China’s parliament expressed indignation and opposition on Wednesday to a U.S. bill aimed at countering a technology threat from the Asian giant, the official Xinhua news agency said. In a statement, the foreign affairs committee of the National People’s Congress (NPC) said the bill displayed a Cold War mentality, smearing …
Read More »US Senate passes sweeping bill to counter China
The US Senate has overwhelmingly approved an expansive bill to boost the country’s ability to compete with Chinese technology. The Senate, in a 68-32 vote on Tuesday, passed the measure intended to expand American semiconductor production and foster the development of artificial intelligence and other technology. The move is one …
Read More »Global internet outage hits major websites – including the UK government site
A number of major websites have gone down around the world, including the UK government web pages. Those logging into to gov.uk have been faced with a message saying “503 Service Unavailable”. Other sites affected include news outlets The Guardian, Financial Times, Independent, New York Times, Evening Standard, Bloomberg, and …
Read More »Google fined $270 million in France
Google fined $270 million in France for unfair advertising practices Google will pay a €220 million ($270 million) fine and make changes to its huge online advertising business as part of an antitrust settlement with French regulators. The penalty comes as the tech giant faces multiple US suits over anti-competitive …
Read More »Trump’s blog page shuts down a month after launch
Former US President Donald Trump’s blog page, launched last month in the wake of major social media platforms banning him, has been removed from his website. Trump aide Jason Miller on Wednesday said that the page, which had been called “From the Desk of Donald J. Trump,” would not be …
Read More »Intel reiterates chip supply shortages could last several years
Intel Corp’s CEO said on Monday it could take several years for a global shortage of semiconductors to be resolved, a problem that has shuttered some auto production lines and is also being felt in other areas, including consumer electronics. Pat Gelsinger told a virtual session of the Computex trade …
Read More »EU gives TikTok a month to respond to consumer complaints
The European Commission said on Friday it has given the Chinese-owned video app TikTok one month to answer complaints from a European consumer group over its commercial practices. The EU’s executive arm said it has started discussions involving the social media platform and the national consumer authorities following an alert …
Read More »Brain-computer interface allows paralysed man to write again
The technology has enabled a paralyzed man to communicate by text at speeds rivaling those achieved by his able-bodied peers texting on a smartphone. A paralyzed man has used a brain-computer to write on a screen at speeds almost as fast as an able-bodied adult, according to a new study. …
Read More »YouTube to launch $100 mln creator fund for Shorts video feature
Alphabet Inc’s YouTube on Tuesday announced a $100 million fund to pay content creators who make hit videos on its new short-form video feature Shorts, as YouTube aims to court more influencers. The fund will launch in the coming months and pay creators this year and 2022, YouTube said. The …
Read More »Top US fuel pipeline down for 4th day as hackers issue statement
America’s biggest gasoline pipeline is unlikely to resume significant operations for several days due to a ransomware cyberattack that Washington on Monday blamed on a shadowy criminal network called DarkSide. The attack on the Colonial Pipeline between Houston and New Jersey, which provides nearly half the fuel to the U.S. …
Read More »Chinese rocket debris lands near the Maldives draws criticism from NASA
Remnants of China’s biggest rocket landed in the Indian Ocean on Sunday, with the bulk of its components destroyed upon re-entry into the Earth’s atmosphere, according to Chinese state media, ending days of speculation over where the debris would hit. The coordinates are given by state media, citing the China …
Read More »Google will soon enforce the use of two-step verification for Google accounts
Two-factor authentication, or as Google calls it two-step verification, is a popular security feature that adds another layer of security to the authentication process. Users who have configured two-factor authentication use a secondary authentication option, such as a code that is sent via SMS to a linked mobile device or …
Read More »Big Chinese rocket segment set to fall to Earth
Debris from a Chinese rocket is expected to fall back to Earth in an uncontrolled re-entry this weekend. The main segment from the Long March-5b vehicle was used to launch the first module of China’s new space station last month. At 18 tonnes it is one of the largest items …
Read More »Epic Games asks judge to block Apple’s removal of ‘Fortnite’ from app store
Epic Games said on Monday it was seeking to block Apple Inc’s removal of “Fortnite” from its app store and has asked a judge to prevent any retaliatory action against its other games in the store. The videogame maker also said Apple will terminate all of Epic Games’ developer accounts …
Read More »Xbox Series X price leaks – and gamers aren’t going to be happy
Hang on a minute? The latest Xbox Series X reports had told us that the new Xbox console was going to be cheaper than the Sony PS5 when released in November 2020. Those reports had been based on unsubstantiated comments from Reddit poster Dusk Golem, who apparently has been hearing …
Read More »Trump orders ByteDance to divest interest in U.S. TikTok operations within 90 days
President Donald Trump ordered ByteDance on Friday to divest the U.S. operations of its video-sharing app TikTok within 90 days, the latest effort to ramp up pressure on the Chinese company over concerns about the safety of the personal data it handles. “There is credible evidence that leads me to …
Read More »NSA, FBI expose Russian intelligence hacking tool: report
The U.S. National Security Agency and Federal Bureau of Investigation have exposed a sophisticated Russian hacking tool, they said on Thursday in a rare public report offering new insight on Russia’s arsenal of digital weapons. The NSA and FBI said that Russia’s Main Intelligence Directorate, known as the GRU, was …
Read More »Facebook, Snap held talks to buy TikTok rival Dubsmash: Information
Facebook Inc and Snapchat owner Snap Inc held talks to buy Dubsmash, the Information reported on Wednesday, putting a spotlight on pop video apps at a time when Microsoft Corp is trying to work out a deal to buy rival TikTok. Facebook and Snap were no longer in deal talks, …
Read More »Twitter launches much-awaited developer software after hack delay
Twitter Inc rolled out its new long-awaited Application Programming Interface (API) software on Wednesday, nearly a month after the social media company delayed the platform’s launch following the hack of several high-profile accounts. The API platform provides broad access to public Twitter data that users have chosen to share, according …
Read More »Facebook removes seven million posts for sharing false information on coronavirus
Facebook Inc said on Tuesday it removed 7 million posts in the second quarter for sharing false information about the novel coronavirus, including content that promoted fake preventative measures and exaggerated cures. Facebook released the data as part of its sixth Community Standards Enforcement Report, which it introduced in 2018 …
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