TECH NEWS

SpaceX launches Spanish communications satellite
The SpainSat NG I mission took off from Launch Complex 39A at Kennedy Space Center.

Source: Anthony Leone
Wednesday, Jan 29 2025

AI-assisted works can get copyright with enough human creativity, says US copyright office
Artists can copyright works they made with the help of artificial intelligence, according to a new report by the U.S. Copyright Office that could help clear the way for the use of AI tools in Hollywood, the music industry and other creative fields

Source: Associated Press
Wednesday, Jan 29 2025

Meta posts sharply higher Q4 profit, revenue, topping Wall Street's expectations
Meta Platforms Inc. posted sharply higher profit and revenue for its fourth quarter on Wednesday, thanks to higher ad revenue on its social media properties

Source: Associated Press
Wednesday, Jan 29 2025

Microsoft reports 10% quarterly profit growth as it works to show AI investments paying off
Microsoft Corp. said Wednesday that its profit for the October-December quarter grew 10% from the same time last year as it works to capitalize on the huge amounts of money it has spent to advance its artificial intelligence technology

Source: Associated Press
Wednesday, Jan 29 2025

OpenAI says DeepSeek may have used its tech to train chatbot
The Chinese AI startup DeepSeek rattled global financial markets this week with an inexpensive yet highly competent chatbot.

Source: Susan Carpenter
Wednesday, Jan 29 2025

Trump Media will begin offering financial services in 2025
Truth.Fi will offer exchange-traded funds, Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies and crypto-related securities.

Source: Susan Carpenter
Wednesday, Jan 29 2025

Trump asks SpaceX to bring home Starliner astronauts sooner
The president has asked SpaceX to bring home the stranded Starliner mission astronauts Sunita “Suni” Williams and Butch Wilmore.

Source: Anthony Leone
Wednesday, Jan 29 2025

DeepSeek has rattled the AI industry. Here's a quick look at other Chinese AI models
The Chinese artificial intelligence firm DeepSeek has rattled markets with claims its latest AI model performs on a par with those of OpenAI, despite using less advanced but more energy-efficient computer chips

Source: Associated Press
Wednesday, Jan 29 2025

New Vatican document offers AI guidelines from warfare to health care
A Vatican document released Tuesday offers wide-ranging ethical guidelines for the application of artificial intelligence in sectors from warfare to health care The underlying call was that the burgeoning technology must be used to complement, and not replace, human intelligence

Source: Associated Press
Tuesday, Jan 28 2025

Nvidia faces a reckoning as Chinese upstart raises questions about Wall Street's darling
The superstar run for Nvidia’s stock the last few years has been astonishing

Source: Associated Press
Tuesday, Jan 28 2025

Microsoft buys land in Kenosha County
The company bought 240 acres of land northwest of Interstate 94 and Highway 142 in Kenosha.

Source: Megan Marshall, Rachel Ryan
Tuesday, Jan 28 2025

Elon Musk's X partners with Visa on payment service in an effort to become an 'everything app,'
X is teaming up with Visa to soon offer a system for real-time payments on the social media platform

Source: Associated Press
Tuesday, Jan 28 2025

2 NASA astronauts to be inducted into hall of fame
Veteran NASA astronauts Bernard Harris and Peggy Whitson were announced as the 2025 U.S. Astronaut Hall of Fame inductees.

Source: Anthony Leone
Tuesday, Jan 28 2025

Upstart Chinese AI company DeepSeek's founder started out as a low-key hedge fund entrepreneur
The 40-year-old founder of China's DeepSeek, an AI startup that has startled markets with its capacity to compete with industry leaders like OpenAI, kept a low profile as he built up a hedge fund that now manages a reported $8 billion in assets

Source: Associated Press
Tuesday, Jan 28 2025

What is DeepSeek, the Chinese AI company upending the stock market?
It's fueling debates over the economic and geopolitical competition between the U.S. and China in developing AI technology.

Source: Associated Press
Tuesday, Jan 28 2025

At least 11 Baltic cables have been damaged in 15 months, prompting NATO to up its guard
NATO is deploying eyes in the sky and on the Baltic Sea to protect cables and pipelines that stitch together the nine countries with shores on Baltic waters

Source: Associated Press
Tuesday, Jan 28 2025

Under good weather, SpaceX launches another batch of Starlink satellites
SpaceX launched the Starlink 12-7 mission.

Source: Anthony Leone
Monday, Jan 27 2025

Chinese tech startup DeepSeek says it was hit with 'large-scale malicious attacks'
Chinese tech startup DeepSeek said it was hit by a cyber attack on Monday that disrupted users’ ability to register on the site

Source: Associated Press
Monday, Jan 27 2025

Nigerian extradited to US to face charges over nude photo that led to teen's death
Federal prosecutors say a Nigerian man has been extradited and charged in the U.S. with causing the death of a South Carolina teen who took his own life after the suspect tried to extort the teen after he sent nude photos

Source: Associated Press
Monday, Jan 27 2025

Super Bowl footballs are ready to go within hours of the matchup being set
Workers at a factory in rural Ohio were up all night churning out footballs for this year’s Super Bowl

Source: Associated Press
Monday, Jan 27 2025

Tech stocks tank as a Chinese competitor threatens to upend the AI frenzy; Nvidia sinks nearly 17%
DeepSeek said it had developed a large language model that can compete with U.S. giants at a fraction of the cost.

Source: Associated Press
Monday, Jan 27 2025

What to stream: The Weeknd album, Reese Witherspoon and Will Ferrell, 'SNL' music and 'Babygirl'
Reese Witherspoon and Will Ferrell starring in the wedding comedy “You’re Cordially Invited” and The Weeknd's album “Hurry Up Tomorrow” are some of this week’s new streaming entertainment releases

Source: Associated Press
Monday, Jan 27 2025

Sweden seizes vessel suspected of 'sabotage' after undersea data cable rupture in Baltic Sea
Sweden has opened a preliminary investigation into suspected aggravated “sabotage” and ordered the detention of a vessel in the Baltic Sea suspected of damaging an underwater fiber optic cable connecting Latvia and the Swedish island of Gotland earlier that day

Source: Associated Press
Sunday, Jan 26 2025

Stargate's first data center to be built in Texas
The data center will be located on 875 acres near Abilene, Texas.

Source: Spectrum News Staff
Sunday, Jan 26 2025

Data centers are booming in Texas. What does that mean for the grid?
Texas’ main grid operator predicts power demand will nearly double by 2030.

Source: Associated Press
Saturday, Jan 25 2025

Hillsborough man created app to help parents in medical emergencies
Edward Reyes founded ‘Med Legal Safe Keep’ after a medical emergency his father went through.

Source: Lizbeth Gutierrez
Friday, Jan 24 2025

Google pledges to crack down on fake reviews after UK watchdog investigation
Google is pledging to crack down on fake online reviews with tougher punishments for rogue reviewers and businesses after an investigation by regulators in Britain

Source: Associated Press
Friday, Jan 24 2025

Tips on overcoming the loss of cherished, personal belongings in disasters
Losing sentimental belongings can be traumatic for those who go through disasters that destroy homes

Source: Associated Press
Thursday, Jan 23 2025

How to cope when disasters strip away photos, heirlooms and other pieces of the past
They’re the possessions that tell your story

Source: Associated Press
Thursday, Jan 23 2025

UK watchdog targets Apple, Google mobile ecosystems with new digital market powers
Google’s Android and Apple’s iOS are facing fresh scrutiny from Britain’s competition watchdog, which unveiled investigations targeting the two tech giants’ mobile phone ecosystems under new powers to crack down on digital market abuses

Source: Associated Press
Thursday, Jan 23 2025

Pakistan's parliament passes bill with sweeping controls on social media
Pakistan's lower house of parliament has passed a bill with sweeping controls on social media that includes blocking platforms and sending users to prison for spreading disinformation

Source: Associated Press
Thursday, Jan 23 2025

Screen breaks and the right desk setup offer relief from work-related eye strain
Digital screens are pervasive at work and in homes and schools stores

Source: Associated Press
Thursday, Jan 23 2025

Netflix and AI excitement send Wall Street to the brink of an all-time high
Netflix, Oracle and other tech stocks lifted U.S. indexes as their profits pile higher and excitement builds around artificial intelligence.

Source: Associated Press
Wednesday, Jan 22 2025

Musk claims OpenAI, SoftBank lack funds for $500B Stargate project announced by Trump
But OpenAI CEO Sam Altman pushed back on Musk's assertion.

Source: Susan Carpenter
Wednesday, Jan 22 2025

Hochul proposes banning cellphones in schools throughout New York state starting next fall
Students in New York may have to give up their cellphones during school hours starting next fall under a proposal announced by Gov. Kathy Hochul.

Source: Associated Press, Lacey Leonardi
Wednesday, Jan 22 2025

AI experiment in halfpipe judging at X Games will give snowboarders a glimpse into the future
The X Games will experiment judging halfpipe runs this week in Aspen using artificial intelligence, the cutting-edge technology that could someday play a role in the way subjectively judged sports are scored

Source: Associated Press
Tuesday, Jan 21 2025

UW-Stevens Point student creates fact-checking AI business
Sourcer AI can be downloaded and attached to internet browsers. The program then breaks down articles and provides the reader with a summary.

Source: Cody Taylor
Tuesday, Jan 21 2025

SpaceX launches more than 20 Starlink satellites
SpaceX took off from Launch Complex 39A.

Source: Anthony Leone
Tuesday, Jan 21 2025

After assurances from Trump, TikTok says it's restoring service in the U.S.
The company credited the turnaround in a brief statement on Sunday to assurances from President-elect Donald Trump.

Source: Spectrum News Staff, Associated Press
Sunday, Jan 19 2025

Solar farms are booming in the U.S. and putting thousands of hungry sheep to work
The proliferation of sheep on solar farms is part of a broader trend — solar grazing — that has exploded alongside the solar industry.

Source: Associated Press
Sunday, Jan 19 2025

TikTok goes dark in the US
TikTok’s app was prominent removed from app stores on Saturday evening just before as a federal law that bans the popular social media platform went into effect

Source: Associated Press
Saturday, Jan 18 2025

How scientists with disabilities are making research labs and fieldwork more accessible
Scientists with disabilities say that’s in part because labs, classrooms and field sites aren’t designed to accommodate them.

Source: Associated Press
Saturday, Jan 18 2025

FAA grounds SpaceX’s Starship and Blue Origin’s New Glenn over mishaps
The FAA will investigate the incidents before allowing the two companies to launch their rockets again.

Source: Anthony Leone
Saturday, Jan 18 2025

The rise — and potential fall — of TikTok in the U.S.
The moment TikTok fans have dreaded is here, but uncertainty over the app’s future lingers.

Source: Associated Press
Saturday, Jan 18 2025

A battery plant fire in California started during a boom for energy storage
California and Texas are opening more large-scale battery projects than anywhere else in the U.S.

Source: Associated Press
Friday, Jan 17 2025

GlobalFoundries planning new packaging center in Saratoga County, Schumer says
The company is planning to build the New York Advanced Packaging and Photonics Center in Malta, Sen. Chuck Schumer said.

Source: Spectrum News Staff
Friday, Jan 17 2025

Who could buy TikTok? Only a few parties are serious about offering
The supremely popular app could be banned in the U.S. Sunday.

Source: Associated Press
Friday, Jan 17 2025

Supreme Court upholds law banning TikTok if it's not sold by its Chinese parent company
The justices unanimously ruled against the video-sharing app.

Source: Associated Press
Friday, Jan 17 2025

SpaceX loses upper stage of Starship; catches rocket booster in 7th test flight
All communications with Starship's upper stage have been lost.

Source: Anthony Leone
Friday, Jan 17 2025

Upstate nurses rally for AI protections, safe staffing
Registered nurses in the Capital Region on Thursday rallied for safe staffing and patient protections against artificial intelligence.

Source: Spectrum News Staff
Thursday, Jan 16 2025

Trump adviser says president-elect is exploring options to 'preserve' TikTok
The Washington Post reported Trump is considering an executive order to suspend enforcement of the federal law that could ban the app by Sunday.

Source: Associated Press
Thursday, Jan 16 2025

Is it beneficial or harmful to warm up your car when it's cold?
AAA says unless there is snow and ice on our car, there's no need to let it warm up.

Source: Breanna Fuss
Thursday, Jan 16 2025

Blue Origin successfully launches New Glenn rocket; 1st-stage booster fails its landing
The 320-foot (98-meter) tall New Glenn rocket took off from Launch Pad 36 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station at around 2:03 a.m. EST.

Source: Spectrum News Staff, Anthony Leone
Thursday, Jan 16 2025

Albany NanoTech finalizes $825M deal to become 'global epicenter of chip research'
Albany Nanotech finalized a deal to become the nation’s first National Semiconductor Technology Center (NSTC).

Source: Spencer Conlin
Wednesday, Jan 15 2025

A possible TikTok ban is just days away. A list of other apps available.
Many U.S. users are looking for alternative social media platforms to provide the type of entertaining videos that popularized the video app.

Source: Associated Press
Wednesday, Jan 15 2025

Federal Trade Commission orders GoDaddy to bolster information security
The FTC alleges the company's website-hosting services lack ample security measures.

Source: Susan Carpenter
Wednesday, Jan 15 2025

AG Paxton sues Allstate for allegedly using customer data to raise insurance rates
Paxton said the company and other insurers secretly collected data on apps like Life360, which tracks users' location and driving habits.

Source: Christine Sanchez
Wednesday, Jan 15 2025

SpaceX successfully launches 2 lunar landers called Blue Ghost and HAKUTO-R
Onboard the Falcon 9 rocket are two separate lunar landers from two different companies that will explore the moon.

Source: Anthony Leone
Tuesday, Jan 14 2025

SEC sues Elon Musk, saying he didn't disclose Twitter ownership on time before buying it
As a result, the SEC alleges, Musk was able to underpay "by at least $150 million" for shares he bought later.

Source: Associated Press
Tuesday, Jan 14 2025

Biden to sign executive order for developing AI infrastructure
It calls for building data centers and clean electricity to power them on sites operated by the Energy and Defense departments.

Source: Susan Carpenter
Tuesday, Jan 14 2025

SpaceX launches more than 20 Starlink satellites
The company’s Falcon 9 rocket took off from Space Launch Complex 40 pad.

Source: Anthony Leone
Monday, Jan 13 2025

Biden administration proposes new rules on exporting AI chips, provoking industry pushback
Some executives say who say the rules would limit access to existing chips used for video games.

Source: Associated Press
Monday, Jan 13 2025

Vegas convention showcases AI, robots and cutting-edge tech
Some highlights included a personal helicopter that slides out of the back of a van and a robotic lawn mower that now blows leaves and snow.

Source: Pat Kiernan
Monday, Jan 13 2025

Ohio students’ data compromised in global breach
Many students and staff in Ohio have been affected by a global breach after a company called ‘PowerSchool’ said its data has been hacked.

Source: Aliah Keller
Friday, Jan 10 2025

SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket lifts off with Starlink satellites
The launch carried 21 Starlink satellites from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station.

Source: Spectrum News Staff
Friday, Jan 10 2025

Supreme Court seems likely to uphold federal law that could force TikTok to shut down on Jan. 19
The justices seemed persuaded by arguments that the national security threat override concerns about restricting the speech.

Source: Associated Press
Friday, Jan 10 2025

TikTok's fate arrives at Supreme Court in collision of free speech and national security
President-elect Donald Trump has dropped his support for a TikTok ban.

Source: Associated Press
Thursday, Jan 09 2025

A shocking story: Celebrate National Static Electricity Day
We tend to see more static electricity in the winter, or when it's cold, thanks to lack of humidity.

Source: Breanna Fuss
Thursday, Jan 09 2025

Technology helps emergency personnel respond to natural disasters faster
The artificial intelligence tool improves firefighting capabilities through the use of actionable, real-time data.

Source: Bree Steffen
Wednesday, Jan 08 2025

ByteDance’s Lemon8 gains traction amid TikTok ban threat as creators push the app
Lemon8 resembles an amalgamation of the types of short-form videos found on TikTok and the picture-perfect aesthetic of Instagram and Pinterest.

Source: Associated Press
Wednesday, Jan 08 2025

New labels will help people pick devices less at risk of hacking
Smart devices like baby monitors and internet-connected appliances could soon carry labels certifying that they meet federal cybersecurity standards.

Source: Associated Press
Tuesday, Jan 07 2025

Meta replaces fact-checking with X-style community notes
Starting in the U.S., Meta will end its fact-checking program with independent third parties.

Source: Associated Press
Tuesday, Jan 07 2025

Florida faces lawsuit over age-verification on adult websites
The Free Speech Coalition claims the bill is poorly designed, allowing many sites to bypass the rules.

Source: Destiny Wiggins
Sunday, Jan 05 2025

USF grad creates new kind of wearable electronic that could revolutionize field
Nirmita Roy just graduated from USF with her PhD and is already well on her way to making a name for herself in the world of electrochemistry.

Source: Fallon Silcox
Friday, Jan 03 2025

Indigenous inventor preserves native language through robotics
Danielle Boyer is an Anishinaabe robotics designer who is combining tradition and innovation to preserve Indigenous languages.

Source: Bree Steffen
Thursday, Jan 02 2025

Two AI protection laws for performers go into effect on New Year's Day
The new laws prohibit the creation of AI-generated replicas of performers without consent.

Source: Taylor Schaub
Wednesday, Jan 01 2025

Ford Motor Co. says X account was 'compromised'
The company's X account briefly showed three posts expressing support for Gaza.

Source: Susan Carpenter
Tuesday, Dec 31 2024

Treasury says Chinese hackers remotely accessed workstations, documents in 'major' cyber incident
The Treasury Department said it learned of the problem at the agency on Dec. 8.

Source: Associated Press
Monday, Dec 30 2024

9th telecoms firm has been hit by massive Chinese espionage campaign, White House says
Another victim was identified after the administration released guidance to companies about how to hunt for Chinese culprits in their networks.

Source: Associated Press
Friday, Dec 27 2024

Online debate over foreign workers in tech shows tensions in Trump's political coalition
Elon Musk was a central figure in the debate.

Source: Associated Press
Friday, Dec 27 2024

U.S. proposes voluntary guidelines for self-driving vehicles in waning days of Biden administration
At present there are no federal regulations that specifically govern autonomous vehicles.

Source: Associated Press
Saturday, Dec 21 2024

Commerce Department grants Samsung $4.7 billion to make computer chips
The award is through the CHIPS and Science Act President Biden signed in 2022 to bring semiconductor manufacturing back to the U.S.

Source: Susan Carpenter
Friday, Dec 20 2024

Kids Online Safety Act debate continues as Congress pushes bill to 2025
The bill is not included in Congress' year-end agenda.

Source: Ryan Whalen
Wednesday, Dec 18 2024

What does Big Tech hope to gain from warming up to Trump?
Big Tech chiefs from Apple, OpenAI, Meta and Amazon are among those who have visited Trump since the election.

Source: Associated Press
Wednesday, Dec 18 2024

Supreme Court agrees to hear TikTok’s First Amendment challenge to U.S. ban if not sold
The social media app urged the justices to act before the law’s Jan. 19 deadline requiring its China-based parent company, ByteDance, to sell it.

Source: Associated Press, Joseph Konig
Wednesday, Dec 18 2024

Job seekers tapping into AI
Job seekers are turning to AI tools like ChatGPT and LinkedIn to optimize resumes, ace interviews and stand out in a competitive landscape.

Source: Rob Wu
Tuesday, Dec 17 2024

TikTok asks the Supreme Court for an emergency order to block a U.S. ban unless it's sold
Company lawyers and China-based ByteDance on Monday urged the justices to act before the law’s Jan. 19 deadline.

Source: Associated Press
Monday, Dec 16 2024

Trump announces $100B SoftBank investment in U.S.
The Japanese technology group invested $50 billion in the U.S. during Trump's first term in office.

Source: Susan Carpenter, Associated Press
Monday, Dec 16 2024

Energy Department will loan $9.6B to build electric vehicle battery plants
The plants will be built in Tennessee and Kentucky.

Source: Susan Carpenter
Monday, Dec 16 2024

Amazon, OpenAI CEO follow Meta in donating $1M each to Trump inauguration
The donations come as major tech companies seek to improve their relationship with the incoming president.

Source: Associated Press
Friday, Dec 13 2024

Trump, Usher top Google's 2024 most popular searches
Comedian Katt Williams was the most searched actor, and "Inside Out 2" was the most searched film.

Source: Susan Carpenter
Thursday, Dec 12 2024

Supreme Court allows investors' class action to proceed against microchip company Nvidia
The court's decision comes the same week that China said it is investigating Nvidia over suspected violations of Chinese anti-monopoly laws.

Source: Associated Press
Wednesday, Dec 11 2024

New funding will help entrepreneurs create technology to strengthen coasts
Organizations will use the funds to help entrepreneurs create solutions that will benefit coastal resilience.

Source: Bree Steffen
Monday, Dec 09 2024

TikTok asks federal appeals court to bar enforcement of potential ban until Supreme Court review
The appeals court ruled last week that the law, which requires TikTok to divest from its China-based parent company or face a ban, is constitutional.

Source: Associated Press
Monday, Dec 09 2024

Federal appeals court upholds law requiring sale or ban of TikTok in U.S.
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit ruled that the law is constitutional.

Source: Associated Press
Friday, Dec 06 2024

FCC proposes new cybersecurity rule for telecom companies
The proposal comes one day after national security officials said Chinese hackers had infiltrated eight US telecom companies.

Source: Susan Carpenter
Thursday, Dec 05 2024

NASA pushes Artemis II and III missions to new dates
The Artemis II is now slated for 2026.

Source: Anthony Leone
Thursday, Dec 05 2024

SpaceX launches 3rd SiriusXM satellite into orbit
The Falcon 9 rocket sent up the SXM-9 mission.

Source: Anthony Leone
Thursday, Dec 05 2024

FBI tells telecom firms to boost security following wide-ranging Chinese hacking campaign
Officials say the hackers retrieved calls and texts from a small number of victims and obtained the metadata from a much larger number of victims.

Source: Associated Press
Wednesday, Dec 04 2024

SpaceX launches 2 dozen Starlink satellites
The Falcon 9 rocket launched the Starlink 6-70 mission from Space Launch Complex 40.

Source: Anthony Leone
Wednesday, Dec 04 2024