Month: January 2025
Threads and Instagram will recommend political content after all
Meta is continuing to overhaul its moderation and content rules. Instagram head Adam Mosseri posted today that Instagram and Threads will start including political content in recommendations. It’s a reversal from the policy the two platforms adopted last year, which made political content something users had to choose if they wanted to see. Now, Mosseri said that there will be three levels of political content that Instagram and Threads users can pick to see: less, standard (which will be the default) and more.
“It’s proven impractical to draw a red line around what is and is not political content,” Mosseri wrote. The change will begin rolling out this week in the US and in the rest of the world over the coming weeks.
This announcement is the latest in a series of shifts Meta is making that seem like efforts to curry favor with President-elect Donald Trump. CEO Mark Zuckerberg said that the company would eliminate third-party fact-checkers in favor of a Community Notes model for Facebook, Instagram and Threads, mimicking the approach taken at X (formerly Twitter). Nick Clegg stepped down as Meta’s president of global affairs to be replaced by Joel Kaplan, who is well-connected to Republicans in Washington DC.
Yesterday, Instagram was also discovered to have blocked several LGBTQ hashtags and treated them as “sexually suggestive material” for months. The company said this was an error. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/social-media/threads-and-instagram-will-recommend-political-content-after-all-232343107.html?src=rss
Meta is continuing to overhaul its moderation and content rules. Instagram head Adam Mosseri posted today that Instagram and Threads will start including political content in recommendations. It’s a reversal from the policy the two platforms adopted last year, which made political content something users had to choose if they wanted to see. Now, Mosseri said that there will be three levels of political content that Instagram and Threads users can pick to see: less, standard (which will be the default) and more.
“It’s proven impractical to draw a red line around what is and is not political content,” Mosseri wrote. The change will begin rolling out this week in the US and in the rest of the world over the coming weeks.
This announcement is the latest in a series of shifts Meta is making that seem like efforts to curry favor with President-elect Donald Trump. CEO Mark Zuckerberg said that the company would eliminate third-party fact-checkers in favor of a Community Notes model for Facebook, Instagram and Threads, mimicking the approach taken at X (formerly Twitter). Nick Clegg stepped down as Meta’s president of global affairs to be replaced by Joel Kaplan, who is well-connected to Republicans in Washington DC.
Yesterday, Instagram was also discovered to have blocked several LGBTQ hashtags and treated them as “sexually suggestive material” for months. The company said this was an error.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/social-media/threads-and-instagram-will-recommend-political-content-after-all-232343107.html?src=rss
White House Launches ‘Cyber Trust’ Safety Label For Smart Devices
BleepingComputer’s Sergiu Gatlan reports: “Today, the White House announced the launch of the U.S. Cyber Trust Mark, a new cybersecurity safety label for internet-connected consumer devices. The Cyber Trust Mark label, which will appear on smart products sold in the United States later this year, will help American consumers determine whether the devices they want to buy are safe to install in their homes. It’s designed for consumer smart devices, such as home security cameras, TVs, internet-connected appliances, fitness trackers, climate control systems, and baby monitors, and it signals that the internet-connected device comes with a set of security features approved by NIST.
Vendors will label their products with the Cyber Trust Mark logo if they meet the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) cybersecurity criteria. These criteria include using unique and strong default passwords, software updates, data protection, and incident detection capabilities. Consumers can scan the QR code included next to the Cyber Trust Mark labels for additional security information, such as instructions on changing the default password, steps for securely configuring the device, details on automatic updates (including how to access them if they are not automatic), the product’s minimum support period, and a notification if the manufacturer does not offer updates for the device. “Americans are worried about the rise of criminals remotely hacking into home security systems to unlock doors, or malicious attackers tapping into insecure home cameras to illicitly record conversations,” the Biden administration said on Tuesday.
“The White House launched this bipartisan effort to educate American consumers and give them an easy way to assess the cybersecurity of such products, as well as incentivize companies to produce more cybersecure devise [sic], much as EnergyStar labels did for energy efficiency.
Read more of this story at Slashdot.
BleepingComputer’s Sergiu Gatlan reports: “Today, the White House announced the launch of the U.S. Cyber Trust Mark, a new cybersecurity safety label for internet-connected consumer devices. The Cyber Trust Mark label, which will appear on smart products sold in the United States later this year, will help American consumers determine whether the devices they want to buy are safe to install in their homes. It’s designed for consumer smart devices, such as home security cameras, TVs, internet-connected appliances, fitness trackers, climate control systems, and baby monitors, and it signals that the internet-connected device comes with a set of security features approved by NIST.
Vendors will label their products with the Cyber Trust Mark logo if they meet the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) cybersecurity criteria. These criteria include using unique and strong default passwords, software updates, data protection, and incident detection capabilities. Consumers can scan the QR code included next to the Cyber Trust Mark labels for additional security information, such as instructions on changing the default password, steps for securely configuring the device, details on automatic updates (including how to access them if they are not automatic), the product’s minimum support period, and a notification if the manufacturer does not offer updates for the device. “Americans are worried about the rise of criminals remotely hacking into home security systems to unlock doors, or malicious attackers tapping into insecure home cameras to illicitly record conversations,” the Biden administration said on Tuesday.
“The White House launched this bipartisan effort to educate American consumers and give them an easy way to assess the cybersecurity of such products, as well as incentivize companies to produce more cybersecure devise [sic], much as EnergyStar labels did for energy efficiency.
Read more of this story at Slashdot.
Italy’s plan to buy Starlink data deals a serious blow to European space network
“We are strong if we remain united and defend our infrastructure.”
The Italian government is considering the purchase of satellite Internet services from SpaceX’s Starlink constellation, and the potential deal has triggered controversy along political, economic, and spaceflight lines in Europe.
The story was initially broken by Bloomberg on Sunday, which reported that Italy is in “advanced talks” with SpaceX to purchase $1.6 billion worth of secure telecommunication services from SpaceX. The publication said an agreement, for which talks began in mid-2023, had been stalled until Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni visited President-elect Donald Trump in Florida recently.
This report set off a firestorm of responses that highlight the increasing sensitivity of European countries to partnering with SpaceX—the success of which has put serious pressure on Europe’s launch industry—as well as the Trump administration and SpaceX founder Elon Musk.
A holographic windshield from Hyundai Mobis is a big upgrade for in-car HUDs at CES 2025
Automotive heads up displays (HUDs) have been around as far back as 1988, and while they’ve gotten brighter and more colorful over the years, even today’s most sophisticated implementations still feel a bit primitive. But after seeing what Hyundai Mobis (which makes auto parts for Hyundai, Kia and Genesis) is calling the world’s first full-windshield holographic display at CES 2025, it felt like I was looking at a major evolution in-car infotainment.
Unlike traditional reflective HUDs, Hyundai Mobis’ holographic windshield display (HWD) consists of two main components: a projector (or in this case multiple projectors) hidden beneath the dash and a special optical film with a carefully tuned wavelength sensitivity embedded inside the windshield itself. This combination allows the HWD to pump out brighter and more colorful images with much shallower viewing angles. Unless you’re sitting in the right spot, you may not even see the HUD at all.
Because of the HWD’s narrow viewing angles, Hyundai Mobis set up a separate demo to better show what it looks like. When installed in a car, the HWD’s small sweet spot means the passenger’s displays is not visible from the driver’s side and vice versa, which is good for eliminating distractions. Photo by Sam Rutherford/Engadget
On the Hyundai Mobis Kia EV9 demo vehicle, the HWD isn’t limited to just a small corner at the bottom of the windshield. Instead, it’s split up into three different zones that span the entire width of the car: two for the driver and one dedicated to the passenger. For the driver, the HWD can display basic stuff like the car’s speed, directions and more. But where things get interesting is when it shows holographic 3D maps that can adjust in real-time based on your position, adding an entirely new dimension to help you reach your destination.
For passengers, their dedicated section of the HWD can be used independently for checking vehicle information or simply watching a video or playing games. Critically, because of the limited viewing angles of Hyundai Mobis’ tech, the driver can’t see the passenger’s side of the HWD, so there’s no distraction risk. The whole system is rather impressive, because so much of the tech is hidden beneath the dashboard. The only evidence that this HWD is different from more traditional implementations is that if you look really closely at the windshield when it’s off, you can see a faint outline where the optical film is sandwiched between the glass.
After checking out Hyundai Mobis’ demo, I also got a chance to talk to one of the engineers behind the HWD, Dr. Minho Shin, who added additional context and insight about the tech. Through a translator, Dr. Shin told me that the company envisions its HWD as a way to augment the main display found in most modern cars, which will most likely serve as the main control center for manipulating what you see on the windshield. And for passengers, it’s possible they will be able to control what they see on their side of the HWD simply by casting content from their phones. Furthermore, the placement and size of the holographic display makes it easier for the driver to see and interact with helpful tools like real-time 3D maps compared to current tech. Dr. Shin even said that it’s possible to create a version of the HWD that would cover both the entire width and vertical height of the windshield, which seems like something straight out of every sci-fi or cyberpunk movie ever made. However, due to laws in many countries, that kind of functionality isn’t widely permitted.
A passenger-side view of Hyundai Mobis’ HWD. Notice how you can’t see the two sections of the display on the driver’s side of the car. Photo by Sam Rutherford
Now it must be mentioned that at CES 2025, BMW demoed similar technology with its Panoramic iDrive system. The Bavarian automaker’s approach is arguably a bit further along, at least when it comes to being integrated into its existing infotainment system and its availability, which is slated to arrive on all new models by the end of 2025. However, when you look closer, it almost seems like BMW is cheating a bit by using a black film that goes along the bottom of the windshield instead of being completely transparent like with the HWD, which may give Hyundai Mobi’s tech significantly improved driver visibility and awareness.
While BMW’s panoramic HUD is slated to arrive first, Hyundai Mobis won’t be far behind as the company hopes to put its HWD into production by the end of 2026.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/transportation/a-holographic-windshield-from-hyundai-mobis-is-a-big-upgrade-for-in-car-huds-at-ces-2025-230050196.html?src=rss
Automotive heads up displays (HUDs) have been around as far back as 1988, and while they’ve gotten brighter and more colorful over the years, even today’s most sophisticated implementations still feel a bit primitive. But after seeing what Hyundai Mobis (which makes auto parts for Hyundai, Kia and Genesis) is calling the world’s first full-windshield holographic display at CES 2025, it felt like I was looking at a major evolution in-car infotainment.
Unlike traditional reflective HUDs, Hyundai Mobis’ holographic windshield display (HWD) consists of two main components: a projector (or in this case multiple projectors) hidden beneath the dash and a special optical film with a carefully tuned wavelength sensitivity embedded inside the windshield itself. This combination allows the HWD to pump out brighter and more colorful images with much shallower viewing angles. Unless you’re sitting in the right spot, you may not even see the HUD at all.
Because of the HWD’s narrow viewing angles, Hyundai Mobis set up a separate demo to better show what it looks like. When installed in a car, the HWD’s small sweet spot means the passenger’s displays is not visible from the driver’s side and vice versa, which is good for eliminating distractions.
On the Hyundai Mobis Kia EV9 demo vehicle, the HWD isn’t limited to just a small corner at the bottom of the windshield. Instead, it’s split up into three different zones that span the entire width of the car: two for the driver and one dedicated to the passenger. For the driver, the HWD can display basic stuff like the car’s speed, directions and more. But where things get interesting is when it shows holographic 3D maps that can adjust in real-time based on your position, adding an entirely new dimension to help you reach your destination.
For passengers, their dedicated section of the HWD can be used independently for checking vehicle information or simply watching a video or playing games. Critically, because of the limited viewing angles of Hyundai Mobis’ tech, the driver can’t see the passenger’s side of the HWD, so there’s no distraction risk. The whole system is rather impressive, because so much of the tech is hidden beneath the dashboard. The only evidence that this HWD is different from more traditional implementations is that if you look really closely at the windshield when it’s off, you can see a faint outline where the optical film is sandwiched between the glass.
After checking out Hyundai Mobis’ demo, I also got a chance to talk to one of the engineers behind the HWD, Dr. Minho Shin, who added additional context and insight about the tech. Through a translator, Dr. Shin told me that the company envisions its HWD as a way to augment the main display found in most modern cars, which will most likely serve as the main control center for manipulating what you see on the windshield. And for passengers, it’s possible they will be able to control what they see on their side of the HWD simply by casting content from their phones. Furthermore, the placement and size of the holographic display makes it easier for the driver to see and interact with helpful tools like real-time 3D maps compared to current tech. Dr. Shin even said that it’s possible to create a version of the HWD that would cover both the entire width and vertical height of the windshield, which seems like something straight out of every sci-fi or cyberpunk movie ever made. However, due to laws in many countries, that kind of functionality isn’t widely permitted.
A passenger-side view of Hyundai Mobis’ HWD. Notice how you can’t see the two sections of the display on the driver’s side of the car.
Now it must be mentioned that at CES 2025, BMW demoed similar technology with its Panoramic iDrive system. The Bavarian automaker’s approach is arguably a bit further along, at least when it comes to being integrated into its existing infotainment system and its availability, which is slated to arrive on all new models by the end of 2025. However, when you look closer, it almost seems like BMW is cheating a bit by using a black film that goes along the bottom of the windshield instead of being completely transparent like with the HWD, which may give Hyundai Mobi’s tech significantly improved driver visibility and awareness.
While BMW’s panoramic HUD is slated to arrive first, Hyundai Mobis won’t be far behind as the company hopes to put its HWD into production by the end of 2026.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/transportation/a-holographic-windshield-from-hyundai-mobis-is-a-big-upgrade-for-in-car-huds-at-ces-2025-230050196.html?src=rss
It’s remarkably easy to inject new medical misinformation into LLMs
Changing just 0.001% of inputs to misinformation makes the AI less accurate.
It’s pretty easy to see the problem here: The Internet is brimming with misinformation, and most large language models are trained on a massive body of text obtained from the Internet.
Ideally, having substantially higher volumes of accurate information might overwhelm the lies. But is that really the case? A new study by researchers at New York University examines how much medical information can be included in a large language model (LLM) training set before it spits out inaccurate answers. While the study doesn’t identify a lower bound, it does show that by the time misinformation accounts for 0.001 percent of the training data, the resulting LLM is compromised.
While the paper is focused on the intentional “poisoning” of an LLM during training, it also has implications for the body of misinformation that’s already online and part of the training set for existing LLMs, as well as the persistence of out-of-date information in validated medical databases.
CES 2025: LG’s Swiss-army-knife projector hides in plain sight
Companies have been smashing together multiple gadgets into one product for a long time, and there are plenty of examples at CES 2025. However, LG’s latest projector, the PF600U, which is a mash up of a projector, a lamp and a Bluetooth speaker may be one of the few compelling examples of the genre. If nothing else, the device could allow you to hide your A/V gear in plain sight within a floor lamp when you’re not using it. LG intends for it to be tucked away in a living space, at the end of couch or behind an end table for example.
The PF600U isn’t a great name, so I hope LG comes up with something better before this thing goes on sale. As a projector, the PF600U offers an LED FHD (1,920 x 1,080) image and 300 ANSI lumens of brightness. It doesn’t produce the crispest views, but you can beam a picture up to 120 inches with it. I thought the results in LG’s booth were perfectly useable for casual TV and movie watching, especially in a small apartment where space is at a premium.
I didn’t get a chance to hear the PF600U’s sound quality, but LG says the device has passive radiator speakers embedded inside. Like the picture quality, it’s probably enough for low-key TV and music audio, but purists will certainly want something more robust. Again, it seems like the idea is saving space over producing pristine sound quality, so this was never for them anyway.
When it comes to the lamp features, there are nine dimmable color LEDs to set the mood. The top, where all of the tech resides, tilts so the ring or lights on the bottom can be projected on a wall or other surface. And as you might expect, the whole thing is controlled by webOS. Plus, there are buttons for positioning, changing modes, power and more on the top panel, encircled by the speaker’s grille.
LG hasn’t announced pricing or availability for the PF600U yet. Those details will likely come closer to launch day.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/home/home-theater/ces-2025-lgs-swiss-army-knife-projector-hides-in-plain-sight-225224199.html?src=rss
Companies have been smashing together multiple gadgets into one product for a long time, and there are plenty of examples at CES 2025. However, LG’s latest projector, the PF600U, which is a mash up of a projector, a lamp and a Bluetooth speaker may be one of the few compelling examples of the genre. If nothing else, the device could allow you to hide your A/V gear in plain sight within a floor lamp when you’re not using it. LG intends for it to be tucked away in a living space, at the end of couch or behind an end table for example.
The PF600U isn’t a great name, so I hope LG comes up with something better before this thing goes on sale. As a projector, the PF600U offers an LED FHD (1,920 x 1,080) image and 300 ANSI lumens of brightness. It doesn’t produce the crispest views, but you can beam a picture up to 120 inches with it. I thought the results in LG’s booth were perfectly useable for casual TV and movie watching, especially in a small apartment where space is at a premium.
I didn’t get a chance to hear the PF600U’s sound quality, but LG says the device has passive radiator speakers embedded inside. Like the picture quality, it’s probably enough for low-key TV and music audio, but purists will certainly want something more robust. Again, it seems like the idea is saving space over producing pristine sound quality, so this was never for them anyway.
When it comes to the lamp features, there are nine dimmable color LEDs to set the mood. The top, where all of the tech resides, tilts so the ring or lights on the bottom can be projected on a wall or other surface. And as you might expect, the whole thing is controlled by webOS. Plus, there are buttons for positioning, changing modes, power and more on the top panel, encircled by the speaker’s grille.
LG hasn’t announced pricing or availability for the PF600U yet. Those details will likely come closer to launch day.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/home/home-theater/ces-2025-lgs-swiss-army-knife-projector-hides-in-plain-sight-225224199.html?src=rss
Doom marine crashes art gallery, politely sips wine
Remake of 1993 classic lets you drink wine and eat hors d’oeuvres as you admire masterpieces from art history.
Just when you thought you had seen every possible Doom mod, two game developers released a free browser game that reimagines the first level of 1993’s Doom as an art gallery, replacing demons with paintings and shotguns with wine glasses.
Doom: The Gallery Experience, created by Filippo Meozzi and Liam Stone, transforms the iconic E1M1 level into a virtual museum space where players guide a glasses-wearing Doomguy through halls of fine art as classical music plays in the background. The game links each displayed artwork to its corresponding page on the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s website.
“In this experience, you will be able to walk around and appreciate some fine art while sipping some wine and enjoying the complimentary hors d’oeuvres,” write the developers on the game’s itch.io page, “in the beautifully renovated and re-imagined E1M1 of id Software’s DOOM (1993).”