Laser pointers can apparently trick smart speakers, phones and tablets into following voice commands to open doors or make purchases, even from hundreds of feet away. Researchers from Tokyo and the University of Michigan have revealed that they were able to take over Google Assistant, Apple Siri and Amazon Alexa devices by shining laser pointers or flashlights at their microphones. One of the researchers, Daniel Genkin, was also part of the team that discovered the Meltdown and Spectre CPU vulnerabilities.
The team has published a paper detailing the light flaw after seven months of experimentation. They were able to hijack smart speakers 230 to 350 feet away by focusing lasers using a telephoto lens. In fact, the Google Home they tricked into opening a garage door was inside a room in another building. The laser modulation they beamed at its microphone port through the window is equivalent to the voice command "OK Google, open the garage door."
They explained that there's a small plate called a diaphragm inside devices' microphones that moves when hit by sound. Lasers can replicate that movement and convert it into electric signals that the device can understand. They said opening the garage door by taking over Google Home was easy to do, and they could've easily made online purchases, opened doors protected by smart locks and even remotely unlocked cars connected to voice AI-powered devices by using the same method.
The researchers have already notified Tesla, Ford, Amazon, Apple and Google about the issue -- a move that's highly important to get the problem fixed, since simply covering microphones with tape wouldn't solve it. Most microphones, they said, would have to be redesigned. The team was able to hijack Google Home/Nest, Echo Plus/Show/Dot, Facebook Portal Mini, Fire Cube TV, EchoBee 4, iPhone XR, iPad 6th Gen, Samsung Galaxy S9 and Google Pixel 2 devices using the technique. It was much easier hijacking smart speakers from afar, though. The method only worked on the mobile devices from a maximum distance of 16 to 65 feet.
This is far from the first digital assistant vulnerability security researchers have discovered. Researchers from China's Zheijiang University found that Siri, Alexa and other voice assistants can be manipulated with commands sent in ultrasonic frequencies. Meanwhile, a group from the University of California, Berkeley found that they can take over smart speakers by embedding commands, which aren't audible to the human ear, directly into recordings of music or spoken text.
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In September, there was the first whiff of a potential sale and just a few months later, Google has announced it’s acquiring Fitbit for a reported $2.1 billion (£1.63bn). Google is getting hardware and software teams with wearable-tech expertise, including Pebble smarts, to add to its mixed efforts with Wear OS and the $40 million (£30m) worth of Fossil smartwatch technology it paid for at the start of 2019.
It’s also getting data. A whole lot of it; something that is undeniably at the heart of this sizeable acquisition. But what data is Google getting? What can Google do with it? And can GDPR or Labour's Tom Watson make any difference?
Fitbit has 28m active users syncing step counts, heart-rate readings, sleep time, menstrual cycles, location and more from their devices. That could be the most lucrative component of the deal: user data. It will have no doubt been a reason Facebook was also apparently sniffing around to see if it could buy the struggling fitness tracker maker, too. Fitbit sales fell from 22m in 2016 to an estimated 14m in 2018.
Unsurprisingly, both parties have been swift to address the subject of data and privacy in their respective announcements detailing the acquisition. In Fitbit’s press release, it stated: “Fitbit will continue to put users in control of their data and will remain transparent about the data it collects and why.” It also added: “The company never sells personal information, and Fitbit health wellness data will not be used for Google ads.”
There were similar sentiments in a blog post by Google from Rick Osterloh, the company’s senior vice president of devices and services. “Similar to our other products, with wearables, we will be transparent about the data we collect and why. We will never sell personal information to anyone.” Osterloh repeated what Fitbit had to say about Fitbit health and wellness data: “We will give Fitbit users the choice to review, move or delete their data.”
On the surface, both Google and Fitbit are trying to cover their backs and assure users that things won’t change in the way their data is treated when the deal is likely completed in 2020. In some cases, Fitbit users will already have given Google access to their stats via Google Fit syncing on Android phones.
“Fitbit users will be asking themselves whether they want sensitive data like this being used and monetised by Google,” says Ed Johnson-Williams, a policy officer at Open Rights Group. “Google says they won’t use the data for targeting ads. Google must tell Fitbit users and competition authorities what other purposes they will they use it for.”
“In the past, Google has abruptly pulled the plug on devices sold to customers by companies they’ve acquired. Google must also reassure Fitbit users that this won’t happen here.”
There’s an air of uncertainty surrounding how data will be carved up and moved around the business and it’s something Leo Gebbie, senior analyst for wearables and VR at CCS Insight, also believes still needs clarity. “How exactly the data will be used is currently unclear, and Fitbit users who are concerned about this should be careful to review the terms of their data use once the deal is complete.”
Fitbit became HIPAA-compliant [Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act] in the US in 2015, and so, according to James Moar, research analyst at Juniper Research, “any large-scale data collection that would be similar to Google’s ad data platform would jeopardise Fitbit’s existing corporate wellness business.”
Fitbit states that “health wellness data” will not be used for ads. But what about the other data it collects? As Jonhson-Williams explains, Fitbit’s platform also collects location data and other non-health personal information, too. There have been no assurances on this front so far, or any mention of the level of anonymisation of this type of data.
Fitbit’s privacy policy currently states that if Fitbit is acquired, it will "give affected users notice before transferring any personal information to a new entity”. But who’s to say that Google’s stance will not change? It's happened before after a Silicon Valley acquisition has been completed.
“We've seen promises broken in the past where other digital services were acquired,” explains Johnson-Williams. “When Facebook acquired WhatsApp, users were told that WhatsApp data wouldn’t be shared with Facebook. Once the dust settled on the acquisition, Facebook started using data about how people used WhatsApp.”
If Google or Fitbit do break these kinds of promises, there could be fines lying in wait. Google has already been found to be in breach of EU’s data privacy rules. It was fined £44m by French data protection regulator CNIL over data transparency back in January, making it one of the biggest GDPR fines dished out. In September, it was also fined $170m (£131m) for sharing data on children on YouTube without the consent of parents.
Whether those types of fines are really going to hit a company that’s valued at over $100bn seems unlikely. To be completely cynical, it could actually make business sense to use the new cache of Fitbit user data widely within Alphabet’s companies and simply risk future fines.
Will GDPR regulations in Europe result in different policies for different territories? As fitness data is integral to the service provision to the user, fitness data can be processed by both Fitbit and Google under GDPR, explains Moar. “There needs to be explicit consent for this, but that was already built into the frameworks Fitbit had.” Moar expects data portability to the biggest issue under GDPR, such as “being able to take Fitbit data and provide it as part of another device maker’s record (such as Garmin).” In that case, the data management would be easier to do on a global basis with one global data privacy policy.
If data is not used for more targeted data-driven ads where Google’s main income lies, what else can we expect? “Fitbit already sells their devices to employers to monitor employees and to health insurance providers. Google could be looking to expand into these markets,” suggests Jonhson-Williams. ”I’d also fully expect Google to have access to all historical data rather than just any new data going forward as well.”
On that point, Juniper Research’s Moar agrees that there’s no reason to expect that historical Fitbit data will not be transferred in the sale. “This would require an update to the existing Terms & Conditions thanks to the change of ownership, which may lose Google some users, but there are no other obstacles to the company accessing all of Fitbit’s existing users.”
Ramon Llamas, wearable tech analyst at IDC, has an entirely different take on the move by Google to acquire Fitbit and believes it’s not really about data here. “Accessing data is not the endgame for Google. This is more about expanding its opportunities in healthcare.”
Google parent company Alphabet has already shown its own ambitions to delve deeper into the health-monitoring space through projects in development under its Verily Life Sciences research organisation and the biotech spin-off Calico. Fitbit meanwhile in recent years has ramped up things as far as conducting clinical trials and collaborating with major health researchers and organisations.
In fact, the two already announced a partnership in 2018 to bring health and fitness data to doctors and healthcare services. At the time Fitbit announced its intention to use Google’s Cloud Healthcare API to integrate Fitbit data into medical records.
It is more than plausible that Google’s intentions for the way user data is used will be both legal and designed to benefit users. That said, we have already seen the tech giant come under scrutiny from regulators, the authorities and most recently Labour's Tom Watson over what a deal like this could mean in terms of letting a company on the scale of Google hold so much (more) personal and health data. It’s enough to make Fitbit users understandably wary of what happens next.
Microsoft has changed its mind on killing off the OneNote 2016 desktop app. The software maker released Office 2019 without any updates to the desktop version of OneNote, instead relying on the separate Universal Windows App for Windows 10. “We are continuing mainstream support for OneNote 2016 beyond October 2020, so that you can continue using the version of OneNote that works best for you,” explains a blog post from the OneNote team.
This means OneNote 2016 will be supported until October 14th 2025 (in extended support). Microsoft is even changing the way OneNote is installed as a result. Starting in March, Office 365 installs that include desktop apps will install the desktop OneNote 2016 version. You can also manually download OneNote 2016 from Microsoft’s site.
The desktop OneNote app is also getting a new dark mode option for both Office 365 subscribers and Office 2019 users this week. “Using OneNote in this mode can improve readability in low light environments, increase legibility of the user interface as well as your notes, provide better contrast, and reduce eye strain,” claims Microsoft.
It’s surprising to see Microsoft reverse course on OneNote, but it’s clear that end users simply preferred the desktop app to the company’s UWP app. The original dream of Microsoft’s UWP apps has been dead for some time, and OneNote is simply the latest example of Microsoft going back to desktop apps over its UWP alternatives.
For a guy who says that 70 percent of his body is made of movies, this seems like it’s a long time coming.
In a 26-minute BBC documentary on the making of Death Stranding, Hideo Kojima reveals the inevitability.
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“In the future, Kojima Productions will also start making films,” Kojima said. “If a person can do one thing well, then they should be able to do anything well.”
Kojima did not clarify when the studio will start making films. Kotaku reached out to Kojima Productions but did not hear prior to publication.
“I think within the next three to four years, everything will move to streaming—games, movies, and TV shows.” We’re pretty much there with TV shows and movies.
“When that happens,” Kojima continues, “movies, TV shows, and games will be competing in the same space.” Kojima is interested in the type of entertainment that will inevitably arise from this competition.
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Considering how long the cutscenes in Kojima’s games have been and how much he loves movies, it might seem odd that he hasn’t made a motion picture already.
Blizzard has released the first set of in-game Diablo 4 screenshots in 4K showing off the game’s art design and Diablo 2-like visual style.
Following numerous leaks, Blizzard finally announced its next Diablo installment at Blizzon 2019. The game embraces the darker roots of the franchise and, compared to Diablo 3, its visual style is somewhat similar to Diablo 2. According to Blizzard, Diablo 4 draws players into a grim story line and gives them the freedom to explore and forge their own path across the most expansive and intense vision of the world of Sanctuary. Three playable classes have currently been unveiled by Blizzard - the Barbarian, the Druid and the Sorceress.
The Barbarian, known for their unparalleled strength and brutal melee combat, utilizes a new and more powerful system in battle, Arsenal, which arms them with the ability to carry and rapidly switch between four different weapons at a time by assigning them to individual attacks.
The Sorceress hearkens back to their Diablo II roots and shapes the elements to obliterate their foes by impaling them upon jagged spikes of ice, electrocuting them with bolts of lightning, or raining flaming meteors from the sky.
The Druid is a savage shapeshifter whose updated playstyle empowers them to fluidly transform between werewolf, werebear, and human form to unleash the raw power of nature’s fury on the forces of the Burning Hells.
Check out the brand-new set of screenshots down below:
True to the franchise’s roots, Diablo IV will deliver visceral combat, gruesome and varied monsters, an epic hunt for legendary loot, and endless playability and progression. Players will find a lifetime’s worth of adventure scattered across a land rooted in unique ecologies and inhabited by dangerous new foes. They’ll delve into randomized dungeons packed with unpredictable adversaries and unimaginable treasures. While continuing to fully support solo and coordinated party play, Diablo IV will also provide opportunities for groups of players to encounter each other in the same shared world—whether to tackle bigger challenges . . . or possibly even slaughter one another in player-vs.-player combat.
“Sanctuary has been a home to Diablo players for more than 20 years, and it’s with our own deep passion for the series and a deep appreciation of the community that we announce Diablo IV today,” said J. Allen Brack, president of Blizzard Entertainment upon the game’s official announcement. “We’re excited to be returning to the dark, quintessential Diablo gameplay that players love while expanding the world and story in new ways, and we can’t wait for more people to be able to experience it.”
Diablo 4 is coming to PC and consoles but has yet to receive a release date. Be sure to check out the game's official website right here.
Blizzard has released the first set of in-game Diablo 4 screenshots in 4K showing off the game’s art design and Diablo 2-like visual style.
Following numerous leaks, Blizzard finally announced its next Diablo installment at Blizzon 2019. The game embraces the darker roots of the franchise and, compared to Diablo 3, its visual style is somewhat similar to Diablo 2. According to Blizzard, Diablo 4 draws players into a grim story line and gives them the freedom to explore and forge their own path across the most expansive and intense vision of the world of Sanctuary. Three playable classes have currently been unveiled by Blizzard - the Barbarian, the Druid and the Sorceress.
The Barbarian, known for their unparalleled strength and brutal melee combat, utilizes a new and more powerful system in battle, Arsenal, which arms them with the ability to carry and rapidly switch between four different weapons at a time by assigning them to individual attacks.
The Sorceress hearkens back to their Diablo II roots and shapes the elements to obliterate their foes by impaling them upon jagged spikes of ice, electrocuting them with bolts of lightning, or raining flaming meteors from the sky.
The Druid is a savage shapeshifter whose updated playstyle empowers them to fluidly transform between werewolf, werebear, and human form to unleash the raw power of nature’s fury on the forces of the Burning Hells.
Check out the brand-new set of screenshots down below:
True to the franchise’s roots, Diablo IV will deliver visceral combat, gruesome and varied monsters, an epic hunt for legendary loot, and endless playability and progression. Players will find a lifetime’s worth of adventure scattered across a land rooted in unique ecologies and inhabited by dangerous new foes. They’ll delve into randomized dungeons packed with unpredictable adversaries and unimaginable treasures. While continuing to fully support solo and coordinated party play, Diablo IV will also provide opportunities for groups of players to encounter each other in the same shared world—whether to tackle bigger challenges . . . or possibly even slaughter one another in player-vs.-player combat.
“Sanctuary has been a home to Diablo players for more than 20 years, and it’s with our own deep passion for the series and a deep appreciation of the community that we announce Diablo IV today,” said J. Allen Brack, president of Blizzard Entertainment upon the game’s official announcement. “We’re excited to be returning to the dark, quintessential Diablo gameplay that players love while expanding the world and story in new ways, and we can’t wait for more people to be able to experience it.”
Diablo 4 is coming to PC and consoles but has yet to receive a release date. Be sure to check out the game's official website right here.
SpaceX has demonstrated that its latest Mark 3 Crew Dragon parachutes will work even if things don't go quite to plan. On Twitter, the company showed off a short video clip of a payload landing with only three of four parachutes deployed, and said it has successfully tested the system 13 times in a row.
That's a pretty big milestone, as it beats a goal that CEO Elon Musk had set last month. "We certainly want to get ... at least on the order of 10 successful tests in a row before, before launching astronauts," he said. "So that seems like where the behavior of the parachutes is consistent, is across 10 successful tests."
SpaceX team has completed 13 successful tests in a row of upgraded Mark 3 parachutes for Crew Dragon. Most recent test demonstrated the parachute system's ability to land the spacecraft safely in the unlikely event that one of the four main parachutes fails. pic.twitter.com/VJzDeS8UAG
The parachutes now look substantially different from the ones SpaceX first tested. Instead of nylon on the straps, they now use "Zylon" a stronger polymer material developed by Stanford University. The chutes also have a new stitching pattern to more evenly distribute the loads.
In a meeting with NASA administrator Jim Bridenstine, Musk said that Crew Dragon could be ready for its first crewed "Demo-2" test flight in Q1 of 2020. Before that happens, however, SpaceX still has to perform static fire tests of the Crew Dragon abort engine. During the last such test in April, an anomaly caused an uncrewed capsule to explode.
If that goes to plan, SpaceX would then perform an in-flight abort test demonstrating that astronauts would be able to escape alive in the event of an explosion or other launch problem. During that test, an uncrewed Crew Dragon capsule will launch atop a Falcon 9 rocket at Kennedy Space center. Shortly after liftoff, the capsule's SuperDraco thrusters are supposed to blast it a safe distance from the rocket.
If all that works (and that's a big "if"), NASA and SpaceX could start running the crucial Demo-2 tests to the international space station with test-flight crew aboard. Those could take place as early as next year, Musk said in October.
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