List of All Articles with Tag 'tec'

Solar panels combined with next-generation batteries now outperform military-grade diesel generators, according to new analysis. Researchers at the US Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) found that the novel clean energy solution was both cheaper and more reliable than its fossil fuel-powered counterpart. Tests of the two systems were carried out in accordance with the US Department of Defense’s requirements to sustain critical electric loads during a power outage over a 14-day period. The solar systems proved to have a higher resilience and lower cost compared to the diesel-based systems that are currently used, while also being less vulnerable to interruptions in the diesel supply. The researchers also highlighted the net present value (NPV) of the solar storage system, meaning it pays for itself in the long term. “The diesel-fuel-free LDES system outperforms the traditional diesel-based system and provides a large net saving that can be used to pursue third-party financing,” the researchers noted. “The continued rapid decline in photovoltaic (PV) costs allows for utility-scale PV to be economically attractive at many locations. These declines are expected to continue, which will further increase the positive NPV in the future.” The tests were performed on three separate military bases, using an innovative carbon-based battery rather than the more expensive lithium-ion batteries that are typically found in such renewable energy storage systems. The batteries tested in the experiments were Antora Energy’s battery energy storage system (BESS), which the researchers warned were not yet ready for full-scale deployment. The results of the study, however, mean decision makers are already anticipating their roll out. Michael McGhee, the Acting Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense, described the new system as “the most likely way to easily and simply generate power without the need for off-base supply chains”. The results of the research were published in a study, titled ‘Long-duration energy storage: resiliency for military installations’. Read More Solar panel advances will see millions go off grid, scientists predict

A startup backed and incubated by Bill Gates’ Breakthrough Energy Ventures has engineered a hybrid technology that combines

LONDON (Reuters) -British petrol station operator EG Group will buy Tesla's ultra-fast charging units to help roll out its electric

SYDNEY Australian telecoms provider Optus said on Monday that a massive outage which effectively cut off 40% of

China's biggest ride-hailing company Didi Global on Monday reported a third-quarter profit as domestic demand for mobility services

Chinese chipmaker Yangtze Memory Technologies Co (YMTC) has filed a lawsuit against U.S. rival Micron Technology alleging infringement

Child protection experts have fiercely criticised social media giant Meta over its plans for end-to-end encryption, accusing the tech firm of prioritising profit over children’s safety. Simon Bailey, a former police chief constable who was national lead for child protection at the National Police Chiefs’ Council, accused Meta of a “complete loss of social and moral responsibility” over the plans. John Carr, who is secretary of a coalition of UK children’s charities to deal with internet safety, called the move “utterly unconscionable”. Their comments came after head of the National Crime Agency Graeme Biggar said introducing end-to-end encryption on Facebook would be like “consciously turning a blind eye to child abuse”. Speaking at a lecture in Westminster earlier this month, the law enforcement chief said it should be up to the government rather than technology companies to draw the line between privacy and child safety. Meta responded by saying it has robust measures in place to combat abuse and that it expects to make more reports to law enforcement after end-to-end encryption is brought in. Mr Bailey said as he had seen the scale of online sexual abuse grow, he also saw “big tech companies, like Meta, absolve themselves of any responsibility when it comes to tackling online child sexual abuse”. The former chief constable said: “Big tech facilitates and, through their algorithms, encourages this abuse to take place. It is time their complete loss of social and moral responsibility is highlighted and challenged Simon Bailey “In response to what they know and can see as a global pandemic of online child sexual abuse, they have consciously decided to take the easy way out of dealing with the problem. “Meta, one of the largest carriers of this abuse, has decided to implement end-to-end encryption by default, and effectively stop law enforcement’s ability to identify and arrest offenders and, ultimately, to protect children. “They are using the guise of privacy to justify their position and in doing so, are continuing to put profit before child protection. It is time their complete loss of social and moral responsibility is highlighted and challenged.” Mr Carr, who is secretary of the UK Children’s Charities’ Coalition on Internet Safety said: “If introduced without the appropriate safeguards that will allow law enforcement to detect and prevent online child sexual abuse, end-to-end encryption threatens to deny justice to huge numbers of children. “Children are major user of social media. A great many use Meta’s platforms, including Facebook Messenger and Instagram Direct. “The design and nature of these platforms make them a perfect space for dangerous people to discover, befriend, groom and sexually abuse children – and if end-to-end encryption is introduced without appropriate safeguards, Meta will be willingly blinding itself to the abuse taking place online. “Their plans are utterly unconscionable – particularly when there are tech solutions out there that enable end-to-end encryption to exist and child sexual abuse to be detected, reported, and justice to be served. “Big tech companies, like Meta, must think again before introducing a blanket roll-out of end-to-end encryption across their platforms. “If they don’t, thousands of children will be at risk, and we will fail to solve the growing problem of online child sexual abuse. Do better Meta – it’s time to prioritise child safety over profit.” I cannot emphasise enough the impact this has on me and other victims of this abuse Rhiannon-Faye McDonald Rhiannon-Faye McDonald, head of advocacy at the Marie Collins Foundation, was herself sexually assaulted at the age of 13 after a predator contacted her online. She said: “To say I am disappointed that Meta is continuing with their plans to roll out end-to-end encryption is an understatement. The measures they say will be in place – using metadata to identify patterns of behaviour rather than content – are not good enough. “This move gives child sex abusers the ability to act undetected on its platforms as Meta will also lose the ability to use technology to detect and remove child sexual abuse images and videos. “As a victim of child sexual abuse myself, where my abuse was documented and shared online by the perpetrator, I cannot emphasise enough the impact this has on me and other victims of this abuse. “I am horrified that the images of my abuse could be infinitely reshared across the globe with no hope of them being blocked or taken down. How is this protecting my privacy?” She said it is “incredibly worrying” that big tech companies “can unilaterally make decisions that limit our ability to protect children”. A Meta spokesperson said: “The overwhelming majority of Brits already rely on apps that use encryption to keep them safe from hackers, fraudsters and criminals. “We don’t think people want us reading their private messages so have spent the last five years developing robust safety measures to prevent, detect and combat abuse while maintaining online security. “We recently published an updated report setting out these measures, such as restricting people over 19 from messaging teens who don’t follow them and using technology to identify and take action against malicious behaviour. “As we roll out end-to-end encryption, we expect to continue providing more reports to law enforcement than our peers due to our industry-leading work on keeping people safe.” Read More Call of Duty launch sparks record traffic on broadband networks Crypto investment fraud warning issued by major bank Council investigating extent of cyber attack that affected website and systems Setback for Ireland as EU legal adviser recommends revisit of Apple tax case Smartphones ‘may be able to detect how drunk a person is with 98% accuracy’ Ireland and Apple await major development in long-running EU tax dispute

By Casey Hall SHANGHAI (Reuters) -China's largest e-commerce player Alibaba Group said it recorded year-on-year growth over this year's Singles

SYDNEY The Australian Federal Police said on Sunday they were investigating a cybersecurity incident that forced ports operator

BRUSSELS Facebook owner Meta Platforms and social media company Snap have been given a Dec. 1 deadline by

NEW YORK Industrial and Commercial Bank of China's hack left its U.S. unit temporarily owing Bank of New

NEW YORK Industrial and Commercial Bank of China (ICBC) injected significant capital into its U.S. unit to help