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Under Armour says 150 million accounts affected in recent breach of fitness app
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The Under Armour shop at the new DICKS Sporting Goods store at Baybrook Mall in Friendswood, Texas on Tuesday, October 18, 2016. The store is one of six new locations now open for business in the Houston area. (Photo by Scott Dalton/Invision for DICK'S Sporting Goods/AP Images) - photo by Herb Scribner
A data breach affected close to 150 million people who use the MyFitnessPal app, Under Armour said Thursday.

Investigators said usernames, email addresses and passwords may have been stolen in the breach.

However, Under Armour said that payment information has not been affected since Under Armour processes the payments separately from the app.

Under Armour also doesnt collect any government information, like Social Security numbers or drivers license information.

Four days after learning of the issue, the company began notifying the MyFitnessPal community via email and through in-app messaging. The notice contains recommendations for MyFitnessPal users regarding account security steps they can take to help protect their information, Under Armour said in a statement. The company will be requiring MyFitnessPal users to change their passwords and is urging users to do so immediately.

The company first became aware of the data breach March 25 after it noticed hackers broke into the system in February.

Under Armour has already notified individuals about the breach as it continues its investigation.

Under Armour acquired MyFitnessPal back in 2015 for $475 million. At the time, only 80 million people used the app, according to The Verge.

The app rose in popularity at the same time as fitness trackers, like FitBits and Apple Watches, many of which can connect with the app.

Shares for the company dropped 3.8 percent after the company announced that its data had been breached, according to CNBC.

Security researcher Troy Hunt told BBC News that Under Armour didnt mishandle how it released information about the breach and handled it better than Equifax and Uber, two companies that also had to release information about data breaches in the past.

In many ways, this is just another day on the internet: a large online asset suffers a data breach and millions of usernames and passwords get leaked, he told BBC News. "To its credit, Under Armour appears to have made an announcement on this within four days, and its method of password storage is quite robust.
Its toxic: New study says blue light from tech devices can speed up blindness
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A new study from the University of Toledo found that blue light from digital devices can transform molecules in your eyes retina into cell killers. - photo by Herb Scribner
It turns out checking Twitter or Facebook before bed is bad for your health.

A new study from the University of Toledo found that blue light from digital devices can transform molecules in your eyes retina into cell killers.

That process can lead to age-related macular degeneration, which is a leading cause of blindness in the United States, according to the researchs extract.

Blue light is a common issue for many modern Americans. Blue light is emitted from screens, most notably at night, causing sleep loss, eye strain and a number of other issues.

Dr. Ajith Karunarathne, assistant professor in the UT Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, said our constant exposure to blue light cant be blocked by the lens or cornea.

"It's no secret that blue light harms our vision by damaging the eye's retina. Our experiments explain how this happens, and we hope this leads to therapies that slow macular degeneration, such as a new kind of eye drop, he said.

Macular degeneration is an incurable eye disease that often affects those in their 50s or 60s. It occurs after the death of photoreceptor cells in the retina. Those cells need retinal to sense light and help signal the brain.

The research team found blue light exposure created poisonous chemical molecules that killed photoreceptor cells

"It's toxic. If you shine blue light on retinal, the retinal kills photoreceptor cells as the signaling molecule on the membrane dissolves," said Kasun Ratnayake, a Ph.D. student researcher working in Karunarathne's cellular photo chemistry group. "Photoreceptor cells do not regenerate in the eye. When they're dead, they're dead for good."

However, the researchers found a molecule called alpha-tocopherol, which comes from Vitamin E, can help prevent cell death, according to Futurism.

The researchers plan to review how light from TVs, cellphones and tablet screens affect the eyes as well.

"If you look at the amount of light coming out of your cellphone, it's not great but it seems tolerable," said Dr. John Payton, visiting assistant professor in the UT Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry. "Some cellphone companies are adding blue-light filters to the screens, and I think that is a good idea."

Indeed, Apple released a Night Shift mode two years ago to help quell blue lights strain on the eyes, according to The Verge. The screen will dim into a warmer, orange light that will cause less stress on the eyes.