Technology

National

'The Guardian' Launches New Series Examining Online Abuse

4:28pm April 29, 2016

A video was released this week where female sports journalists were read abusive online comments to their face. It's an issue that reaches far beyond that group, and The Guardian is taking it on in a series called "The Web We Want." NPR's Audie Cornish speaks with series editor Becky Gardiner and writer Nesrine Malik, who receives a lot of online abuse.

Apple's Lousy Week Could Signal Times Of Trouble For Tech Giant

4:28pm April 29, 2016

by Aarti Shahani

Apple got hit with a lot of bad news this week. First, the company posted its first quarterly revenue drop since 2003. And then billionaire activist investor Carl Icahn revealed that he has dumped all of his shares in Apple. NPR explores whether the company is really in trouble or if is this all just a bump in the road.

U.S. Steel Says China Is Using Cyber Stealth To Steal Its Secrets

3:38pm April 29, 2016

by Marilyn Geewax

The steelmaker is asking a U.S. agency to investigate its claims that the Chinese government not only dumps steel at unfair prices, but also uses computer hackers to steal intellectual property.

An advertisement for Apple Music in New York City in 2015.

Music & Culture

With New Deals, Apple And SoundCloud Remix The Dance Music Marketplace

12:09pm April 29, 2016

by Michaelangelo Matos

Apple's agreement with Dubset could ease legal posting of DJ sets that contain copyrighted material. SoundCloud is unveiling a paid service. It's hard to say for sure who is going to benefit.

The robotic skull of a T-600 cyborg used in the movie Terminator 3.

National

Weighing The Good And The Bad Of Autonomous Killer Robots In Battle

8:27pm April 28, 2016

by Eyder Peralta

It sounds like science fiction, but it's a very real and contentious debate that is making its way through the U.N. Advocates of a ban want all military weapons to be under "meaningful human control."

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A British Airways plane departs London's Heathrow Airport in 2010. Earlier this month, a British Airways plane was hit by an unidentified object but landed safely at Heathrow.

World News

Not A Drone After All? Unclear What Hit That British Airways Plane

6:44pm April 28, 2016

by Dana Farrington

The incident prompted calls for more drone regulation, but a U.K. lawmaker now says it probably was not a drone that struck the plane. And an investigation has ended because of a lack of evidence.

Yahoo Chief Information Security Officer Bob Lord on encryption: "Yes, it's used by terrorists. It's also used by people who are looking to voice their opinions on issues and to save lives."

Yahoo's Security Chief On Encryption Debate: What Is The Greater Good?

5:31pm April 28, 2016

by Alina Selyukh

When Bob Lord talks about encryption, he invokes the imagery of a whisper — the idea that you should be able to re-create the most private means of physical communication in the digital world as well.

An artist's rendering of the "Red Dragon" capsule that SpaceX is planning to land on the surface of Mars — perhaps sometime in the next two years.

Science

Mars By 2018? SpaceX And NASA Announce A New Space Project

2:57pm April 28, 2016

by Bill Chappell

The Red Dragon missions are aimed at figuring out what's needed "to land large payloads propulsively on Mars." For now, the plan doesn't include sending astronauts to the red planet.

FBI Director James Comey testifies March 1 before the House Judiciary Committee on the encryption of the iPhone belonging to one of the San Bernardino attackers.

National

FBI Explains Why It Won't Disclose How It Unlocked iPhone

6:39pm April 27, 2016

by Alina Selyukh

The agency says it doesn't have the rights to the technical details of the unlocking method, and so it can't submit it to a special review that would have determined whether Apple should be informed.

A bill in New York would allow police to examine drivers' phones to see whether they were using the device at the time of an accident.

National

New York Wants To Know: Have You Been Texting And Driving?

1:39pm April 27, 2016

by Joel Rose

A bill in New York would allow police to examine drivers' phones to see whether they were using the device at the time of an accident. But critics are worried about privacy implications.

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