TechCrunch: Microsoft’s new Chromium-based Edge browser is now in beta. “Microsoft today launched the first beta builds of its new Chromium-based Edge browser for Windows and Mac. The new beta channel, which will see a new update roughly every six weeks, will join the existing dev and canary channels, which will continue to see daily and weekly updates, respectively.”
Microsoft
Revealed: Microsoft Contractors Are Listening to Some Skype Calls (Motherboard)
Motherboard: Revealed: Microsoft Contractors Are Listening to Some Skype Calls. “Contractors working for Microsoft are listening to personal conversations of Skype users conducted through the app’s translation service, according to a cache of internal documents, screenshots, and audio recordings obtained by Motherboard. Although Skype’s website says that the company may analyze audio of phone calls that a user wants to translate in order to improve the chat platform’s services, it does not say some of this analysis will be done by humans.”
Neowin: Microsoft explains how its AI services are helping endangered species
Neowin: Microsoft explains how its AI services are helping endangered species. “Microsoft regards wildlife extinction as an important issue. The tech giant has aimed to raise awareness relating to the ‘biodiversity crisis’ in the recent past as well, teaming up with WWF to offer a related curriculum. Now, Microsoft has detailed some of the ways its AI services are being utilized by conservationists to help endangered species. The highlighted tools and models are helping these scientists collect and analyze data in a better manner.”
Deutsche Welle: German authorities turn to AI to combat child pornography online
Deutsche Welle: German authorities turn to AI to combat child pornography online. “Peter Biesenbach, the justice minister in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany’s largest state, announced on Monday a new project in cooperation with computer giant Microsoft: the development of new AI technology that would not only automatize the detection of child pornography on the internet, but also lighten the workload and psychological burden on authorities dealing with such disturbing content.”
Ars Technica: Microsoft warns 10,000 customers they’re targeted by nation-sponsored hackers
Ars Technica: Microsoft warns 10,000 customers they’re targeted by nation-sponsored hackers. “According to a post from Microsoft Corporate Vice President of Customer Security & Trust Tom Burt, about 84% of the attacks targeted customers that were large, ‘enterprise’ organizations such as corporations. The remaining 16% of attacks targeted consumer email accounts. Burt said some of the 10,000 customers were successfully compromised while others were only targeted, but he didn’t provide figures.”
Neowin: Your Microsoft account may be closed if you haven’t used it in two years
Neowin: Your Microsoft account may be closed if you haven’t used it in two years. “If you haven’t logged into your Microsoft account for a long time and you don’t want it to be closed, now may be a good time to do so. The company has published a new document laying out its account activity policy, and it looks like you’ll need to sign into your account at least once every two years in order to prevent it from being deleted. This change will be effective from August 30.”
Neowin: Microsoft creates a hub for all of its Insider Programs
Neowin: Microsoft creates a hub for all of its Insider Programs. “Microsoft has a lot of Insider Programs, and it can be easy to lose track of how many there are. As it turns out, there are seven, and the company is making it a lot easier to keep track of all of them. Today, the firm introduced a single website that has links to all of them.”
