Microsoft recently released a temporary fix for its Exchange Server email platform due to a date validation error at the end of the year, reminiscent of the famous Y2K bug in the year 2000. The new bug, nicknamed “Y2K22,’ brought corporate email servers to their knees starting on New Year’s Day 2022.
Cryptocurrency and blockchain technology reached even greater heights of popularity in 2021, but it was also the year that hackers began to take full advantage of digital cryptocurrency exchanges stealing hundreds of millions of dollars throughout the year, including a single heist that totaled an amazing $600 million in stolen crypto.
2021 has been a challenging year for many, especially as coronavirus restrictions continued and many businesses and schools remained remote. As the demand for online services remained high, the Big Tech Masters of the Universe were sometimes unable to keep up. Here are some of the biggest tech fails of 2021.
According to a recent report, Apple has increased its reliance on Communist Chinese suppliers and appears to be replacing Taiwanese manufacturer Foxconn with Chinese supplier Luxshare as part of its $275 billion deal with the Communist government.
Elon Musk’s Tesla is recalling more than 475,000 Model 3 and Model S electric vehicles in the U.S. due to safety issues — this accounts for almost half of all Tesla’s sold domestically.
In a recent article, the New York Times describes how football coach and sportscaster John Madden became the face of a billion-dollar gaming franchise.
New York City is moving towards the use of electric vehicles with the announcement that it is adding 184 Ford Mustang Mach-E Electric SUVs to its vehicle fleet and approving the option to purchase 250 Tesla Model 3 electric sedans. The majority of the vehicles will be assigned to the NYPD and various emergency service departments.
Criminals are continuing to use Apple AirTag tracking devices to track and target victims in crimes ranging from car theft to stalking. One cybersecurity expert commented: “I don’t think there’s any question that Apple’s AirTags are being used for stalking.”
Apple has placed one of iPhone supplier Foxconn’s factories in southern India on probation following worker protests and alleged labor violations.
To offset supply-chain delays, retailers are working hard to quickly get returned items back on shelves for sale, particularly like-new items that were originally purchased online.
Tech giant Apple has reportedly issued significant stock bonuses to some engineers in an attempt to prevent top talent leaving for Facebook. The retention bonuses are as much as $180,000 for key engineering talent.
An NFT drop celebrating infosec pioneers has caused anger in the crypto space due to using unauthorized portraits of the infosec experts it aimed to celebrate.
An owner of an Amazon Alexa home assistant is claiming that the device issued a sick challenge to her 10-year-old daughter. In a video posted online, when the Amazon device was asked for a “challenge,” Alexa replied: “The challenge is simple: plug in a phone charger about halfway into a wall outlet, then touch a penny to the exposed prongs,” tempting the child to electrocute herself.
Tech giant Apple has reportedly closed all 16 of its stores in New York City amid rising coronavirus cases in the city.
A recent article by Politico outlines how big tech firms like Google, Apple, and Amazon are now aiming to apply their monopoly power to the auto manufacturing industry in the race to build the car of the future.
The privacy-focused search engine DuckDuckGo enjoyed significant growth in 2021, with the website averaging over 100 million daily search queries representing a growth of 46 percent in 2021.
A Finnish Tesla owner received a repair bill totaling almost half of what he initially paid for the car. His response? Have YouTubers blow up the car with 66 pounds of dynamite and post the video rather than pay the hefty bill.
Facebook stores vast amounts of information on its users, here are some privacy settings to check in order to ensure that Mark Zuckerberg’s social media giant is tracking you as little as possible.
According to a recent report, Amazon is aware that many owners of its Alexa devices are not using them after as little as two weeks of use. According to internal documents viewed by Bloomberg, as many as 25 percent of Amazon’s smart home assistants become expensive paperweights just weeks after being activated.
Tesla CEO Elon Musk recently stated that he is “almost done” with his massive stock selloff after selling another $1 billion in shares. He has sold more than $15 billion worth of Tesla stock over the last month.
According to a recent poll, 72 percent of Americans don’t trust Facebook with their data.
The SEC has stated that Apple shareholders will be allowed to vote on how the company should report its use of employee non-disclosure agreements (NDAs) and concealment contract clauses.
During a virtual meeting, Google CEO Sundar Pichai addressed a question from an employee in which they asked if “candor and honesty” would be returning to internal discussions. The question, which was supported by almost 700 Google coworkers, was met with a mealy-mouthed response from Pichai, who said: “trust and candor has to go both ways,” referring to internal leaks that Google has faced.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has reportedly launched yet another investigation into Tesla vehicles, this time after Elon Musk’s car company recently added an update that allows video games to be played on certain cars’ digital dashboards. The NHTSA says the feature “may distract the driver and increase the risk of a crash.”
A security researcher appears to have discovered major security flaws in an internet gateway used by hundreds of hotels to manage their gues WiFi networks that could put the personal information of guests at risk.
Legendary musician Brian Eno, known for his contributions to electronic music and collaborations with David Bowie, recently discussed the concept of Non Fungible Tokens (NFTs), expressing his skepticism over them and cryptocurrency in general. Speaking to an interviewer, Eno said: “People I like and trust are convinced they’re the best thing since sliced bread, so I wish I could have a more positive view, but right now, I mainly see hustlers looking for suckers.”
The UK National Crime Agency and National Cyber Crime Unit have donated a database of 225 million stolen emails and passwords to HaveIBeenPwned (HIBP), allowing users to check if their details have been leaked.
According to a recent report, Facebook’s reputation has been so damaged by its various scandals and issues that the company is forced to pay more to hire and retain workers.
Hackers enjoyed incredible windfalls by hacking cryptocurrency exchanges in 2021. Six of these cyberattacks netted crooks more than $100 million in each theft. The largest cyberattack on a crypto platform occurred in December when hackers stole at least $200 million from Bitsmart.
Yahoo Finance runs an annual audience poll to choose the worst company of the year. This year, the clear winner of the unfortunate title of “Worst Company of the Year” is Facebook, now known as “Meta.”
E-commerce giant Amazon is reportedly delaying plans to ban cell phones in its warehouses following complaints from workers after six employees were killed at an Illinois facility struck by a tornado last week.
Tech giant Google is reportedly under investigation by the California Department of Fair Employment and Housing (DFEH) over the company’s treatment of its black female employees.
Amazon reportedly filed a patent recently that suggests its Ring doorbell cameras may soon be able to identify “suspicious” people by scanning their skin texture, walking style, and voice. This represents the latest in Amazon’s growing push into biometric data collection.
A recent report reveals that Amazon marketed a collection of Chinese communist dictator Xi Jinping’s speeches and writings on its Chinese website two years ago. The Masters of the Universe made sure that no customer reviews or ratings were visible to Chinese consumers at the order of the communist party.
Facebook (now known as Meta) has banned seven “Surveillance-For-Hire” companies that it claims spied on 50,000 users including human rights activists, government critics, celebrities, journalists, and more in over 100 countries.
School districts in California, Texas, Minnesota, and Missouri are reportedly canceling classes this week due to reports of school shooting threats on TikTok. Many more school districts kept classes in session but sent letters home warning parents of potential threats.
Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk recently claimed that no other CEO cares as much about safety as he does — despite Tesla’s long history of dangerous workplace accidents, questionable autopilot systems, and cars that can explode when they crash.
Tech giant Apple has indefinitely delayed the return of its workers back to its offices and is giving all corporate and retail employees $1,000 to purchase equipment for their home offices. This amount will hardly put a dent in the cost of the company’s own notoriously expensive computers and mobile electronics.
Leaked internal documents reportedly reveal tech giant Facebook’s opinions on rival platforms like TikTok and YouTube. Mark Zuckerberg’s internet giant is plainly interested in targeting rival platforms as “inspiration” for future features, a favorite strategy of Facebook enabled by its massive power over the market.
In a recent article, the New York Times outlines how the Chinese government encourages online influencers, especially western YouTubers living in China, to spread pro-Beijing messages worldwide.
