The confidential records of thousands of psychotherapy patients in Finland have been hacked and some are now facing the threat of blackmail. Authorities are working to track down those patients who received emails threatening to disclose personal information unless the recipient pays the blackmailer. Some of the records have already leaked online. Finnish police are working with other agencies to investigate the data breach that targeted Vastaamo, the country s largest private psychotherapy center, which treats roughly 40,000 patients across the country. "We are grateful for how various actors in society have helped the police," said Marko Leponen, a detective inspector at Finland s National Bureau of Investigation. "It is particularly great that citizens are urging all not to share this material on social media. Sharing such information fulfills the essential elements of an offence," he added.Some of the victims have received emails demanding payments in bitcoin to prevent the public disclosure of their personal information, which authorities are discouraging victims from doing. Instead, agencies are asking those patients to save extortion emails and other possible evidence they may have received and file a police report. Police have also discouraged people from paying the hackers, saying it will not ensure their data remains private.Finland s leaders have expressed dismay at the breach and said the victims need immediate support. "This data breach is shocking in many ways," Finland s Prime Minister, Sanna Marin, said on Twitter Saturday. "Victims now need support and help. Ministries are exploring ways to help victims. Action by municipalities and organizations are also needed." The country s president Sauli Niinistö told Yle News on Sunday that the breach was "relentlessly cruel." "We all have our inner personality that we want to protect. Now it has been violated," he said. Vastaamo said it has started an internal inquiry into the matter and admitted on its website Monday that its patient database was first accessed by hackers back in November 2018. The company said security flaws continued to persist until March 2019. The company also announced Monday it had fired its CEO, Ville Tapio, after it was discovered he concealed a breach from the company s board and parent company. Tapio said he did not know about the initial data breach back in November 2018, in a statement released Monday evening on his Facebook page. Finland s transport and communications agency, Traficom, said on Monday it has worked with other public authorities to set up a website to help the victims. "In this concerning situation, the need arose to make up-to-date information available in a single place," Traficom director-general Kirsi Karlamaa said. "We hope that the site is useful to them in this difficult situation."

Facebook has launched its first "cloud-streamed" video games but is not offering them to iPhones or iPads. Initially, only five titles already available as standalone smartphone apps will be accessible - via the main Facebook and Facebook Gaming apps on Android and Facebook s website on PCs. Later, it may add "all types of games". But it is not offering the product on Apple s iOS mobile operating system because "we don t know if launching on the App Store is a viable path". Exert control The two US technology giants clashed earlier this year, when Apple prevented Facebook from offering more basic "mini-games" via the iOS version of its Facebook Gaming app on the grounds this broke its App Store rules. Apple has since clarified it is possible to offer cloud-based games via its mobile Safari browser instead - the route Microsoft s Xbox xCloud and Amazon s Luna cloud-gaming services are pursuing. But Facebook said "there are limitations to what we can offer" via this route and made clear it was unhappy with the current state of affairs. "While our iOS path is uncertain, one thing is clear," blogged Jason Rubin, Facebook s vice-president of Play. "Apple treats games differently and continues to exert control over a very precious resource." Miss out Even so, one industry watcher suggested Facebook would be keen to resolve the matter before it rolled the service out more widely. "iOS device owners are, on average, the highest-spending mobile-games users," said George Jijiashvili, from games market research company Omdia. "Therefore, cloud-gaming providers cannot afford to miss out on them." Facebook has long offered games via its platforms, most notably Farmville, Candy Crush Saga and Clash of Clans. But until now, these have all been based on Flash or HMTL5 technologies, run locally on a user s device. Choppy gameplay By contrast, the cloud-based service runs the games on Facebook s computer servers and then streams the graphics to players, who control the action from afar. By doing so, the company says, it can offer more advanced gameplay. PGA Tour Golf Shootout IMAGE COPYRIGHTFACEBOOK image captionThe cloud-based titles will be available alongside "legacy web games" already offered by Facebook But to begin with, its line-up is limited to five free-to-play games already available on Google Play and Apple s App Store: Asphalt 9: Legends Mobile Legends: Adventure PGA Tour Golf Shootout Solitaire: Arthur s Tale WWE SuperCard Mr Rubin said Facebook had chosen not to "overpromise and under-deliver". In time, the company plans to add more demanding PC titles. But this soft launch could help it avoid some of the criticisms rivals have faced. Reviews have highlighted Google s Stadia cloud gaming service delivers "choppy gameplay" if users do not have a strong, fast internet connection. And they have also have remarked on the minute-long waits for titles to load on Microsoft s xCloud platform. Early adopters By focusing on games designed for handsets rather than consoles or PCs, Facebook also noted users would not need to buy add-on controllers or other special hardware at this point. "Cloud game streaming for the masses still has a way to go," Mr Rubin said. "And it s important to embrace both the advantages and the reality of the technology rather than try to oversell where it ll be in the future." One consequence of this approach is some early adopters may not even realise they are using the service. Amazon Luna IMAGE COPYRIGHTAMAZON image captionAmazon announced its rival Luna service in September, which does work on iOS devices "The launch titles themselves are very underwhelming and will fail to excite dedicated console console and PC gamers - but it really doesn t matter," Mr Jijiashvili said. "Facebook s ultimate goal is to use gaming to increase user engagement. "And I think in most cases, the kinds of users that will play these casual games will not even realise that they are doing it via cloud gaming. "It will just seem like they are gaming as normal on Facebook." A Facebook spokesman said it intended to bring the service to the UK and other countries but declined to say when. Presentational grey line Analysis box by Marc Cieslak, BBC Click Facebook s foray into cloud gaming makes sense as far as the current gaming landscape is concerned. Lots of industry observers regard game-streaming as the future. But the most important couple of words in that last sentence are "the future". Right now, game-streaming doesn t feel like a technology that s ready for prime time. The experience, while great when it works, can often be plagued by connectivity or performance issues that frustrate players. Facebook s focus on streaming mobile games is a smart one as these are the sorts of titles that tend to be less performance intensive. But a big question mark hangs over the perception of Facebook as a serious gaming platform. The social media giant of course owns virtual reality outfit Oculus, which has a healthy gaming scene of its own. But with everyone from Amazon to Microsoft and Google taking a bet on cloud gaming, the jury is out on Facebook s further aspirations to grab gamers eyeballs.

Can we trust the silver bullet of technology to fix climate change? The prime minister seems to think so. In a speech due soon, he is expected to pledge his faith in offshore wind power, solar, carbon capture, hydrogen, clean cars, and zero-emission aviation. Clean technologies are clearly a huge part of any solution. But the PM is being accused of techno-optimism bias, because he does not mention other key factors in reducing emissions. In fact, experts say, tackling climate change will need action right across society and the economy - with a host of new incentives, laws, rules, bans, appliance standards, taxes and institutional innovations. They also warn that citizens behaviour must shift, with people probably driving and flying less, and eating less meat and dairy produce. In other words, when it comes to cutting carbon emissions, there s no silver bullet – it s more like silver buckshot. But Boris Johnson still seems to have a bandolero stuffed with technologies resembling silver bullets. Let s see whether they ll go with a bang. Clean cars Take cars. The prime minister is due to accelerate the transition towards battery- and hydrogen-powered vehicles. But Professor Jillian Anable from Leeds University warns that even electric cars pose "their own problems that politicians seem reluctant to acknowledge." “Producing electricity and hydrogen requires huge numbers of wind farms or the like, and the cars themselves need resource-hungry tyres, and batteries. Increase car taxes to help climate, advisers say "They also need roads and parking spaces that could otherwise be used for gardens and trees that soak up carbon dioxide," she said. “The harsh reality is that we have to find ways to limit the number of cars and the amount that we drive them” Hydrogen There is widespread agreement that hydrogen will play a role in reducing climate change – but how much, and in what industrial sectors, is another matter. A key question is whether it s sourced from natural gas – which is expensive and, depending on the process used, can yield troublesome carbon dioxide as a by-product - or by using surplus wind energy to split water into hydrogen and oxygen. The latter process does the job cleanly but at still greater cost. Jess Ralston, from the Energy and Climate Intelligence Unit think tank, said: “Hydrogen can power cars, but electricity seems to have won that technology race. It could heat homes, but electric heat pumps are emerging as a better bet. “Hydrogen could be really useful, though, in industries such as steelmaking and in heavy transport – including buses that we re already seeing. But it s no silver bullet.” Aviation On aviation, the prime minister has launched his ambition to devise clean planes. He calls the project “jet zero”. Industry figures appreciate his boosterish support, but critics warn "jet zero" mustn t divert attention from the short-term need for rules and taxes to hold down aviation emissions after Covid. Cait Hewitt from the Aviation Environment Federation told us: “No zero-carbon technology options are currently available for commercial aviation. She explains: "Planes use masses of energy. Batteries aren t powerful enough except for tiny planes, and we can only produce biofuels sustainably in small quantities. “We need a major rollout of radical new technologies, and we need the capacity to remove remaining aircraft emissions from the atmosphere. But she says that “given how far we are from delivering these things, we ll also probably need to fly less.” UK governments have agonised for decades about nuclear energy, but Boris Johnson recently gave it the nod. That means he s likely to either agree a financial package for a new station at Sizewell or for small modular reactors, or both. But nuclear is still a divisive issue. While it "could definitely help to reduce emissions," said Professor Jim Watson, from UCL, "it s very expensive." “To play a major role, the cost of new nuclear plants will really need to fall, especially when the costs of other technologies like wind and solar have dropped so far. “And nuclear developers will need to show that they can build their plants more quickly because we need all electricity to be low carbon within the next 10 years.” He agreed that mini reactors might bring down costs – but said it was far too soon to be certain. Capturing carbon The prime minister has professed himself “an evangelist" for the technology that captures carbon dioxide as it is emitted from factories and power stations and either stores it in underground rocks or uses it for new chemicals. Two decades ago it was touted as a climate saviour, but it s very expensive and has never taken off. The main climate authority, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), says the technology must be used to capture the emissions from trees being burned for energy. This way, the plants suck carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere and the emissions are buried - helping to turn climate change into reverse. It s known as Bio Energy with Carbon Capture and Storage (BECCS). But the IPCC s Professor Jim Skea says there are "potential problems." He explained: "If the trees are grown on land that would otherwise be used for producing food then there are problems with food security. And if we plant acres and acres of land with the same type of tree there are implications for wildlife.” Silver buckshot? So much for silver bullets. But what about the silver buckshot I mentioned earlier? Well, a long list of policies requires government attention, including: standards for new homes; green recovery; food production; planning rules; peat; heat and buildings; meat eating; infrastructure statement; road building; carbon dioxide in soil; medium-term emissions targets; tree planting; energy storage; industrial strategy; appliance standards; and the comprehensive spending review. I ll examine some of the non-technology innovations for tackling climate change in a future article.

Airbnb announced it will be working with former Apple design chief Jony Ive on future products. The vacation rental platform called the deal a "multi-year relationship" with Ive and his new design firm LoveFrom. In addition to helping design "the next generation of Airbnb products and services," Ive will work with the company s internal design team. Airbnb s announcement was light on further details, but noted that Ive and Airbnb CEO Brian Chesky have been "good friends" for many years. Last year, Ives left Apple after nearly 30 years to start his own company. Apple (AAPL) continues to be a major client of his new firm. Ive is credited as one of the masterminds behind blockbuster products like the iMac, iPod and iPhone.The move comes ahead of Airbnb s expected initial public offering. In August, Airbnb filed confidential paperwork for an IPO, just months after the pandemic upended the travel industry and forced the startup to lay off a quarter of its employees. The pandemic rattled its business and many of the hosts who power it. In May, Chesky wrote in a letter to employees that its business had been "hit hard" and revenue for the year was expected to be less than half of what the company earned in 2019. He also announced that Airbnb would let go nearly 1,900 employees around the world. Since then, Airbnb said it has seen bookings bounce back and longer-term bookings rise. Earlier this month, Reuters reported that Airbnb is seeking to raise about $3 billion in its upcoming IPO, which could happen in December.

PayPal has entered the cryptocurrency market, announcing that its customers will be able to buy and sell Bitcoin and other virtual currencies using their PayPal accounts. Those virtual coins could then be used to buy things from the 26 million sellers which accept PayPal, it said. PayPal plans to roll out buying options in the US over the next few weeks, with the full rollout due early next year. Bitcoin prices rose alongside the news, breaking the $12,000 (£9,170) mark. The other cryptocurrencies to be added first will be Ethereum, Litecoin, and Bitcoin Cash (a spin-off from Bitcoin). All could be stored "directly within the PayPal digital wallet", the company said. Penny stocks Cryptocurrencies have remained a niche payment method, partly down to the rapid change in prices they can experience compared with traditional state-backed currencies. That has made them popular among some types of investors. PayPal said it was aiming "to increase consumer understanding and adoption of cryptocurrency". "As part of this offering, PayPal will provide account holders with educational content to help them understand the cryptocurrency ecosystem," it said. But David Gerard, author of Attack of the 50 Foot Blockchain and the forthcoming Libra Shrugged: How Facebook Tried to Take Over the Money, said PayPal was describing "a crypto day-trading market". "I m at a loss as to who the market is for PayPal as a crypto-exchange," he said. He likened it to playing the stock market, but with Bitcoin - whose volatile and less well-regulated nature was like "gambling on penny stocks". "Have a flutter, drop $10 on it, you ll learn things you wouldn t learn any other way - but you are gambling," he warned. He said there were "a lot of big players who manipulate the price", and ordinary people risked losing their money. "I don t expect much of a market for this beyond existing crypto holders... I m baffled that PayPal would offer this, and it s not clear what they re trying to do here," he said. "There must be someone at PayPal who is very interested in cryptocurrencies," he added. Paying with crypto Other payment firms, such as Square s Cash app and Revolut, have already offered cryptocurrencies for sale. But PayPal has one of the largest merchant networks in the world. When it comes to using the virtual coins, PayPal will convert the cryptocurrency into the relevant national currency, so the company being paid will never receive the virtual coins - just the correct amount of pounds or dollars. PayPal said the system meant there would be "certainty of value and no incremental fees". But using Bitcoin to pay at ordinary merchants is not due to launch until "early 2021". Cryptocurrencies volatile prices - along with their historical use as a less traceable payment method for illegal purposes - have led to numerous calls for them to be regulated. PayPal has been granted permission for its operation from the New York State Department of Financial Services, in the form of a conditional "Bitlicence" - the first such licence granted. To begin with, the service will work with an existing cryptocurrency provider in the US, the Paxos Trust Company. But it is not PayPal s first venture into the area. The firm was once a partner in Facebook s digital currency Libra, but became the first to pull out of the alliance, just a few months after it was announced. The scheme was controversial, attracting attention from financial regulators in several countries. Earlier this year, Facebook was reported to be "rethinking" the idea amid the resistance.

US chipmaker Intel (INTC) is selling part of its memory chip business to SK Hynix for $9 billion in a deal that would make the South Korean company the world s second biggest flash memory chipmaker. SK Hynix will acquire Intel s NAND memory chip business, including associated manufacturing and design patents, as well as the US firm s factory in Dalian, China, the companies said in a statement on Tuesday. Intel s NAND flash memory products are used in devices such as smartphones, tablets and hard drives. The US company will keep Optane, its advanced memory chip technology business. The deal is expected to close in March 2025. Shares in SK Hynix were last down more than 2% in Seoul.The acquisition marks the latest big tie-up in the rapidly consolidating semiconductor industry. Nvidia (NVDA), known mainly for making chips for video game graphics, announced last month that it would acquire UK-based chip designer Arm for $16 billion. Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) is also reportedly in advanced talks to buy Xilinx (XLNX) in a deal that could be valued at more than $30 billion, according to The Wall Street Journal, which cited people familiar with the matter. Xilinx told CNN Business that it does not comment on "rumors and speculation." AMD did not respond to a request for comment outside of regular working hours. The deal comes after Intel admitted it was struggling to produce in volume the next generation of leading edge chips. The company said in July that production of 7 nanometer chips would be delayed until 2022. Meanwhile rivals Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSM) (TSMC) and South Korea s Samsung are already successfully producing and selling the chips. Intel is still an industry leader when it comes to chipmaking, and remains the only US company able to compete with TSMC and Samsung when it comes to designing, manufacturing and producing advanced chips. But it costs a lot of money to stay at the cutting edge. US semiconductor firms spent $72 billion on research and development and capital expenses in 2019, compared to $40 billion in 2007, according to a September report from Eurasia Group.For Intel, the deal "will allow us to further prioritize our investments in differentiated technology where we can play a bigger role in the success of our customers and deliver attractive returns to our stockholders," Intel CEO Bob Swan said in a statement. For SK Hynix, acquiring part of Intel s memory chip business will allow the South Korean company to vault from fourth place in the global rankings of NAND flash chip makers to second, just behind rival Samsung. The company currently has an 11.7% market share, compared to Samsung s 31.4%, according to TrendForce. With Intel s business, it would have a consolidated market share of 23.2%.

has taken a controlling stake in one of China s leading supermarket chains as it tries to fend off rival JD.com in the fast growing online grocery industry. Alibaba is spending 28 billion Hong Kong dollars ($3.6 billion) to up its stake in Sun Art Retail Group from 36% to 72%, the company said in a statement Monday. The company will then make a general offer to shareholders to buy out the rest of the the retail company. The news sent shares in Sun Art up nearly 20% in Hong Kong. Alibaba s Hong Kong listed shares rose about 1%. Alibaba (BABA) is in a fierce battle with rival JD.com (JD) for China s online food market. During an annual sales blitz in June, JD said online grocery sales doubled over last year s haul.The e-commerce giants are both using a mixture of physical supermarkets and online platforms to win shoppers. Through tie-ups with Wal-mart (WMT) in China and local grocery chain Yonghui, JD has a network of brick-and-mortar stores across the country that double as warehouses and fulfillment centers. Alibaba has a similar operation, using its Freshippo grocery store chain and Sun Art shops to store and deliver online groceries. Upping its stake in Sun Art signals that Alibaba is pushing for the "accelerated digitization" of Chinese consumers post-pandemic, according to Jefferies analyst Thomas Chong. Sun Art operates nearly 500 hypermarkets and supermarkets across China. Alibaba "has been highlighting digitization as the greatest opportunity to change how people live and work," and seeking "opportunities in traditional retail" by solving problems such as scalability and sustainability, Chong wrote in a note on Monday. China s online grocery sector is "set for explosive growth," according to analytics company GlobalData. As China emerged from lockdown restrictions earlier this year, 56% of shoppers were buying food and grocery online more frequently than before, the company said in a report in June. In the United States, about 30% of shoppers were buying food and grocery online more often than before, GlobalData found.

If you re unable to get a cell phone signal when you walk your dog around the block, this will really make your blood boil: NASA is putting a 4G network on the moon. To reach its 2028 goal to build a lunar base and eventually sustain a human presence on the moon, NASA awarded $370 million to over a dozen companies to deploy technology on the lunar surface. Those innovations include remote power generation, cryogenic freezing, robotics, safer landing ... and 4G. Because how else will astronauts tweet their moon golf shots and lunar rover selfies? NASA says 4G could provide more reliable, longer-distance communication than the current radio standards in place on the moon. Like on Earth, the 4G network will eventually be upgraded to 5G. Nokia s (NOK) Bell Labs was granted $14.1 million for the project. Bell Labs, formerly operated by AT&T, will partner with spaceflight engineering company Intuitive Machines to build out the 4G-LTE network. John Oliver jokes about CNN parent company AT&T (T) aside, 4G will probably work better on the moon than it does here -- it won t have any trees, buildings or TV signals to interfere with the 4G signal. The moon s cellular network will also be specially designed to withstand the particularities of the lunar surface: extreme temperature, radiation and space s vacuum. It will also stay functional during lunar landings and launches, even though rockets significantly vibrate the moon s surface. Bell Labs said astronauts will use its wireless network for data transmission, controlling of lunar rovers, real-time navigation over lunar geography (think Google Maps for the moon), and streaming of high-definition video. That could give us stuck on Earth a much better shot of astronauts bouncing around on the lunar surface: Buzz Aldrin was a great cameraman, but he didn t have an iPhone. The 4G network on Earth is supported by giant cell towers with enormous power generators and radios. But Bell Labs helped create small cell technology that s more limited in range but uses far less power than traditional cell towers and is significantly easier to pack into a rocket ship. That small cell tech is currently being deployed for 5G networks across the world.

Twitter has recently suspended a slew of fake accounts pretending to be Black supporters of President Donald Trump. Many have tweeted this identical phrase: "YES IM BLACK AND IM VOTING FOR TRUMP." A Twitter spokesperson told CNN the accounts violated rules against platform manipulation and spam, which ban users from tweeting to "artificially amplify or suppress information," among other activities. It s not clear who s creating these accounts or their intended purpose, CNN senior business writer Donie O Sullivan, whose coverage includes technology and politics, told Don Lemon on Tuesday. The number of accounts also was unclear -- CNN reached out to Twitter to confirm the number and is waiting to hear back. But the fake accounts are the latest attempt at misinformation related to the 2020 presidential election -- this time -- in the form of fake Trump supporters. A fake account was using a real man s image One of the suspended accounts belonged to a user named "Gary Ray," who described himself as "probably the best meat eater in the world." The account was slim on personal details. His location was set to Detroit, and he d only joined Twitter in August. His profile photo appeared to be a professionally shot black-and-white portrait. In at least two of his 10 tweets, he proudly claimed that he was a Black man who planned to vote for Trump next month. "YES IM BLACK AND IM VOTING FOR TRUMP," a screenshot of the suspended account reads. "Twitter has suspended 2 of my other accounts for supporting Trump. Can you please give me some retweets and a follow? I follow all back, Love ya" "Gary Ray" isn t real, but the man in his profile picture is. His name is Robert Williams, and he didn t know the account had used his photo until reached by CNN.The image of Williams the "Gary Ray" account used first appeared in The New York Times in August. Williams was profiled in the paper for his wrongful arrest after facial recognition software led Detroit police to accuse him of shoplifting. The Wayne County Prosecutor s Office in Michigan dismissed the case in January, the same month Williams was arrested, due to insufficient evidence. After his image was used in such a way just recently, Williams, a logistics planner from Farmington Hills, Michigan, learned his likeness had been used to show support for Trump. "I was shocked by it," Williams told CNN on Wednesday. "I thought it was a weird attempt to mislead people." The fake accounts followed familiar patterns A few suspended accounts, compiled by O Sullivan and disinformation expert Josh Russell, show that their creators followed similar patterns: They d all joined Twitter recently; their Twitter handles usually included a reference to "MAGA" or "KAG," Trump s newer campaign slogan that stands for "Keep America Great;" and their profile pictures were often stock images of Black men and women. In Williams case, the photo of him from the New York Times piece appears in an image search for "black man." Another fake account whose handle included the hashtag #BlacksForTrump used an image of Terrel Wallace, a musician from Detroit who performs under the name "Tall Black Guy." Wallace told CNN he d deactivated his account shortly before he found that his photo was being used by one of the fake accounts. He said he thinks whoever set up the count "just searched for a random tall black guy" before they found his photo. "I m not even into politics like that," Wallace, who said he doesn t support Trump, told CNN. "I just want to continue doing my music and look after my family. I don t have time for this foolishness." The "Gary Ray" account was suspended this week after it garnered hundreds of likes and nearly 400 followers. Screenshots of the other now-suspended accounts showed they were retweeted dozens of times before Twitter took action. For his part, Williams said he doesn t agree with "Gary Ray s" political views. "I in no way intend to support Donald Trump, in any way," he said. Twitter hasn t confirmed who s behind the accounts Sam Riddell, a cybersecurity analyst who s been tracking the fake accounts since September, said the accounts may have had a "hidden motivation": After they built their follower base, the users behind the accounts would "periodically promote links to pro-Trump t-shirts for sale, urging followers to quickly purchase the merchandise before promptly deleting the promotional tweets." The users would then resume making political comments after deleting the tweets, and thus deleting evidence of "financial motivation," and would change photos and handles to avoid being detected by the platform, Riddell tweeted on Tuesday. "With IO [ information operations, or misinformation campaigns] activity, there is very often more than meets the eye," he wrote. If Twitter can prove the accounts were created through a "state-backed information operation," it will disclose the countries involved through its public archive. Earlier this month, Twitter suspended over 1,500 accounts, including over 100 that were hacked by actors in Iran to amplify "politically sensitive topics" like Black Lives Matter and the killing of George Floyd. Similar tactics were used in the run-up to the 2016 election, when Black Americans were targeted more than any other group by Russian agents, who often created fake Twitter and Facebook accounts purported to belong to Black social justice activists. The Russian operatives goal, according to findings from the US Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, was to get Americans, including Black users, to "deepen their engagement" with the Russian operatives by signing petitions to share their personal information and attending events in an overall attempt to undermine Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton s chances of winning the election.

Contractors who moderate content for Facebook in Dublin have reportedly complained about poor working conditions, which they fear could increase their chances of catching the coronavirus. The moderators, employed by professional services firm Covalen, claimed in online forums that they were not allowed to work from home and could not physically distance at the office with so many co-workers, according to UK newspaper The Sunday Times. Staff also questioned why the office had remained open after two of their coworkers tested positive for the coronavirus, the Sunday Times reported. The employees claim they were originally told that the building would be shut for 72 hours if there was a positive case of Covid-19, but in this instance were only moved to a different floor while deep cleaning was carried out. In a statement to CNN Business, Facebook said that since the pandemic struck it has enabled "an overwhelming majority" of its reviewers to work from home."But considering some of the most sensitive content can t be reviewed from home, we ve begun allowing reviewers back into some of our sites as government guidance has permitted," a spokesperson said, adding that the company prioritizes the health and safety of employees. Covalen told CNN Business that it has "extensive health and safety procedures in place," which include strict physical distancing, staggered shifts to allow for deep cleaning, and the regular cleaning of desks and other surfaces that are touched regularly. If an employee reports Covid-19 symptoms or has been in close contact with an employee who has tested positive "they are informed, isolated onsite, provided with private transport home and advised to contact their GP," the company said in a statement. "We are also providing transfers to and from the office so employees do not need to take public transport." The company added that it had a policy of shutting the office for 72 hours if a Covid case was detected back in March when it was operating at full capacity. "When we reopened [after lockdown was lifted] with significantly reduced capacity, we updated our procedures to reflect that." Facebook s content moderators are responsible for monitoring the site for misinformation and graphic material such as violence, animal abuse and child pornography. This is not the first time that individuals whose jobs require them to view such content on Facebook have spoken out about grim working conditions. Two investigations by The Verge last year found that workers at content moderation sites in the United States were poorly paid, made to labor at filthy workstations and provided little emotional support despite the nature of the work they are doing. A report last week from nonprofit Avaaz found that purveyors of misinformation have successfully evaded Facebook s human and automated content review systems, raising questions about the platform s readiness for a potential wave of misinformation ahead of the US presidential election.

Your Amazon Prime Day packages will look different than the boxes you re used to -- and they ll come with an unexpected surprise. Between now and Halloween, Amazon will ship boxes with a new eco-friendly design that has a large white pumpkin on the side. Customers that draw on the pumpkin and scan the nearby QR code with the phone s camera to see the pumpkin drawing sort of come to life through the magic of augmented reality."The new experience is a low-cost way for customers to celebrate and a fun way to reuse boxes before dropping them in the recycling bin," Amazon said in a statement. Shoppers will need Amazon s AR app to use it and can create a customizable pumpkin, similar to Snapchat s AR filters. Perhaps it s a bit of a gimmick, but Amazon (AMZN) wants to bring attention to its environment-saving initiatives. The company has an 85-person team devoted to improving its packaging to help reduce the environmental impact shipping contributes to.Shopping online uses seven times as much cardboard as picking up items from a store, according to the commodity data analytics company Fastmarkets. E-commerce generated 1.3 million tons of container board in North America in 2018 — a jump up from 1.1 million the year before, Fastmarkets says. "My goal would be zero packaging of any type over the next couple years," Kim Houchens, who leads Amazon s packaging team, told CNN business last year. Other sustainable initiatives include labeling 25,000 Climate Pledge Friendly" products and driving 100,000 electric vehicles in the coming years. PAID CONTENT

Eleven dead dolphins of varying sizes washed up on the Red Sea s Marsa Allam beach, south of Wadi al-Gamal, according to environmentalist sources. The dolphins included seven mature females, one mature male, and three juveniles. The animals had been unable to return to the Red Sea s waters due to receding tides, the sources explained, and had likely stranded due to being pushed into shallower waters in search of food. According to a report by the sources, the dolphins were found in an area where striped coral reefs were growing, extending around five kilometers from the shore in the direction of open water. The environmentalists had been notified of the mass death by Red Sea Police. The carcasses were all buried and a report was filed to the Ministry of Environment. The sources ruled out any human cause behind the incident. The Hurghada Environmental Protection and Conservation Association previously reported the discovery of a dead dugong, a rare and endangered marine animal, at the beach on the Red Sea city of Marsa Alam. The animal was three meters long, 90 centimeters wide, and a male. It died after suffering a laceration to its head from a boat propeller.

Pakistan has decided to block social media App TikTok for failing to filter out “immoral” content, three top government officials said on Friday. A formal announcement to this effect will be made in a few hours, the officials said. “We have been asking them repeatedly to put in place an effective mechanism for blocking immoral and indecent content,” one of the top officials directly involved in the decision told Reuters.

STOCKHOLM (AP) — French scientist Emmanuelle Charpentier and American Jennifer A. Doudna have won the Nobel Prize in chemistry for developing a method of genome editing likened to “molecular scissors” that offer the promise of one day curing genetic diseases. The recipients were announced Wednesday in Stockholm by the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences. “There is enormous power in this genetic tool, which affects us all,” said Claes Gustafsson, chair of the Nobel Committee for Chemistry. “It has not only revolutionised basic science, but also resulted in innovative crops and will lead to ground-breaking new medical treatments.” Gustafsson said that as a result, any genome can now be edited “to fix genetic damage.” Gusfafsson cautiouned that the “enormous power of this technology means we have to use it with great care” but that it “is equally clear that this is a technology, a method that will provide humankind with great opportunities.” The prestigious award comes with a gold medal and prize money of 10 million krona (more than $1.1 million), courtesy of a bequest left more than a century ago by the prize’s creator, Swedish inventor Alfred Nobel. The amount was increased recently to adjust for inflation. “I was very emotional, I have to say,” Charpentier told reporters by phone from Berlin after hearing of the award. On Monday, the Nobel Committee awarded the prize for physiology and medicine to Americans Harvey J. Alter and Charles M. Rice and British-born scientist Michael Houghton for discovering the liver-ravaging hepatitis C virus. Tuesday’s prize for physics went to Roger Penrose of Britain, Reinhard Genzel of Germany and Andrea Ghez of the United States for their breakthroughs in understanding the mysteries of cosmic black holes. The other prizes are for outstanding work in the fields of literature, peace and economics. ___ Read more stories about Nobel Prizes past and present by The Associated Press at https://www.apnews.com/NobelPrizes Image: FILE – This Tuesday, Dec. 1, 2015 file combo image shows Emmanuelle Charpentier, left, and Jennifer Doudna, both speaking at the National Academy of Sciences international summit on the safety and ethics of human gene editing, in Washington. The 2020 Nobel Prize for chemistry has been awarded to Emmanuelle Charpentier and Jennifer Doudna “for the development of a method for genome editing.” A panel at the Swedish Academy of Sciences in Stockholm made the announcement Wednesday Oct. 7, 2020. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh, File)

is celebrating its birthday by letting users switch to older icons of the app, including the classic retro camera logo that it sported when it first became a staple of smartphones worldwide. Designs stretching back to Instagram s early days are included in the feature, which will be available throughout October, as well as updated redesigns of the current logo that incorporate different colors and the Pride flag. A pre-launch logo bearing the title "Code name" is also included. The new feature is well-hidden within the app, but Instagram teased it on its social channels on Tuesday -- sending out a cryptic tweet in emojis that gave users instructions on how the access the logos.If a user of the app goes to the settings menu and scrolls right up to the top, a new screen appears showing a list of different options. When one is selected, the new logo appears on the phone s home screen. The app launched on October 6, 2010, with a short-lived logo that featured a mock-up of a Polaroid camera. It quickly switched to a brown icon that survived for several years, until Facebook bought the product and gave it a modern, purple redesign."Birthdays are a good time to reflect on where we ve been and where we re headed," the tech giant wrote in a blog post on its website Tuesday, adding that the company wants to "say a big thank-you to everyone who uses Instagram around the world." Mark Zuckerberg last year announced plans to integrate Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp.The move could cement Facebook s dominance over the messaging market for years to come, and arguably make it harder to break up the company. But the firm is facing antitrust scrutiny in Washington DC, where lawmakers on Tuesday found that it, along with Amazon, Apple and Google, holds "monopoly power" in key business segments and has abused its dominance in the marketplace. Facebook said last month that it is currently testing the ability for Instagram and Messenger users to message or video chat with each other in select markets and will expand it globally in the coming months.

Instagram will begin automatically hiding potentially offensive comments as part of its ongoing attempt to address online bullying. The company said the comments that will be hidden will be similar to those that have been reported by users in the past. Instagram said it s using existing artificial intelligence systems to identify bullying or harassing language in comments. Instagram announced on Tuesday it would be testing the feature. The day also marks the app s tenth birthday. Users will still be able to tap "View Hidden Comments" to see those remarks. Adam Mosseri, who took the helm of Instagram two years ago, has pledged to fight online bullying. Last year, the Facebook-owned company rolled out a tool called "Restrict." It allows you to "restrict" another user, meaning that comments on your posts from that person are only visible to them, and not to other people. It also previously added a feature that lets people know when their comment may be considered offensive before it s posted. The idea is that it gives people the ability to pause and reflect.Instagram said, since introducing comment warnings, it s seen "significant improvement" in people editing or not posting the comment, although it did not elaborate further. On Tuesday, Instagram also said it s adding an additional warning for people who have posted several comments that could be offensive. The notification prompts them to go back to their comment, otherwise they could risk consequences such as their comment being hidden or even their account getting deleted. Twitter has conducted similar tests. Earlier this year, it began prompting users to consider rewriting their reply to a tweet before publishing, if it contained potentially harmful language.

IBM Corp said on Friday the US Commerce Department should adopt new controls to limit the export of facial recognition systems to repressive regimes that can be used to commit human rights violations. The company said in a statement the United States should institute new export limits on “the type of facial recognition system most likely to be used in mass surveillance systems, racial profiling or other human rights violations.”

Founded in 1984, GameStop is one of the oldest cornerstones of video game retail. But in 2020, it s facing big risks as the industry increasingly turns to digital. Sony sent ripples through the industry in late September when it announced a digital version of the PlayStation 5 that has the same performance as the standard one, but would be $100 cheaper and do away with a disc player for playing physical games. It s a departure for the gaming industry that started off with a heavy reliance on hardware and hard copies, and it signals a shift towards digital and the cloud. The move raised alarm bells for GameStop (GME), which relies on physical games for a significant portion of its income. In 2002, its parent company at the time, Barnes and Noble, took GameStop public. Through the years, GameStop has differentiated its business by continuing to sell merchandise, such as Funko Pop toys, giving away a Fortnite in-game item as a gift with purchase and even opening up pre-orders to the PlayStation 5 Digital Edition.But if gamers were to feel compelled by a digital version of the PS5, and switch over, GameStop would face a huge challenge to its business. The company declined to comment on that risk for this story. But in a September 2019 interview, CEO George Sherman told CNN Business: "Gaming as an industry could not be stronger ... it s us that needs to pivot. It s GameStop that needs to make some changes." Analysts were split on whether the gaming retailer is in immediate trouble. But Sony s upcoming launch is the latest signal the retailer needs to adapt. The company reported a $111.3 million loss in the most recent quarter, compared to a loss of $415.3 million in the same period last year. It said it will close 400 to 450 stores globally this year. Stephanie Wissink, managing director of consumer equity research at Jefferies believes that digital consoles won t see mass adoption yet as most gamers across the country will need more bandwidth and external hard drives to hold all those digital games. Wissink predicts that GameStop will benefit from sales of the upcoming Xbox Series X and the standard PS5, and at least be fine for the next three to four years until 5G and cloud gaming grow more popular. For now, the company will be buoyed by game collectors and those interested in trading in physical games for others. Physical copies can be traded, but digital can t. "But then after that, we really need to start talking about some of the threats... the digitization of software, the rise of cloud gaming," said Wissink, "By the time we get out three or four years, GameStop is going to have to reinvent itself in terms of its positions around physical software." A Blockbuster era Subscriptions like the Xbox Game Pass, where gamers can try out multiple games per month for a flat monthly fee, and cloud gaming subscriptions like Google Stadia s $9.99 a month, could all be challenges to GameStop s business model. "We re entering a kind of Blockbuster era," said Carolina Milanesi, a tech analyst at research firm Creative Strategies, "The same thing we ve seen for movies and content for Netflix and the like that ended up killing Blockbuster are now starting to impact gaming." To survive, GameStop may have to evolve. "You could become just a merchandise store that is linked to gaming and could be also selling accessories, as an example," said Milanesi. "You re changing your DNA, you keep the name and you become somebody else, that s possible." Michael Pachter, an analyst at private financial services firm Wedbush, said GameStop survived the pandemic and closing stores, and it will benefit from new console launches "since there will be a reason for consumers to return to stores." The digital PS5 is a first for Sony but not for gaming. Xbox has done it before by launching a digital version of the Xbox One S in 2019, which Pachter said "barely made a ripple." Xbox s Series S will follow the same trend, but it has lower resolution graphics and less storage than the mainstay Xbox Series X. "People who want to trade in games will buy the more expensive PS5 and will continue to buy discs," said Michael Pachter, an analyst at private financial services firm Wedbush. "So long as there is a version with a disc drive, there will still be discs and GameStop will continue to sell them." An unexpected goldmine GameStop does have one enormously valuable asset, said Wissink, the Jefferies analyst. "GameStop is also sitting on a database of 16 million profiles of core gamers that they have a direct connection with. And they can tell you whether those gamers play more than one game," said Wissink. "So that s something that Microsoft (MSFT) doesn t have. Activision (ATVI) doesn t have. EA (EA) doesn t have. Those companies all know their individualized box in the matrix, but they don t have a view of the matrix." It just depends on what GameStop s able to do with that customer data. The company also owns the gaming magazine, Game Informer, and one of its latest shareholders is the co-founder of pet supplies ecommerce store Chewy, Ryan Cohen. The stock price is $9.45, up 78.30% over the past year, reflecting optimism over the upcoming next-gen consoles. "We know one thing about Chewy, that it is built with customer data at the center of everything," said Wissink. That data could be used to push customer loyalty, repeat purchases and subscription services.

Google is tapping out of the super-expensive smartphone race. With its latest line of Pixel devices, announced in an online event Wednesday, Google (GOOGL) appears to be targeting a more cost-conscious user than the premium smartphones from competitors such as Apple and Samsung — many of which cost upwards of $1,000 and some as much as $2,000. The Pixel 5 starts at $699 and the Pixel 4a 5G starts at $499. Meanwhile, the Pixel 4a that launched earlier this year costs $399. Those lower prices do come with some sacrifices. Both Pixel phones have less powerful processors and displays than the top devices from Samsung and Apple, and the Pixel 4a 5G is not waterproof, though the Pixel 5 is. Japan will be the first country to get the Pixel 4a 5G on October 15, with the phone set to launch in eight other countries, including the United States, in November. The Pixel 5 will launch in eight countries on October 15 and in the United States on October 29.Both of Google s new phones support 5G, the next generation of super-fast wireless networks. They are the latest in a growing slate of phones on the market built to connect to 5G, including models from Motorola, Samsung, Huawei, LG and others. Apple is widely expected to launch its own 5G-enabled phone next month. But the relatively low price point of the Pixel devices could provide a more affordable entry point to the 5G ecosystem. A camera with more control before and after you click As it has with past models, Google is leaning heavily on software to help its smartphone cameras compete with the likes of the iPhone and Galaxy devices. Both phones Google launched on Wednesday have the same front and rear camera system that Google described as its "best one yet," featuring a new ultra-wide lens and software that helps take sharper images.Google is combining two of the Pixel s most popular features — Night Sight and Portrait Mode — to let users blur their backgrounds while shooting in darker environments. Another low-light feature called Portrait Light allows users to strategically add light to darker sections of a photo. The new Pixel cameras also have new video features to help shoot more stable footage. Google Assistant, wait on hold for me Instead of listening to many minutes of tedious hold music, Google is introducing a new feature called Hold for Me. Google Assistant will wait on the line for you if a business with a toll-free number puts you on hold, and alert you when you re off hold and a representative comes on the line. Google is addressing another pain point for users: running low on battery. Its new Extreme Battery Saver mode will allow you to pick what essential apps you want to keep on, while everything else gets paused. The company boasts this could increase battery life for up to 48 hours. Both features will come to older generations of Pixel phones soon, too. Google s TV system gets a refresh Google also updated and rebranded some of its smart home devices with new TV and speaker offerings. The company announced a new version of its Chromecast streaming device, with a system called Google TV (similar to its existing Android TV operating system) that integrates several devices into one. Google TV s Watchlist lets you save movies and shows you want to watch, and add titles to the list from your phone or laptop. The new Chromecast has its own remote with dedicated buttons for Netflix and YouTube, and will go on sale in the US for $50 starting Wednesday.The company also unveiled a new smart speaker called Nest Audio, which it says packs a better sound and louder volume than its Google Home predecessors. The speaker ($99) will go on sale October 5 and comes in five colors, including black, white and light blue.

Egypt s Red Sea Marine Park Authority (RSMPA), the governmental agency responsible for managing the marine protectorates within the Red Sea governorate, decided on Tuesday to impose a fine of US$34,000 on the owner of a tourist boat for its damages to the coral reef in the Magawish area of the Red Sea. The boat reportedly ran aground on the reef, causing it substantial harm. Upon receiving a report from security services on the incident, which took place in the north of Hurghada near Magawish Island in the Red Sea, RSMPA rushed to the scene to inspect the damage. A committee of environmental researchers has been formed to prepare a comprehensive assessment of the damage caused by the accident, and to take legal action against the owner. Sources within RSMPA said that the boat is regularly operating cruises in the protected reef area. The Red Sea in Egypt sees a large number of tourists each year, many of which enjoy snorkeling, diving, and boat tours in its crystal-clear waters. Local conservation groups are actively working with local authorities to protect the fragile environment on the sea, while still allowing tourists to experience its beauty. Egypt s coral reefs are found mainly along the coasts of the Red Sea, the Gulf of Suez and the Gulf of Aqaba, where more than a thousand different fish species live among 250 kinds of coral. Red Sea reefs are cited as among the richest in the world for overall species diversity. Coral reef degradation has increased dramatically during the last three decades, particularly along the Egyptian Red Sea coast due to man-made disturbances such as global warming and other stressors, according to a study from Benha University. Marine environment experts and diving centers warned of the disappearance of coral reefs in the Red Sea due to launch boats, used for diving trips and maritime activities, tying their iron anchors into live coral reefs, especially in the area between al-Gouna and Hurghada where buoys are not available.

Chinese online media firm Sina Corp. is quitting Wall Street as Chinese tech companies come under heightened scrutiny in the United States. The Beijing-based firm is being taken private by its chairman and chief executive, Charles Chao, in a deal that values the company at $2.6 billion, Sina (SINA) said in a statement on Monday. The offer price of $43.30 per share is a roughly 8% premium to the company s closing price in New York on Friday, and is also sweeter than the initial buyout offer made by New Wave Holdings, Chao s investment company, in July. Sina went public on the Nasdaq in 2000. The company owns Weibo (WB), a popular social media platform in China often compared to Twitter (TWTR).Sina s deal comes as tensions rise between the United States and China. In recent weeks, the two countries have clashed over US threats and restrictions against Chinese tech firms that have ensnared apps like TikTok and WeChat and chipmaker SMIC. On Wall Street, Chinese companies are also facing more scrutiny. Luckin Coffee (LK) was booted off the Nasdaq following the disclosure of massive accounting irregularities. US lawmakers, government agencies and stock exchanges have since taken steps aimed at limiting Beijing s access to America s vast capital markets. In May, the US Senate unanimously passed a bill that would prevent companies that refuse to open their books from listing on Wall Street. The bill s bipartisan co-sponsors said the goal is to "kick deceitful Chinese companies off US exchanges." The bill still needs to pass the US House of Representatives. And in August, the US President s Working Group on Financial Markets released a report recommending increased scrutiny of listed Chinese companies and due diligence requirements for investing in Chinese companies. Fearful of potential regulatory trouble in the United States, as well as wanting to be closer to investors who actually use their products, several marquee Chinese tech firms have in recent months offered secondary listings in Hong Kong and Shanghai — among them e-commerce companies Alibaba (BABA) and JD (JD). Meanwhile, Alibaba s financial affiliate Ant Group chose Shanghai and Hong Kong for its highly anticipated initial public offering, even though Alibaba had a blockbuster IPO on the New York Stock Exchange in 2014. "Chinese companies currently listed in the US will continue a stampede to issue secondary shares in Hong Kong and domestic markets, and these markets will also be the main destinations for new listings by Chinese companies," Eurasia analysts wrote in a note last month.