TECHNOLOGY

As the massive undersea Hunga Tonga Hunga Ha’apai volcano erupted on Saturday, Tongans from around the world gazed on as their relatives livestreamed images of the billowing clouds of ash, gas and steam emerged from beneath the depths.

Microsoft stunned the gaming industry when it announced this week it would buy game publisher Activision Blizzard for $68.7 billion, a deal that would immediately make it a larger video-game company than Nintendo.

A new report shows that an app that's expected to be widely used by athletes and others attending next month’s Winter Games in Beijing has glaring security problems that could expose sensitive data to interception.

Ford and security company ADT have formed a joint venture that will help businesses protect vehicles and expensive equipment they carry from theft.

Poland’s chief auditor says he plans to audit the state’s supervision of the secret services following revelations of illegal surveillance of government critics with powerful spyware.

Israeli lawmakers are calling for a parliamentary inquiry into the police’s alleged use of sophisticated spyware on protesters and other citizens.

The airline industry is raising the stakes in a showdown with AT&T and Verizon over plans to launch new 5G wireless service this week, warning that thousands of flights could be grounded or delayed if the rollout takes place near major airports.

Microsoft is paying the enormous sum of nearly $70 billion for Activision Blizzard, the maker of Candy Crush and Call of Duty, a deal that would immediately make it a larger video-game company than Nintendo while raising questions about the deal’s possible anti-competitive effects.

AT&T and Verizon say they will delay some new 5G wireless service after the airline industry raised alarms about potential interference with important systems on planes.

A tiny Wyoming town faces transformation when a company started by Bill Gates builds a new type of nuclear power plant there.

A Polish Senate commission has opened an investigation into the use of powerful spyware against government critics.

Amazon’s British website has backed away from plans to stop accepting Visa credit cards issued in the United Kingdom.

Ukraine says Russia was behind a cyberattack that defaced government websites and it alleged that Russia is engaged in a “hybrid war” against the country.

Tesla is turning to Mozambique for a key component in its electric car batteries in what analysts believe is a first-of-its-kind deal designed to reduce its dependence on China for graphite.

Microsoft says dozens of computer systems at an unspecified number of Ukrainian government agencies have been infected with destructive malware disguised as ransomware.

Environmental protesters are once again demanding the cancelation of plans for lithium mining in western Serbia.

Philanthropy, federal relief funding and other community driven efforts to close the digital divide in a year of remote schooling have helped significantly to bring more children online.

The coronavirus pandemic has forced the World Economic Forum’s annual meeting of world leaders, business executives and other heavyweights to go virtual for the second year in a row.

The Federal Aviation Administration is telling pilots to take extra precautions when landing on slick runways near impending 5G wireless service.

Netflix is raising prices for customers in the U.S. and Canada.

Newly unredacted documents from a state-led antitrust lawsuit against Google accuse the search giant of colluding with rival Facebook to manipulate online advertising sales.

Thieves have been raiding cargo containers aboard trains nearing downtown Los Angeles for months, leaving the tracks blanketed with discarded packages.

Microsoft says it is opening an inquiry into how it responds to workplace sexual harassment and gender discrimination.

The House committee investigating the Capitol insurrection has issued subpoenas to Twitter, Meta, Reddit and YouTube, demanding documents after lawmakers said the companies’ initial responses were inadequate.

Around 75,000 New Mexico schoolchildren are missing school Friday for the second day after a cyber attack hit the state's largest school district on Wednesday.

More than 80 fact checking organizations are calling on YouTube to address what they say is rampant misinformation on the platform.

The Biden administration says it will hold its first offshore wind auction next month.

European Parliament lawmakers have called for a committee to investigate rights abuses by European Union governments using powerful spyware produced by Israel’s NSO Group.

A federal judge has ruled that the Federal Trade Commission's revised antitrust suit against Meta, formerly known as Facebook, can proceed, shutting down the social media company's request for a dismissal.

French President Emmanuel Macron says people spreading fake news online should be held accountable and possibly brought to justice.

A federal labor board said that Amazon workers in a facility in Bessemer, Alabama will vote by mail next month in a re-run election to decide whether or not to unionize.

The World Economic Forum says cyberthreats and the growing space race are emerging risks to the global economy, on top of existing challenges posed by climate change and the coronavirus pandemic.

A Polish opposition senator whose phone was hacked with advanced spyware has filed a civil suit against Poland’s ruling party leader.

Take-Two Interactive, maker of Grand Theft Auto and Red Dead Redemption, is buying Zynga, maker of FarmVille and Words With Friends, in a cash-and-stock deal valued at about $12.7 billion.

Attendance at the CES gadget show in Las Vegas fell more than 70% compared to its previous in-person event two years ago, its organizer said Saturday.

NASA's new space telescope has opened its gold-plated, flower-shaped mirror, the largest and most sensitive ever launched.

Attendance at this week’s CES gadget show in Las Vegas fell more than 75% compared to its previous in-person event two years ago, according to the event’s organizer.

The leader of Poland’s ruling conservative party has acknowledged that the country bought advanced spyware from the Israeli surveillance software maker NSO Group.

Japanese billionaire Yusaku Maezawa has returned from space with hopes of new celestial investments.

The New York Times Co. is buying sports news site The Athletic for $550 million.

Amnesty International says it has independently confirmed that an Israeli company's powerful spyware was used to hack a Polish senator when he was running the opposition’s 2019 parliamentary election campaign.

French regulators have fined Google and Facebook a total of more than 200 million euros for not making it as easy for users to opt out of online tracking as it is for them to accept it.

China has recommitted itself to completing its orbiting space station by the end of the year and says it is planning more than 40 launches for 2022, putting it roughly level with the United States.

Thousands of people have gathered in Las Vegas for a tech conference that’s been scaled back because of COVID-19 precautions.

Treasure hunters who believe they found a huge cache of fabled Civil War-era gold in Pennsylvania are now on the prowl for something as elusive as the buried booty itself: government records of the FBI’s excavation.

Chrysler says it plans for its vehicle lineup to go all electric by 2028.

Germany’s antitrust watchdog has paved the way for extra scrutiny of Google by designating it a company of “paramount significance.”.

A jury has ended the suspense surrounding the fraud trial of former Theranos CEO Elizabeth Holmes by finding her guilty on four of the 11 charges facing her, but some issues in the legal drama remain unresolved.

The fraud conviction of former Theranos CEO Elizabeth Holmes could do more than just send a once-celebrated billionaire to prison for years.

Is anyone going to CES this year.

Stephanie Hinds, a U.S. attorney, said in a statement on Jan. 3 that the guilty verdicts reflected Holmes’ "culpability in this large scale investor fraud."

Tidal power generators that look like aircraft are being tested in the sea off the Faroe Islands.

Help Desk reporter Heather Kelly looks at what might cause holiday shopping headaches and how to avoid them.

The Washington Post's Tatum Hunter shows how tools thieves used to hide from the law can help you protect your privacy, money and data from being stolen.

SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket lifted off, carrying four astronauts to the International Space Station from the Kennedy Space Center on Nov. 10.

Four astronauts splashed down safely in the Gulf of Mexico on Nov. 8, completing a six-month mission on the International Space Station.

The new technology is part of a partnership with the TSA to cut wait times at security checkpoints.

Inexpensive Bluetooth trackers like AirTags and Tile give us the perilous power to find and confront our thieves.

Senators say new social media laws could be on the way - sooner than later | Accountable

An independent U_N_ investigator is warning that despite the Nobel Peace Prize to courageous Filipino journalist Maria Ressa, “gender equality in freedom of expression remains a distant goal.”

Tech reporter Heather Kelly shares a quick tip to make your Google experience more private for The Washington Post's Help Desk.

Tech reporter Chris Velazco shares tips on what to do with your old phones and gadgets for The Washington Post's Help Desk.

There’s no telling what you might find — or how you’ll find it — when the search engine is off.

To find the best payment apps to go cashless, tech reporter Tatum Hunter compares usability and major features for The Washington Post's Help Desk.

SpaceX’s Inspiration4 flight splashed down in the Atlantic Ocean on Sept. 18, completing the first all-civilian mission to orbit the Earth.

On Sept. 14, the Apple showed off a new smartwatch with a tougher, larger screen and new software for typing messages.

Watch the highlights of Apple's Sept 14 fall product reveal.

First Solar is one of few U.S. solar-panel manufacturers in an industry dominated by Chinese factories.

Relativity Space is building rockets using an autonomous, 3D manufacturing robot called "Stargate."

It said it had listened to feedback from privacy campaigners and others and would reassess.

The technology could be in all new cars that are manufactured in the next few years.

Too many countries fail to record deaths and their causes accurately. This makes tracking the spread of Covid-19 and other diseases harder than it needs to be.

The social-media platform said its technology had been erroneously identifying the comments as benign.

Technology is helping scientists expose the pollution of smaller, less known oil spills and those responsible for them.

The U.S., Russia and China say a ban on AI weapons is unnecessary. But growing number of activists and international allies are pushing for restrictions.

The technology lets experts predict which areas might burn the worst during wildfire season.

Activists see their fight as a patriotic struggle against government overreach, authoritarianism, and even a battle for their civil rights to refuse vaccines.

Around the world, animal conservation has evolved so it's not just humans monitoring wildlife.

The Enhanced Night Vision Goggle-Binocular, or ENVG-B, combines low light and thermal images with an augmented reality overlay.

The Enhanced Nightvision Goggles Binocular or ENVG-B combine low light and thermal images with an augmented reality overlay.

The board will decide if former president Donald Trump is allowed on Facebook, a test case of social media companies' power to moderate inflammatory speech.

The walls of Jerusalem's Church of the Holy Sepulchre are etched with thousands of small crosses, but who made them remains an open question. Archaeologist Amit Re'em analyzed thousands of etchings with new digital technology to try to solve the mystery. Ian Lee reports.

United Airlines is turning to technology that aims to capture carbon dioxide from the air and store it underground to help offset its carbon emissions completely by 2050, a change from offset programs the airline industry and others have traditionally leaned on to reduce their footprints. The company is developing a carbon capture plant in the Permian Basin in Texas. While the coronavirus pandemic has decimated air travel around the world, airlines usually generate around 2% of global carbon emissions. Carriers have used biofuels and carbon offsets, which are purchased in exchange for conserving forests and other projects. "The only way we can truly make a dent in the levels of atmospheric carbon is through direct air capture and sequestration."

CBSN Originals presents "Reverb | A City Under Surveillance" The Detroit Police Department is using facial recognition technology and a network of surveillance cameras to combat the city’s high crime rates. But critics say the technology has racial bias built into it and has even landed innocent people behind bars. In this documentary, CBSN Originals explores the debate over high-tech policing that promises to make our communities safer yet at the same time threatens our civil liberties.

In 1996, Andy Rooney wondered whether political ideas were as clever as the technology that broadcast them. He didn't think so

Shark attacks on both coasts are raising new concerns about beach safety this summer. New technologies like drones could make swimming less risky, despite reports of a growing shark population. Carter Evans reports.

Facebook says they can accurately identify a person 98 percent of the time, while the FBI identifies the correct person only 85 percent of the time. Mashable Tech editor Pete Pachal joins CBSN with more.

Smart-gun technology is not new, yet these guns are not mass-produced or sold in the U.S., partly due to fears they are a backdoor to greater gun control. Lesley Stahl reports.

Apple will unveil new technology at a highly anticipated event. CNET editor Dan Ackerman joins CBSN with more information on the new devices.

Firefighters are still battling wildfires this Labor Day weekend. At least 56 large fires are burning in the U.S. and most of them in the far west. One of the largest has charred through 130 square miles east of Fresno, California. This fire season is on a record pace for number of acres burned. Carter Evans reports on the new technology that could be a game changer by giving firefighters an inside look at how fires move.

High-tech luggage allows owners to keep track of their belongings -- even if they've been opened. CNET's Jeff Bakalar talks about the new technology

Virtual reality is about to enter the operating room. The breakthrough technology is being introduced Monday at a gathering of neurosurgeons in Washington, D.C. Only on "CBS This Morning," Kara Finnstrom gets a sneak preview from the inventors in Southern California.

Tesla is set to reveal new technology many expect will be a high-powered solar battery, but, in typical Tesla fashion, details have been sparse. CNET's Bridget Carey has the latest buzz around the announcement.

What to expect in technology in 2015 From self-driving cars to smart watches, Newyorker.com editor Nick Thompson joins "CBSN" with more on what's happening in the tech world this year.

New technology helps restore order at Arlington National Cemetery Four years after revelations of misplaced remains and misidentified graves, David Martin reports on how Arlington National Cemetery’s new management is bringing a 19th-century burial ground into the 21st.

New technology makes customers better tippers A new app called Square Wallet already allows users to pay for coffee and snacks at Starbucks, and now there's a digital tipping option. Michelle Miller reports on how the technology is putting more money in workers' pockets.