Train Hackers, Robotaxis, and AI Job Interviews: Tech News Roundup

Train Security Vulnerabilities

• 🚆 Hackers can remotely activate emergency brakes on US freight trains using a $300 Software Defined Radio (SDR) gadget.
• ⚠️ These signals are unencrypted and unauthenticated, a vulnerability that security experts have warned about since 2012.
• ⏳ Proposed fixes are not expected until 2025, leaving critical infrastructure exposed.

Next-Gen 911 and Smart City Features

• 📞 Collier County, Florida, has launched a high-tech 911 system allowing texts, photos, and live video streams to dispatchers.
• 📊 The system integrates data from smartwatches, connected cars, and home security devices to expedite first responder arrival.
• 💡 This NextGen 911 system aims to replace outdated 1990s emergency communication gear.

Purple Streetlights and Internet Access

• 💡 Purple streetlights in Phoenix and other cities are caused by the degradation of yellow phosphor coatings on LED lights.
• 🏠 In rural Michigan, a man built his own high-speed ISP with his brother-in-law to overcome poor service from Comcast.
• 🚀 Their independent ISP serves 1,500 customers, who have rejected offers from Comcast to return.

Bypassing Online Paywalls

• 💰 A significant majority of internet users do not pay for online news, with only 1% paying when encountering a paywall.
• 🌐 Tools like the Internet Archive, Remove Paywall, and 12ft.ladder can be used to access content behind paywalls.
• 🤖 ChatGPT can also be used to summarize paywalled articles, often bypassing the restrictions.
• ⚖️ The act of bypassing paywalls is debated as stealing, despite the difficulty of accessing information from numerous sources.

AI Job Interviews and Data Privacy

• 🤖 AI is increasingly used for job interviews, with deepfake AI characters conducting screenings and scoring candidates.
• 👁️ To pass AI interviews, candidates are advised to keep answers short, maintain eye contact, and look up when thinking.
• 🔒 Data privacy is a growing concern, with services like Incogn.com helping individuals remove their personal information from data broker sites and people search engines.
• 🚫 Removing personal data from these sites can significantly reduce spam calls and emails.