Kevin Mitnick, who was once one of the world's most wanted computer hackers, has passed away at 59 on July 16th. According to his obituary, Mitnick battled pancreatic cancer for more than a year and was undergoing treatment at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center. "[M]uch of his life reads like a fiction story," his obituary reads, and that's perhaps the perfect way to describe his tale. The first time Mitnick infiltrated a computer system was way back in 1979, but it wasn't until 1988 that he was convicted and sentenced to 12 months in prison for copying a company's software.

He broke into Pacific Bell's voicemail computers when he was under supervised release and then continued to hack into cell networks, as well as company and government websites, as a fugitive in the 90s. Mitnick was also involved in the theft of thousands of files and credit card numbers, but his obituary says he "never took one dime from any of his 'victims.'" He was eventually caught in 1995 and charged with illegal use of a telephone access device and computer fraud. Apparently, authorities believed he had access to corporate trade secrets worth millions of dollars at the time.

Mitnick spent five years in prison, which he described as a "vacation" by the time he was freed. From there, he changed the course of his career and chose to become a White Hat hacker and cybersecurity consultant. In 2011, he became part owner and chief hacking officer of KnowBe4, which provides security awareness training and a simulated phishing platform to clients. Before all these happened, Mitnick figured out how to game LA's public transportation system at 12 years old by memorizing bus schedules and punch cards and then obtaining his own punch tool systems so he could ride buses all day. Mitnick is survived by his wife, Kimberley Mitnick, and their unborn child.

Google is testing a new AI technology codenamed "Genesis" that can generate news articles, according to The New York Times. The tech giant has reportedly demonstrated the tool not just for The Times, but also for executives at The Washington Post and News Corp, which owns The Wall Street Journal. Based on reports from people who witnessed the pitch, Genesis can whip up copy from the data fed to it, whether it's current events or other types of information. Apparently, Google believes journalists could use it as some sort of an assistant to automate tasks and free them up for other things. 

Some of the people who saw the demonstration described it as "unsettling." They also said that it seemed to disregard the kind of work that goes into writing accurate, digestible pieces. Jeff Jarvis, a journalist professor at the City University of New York, told The Times that journalists should use the tool "[i]f this technology can deliver factual information reliably." Since Google has yet to launch Genesis, we can't say if it actually can, or if it could easily lead to the dissemination of misinformation. As The Times notes, Google has been moving quickly to deploy AI technology in an effort to catch up with the Microsoft-backed company OpenAI. Its generative AI tech, Bard, was caught spouting misinformation as soon as it debuted on Twitter.

Recent attempts by some publications to use AI tools hadn't ended up well. CNEThad to issue corrections after being made aware of substantial errors in most of 77 machine-written articles it published under the CNET Money byline. And just earlier this month, Gizmodo's io9published a Star Wars piece full of errors attributed to the "Gizmodo Bot." io9 deputy editor James Whitbrook said the website's editorial team played no part in its publishing, and hence was given no chance to edit it for corrections before it went out. 

Netflix has removed its $10 Basic tier option — the service's most affordable one that doesn't come with ads — in the US and the UK. The company has updated its Plans and Pricing page to say that new and rejoining members in the US and the UK will no longer be able to sign up for the Basic tier. Meanwhile, those already on the plan can keep their membership as is until they cancel or change their subscription. The streaming giant initially axed the tier in Canada, where users are typically the first to experience changes to the service. It was also one of the countries where Netflix started its password-sharing crackdown, which the company eventually implemented across the globe. 

As Cord Busters notes, Netflix has been steering its audiences towards the Standard Ad-Supported plan for a while now and has previously made the Basic plan virtually invisible during sign-up. Now, the Basic plan truly no longer exists in some regions. Without it, users in the US and UK will have to pay at least $15.49 and £11 a month, respectively, if they don't want their streaming experience to be interrupted by ads. The Standard plan supports streaming on two devices at a time and can stream content in Full HD. It also allows users to download content for offline viewing on two devices and gives them the ability to add an extra member who doesn't live with them for an additional fee. 

Still, the Basic option worked just fine for those who don't mind HD streaming on a single device, only want to download content on one phone or tablet and don't need to add an extra person to their account. If they don't want to pay over $5 more for a Standard plan, they now have to make do with the Standard Ad-Supported tier that costs $7 a month in the US and £5 in the UK. It supports Full HD streams and viewing on two devices at a time like the no-ads Standard plan, but it doesn't have offline viewing and the option to add a member. Subscribers can expect to see an average of 4 minutes of ads an hour at around 15 to 30 seconds each, which, of course, they cannot skip. 

Intel has announced ASUS as the company's first partner for its Next Unit of Compute (NUC) mini PC business. The two companies have entered a non-binding agreement that will see ASUS manufacture, sell and support the 10th- to 13th-generation products in Intel's NUC line. ASUS will also develop future NUC designs. Based on the business' current lineup, ASUS could be developing future NUC mini PCs, DIY kits for mini PCs, DIY kits for laptops, customizable boards, chassis and other assembly elements. 

If you'll recall, Intel recently told Engadget that it's ending its "direct investment" in its NUC business and will no longer produce first-party NUC products. It didn't elaborate on its reasoning, but working with partners for a non-essential business will free up resources it could use to concentrate on making chips. Intel previously said its first quarter earnings exceeded expectations, but its revenue was still down 36 percent year-over-year when compared to its results in the same period for 2022. The company also said that it remains cautious in this economy. 

In its announcement of the partnership, Intel said ASUS' "expertise and track record delivering industry-leading mini PCs to customers make it ideally suited to continue driving innovation and growth in NUC systems products." ASUS will be establishing a new business unit called "ASUS NUC BU" for all things related to Intel's NUC. The manufacturer will receive a non-exclusive license to Intel's NUC systems, though, making it possible for the chipmaker to team up with more companies in the future. 

TikTok has started inviting users in Australia, Mexico and Singapore to participate in a closed beta test for its new music streaming service, according to TechCrunch and CNBC. The short-form video hosting app initially launched beta testing for its fledgling streaming service in Brazil and Indonesia in early July. Now, it's expanding the scope of its music service's experimental phase and giving invited users in those regions a free three-month trial to be able to try it out. 

TikTok Music is a completely separate app that testers will be able to download from the Apple App Store or the Google Play Store. It does, however, connect to the main TikTok app, so users can find the full versions of songs that go viral on the video-sharing platform. The music streaming app reportedly offers personalized song recommendations, real-time lyrics, collaborative playlists and the ability to find songs through a lyrics search feature, as well. TechCrunch says it has a Shazam-like feature, which presumably means it can find songs by listening to it, and will let users download tracks for offline listening. 

The ByteDance-owned app told TechCrunch that once the testers' trial period is done, it will cost them AUD12 (US$8.16) per month in Australia, Mex$115 (US$6.86) in Mexico and S$9.90 (US$7.48) in Singapore to be able to keep using the service. TikTok already has a music streaming service called Resso available in India, Brazil and Indonesia, but it's shutting the app down in the last two countries in September. The company has yet to announce if and when its music app is also coming to the US, but it did file a trademark application for "TikTok Music" in the country back in May 2022. 

The Neopets Team has huge plans for the once-beloved virtual pet website in hopes that it could finally catch up with the times. In a lengthy post on Medium, the team has announced that a new Neopets website is coming on July 20th. It'll still live on the same URL, but it'll contain all the brand's announcements and links to all its different games and products. The people behind the revamp are currently trying to resolve bugs and mobile browser compatibility issues. They're also exploring the use of Ruffle, a Flash player emulator, to make old Flash-based Neopets games playable again. 

The company that owned Neopets planned to create an animated show based on the once-beloved virtual pet website, but it failed to release the series before it shut down. In its announcement, the Neopets team has revealed that it's under new leadership and has raised over $4 million in funding for its future projects. The team members definitely seem optimistic for the future of the brand.

In fact, the team doesn't intend to stop with a revamped website. Apparently, it has decided to transition to a mobile app and to build a social life-simulation game called World of Neopets from the ground up. At the moment, the plan is to develop a game from the perspective of a Neopet. Players will be able to decorate their homes, explore lands in 3D and play mini-games with their friends, akin to titles like Animal Crossing. It sounds like the project is still in its very early stages, though, and it remains to be seen if it will materialize.

Tesla has launched a feature called "Charge on Solar" that allows owners to fill up their electric vehicles' batteries using only excess solar energy. As TechCrunch notes, the automaker started testing the capability in May, but now it's more widely available to Tesla customers in the US and in Canada. The number of people who can access the feature, however, likely remains pretty limited. To start with, it will only be accessible to those who have newer Teslas — 2021 and later — who also have a Powerwall. That's the company's battery system that stores solar energy harnessed by solar panels. 

Tesla

To enable Charge on Solar, users will need to fire up their Tesla app, choose the feature and then set it up. They'll then see a slider with a sun icon within the feature's settings that they can drag left or right to set the charge limit. The vehicle will charge itself from solar and the grid like usual before it reaches the sun slider, ensuring users have enough power to get where they need to. But after reaching the sun slider, the vehicle will only charge itself using excess solar energy. 

The Powerwall will still prioritize storing backup energy or charging other appliances when it's in Storm Watch mode before allocating any excess solar power for vehicle charging. Charge on Solar will truly only charge EVs using excess energy, which is also why owners worried about not having enough juice can set a time limit for it. Of course, they can also adjust their charge limit, or switch off Charge on Solar entirely if they want to be absolutely sure that their batteries will get fully charged. 

The list of third-party apps that support passkey login on the iPhone has grown by one, thanks to TikTok. Users of the popular video-sharing service will now have the option to sign in with their passkey associated with their Apple ID, which means they can easily get into their account using Face or Touch ID. Passkeys are considered a safer option than password logins, since they're comprised of a cryptographic key pair. 

One of the keys is a public key that's associated with the website or service, while the other is a private key stored only in the user's device. Services and apps like TikTok don't have access to that private key, and users can't copy it down or give it out, making passkeys resistant to data breaches and social engineering by bad actors. iOS devices authenticate users' identity for logins using their biometric data before matching their private key with a service's public one. 

To be able to use passkeys on TikTok for iPhones and iPads, their device must be running the latest version of iOS. Their iCloud Keychain must also be enabled, because Apple stores passkeys in its password management system. Finally, two-factor authentication must be switched on for their Apple ID. 

TikTok will start rolling out passkey support to certain regions in Asia, Africa, Australia and South America this month. The video sharing service said the feature will be available in other locations and on other operating systems over time, so it will most likely make its way to North America and to Android devices. TikTok users who get access to the login option can activate it by going to their Profile at the bottom of the app and then accessing Settings and privacy in the Menu. From there, they need to access the Account option and then tap iCloud passkey to see the setup screen.

Biden administration officials can freely communicate with social media companies — for now. The 5th Circuit Court of Appeals has put a pause on Judge Terry A. Doughty's order that prohibits most federal officials from talking to companies like Meta about content. According to The New York Times, the three-judge panel has ruled for Doughty's preliminary injunction to be put aside "until further orders of the court."

If you'll recall, the state attorneys general of Louisiana and Missouri filed a lawsuit against President Joe Biden and other top government officials, including Dr. Anthony Fauci. They accused the current administration of pressuring social media companies to censor certain topics and remove content. The lawsuit, the Washington Post reports, is based on emails between the administration and social networks, wherein the former questioned the companies' handling of posts on their websites containing conservative claims on the COVID-19 pandemic and the 2020 presidential elections, as well as anti-vaccine sentiments. 

Doughty, a Trump-appointed judge, said the plaintiffs "produced evidence of a massive effort" by the defendants "to suppress speech based on its content." He also wrote in his decision that if the allegations are true, "the present case arguably involves the most massive attack against free speech in United States history." His order prohibits federal agencies that include the Department of Health and Human Services and the Department of Homeland Security from asking online platforms to take down content with "protected free speech." They could still, however, communicate with those entities for issues related to criminal activity, national security and election interference by foreign players. 

Conservatives have long believed that mainstream social media platforms are biased against right-wing ideologies. That had led to the launch of social networks associated with conservatives, such as Parler and Donald Trump's Truth Social. The state attorneys argued that federal officials crossed the line by threatening to take antitrust actions against social networks and to limit their Section 230 protections, which allow internet companies to moderate content on their platforms as they see fit. It's worth noting that former President Trump previously signed an executive order that sought to limit federal protections offered by Section 230 after Twitter fact-checked a false tweet he posted.

The Justice Department appealed Doughty's order the day after it was issued, arguing that it was too broad and could limit the government's ability to warn people about false information in times of emergency. Apparently, the administration has already felt its effects after its scheduled meeting with Meta to discuss strategies on how to counter foreign disinformation campaigns was cancelled. This stay will allow federal agencies to continue working with online platforms until the court could look further into the complaint. The appeals court has ordered for the case's oral arguments to be expedited so a final decision could be reached in the near future. 

Twitter — or more precisely, its parent company X Corp. — has sued four John Does who have allegedly "engaged in widespread unlawful scraping of data" from the website. They were described as "unknown persons or entities" in the lawsuit, which only mentioned their IP addresses. The lawsuit accused them of flooding Twitter with automated requests far exceeding "what any single individual could send to a server in a given period" aimed at scraping data. In a response to a tweet about the lawsuit, Elon Musk said these entities tried to scrape the entirety of Twitter in a short period of time and blamed them for the rate limits the website implemented earlier this month.

Musk announced in early July that the website was putting a strict cap on how many tweets users can read each day "to address extreme levels of data scraping [and] system manipulation." Unverified accounts were limited to 600 posts a day, while verified (and, hence, paid) accounts were allowed to see 6,000 tweets. The defendants for this lawsuit were apparently to blame for those limits. "These requests have severely taxed X Corp.’s servers and impaired the user experience for millions of X Corp.’s customers," the company wrote in its complaint. 

X Corp. also described the defendants' activities in the lawsuit as "unlawfully scraping data associated with Texas residents." But as CNBC notes, the US Ninth Circuit of Appeals ruled in 2022 that the scraping of data that's publicly available online doesn't violate the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act (CFAA). It was a landmark ruling that brought a long-running lawsuit by LinkedIn to a close. The business-focused social media platform filed a complaint in an attempt to block its rival companies from scraping information visible on users' public profiles.

"Data scraping companies profit off the innovation of companies like X Corp. while harming X Corp. and compromising user data," the company also said in its lawsuit. Twitter is now seeking $1 million in damages to make up for the defendants' actions.