Encrypted messaging app Signal is rolling out a new face-blurring feature that automatically locates and blurs faces in images shared over the platform. In a blog post announcing the update, Signal co-founder Moxie Marlinspike explained that the tool was a response to a surge in traffic, spurred by ongoing protests around the world against racism and poice brutality.

There's a light at the end of the tunnel for the first mole to burrow into the surface of Mars, scientists hope. Not a furry mole, of course; the term is the nickname for the instrument formally known as the Heat Flow and Physical Properties Package on board NASA's InSight lander mission. The lander, which touched down on Mars in November 2018, is designed to give scientists a look inside the Red Planet and gather data to...

Many of us are entering a new stage of pandemic grief: adaptation. We are asking ourselves: How do we live with this new reality? For many Americans, part of the solution has been to buy an electric bike. The battery-powered two-wheelers have become a compelling alternative for commuters who are being discouraged from taking public transportation and Ubers. For others, the bikes provide much-needed fresh air after months of confinement.

On Sunday, Snap CEO Evan Spiegel sent employees an unusually personal note reflecting on the events of the past several weeks. Many brands took the occasion of George Floyd’s murder at the hands of police, and the global protests that have followed, to signal their solidarity with the black community and their allies. But few CEOs took the step, as Spiegel did, of reflecting on his own privilege — and then calling for reparations for black folks. (He threw in a cogent analysis of the federal budget, too.)

Canadian carriers Bell and Telus announced on Tuesday that each of them would not be continuing the use of Huawei equipment in their respective 5G networks, having signed deals with the Chinese giant's rivals instead. For Bell, it announced Ericsson would be supplying its radio access network. It added that it was looking to launch 5G services as the Canadian economy exited lockdown.

Have you been missing something amid the lockdowns and stay-at-home orders? No, not human contact. Not even toilet paper. Robocalls. Industry experts say robocalls are way down — scam calls as well as nagging from your credit-card company to pay your bill. The coronavirus pandemic has inflicted millions of job losses, and scammers have not been immune.

Following the public release of iOS 13.5.1 today, Apple has also released the first beta of iOS 13.5.5 and iPadOS 13.5.5 to developers. This update likely focuses on bug fixes and performance improvements. [Update: Now rolling out to public beta users too.] Apple does not specify what new features are included in iOS 13.5.5 and iPadOS 13.5.5, but it’s likely that the update includes similar security enhancements to iOS 13.5.1. The build number for iOS 13.5.5 is 17G5035d. “This beta version of iOS 13.5.5 contains bug fixes and improvements,” Apple says.

Researchers in Australia have achieved a world record internet speed of 44.2 terabits per second, allowing users to download 1,000 HD movies in a single second. A team from Monash, Swinburne and RMIT universities used a “micro-comb” optical chip containing hundreds of infrared lasers to transfer data across existing communications infrastructure in Melbourne.

The chief executive of the world’s largest hotel company doesn’t expect coronavirus to forever upend the hotel industry. Marriott President and CEO Arne Sorenson hasn’t disguised his thoughts on how negative the ongoing pandemic has been for hotels. He has repeatedly claimed the coronavirus impact on the hotel industry is worse than the 9/11 terrorist attacks and 2008 financial crisis combined. But Sorenson thinks analyst talk of coronavirus forever upending the hotel business model is overblown.

As we all await the announcement of iOS 14 — Apple’s next major OS update — at WWDC later this month, Apple news website The Verifier has today said that its sources indicate that all existing iOS 13 iPhone and iPod touch devices will be able to update to iOS 14. Assuming the report is accurate, that means that Apple will not be leaving any devices out for this year’s big iOS software update. This universal device compatibility was also reported by iPhonesoft earlier this year.

If you are still hanging on to a Mid 2012 model of the 15-inch MacBook Pro with a Retina display, and require a new battery or other repairs, be sure to book an appointment with a service provider as soon as possible. In an internal memo today, obtained by MacRumors, Apple has indicated that this particular MacBook Pro model will be marked as "obsolete" worldwide on June 30, 2020, just over eight years after its release. In a support document, Apple notes that obsolete products are no longer eligible for hardware service, with "no exceptions."

Apple has paid developer Bhavuk Jain a $100,000 bounty for finding a serious bug in its “Sign in with Apple” login system that could have allowed malicious actors to take over a user’s account on specific websites and apps. According to Jain, the bug was related to the way that Apple was validating users who used Sign in with Apple. The login service, which was released by the company last year and can be used with Apple IDs, is designed to limit the amount of tracking enabled by other login services...

Remember how Xiaomi was in hot water recently when its questionable browser data collection practices were uncovered? The company quickly addressed the concerns and added a toggle in its browser settings to clarify exactly what happens when using incognito mode. Unfortunately, the wording Xiaomi used led everyone — us included — to understand the exact opposite of what was actually happening. That mistake is now being fixed, again.

Israeli researchers have developed an electric face mask that cleans itself and could kill coronavirus.The face-covering is powered by a mobile phone charger and will be sold for as little as $1. A team of engineers has invented a self-cleaning mask that kills off coronavirus by running an electrical current through the filter.

Apple will use a Lightning port instead of USB-C in the upcoming "iPhone 12," but it will be the last major series of Apple's flagship phones to do so, with models set to combine wireless charging and a port-less Smart Connector system for data transfer and syncing in the iPhone "13 series" next year.

Over the past few months, Microsoft has managed to release a series of problematic updates for Windows 10 that have caused serious issues for some people, and while we’d have hoped the situation would have improved, it seems like the company has just released its most disastrous Windows 10 update yet.

On the far side of an office park in a suburb of Seattle, a supercomputer is teaching itself to beat the stock market. The holy grail of high finance doesn’t look like much: eight rows of servers enshrined in a black metal frame. But inside this austere enclosure, an incredible alchemy is taking place. Four hundred computers blink and hum as market data is digested at a rate of one quadrillion calculations per second, firing order requests to electronic traders in Chicago, 2,000 miles away.

Tech giant Microsoft is calling for broadband funding to be included in the next coronavirus relief bill. In a blog post on Thursday, Microsoft President Brad Smith argues that access to broadband connectivity has become more critical than ever as millions find themselves isolated at home.

Ray tracing has always been the "holy grail" of computer graphics, says Jason Ronald, head of program management for the gaming console Xbox. The technique simulates a three-dimensional image by calculating each ray of light and promises stunning lighting effects with realistic reflections and shadows. The method finds where it bounces, collects information about what those objects are, then uses it to lay down a pixel and compose a scene.

No matter how they may make you feel, licking your gadgets and electronics is never recommended. Unless you’re a researcher from Meiji University in Japan who’s invented what’s being described as a taste display that can artificially recreate any flavor by triggering the five different tastes on a user’s tongue.