Articles by Peter Suciu

At 8:15 a.m. local time on the morning of Aug. 6, 1945 the first atomic bomb -- codenamed "Little Boy" -- was dropped from the B-29 "Enola Gay" on the Japanese city of Hiroshima. It was the first of only two times that an atomic weapon had been used in wartime, and while even 75 years later the event remains controversial. It was a testament to the technological process that occurred during the Second World War...

As COVID-19 continues to spread, states and cities across the U.S. have imposed restrictions -- from banning large gatherings to lockdowns, with citizens ordered to stay home except for essential jobs and errands or get outdoor exercise These steps came as infection numbers mounted, and the World Health Organization (WHO) stated that COVID-19 was a...

As companies send employees home in an effort to curb the spread of COVID-19, cybersecurity experts are warning that telecommuting could be putting company assets and data at risk Employees working from home should consider a number of precautions to ensure that sensitive data isn't compromised by cybercriminals taking advantage of the health crisi...

The United States Office of Personnel Management last week urged agencies to prepare to allow federal employees to telework -- that is, work remotely. This came on the heels of the Department of Homeland Security closing its facilities in Washington state after learning an employee had visited the Life Care facility in the city of Kirkland, which is ground zero for the state's COVID-19 outbreak...

Taipei-based Foxconn, which is a key parts supplier for Apple, Microsoft, Nintendo, and Sony, on Tuesday announced that its plants in mainland China would resume normal production by the end of the month. Numerous factories across China were forced to shut down in late January due to the outbreak of the coronavirus, or COVID-19 However, uncertainti...

We're only two months into a new year, and already hundreds of millions of personal records have been compromised, including 123 million employee and customer records from sporting retailer Decathlon and another 10.6 million records of former guests of MGM Resorts hotels These announcements followed fuel and convenience chain Wawa's revelation that...

A session on the role of emerging technologies in the courtroom was part of last month's New York State Bar Association Annual Meeting in New York City "Emerging Technologies in Litigation" included a panel of local and federal judges as well as an e-discovery researcher and emerging technology attorney. The group discussed the use of artificial in...

A U.S. District judge on Tuesday ruled that Sprint and T-Mobile, the nation's third- and fourth-largest mobile carriers, could go forward with a US$25 billion merger. The deal will not close until the California Public Utilities Commission approves the transaction, but clearing this latest hurdle moves the two companies one step closer to a merger that has been years in the making...

The World Health Organization on Thursday declared the coronavirus a global health emergency in recognition that the disease risk is no longer confined to China United Nations member countries may decide to close their borders, cancel flights, implement special screenings at airports, or take other steps in response to the notice....

Though it no longer grabs many headlines, video piracy remains a major issue for pay-TV services, according to data released last month by consumer research firm Parks Associates If just 10 percent of pay-TV subscribers should discontinue paying for services by 2023, the loss in revenue to operators could approach US$6 billion, according to the fir...

Facebook recently promised that it would increase efforts to remove so-called "deepfake" videos, including content that included "misleading manipulated media." In addition to fears that deepfakes -- altered videos that appear to be authentic -- could impact the upcoming 2020 general election in the United States, there are growing concerns that th...

Cybersecurity is a very serious issue for 2020 -- and the risks stretch far beyond the alarming spike in ransomware In addition to the daily concerns of malware, stolen data, and the cost of recovering from a business network intrusion, there is the very real danger of nefarious actors using cyberattacks to influence or directly impact the outcome ...

Ransomware tops the list of cybersecurity threats for 2020 While there have been efforts to convince individuals, corporations, and municipalities not to pay ransoms, the simple fact is that whenever one is paid, the attack becomes a success that encourages cyber thieves to try again....

CES is in full swing in Las Vegas this week, and the show for all things high-tech -- from gizmos and gadgets to cars and entertainment gear -- has attracted attendees from around the world. The first CES, or "Consumer Electronics Show" as it originally was known, took place in June 1967 in New York City. It was a spinoff of the Chicago Music Show, which previously served as the main trade event for consumer electronics...

China has issued an order that all foreign-made computer equipment and software be removed from government offices and public institutions within the next three years The news of Beijing's move came earlier this week in a report from the Nikkei-owned, London-based Financial Times....

Cybercriminals have discovered ways to compromise smart TVs, including hacking them, the Portland office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation recently warned Smart TV owners should do their due diligence to secure the devices, the bureau urged....

Disney+ made its official debut last week, and after a few minor hiccups, the service is up and running. It is widely available via a plethora of devices, offers a breadth of content, and serves quick and seamless downloads to mobile devices However, with a heavy focus on Disney animated films, Marvel superhero movies, and Star Wars, this service m...

The much-anticipated Disney+ streaming service officially launched on Tuesday in the United States, Canada, and the Netherlands. In the first 24 hours, the app was downloaded 3.2 million times. Demand for the new over-the-top streaming service prompted the company to announce that it had exceeded its highest expectations -- but with problematic results...

Google last week announced a deal to acquire wearable fitness device maker Fitbit for US$2.1 billion. The acquisition will give Google, whose parent company is Alphabet, an immediately leading position in the wearables market. Google will be poised to compete against the likes of Apple and Samsung rather than having to build upmarket share from scratch...

The Columbia Journalism Review last week published a paper on Google-owned YouTube's practice of taking down videos with graphically violent content, which also may be evidence of recent war crimes YouTube's policy -- similar to other social media platforms -- has been to remove content that contains hate speech, disinformation or disturbing images...