A misconfigured database has allegedly exposed a coordinated scheme by Amazon vendors to boost product ratings through utilizing fake accounts and reviews. Security researchers at SafetyDetectives located a China-based Elasticsearch server that was exposed to the public online, lacking any password protection or encryption. After looking further into the exposed

A study released earlier this week indicates that leading private sector tech companies’ investments in artificial intelligence do not ensure that the field will remain competitive. The study was conducted by the Center for Security and Emerging Technology, aiming to map the research agendas of tech giants Apple, Amazon, Facebook,

Researchers have allegedly located several security issues in Amazon’s Alexa skill vetting process, claiming that they could be exploited to steal data or launch phishing attacks against users of the technology. After alerting Amazon to the fact that Alexa is vulnerable to malicious third-party skills, Amazon dismissed the claim. Researchers

Earlier this week, Amazon released a transparency report which revealed that government requests for user data increased by 800% between the first and second half of 2020. The company reportedly processed over 3,000 demands within the first six months of 2020 and over 27,000 in the second six months. Nearly

Ring has created a preview of end-to-end encryption for home video feeds. The feature is being rolled out to customers this week by the Amazon-owned smart doorbell. After feedback proves the encryption to be successful, the encryption will eventually be offered to users as an opt-in feature. Ring has come

Lens Technology, a Chinese supplier of consumer electronics components for brands such as Apple, has been accused of capitalizing on Uighur Muslim detention in China and using forced labor workers to produce the tech. A report from Tech Transparency details the accusation, claiming that the workers were paid little to

On Thursday, a lawsuit filed by Amazon against Instagram and TikTok users was made public. The lawsuit alleges that 13 individuals on the platforms were using their power to sell counterfeit luxury goods and lure followers into buying fake products, deceiving Amazon in the process. The influencers would post content

Amazon has stated that its in-home voice assistant technology Alexa can anticipate and respond to user requests that are not explicitly stated, called a latent request. The company made the announcement on Wednesday, and critics have already called the new feature creepy and have expressed concerns over privacy violations over

Security researchers have observed a recent spike in phishing attempts and malicious website creation that aims to defraud Amazon customers. Amazon Prime Day will occur over two days this year, the 13 and 14 of October, however, the recently increased threat to Amazon customers may turn the event into a

Democratic lawmakers reportedly plan to introduce legislation that would break up the power of big technology companies that currently rule over the US’s tech industry. This may look like a forced separation of online platforms. The House Antitrust Subcommittee is currently wrapping up a 15-month probe into big tech companies