Geek News

Brands are once again beating a hasty retreat after learning that they were running ads on objectionable YouTube channels . Several big brands (including Acer, Alibaba, Fox, Nike and Paramount) have suspended ads from InfoWars' channels after CNN demonstrated that their commercials were streaming on the conspiracy-peddling network's videos. The companies said they were not only unaware of the placement, but in numerous cases had set up exclusion filters to avoid displaying ads against content like this. Some also said they explicitly blacklisted InfoWars channels, but didn't realize how many channels the company actually had. The exposé even caught the non-profit USA for UNHCR inadvertently running ads on InfoWars, and it's going one step further by pulling all ads from YouTube. It and other organizations are asking if they can recoup the advertising money they spent on InfoWars' channels. We've asked Google if it can comment on the findings. In a statem...

Despite what it seems, Netflix isn't a dominant force everywhere on the planet. In fact, it's struggling in the Middle East and northern Africa -- Netflix and Amazon combined represent 21 percent of the local subscription video space. The company is determined to get a leg up, however. It just forged its first partnership deal in the region, signing a pact with pay TV provider OSN to make its content available across the area. OSN customers will have access to Netflix through a set-top box launching near the end of the second quarter (around June), and will have the option of paying for Netflix through their existing OSN bills. Yes, Netflix is very familiar with these sorts of deals (just ask Comcast customers ), but this could be more important than most. The Middle East and northern Africa have wildly varying income levels, and viewers frequently want to save money where they can. It's easier to watch Netflix through an box you already have than to buy another devic...

For some ATM thieves, swiping card data involves too much patience -- they'd rather just take the money and run. The US Secret Service has warned ATM makers Diebold Nixdorf and NCR that "jackpotting" hacks, where crooks force machine to cough up large sums of cash, have reached the US after years of creating problems in Asia, Europe and Mexico. The attacks have focused largely on Diebold's front-loading Opteva ATMs in stand-alone locations, such as retail stores and drive-thrus, and have relied on an combination of malware and hardware to pull off heists. In previous attacks, the thieves disguised themselves as technicians to avoid drawing attention. After that, they hooked up a laptop with a mirror image of the ATM's operating system and malware (Diebold also mentioned replacing the hard drive outright). Security researcher Brian Krebs understands American ATMs have been hit with Ploutus.D, a variant of "jackpotting" malware that first launched in ...

It's clearer than ever that Facebook wants to become a leader in live sports streaming . Variety and the Guardian have learned that Facebook has hired Peter Hutton, the CEO of Discovery-owned TV network Eurosport , to lead its negotiations for worldwide live sports streams. He'll work out of Facebook's home turf in Silicon Valley, and this will definitely be a step down the corporate ladder -- he'll report to Facebook's global sports partnership leader, Dan Reed. Hutton will formally switch roles after the Winter Olympics finish in February. Neither Facebook nor Hutton would provide more details when asked by Variety , although Hutton pointed the media outlet to Facebook and said he was "focused on delivering the best Olympic Games possible" for Eurosport. It's a big win for Facebook regardless of the details. Aside from the feat of convincing a major TV network chief to take a lower-profile role, Hutton himself is a veteran in the sports right w...