Technology

Scarlett Bloom had been working as a mainstream porn actor for only a few months when she decided that she had to rethink her business model.Bloom had come to Los Angeles in late 2018 to film adult entertainment under a contract with a porn studio, but it quickly became obvious that she couldn’t rely on that source of income alone to sustain herself. She didn’t get royalties … [Read more...] about After OnlyFans, will sex workers find a new home on the internet?

If you’re like most people, you don’t bother to read the user contracts and privacy policies that accompany all those “free” services you enjoy online — Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and the rest.You should, but that’s not what today’s column is about.Rather, let’s look at how Big Tech seems to go out of its way to prevent you from understanding what you’re agreeing to when you … [Read more...] about Column: Want to read a tech company’s user agreements? Got 90 minutes to spare?

“Twelve Minutes” begins with a revelation. A wife and a husband sit down for a late-night dessert and the wife starts to tell the husband that she’s pregnant. What happens next will forever change their lives.Depending on how we play — and the information at hand — expect an intruder claiming to be a cop, accusations of murder, actual acts of murder, a mystery involving a … [Read more...] about Why ‘Twelve Minutes,’ a Hitchcock-taut video game thriller with A-list stars, spurs debate

California’s giant ride-hailing and delivery companies suffered a setback Friday as a state Superior Court judge invalidated a 2020 ballot proposition that allowed Uber, Lyft, DoorDash, Instacart and other app-based businesses to classify their workers as independent contractors.In a lawsuit brought by the Service Employees International Union and several drivers, Alameda … [Read more...] about Prop. 22 is ruled unconstitutional, a blow to California gig economy law

Another day, another massive data breach claimed by hackers. Days after a breach at T-Mobile exposed about 53 million people’s personal information, a hacking group known as ShinyHunters announced that it was auctioning 70 million sets of sensitive data purportedly stolen from AT&T. The information offered for sale was similar in both breaches, including full names, … [Read more...] about Hackers steal even more Social Security numbers. How should you protect yourself?

Elon Musk showed off his latest project Thursday night: a sleek white and shiny humanoid robot, sized a bit smaller than the average man, engineered to perform “dangerous, repetitive, boring” tasks – sometime in the future. Called the Tesla Bot, it will be ready for unveiling in prototype form sometime next year, Musk said — but if it’s not, it wouldn’t be the first time a … [Read more...] about Elon Musk claims Tesla will debut a humanoid robot next year

Hackers have found their way again into T-Mobile’s systems, the fourth reported breach of the company’s data since early 2020. This time, the haul included sensitive personal information associated with about 48 million people, most of whom were former or prospective customers of the self-styled “un-carrier.”Here is a breakdown of what happened, the risks you might face and how … [Read more...] about Hackers stole millions of Social Security numbers from T-Mobile. What should you do?

The message looked legit.“How are you?” it began. “Hope you are keeping safe. Are you available via email? I need your help.”Long Beach resident Anne Supple told me she and her husband, Charley, had no reason to question the recent email from one of their neighbors, who they knew was out of town.The name was correct. It was sent from her proper email address. “I am right where … [Read more...] about Column: The pandemic is ‘a cornucopia for scam artists.’ Here’s how to protect yourself

Something called the “London hard fork” is going down.If you picture a two-pronged implement jabbing into a pub steak, you have some catching up to do. This has nothing to do with London broil.Instead, the London hard fork is the insider-y (and admittedly cool-sounding) name of the first phase of a gut renovation to the Ethereum blockchain. It started Thursday in London. The … [Read more...] about Column: Crypto trading just got safer, and that’s too bad

For its first few years, Teleparty seemed doomed to be a niche product. The browser extension, which lets multiple people sync up their Netflix accounts so they can watch the same thing at the same time, was a hit among couples in long-distance relationships. Otherwise, few people had even heard of it.And then, in March 2020, the app suddenly found itself with a planet’s worth … [Read more...] about Can virtual socializing apps outlast the pandemic?