Technology

WASHINGTON — Facebook executives told Attorney General William P. Barr on Monday that they would not open up the company’s encrypted messaging products to law enforcement, escalating a standoff with the government over privacy and policing. In a letter from the company, the executives overseeing Facebook’s WhatsApp and Messenger, Will Cathcart and Stan Chudnovsky, wrote […]

Has Earth grown larger from the buildup of decaying vegetation through the ages? — Robert in Spartanburg, S.C. Earth isn’t getting bigger. It’s actually getting smaller! Decaying vegetation does pile up across the planet, but not everywhere equally. Wind and rain erode the ground over time, and even where leaves and other vegetation do gradually

Two dozen state attorneys general are asking the Federal Trade Commission to implement better online protections for children December 10, 2019, 11:55 AM 1 min read Two dozen state attorneys general are asking a federal agency to implement better online protections for children. The bipartisan coalition submitted a letter to the Federal Trade Commission on

They have their work cut out for them. Tech companies spend tens of millions of dollars on lobbying every year. And antitrust issues hinge on dense questions of law and economics that don’t fit on a bumper stickers. “It’s not just about trends and corporate accountability,” said Maria Torres-Springer, the vice president for United States

A University of Michigan research team has created an augmented reality system that allows people with different levels of mobility to play and exercise together By MIKE HOUSEHOLDER Associated Press December 10, 2019, 5:10 AM 2 min read One Kreps brother uses a wheelchair and the other doesn’t, yet they are able to play sports

NASA administrator Jim Bridenstine is heralding the completion of a huge new rocket for the program aimed at putting a man and woman on the moon By STACEY PLAISANCE Associated Press December 9, 2019, 11:28 PM 2 min read NASA administrator Jim Bridenstine and the media got an up-close look Monday at a huge, newly

The inventor of the Universal Product Code has died December 10, 2019, 12:12 AM 2 min read George J. Laurer, whose invention of the Universal Product Code at IBM transformed retail and other industries around the world, has died. He was 94. A funeral was held on Monday for Laurer, who died Thursday at his

Pete Frates, a former college baseball player whose participation in the social media phenomenon known as the Ice Bucket Challenge helped raise more than $100 million toward fighting amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, commonly known as A.L.S. or Lou Gehrig’s disease, died on Monday at his home in Beverly, Mass. He was 34. His death was announced

A global report from the U.N. Development Programme says that in order to face up to protests, including those in Latin America, governments must address inequality not just in income, but also education, technology and environment By CLAUDIA TORRENS Associated Press December 9, 2019, 6:54 PM 3 min read Latin America has significantly reduced poverty

Amazon said in a legal complaint unsealed on Monday that it had lost a multibillion-dollar cloud computing contract with the Pentagon because President Trump used “improper pressure” to divert it from the company to harm its chief executive, Jeff Bezos. The Defense Department reviewed outdated submissions from the company and overlooked key technical capabilities, Amazon