49,999 in India for the iPhone 12 Mini. The new pricing may fluctuate depending on the colour and storage option selected by users. On Amazon and Flipkart, the new tariffs are now available. According to reports, this is a temporary price cut and will only be available for a limited time. So, if you've been waiting for a new iPhone at a reasonable price, now is your chance. Take a peek at the most recent pricing: iPhone 12: The top-of-the-line 128GB iPhone 12 costs Rs 70,900 on Amazon and Rs 64,999 on Flipkart. Flipkart is selling the iPhone 12 64GB for Rs 59,999, while Amazon is selling it for Rs 63,900. On Flipkart, the blue colour 64 GB model costs Rs 60,4999. iPhone 12 mini: The 128 GB iPhone 12 mini is now available at a discounted price of Rs 54,999 for red and Rs 64,900 for green. The phone's starting price is Rs 69,900. On Amazon, the 64 GB model is available in black, white, and blue colours for Rs 49,999. The purple and green colours of the same variant are available for a premium at Rs 53,900 and Rs 59,900 respectively. iPhone 11: On Flipkart, the 64GB iPhone 11 is available for Rs 49,000 while the 128GB iPhone 11 is available for Rs 54,999. Apple is anticipated to release a new iPhone in 2022, the next iPhone SE in the inexpensive class, according to rumours. In India, the iPhone SE 2020 costs Rs 42,500. (With inputs from agencies)

Apple iPhone 12, iPhone 12 mini gets massive price cuts in India.Here’s how to get it

On Dec. 29, The Gateway Pundit, a far-right website that often spreads conspiracy theories, published an article falsely implying that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention had withdrawn authorization of all PCR tests for detecting COVID-19. The article collected 22,000 likes, comments and shares on Facebook and Twitter.

On TikTok and Instagram, videos of at-home COVID-19 tests displaying positive results after being soaked in drinking water and juice have gone viral in recent weeks, and were used to push the false narrative that coronavirus rapid tests do not work. Some household liquids can make a test show a positive result, health experts say, but the tests remain accurate when used as directed. One TikTok video showing a home test that came out positive after being placed under running water was shared at least 140,000 times.

And on YouTube, a video titled “Rapid antigen tests debunked” was posted on Jan. 1 by the Canadian far-right website Rebel News. It generated over 40,000 views, and its comments section was a hotbed of misinformation. “The straight up purpose of this test is to keep the case #’s as high as possible to maintain fear &amp;amp; incentive for more restrictions,” said one comment with more than 200 likes. “And of course Profit.”

Misinformation about COVID-19 tests has spiked across social media in recent weeks, researchers say, as coronavirus cases have surged again worldwide because of the highly infectious omicron variant.

The burst of misinformation threatens to further stymie public efforts to keep the health crisis under control. Previous spikes in pandemic-related falsehoods focused on the vaccines, masks and the severity of the virus. The falsehoods help undermine best practices for controlling the spread of the coronavirus, health experts say, noting that misinformation remains a key factor in vaccine hesitancy.

The categories include falsehoods that PCR tests do not work; that the counts for flu and COVID-19 cases have been combined; that PCR tests are vaccines in disguise; and that at-home rapid tests have a predetermined result or are unreliable because different liquids can turn them positive.

These themes jumped into the thousands of mentions in the last three months of 2021, compared with just a few dozen in the same time period in 2020, according to Zignal Labs, which tracks mentions on social media, on cable television and in print and online outlets.

The added demand for testing due to omicron and the higher prevalence of breakthrough cases has given purveyors of misinformation an “opportune moment” to exploit, said Kolina Koltai, a researcher at the University of Washington who studies online conspiracy theories. The false narratives “support the whole idea of not trusting the infection numbers or trusting the death count,” she said.

The Gateway Pundit did not respond to a request for comment. TikTok pointed to its policies that prohibit misinformation that could cause harm to people’s physical health. YouTube said it was reviewing the videos shared by The New York Times in line with its COVID-19 misinformation policies on testing and diagnostics. Twitter said that it had applied a warning to The Gateway Pundit’s article in December for violating its coronavirus misinformation policy and that tweets containing false information about widely accepted testing methods would also violate its policy. But the company said it does not take action on personal anecdotes.

Facebook said it had worked with its fact-checking partners to label many of the posts with warnings that directed people toward fact checks of the false claims, and reduced their prominence on its users’ feeds.

“The challenges of the pandemic are constantly changing, and we’re consistently monitoring for emerging false claims on our platforms,” Aaron Simpson, a Facebook spokesman, said in an email.

No medical test is perfect, and legitimate questions about the accuracy of COVID-19 tests have abounded throughout the pandemic. There has always been a risk of a false positive or a false negative result. The Food and Drug Administration says there is a potential for antigen tests to return false positive results when users do not follow the instructions. Those tests are generally accurate when used correctly but in some cases can appear to show a positive result when exposed to other liquids, said Dr. Glenn Patriquin, who published a study about false positives in antigen tests using various liquids in a publication of the American Society for Microbiology.

“Using a fluid with a different chemical makeup than what was designed means that result lines might appear unpredictably,” said Patriquin, an assistant professor of pathology at Dalhousie University in Nova Scotia.

Complicating matters, there have been some defective products. Last year, the Australian company Ellume recalled about 2 million of the at-home testing products that it had shipped to the United States.

But when used correctly, coronavirus tests are considered reliable at detecting people carrying high levels of the virus. Experts say our evolving knowledge of tests should be a distinct issue from lies about testing that have spread widely on social media — though it does make debunking those lies more challenging.

“Science is inherently uncertain and changes, which makes tackling misinformation exceedingly difficult,” Koltai said.

Researchers say that the falsehoods are rising despite efforts by social media companies to crack down and that many contain lies that had surfaced in the past.

The surge “fits with the misinformation industry’s pattern during the pandemic,” said John Gregory, deputy health editor at NewsGuard, which rates the credibility of news sites and has tracked the prevalence of COVID-19 and vaccine misinformation. “Whatever the current mainstream story is, they seek their own narrative to undermine it.”

The CDC said in July that it would withdraw its request to the FDA for emergency-use authorization of one specific test at the end of the year. Hundreds of other COVID-19 tests are still available from other manufacturers, the CDC later clarified.

Still, posts claiming that the agency had withdrawn support of PCR tests went viral on Facebook. The most widely shared post pushing the falsehood in July collected 11,500 likes, shares and comments, according to data from CrowdTangle, a Facebook-owned social media analytics tool. The post added the falsehood that the CDC’s advisory meant that PCR tests could not distinguish between the coronavirus and the flu, when in fact the agency had simply recommended the use of tests that could simultaneously detect and distinguish between the flu and COVID-19.

Despite being fact-checked within days, the claim never fully went away. The Gateway Pundit article revived the claim at the end of the year, collecting nearly double the earlier post’s likes, shares and comments on Facebook. On Instagram, screenshots of the article also went viral, collecting hundreds of likes.

Gregory said a similar phenomenon had occurred with social media posts claiming various liquids turned at-home coronavirus tests positive.

On Dec. 23, 2020, a video on YouTube showed coronavirus tests turning positive after being tested on kiwi, orange and berry fruit juice. It collected over 102,000 views. In the same month, a video producing the same results with Coca-Cola was posted on YouTube, collecting 16,800 views.

One year later, a spate of similar videos with the same theme appeared on TikTok and Instagram.

For Koltai, the reemergence of false narratives even after social media companies labeled them a year earlier shows the power of misinformation to “thrive when it can latch on to a current event.”

“That is how narratives can peak at different times,” she said.

On Dec. 29, The Gateway Pundit, a far-right website that often spreads conspiracy theories, published an article falsely implying that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention had withdrawn authorization of all PCR tests for detecting COVID-19.

On Dec. 29, The Gateway Pundit, a far-right website that often spreads conspiracy theories, published an article falsely implying that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention had withdrawn authorization of all PCR tests for detecting COVID-19. The article collected 22,000 likes, comments and shares on Facebook and Twitter. On TikTok and Instagram, videos of at-home COVID-19 tests displaying positive results after being soaked in drinking water and juice have gone viral in recent weeks, and were used to push the false narrative that coronavirus rapid tests do not work. Some household liquids can make a test show a positive result, health experts say, but the tests remain accurate when used as directed. One TikTok video showing a home test that came out positive after being placed under running water was shared at least 140,000 times. And on YouTube, a video titled “Rapid antigen tests debunked” was posted on Jan. 1 by the Canadian far-right website Rebel News. It generated over 40,000 views, and its comments section was a hotbed of misinformation. “The straight up purpose of this test is to keep the case #’s as high as possible to maintain fear &amp; incentive for more restrictions,” said one comment with more than 200 likes. “And of course Profit.” Misinformation about COVID-19 tests has spiked across social media in recent weeks, researchers say, as coronavirus cases have surged again worldwide because of the highly infectious omicron variant. The burst of misinformation threatens to further stymie public efforts to keep the health crisis under control. Previous spikes in pandemic-related falsehoods focused on the vaccines, masks and the severity of the virus. The falsehoods help undermine best practices for controlling the spread of the coronavirus, health experts say, noting that misinformation remains a key factor in vaccine hesitancy. The categories include falsehoods that PCR tests do not work; that the counts for flu and COVID-19 cases have been combined; that PCR tests are vaccines in disguise; and that at-home rapid tests have a predetermined result or are unreliable because different liquids can turn them positive. These themes jumped into the thousands of mentions in the last three months of 2021, compared with just a few dozen in the same time period in 2020, according to Zignal Labs, which tracks mentions on social media, on cable television and in print and online outlets. The added demand for testing due to omicron and the higher prevalence of breakthrough cases has given purveyors of misinformation an “opportune moment” to exploit, said Kolina Koltai, a researcher at the University of Washington who studies online conspiracy theories. The false narratives “support the whole idea of not trusting the infection numbers or trusting the death count,” she said. The Gateway Pundit did not respond to a request for comment. TikTok pointed to its policies that prohibit misinformation that could cause harm to people’s physical health. YouTube said it was reviewing the videos shared by The New York Times in line with its COVID-19 misinformation policies on testing and diagnostics. Twitter said that it had applied a warning to The Gateway Pundit’s article in December for violating its coronavirus misinformation policy and that tweets containing false information about widely accepted testing methods would also violate its policy. But the company said it does not take action on personal anecdotes. Facebook said it had worked with its fact-checking partners to label many of the posts with warnings that directed people toward fact checks of the false claims, and reduced their prominence on its users’ feeds. “The challenges of the pandemic are constantly changing, and we’re consistently monitoring for emerging false claims on our platforms,” Aaron Simpson, a Facebook spokesman, said in an email. No medical test is perfect, and legitimate questions about the accuracy of COVID-19 tests have abounded throughout the pandemic. There has always been a risk of a false positive or a false negative result. The Food and Drug Administration says there is a potential for antigen tests to return false positive results when users do not follow the instructions. Those tests are generally accurate when used correctly but in some cases can appear to show a positive result when exposed to other liquids, said Dr. Glenn Patriquin, who published a study about false positives in antigen tests using various liquids in a publication of the American Society for Microbiology. “Using a fluid with a different chemical makeup than what was designed means that result lines might appear unpredictably,” said Patriquin, an assistant professor of pathology at Dalhousie University in Nova Scotia. Complicating matters, there have been some defective products. Last year, the Australian company Ellume recalled about 2 million of the at-home testing products that it had shipped to the United States. But when used correctly, coronavirus tests are considered reliable at detecting people carrying high levels of the virus. Experts say our evolving knowledge of tests should be a distinct issue from lies about testing that have spread widely on social media — though it does make debunking those lies more challenging. “Science is inherently uncertain and changes, which makes tackling misinformation exceedingly difficult,” Koltai said. Researchers say that the falsehoods are rising despite efforts by social media companies to crack down and that many contain lies that had surfaced in the past. The surge “fits with the misinformation industry’s pattern during the pandemic,” said John Gregory, deputy health editor at NewsGuard, which rates the credibility of news sites and has tracked the prevalence of COVID-19 and vaccine misinformation. “Whatever the current mainstream story is, they seek their own narrative to undermine it.” The CDC said in July that it would withdraw its request to the FDA for emergency-use authorization of one specific test at the end of the year. Hundreds of other COVID-19 tests are still available from other manufacturers, the CDC later clarified. Still, posts claiming that the agency had withdrawn support of PCR tests went viral on Facebook. The most widely shared post pushing the falsehood in July collected 11,500 likes, shares and comments, according to data from CrowdTangle, a Facebook-owned social media analytics tool. The post added the falsehood that the CDC’s advisory meant that PCR tests could not distinguish between the coronavirus and the flu, when in fact the agency had simply recommended the use of tests that could simultaneously detect and distinguish between the flu and COVID-19. Despite being fact-checked within days, the claim never fully went away. The Gateway Pundit article revived the claim at the end of the year, collecting nearly double the earlier post’s likes, shares and comments on Facebook. On Instagram, screenshots of the article also went viral, collecting hundreds of likes. Gregory said a similar phenomenon had occurred with social media posts claiming various liquids turned at-home coronavirus tests positive. On Dec. 23, 2020, a video on YouTube showed coronavirus tests turning positive after being tested on kiwi, orange and berry fruit juice. It collected over 102,000 views. In the same month, a video producing the same results with Coca-Cola was posted on YouTube, collecting 16,800 views. One year later, a spate of similar videos with the same theme appeared on TikTok and Instagram. For Koltai, the reemergence of false narratives even after social media companies labeled them a year earlier shows the power of misinformation to “thrive when it can latch on to a current event.” “That is how narratives can peak at different times,” she said.

Covid test misinformation spikes along with spread of Omicron

Changpeng Zhao, the CEO of cryptocurrency exchange Binance, is the world's biggest crypto millionaire, with a fortune comparable to that of tech billionaires Elon Musk, Jeff Bezos, Bill Gates, and Mark Zuckerberg.

Zhao's net worth was estimated to be $96 billion by Bloomberg on Monday, making him the world's 11th richest person.

Zhao, who is known in crypto circles as "CZ," is now sandwiched between No. 12 Mukesh Ambani, CEO of Indian giant Reliance Industries, and No. 10, Larry Ellison, cofounder of Oracle, who is worth an estimated $107 billion on the Bloomberg Billionaires Index.&nbsp;

Zhao's personal crypto assets are not included in the $96 billion number, so it could be significantly understated.

According to Bloomberg's index, the 44-year-old's closest competitors are FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried ($15.4 billion) and Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong ($8.9 billion). 
 
Watch | Gravitas: Crypto Scammers stole $14 billion in 2021

<div class="videoWrapper trancodeVideo"><iframe allowfullscreen="" autoplay="1" class="includeVideo" frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.wionews.com/videos/gravitas-crypto-scammers-stole-14-billion-in-2021-443031/embed" style="width:100%;max-width:560px;" width="560"></iframe></div>

According to CoinGecko, Binance is the world's largest cryptocurrency exchange, with a 24-hour trading volume of $106 billion as of January 6.

According to Bloomberg, it made at least $20 billion in sales last year.

Bloomberg projected Binance's revenue from spot and derivatives trading volumes, as well as stated fees, assuming Zhao owns 90% of the company.

It assigned a value to the company based on its publicly traded competitors.

Binance disputed the accuracy of the projections, and Zhao declined to respond to Bloomberg.&nbsp;

(With inputs from agencies)

Changpeng Zhao, the CEO of cryptocurrency exchange Binance, is the world's biggest crypto millionaire, with a fortune comparable to that of tech billionaires Elon Musk, Jeff Bezos, Bill Gates, and Mark Zuckerberg.

Changpeng Zhao, the CEO of cryptocurrency exchange Binance, is the world's biggest crypto millionaire, with a fortune comparable to that of tech billionaires Elon Musk, Jeff Bezos, Bill Gates, and Mark Zuckerberg. Zhao's net worth was estimated to be $96 billion by Bloomberg on Monday, making him the world's 11th richest person. Zhao, who is known in crypto circles as "CZ," is now sandwiched between No. 12 Mukesh Ambani, CEO of Indian giant Reliance Industries, and No. 10, Larry Ellison, cofounder of Oracle, who is worth an estimated $107 billion on the Bloomberg Billionaires Index. Zhao's personal crypto assets are not included in the $96 billion number, so it could be significantly understated. According to Bloomberg's index, the 44-year-old's closest competitors are FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried ($15.4 billion) and Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong ($8.9 billion). Watch | Gravitas: Crypto Scammers stole $14 billion in 2021 According to CoinGecko, Binance is the world's largest cryptocurrency exchange, with a 24-hour trading volume of $106 billion as of January 6. According to Bloomberg, it made at least $20 billion in sales last year. Bloomberg projected Binance's revenue from spot and derivatives trading volumes, as well as stated fees, assuming Zhao owns 90% of the company. It assigned a value to the company based on its publicly traded competitors. Binance disputed the accuracy of the projections, and Zhao declined to respond to Bloomberg. (With inputs from agencies)

This ex-McDonald's cook is now the 11th richest person in the world

Metaverse, electric cars, brain tech: Take a look at how the future of technology will look like

Chanelle Siggens recently strapped on an Oculus Quest virtual reality headset to play her favourite shooter game, Population One. Once she turned on the game, she manoeuvred her avatar into a virtual lobby in the immersive digital world and waited for the action to begin.

But as she waited, another player’s avatar approached hers. The stranger then simulated groping and ejaculating onto her avatar, Siggens said. Shocked, she asked the player, whose avatar appeared male, to stop.

“He shrugged as if to say: ‘I don’t know what to tell you. It’s the metaverse — I’ll do what I want,’” said Siggens, a 29-year-old Toronto resident. “Then he walked away.”

The world’s largest tech companies — Microsoft, Google, Apple and others — are hurtling headlong into creating the metaverse, a virtual reality world where people can have their avatars do everything from play video games and attend gym classes to participate in meetings. In October, Mark Zuckerberg, Facebook’s founder and chief executive, said he believed so much in the metaverse that he would invest billions in the effort. He also renamed his company Meta.

Yet even as tech giants bet big on the concept, questions about the metaverse’s safety have surfaced. Harassment, assaults, bullying and hate speech already run rampant in virtual reality games, which are part of the metaverse, and there are few mechanisms to easily report the misbehaviour, researchers said. In one popular virtual reality game, VRChat, a violating incident occurs about once every seven minutes, according to the nonprofit Center for Countering Digital Hate.

Bad behaviour in the metaverse can be more severe than today’s online harassment and bullying. That’s because virtual reality plunges people into an all-encompassing digital environment where unwanted touches in the digital world can be made to feel real and the sensory experience is heightened.

“When something bad happens, when someone comes up and gropes you, your mind is tricking you into thinking it’s happening in the real world,” Siggens said. “With the full metaverse, it’s going to be so much more intense.”

Toxic behaviour in gaming and in virtual reality is not new. But as Meta and other huge companies make the metaverse their platform, the issues are likely to be magnified by the companies’ reach over billions of people. The companies are encouraging people to join the metaverse, with Meta, which makes the Oculus Quest headsets, cutting prices for the products during the holidays.

Zuckerberg, who appears aware of questions about the metaverse’s harms, has promised to build it with privacy and safety in mind. Yet even his own lieutenants have wondered whether they can really stem toxic behaviour there.

In March, Andrew Bosworth, a Meta executive who will become chief technology officer in 2022, wrote in an employee memo that moderating what people say and how they act in the metaverse “at any meaningful scale is practically impossible.” The memo was reported earlier by The Financial Times.

Kristina Milian, a Meta spokesperson, said the company was working with policymakers, experts and industry partners on the metaverse. In a November blog post, Meta also said it was investing $50 million in global research to develop its products responsibly.

Meta has asked its employees to volunteer to test the metaverse, according to an internal memo viewed by The New York Times. A stranger recently groped the avatar of one tester of a Meta virtual reality game, Horizon Worlds, a company spokesperson said. The incident, which Meta has said it learned from, was reported earlier by The Verge.

Misbehaviour in virtual reality is typically difficult to track because incidents occur in real-time and are generally not recorded.

Titania Jordan, the chief parent officer at Bark, which uses artificial intelligence to monitor children’s devices for safety reasons, said she was especially concerned about what children might encounter in the metaverse. She said abusers could target children through chat messages in a game or by speaking to them through headsets, actions that are difficult to document.

“VR is a whole other world of complexity,” Jordan said. “Just the ability to pinpoint somebody who is a bad actor and block them indefinitely or have ramifications so they can’t just get back on, those are still being developed.”

Callum Hood, head of research at the Center for Countering Digital Hate, recently spent several weeks recording interactions in the VRChat game, which is made by a developer called VRChat and largely played through Oculus Quest headsets. In the game, people can form virtual communities and have their avatars play cards, party in a virtual club or meet in virtual public spaces to talk. Oculus rates it as safe for teenagers.

Yet over one 11-hour period, Hood said, he recorded more than 100 problematic incidents on VRChat, some involving users who said they were under 13. In several cases, users’ avatars made sexual and violent threats against minors, he said. In another case, someone tried showing sexually explicit content to a minor.

Hood said the incidents had violated Oculus’ terms of service, as well as those of VRChat. He said he had reported his findings to both companies, but had not heard back.

“VRChat is unsafe because its developers and Facebook have failed to put basic measures in place to ensure abusive users cannot access its services,” he said. “They have created a safe haven for abusive users at the same time as inviting minors to enter the metaverse.”

Milian said Meta’s community standards and VR policy outline what is allowed on its platform, which developers must adhere to. “We don’t allow content that attacks people based on race, ethnicity, national origin, religious affiliation, sexual orientation, caste, sex, gender, gender identity, and serious disease or disability,” she said.

Minors are not permitted to create accounts or use Oculus devices, she said. Part of the responsibility, she added, lies with the developers of the apps.

VRChat did not respond to a request for comment.

After Siggens faced abuse while playing the Population One virtual reality game, she said, she joined a virtual support group for women, many of whom also play the game. Members regularly dealt with harassment in the game, she said. In June, Meta acquired BigBox VR, the developer of Population One.

Another member of the support group, Mari DeGrazia, 48, of Tucson, Arizona, said she saw harassment and assault happen in Population One “two to three times a week, if not more.”

“Sometimes, we see things happen two to three times day that violate the game’s rules,” she added.

BigBox VR did not respond to a request for comment.

DeGrazia said the people behind Population One had responded to her complaints and appeared interested in making the game safer. Despite the harassment, she said, she has found a community of virtual friends with whom she regularly plays the game and enjoys those interactions.

“I’m not going to stop playing, because I think it’s important to have diverse people, including women, playing this game,” she said. “We aren’t going to be pushed out of it, even though sometimes it’s hard.”

In July, DeGrazia wore a haptic vest — which relays sensations through buzzes and vibrations — to play Population One. When another player groped her avatar’s chest, “it felt just awful,” she said. She noted that Zuckerberg has described a metaverse where people can be fitted with full-body suits that let them feel even more sensations, which she said was troubling.

Siggens said she had ultimately reported the user account of the person who groped her in Population One through a form within the game. She later received an automated response saying punitive action had been taken against the user.

“I don’t know if they were banned for a day or for a week or for forever,” she said. “Either way, it just keeps happening.”

An hour after the incident with the stranger’s avatar, Siggens said, her avatar was groped again by a different user.

Chanelle Siggens recently strapped on an Oculus Quest virtual reality headset to play her favourite shooter game, Population One. Once she turned on the game, she manoeuvred her avatar into a virtual lobby in the immersive digital world and waited for the action to begin.

Chanelle Siggens recently strapped on an Oculus Quest virtual reality headset to play her favourite shooter game, Population One. Once she turned on the game, she manoeuvred her avatar into a virtual lobby in the immersive digital world and waited for the action to begin. But as she waited, another player’s avatar approached hers. The stranger then simulated groping and ejaculating onto her avatar, Siggens said. Shocked, she asked the player, whose avatar appeared male, to stop. “He shrugged as if to say: ‘I don’t know what to tell you. It’s the metaverse — I’ll do what I want,’” said Siggens, a 29-year-old Toronto resident. “Then he walked away.” The world’s largest tech companies — Microsoft, Google, Apple and others — are hurtling headlong into creating the metaverse, a virtual reality world where people can have their avatars do everything from play video games and attend gym classes to participate in meetings. In October, Mark Zuckerberg, Facebook’s founder and chief executive, said he believed so much in the metaverse that he would invest billions in the effort. He also renamed his company Meta. Yet even as tech giants bet big on the concept, questions about the metaverse’s safety have surfaced. Harassment, assaults, bullying and hate speech already run rampant in virtual reality games, which are part of the metaverse, and there are few mechanisms to easily report the misbehaviour, researchers said. In one popular virtual reality game, VRChat, a violating incident occurs about once every seven minutes, according to the nonprofit Center for Countering Digital Hate. Bad behaviour in the metaverse can be more severe than today’s online harassment and bullying. That’s because virtual reality plunges people into an all-encompassing digital environment where unwanted touches in the digital world can be made to feel real and the sensory experience is heightened. “When something bad happens, when someone comes up and gropes you, your mind is tricking you into thinking it’s happening in the real world,” Siggens said. “With the full metaverse, it’s going to be so much more intense.” Toxic behaviour in gaming and in virtual reality is not new. But as Meta and other huge companies make the metaverse their platform, the issues are likely to be magnified by the companies’ reach over billions of people. The companies are encouraging people to join the metaverse, with Meta, which makes the Oculus Quest headsets, cutting prices for the products during the holidays. Zuckerberg, who appears aware of questions about the metaverse’s harms, has promised to build it with privacy and safety in mind. Yet even his own lieutenants have wondered whether they can really stem toxic behaviour there. In March, Andrew Bosworth, a Meta executive who will become chief technology officer in 2022, wrote in an employee memo that moderating what people say and how they act in the metaverse “at any meaningful scale is practically impossible.” The memo was reported earlier by The Financial Times. Kristina Milian, a Meta spokesperson, said the company was working with policymakers, experts and industry partners on the metaverse. In a November blog post, Meta also said it was investing $50 million in global research to develop its products responsibly. Meta has asked its employees to volunteer to test the metaverse, according to an internal memo viewed by The New York Times. A stranger recently groped the avatar of one tester of a Meta virtual reality game, Horizon Worlds, a company spokesperson said. The incident, which Meta has said it learned from, was reported earlier by The Verge. Misbehaviour in virtual reality is typically difficult to track because incidents occur in real-time and are generally not recorded. Titania Jordan, the chief parent officer at Bark, which uses artificial intelligence to monitor children’s devices for safety reasons, said she was especially concerned about what children might encounter in the metaverse. She said abusers could target children through chat messages in a game or by speaking to them through headsets, actions that are difficult to document. “VR is a whole other world of complexity,” Jordan said. “Just the ability to pinpoint somebody who is a bad actor and block them indefinitely or have ramifications so they can’t just get back on, those are still being developed.” Callum Hood, head of research at the Center for Countering Digital Hate, recently spent several weeks recording interactions in the VRChat game, which is made by a developer called VRChat and largely played through Oculus Quest headsets. In the game, people can form virtual communities and have their avatars play cards, party in a virtual club or meet in virtual public spaces to talk. Oculus rates it as safe for teenagers. Yet over one 11-hour period, Hood said, he recorded more than 100 problematic incidents on VRChat, some involving users who said they were under 13. In several cases, users’ avatars made sexual and violent threats against minors, he said. In another case, someone tried showing sexually explicit content to a minor. Hood said the incidents had violated Oculus’ terms of service, as well as those of VRChat. He said he had reported his findings to both companies, but had not heard back. “VRChat is unsafe because its developers and Facebook have failed to put basic measures in place to ensure abusive users cannot access its services,” he said. “They have created a safe haven for abusive users at the same time as inviting minors to enter the metaverse.” Milian said Meta’s community standards and VR policy outline what is allowed on its platform, which developers must adhere to. “We don’t allow content that attacks people based on race, ethnicity, national origin, religious affiliation, sexual orientation, caste, sex, gender, gender identity, and serious disease or disability,” she said. Minors are not permitted to create accounts or use Oculus devices, she said. Part of the responsibility, she added, lies with the developers of the apps. VRChat did not respond to a request for comment. After Siggens faced abuse while playing the Population One virtual reality game, she said, she joined a virtual support group for women, many of whom also play the game. Members regularly dealt with harassment in the game, she said. In June, Meta acquired BigBox VR, the developer of Population One. Another member of the support group, Mari DeGrazia, 48, of Tucson, Arizona, said she saw harassment and assault happen in Population One “two to three times a week, if not more.” “Sometimes, we see things happen two to three times day that violate the game’s rules,” she added. BigBox VR did not respond to a request for comment. DeGrazia said the people behind Population One had responded to her complaints and appeared interested in making the game safer. Despite the harassment, she said, she has found a community of virtual friends with whom she regularly plays the game and enjoys those interactions. “I’m not going to stop playing, because I think it’s important to have diverse people, including women, playing this game,” she said. “We aren’t going to be pushed out of it, even though sometimes it’s hard.” In July, DeGrazia wore a haptic vest — which relays sensations through buzzes and vibrations — to play Population One. When another player groped her avatar’s chest, “it felt just awful,” she said. She noted that Zuckerberg has described a metaverse where people can be fitted with full-body suits that let them feel even more sensations, which she said was troubling. Siggens said she had ultimately reported the user account of the person who groped her in Population One through a form within the game. She later received an automated response saying punitive action had been taken against the user. “I don’t know if they were banned for a day or for a week or for forever,” she said. “Either way, it just keeps happening.” An hour after the incident with the stranger’s avatar, Siggens said, her avatar was groped again by a different user.

The Metaverse’s dark side: Here come harassment and assaults

Facebook owner Meta has applied for an opportunity to appeal a British regulator's ruling that Meta should sell Giphy, a popular animated images platform.

Competition Appeal Tribunal said on Wednesday that Meta had lodged an application for review on December. Meta has challenged Competition and Markets Authority's (CMA) ruling on six grounds.

The CMA had delivered the ruling on Giphy in November last year. The watchdog had said that Meta's acquisition &nbsp;of the animated graphics startup would hit competition and advertising.

Stuart McIntosh, who headed an inquiry into the buyout, said action was required because the tie-up had already affected competition in the display advertising market.

"Without action, it will also allow Facebook to increase its significant market power in social media even further, through controlling competitors' access to Giphy GIFs," he added.

"By requiring Facebook to sell Giphy we are protecting millions of social media users and promoting competition and innovation in digital advertising."

Meta, which announced the purchase of Giphy for a reported $400 million in May 2020, had said it disagreed with the ruling.

The CMA said the merger would allow Facebook to increase its significant market power by denying or limiting other platforms' access to Giphy GIFs.

It would also deny or limit other social media sites' access to Giphy GIFs, driving more traffic to Facebook-owned sites such as WhatsApp and Instagram, which account for 73 percent of social media user time in Britain.

(With inputs from agencies)

Facebook owner Meta has applied for an opportunity to appeal a British regulator's ruling that Meta should sell Giphy, a popular animated images platform. Competition Appeal Tribunal said on Wednesday that Meta had lodged an application for review on December.

Facebook owner Meta has applied for an opportunity to appeal a British regulator's ruling that Meta should sell Giphy, a popular animated images platform. Competition Appeal Tribunal said on Wednesday that Meta had lodged an application for review on December. Meta has challenged Competition and Markets Authority's (CMA) ruling on six grounds. The CMA had delivered the ruling on Giphy in November last year. The watchdog had said that Meta's acquisition of the animated graphics startup would hit competition and advertising. Stuart McIntosh, who headed an inquiry into the buyout, said action was required because the tie-up had already affected competition in the display advertising market. "Without action, it will also allow Facebook to increase its significant market power in social media even further, through controlling competitors' access to Giphy GIFs," he added. "By requiring Facebook to sell Giphy we are protecting millions of social media users and promoting competition and innovation in digital advertising." Meta, which announced the purchase of Giphy for a reported $400 million in May 2020, had said it disagreed with the ruling. The CMA said the merger would allow Facebook to increase its significant market power by denying or limiting other platforms' access to Giphy GIFs. It would also deny or limit other social media sites' access to Giphy GIFs, driving more traffic to Facebook-owned sites such as WhatsApp and Instagram, which account for 73 percent of social media user time in Britain. (With inputs from agencies)

Meta appeals British regulator's ruling that asked Facebook to sell Giphy

The Consumer Electronics Show has returned with an in-person show amid the surge in Omicron cases across the globe.

Organisers of the tech fair believe that the show still has a lot to offer even though Amazon.com Inc and General Motors Co dropped out of the event.

Known as one of the world's largest trade fairs the show is trying to get back to business in Las Vegas.

Also see |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/photos/from-meatless-meat-to-web-30-here-are-the-tech-trends-that-can-dominate-in-2022-441762" hreflang="en">From meatless meat to Web 3.0: Here are the tech trends that can dominate in 2022</a>

"We are thrilled to be back in Las Vegas where we belong after a two year absence for the platform for innovation globally," said Gary Shapiro, the President of the Consumer Technology Association.

"There's a whole plethora of different things, from robotics to Artificial Intelligence to 5G to Non-Fungible Tokens (NFTs), to many other technologies, including food technology, space technology. So many things that we focused on that we haven't before that have changed in just a couple of years," he added.

In this year's show, only vaccinated people will be granted entrance and they need to wear facemasks for protection against COVID-19. Test kits will also be provided at the venue, according to CTA's statement.

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/technology/viewing-distance-compensation-sonys-new-television-will-scold-users-on-sitting-too-close-442490" hreflang="en">'Viewing distance compensation': Sony's new television will scold users on sitting too close</a>

"Despite a few well-publicized cancellations amongst our exhibitors, we have over 2,200 exhibitors here at CES 2022 in Las Vegas, and all of them are counting on us to move forward," Steve Koenig, a vice president from the group that runs the convention.

"Why? Well, because these businesses are looking for investors, they're looking for partners, they're looking to conduct business," he added.

The event has been cut back by a day to end Friday, and the scale of the show will be sharply reduced with fewer than half the roughly 4,500 exhibitors that turned up for the last in-person edition in 2020, just before pandemic lockdowns hit the United States.

As worries over the new variant loom, many companies have withdrawn from presenting in-person at the event, planned both virtually and in-person.

Over the last week, a host of firms including Advanced Micro Devices, Proctor &amp; Gamble, Alphabet Inc's Google, Facebook parent Meta Platforms have also dropped their in-person plans.

Sony Group's Sony Electronics has said it will have limited staffing and attendees at the event. 
&nbsp;

(With inputs from agencies)

The Consumer Electronics Show has returned with an in-person show amid the surge in Omicron cases across the globe. Organisers of the tech fair believe that the show still has a lot to offer even though Amazon.

The Consumer Electronics Show has returned with an in-person show amid the surge in Omicron cases across the globe. Organisers of the tech fair believe that the show still has a lot to offer even though Amazon.com Inc and General Motors Co dropped out of the event. Known as one of the world's largest trade fairs the show is trying to get back to business in Las Vegas. Also see | From meatless meat to Web 3.0: Here are the tech trends that can dominate in 2022 "We are thrilled to be back in Las Vegas where we belong after a two year absence for the platform for innovation globally," said Gary Shapiro, the President of the Consumer Technology Association. "There's a whole plethora of different things, from robotics to Artificial Intelligence to 5G to Non-Fungible Tokens (NFTs), to many other technologies, including food technology, space technology. So many things that we focused on that we haven't before that have changed in just a couple of years," he added. In this year's show, only vaccinated people will be granted entrance and they need to wear facemasks for protection against COVID-19. Test kits will also be provided at the venue, according to CTA's statement. Also read | 'Viewing distance compensation': Sony's new television will scold users on sitting too close "Despite a few well-publicized cancellations amongst our exhibitors, we have over 2,200 exhibitors here at CES 2022 in Las Vegas, and all of them are counting on us to move forward," Steve Koenig, a vice president from the group that runs the convention. "Why? Well, because these businesses are looking for investors, they're looking for partners, they're looking to conduct business," he added. The event has been cut back by a day to end Friday, and the scale of the show will be sharply reduced with fewer than half the roughly 4,500 exhibitors that turned up for the last in-person edition in 2020, just before pandemic lockdowns hit the United States. As worries over the new variant loom, many companies have withdrawn from presenting in-person at the event, planned both virtually and in-person. Over the last week, a host of firms including Advanced Micro Devices, Proctor & Gamble, Alphabet Inc's Google, Facebook parent Meta Platforms have also dropped their in-person plans. Sony Group's Sony Electronics has said it will have limited staffing and attendees at the event. (With inputs from agencies)

Consumer Electronics Show 2022: Tech fair returns with in-person show amid Omicron surge

The new Bravia television by Japan's Sony Group Corp is going to be unveiled at the Consumer Electronics Show 2022.

From hand control gestures to video calls, the fancy new television is all set to wow consumers. It has an optional add-on for the rest of the lineup.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/sonys-playstation-executive-appears-in-pedophile-sting-video-gets-axed-434755">Also read |&nbsp;Sony’s PlayStation executive appears in pedophile sting video, gets axed</a>

It has a unique feature of scolding users on sitting too close through its proximity alert. The Bravo Cam has a “viewing distance compensation,” with settings for adjusting voice and brightness.

The camera mounts to the top of the television and plugs into the USB port. It will automatically dim the television if it detects that no one is in the room.

The company is looking to harness its strengths in entertainment and sensors to play a bigger role in next-generation mobility.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/technology/sony-invests-additional-200m-as-epic-games-raises-1b-377603">Also read |&nbsp;Sony invests additional $200M as Epic Games raises $1B&nbsp;</a>

Sony chairman and president Kenichiro Yoshida told a news conference, "With our imaging and sensing, cloud, 5G and entertainment technologies combined with our contents mastery, we believe Sony is well-positioned as a creative entertainment company to redefine mobility."

Although its once-dominant position in consumer electronics has been eroded by Asian rivals like South Korea's Samsung Electronics Co, Sony still has an arsenal of sophisticated technology in areas such as sensors critical to autonomous driving.

It also remains one of the world's biggest entertainment companies, home to prominent video game and movie franchises. Audio and entertainment systems are increasingly a focus for next-generation vehicles.&nbsp;

(With inputs from agencies)

The new Bravia television by Japan's Sony Group Corp is going to be unveiled at the Consumer Electronics Show 2022. From hand control gestures to video calls, the fancy new television is all set to wow consumers.

The new Bravia television by Japan's Sony Group Corp is going to be unveiled at the Consumer Electronics Show 2022. From hand control gestures to video calls, the fancy new television is all set to wow consumers. It has an optional add-on for the rest of the lineup. Also read | Sony’s PlayStation executive appears in pedophile sting video, gets axed It has a unique feature of scolding users on sitting too close through its proximity alert. The Bravo Cam has a “viewing distance compensation,” with settings for adjusting voice and brightness. The camera mounts to the top of the television and plugs into the USB port. It will automatically dim the television if it detects that no one is in the room. The company is looking to harness its strengths in entertainment and sensors to play a bigger role in next-generation mobility. Also read | Sony invests additional $200M as Epic Games raises $1B Sony chairman and president Kenichiro Yoshida told a news conference, "With our imaging and sensing, cloud, 5G and entertainment technologies combined with our contents mastery, we believe Sony is well-positioned as a creative entertainment company to redefine mobility." Although its once-dominant position in consumer electronics has been eroded by Asian rivals like South Korea's Samsung Electronics Co, Sony still has an arsenal of sophisticated technology in areas such as sensors critical to autonomous driving. It also remains one of the world's biggest entertainment companies, home to prominent video game and movie franchises. Audio and entertainment systems are increasingly a focus for next-generation vehicles. (With inputs from agencies)

'Viewing distance compensation': Sony's new television will scold users on sitting too close

Josh Wardle, a software engineer in Brooklyn, knew his partner loved word games, so he created a guessing game for just the two of them. As a play on his last name, he named it Wordle.

But after the couple played for months, and after it rapidly became an obsession in his family’s WhatsApp group once he introduced it to relatives, Wardle thought he might be on to something and released it to the rest of the world in October.

On Nov. 1, 90 people played.

On Sunday, just over two months later, more than 300,000 people played.

It’s been a meteoric rise for the once-a-day game, which invites players to guess a five-letter word in a similar manner as the guess-the-color game Mastermind. After guessing a five-letter word, the game tells you whether any of your letters are in the secret word and whether they are in the correct place. You have six tries to get it right.

Few such popular corners of the internet are as low-frills as the website, which Wardle built himself as a side project. There are no ads or flashing banners; no windows pop up or ask for money. There is merely the game on a black background.

“I think people kind of appreciate that there’s this thing online that’s just fun,” Wardle said in an interview on Monday. “It’s not trying to do anything shady with your data or your eyeballs. It’s just a game that’s fun.”

This is not Wardle’s first brush with suddenly capturing widespread attention. Formerly a software engineer for Reddit, he created two collaborative social experiments on the site, called The Button and Place, that each were phenomena in their moment.

But Wordle was built without a team of engineers. It was just him and his partner, Palak Shah, killing time during a pandemic.

Wardle said he first created a similar prototype in 2013, but his friends were unimpressed and he scrapped the idea. In 2020, he and Shah “got really into” the New York Times Spelling Bee and the daily crossword, “so I wanted to come up with a game that she would enjoy,” he said.

The breakthrough, he said, was limiting players to one game per day. That enforced a sense of scarcity, which he said was partially inspired by the Spelling Bee, which leaves people wanting more, he said.

Word games have proved immensely popular for The Times and other companies in recent years, and many such as the Spelling Bee have developed devoted fan followings.

But since Wordle was built originally for just Wardle and Shah, the initial design ignored a lot of the growth-hacking features that are virtually expected of games in the current era. While other games send notifications to your phone hoping you’ll come back throughout the day, Wordle doesn’t want an intense relationship.

“It’s something that encourages you to spend three minutes a day,” Wardle said. “And that’s it. Like, it doesn’t want any more of your time than that.”

Wordle lacked the ability to share results until mid-December. Wardle noticed players sharing their results by typing out a grid of green, yellow and black emojis, so he built an automated way for players to brag about their successes in a spoiler-free way.

If he were optimizing the game to gain as many players as possible, he would have included a link at the end of the tweet that the tool generates, he said. But after looking into it, he said it would have looked “trashy” and not as visually compelling, and he liked the grid’s mysterious air, which he felt piqued people’s interest.

While Shah was the lucky recipient of the first game, she has played a key role in getting it ready for the public, Wardle said. An initial list of all of the five-letter words in the English language — about 12,000 — contained a lot of obscure words that would have been near impossible to guess.

So he created another game for Shah: This time, she would sort through those 12,000 or so words, designating whether or not she knew them. That narrowed down the list of Wordle words to about 2,500, which should last for a few years. (Already, a few words have riled up the fans: Some were upset by REBUS and TAPIR, saying they were not familiar enough.)

Shah says she wakes up every day with a new routine: She warms up with the Spelling Bee, which gets her mind right for Wordle. She also loves the New York Times Crossword and cryptic crosswords.

Though Wordle is now shared with the world, she said she appreciated that Wardle originally created it for her.

“It’s really sweet,” she said. “This is definitely how Josh shows his love.”

Josh Wardle, a software engineer in Brooklyn, knew his partner loved word games, so he created a guessing game for just the two of them. As a play on his last name, he named it Wordle.

Josh Wardle, a software engineer in Brooklyn, knew his partner loved word games, so he created a guessing game for just the two of them. As a play on his last name, he named it Wordle. But after the couple played for months, and after it rapidly became an obsession in his family’s WhatsApp group once he introduced it to relatives, Wardle thought he might be on to something and released it to the rest of the world in October. On Nov. 1, 90 people played. On Sunday, just over two months later, more than 300,000 people played. It’s been a meteoric rise for the once-a-day game, which invites players to guess a five-letter word in a similar manner as the guess-the-color game Mastermind. After guessing a five-letter word, the game tells you whether any of your letters are in the secret word and whether they are in the correct place. You have six tries to get it right. Few such popular corners of the internet are as low-frills as the website, which Wardle built himself as a side project. There are no ads or flashing banners; no windows pop up or ask for money. There is merely the game on a black background. “I think people kind of appreciate that there’s this thing online that’s just fun,” Wardle said in an interview on Monday. “It’s not trying to do anything shady with your data or your eyeballs. It’s just a game that’s fun.” This is not Wardle’s first brush with suddenly capturing widespread attention. Formerly a software engineer for Reddit, he created two collaborative social experiments on the site, called The Button and Place, that each were phenomena in their moment. But Wordle was built without a team of engineers. It was just him and his partner, Palak Shah, killing time during a pandemic. Wardle said he first created a similar prototype in 2013, but his friends were unimpressed and he scrapped the idea. In 2020, he and Shah “got really into” the New York Times Spelling Bee and the daily crossword, “so I wanted to come up with a game that she would enjoy,” he said. The breakthrough, he said, was limiting players to one game per day. That enforced a sense of scarcity, which he said was partially inspired by the Spelling Bee, which leaves people wanting more, he said. Word games have proved immensely popular for The Times and other companies in recent years, and many such as the Spelling Bee have developed devoted fan followings. But since Wordle was built originally for just Wardle and Shah, the initial design ignored a lot of the growth-hacking features that are virtually expected of games in the current era. While other games send notifications to your phone hoping you’ll come back throughout the day, Wordle doesn’t want an intense relationship. “It’s something that encourages you to spend three minutes a day,” Wardle said. “And that’s it. Like, it doesn’t want any more of your time than that.” Wordle lacked the ability to share results until mid-December. Wardle noticed players sharing their results by typing out a grid of green, yellow and black emojis, so he built an automated way for players to brag about their successes in a spoiler-free way. If he were optimizing the game to gain as many players as possible, he would have included a link at the end of the tweet that the tool generates, he said. But after looking into it, he said it would have looked “trashy” and not as visually compelling, and he liked the grid’s mysterious air, which he felt piqued people’s interest. While Shah was the lucky recipient of the first game, she has played a key role in getting it ready for the public, Wardle said. An initial list of all of the five-letter words in the English language — about 12,000 — contained a lot of obscure words that would have been near impossible to guess. So he created another game for Shah: This time, she would sort through those 12,000 or so words, designating whether or not she knew them. That narrowed down the list of Wordle words to about 2,500, which should last for a few years. (Already, a few words have riled up the fans: Some were upset by REBUS and TAPIR, saying they were not familiar enough.) Shah says she wakes up every day with a new routine: She warms up with the Spelling Bee, which gets her mind right for Wordle. She also loves the New York Times Crossword and cryptic crosswords. Though Wordle is now shared with the world, she said she appreciated that Wardle originally created it for her. “It’s really sweet,” she said. “This is definitely how Josh shows his love.”

He made Wordle for his partner. Now it’s an online hit

As per a report by Newsweek and Capital &amp; Main, which cited leaked internal documents, Amazon, Google, Walmart, and other corporate behemoths have been spying on their employees to prevent them from unionising.

According to Newsweek, the most well-known examples of businesses using surveillance technologies on employees include Amazon and Walmart.

Whole Foods Market, owned by Amazon, employs heat maps to track store locations with a high likelihood of union action.

According to Newsweek, which cited the twice-weekly Human Resources journal, HR Brew, Walmart has tools to monitor an employee's activities and chats regarding activism, while Google has a system that warns management about internal meetings attended by 100 or more employees.&nbsp;

Companies frequently use underhanded tactics, according to Ricardo Hidalgo, an international organiser with the Teamsters who has helped unionise machinists and sanitation workers, by installing an informer among the group of employees who try to unionise.

This is done to keep track of conversations and pit staff members against one another.

Experts point to employment regulations, the majority of which were enacted in the first part of the twentieth century, emphasising that while the legislation has remained the same, technology has evolved and continues to improve, making it easier for employers to keep track of their employees.

In some circumstances, companies can acquire commercially available tools rather than invent their own gadgets to spy on employees.&nbsp;

Employee surveillance has increased dramatically in recent years.

According to a study conducted by Gartner, 60 per cent of large firms utilise monitoring technologies, which is twice as many as before the coronavirus outbreak.&nbsp;

(With inputs from agencies)

As per a report by Newsweek and Capital & Main, which cited leaked internal documents, Amazon, Google, Walmart, and other corporate behemoths have been spying on their employees to prevent them from unionising.

As per a report by Newsweek and Capital & Main, which cited leaked internal documents, Amazon, Google, Walmart, and other corporate behemoths have been spying on their employees to prevent them from unionising. According to Newsweek, the most well-known examples of businesses using surveillance technologies on employees include Amazon and Walmart. Whole Foods Market, owned by Amazon, employs heat maps to track store locations with a high likelihood of union action. According to Newsweek, which cited the twice-weekly Human Resources journal, HR Brew, Walmart has tools to monitor an employee's activities and chats regarding activism, while Google has a system that warns management about internal meetings attended by 100 or more employees. Companies frequently use underhanded tactics, according to Ricardo Hidalgo, an international organiser with the Teamsters who has helped unionise machinists and sanitation workers, by installing an informer among the group of employees who try to unionise. This is done to keep track of conversations and pit staff members against one another. Experts point to employment regulations, the majority of which were enacted in the first part of the twentieth century, emphasising that while the legislation has remained the same, technology has evolved and continues to improve, making it easier for employers to keep track of their employees. In some circumstances, companies can acquire commercially available tools rather than invent their own gadgets to spy on employees. Employee surveillance has increased dramatically in recent years. According to a study conducted by Gartner, 60 per cent of large firms utilise monitoring technologies, which is twice as many as before the coronavirus outbreak. (With inputs from agencies)

Technology giants spy on staff to prevent unionising, report says

From meatless meat to Web 3.0: Here are the tech trends that can dominate in 2022

Amid a rise in criticism, SpaceX CEO Elon Musk has denied all the claims that his Starlink satellite internet project is clogging the space in space.&nbsp;

While speaking to the &nbsp;Financial Times, Musk said that tens of billions of satellites can be accommodated in orbits close to Earth.

In an interview, Musk said, "Space is just extremely enormous, and satellites are very tiny. This is not some situation where we're effectively blocking others in any way. We've not blocked anyone from doing anything, nor do we expect to."&nbsp;

"A couple of thousand satellites is nothing. It's like, hey, here's a couple of thousand of cars on Earth, it's nothing," he added.&nbsp;

Recently, China accused the United States of irresponsible and unsafe conduct in space over two "close encounters" between the Chinese space station and satellites operated by Musk's SpaceX.

Tiangong, China's new space station, had to manoeuvre to avoid colliding with one Starlink satellite in July and with another in October, according to a note submitted by Beijing to the United Nations space agency this month.

The note said the incidents "constituted dangers to the life or health of astronauts aboard the China Space Station".

"The US... ignores its obligations under international treaties, posing a serious threat to the lives and safety of astronauts," Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian said at a routine briefing on Tuesday.

Starlink, a division of SpaceX, operates a constellation of close to 2,000 satellites that aims to provide internet access to most parts of Earth.

SpaceX is a private American company, independent of the US military and civilian space agency NASA.

(With inputs from agencies)

Amid a rise in criticism, SpaceX CEO Elon Musk has denied all the claims that his Starlink satellite internet project is clogging the space in space. While speaking to the Financial Times, Musk said that tens of billions of satellites can be accommodated in orbits close to Earth.

Amid a rise in criticism, SpaceX CEO Elon Musk has denied all the claims that his Starlink satellite internet project is clogging the space in space. While speaking to the Financial Times, Musk said that tens of billions of satellites can be accommodated in orbits close to Earth. In an interview, Musk said, "Space is just extremely enormous, and satellites are very tiny. This is not some situation where we're effectively blocking others in any way. We've not blocked anyone from doing anything, nor do we expect to." "A couple of thousand satellites is nothing. It's like, hey, here's a couple of thousand of cars on Earth, it's nothing," he added. Recently, China accused the United States of irresponsible and unsafe conduct in space over two "close encounters" between the Chinese space station and satellites operated by Musk's SpaceX. Tiangong, China's new space station, had to manoeuvre to avoid colliding with one Starlink satellite in July and with another in October, according to a note submitted by Beijing to the United Nations space agency this month. The note said the incidents "constituted dangers to the life or health of astronauts aboard the China Space Station". "The US... ignores its obligations under international treaties, posing a serious threat to the lives and safety of astronauts," Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian said at a routine briefing on Tuesday. Starlink, a division of SpaceX, operates a constellation of close to 2,000 satellites that aims to provide internet access to most parts of Earth. SpaceX is a private American company, independent of the US military and civilian space agency NASA. (With inputs from agencies)

'Space is extremely enormous': Amid criticism, Elon Musk says his satellites are not clogging the space

Another year has wrapped up.

Another variant is making headlines.

Curfews and restrictions are back. And a strong sense of Deja vu is setting in.

As we head into the new year with caution and some excitement, some of us are investing in fitness equipment, a great gym membership or a new set of wheels.

We suggest you put some technology in your year-end shopping basket.

Here's our annual buying guide with some of the leading products across categories and budgets. There's something for everyone!

THE iPAD MINI IS FOR EVERYONE

<img alt="Apple iPad" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="e3bee215-2950-4e4d-95f8-655e992abeee" src="//cdn.wionews.com/sites/default/files/inline-images/ipad.JPG" />

It's more compact that its bigger cousin, comes with a fantastic 8.3-inch screen and probably has more bells and whistles than the standard iPad. The tablet starts at Rs 46,900 and comes in pink, starlight, purple, and space grey finishes. Powered by the mighty A15 chipset and iPad OS15, the gadget is ideal for content consumption, multi-tasking and a lot more. You will need to dole out more money for accessories like the Apple Pencil.

THE DYSON AIRWRAP FOR EVERY TWIRL AND CURL

<img alt="Dyson" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="0d806cbd-101e-4414-b2c9-c42b49b81b5f" src="//cdn.wionews.com/sites/default/files/inline-images/dyson.JPG" />

The AirWrap has been a popular hair styling tool for years and continues to be on demand even as we enter a new year. Dyson's superior technology gives you the perfect blowout without putting too much heat on your strands. Gift this to your mum, partner or sister and I guarantee, they will be smiling ear to ear. Be prepared to loosen the purse strings because this one is priced at Rs 42,900.

ALL ABOUT PERSONAL AUDIO

If you're looking for a pair of headphones to drown out the year-end humdrum and just enjoy some "me time", I recommend you gift yourself the Sony WH-1000XM4 which offers improved noise cancellation and crystal-clear audio. The 30-hour battery and superior wireless listening experience also translates to the steep price tag of Rs 22,990.

ALEXA AND SIRI CAN HELP YOU MULTI-TASK

<img alt="Amazon" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="9a803576-c9ff-47d6-a653-d4806993ae4b" src="//cdn.wionews.com/sites/default/files/inline-images/amazon_1.JPG" />

Smart speakers and displays have made their way into our bedrooms and they're not going anywhere. If you're in the Apple ecosystem, I suggest you buy the HomePod Mini which will be a seamless addition to your home. It looks elegant and comes in exciting colours like yellow, orange and blue. At only 3.3-inches tall, it can be parked anywhere and is priced at Rs 9,900.

<img alt="Siri" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="e0c94c57-503e-40f3-a16a-141b6d863b53" src="//cdn.wionews.com/sites/default/files/inline-images/homepod.JPG" />

And if you're an Alexa fan, I suggest you buy the Amazon Echo Show 10, available for around Rs 20,000. The massive screen and speaker will follow your voice all because of its motion sensor. The biggest model in the Echo family can be used to follow recipes, workouts, entertain your child and even enjoy content with the family.

And if you're just looking for a wake-up call in the new year, opt for the Lenovo Smart Clock 2, a great speaker and smart clock for daily use, priced at around Rs 6,500.

2022: ALL ABOUT FITNESS?

For all those who have put their fitness goals on the back burner, don't be hard on yourselves. A new year brings new resolutions and fitness ranks high among them. The FlexBike from Indian start-up Flexnest is a great way to get some cardio in. It is ergonomically designed which makes it easy to fit into a corner and even be moved around owing to the wheels at the bottom. The FlexBike is priced at INR 29,990 and offers you a range of workouts through the Flexnest app.

If you need a smartwatch or fitness tracker to help you meet your goals and get you moving, opt for the Galaxy Watch 4 starting at Rs 24,999 which is the perfect smartwatch for android users. For Apple users, the Apple Watch Series 7 if a favourite though costs much more at nearly Rs 42,000.

A TABLET WHICH CAN BEND TO YOUR LIKING

The Lenovo Yoga Tab 11 makes it to this list for one reason alone and that's design. Its sleek kickstand makes it ideal for content consumption especially during travels. But that's not all, you can also multi-task, check emails and the tab won't disappoint. It can be yours for around Rs 28,000 and given its superior design and multiple uses, it's a great investment.

CLEARING THE AIR

If you still think an air purifier is a luxury, look around you. Air pollution and poor indoor air quality is making headlines and air purifiers have made way into hotels, gyms, spas and office spaces. For your home, I recommend the Dyson Purifier Hot+Cool priced at Rs 47,515. It will help you breathe better, is a great investment for houses where members are prone to seasonal allergies, and also performs the bonus function of acting as a heater for those winter months.

A LITTLE BIT OF NOSTALGIA&nbsp;

<img alt="Instax" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="feb4fec8-e4dc-4cfc-aef7-44fef3b6dc5a" src="//cdn.wionews.com/sites/default/files/inline-images/INSTAX%20BUTTER%201.jpeg" />

Fujifilm's Instax cameras have been a bit hit with millennials and the company recently collaborated with pop icons BTS to launch their new Instax Mini 11 Butter version, a reference to the popular song this year. It comes in a vibrant colour and is a great gift too. It can be yours for around Rs 10,000.

READ MORE IN 2022

My final suggestion is something which will hopefully encourage everyone to read more, especially those digital natives who don't visit bookstores anymore. Priced at nearly Rs 14,000, the new Kindle Paperwhite is faster and smoother than its predecessor and comes pretty close to the feel of a real hardback without the need for great lighting to enjoy your favourite book. With Omicron cases rising, I suggest you curl up with your Kindle and enjoy the thrill of a new novel in bed instead of risking an infection by stepping out.

Here's hoping some of these suggestions make way into your lives and on that note, happy new year!

Another year has wrapped up. Another variant is making headlines. Curfews and restrictions are back. And a strong sense of Deja vu is setting in. As we head into the new year with caution and some excitement, some of us are investing in fitness equipment, a great gym membership or a new set of wheels.

Another year has wrapped up. Another variant is making headlines. Curfews and restrictions are back. And a strong sense of Deja vu is setting in. As we head into the new year with caution and some excitement, some of us are investing in fitness equipment, a great gym membership or a new set of wheels. We suggest you put some technology in your year-end shopping basket. Here's our annual buying guide with some of the leading products across categories and budgets. There's something for everyone! THE iPAD MINI IS FOR EVERYONE It's more compact that its bigger cousin, comes with a fantastic 8.3-inch screen and probably has more bells and whistles than the standard iPad. The tablet starts at Rs 46,900 and comes in pink, starlight, purple, and space grey finishes. Powered by the mighty A15 chipset and iPad OS15, the gadget is ideal for content consumption, multi-tasking and a lot more. You will need to dole out more money for accessories like the Apple Pencil. THE DYSON AIRWRAP FOR EVERY TWIRL AND CURL The AirWrap has been a popular hair styling tool for years and continues to be on demand even as we enter a new year. Dyson's superior technology gives you the perfect blowout without putting too much heat on your strands. Gift this to your mum, partner or sister and I guarantee, they will be smiling ear to ear. Be prepared to loosen the purse strings because this one is priced at Rs 42,900. ALL ABOUT PERSONAL AUDIO If you're looking for a pair of headphones to drown out the year-end humdrum and just enjoy some "me time", I recommend you gift yourself the Sony WH-1000XM4 which offers improved noise cancellation and crystal-clear audio. The 30-hour battery and superior wireless listening experience also translates to the steep price tag of Rs 22,990. ALEXA AND SIRI CAN HELP YOU MULTI-TASK Smart speakers and displays have made their way into our bedrooms and they're not going anywhere. If you're in the Apple ecosystem, I suggest you buy the HomePod Mini which will be a seamless addition to your home. It looks elegant and comes in exciting colours like yellow, orange and blue. At only 3.3-inches tall, it can be parked anywhere and is priced at Rs 9,900. And if you're an Alexa fan, I suggest you buy the Amazon Echo Show 10, available for around Rs 20,000. The massive screen and speaker will follow your voice all because of its motion sensor. The biggest model in the Echo family can be used to follow recipes, workouts, entertain your child and even enjoy content with the family. And if you're just looking for a wake-up call in the new year, opt for the Lenovo Smart Clock 2, a great speaker and smart clock for daily use, priced at around Rs 6,500. 2022: ALL ABOUT FITNESS? For all those who have put their fitness goals on the back burner, don't be hard on yourselves. A new year brings new resolutions and fitness ranks high among them. The FlexBike from Indian start-up Flexnest is a great way to get some cardio in. It is ergonomically designed which makes it easy to fit into a corner and even be moved around owing to the wheels at the bottom. The FlexBike is priced at INR 29,990 and offers you a range of workouts through the Flexnest app. If you need a smartwatch or fitness tracker to help you meet your goals and get you moving, opt for the Galaxy Watch 4 starting at Rs 24,999 which is the perfect smartwatch for android users. For Apple users, the Apple Watch Series 7 if a favourite though costs much more at nearly Rs 42,000. A TABLET WHICH CAN BEND TO YOUR LIKING The Lenovo Yoga Tab 11 makes it to this list for one reason alone and that's design. Its sleek kickstand makes it ideal for content consumption especially during travels. But that's not all, you can also multi-task, check emails and the tab won't disappoint. It can be yours for around Rs 28,000 and given its superior design and multiple uses, it's a great investment. CLEARING THE AIR If you still think an air purifier is a luxury, look around you. Air pollution and poor indoor air quality is making headlines and air purifiers have made way into hotels, gyms, spas and office spaces. For your home, I recommend the Dyson Purifier Hot+Cool priced at Rs 47,515. It will help you breathe better, is a great investment for houses where members are prone to seasonal allergies, and also performs the bonus function of acting as a heater for those winter months. A LITTLE BIT OF NOSTALGIA Fujifilm's Instax cameras have been a bit hit with millennials and the company recently collaborated with pop icons BTS to launch their new Instax Mini 11 Butter version, a reference to the popular song this year. It comes in a vibrant colour and is a great gift too. It can be yours for around Rs 10,000. READ MORE IN 2022 My final suggestion is something which will hopefully encourage everyone to read more, especially those digital natives who don't visit bookstores anymore. Priced at nearly Rs 14,000, the new Kindle Paperwhite is faster and smoother than its predecessor and comes pretty close to the feel of a real hardback without the need for great lighting to enjoy your favourite book. With Omicron cases rising, I suggest you curl up with your Kindle and enjoy the thrill of a new novel in bed instead of risking an infection by stepping out. Here's hoping some of these suggestions make way into your lives and on that note, happy new year!

Our annual tech buying guide 2021

Monday, August 24th, 2020, is a date that will remain etched eternally in the memory of Indian-American Velchamy Sankarlingam. In fact, his work involves striving to ensure that what happened on that day doesn’t repeat. Zoom Video Communications, the popular video conferencing service, where he has been President, Product, and Engineering, had suffered a major global outage.

This, at a time when the service was being used by over a 300million daily meeting attendees, amid a pandemic that had forced people across geographies into Lockdowns. In an exclusive conversation with WION, he threw light on his experience of helping improve Zoom’s services, while also improving its privacy and security, amid widespread concerns.&nbsp;

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-news/parents-didnt-go-to-college-but-let-me-pursue-my-dreams-zooms-president-of-product-and-engineering-419269">Also read |&nbsp;'Parents didn’t go to college, but let me pursue my dreams': Zoom’s President of Product and Engineering</a>

Having joined Zoom in June 2020, on the insistence of his longtime friend and ex-colleague and Zoom’s Founder, CEO, Eric Yuan, Velchamy had to hit the ground running. The challenge at hand was unenviable - help scale up a product that was witnessing a 30-fold growth, in terms of the number of daily meeting attendees and attending to the growing concerns of privacy and security, expressed by individual users and Governments.

“Even prior to my joining Zoom and after my joining, there are nights when we built capacity to handle the next day’s needs. However, a lot of credit goes to Eric(CEO), as the product is built really well. Zoom can run on our own data center and on the public cloud, this ensures flexibility to expand” Velchamy recalls about the beginning of his tenure at Zoom.

Also see |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/photos/from-metaverse-to-nft-here-is-all-you-need-to-know-about-tech-buzzwords-of-2021-439134" hreflang="en">From metaverse to NFT: Here is all you need to know about tech buzzwords of 2021</a>

He admits that it was a lot of pressure on the team to scale up rapidly, however, he also believes that it is their company culture to do what’s right and keep customers happy. “When the pandemic hit, Eric could have prioritised his premium customers and shut down the free service. Instead, he went on to expand the free service and offer it free-of-cost for schools” he explains.&nbsp;

Hailing from Virudhunagar, in the Southern Indian State of Tamil Nadu, Velchamy had moved to the US after completing his engineering from Anna University, in the Southern Indian metropolis of Chennai. With a specialised qualification in Computer science and business, Velchamy worked at leading firms in the Software-as-a-Service industry(including IBM, Webex, VMware).

According to him, WebEx acquiring Presenter.com (the startup he was working for) was a major turning point in his career. It provided him the opportunity to help WebEx grow, while also being mentored by renowned tech industry leaders. It was at WebEx that Velchamy had met and worked with Eric Yuan (Zoom’s Founder, CEO).

“If you’re not paranoid, then this isn’t the job for you”

24th September 2020 happened to be a Monday, when even Zoom, which enabled WFH for millions across the globe, suffered Monday blues. During the morning hours, outages were reported across America, Europe and also in India and Australia. The service is said to have been restored by noon. “It was caused due to an error we made in our billing. It took us a couple of hours to resolve… It was not a full disruption, but a significant one” Velchamy recollects.&nbsp;

Learning from their own mistakes and those of others, Zoom worked towards ensuring that availability of service remains a top priority. “We will be able to run the service even if a data center goes down… Our product is resilient and can run from different data centers worldwide. There’s a lot of architecture built-in… Its not about feeling good about what is right, we must always look at what can go wrong… If you’re not paranoid, this job isn’t for you… ” he quips about the nature of his work.

That might sound like a lot of work-related stress, but playing a few hours of Golf is all he needs to get back with renewed vigour. But, when faced with challenges and in need for motivation, he looks to icons from his part of the world - Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam(Former Indian President and aerospace scientist) and K.Kamaraj (Indian freedom fighter and former Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu). “Since I am from Virudhunagar, I know a lot about Chief Minister Kamaraj. I have also read a lot about Dr. Abdul Kalam. I admire both of them for their integrity, values and selflessness” Velchamy says with pride.

True to its name, the company just Zoomed ahead during the pandemic - going from 10million daily meeting attendees(pre-pandemic) to nearly a 300million, during the pandemic. In India, the growth in daily meeting attendees was more than 60-fold. To cater to this user base, Zoom established data centers in India cities and even began accepting the Indian Rupee as a mode of payment. However, this growth was not without widespread concerns - the company’s alleged China ties, Security and Privacy issues, among others.&nbsp;

Queried about the China ties and related controversies, Velchamy said that Zoom is an American company and that it was built so by Founder, CEO Eric Yuan, who is also an American citizen. He added that the company had its major data centers in the US and how the company was funded by mainstream US investors and meant to provide service globally.&nbsp;

Elaborating on the China issue, he said that security options were provided for both Free and Premium users- For all the free users, none of the traffic goes through China, whereas we’ve given our paid users the option to join from 20 data centers around the world. “If you have meeting attendees in China and want them to join from China, you can. If you don’t have meeting attendees from China, then you have the choice to pick which country(data center) and how the data flows” he explained.

On the questions raised over privacy and security of the service, he responded that the company had spent 90 days on enhancing these facets and ensuring that a slew of new features were added. “Now, meeting hosts can lock the meeting room once all guests are in, attendees can be sent out of a meeting, the meeting can be frozen and hosts can find out who is doing what. We also have a Trust and Safety team to investigate any reports that come in” said Velchamy.

Asked specifically on the number of Governments that use Zoom services, he said, “Parts of the US Government, UK Government and Singapore use Zoom and recently the Indian Government had also issued an advisory saying Zoom was safe for use for Government purposes. A lot of Governments worldwide use Zoom”.

Immediately after the service outage in 2020, Zoom had sent an apology e-mail to its affected customers, but the responses overwhelmed the Zoom team, recalls Velchamy. “Pretty much all responses were about how Zoom helped them(the users)… We felt even worse(to have let them down), after reading their replies.. We realized how big a difference Zoom is making and that’s what makes us work harder” he signs off.

Monday, August 24th, 2020, is a date that will remain etched eternally in the memory of Indian-American Velchamy Sankarlingam. In fact, his work involves striving to ensure that what happened on that day doesn’t repeat.

Monday, August 24th, 2020, is a date that will remain etched eternally in the memory of Indian-American Velchamy Sankarlingam. In fact, his work involves striving to ensure that what happened on that day doesn’t repeat. Zoom Video Communications, the popular video conferencing service, where he has been President, Product, and Engineering, had suffered a major global outage. This, at a time when the service was being used by over a 300million daily meeting attendees, amid a pandemic that had forced people across geographies into Lockdowns. In an exclusive conversation with WION, he threw light on his experience of helping improve Zoom’s services, while also improving its privacy and security, amid widespread concerns. Also read | 'Parents didn’t go to college, but let me pursue my dreams': Zoom’s President of Product and Engineering Having joined Zoom in June 2020, on the insistence of his longtime friend and ex-colleague and Zoom’s Founder, CEO, Eric Yuan, Velchamy had to hit the ground running. The challenge at hand was unenviable - help scale up a product that was witnessing a 30-fold growth, in terms of the number of daily meeting attendees and attending to the growing concerns of privacy and security, expressed by individual users and Governments. “Even prior to my joining Zoom and after my joining, there are nights when we built capacity to handle the next day’s needs. However, a lot of credit goes to Eric(CEO), as the product is built really well. Zoom can run on our own data center and on the public cloud, this ensures flexibility to expand” Velchamy recalls about the beginning of his tenure at Zoom. Also see | From metaverse to NFT: Here is all you need to know about tech buzzwords of 2021 He admits that it was a lot of pressure on the team to scale up rapidly, however, he also believes that it is their company culture to do what’s right and keep customers happy. “When the pandemic hit, Eric could have prioritised his premium customers and shut down the free service. Instead, he went on to expand the free service and offer it free-of-cost for schools” he explains. Hailing from Virudhunagar, in the Southern Indian State of Tamil Nadu, Velchamy had moved to the US after completing his engineering from Anna University, in the Southern Indian metropolis of Chennai. With a specialised qualification in Computer science and business, Velchamy worked at leading firms in the Software-as-a-Service industry(including IBM, Webex, VMware). According to him, WebEx acquiring Presenter.com (the startup he was working for) was a major turning point in his career. It provided him the opportunity to help WebEx grow, while also being mentored by renowned tech industry leaders. It was at WebEx that Velchamy had met and worked with Eric Yuan (Zoom’s Founder, CEO). “If you’re not paranoid, then this isn’t the job for you” 24th September 2020 happened to be a Monday, when even Zoom, which enabled WFH for millions across the globe, suffered Monday blues. During the morning hours, outages were reported across America, Europe and also in India and Australia. The service is said to have been restored by noon. “It was caused due to an error we made in our billing. It took us a couple of hours to resolve… It was not a full disruption, but a significant one” Velchamy recollects. Learning from their own mistakes and those of others, Zoom worked towards ensuring that availability of service remains a top priority. “We will be able to run the service even if a data center goes down… Our product is resilient and can run from different data centers worldwide. There’s a lot of architecture built-in… Its not about feeling good about what is right, we must always look at what can go wrong… If you’re not paranoid, this job isn’t for you… ” he quips about the nature of his work. That might sound like a lot of work-related stress, but playing a few hours of Golf is all he needs to get back with renewed vigour. But, when faced with challenges and in need for motivation, he looks to icons from his part of the world - Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam(Former Indian President and aerospace scientist) and K.Kamaraj (Indian freedom fighter and former Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu). “Since I am from Virudhunagar, I know a lot about Chief Minister Kamaraj. I have also read a lot about Dr. Abdul Kalam. I admire both of them for their integrity, values and selflessness” Velchamy says with pride. True to its name, the company just Zoomed ahead during the pandemic - going from 10million daily meeting attendees(pre-pandemic) to nearly a 300million, during the pandemic. In India, the growth in daily meeting attendees was more than 60-fold. To cater to this user base, Zoom established data centers in India cities and even began accepting the Indian Rupee as a mode of payment. However, this growth was not without widespread concerns - the company’s alleged China ties, Security and Privacy issues, among others. Queried about the China ties and related controversies, Velchamy said that Zoom is an American company and that it was built so by Founder, CEO Eric Yuan, who is also an American citizen. He added that the company had its major data centers in the US and how the company was funded by mainstream US investors and meant to provide service globally. Elaborating on the China issue, he said that security options were provided for both Free and Premium users- For all the free users, none of the traffic goes through China, whereas we’ve given our paid users the option to join from 20 data centers around the world. “If you have meeting attendees in China and want them to join from China, you can. If you don’t have meeting attendees from China, then you have the choice to pick which country(data center) and how the data flows” he explained. On the questions raised over privacy and security of the service, he responded that the company had spent 90 days on enhancing these facets and ensuring that a slew of new features were added. “Now, meeting hosts can lock the meeting room once all guests are in, attendees can be sent out of a meeting, the meeting can be frozen and hosts can find out who is doing what. We also have a Trust and Safety team to investigate any reports that come in” said Velchamy. Asked specifically on the number of Governments that use Zoom services, he said, “Parts of the US Government, UK Government and Singapore use Zoom and recently the Indian Government had also issued an advisory saying Zoom was safe for use for Government purposes. A lot of Governments worldwide use Zoom”. Immediately after the service outage in 2020, Zoom had sent an apology e-mail to its affected customers, but the responses overwhelmed the Zoom team, recalls Velchamy. “Pretty much all responses were about how Zoom helped them(the users)… We felt even worse(to have let them down), after reading their replies.. We realized how big a difference Zoom is making and that’s what makes us work harder” he signs off.

Exclusive: A global outage, privacy and security concerns, how Zoom Video set it right

American multinational company Apple, founded by Steve Jobs, Steve Wozniak, and Ronald Wayne, is the world's second most valuable company after Microsoft.

But the tech giant is making the same mistakes committed by Finnish telecommunications and information technology company Nokia.

Slowing sales, controversies, and a lack of innovation might push Apple towards a decline.

<div class="videoWrapper trancodeVideo"><iframe allowfullscreen="" autoplay="1" class="includeVideo" frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.wionews.com/videos/gravitas-did-apple-bribe-chinese-communists-435267/embed" style="width:100%;max-width:560px;" width="560"></iframe></div>

From garage start-up to megalith worth $2 trillion

The company has impacted hundreds of millions of lives since its 1976 founding in a garage.

Apple raced to success in the late 1970s and early 1980s, but foundered after the departure of Jobs and Wozniak.

The company was reinvigorated in the late 1990s, and Jobs was brought back into the fold as the chief executive.

With his passion for minimalist design and marketing genius, Jobs changed the course of personal computing during two stints at Apple and then brought a revolution to the mobile market.

Also see |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/photos/apple-packs-ipad-pros-with-faster-chips-slims-imacs-and-jumps-into-tracking-tags-378985" hreflang="en">Apple packs iPad Pros with faster chips, slims iMacs and jumps into tracking tags</a>

He oversaw the launch of the iPod, and later the world-changing iPhone, that put the internet in people's pockets. It was dubbed the “Jesus phone” for its quasi-religious following.

However, after his death in 2011 due to a rare form of pancreatic cancer, it lost a visionary leader.

Jobs’ death came just one day after Cook presented a new iPhone at the kind of gala event that became Jobs’ trademark.&nbsp;

Perhaps coincidentally, the new device got lukewarm reviews, with many saying it wasn’t a big enough improvement over the existing version of one of the most successful consumer products in history.

Apple still faces challenges in the absence of the man who was its chief product designer, marketing guru and salesman nonpareil.&nbsp;

Phones running Google’s Android software are gaining share in the smartphone market, and there are questions over what the next big thing is in Apple’s product line.

While the company's greatest challenge is to reposition the company’s fabled marketing apparatus to safeguard the brand, experts believe Cook is likely sticking to established battle plans at this critical juncture.&nbsp;

Also see |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/photos/from-metaverse-to-nft-here-is-all-you-need-to-know-about-tech-buzzwords-of-2021-439134" hreflang="en">From metaverse to NFT: Here is all you need to know about tech buzzwords of 2021</a>

Blast from the past

Finnish telecoms network equipment maker Nokia failed to keep pace with changing customer needs and adaptation to market dynamics.

In the popular narrative of Nokia’s eclipse, it is Apple’s iPhone that steals the light, but the company also lost its shine in the basic phone market, which had been a reliable generator of profits and carried the promise of years of strong growth in emerging markets.

The company abandoned its own Symbian smartphone operating system in 2011 in favor of the largely untried Windows Phone alternative after Stephen Elop joined as chief executive from Windows maker Microsoft.&nbsp;

Nokia’s decline was partly down to a lack of entrepreneurial leadership and the failure to face up to bad news, according to the book by Risto Siilasmaa, Nokia’s chairman, who joined the company’s board in 2008.

Microsoft Corp bought Nokia’s phone business and license its patents for 5.44 billion euros ($7.2 billion) in 2013 and sold them for $350 million to Foxconn three years later.

Traded magic for profit?

The fall of Nokia and the rise of Apple as a smartphone giant are deeply intertwined.

Apple, which throughout the global recession near-unfailingly smashed Wall Street forecasts, is beginning to lose its aura of invincibility.

Apple took a $6 billion hit to its sales during the fiscal fourth quarter due to persistent global supply chain problems. The company has missed Wall Street targets twice in under a year.&nbsp;

CEO Tim Cook may now have to worry more about economic and product launch cycles, and the whims of fickle consumers.

The blockbuster smartphone that adds a special gloss to the Apple brand is a highly cyclical product. Buyers emerge in droves every time a new version is launched, lining up at stores overnight, and snarling supply for the device.

Its popularity has heightened speculation around the device every year as over 100 million yearly customers decide when to switch to a new model, whether to buy now or hold out for a better but same-priced phone.

The now-more predictable line-up also means consumers are more attuned to product life cycles and launch timelines, something that Apple goes to great lengths to keep secret.

Apple dodged a bullet in 2021 when a US federal court said Fortnite maker Epic Games failed to show the iPhone giant held an illegal monopoly, but the firm was still ordered to loosen control over its App Store that serves as a sole gateway onto its coveted mobile devices and takes commissions of purchases.

It is unlikely to meet production goals for its new iPhone before the holidays because of a global electronic chip shortage, according to a recent report.&nbsp;

Apple is facing criticism and lawsuits over the tight control of its "ecosystem" from iPhone hardware to the apps allowed on handsets.

It has become reliant on customer upgrades in the face of a saturated market more than a decade ago.&nbsp;

Customers have delayed replacing their phones and are instead fixing their old gadgets amid the coronavirus pandemic.

The company has started a 'Self Service Repair' programme in the United States offering to sell tools and parts to people who want to work on damaged iPhone 12 or 13 model handsets.

It will initially focus on parts more prone to damage, such as screens, batteries, and cameras.

The programme will be rolled out in other countries during the course of next year, and be expanded to include some Mac computers, said the Silicon Valley-based company.

 
&nbsp;

American multinational company Apple, founded by Steve Jobs, Steve Wozniak, and Ronald Wayne, is the world's second most valuable company after Microsoft. But the tech giant is making the same mistakes committed by Finnish telecommunications and information technology company Nokia.

American multinational company Apple, founded by Steve Jobs, Steve Wozniak, and Ronald Wayne, is the world's second most valuable company after Microsoft. But the tech giant is making the same mistakes committed by Finnish telecommunications and information technology company Nokia. Slowing sales, controversies, and a lack of innovation might push Apple towards a decline. From garage start-up to megalith worth $2 trillion The company has impacted hundreds of millions of lives since its 1976 founding in a garage. Apple raced to success in the late 1970s and early 1980s, but foundered after the departure of Jobs and Wozniak. The company was reinvigorated in the late 1990s, and Jobs was brought back into the fold as the chief executive. With his passion for minimalist design and marketing genius, Jobs changed the course of personal computing during two stints at Apple and then brought a revolution to the mobile market. Also see | Apple packs iPad Pros with faster chips, slims iMacs and jumps into tracking tags He oversaw the launch of the iPod, and later the world-changing iPhone, that put the internet in people's pockets. It was dubbed the “Jesus phone” for its quasi-religious following. However, after his death in 2011 due to a rare form of pancreatic cancer, it lost a visionary leader. Jobs’ death came just one day after Cook presented a new iPhone at the kind of gala event that became Jobs’ trademark. Perhaps coincidentally, the new device got lukewarm reviews, with many saying it wasn’t a big enough improvement over the existing version of one of the most successful consumer products in history. Apple still faces challenges in the absence of the man who was its chief product designer, marketing guru and salesman nonpareil. Phones running Google’s Android software are gaining share in the smartphone market, and there are questions over what the next big thing is in Apple’s product line. While the company's greatest challenge is to reposition the company’s fabled marketing apparatus to safeguard the brand, experts believe Cook is likely sticking to established battle plans at this critical juncture. Also see | From metaverse to NFT: Here is all you need to know about tech buzzwords of 2021 Blast from the past Finnish telecoms network equipment maker Nokia failed to keep pace with changing customer needs and adaptation to market dynamics. In the popular narrative of Nokia’s eclipse, it is Apple’s iPhone that steals the light, but the company also lost its shine in the basic phone market, which had been a reliable generator of profits and carried the promise of years of strong growth in emerging markets. The company abandoned its own Symbian smartphone operating system in 2011 in favor of the largely untried Windows Phone alternative after Stephen Elop joined as chief executive from Windows maker Microsoft. Nokia’s decline was partly down to a lack of entrepreneurial leadership and the failure to face up to bad news, according to the book by Risto Siilasmaa, Nokia’s chairman, who joined the company’s board in 2008. Microsoft Corp bought Nokia’s phone business and license its patents for 5.44 billion euros ($7.2 billion) in 2013 and sold them for $350 million to Foxconn three years later. Traded magic for profit? The fall of Nokia and the rise of Apple as a smartphone giant are deeply intertwined. Apple, which throughout the global recession near-unfailingly smashed Wall Street forecasts, is beginning to lose its aura of invincibility. Apple took a $6 billion hit to its sales during the fiscal fourth quarter due to persistent global supply chain problems. The company has missed Wall Street targets twice in under a year. CEO Tim Cook may now have to worry more about economic and product launch cycles, and the whims of fickle consumers. The blockbuster smartphone that adds a special gloss to the Apple brand is a highly cyclical product. Buyers emerge in droves every time a new version is launched, lining up at stores overnight, and snarling supply for the device. Its popularity has heightened speculation around the device every year as over 100 million yearly customers decide when to switch to a new model, whether to buy now or hold out for a better but same-priced phone. The now-more predictable line-up also means consumers are more attuned to product life cycles and launch timelines, something that Apple goes to great lengths to keep secret. Apple dodged a bullet in 2021 when a US federal court said Fortnite maker Epic Games failed to show the iPhone giant held an illegal monopoly, but the firm was still ordered to loosen control over its App Store that serves as a sole gateway onto its coveted mobile devices and takes commissions of purchases. It is unlikely to meet production goals for its new iPhone before the holidays because of a global electronic chip shortage, according to a recent report. Apple is facing criticism and lawsuits over the tight control of its "ecosystem" from iPhone hardware to the apps allowed on handsets. It has become reliant on customer upgrades in the face of a saturated market more than a decade ago. Customers have delayed replacing their phones and are instead fixing their old gadgets amid the coronavirus pandemic. The company has started a 'Self Service Repair' programme in the United States offering to sell tools and parts to people who want to work on damaged iPhone 12 or 13 model handsets. It will initially focus on parts more prone to damage, such as screens, batteries, and cameras. The programme will be rolled out in other countries during the course of next year, and be expanded to include some Mac computers, said the Silicon Valley-based company.

Is Apple making the same mistakes made by Nokia?

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - White House National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan sent a letter to major software companies and developers to discuss ways to improve software security, the White House said on Thursday. (Reporting By Jarrett Renshaw and Alexanda Alper; Editing by Chris Reese)

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - White House National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan sent a letter to major software companies and developers to discuss ways to improve software security, the White House said on Thursday.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - White House National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan sent a letter to major software companies and developers to discuss ways to improve software security, the White House said on Thursday. (Reporting By Jarrett Renshaw and Alexanda Alper; Editing by Chris Reese)

White House national security adviser asks software companies to discuss cybersecurity

Jeff Bezos' Amazon briefly banned itself on Twitch after the presenter of a show went rogue and exposed herself on air.

The host of the Spanish talk show 'Esto es un Late,' Henar Alvarez accidentally revealed her breast during a live show.

Even though the camera quickly cut away from her when the incident happened she said jokingly “We’re about to be banned.”&nbsp;

Also see |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/photos/from-metaverse-to-nft-here-is-all-you-need-to-know-about-tech-buzzwords-of-2021-439134">From metaverse to NFT: Here is all you need to know about tech buzzwords of 2021</a>

The e-commerce giant, which owns Twitch since 2014, had to ban itself for almost 24 hours. It&nbsp;later deleted the broadcast from its channel.

StreamerBans, a Twitter account that tracks the latest bans on Twitch, asked “And now how do I explain this to my bosses?”

Alvarez responded to this tweet and said “Tell them I promise that from now on I will always wear a bra to host the show. I am very sorry, I was wrong and it will not happen again.”

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/technology/the-perfect-kindle-for-avid-readers-435399" hreflang="en">The perfect Kindle for avid readers</a>

"For those who present as women, we ask that you cover your nipples. We do not permit exposed underbust," Twitch said in its guidelines.

It also does not permit "sexually suggestive content" such as a camera focus on "breasts, buttocks, or pelvic region".

Twitch has been under pressure from users to combat abuses on its site, including targeted harassment and so-called hate raids where streamers' chats are flooded with harassing messages.

Approximately 70 per cent of its users are aged 13 to 34. They collectively watch 68 million to 73 million hours of gameplay each day, according to unofficial data site Twitch Tracker.

(With inputs from agencies) 
&nbsp;

Jeff Bezos' Amazon briefly banned itself on Twitch after the presenter of a show went rogue and exposed herself on air. The host of the Spanish talk show 'Esto es un Late,' Henar Alvarez accidentally revealed her breast during a live show.

Jeff Bezos' Amazon briefly banned itself on Twitch after the presenter of a show went rogue and exposed herself on air. The host of the Spanish talk show 'Esto es un Late,' Henar Alvarez accidentally revealed her breast during a live show. Even though the camera quickly cut away from her when the incident happened she said jokingly “We’re about to be banned.” Also see | From metaverse to NFT: Here is all you need to know about tech buzzwords of 2021 The e-commerce giant, which owns Twitch since 2014, had to ban itself for almost 24 hours. It later deleted the broadcast from its channel. StreamerBans, a Twitter account that tracks the latest bans on Twitch, asked “And now how do I explain this to my bosses?” Alvarez responded to this tweet and said “Tell them I promise that from now on I will always wear a bra to host the show. I am very sorry, I was wrong and it will not happen again.” Also read | The perfect Kindle for avid readers "For those who present as women, we ask that you cover your nipples. We do not permit exposed underbust," Twitch said in its guidelines. It also does not permit "sexually suggestive content" such as a camera focus on "breasts, buttocks, or pelvic region". Twitch has been under pressure from users to combat abuses on its site, including targeted harassment and so-called hate raids where streamers' chats are flooded with harassing messages. Approximately 70 per cent of its users are aged 13 to 34. They collectively watch 68 million to 73 million hours of gameplay each day, according to unofficial data site Twitch Tracker. (With inputs from agencies)

Amazon briefly bans itself on Twitch over internet mix-up

A new "apocalyptic" cyberattack has the potential to wipe out the Internet, putting NASA, televisions, and Minecraft in jeopardy.

Everything from NASA helicopters to Amazon and Google is now vulnerable to a sophisticated hacking attack, making the 'worst-ever' Internet security flaw 'apocalyptic' for the computer industry.

The "worst-ever" Internet security vulnerability has been found, with consequences for Amazon, NASA, Minecraft, and smart TVs.&nbsp;

The flaw, which may allow hackers to take control of nearly everything on the Internet, has apparently made IT giants nervous.

According to the Seattle Times, employees at Silicon Valley corporations have been working all-nighters to guarantee their code is secure. 
 
<a href="https://www.wionews.com/technology/what-is-log4j-the-biggest-computer-vulnerability-in-decades-436791">Also read | What is Log4j, the biggest computer vulnerability in decades?</a>

According to a Google employee, more than 500 engineers have been working overtime to guarantee that their software is up to date.

The security hole known as log4j, according to Jen Easterly, the US Cybersecurity Director, is "the most significant vulnerability I have seen in my decades-long career."&nbsp;

Log4j is a piece of code that powers vast portions of the Internet.

This assists various software in logging and tracking past activity. 
 
<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/software-flaw-log4shell-may-be-worst-computer-vulnerability-in-a-decade-436306">Also read | Software flaw 'Log4Shell' may be worst computer vulnerability in a decade</a>

Cybersecurity specialists have discovered that all hackers need to do is make the application log a line of malicious code, and the programme will execute it, giving them complete control of entire servers.

Log4j is a big concern because it is one of the most extensively used pieces of code on the Internet.&nbsp;

It's a component of the Java programming language, which is used in almost all software.

Importantly, online behemoths like Amazon, Google, Microsoft, IBM, and Oracle are affected, putting every other website or corporation that relies on their services at risk.

This includes Minecraft, most smart TVs, and even NASA's Ingenuity Mars chopper.

According to reports, the weakness has existed for years, and Iranian-backed hackers have attempted to use it to get into the Israeli government.

The US government has set a deadline for correcting the problem for Christmas Eve, but even if it is fixed in time, hackers may have already obtained access to thousands of apps and services.&nbsp;

(With inputs from agencies)

A new "apocalyptic" cyberattack has the potential to wipe out the Internet, putting NASA, televisions, and Minecraft in jeopardy. Everything from NASA helicopters to Amazon and Google is now vulnerable to a sophisticated hacking attack, making the 'worst-ever' Internet security flaw 'apocalyptic' for the computer industry.

A new "apocalyptic" cyberattack has the potential to wipe out the Internet, putting NASA, televisions, and Minecraft in jeopardy. Everything from NASA helicopters to Amazon and Google is now vulnerable to a sophisticated hacking attack, making the 'worst-ever' Internet security flaw 'apocalyptic' for the computer industry. The "worst-ever" Internet security vulnerability has been found, with consequences for Amazon, NASA, Minecraft, and smart TVs. The flaw, which may allow hackers to take control of nearly everything on the Internet, has apparently made IT giants nervous. According to the Seattle Times, employees at Silicon Valley corporations have been working all-nighters to guarantee their code is secure. Also read | What is Log4j, the biggest computer vulnerability in decades? According to a Google employee, more than 500 engineers have been working overtime to guarantee that their software is up to date. The security hole known as log4j, according to Jen Easterly, the US Cybersecurity Director, is "the most significant vulnerability I have seen in my decades-long career." Log4j is a piece of code that powers vast portions of the Internet. This assists various software in logging and tracking past activity. Also read | Software flaw 'Log4Shell' may be worst computer vulnerability in a decade Cybersecurity specialists have discovered that all hackers need to do is make the application log a line of malicious code, and the programme will execute it, giving them complete control of entire servers. Log4j is a big concern because it is one of the most extensively used pieces of code on the Internet. It's a component of the Java programming language, which is used in almost all software. Importantly, online behemoths like Amazon, Google, Microsoft, IBM, and Oracle are affected, putting every other website or corporation that relies on their services at risk. This includes Minecraft, most smart TVs, and even NASA's Ingenuity Mars chopper. According to reports, the weakness has existed for years, and Iranian-backed hackers have attempted to use it to get into the Israeli government. The US government has set a deadline for correcting the problem for Christmas Eve, but even if it is fixed in time, hackers may have already obtained access to thousands of apps and services. (With inputs from agencies)

This cyber attack could wipe out the internet. Here's why

From metaverse to NFT: Here is all you need to know about tech buzzwords of 2021

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