Happy hump day, let’s jump straight into your daily tech news briefing.
1. Twitter quietly removes COVID-19 misinformation policy
Twitter has dropped its COVID-19 misleading information policy that used to prohibit users from spreading misinformation about the virus. Over 11,000 Twitter users were banned under the platform’s previous policy, and nearly 100,000 posts involving content that included covid misinformation was removed between January 2022 and September according to information published by Twitter. Musk has been reinstating some accounts that were either suspended or banned for various policy infractions, including COVID-19 misinformation.
2. Potential penalty for Google over alleged ‘paid’ Pixel 4 endorsements
Google and iHeartMedia are likely to pay $US9.4 million (around $14 million) to the U.S. Federal Trade Commission over claims the radio station made misleading Pixel 4 endorsements. According to a report from The Verge, there was about 29,000 ‘deceptive’ endorsements. Deceptive because Google allegedly paid radio hosts to read endorsements of the Pixel 4 when the hosts hadn’t actually used the phone. The report alleges that for the ads, Google provided scripts for hosts to read on air.
3. Software to ‘unfilter’ TikToks actually injects malware
Digital thieves are using horny TikTok viewers’ thirst for nude images against them in a new malware attack. The attack, discovered by researchers at security firm Checkmarx, attracts users by offering to remove a filter used by TikTokers engaging in the “Invisible Challenge.” Users taking part post nude or mostly nude images of themselves and then apply an invisibility filter to remove their body, leaving only a ghostly blurry image. Preying on viewers’ curious impulses, the attackers offer up a so-called “unfilter” software they say can remove the filter, but in reality, that download actually comes jam-packed with malware.
4. NASA’s Orion breaks distance record
NASA’s Orion capsule has broken a distance record on its mission around the Moon. Per the BBC (below), Orion moved some 430,000km beyond the Earth, which is the furthest any spacecraft designed to carry humans has travelled. The ship is uncrewed, but its success paves the way for this to be (in the future) a crewed mission. The Orion missions are part of NASA’s Artemis program, which seeks to return people to the lunar surface after a gap of 50 years
5. The kids are vaping (and they shouldn’t be)
Australian Minister for Health Mark Butler is expected to today propose reforms aimed at curtailing the e-cigarette industry. In a report from The Guardian, Butler is quoted as saying vaping has doubled between 2016 and 2019, and it was also noted that many children are unknowingly consuming nicotine and becoming addicted, which is what has prompted calls from health experts for tougher laws and penalties.
BONUS ITEM: We’re mixing things up a little today and nerding out over these gorgeous photos from the 2023 Australian Weather Calendar. Thanks, BoM. I mean The Bureau. Not the FBI. No, wait, it’s the BoM again, never mind.
Have a fantastic day.