Author: iMaster

Author: iMaster

Microsoft Faces Anti-Competition Complaint in Europe
03/20/2022 iNews,iTechnology iMaster

Three companies have lodged a complaint with the European Commission against Microsoft, accusing the U.S. technology giant of anti-competitive practices in its cloud services, sources told AFP on Saturday, confirming media reports. Microsoft is “undermining fair competition and limiting the choice of consumers” in the computing cloud services market, said one of the three, French

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Visual Explainer: Russian Disinformation 
03/17/2022 iNews,iTechnology iMaster

Before Russia invaded Ukraine, the groundwork had already begun — online. Russian disinformation is a key part of what many are calling a hybrid war.  VOA’s Tina Trinh explains. …

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Facebook Owner to Help Train Australian Politicians, Influencers in Run-up to Election
03/15/2022 iNews,iTechnology iMaster

Facebook owner Meta Platforms FB.O will help train Australian political candidates on aspects of cyber security and coach influencers to stop the spread of misinformation in a bid to boost the integrity of an upcoming election, it said on Tuesday. Australia has not yet set a date for its next election, which is due by

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Corporations and Big Tech Find Ways to Help Ukraine 
03/13/2022 iNews,iTechnology iMaster

For many Ukrainians, staying online has been daunting as Russia attacks telecoms and power supplies, but some people, like Oleg Kutkov, a software and communications engineer, are testing out a new way to stay connected. In a FaceTime interview with VOA Mandarin from Kyiv, Kutkov held up the components of the two-part terminal needed to

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Everyday Things Created by Black Inventors
03/13/2022 iNews,iTechnology iMaster

From the three-light traffic signal, refrigerated trucks, automatic elevator doors, color monitors for desktop computers, to the shape of the modern ironing board, the clothes wringer, blood banks, laser treatment for cataracts, home security systems and the super-soaker children’s toy, many objects and services Americans use every day were invented by Black men and women.

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Deportation Agents Use Smartphone App to Monitor Immigrants
03/13/2022 iNews,iTechnology iMaster

U.S. authorities have broadly expanded the use of a smartphone app during the coronavirus pandemic to ensure immigrants released from detention will attend deportation hearings, a requirement that advocates say violates their privacy and makes them feel they’re not free. More than 125,000 people — many of them stopped at the U.S.-Mexico border — are

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Facebook Eases Rules, Allows Violent Speech Against ‘Russian Invaders’
03/11/2022 iNews,iTechnology iMaster

Facebook said Thursday that because of the invasion of Ukraine, it has temporarily eased its rules regarding violent speech. Moscow’s internationally condemned invasion of its neighbor has provoked unprecedented sanctions from Western governments and businesses, but also a surge of online anger. “As a result of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, we have temporarily made

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Twitter Offers Darkweb Site to Restore Access for Russian Users
03/10/2022 iNews,iTechnology iMaster

Twitter says it has created a version of its microblogging service that can be used by Russians despite the regular version of the service being restricted in the country. The service will be available via a special “onion” URL on the darkweb that is accessible only when using a Tor browser. Onion URLs and Tor

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Ukrainian Charged in Ransomware Spree Is Extradited to US
03/10/2022 iNews,iTechnology iMaster

A Ukrainian man charged last year with conducting one of the most severe ransomware attacks against U.S. targets has been extradited to the United States and made a court appearance Wednesday, the U.S. Justice Department said. According to an August 2021 indictment, Yaroslav Vasinskyi accessed the internal computer networks of several victim companies and deployed

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US House Lawmakers Urge Department of Justice to Investigate Amazon
03/09/2022 iNews,iTechnology iMaster

A bipartisan group of lawmakers has written a letter asking the Department of Justice to determine whether online retailer Amazon engaged in obstruction of Congress during an investigation of the company’s competitive practices.  The letter said the company had “engaged in a pattern and practice of misleading conduct” that suggested it had sought to influence

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Tech Firms Move Fast, Create Restrictions Within Ukraine-Russia Conflict
03/05/2022 iNews,iTechnology iMaster

The Russian war on Ukraine is also happening online, as people share images from around Ukraine. Caught in the middle are U.S. technology firms, which have taken steps to curtail Russian propaganda and make changes for Ukrainians’ safety. But it’s a fine line to walk as VOA’s Michelle Quinn reports.     Produced by: Matt Dibble  

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Ukraine Digital Army Brews Cyberattacks, Intel and Infowar
03/05/2022 iNews,iTechnology iMaster

Formed in a fury to counter Russia’s blitzkrieg attack, Ukraine’s hundreds-strong volunteer “hacker” corps is much more than a paramilitary cyberattack force in Europe’s first major war of the internet age. It is crucial to information combat and to crowdsourcing intelligence. “We are really a swarm. A self-organizing swarm,” said Roman Zakharov, a 37-year-old IT

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To Fight Its War, Russia Closing Digital Doors
03/05/2022 iNews,iTechnology iMaster

Russia’s blocking of Facebook is a symptom of its broader effort to cut itself off from sources of information that could imperil its internationally condemned invasion of Ukraine, experts say. The often-criticized social network is part of a web of information sources that can challenge the Kremlin’s preferred perspective that its assault on Ukraine is

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Microsoft Suspends Sales, Services in Russia Over Ukraine Invasion
03/04/2022 iNews,iTechnology iMaster

Software giant Microsoft announced Friday that it is suspending “all new sales of Microsoft products and services in Russia” over that country’s invasion of Ukraine. “Like the rest of the world, we are horrified, angered and saddened by the images and news coming from the war in Ukraine and condemn this unjustified, unprovoked and unlawful

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Eight US States Investigate TikTok’s Impact on Children 
03/03/2022 iNews,iTechnology iMaster

A consortium of U.S. states announced on Wednesday a joint investigation into TikTok’s possible harm to young users of the platform, which has boomed in popularity, especially among children.  Officials across the United States have launched their own investigations and lawsuits against Big Tech giants as new national regulations have failed to pass, partly because

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Apple, Ford, Other Big US Brands Join Corporations Shunning Russia 
03/02/2022 iNews,iTechnology iMaster

Some of America’s best-known companies including Apple, Google, Ford, Harley-Davidson and Exxon Mobil rebuked and rejected Russia for its invasion of Ukraine, under steady pressure from investors and consumers decrying the violence.  Late Tuesday, Apple said it had stopped sales of iPhones and other products in Russia, adding that it was making changes to its

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Big Tech Grapples With Russian State Media, Propaganda
03/01/2022 iNews,iTechnology iMaster

As Russia’s war in Ukraine plays out for the world on social media, big tech platforms are moving to restrict Russian state media from using their platforms to spread propaganda and misinformation. Google announced Tuesday that it’s blocking the YouTube channels of those outlets in Europe “effective immediately” but acknowledged “it’ll take time for our

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Technology Helps Forecasters Predict Avalanche Dangers
03/01/2022 iNews,iTechnology iMaster

Avalanche forecasters use a slew of technology to predict avalanche risk and help lovers of backcountry winter sports to be prepared. From Boulder Colorado, Shelley Schlender reports. Video editors – Shelley Schlender, Luis Da Costa. …

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Twitter to Reduce Visibility of Russian State Media Content 
02/28/2022 iNews,iTechnology iMaster

Twitter announced Monday that it will start labeling and making it harder for users to see tweets about the invasion of Ukraine that contain information from Russian state media outlets like RT and Sputnik. “For years we’ve provided more context about state-affiliated media while not accepting ad $ or amplifying accounts,” Twitter said in a

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YouTube Blocks RT, Other Russian Channels From Earning Ad Dollars
02/27/2022 iNews,iTechnology iMaster

YouTube on Saturday barred Russian state-owned media outlet RT and other Russian channels from receiving money for advertisements that run with their videos, similar to a move by Facebook, after the invasion of Ukraine. Citing “extraordinary circumstances,” YouTube said in a statement that it was “pausing a number of channels’ ability to monetize on YouTube,

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US Announces Steps to Bolster Critical Mineral Supply Chain US China Materials
02/23/2022 iNews,iTechnology iMaster

The Biden administration announced on Tuesday actions taken by the federal government and private industry that it says will bolster the supply chain of rare earths and other critical minerals used in technologies from household appliances and electronics to defense systems. They say these steps will reduce the nation’s dependence on China, a major producer

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Tesla Faces Another US Investigation: Unexpected Braking
02/22/2022 iNews,iTechnology iMaster

U.S. auto safety regulators have launched another investigation of Tesla, this time tied to complaints that its cars can come to a stop for no apparent reason.   The government says it has 354 complaints from owners during the past nine months about “phantom braking” in Tesla Models 3 and Y. The probe covers an

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