New this morning: Gymnastics investigated. More than 350 aspiring gymnasts across the country say they were the victims of sexual exploitation over the past two decades, according to an IndyStar.com report published Thursday morning. The website interviewed gymnasts and former gymnasts and reviewed police reports from across the U.S.
Yahoo breaks own record for biggest hack. Cue Dr. Evil. One billion users were affected by a 2013 breach of Yahoo’s systems reported on Wednesday. The tally easily surpassed the previous record of 500 million user accounts in a separate incident revealed three months ago by the company. Users should change their passwords and consider using the Yahoo Account Key password-protection system, the company’s chief information security officer said on the company's official Tumblr. The latest disclosure by Yahoo reinforced that consumers are living in an age of "hacker anxiety," according to the Associated Press.
Mixed messages from Trump’s tech get-together. President-elect Donald Trump reportedly told the Wednesday gathering of technology sector big wigs that he will work to foster growth and improve trade deals. However, he may have also taken a swipe at Twitter’s Jack Dorsey, who was left off the guest list, by noting some companies weren’t big enough to be invited. Trump’s team is still steaming the platform didn’t OK a #CrookedHillary emoji during the campaign, according to Politico. (The president-elect's team has denied that).
Here’s Trump, maybe, subtweeting Twitter. pic.twitter.com/EGsZg1wzqI
— Jay Yarow (@jyarow) December 14, 2016
New name in the press secretary mix. Trump is considering Fox News host Kimberly Guilfoyle for White House press secretary, according to Politico. Other names reportedly in the mix include TV surrogate Katrina Pierson, radio host and web publisher Laura Ingraham, and Daily Mail editor David Martosko.
Uber self-driving program shut down as soon as it starts. Uber got some egg on its face in California on Wednesday, where it launched a self-driving-car pilot program, only to be ordered to shut it down by the state’s Department of Motor Vehicles for operating without a permit. A video purporting to show an Uber self-driving car running a red light was also posted to YouTube on Wednesday by a livery driver.
New ‘official’ words for writers. The Oxford English Dictionary approved a slate of 1,550 new words this week, including Brexit, YouTuber, and Bama, which is short for an individual from the deep South and familiar to fans of Beyonce’s song "Formation."
Brexit: one of the most anticipated definitions in recent dictionary history. https://t.co/aIVHc6gBin
— Susie Dent (@susie_dent) December 15, 2016