Alrighty, July is about to end, but not AI and its shenanigans. OpenAI launched a study mode that assists students just like a teacher, giving them step-by-step guidance on how to solve a problem. The AI mode in Google Search will even let you upload science or math problems, and get it explained like a nice teacher. Who isn't human, of course.
Twitter co-founder, Jack Dorsey, has launched a hastily coded messaging app that works over Bluetooth. Researchers have warned again, and again, and again, that it's risky.
On the more positive side of things, scientists have developed a capsule that will take a look at bacterial activity inside your tummy. AND, all that information will be sent to your phone in real-time using an app. Dig in, for more tech and science happenings from the last night you hopefully spent snoring cozily!
Smartphones can snitch on you with silent Wi-Fi and Bluetooth links
A groundbreaking study, "Your Signal, Their Data: An Empirical Privacy Analysis of Wireless-scanning SDKs in Android," by researchers from IMDEA Networks and their collaborators, has exposed how Android apps exploit Wi-Fi and Bluetooth to track user movements.
The study, which analyzed nearly 10,000 apps and 52 SDKs, reveals that 86% of these apps collect GPS and wireless signals to pinpoint user locations, often without explicit consent.
This widespread practice, often linked to advertising, raises significant privacy concerns, as it allows for the creation of detailed user profiles and circumvents Android's privacy safeguards through techniques like ID bridging.
- Apps use wireless signals from beacons in public spaces to track indoor movements, even without GPS.
- Many SDKs collect location data irrelevant to the app's core function, potentially for user profiling and targeted ads.
- Some SDKs bypass Android permissions and use "ID bridging" to maintain persistent user tracking by linking different identifiers.
Read the full story at IMDEA Networks
ChatGPT gets a study mode, because AI cheating is not severe enough already
OpenAI is launching "Study Mode" for ChatGPT, aiming to transform the chatbot into a Socratic tutor that guides students to their own answers. Initially available to Free, Plus, Pro, and Team users, ChatGPT Edu subscribers will gain access in the coming weeks.
This new feature, developed in collaboration with educators and pedagogy experts, will employ a "scaffold" structure, gradually introducing information to prevent overwhelming users.
Unlike simply providing direct answers, Study Mode will pose questions to calibrate its responses to the user's understanding and encourage deeper comprehension.
- Study Mode leverages a Socratic approach, guiding users with questions rather than providing immediate solutions.
- The feature uses "scaffold" conversations to deliver information incrementally, aiding comprehension.
- It's powered by custom system instructions, allowing for rapid iteration and improvement based on student feedback.
Read more about ChatGPT Study Mode here.
Twitter's founder is back with a chat app that works over Bluetooth
Jack Dorsey, the visionary behind Twitter aa X, has launched Bitchat, a new messaging app leveraging Bluetooth mesh networks for communication without cell service or Wi-Fi.
While the concept of Bluetooth-powered messaging isn't new and has proven useful in situations with limited connectivity (like festivals or disasters), Bitchat's security has quickly come under scrutiny.
Coded in just a weekend, Bitchat is now available on the iOS App Store, offering a minimalist UX with no login and immediate access to a local chat feed. Despite Dorsey's claims of privacy, security researchers have pointed out significant vulnerabilities, including easy impersonation.
- Bitchat allows users to send messages within Bluetooth range (approx. 100 meters) without internet or cell service.
- The app's lack of a robust identity verification system makes it vulnerable to impersonation.
- Multiple fake Bitchat apps have appeared on the Google Play Store, prompting warnings from Dorsey's associates.
Find the app here.
YouTube is good with F-words and making money, but not totally
YouTube has once again updated its controversial profanity guidelines, finally ditching the strict seven-second rule that previously led to demonetization for videos containing "strong profanity" early on.
This new, more lenient approach comes after significant backlash from creators over unclear policies and inconsistent enforcement, which heavily impacted their livelihoods.
You have to pick and choose your fucks carefully
According to YouTube's Connor, this shift is due to evolving advertiser expectations, as advertisers now have better tools to target content based on their desired level of profanity.
- "Strong profanity" (like the F-word) at the start of videos will no longer trigger demonetization.
- A "high frequency" of strong profanity throughout a video can still lead to limited monetization.
- "Extreme profanity," such as racist or homophobic slurs, will still result in complete demonetization.
An app that checks the good bacteria inside your gut with a smart capsule
A supremely cool breakthrough in bioengineering has created a smartphone-controlled ingestible capsule designed to establish two-way communication with gut bacteria in pigs.
Published in Nature Microbiology, this innovation could revolutionize how we approach gastrointestinal health, potentially paving the way for advanced diagnostic and treatment methods for conditions such as colitis.
This novel system, tested in pigs with induced colitis, demonstrates the ability to not only observe but also control the behavior of engineered bacteria directly from a smartphone, offering unprecedented precision in microorganism-based therapies.
- Engineered E. coli bacteria communicate with the smart capsule using light signals, detectable and controllable via a smartphone app.
- The capsule, powered by button batteries, successfully detected a colitis biomarker (nitrate) and, in response, triggered the E. coli to secrete anti-inflammatory antibodies.
- This technology promises enhanced precision for microorganism-based diagnoses and therapies by providing better control over engineered bacteria in vivo.
Read the research paper in Nature.