New Atlas

Telecommunications Audio available

Australian government passes controversial world-first anti-encryption law amid broad criticism

Rich Haridy December 6, 2018

The Australian government yesterday passed a bill allowing law enforcement agencies to compel tech companies to hand over encrypted messaging data. The legislation has been broadly condemned with suggestions it could not only harm the Australian tech industry, but undermine encryption worldwide.

The Australian government has just passed an anti-encryption law that could have global implications

Telecommunications

LinkSure is building a satellite network to provide global internet access for free

David Nield November 30, 2018

It's easy to take web access for granted, but in many regions getting online isn't as simple as just opening up a browser window. Now Chinese firm LinkSure Network has announced a system of satellites to be launched by 2026, which it wants to provide internet access across the globe, free of charge.

LinkSure is aiming to have 272 satellites and data processing centers operational within the next eight ...

Telecommunications

Tiny device speeds up the internet 100 times over by reading "twisted" light

Michael Irving October 24, 2018

Fiber optics allows for ultra-fast communication systems, and more data can be crammed in by "twisting" the light. Now, Australian researchers have developed a device to decode beams that’s small enough to fit over the end of a fiber optic cable.

Australian researchers have developed a device that can decode information from "twisted" light through fiber optics

Telecommunications Feature Audio available

What on Earth is the fediverse and why does it matter?

James Holloway September 18, 2018

Unlike Twitter, Mastodon's messages are distributed across independent servers with their own communities and rules. But it's just one example of this new breed of website which makes up the fediverse, which may just buck the trend of locking content behind walled gardens like Twitter and Facebook.

Could the fediverse help to restore the web we lost?

Telecommunications

Molar Mic puts a wireless comms system inside the mouth

Paul Ridden September 12, 2018

Back in 2010, Sonitus Technologies introduced a novel in-mouth hearing aid called the SoundBite. Now the US Department of Defense has awarded the company a contract to develop a wireless two-way comms system that clips to a user's back teeth.

The Molar Mic clips to the back teeth and allows for two-way radio communications

Telecommunications

MIT system lets planes and subs communicate wirelessly

David Szondy August 22, 2018

MIT's Translational Acoustic-RF (TARF) system uses a combination of acoustics and radar to allow messages transmitted underwater to be directly received in the air without the need for any sort of physical link. The technology holds the promise of making the "silent world" not so silent.

MIT Media Lab researchers have designed a system that allows underwater and airborne sensors to directly ...

Telecommunications

Space laser communication system adapted for underwater use

David Szondy August 19, 2018

Adapting a laser system called Lunar Laser Communication Demonstration that was used to transmit data between lunar orbit and the Earth, MIT's Lincoln Laboratories is developing a way for underwater workers and machines to communicate more effectively with one another.

A remotely operated vehicle and undersea terminal emits a coarse acquisition stabilized beam after locking onto ...

Telecommunications Audio available

Can Wi-Fi signals reveal hidden explosives?

Michael Irving August 16, 2018

It’s an unfortunate truth that weapons and explosives in public places are an increasing problem. But many screening technologies are bulky and expensive, and require staff to operate. Now a new study has found a way to tap into a type of signal that’s already ubiquitous in public places – Wi-Fi.

Researchers have developed a way to use regular Wi-Fi signals to screen bags for dangerous objects ...

Telecommunications Feature

Opinion: How fake news is being co-opted by governments around the world to suppress dissent

Rich Haridy August 4, 2018

Not a day goes by without someone throwing out the term 'fake news'. While misinformation and inaccurate reporting is undeniably a major global problem, fake news is quickly morphing into something else entirely, and some governments are using the phrase as a way to quash dissenting opinions.

Russian President Vladimir Putin and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi

Telecommunications

Lasers used to transmit video underwater

Ben Coxworth May 15, 2018

One of the limiting factors of remotely-operated vehicles is the fact that, in order for their operators to see what the ROVs' cameras are seeing, the craft have to be tethered to a support ship. Scientists are working on changing that, using lasers to wirelessly transmit video through the water.

The UWOC setup in the lab, with its green downlink channel and blue uplink channel