Month: March 2021

Month: March 2021

Microsoft Wins $22 Billion Deal Making Headsets for US Army
03/31/2021 iNews,iTechnology iMaster

Microsoft won a nearly $22 billion contract to supply U.S. Army combat troops with its augmented reality headsets.     Microsoft and the Army separately announced the deal Wednesday.   The technology is based on Microsoft’s HoloLens headsets, which were originally intended for the video game and entertainment industries.   Pentagon officials have described the

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US Lawmakers Press Big Tech for Internal Research on Kids’ Mental Health
03/30/2021 iNews,iTechnology iMaster

Four Republican U.S. lawmakers requested on Tuesday that Facebook Inc., Twitter, and Alphabet Inc.’s Google turn over any studies they have done on how their services affect children’s mental health.The request follows a joint hearing last week of two House Energy and Commerce subcommittees at which the companies’ chief executives discussed their content moderation practices

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SpaceX’s SN11 Rocket Prototype Explodes Upon Landing
03/30/2021 iNews,iTechnology iMaster

Elon Musk’s SpaceX suffered another setback Tuesday when one of its experimental rockets malfunctioned during a test flight at the company’s Texas facility.   The incident occurred as the Starship SN11 prototype was attempting to land after what the company called a normal ascent to roughly 12 kilometers in altitude.   Heavy fog obscured observers

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A ‘Soft’ Robot Dropped by Drone Helps First Responders
03/30/2021 iNews,iTechnology iMaster

A robot conceived to roll on planets is being used by firefighters in the U.S. to give them “situational awareness” before going into dangerous situations. It’s called Squishy, and Michelle Quinn found out more.Camera: Michelle Quinn Producer: Michelle Quinn   …

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Facebook, Google Announce Plans for Undersea Cables Joining Asia, North America
03/29/2021 iNews,iTechnology iMaster

After canceling plans for undersea cables connecting the United States with Hong Kong because of U.S. government pressure, Facebook and Google now say they will run similar cables to Singapore and Indonesia.   “Named Echo and Bifrost, those will be the first two cables to go through a new diverse route crossing the Java Sea,

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Tech Faces a Year of Scrutiny and Change
03/27/2021 iNews,iTechnology iMaster

Facebook hired fact-checkers, Twitter labeled tweets and Google took down videos, but for tech companies, disinformation is the problem that won’t go away. The social media giants face intensifying pressure to curtail disinformation as lawmakers in the US talk about new regulations. Tina Trinh reports. Producer: Matt Dibble …

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Facebook Finds Chinese Hacking Operation Targeting Uyghurs
03/25/2021 iNews,iTechnology iMaster

Hackers in China used fake Facebook accounts and impostor websites to try to break into the computers and smartphones of Uyghur Muslims, the social network said Wednesday.The company said the sophisticated covert operation targeted Uyghur activists, journalists and dissidents from China’s Xinjiang region, as well as individuals living in Turkey, Kazakhstan, the U.S., Syria, Australia,

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Years-Long US Pressure Campaign Chokes Huawei’s Growth
03/24/2021 iNews,iTechnology iMaster

When Joe Biden took office as president, the Chinese telecommunications firm Huawei Technologies saw at least a glimmer of hope that the U.S.-led campaign to shut it out of international markets might be eased somewhat. Once a global leader in smartphone sales, Huawei has seen its market share outside China plummet since the Trump administration began

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Press Freedom Group Sues Facebook Over Misinformation, ‘Hate Speech’
03/23/2021 iNews,iTechnology iMaster

Press freedom advocate Reporters Without Borders (RSF) is suing Facebook in France, saying the social media platform spreads misinformation. The suit was filed Monday with the Paris public prosecutor.  “Reporters Without Borders accuses Facebook of ‘deceptive commercial practices’ on the grounds that the social media company’s promises to provide a ‘safe’ and ‘error-free’ online environment

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Extremist Groups Thrive on Facebook Despite Bans
03/23/2021 iNews,iTechnology iMaster

A new outside report found that Facebook has allowed groups — many tied to QAnon, boogaloo and militia movements — to glorify violence during the 2020 election and in the weeks leading up to the deadly riots on the U.S. Capitol in January. Avaaz, a nonprofit advocacy group that says it seeks to protect democracies

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Japan Car Makers Scramble to Assess Impact of Renesas Auto Chip-plant Fire
03/22/2021 iNews,iTechnology iMaster

Toyota, Nissan, Honda and other Japanese automakers scrambled on Monday to assess the production impact of a fire at a Renesas Electronics automotive chip plant that could aggravate a global semiconductor shortage. “We are gathering information and trying to see if this will affect us or not,” a Honda spokesperson said. Other car makers including Toyota and Nissan said they too were assessing the situation. The effect

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Biden to Nominate Former Sen. Nelson as NASA Chief
03/19/2021 iNews,iTechnology iMaster

U.S. President Joe Biden announced Friday he plans to nominate former U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson to lead the U.S. space agency, NASA.In a statement, the White House says as a member of the U.S. House of Representatives and a three-term senator from Florida, Nelson, a Democrat, chaired committees on space, science and transportation. They also

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Twitter Asks Users to Weigh in on Rules for World Leaders
03/19/2021 iNews,iTechnology iMaster

Twitter on Friday began a survey of global users about platform rules for world leaders while consulting human rights and academic specialists on its next policy steps.The announcement comes after Twitter joined other social networks banning then-president Donald Trump for his comments seen as inciting the violent attack on the US Capitol in January.The ban

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Twitter Turns 15, Confronts Growing Pains of Popularity
03/18/2021 iNews,iTechnology iMaster

Twitter celebrates its 15th anniversary this month (March 21). With 330 million users around the world, the company that once called itself the free speech wing of the free speech party has been forced to contend with abuses of its platform. Tina Trinh reports. …

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Twitter Turns 15 Confronting Growing Pains of Popularity
03/18/2021 iNews,iTechnology iMaster

Twitter celebrates its 15th anniversary this month (March 21). With 330 million users around the world, the company that once called itself the free speech wing of the free speech party has been forced to contend with abuses of its platform. Tina Trinh reports. …

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FBI: Surge in Internet Crime Cost Americans $4.2 Billion
03/18/2021 iNews,iTechnology iMaster

The FBI says it received a record number of complaints from the public last year about cybercrimes, including scams related to the COVID-19 pandemic, costing Americans a staggering $4.2 billion in losses.The FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center received 791,790 complaints in 2020, an increase of 69% over 2019 and the largest number since the center

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How a Little Chip is Contributing to Ocean Clean-up
03/16/2021 iNews,iTechnology iMaster

A growing number of companies are making products with the environment in mind. VOA’s Julie Taboh learned about an item finder made from ocean trash. Producer: Julie Taboh/Adam Greenbaum    …

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South by Southwest Goes Virtual with More International Visitors
03/16/2021 iNews,iTechnology iMaster

South by Southwest, the annual event in Austin, Texas, that brings together technology, music, politics and Hollywood, is happening digitally this year after being canceled last year due to COVID-19. Michelle Quinn reports.Producer: Matt Dibble   …

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Facebook Signs Deal to Pay Australia’s News Corp for Content
03/16/2021 iNews,iTechnology iMaster

Facebook has reached an agreement with Australia’s News Corp under a new law that makes social media giants pay domestic news outlets for their content.The terms of the multi-year deal were not disclosed in Tuesday’s announcement. The deal comes nearly one month after Australia’s parliament approved a law that would allow a government arbitrator to

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Semiconductor Chip Shortage Causes GM to Cut Fuel Management Module from Trucks
03/15/2021 iNews,iTechnology iMaster

U.S. automaker General Motors Corporation announced Monday it will build certain 2021 light-duty full-size pickup trucks without a fuel management module due to the global semiconductor chip shortage.In an email to the Reuters news agency, GM spokeswoman Michelle Malcho said the decision will lower the fuel economy slightly in those models effected by the decision,

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Facebook Scraps Trans-Pacific Cable
03/11/2021 iNews,iTechnology iMaster

Facebook has scrapped plans to connect California, Taiwan and Hong Kong via a 12,000 kilometer underwater cable, citing tensions between the U.S. and China. The social media giant told the Wall St. Journal, which broke the story, it was halting the project due to political pressure from the U.S. government, which noted potential national security

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Russia Clamps Down on Twitter
03/10/2021 iNews,iTechnology iMaster

Russia’s Internet regulatory body, Roskomnadzor, announced it had slowed down Twitter’s ability to function in Russia effective Wednesday — part of what authorities said was an initial penalty for the American social media platform’s failure to delete illegal content inside the country.According to a statement posted on Roskomnadzor’s website, 100 percent of mobile devices and

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