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Gravity waves force Jupiter jet stream to change direction

A NASA-led team has found that gravity waves force an east-west jet stream speeding through the atmosphere high above Jupiter's equator to change direction on a schedule almost as predictable as a Tokyo train's.

CNIL orders WhatsApp to stop sharing user data with Facebook

France's watchdog Commission nationale de l'informatique et des libertes (CNIL) has ordered popular messaging platform, WhatsApp, to stop sharing user data with its parent company Facebook.According to The Verge, the app has a month to comply with the order.The query began after WhatsApp added to its terms of service last year that it shares data with Facebook for security measures, and to gather business intelligence.Upon investigating the claims, CNIL ruled that WhatsApp never told its users it was collecting data for business intelligence and there is no way to opt out of this infringement without uninstalling the app.That violates "the fundamental freedoms of users," said CNIL.Earlier, other European regulators have attempted to police Facebook, especially in context to data-sharing.Germany ordered Facebook to stop collecting data from WhatsApp users in September last year, and in the UK, Facebook agreed to stop collecting WhatsApp user data in November last year.In May 2017, ...

Kaspersky Lab appeals to US court to remove ban on products

Kaspersky Lab has filed an appeal under the Administrative Procedure Act to enforce its constitutional due process rights and challenge the Binding Operational Directive prohibiting the use of the company's products and solutions by U.S. government agencies.The company has asserted that the DHS's decision is unconstitutional and relied on subjective, non-technical public sources such as uncorroborated and often anonymously sourced media reports, related claims, and rumors. Furthermore, DHS has failed to provide the company adequate due process to rebut the unsubstantiated allegations underlying the Directive and has not provided any evidence of wrongdoing by the company.The willingness of the company to cooperate with DHS's review has been well documented. Given the company's longstanding commitment to transparency, the trustworthy development of its technologies and services, and cooperation with governments and the IT security industry worldwide to combat cyber threats, Kaspersky ...

Bengal mulling 'blockchain' to protect records stored online

The West Bengal government is planning to introduce the blockchain technology to protect its documents from cyber attacks. The state government's proposed Cyber Security Centre of Excellence would be entrusted to execute the new 'blockchain' mechanism at various departments, a senior official of the Information Technology Department told PTI. Blockchain is an online ledger of digitally recorded transactions which is encrypted in the form of blocks, each of which is connected by a network of computers. "These days, we are storing files and records online. We have thousands of documents in the cloud, too. And in the coming days, our dependence on the Internet will increase and threats from cyber criminals will aggravate. So we have to be very cautious and apply safeguards," the official said. "The cyber security centre will bring the best in academic, law enforcement and other sections under one roof for the best practices to counter cyber crimes," he said. The centre will .

China gives go-ahead for driverless car tests

China has given the green light for road tests of self-driving cars in Beijing in an effort to foster the use of artificial intelligence for mobility, state media reported today. According to the Beijing municipal commission of transport, entities registered only in China can apply for the road test. The vehicle should be able to switch between self-driving and conventional modes, and be equipped with sensors and cameras so its driving behaviour and position can be monitored, the commission said. The car should pass a technical assessment at a training ground before being allowed on open roads. There are designated roads and hours for the test drive. A driver is required, and the driver will be held responsible if accidents occur, the commission said. The regulation came after Baidu boss Robin Li test drove the company's autonomous vehicle on Beijing's open roads in July, causing controversy as there were no rules regarding such tests, state-run Xinhua news agency ...

I&B Ministry makes PIB's website more user-friendly

The Information and Broadcasting Ministry has re-designed the Press Information Bureau's (PIB) website, making it more user-friendly and interactive. The new website offers the readers an option to select the regional language. Apart from the video and photo gallery, the website also shows its social media engagements on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. "Website of @PIB_India has been re-designed making it more user-friendly and interactive. You can log onto http://pib.nic.in for latest updates/initiatives/events of the Government of India," Information and Broadcasting Minister Smriti Irani said in a tweet. The PIB website provides government statements, press releases and other information to the media and common people.

Low-cost high-speed internet in the offing

In an advance that may dramatically reduce cost and energy consumption of high-speed internet communication, researchers have developed an optical medium in which multiple beams of light can autocorrect their their own shapes without affecting other beams. Nonlinear-optical effects can process data thousands of times faster than what electrically could be achieved, researchers said. Such processing has worked only for one optical beam at a time because in the presence of multiple light beams, the nonlinear-optical effects also cause unnecessary inter-beam interaction, or crosstalk. Researchers from University of Texas at Arlington (UTA) in the US and the University of Vermont (UVM) in Canada enabled simultaneous nonlinear-optical processing of multiple light beams by a single device without converting them to electrical form, opening the way for this technology to reach its full potential. "Our new nonlinear medium has allowed us to demonstrate simultaneous all-optical .

Satheesh Reddy to get National Design Award

Scientific Advisor to the Defence Minister G Satheesh Reddy will be conferred with the National Design Award for his contributions towards indigenous design and development of diversified missile systems. "Reddy, also the Director General, Missiles and Strategic Systems will be conferred with the prestigious National Design Award for his significant national contributions towards indigenous design and development of diversified missile systems, guided weapons, avionics technologies and for his sustained efforts leading to the advancement of aerospace technologies and industries in India," an official release said today. He will be receiving the Award during the Indian Engineering Congress on December 21 at Chennai. Reddy spearheads Dr APJ Abdul Kalam Missile Complex, "the Missiles hub of India," steering the design and development of wide variety of tactical and strategic missile systems. He has played a major role in indigenous design and development of ...

iPhone prices rise by up to 4.3% after Customs duty hike

Technology giant Apple has increased prices of various iPhone models by up to Rs 3,720 after the government raised import duty on smartphones to 15 per cent last week. According to updated prices on Apple India's website, the maximum retail price (MRP) of the 256GB version of iPhone X has been raised by Rs 3,720 to Rs 1,05,720. Similarly, consumers will have to shell out Rs 88,750 -- an increase of Rs 2,750 -- for the 256GB variant of iPhone 8 Plus. The price of iPhone 6 32GB version has been increased by Rs 1,280 -- or, 4.3 per cent -- to Rs 30,780 after the duty hike. The increase in MRP is applicable on all iPhone models -- except the iPhone SE, which is being assembled in India by Wistron since June this year. Last week, the government had announced higher taxes on imported smartphones at 15 per cent, from the earlier 10 per cent, to give boost to local manufacturing.

First robot car that can drive through snow developed

Scientists have developed the first robotic car that can drive over snow covered roads, paving the way for autonomous vehicles that can safely navigate through slippery stretches. The fully autonomous robot car Martti, developed by researchers at the VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland, also succeeded in making a new speed record of 40 kilometres per hour. Martti is equipped with cameras, antennas, sensors and laser scanners, just like its counterpart Marilyn. It three laser scanners sensing the environment only in front of the car, whereas its 'spouse' Marilyn has two scanners looking forwards and one looking backwards. "When in spring 2017 we taught the automated car Marilyn to drive, this autumn it has been teaching us on how to make Martti such that it can get along with its spouse, and follow GPS and positioning information on its route," said project manager Matti Kutila from VTT's RobotCar Crew. "Martti has been designed for demanding weather conditions and ..

Samsung, UNESCO partner for videos on Indian heritage sites

Samsung India has entered into a partnership with UNESCO to launch virtual reality content and 360-degree videos on Indian heritage sites. "Samsung India has entered into a partnership with UNESCO MGIEP (Mahatma Gandhi Institute of Education for Peace and Sustainable Development) to launch 360 video and virtual reality (VR) content of two magnificent Indian heritage sites, the Sun Temple in Konark, Odisha and Taj Mahal in Agra, Uttar Pradesh," the company said in a statement. The project will provide experiential educational content to students across the country. "The immersive content will also be available to students at Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalaya (JNV), where Samsung Smart Class have been set up in over 500 schools since 2013," it added. There are 36 UNESCO heritage sites in India at present. Samsung India said it may take up more sites to develop 360 video and VR content in future.

Google warns action against 'news' sites misleading users

Amid a growing clamour against fake content online, Google has announced it may take off from its news index the websites which conceal information about their ownership, primary purpose, country of origin or mislead users. In a set of new guidelines, the technology behemoth said it aims to organise all the world's news and make it accessible to readers, while providing the best possible experience for those seeking useful and timely news information. "Do not misrepresent yourself or your purpose. Sites included in Google News must not misrepresent, misstate, or conceal information about their ownership or primary purpose, or engage in coordinated activity to mislead users. "This includes, but isn't limited to, sites that misrepresent or conceal their country of origin or are directed at users in another country under false premises," the search engine said. It stressed that original reporting and clear attribution were important factors for inclusion in the Google News

'Smart India Hackathon' sees innovative products by students

Vibration sensors to detect rash driving on highways, games for propagation of health knowledge, app to establish a link between farmers and retailers, were among the innovative products designed by engineering students at the 'Smart India Hackathon' here. The projects, including an e-toll, that provides fast and secure electronic payment, were among the 57 selected ones which were declared winners of the six-hour non-stop digital product development competition 'Smart India Hackathon' conducted by the Ministry of Human Resource Development. "Over 42,000 engineering students from across the country participated in the hackathon which was one of the largest such exercise in the world. Fifty seven projects on problem areas suggested by various ministries, including the Ministry of Road and Transport, Defence, Steel, Science and Technology, Civil Aviation and ISRO, among others," an HRD Ministry official said. In order to engage the youth in coming up with digital ...

Your smartphone may help fight cybercrime

Smartphones can be identified just by analysing one photo taken by the device, an advance that paves the way for a new authentication process - instead of fingerprints or passwords - to deter cybercrime. "Like snowflakes, no two smartphones are the same. Each device, regardless of the manufacturer or make, can be identified through a pattern of microscopic imaging flaws that are present in every picture they take," said Kui Ren, from University at Buffalo in the US. "It's kind of like matching bullets to a gun, only we're matching photos to a smartphone camera," said Ren. The technology could become part of the authentication process - like PIN numbers and passwords - that customers complete at cash registers, ATMs and during online transactions. For people who have had their personal identification stolen, it could also help prevent cybercriminals from using that information to make purchases in their name, said Ren. Digital cameras are built to be identical. However, ..

2 auto lifters held in south Delhi

Two auto lifters, who allegedly used mobile signal jammers to prevent from getting tracked while stealing luxury cars, have been arrested, the police said today. Following a tip-off, Subodh Yadav (37) and Vipin Kumar (42) were arrested on December 11 from south Delhi's Vasant Gaon, they said. Six luxury stolen cars along with advance sophisticated tools, a software reader to read and replicate ignition and locking software and tools to bypass a car's security systems were seized, the police said. On December 11, the police team laid a trap to nab the duo but Kumar and Yadav, who had reached the spot to strike a deal for selling the stolen car, tried to escape sensing police presence, Deputy Commissioner of Police (South) Romil Baaniya said. However, the duo failed as they were overpowered by police personnel, he said. The duo used mobile phone signal jammer while stealing or dealing with stolen cars as a cloak from electronic surveillance, the DCP said. During ...

Chinese firm develops technology which can read human emotions

A Chinese firm today claimed to have developed new technology which can efficiently detect human emotions in videos and images. The first-of-its-kind technology in China can detect human emotions and can be used in mobile phones. The technology can detect and analyse human emotion in videos and images captured by cameras, China Electronics Technology Group Corporation said in a statement. "Human facial data, collected by cameras enhanced by the software, will be transferred to a server and analysed through algorithms," the statement said. "It can read a person's cardiac rate based on changes of colour in a certain area on a human face," it said. It is based on the development of facial recognition technology and the expansion of databases, state-run Xinhua news agency reported. The company's facial recognition software has recognised over 98.23 per cent of 500,000 human faces it has tested so far, the statement said. The accuracy rate reached 99.5 per cent when the ...

Prasad says he 'denied permission' to Facebook's Free Basics

Law and IT Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad today said he had denied permission to Facebook's Free Basics platform when he was handling portfolio of the communications ministry. "Right to access of internet cannot be denied. Therefore, I said earlier when Facebook came to India with Free Basics when I examined it, (and) I was handling communications department then, I found it will be free only when you enter from my gate. India does not believe in one gate and I did not give them permission for that," Prasad said while speaking at the Digital India Summit. He said it is for the USA to decide their stand on net neutrality but "Our stand from day one is very clear - right of non-discriminatory access to internet is not negotiable". The sector regulator, Telecom Regulatory Authority of India, had issued a regulation in February 2016 on discriminatory pricing over internet access which led to ban of platforms like Free Basics and Airtel Zero. TRAI ruled against discriminatory ..

Maker Village to host workshop on IP rights with K&S Partners

Kochi-based hardware incubator Maker Village will organise a workshop on 'Intellectual Property Rights' for start-ups in association with K & S Partners, at its campus here on December 19. K & S Partners, an Intellectual Property (IP) boutique law firm, has over 100 professionals and is amongst the top five IP firms in India. The workshop will cover topics such as 'Introduction to IP', 'Insights to trademarks, design, copyrights and patents', 'Practise pointers for Information and Communications Technology Patents', 'Standard Essential Patents (SEPs)', 'Strategizing patent filing', 'Common Mistakes in Patenting' and 'Start-ups benefits', according to a release here today. K & S Partners covers all areas of IP rights, including patents, designs, trademarks, copyrights, geographical indications, trade secrets and related matters. All this will help the budding startup entrepreneurs, it said. "The topics in the workshop will be fruitful not only for the ...

macOS High Sierra: A shot in the arm

The Cupertino-based technology giant started off as a computed manufacturer and is high up and running

The Moto X4 brings some new features and a brilliant battery

The fingerprint scanner is quite responsive and matches up to the speed of all its competitors