Author: iMaster

Author: iMaster

TikTok Updates Rules; CEO on Charm Offensive for US Hearing
03/21/2023 iNews,iTechnology iMaster

TikTok went on a counteroffensive Tuesday amid increasing Western pressure over cybersecurity and misinformation concerns, rolling out updated rules and standards for content as its CEO warned against a possible U.S. ban on the Chinese-owned video-sharing app.  CEO Shou Zi Chew is scheduled to appear Thursday before U.S. congressional lawmakers, who will grill him about

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Amazon Cuts 9,000 More Jobs, Bringing 2023 Total to 27,000
03/20/2023 iNews,iTechnology iMaster

Amazon plans to eliminate 9,000 more jobs in the next few weeks, CEO Andy Jassy said in a memo to staff Monday.  The job cuts would mark the second largest round of layoffs in the company’s history, adding to the 18,000 employees the tech giant said it would lay off in January. The company’s workforce

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Starlink Brought Internet to Brazil’s Amazon. Criminals Love It.
03/19/2023 iNews,iTechnology iMaster

Brazilian federal agents aboard three helicopters descended on an illegal mining site on Tuesday in the Amazon rainforest. They were met with gunfire, and the shooters escaped, leaving behind an increasingly familiar find for authorities: Starlink internet units. Starlink, a division of Elon Musk’s SpaceX, has almost 4,000 low-orbit satellites across the skies, connecting people

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US Experts Urge More Efforts to Thwart China’s Acquisition of US Military Technology 
03/17/2023 iNews,iTechnology iMaster

U.S. former officials and experts are urging greater efforts to thwart Chinese espionage, which many believe has enabled Beijing to develop a range of advanced weaponry on the back of stolen American technology. James Anderson, a former acting undersecretary of defense for policy, said China stole U.S. military technology for developing its J-20 fighter jet

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Nations Crack Down on TikTok
03/17/2023 iNews,iTechnology iMaster

The Biden administration has demanded that TikTok’s Chinese owners divest their stakes in the popular video app or face a possible U.S. ban, the company told Reuters this week. The move follows the introduction of a new U.S. legislation that would allow the White House to ban TikTok or other foreign-based technologies if they pose

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New Zealand to Ban TikTok on Devices Linked to Parliament
03/17/2023 iNews,iTechnology iMaster

New Zealand said on Friday it would ban TikTok on devices with access to the country’s parliamentary network due to cybersecurity concerns, becoming the latest nation to limit the use of the video-sharing app on government-related devices. Concerns have mounted globally about the potential for the Chinese government to access users’ location and contact data

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White House Voices Support for Bipartisan Push to Ban TikTok
03/17/2023 iNews,iTechnology iMaster

Time may be running out in the U.S. for Chinese-owned entertainment platform TikTok, with the White House on Thursday supporting proposed legislation that would effectively ban the app over concerns about the safety of the data of the 100 million Americans who use the trendy video platform. “The bottom line is that when it comes

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TikTok CEO to Testify Before US Congress
03/16/2023 iNews,iTechnology iMaster

TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew is scheduled to testify before the U.S. House Committee on Energy and Commerce on March 23. Lawmakers have questions about the app’s connections to China. For VOA, Deana Mitchell reports. …

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UK Bans TikTok on Government Phones Over Security Concerns
03/16/2023 iNews,iTechnology iMaster

Britain said on Thursday it would ban TikTok on government phones with immediate effect, a move that follows other Western countries in barring the Chinese-owned video app over security concerns. TikTok has come under increasing scrutiny due to fears that user data from the app owned by Beijing-based company ByteDance could end up in the

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Microsoft Unveils AI for Its Office Suite in Increased Competition With Google
03/16/2023 iNews,iTechnology iMaster

Microsoft on Thursday trumpeted its latest plans to put artificial intelligence into the hands of more users, answering a spate of unveilings this week by its rival Google with upgrades to its own widely used office software. The company previewed a new AI “copilot” for Microsoft 365, its product suite that includes Word documents, Excel

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TikTok Confirms US Urged Parting Ways With ByteDance to Dodge Ban
03/16/2023 iNews,iTechnology iMaster

TikTok confirmed Wednesday that U.S. officials have recommended the popular video-sharing app part ways with its Chinese parent ByteDance to avoid a national ban. Western powers, including the European Union and the United States, have been taking an increasingly tough approach to the app, citing fears that user data could be used or abused by

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Future NASA Moonwalkers to Sport Sleeker Spacesuits
03/16/2023 iNews,iTechnology iMaster

Moonwalking astronauts will have sleeker, more flexible spacesuits that come in different sizes when they step onto the lunar surface later this decade.  Exactly what that looks like remained under wraps. The company designing the next-generation spacesuits, Axiom Space, said Wednesday that it plans to have new versions for training purposes for NASA later this

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China’s Digital Silk Road, Advancing Technology’s Reach
03/15/2023 iNews,iTechnology iMaster

From 5G infrastructure to mobile phones and more, Chinese technologies are used in many parts of the world. It’s part of China’s Digital Silk Road initiative, which is getting mixed reviews: welcomed by some countries, while others are assessing the potential risks of Chinese technology. VOA’s Elizabeth Lee explains. Camera: Henry Ridgwell, Adam Greenbaum …

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Facebook-Parent Meta to Lay Off 10,000 Employees in Second Round of Job Cuts 
03/14/2023 iNews,iTechnology iMaster

Facebook-parent Meta Platforms said on Tuesday it would cut 10,000 jobs, just four months after it let go 11,000 employees, the first Big Tech company to announce a second round of mass layoffs.  “We expect to reduce our team size by around 10,000 people and to close around 5,000 additional open roles that we haven’t

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Silicon Valley Bank’s Demise Disrupts the Disruptors in Tech
03/14/2023 iNews,iTechnology iMaster

Silicon Valley Bank’s collapse rattled the technology industry that had been the bank’s backbone, leaving shell-shocked entrepreneurs thankful for the government reprieve that saved their money while they mourned the loss of a place that served as a chummy club of innovation. “They were the gold standard, it almost seemed weird if you were in

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Boeing Employee From Burundi Named Leading Black Engineer
03/13/2023 iNews,iTechnology iMaster

Boeing structural analysis engineer George Ndayizeye, who grew up in Burundi, has won a 2023 Black Engineer of the Year Legacy Award. He spoke with VOA’s Natasha Mozgovaya outside Seattle. …

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US Semiconductor Manufacturing Expected to Ramp Up With New Deal
03/10/2023 iNews,iTechnology iMaster

A global shortage of semiconductor chips in the automotive industry starting in 2020 has motivated many countries to increase their domestic manufacturing. The United States has allocated more than $50 billion to promote semiconductor production and research stateside as the global need for the chips is expected to double over the next decade. Keith Kocinski

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China Criticizes Dutch Plan to Curb Access to Chip Tools 
03/09/2023 iNews,iTechnology iMaster

China’s government on Thursday criticized the Netherlands for joining Washington in blocking Chinese access to technology to manufacture advanced processor chips on security and human rights grounds. A Dutch minister told lawmakers Wednesday that exports of equipment that uses ultraviolet light to etch circuits on chips would be restricted on security grounds. ASML of the

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Netherlands Responds to US China Policy With Plan to Curb Semiconductor Tech Exports
03/08/2023 iNews,iTechnology iMaster

The Netherlands’ government on Wednesday said it planned new restrictions on exports of semiconductor technology to protect national security, joining the United States’ effort to curb chip exports to China.  The U.S. in October imposed sweeping export restrictions on shipments of American chipmaking tools to China, but for the restrictions to be effective, they need

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Are Americans Ready for More Drone Deliveries?
03/08/2023 iNews,iTechnology iMaster

Drones are routinely used in warfare, law enforcement and agriculture. Now more and more U.S. businesses are using them to deliver cookies and coffee right to your front door. VOA’s Julie Taboh has more. Camera: Adam Greenbaum, Chad Baugh  …

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Key US Intelligence Official Casts Shade on TikTok, Chinese Tech
03/08/2023 iNews,iTechnology iMaster

Add a top U.S. intelligence official to the list of Americans expressing concern about Chinese-made technology and Chinese social media platforms like TikTok.  General Paul Nakasone, who heads both the U.S. Cyber Command and the National Security Agency, told lawmakers Tuesday there are multiple reasons to be wary of China’s rapid expansion in cyberspace, calling

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US NSA Director Concerned by TikTok Data Collection, Use in Influence Operations
03/07/2023 iNews,iTechnology iMaster

U.S. National Security Agency director Paul Nakasone on Tuesday expressed concern about Chinese-owned video app TikTok’s data collection and potential to facilitate broad influence operations. In response to a lawmaker’s question about any concerns he has on the influence of TikTok on American children, Nakasone told a Senate hearing, “TikTok concerns me for a number

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