Passwords to be replaced by Web Authentication

It looks like login usernames and passwords are on their way out. No longer will we have to
worry about the security of our login credentials. They are set to be replaced by an infinitely
more secure login system known as Web Authentication. Web Authentication has become an
official standard for logging in at the main Internet standards body, the World Wide Web
Consortium (WWWC). It is a system that will be universally used by web browsers and platforms
for simpler and stronger authentication processes. It will allow website users to log in securely to
their online accounts using a digital device, biometrics (such as fingerprints and facial
recognition) or USB security keys.
The WWWC spoke about the days of passwords being numbered. A spokesperson said: "It's
common knowledge that passwords have outlived their efficacy. Not only are stolen, weak or
default passwords behind 81 per cent of data breaches, they are a drain of time and resources."
It added: "Now is the time for web services and businesses to adopt Web Authentication to
move beyond vulnerable passwords and help web users improve the security of their online
experiences," Web Authentication means users are at less risk of having their passwords and
credentials stolen. This is because login authentication is achieved via physical devices or
biometrics from our body.

Immune Therapy Shows Promise Against Cancer

A treatment that helps the immune system fight deadly blood cancers is showing early
signs of success against some solid tumors, giving hope that this approach could be
used to fight more common cancers in the future.

The treatment, called CAR-T therapy, involves genetically modifying some of the
patient's immune system cells to help them recognize and attack cancer. The cells are
then returned to the patient through an injection into the blood.

Richard Carlstrand of Long Key, Florida, received the treatment more than a year ago
for a type of lung cancer.

"We were going into unknown territories" to try this, he said, but now he shows no
sign of cancer and "couldn't be happier."
This method, however, doesn't work if cells have to travel far through the blood to get
to tumors in the lung, breast, colon, or other places.

Dr. Prasad Adusumilli helped design a new CAR-T therapy that gets around this
problem and tested it on 19 patients with various forms of lung and chest
cancers. The modified cells were injected directly into the chest where the tumors
were.

After the therapy, 15 of the patients saw improvements which allowed them to start
taking a drug that helps the immune system in other ways. Of the 15, two showed
signs that their cancer had disappeared for about a year, although it returned in one
of the patients. Six saw their tumors become smaller and three saw their cancer
worsen.

Another study that tested a different CAR-T method saw all signs of cancer disappear
in two of ten patients. Three others had their cancer stabilized, while five worsened.

"These studies are showing there may be a path fo rward in solid tumors" with CAR-T
therapies, said Dr. Louis Weiner, director of the Georgetown Lombardi Comprehensive
Cancer Center. It may hold promise for some cancers of the stomach, breast, colon,
lung, and other areas, he said.

Australia passes law to hold social media companies responsible for

“abhorrent violent material”

The law criminalize websites that fail to take down violent content quickly.
Australia passed new legislation that could jail tech executives if they take too long to remove
violent content from their platforms.

The country's parliament voted to approved the controversial Sharing of Abhorrent Violent
Material bill Thursday.

The law criminalize websites that fail to take down abhorrent content "quickly." That content
includes terrorism, murder, attempted murder, torture, rape and kidnapping.

Penalties include up to three years in jail for execs and a fine of the U.S. dollar equivalent of $7.5
million for the company or 10% of its annual revenue, whichever is larger.
Australian Attorney General Christian Porter told parliament, "Together we must act to ensure
that perpetrators and their accomplices cannot leverage online platforms for the purpose of
spreading their violent and extreme propaganda -- these platforms should not be weaponized
for evil."

Critics say the bill was rushed to be passed. Labor Party member Mark Dreyfus called it "clumsy
and flawed." As the BBC points out, the time frame for what is considered too long hasn't been
defined.

The bill is in response to the deadly Christchurch mosque shootings last month that killed 50
people and injured dozens more. Violent video of the killings were spread across social media
sites.

Already, the advocacy group that represents Facebook, Google, and other companies is speaking
out against the regulations in Australia.

“This law, which was conceived and passed in five days without any meaningful consultation, does
nothing to address hate speech, which was the fundamental motivation for the tragic Christchurch
terrorist attacks,” Sunita Bose, the managing director of the Digital Industry Group, which
represents social media companies told The New York Times .

China's 'Social Credit' Stops Millions From Traveling

China's "Social Credit System" (SCS) stopped millions of people from buying plane or
train tickets in 2018. Last year, China stopped about 17.5 million plane tickets and 5.5
million train tickets from being sold to people who had bad "social credit" scores, and
128 people were prevented from leaving the country because of unpaid taxes.

According to the Chinese government, the SCS encourages p eople to be

trustworthy. A person's score can be affected by things from volunteering and paying
bills on time to sharing fake news or smoking on a train.

Those with high social credit scores can receive benefits like free doctors' visits or
cheaper heating bills. Those with low scores may be punished by being refused loans
or banned from government jobs. In Beijing, large electronic billboards even show the
faces and ID numbers of nearby people with very low scores.

Companies are also given scores that can affect their loans and government
contracts.The system is only used in some parts of China now, but will be used across
the country in 2020.
Some people, like US Vice President Mike Pence, are worried that the government will
use the SCS to gain more control over Chinese people's lives. But others hope it will
help to reduce problems like fraud and public health failures.

Even some of those who have been prevented from buying train tickets, like Beijing
lawyer Li Xiaolin, support the system. "It's good for society," he says.