Month: August 2020

Month: August 2020

Poll Shows 40 Percent of Americans Back Trump Executive Order on TikTok
08/31/2020 iLines,iNews,iTechnology iMaster

Forty percent of Americans back President Donald Trump’s threat to ban videosharing app TikTok if it is not sold to a U.S. buyer, according to a Reuters/Ipsos national poll, suggesting that many support the effort to separate the social media upstart from its Chinese parent.The poll published Monday, which surveyed 1,349 adult respondents across the

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China’s New Tech Export Controls Could Give Beijing a Say in TikTok Sale
08/30/2020 iLines,iNews,iTechnology iMaster

China’s new rules around tech exports mean ByteDance’s sale of TikTok’s U.S. operations could need Beijing’s approval, a Chinese trade expert told state media, a requirement that would complicate the forced and politically charged divestment.ByteDance has been ordered by President Donald Trump to divest short video app TikTok — which is challenging the order —

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Zuckerberg says Facebook Erred in Not Removing Militia Post
08/30/2020 iLines,iNews,iTechnology iMaster

Facebook made a mistake in not removing a militia group’s page earlier this week that called for armed civilians to enter Kenosha, Wisconsin, amid violent protests after police shot Jacob Blake, CEO Mark Zuckerberg said.The page for the “Kenosha Guard” violated Facebook’s policies and had been flagged by “a bunch of people,” Zuckerberg said in

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Musk’s Neuralink Puts Computer Chips in Animal Brains
08/29/2020 iLines,iNews,iTechnology iMaster

Billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk’s neuroscience startup Neuralink on Friday unveiled a pig named Gertrude that has had a coin-sized computer chip in her brain for two months, showing off an early step toward the goal of curing human diseases with the same type of implant.Co-founded by Tesla Inc and SpaceX CEO Musk in 2016, San

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TikTok CEO Resigns as Tensions Mount With White House
08/27/2020 iLines,iNews,iTechnology iMaster

The head of TikTok resigned Wednesday as tensions mount between the Chinese-owned video platform and the White House, which contends TikTok is a security risk in the U.S.   Chief Executive Officer Kevin Mayer announced his resignation days after the company filed a lawsuit challenging a U.S. government crackdown on the company over claims the

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Africa Looks to Tax Tech Giants as Economic Fallout From COVID Bites
08/26/2020 iLines,iNews,iTechnology iMaster

Tax officials in Africa estimate that government revenues will drop between 10 and 30 percent in 2020 as a result of the economic fallout stemming from the coronavirus pandemic. But while businesses in the hospitality, construction and retail sectors have suffered, digital companies have boomed as more people stay home and conduct their activities online.This

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US Cyber Forces Go Hunting for Election Trouble
08/25/2020 iLines,iNews,iTechnology iMaster

U.S. forces are taking an aggressive approach in cyberspace ahead of November’s presidential election, aiming to wipe out threats from foreign countries and other actors before they have a chance to disrupt voting or other critical, election-related systems. “Cyber Command needs to do more than prepare for a crisis in the future; it must compete with

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Pandemic Paves Way for Virtual Reality Education
08/25/2020 iLines,iNews,iTechnology iMaster

While most parents are stressed about kids and remote online learning, some experts say expect more of that in the future, and that that may be a good thing. Deana Mitchell reports. Camera, Producer: Deana Mitchell …

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Zoom Suffers Worldwide Outages
08/24/2020 iLines,iNews,iTechnology iMaster

Videoconferencing platform Zoom experienced worldwide outages Monday morning, coinciding with the first day of remote classes for many schools and universities. On its status page, Zoom reported partial outages for its website, meetings and webinars. By Monday afternoon, all systems were reported as operational. Downdetector recorded a spike in issue reports, mostly from North America and western

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Apple CEO Tim Cook is Fulfilling Another Steve Jobs Vision
08/24/2020 iLines,iNews,iTechnology iMaster

Apple co-founder Steve Jobs, who died in 2011, was a tough act to follow. But Tim Cook seems to be doing so well at it that his eventual successor may also have big shoes to fill. Initially seen as a mere caretaker for the iconic franchise that Jobs built before his 2011 death, Cook has

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US WeChat Users sue Trump Over Order Banning Messaging App
08/23/2020 iLines,iNews,iTechnology iMaster

Some U.S.-based users of WeChat are suing President Donald Trump in a bid to block an executive order that they say would effectively bar access in the U.S. to the hugely popular Chinese messaging app.The complaint, filed Friday in San Francisco, is being brought by the nonprofit U.S. WeChat Users Alliance and several people who

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TikTok says It’ll Sue Over Trump Crackdown
08/23/2020 iLines,iNews,iTechnology iMaster

Video app TikTok said Saturday it will challenge in court a Trump administration crackdown on the popular Chinese-owned platform, which Washington accuses of being a national security threat.As tensions soar between the world’s two biggest economies, President Donald Trump signed an executive order on August 6 giving Americans 45 days to stop doing business with

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Facebook in India Embroiled in Political Hate Speech Controversy
08/22/2020 iLines,iNews,iTechnology iMaster

Facebook’s India chief said Friday the social media giant denounces hate and bigotry in the wake of a controversy sparked by a media report alleging it failed to remove hate-speech posted by members linked to the ruling Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party over fears of damaging its business in the country.      “We’ve made

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Trump Wants Supreme Court OK to Block Critics on His Personal Twitter
08/21/2020 iLines,iNews,iTechnology iMaster

President Donald Trump is asking the Supreme Court to allow him to block critics from his personal Twitter account. The administration said in a high-court filing Thursday that Trump’s @realdonaldtrump account with more than 85 million followers is his personal property and blocking people from it is akin to elected officials who refuse to allow their

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Telegram App Helps Drive Belarus Protests
08/21/2020 iLines,iNews,iTechnology iMaster

Every day, like clockwork, to-do lists for those protesting against Belarus’ authoritarian leader appear in the popular Telegram messaging app. They lay out goals, give times and locations of rallies with business-like precision, and offer spirited encouragement. “Today will be one more important day in the fight for our freedom. Tectonic shifts are happening on all

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Apple Is 1st US Company to Be Valued at $2 Trillion
08/19/2020 iLines,iNews,iTechnology iMaster

Apple is the first U.S. company to boast a market value of $2 trillion, just two years after it became the first to reach $1 trillion.   Apple shares have gained nearly 60% this year as the company overcame the shutdown of factories in China that produce the iPhone and the closure of its retail

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USAGM Funds Two Internet Freedom Projects
08/19/2020 iLines,iNews,iTechnology iMaster

The U.S. Agency for Global Media announced Tuesday that it is moving forward with funding two internet firewall circumvention projects despite an ongoing legal battle over the agency’s broader internet freedom strategy. The awardees — Psiphon and ACI — write software that help people gain access to websites and information blocked by their governments.  “Our agency

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US Tightening Restrictions on Huawei Access to Technology, Chips
08/17/2020 iLines,iNews,iTechnology iMaster

The Trump administration announced on Monday it will further tighten restrictions on Huawei Technologies Co, aimed at cracking down on its access to commercially available chips. The U.S. Commerce Department actions, first reported by Reuters, will expand restrictions announced in May aimed at preventing the Chinese telecommunications giant from obtaining semiconductors without a special license

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Google Pushes Back Against Proposed Australian Law Over News Content 
08/17/2020 iLines,iNews,iTechnology iMaster

Google is warning that Australians’ personal information could be “at risk” if the digital giant has to pay for news content. A proposed law would require firms like Google and Facebook to pay Australian news organizations for the content that appears on their websites. The law was drafted last month after months of negotiations between the

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German Watchdog Launches Amazon Investigation: Report
08/16/2020 iLines,iNews,iTechnology iMaster

Germany’s antitrust authority has launched an investigation into Amazon’s relationship with third-party traders selling on its site, its head was quoted as saying Sunday.”We are currently investigating whether and how Amazon influences how traders set prices on the market-place,” Andreas Mundt, president of the Federal Cartel Office, told the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung daily.Germany is Amazon’s

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Facebook Beefs Up Anti-Misinfo Efforts Ahead of US Election
08/13/2020 iLines,iNews,iTechnology iMaster

Beginning Thursday, U.S. Facebook users who post about voting may start seeing an addendum to their messages — labels directing readers to authoritative information about the upcoming presidential election. It’s the social network’s latest step to to combat election-related misinformation on its platform as the Nov. 3 election nears — one in which many voters

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US, Slovenia to Sign 5G Joint Declaration
08/13/2020 iLines,iNews,iTechnology iMaster

U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo is meeting Thursday with leaders in Slovenia, where they are set to sign a joint declaration on 5G technology.Over the past year, European countries including Poland, Estonia and the Czech Republic have signed agreements with the United States pledging that 5G suppliers would not be subject to control by

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