Companies like Microsoft, Stripe and Shopify had previously paid Climeworks in advance to offset their future carbon emissions, as part of a broader effort to kickstart the nascent carbon removal industry.
[...]
Individuals can also pay to Climeworks to remove carbon dioxide to offset their personal emissions.
Ars Technica: A patchy interpretation — Indigenous tech group asks Apache Foundation to change its name
CNET Has Been Quietly Publishing AI-Written Articles for Months
The tech site has been publishing articles written by AI and edited by humans since November, following other news outlets.
Noyb: Meta prohibited from use of personal data for advertisment
Meta (Facebook and Instagram) prohibited from using personal data for advertisement. Major blow to Meta's business model in Europe, following noyb litigation. Fine for Meta more than tenfold from € 28 million to € 390 million. Third case on WhatsApp pending.
[...]
Max Schrems: "Instead of having a 'yes/no' option for personalized ads, they just moved the consent clause in the terms and conditions. This is not just unfair but clearly illegal. We are not aware of any other company that has tried to ignore the GDPR in such an arrogant way."
Spektrum.de: Kaum noch Fortschritt in der Forschung?
Die Zeit der großen Entdeckungen und Durchbrüche in der Forschung sei vorbei, besagt eine aktuelle Studie. Womöglich weil Wissenschaftler viel mehr wissen müssen als früher.
Bloomberg: Microsoft Hopes OpenAI’s Chatbot Will Make Bing Smarter
ChatGPT’s accuracy will be key to timing of any rollout
Microsoft Corp. is preparing to add OpenAI’s ChatGPT chatbot to its Bing search engine in a bid to lure users from rival Google, according to a person familiar with the plans.
Microsoft is betting that the more conversational and contextual replies to users’ queries will win over search users by supplying better-quality answers beyond links, said the person, who did not want to be named discussing confidential product roadmaps that remain in flux.
Netzpolitik.org: Matrix: Open-Source-Wachstum in Geldnot [no-gender]
Linux-Magazin: Viele nutzen Matrix, wenige finanzieren es
Chaos Computer Club: CCC erbeutet Biometrie-Datenbank des US-Militärs
Das US-Militär hat massenhaft Geräte zur biometrischen Erfassung von Menschen in Afghanistan genutzt. Einige Geräte wurden beim hastigen Abzug der NATO-Truppen zurückgelassen. Forscher des CCC haben bei Analysen solcher Geräte große Mengen an biometrischen und weiteren personenbezogenen Daten gefunden. In den falschen Händen bedeuten diese Daten Lebensgefahr für Menschen in Afghanistan und Irak.
Linux-Magazin: CCC ersteigert Biometrie-Datenbank des US-Militärs
The Guardian: Ban on single-use restaurant tableware hailed as fast-food ‘revolution’ in France
Fast-food chains in France are preparing for one of the biggest changes to their restaurants in decades as the government bans disposable plates, cups and tableware for anyone eating or drinking on-site.
Ars Technica: Twitter rival Mastodon rejects funding to preserve nonprofit status
“Mastodon will not turn into everything you hate about Twitter,” said Rochko. “The fact that it can be sold to a controversial billionaire, the fact that it can be shut down, go bankrupt and so on. It’s the difference in paradigms [between the platforms].”
MIT Technology Review: A startup says it’s begun releasing particles into the atmosphere, in an effort to tweak the climate
Geoengineering refers to deliberate efforts to manipulate the climate by reflecting more sunlight back into space, mimicking a natural process that occurs in the aftermath of large volcanic eruptions. In theory, spraying sulfur and similar particles in sufficient quantities could potentially ease global warming.
[...] it’s highly controversial. Little is known about the real-world effect of such deliberate interventions at large scales, but they could have dangerous side effects. The impacts could also be worse in some regions than others, which could provoke geopolitical conflicts.
The New York Times: Mickey’s Copyright Adventure: Early Disney Toon Is Set to Be Public Property
2022 was the year of Linux on the Desktop
Thanks to the 2022 StackOverflow developer survey we can finally say 2022 was the year of Linux on the Desktop!
Linux as a primary operating system had been steadily climbing for the past 5 years. 2018 through 2021 saw steady growth with 23.2% , 25.6% , 26.6% , 25.3% , and finally in 2022 the usage was 40.23%. Linux usage was more than macOS in 2021, but only by a small margin. 2022 it is now 9% more than macOS.
rfi: France fines Microsoft €60m for imposing advertising cookies
France’s data privacy regulator has fined tech giant Microsoft 60 million euros – the watchdog's largest fine of 2022 – for making it easier for users of its search engine to accept advertising cookies than to refuse them, and failing to conform to EU regulations.