How a forensic spray is keeping women safe
SmartWater – a technology that was originally designed to catch burglars and thieves – is being used by victims of domestic abuse, allowing police to prosecute harassers for restraining order breaches. In the last year, around 2.3 million people in England and Wales have experienced domestic abuse, with around...
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Sharing ‘deepfake porn’ could soon be illegal in the UK
A government-backed review has warned that current laws do not go far enough to cover ‘disturbing and abusive new behaviours born in the smartphone era.’ During the past decade, numerous steps have been taken to confront the threat of sexual harassment online posed by evolving digital trends. In 2015,
Interactive global map shows the damage of climate change in real time
Prior to 2022, attaining digital renderings of our planet’s geology has been a lengthy and arduous task. Mapping company Esri has recently changed that, creating an interactive timespan of the globe between 2017 to 2021. As huge parts of the world endure record heatwaves courtesy of climate change, we're left...
Resale bots are still fuelling next gen console shortages
It’s been more than a year since next gen consoles first launched, and yet their supply still appears extremely limited. This is because aspiring resellers are using purchase bots to instantly gobble up units whenever and wherever they’re restocked. Gone are the days when you could frivolously splash your paycheque...
New TikTok feature allows users to set screen time reminders
Self-regulating our social media consumption has proved to be difficult. Now, app designers are incorporating time-sensitive features to prevent us from getting lost in endless scrolling loops. Tapping into social media has become as ingrained into our daily habits as checking text messages, e-mails, and news notifications. But unlike apps used...
NASA’s JWST telescope delivers deep infrared images of Universe
NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope has delivered the most detailed and vivid images of the early Universe to date. Within these snapshots, thousands of distant galaxies are visible. Feast your eyes on the deepest infrared images of the universe to date. I’ve got a headache. These mind-blowing snaps arrive courtesy of...
TikTok launches slew of safety features including For You filtering
TikTok is rolling out a slew of new safety features, including ‘maturity’ ratings on videos for young users, an algorithm that prevents bulk viewing of problematic content, and the ability to filter in the For You page using words or hashtags. Tuning your algorithm on TikTok can require a ton of sifting through some pretty sketchy content. Certainly if you were late to the game, like I was. Despite its impressive...
AI is being taught to monitor coral reef health through its ‘songs’
Who’s making the hardest beats under the sea these days? We’ll soon find out, because British scientists have trained AI to track the sounds of coral reefs to monitor their health. It’s not all Little Mermaid and Finding Nemo narratives down there, but regardless, the ocean is a noisy place - especially in areas where sea life is abundant. In particular, the complex soundscapes discovered amongst coral reefs can offer up...
Report: Gen Z are becoming default ‘tech support’ in their offices
A recent survey on office habits found that Gen Z employees spend on average eight hours a week providing unofficial tech support. The ‘Digital Natives’ are said to be becoming increasingly frustrated at having to pick up the slack. Technology struggles are a universal problem in offices across the globe, but the responsibility of troubleshooting them falls heavily on one particular demographic – if new data is to be believed. A...
Apps and advertisers are officially coming for our lock screens
It’s only a matter of time until our lock screens become the next hottest real estate in tech. Advertisers are upping the ante with rollout in the coming months, according to reports. Have you ever sat peacefully with your phone locked beside you wishing it would, of its old accord, grab your attention with a fast-food offer, or a shortcut to a nifty app for filling out tax returns? Despite my...
