Shoshana Wodinsky, Author at Gizmodo

Zoom Bombings Started Off as Pranks. Now Someone Could End Up Dead

For those unaware, Zoom officially has a porn problem. The multibillion-dollar video messaging mainstay among employees at Johnson & Johnson and the Department of Homeland Security—not to mention a household name among currently house-bound citizens across the country—has been rocked by story after story of pranksters popping into video meetings with clips of graphic porn…

Tech News Shoshana Wodinsky

Russia’s Planned Coronavirus App Is a State-Run Security Nightmare

Like other countries, COVID-19 rocked both Russia and its neighbors, with recent numbers pointing to a collective 4,375 residents across the post-Soviet states being infected by the virus. And while some of these territories are seemingly less than worried about the pandemic, Russia’s spent the bulk of this week rolling out a series of initiatives…

Privacy & Security Shoshana Wodinsky

Court Rules That Researching a Platform’s Hidden Biases Isn’t a Criminal Offense

Over the past few years, the idea of algorithmic bias—whether entirely real or mostly conspiratorial—is something that’s cropped up in conversations of niche internet groups and White House officials alike. And now, researchers and tech journalists are legally free to investigate these issues to their heart’s content—within reason, at least. After a nearly year-long battle…

Tech News Shoshana Wodinsky

Dyson Says It’ll Ship 15,000 Custom Ventilators to Aid In Covid-19 Pandemic

In dealing with the drastic supply shortage being wreaked amid the current coronavirus crisis, seemingly every manufacturer is chipping in to do their part. Rum factories are producing hand sanitizer. Companies better known for building sex furniture are pivotingto medical-grade face masks. And some of the biggest automakers around have offered to pitch in to…

Tech News Shoshana Wodinsky

Android Apps May Be Snooping on You More Than You Realize

At this point we’re all familiar with apps of all sorts tracking our every move and sharing that info with pretty much every third party imaginable. But it actually may not be as simple as tracking where you go and what you do in an app: It turns out that these apps might be dropping…

Privacy & Security Shoshana Wodinsky

We Need Insanity Wolf Now More Than Ever

Thanks to the coronavirus, spending hours upon hours—if not full days—indoors is quickly becoming the new normal for folks across the country. Some Gizmodo staffers have their own ways of dealing with the new stress from being shut-in, I’ve always been partial to spending hours browsing what’s left of the old, shitty internet, image macros…

Tech News Shoshana Wodinsky

On Google Search, Scammy Unemployment Ads Are Targeting Some of the Most Vulnerable People

Pandemics don’t just stress test the physical and mental health for potentially millions of folks across the country, but their livelihoods as well. Close to one-fifth of Americans have reported either being laid off or having their hours slashed in the wake of the covid-19 outbreak, with the newly jobless in every state from Colorado…

Tech News Shoshana Wodinsky

Smart Thermometers Could be Key to Tracking the Coronavirus, For Better or Worse

When it comes to tracking the spread of one of the worst pandemics in recent memory, personal privacy has taken a bit of a backburner. It’s resulted in some pitches that are leaving some tech skeptics more than a bit uncomfortable—like sharing our cellphone’s location data with the federal government, or mandating app downloads to…

Tech News Shoshana Wodinsky

Hong Kong Introduces Invasive Location-Tracking Bracelets, Promises They’re Not That Invasive

While we all have tech-based privacy intrusions to deal with on a daily basis, Hong Kong residents are seeing that taken up to a new levelthanks to the coronavirus’s spread—and it’s only getting worse. Case in point: Earlier today, Hong Kong’s Chief Information Officer, Victor Lam, announced earlier today that the city-state will be cracking…

Privacy & Security Shoshana Wodinsky

Alphabet Still Needs to Answer a Big Question About Its Covid-19 Site

By now, you’ve probably heard about Verily, the strangely named Alphabet subsidiary that’s in charge of the “coronavirus testing website” endorsed by Donald Trump. Now that the company has launched the first round of its proposed coronavirus program in the Bay Area, there are a few specifics about the program that are putting some of…

Privacy & Security Shoshana Wodinsky

U.S. Reportedly In Talks To Use Your Location Data to Contain the Pandemic

No matter how we feel about tackling the current coronavirus situation, the consensus from federal and public health officials seems to be the same: we need more data to do it. So naturally, it makes sense to look to the data-hoovering tech companies to lend their expertise on the issue. At least, that’s what’s reportedly…

Privacy & Security Shoshana Wodinsky

Ukrainian Ad Agency Raided by Police and Accused of Aiding Piracy

Despite the fact that many of us might be too busy Netflix-and-chilling to bother pirating our favorite cartoons from the ‘90s, the truth is that torrenting sites still make bank from the folks logging on. And now, it looks like some state authorities are cracking down on these profits. As first spotted by TorrentFreak, Ukraine’s…

Tech News Shoshana Wodinsky

Carnival Conveniently Owns Up to Data Breach While Nobody’s Taking Cruises

Travel might be the last thing on our minds right now (for most of us, at least)—so naturally, this is the perfect time for a popular travel line to announce some of its passenger’s most personal details might’ve been caught in a massive data breach. Earlier this month, the multibillion-dollar cruise conglomerate Carnival Corp. announced…

Privacy & Security Shoshana Wodinsky

Tiktok’s Transparency Center Leaves Some Big Questions Unanswered

After getting chewed out by federal agencies, lawmakers, and more than a few parents, TikTok is finally giving us a window into the ways it targets, tracks and moderates all of the teens and tweens on its platform. Today, the Chinese-owned company announced in a blog post that it would soon be rolling out an…

Tech Policy Shoshana Wodinsky

Whisper, an App for Sharing Secrets, Left Its User Data Exposed On The Open Web

Whisper, the anonymous messaging app beloved by teens and tweens the world over, has a problem: it’s not as anonymous as we’d thought. The platform is only the latest that brands itself as private by design while leaking sensitive user data into the open, according to a damning Washington Post report out earlier today. According…

Tech News Shoshana Wodinsky

Amazon Will Sell Its Cashless Go Technology to Brick-and-Mortar Retailers

Amazon and its intrepid CEO, Jeff Bezos, haven’t made any secret of their push to dominate other industries. Space travel? Sure! Healthcare? Why not? Real estate? I… guess? Now, it looks like the trillion-dollar company is setting its sights on courting a new market: the brick-and-mortar retailers that Amazon has systematically gutted for roughly a…

Commerce Shoshana Wodinsky

I Listen to Train Sounds on the Train Because I Love Train

These days, there are millions of songs, podcasts, and audiobooks you can listen to on your morning commute. And given that nearly infinite selection of songs, podcasts, and audiobooks, I choose to listen to trains. For me and other New Yorkers, the subway is inescapable, one of the few certainties in life. We’re born on…

Culture Shoshana Wodinsky

Spotify’s Weird LinkedIn Playlists Sound Like a Cash Register

Like the brief romance between Ariana Grande and Pete Davidson, the new Linkedin-owned Spotify playlists are confusing at best. That seemed to be the consensus across the web after the job-hunter’s platform of choice announced these bops in a tweet earlier this week, promising to keep listeners company during “every moment of your career journey.”…

Privacy & Security Shoshana Wodinsky

Instead of Paying for Political Ads, Bloomberg Should’ve Bought Me 200 Million McNuggets

Well folks, it’s finally happened. Everyone’s favorite former mayor Michael Bloomberg has officially dropped out of the race for the 2020 presidency, following a cringeworthy turnout among supporters during Super Tuesday, during which he nabbed only one win, in the American Samoa caucus. But before leaving, the dude left a serious mark on the public.…

Tech News Shoshana Wodinsky

House Passes Ban on Flavored e-Cigs but White House Will Likely Veto

On Friday, the House of Representatives approved new legislation that bans the sale of flavored e-cigarettes and other flavored tobacco products. The bill was contentious among the Democratic caucus this week but ultimately passed with a vote of 213-195. The bill will now advance to the Senate but the Trump administration warned in a notice…

Tech News Shoshana Wodinsky

Shoshana Wodinsky

Zoom Bombings Started Off as Pranks. Now Someone Could End Up Dead

Russia’s Planned Coronavirus App Is a State-Run Security Nightmare

Court Rules That Researching a Platform’s Hidden Biases Isn’t a Criminal Offense

Dyson Says It’ll Ship 15,000 Custom Ventilators to Aid In Covid-19 Pandemic

Android Apps May Be Snooping on You More Than You Realize

We Need Insanity Wolf Now More Than Ever

On Google Search, Scammy Unemployment Ads Are Targeting Some of the Most Vulnerable People

Smart Thermometers Could be Key to Tracking the Coronavirus, For Better or Worse

Hong Kong Introduces Invasive Location-Tracking Bracelets, Promises They’re Not That Invasive

Alphabet Still Needs to Answer a Big Question About Its Covid-19 Site

U.S. Reportedly In Talks To Use Your Location Data to Contain the Pandemic

Ukrainian Ad Agency Raided by Police and Accused of Aiding Piracy

Carnival Conveniently Owns Up to Data Breach While Nobody’s Taking Cruises

Tiktok’s Transparency Center Leaves Some Big Questions Unanswered

Whisper, an App for Sharing Secrets, Left Its User Data Exposed On The Open Web

Amazon Will Sell Its Cashless Go Technology to Brick-and-Mortar Retailers

I Listen to Train Sounds on the Train Because I Love Train

Spotify’s Weird LinkedIn Playlists Sound Like a Cash Register

Instead of Paying for Political Ads, Bloomberg Should’ve Bought Me 200 Million McNuggets

House Passes Ban on Flavored e-Cigs but White House Will Likely Veto

Feds Sniffing Around Polymarket After Suspicious Bets

DJI Osmo 360 Review: The Best 360 Camera for the DJI-Pilled

Don’t Get Too Attached to Any AI App

‘Paradise’ Writer Teases What’s Coming in Season 3 After That Huge Twist

Trump’s New White House App Is Mildly Concerning and Weird for a Lot of Reasons

Bloodsucking Ticks Can Survive Inside Your Home Longer Than You Might Think

The Best New Toys of March 2026

Judge Denies Liking LinkedIn Post Critical of Elon Musk But Reassigns His Cases Anyway

Amazon Slashes 50% Off Keurig K-Cup Pod Coffee Maker, Now a Budget Alternative to Breville and Nespresso Espresso Machines

Sun’s Latest Outburst Complicates Planned Launch of Artemis 2

Aqara Smart Lock U400 Review: Hands-free Unlocking at Its Best

MSI Prestige 14 Flip AI+ Review: A Solid 2-in-1 Laptop With Some Glaring Flaws

Sonos Play Review: Call It a Comeback

Sonos Era 100 SL Review: The Cheapest Way Into Wired Sonos Sound

Asus ROG’s Massive Swift OLED Gaming Monitor Epitomizes Excess in the Best Way

The Ikea Varmblixt Smart Lamp Fills a Donut Hole in My Life

Nothing Headphone A vs. Headphone 1: Which Pair of ANC Wireless Headphones Wins?

Asus ROG’s Cetra Open Wireless Gaming Earbuds Might Be Better Than Wearing a Headset

Nintendo’s Talking Flower Is Annoying as Hell. I Love It

Level Lock Pro Review: As Good as a Secret Smart Lock Gets