Good morning! This is your daily ☕️ Techpresso.
In today's Techpresso:
🚨 Amazon forced to recall 400K products that could kill, electrocute people
🤔 Logitech CEO proposes a mouse as a service
💥 Google cracks down on explicit deepfakes in search results
💰 Meta will pay $1.4 billion to settle facial-recognition tech case
📉 Microsoft’s cloud revenues rule again in Q4, as Surface continues to dip
📿 AI 'Friend' pendant goes viral
🎁 + 7 other news you might like
🔮 + 4 handpicked research papers and tools
🚨 Amazon forced to recall 400K products that could kill, electrocute peopleLINK
The US Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) has determined that Amazon is responsible for properly recalling dangerous items sold on its marketplace, even those from third-party sellers.
The CPSC found that Amazon failed to adequately inform the public about over 400,000 recalled products and did not follow approved recall procedures aimed at preventing the use, resale, or giveaway of these hazardous items.
The products at issue, sold between 2018 and 2021, include dangerous carbon monoxide detectors and flammable children's pajamas, and Amazon is now required to implement a comprehensive plan to notify customers and ensure the removal or destruction of these unsafe products.
🤔 Logitech CEO proposes a mouse as a serviceLINK
Logitech's CEO Hanneke Faber discussed the concept of a "forever mouse" that would rely on ongoing software updates delivered via a subscription model during a podcast interview.
While concrete plans for this mouse haven't been announced, Faber showed optimism about the product's potential and noted the challenges in developing a business model that supports it without a high hardware price.
Logitech aims to grow by appealing to both non-mouse owners and buyers of higher-priced devices, and the "forever mouse" could fit into this strategy by offering durable hardware supported by frequent software updates.
💥 Google cracks down on explicit deepfakes in search resultsLINK
Google is introducing new online safety features designed to remove explicit deepfakes from Search, making it harder for such content to appear prominently in search results.
When users request the removal of explicit nonconsensual fake images of themselves, Google's systems will now filter out similar explicit results and remove duplicate images from related search queries.
Google's updates also include demoting sites with extensive removals for fake explicit imagery in Search rankings and ensuring that searches for deepfake images yield high-quality, non-explicit content instead.
💰 Meta will pay $1.4 billion to settle facial-recognition tech caseLINK
Meta has agreed to pay $1.4 billion over five years to Texas, settling a lawsuit alleging Facebook's use of facial recognition violated the Capture or Use of Biometric Identifier Act and Deceptive Trade Practices Act.
This settlement, announced by State Attorney General Ken Paxton, is the largest resulting from a single state's action and serves as a cautionary tale to other companies regarding privacy rights infringements.
Despite the settlement, Meta did not admit to any wrongdoing and had previously introduced controls for tag suggestions, eventually shutting down automated facial tagging features in 2021.
📉 Microsoft’s cloud revenues rule again in Q4, as Surface continues to dipLINK
Microsoft's Intelligent Cloud division, which includes server products and cloud services, generated $28.5 billion in Q4 2024, accounting for almost 45 percent of the company's total revenue and marking a 19 percent year-over-year increase.
Surface device revenues have declined for the seventh consecutive quarter, dropping by 11 percent in Q4 of Microsoft's 2024 fiscal year, and the company expects this trend to continue with low to mid-single-digit declines next quarter.
Xbox hardware revenue fell 42 percent this quarter, continuing its downturn, but overall gaming revenue rose 44 percent thanks to significant contributions from Activision Blizzard, despite lackluster Xbox console sales.
📿 AI 'Friend' pendant goes viralLINK
The 'Friend' AI necklace, created by Avi Schiffmann, is designed to provide personal companionship through support and encouragement, connecting to an iPhone via Bluetooth. Unlike other AI wearables that failed, Friend listens to interactions around the wearer and sends supportive messages, storing all data locally on the device. Schiffmann described the device as an expression of loneliness and emphasized its role as a supportive and validating companion, useful for brainstorming and discussing relationships.
Other news you might like
Meta blames hallucinations after its AI said Trump rally shooting didn’t happen.LINK
Microsoft calls for new laws on AI-generated deepfakes.LINK
OpenAI rolls out ChatGPT's new Voice AI (without Scarlett Johansson mode).LINK
New Apple Patent Suggests Rotating Displays for Future MacBooks.LINK
Intel allegedly plans imminent lay off of thousands of employees to fuel turnaround.LINK
Uber deal could add 100,000 ride-hailing EVs to roads.LINK
An AI-powered robot is helping install Amazon's largest solar farm.LINK
Latest research and tools
Docker-OSX: allows running macOS within a Docker container, offering capabilities like iMessage, X11 Forwarding, and iPhone USB connection for security research and development on both Linux and Windows platforms.LINK
Ngtop: a command-line tool that analyzes Nginx access logs for request analytics, supporting queries on request counts by time frame, URL, or user agent, and storing results in an SQLite database for efficient data management.LINK
FakeTraveler: allows users to simulate their phone's location anywhere on a map, facilitating privacy or app testing, by setting a mock location in Android developer settings.LINK
Deep-Tempest: using deep learning to intercept and understand signals from HDMI cables.LINK
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