Personal Data of All 6.5 Million Israeli Voters Is Exposed

A software flaw exposed the personal data of every eligible voter in Israel — including full names, addresses and identity card numbers for 6.5 million people — raising concerns about identity theft and electoral manipulation, three weeks before the country’s national election. The New York Times reports: The security lapse was tied to a mobile app used by Prime Minister Benjamin…

US States Tell Court Prices To Increase If Sprint, T-Mobile Allowed To Merge

A group of U.S. states suing to block T-Mobile from merging with Sprint on Wednesday told a federal judge that the deal would violate antitrust laws and raise wireless prices for consumers. Reuters reports: The states filed a lawsuit in June to block the merger, saying it would harm low-income Americans in particular. T-Mobile and Sprint contend that the merger would…

Verizon Media Launches OneSearch, a Privacy-Focused Search Engine

An anonymous reader quotes a report from VentureBeat: Verizon Media, the media and digital offshoot of telecommunications giant Verizon, has launched a “privacy-focused” search engine called OneSearch. With OneSearch, Verizon promises there will be no cookie tracking, no ad personalization, no profiling, no data-storing, and no data-sharing with advertisers. With its default dark mode, OneSearch lets you know that Advanced Privacy…

Verizon Will Finally Sell You TV Without a Contract

An anonymous reader quotes a report from CNN: Verizon is changing the way it sells its internet and cable packages as customers are increasingly seeking ways to cut the costly cord. The company is eliminating bundles and contracts, Verizon announced Thursday. Instead, it will sell its Fios TV and internet services separately. Long-term contracts are also being trashed in favor of…

CNBC Reports Open Source Software Has Essentially ‘Taken Over the World’

Slashdot reader DevNull127 writes: CNBC Explores released a 14-minute documentary this month called “The Rise Of Open-Source Software.” It’s already racked up 558,802 views on YouTube, arguing that open-source software “has essentially taken over the world. Companies in every industry, from Walmart to Exxon Mobile to Verizon, have open-sourced their projects. Microsoft has completely changed its point of view, and is…

Worried About 5G’s Health Effects? Don’t Be

There are real concerns about the way 5G is being deployed in the US, including security issues, the potential to interfere with weather forecasting systems, and the FCC steamrolling local regulators in the name of accelerating the 5G rollout. But concerns over the potential health impacts of 5G are overblown. From a report: If you weren’t worried about prior generations of…

Verizon Lays Off More Yahoo/AOL Employees

Verizon is laying off 150 U.S. staffers this week across multiple teams in the organization. CNN reports: Verizon Media employs around 10,500 people [across media brands that include Yahoo, AOL, TechCrunch and HuffPost], so these cuts will amount to 1.4% of its work force. It’s unclear which brands will be affected. In January, Verizon Media laid off roughly 800 employees, or…

T-Mobile Shows Why It’s Still Too Early To Buy a 5G Phone

T-Mobile’s nationwide 5G network launches on Friday, the company announced Monday morning. But don’t fall for the marketing hype. From a report: It’s still too early to buy a 5G phone, even though T-Mobile is now taking orders for two new ones, including the Samsung Galaxy Note 10+ and OnePlus 7T Pro McLaren. It’s still a big step, though. T-Mobile will…

AT&T and Verizon Agree To Change Their eSIM Practices

In early 2018, the Department of Justice launched an investigation into whether AT&T, Verizon and the GSM Association (GSMA) worked together to limit eSIM technology. Today, The New York Times reports that the DOJ is closing the investigation and has found no evidence of wrongdoing. From a report: The DOJ was initially concerned that AT&T and Verizon attempted to lock devices…

FCC Chairman Wants Public Auction To Repurpose Satellite Bands For 5G

Chairman Ajit Pai is pressing for a public auction of wireless frequencies in the C-band spectrum (the 4GHz to 8GHz range often used by satellite companies) for the sake of 5G service. Engadget reports: This would help the FCC clear up “significant” frequency space in a quick fashion, generate money for the government and “ensure continued delivery” of existing services, Pai…