Author: iMaster

Author: iMaster

‘Devious Licks’ Videos of Damage, Thefts Bedevil US Schools 
09/18/2021 iNews,iTechnology iMaster

Kids across the U.S. are posting TikTok videos of themselves vandalizing school bathrooms and stealing soap dispensers and even turf from football fields, bedeviling school administrators seeking to contain the viral internet trend.  The “devious licks” challenge that swept social media this week is plaguing principals and school district administrators who already must navigate a

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Navalny App Gone from Google, Apple Stores on Russia Vote Day
09/17/2021 iNews,iTechnology iMaster

Jailed Kremlin critic Alexey Navalny’s Smart Voting app disappeared from Apple and Google stores Friday as Russians began voting in a three-day parliamentary election marked by a historic crackdown on the opposition. “Removing the Navalny app from stores is a shameful act of political censorship,” top Navalny ally Ivan Zhdanov said on Twitter. The app promoted an

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China Gets Serious About Cracking Down on Youth Online Gaming
09/17/2021 iNews,iTechnology iMaster

With China’s new restrictions on minors playing online games, the global gaming industry wonders what’s next. Michelle Quinn reports. …

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Clive Sinclair, Computing Pioneer, Dies at 81
09/17/2021 iNews,iTechnology iMaster

Sir Clive Sinclair, the British inventor who pioneered the pocket calculator and affordable home computers, died Thursday at age 81. He died at his home in London a decade after being diagnosed with cancer, U.K. media said, prompting tributes from many who fondly recalled their first experience of computing in the early 1980s. He was

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UN Rights Chief Calls for Moratorium on Artificial Intelligence Systems
09/15/2021 iNews,iTechnology iMaster

The U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights, Michelle Bachelet, is calling for a moratorium on the sale and use of artificial intelligence systems, which she says pose a serious risk to human rights. The High Commissioner’s report, which will be submitted to the U.N. human rights council, provides an analysis of how advances in digital technologies

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US Accuses Russia of Stonewalling on Cybercrime
09/15/2021 iNews,iTechnology iMaster

U.S. warnings to Russian President Vladimir Putin over shielding cybercriminals holed up in Russia appear to have made little impact, according to top U.S. law enforcement and cyber officials. “There is no indication that the Russian government has taken action to crack down on ransomware actors that are operating in the permissive environment that they’ve created

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Apple Plugs ‘No-Click’ Phone Hack Attributed to Pegasus Spyware
09/14/2021 iNews,iTechnology iMaster

Apple released a critical software patch to fix a security vulnerability that researchers said could allow hackers to directly infect iPhones and other Apple devices without any user action.   Researchers at the University of Toronto’s Citizen Lab said the security issue was exploited to plant spyware on a Saudi activist’s iPhone. They said they

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Hospitals Turn to Robots to Free Up More Time for Patients
09/14/2021 iNews,iTechnology iMaster

A robot called Moxi is helping nurses and hospital staff focus more on patients by taking care of menial tasks. The VOA’s Deana Mitchell has the story.    …

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First Private All-Civilian Orbital Spaceflight Set for Wednesday 
09/14/2021 iNews,iTechnology iMaster

Four people are set to become the world’s first all-civilian crew to fly into Earth orbit when they blast off from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center Wednesday as space tourism takes its biggest leap yet.  Weather conditions are 70% favorable for Wednesday night’s scheduled launch of Americans Jared Isaacman, Hayley Arceneaux, Chris Sembroski and Sian Proctor from

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Cyber Arms Dealer Exploits New iPhone Software Vulnerability, Watchdog Says
09/13/2021 iNews,iTechnology iMaster

A cyber surveillance company based in Israel developed a tool to break into Apple iPhones with a never-before-seen technique that has been in use since February, internet security watchdog group Citizen Lab said Monday. The discovery is important because of the critical nature of the vulnerability, which requires no user interaction and affects all versions of

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SpaceX to Launch Private, All-civilian Crew into Earth Orbit
09/13/2021 iNews,iTechnology iMaster

SpaceX is set to launch four people into space Wednesday on a three-day mission that is the first to orbit the Earth with exclusively private citizens on board, as Elon Musk’s company enters the space tourism fray.    The “Inspiration4” mission caps a summer that saw billionaires Richard Branson and Jeff Bezos cross the final frontier, on

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Apple Must Loosen App Store Grip, Judge Says; What’s the Impact? 
09/11/2021 iNews,iTechnology iMaster

Apple will be forced to loosen the grip it holds on its App Store payment system, a U.S. federal judge ruled Friday in a closely watched battle with Fortnite maker Epic Games.Though app makers will be able to take steps to skirt the up to 30% commission Apple takes on sales, the tech giant avoided

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Qatar Awards Scholarship to Afghan Girls’ Robotics Team
09/08/2021 iNews,iTechnology iMaster

Qatar has granted academic scholarships to members of a girls’ robotics team from Afghanistan dubbed the “Afghan Dreamers,” the Persian Gulf nation’s education and science foundation said on Tuesday.   Qatar has been instrumental in efforts to evacuate at-risk Afghans and foreigners from Kabul airport, including members of the team who are being housed in Doha’s Education

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Moving Fingers, Rotating Wrists: Advances in Prosthetics Improve US Veterans’ Lives
09/03/2021 iNews,iTechnology iMaster

Technological advances in prosthetics have vastly improved the lives of many U.S. veterans and service members over the past 20 years. VOA’s Julie Taboh has more. …

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Ireland Fines WhatsApp for Breaching EU Privacy Laws
09/02/2021 iNews,iTechnology iMaster

Ireland on Thursday slapped Facebook’s WhatsApp messaging service with a record fine for breaching EU data privacy laws after European regulators demanded the penalty be increased.Ireland’s Data Protection Commission was entrusted with the case because Facebook’s European headquarters are situated in the country.”And following this reassessment the DPC has imposed a fine of 225 million

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Some Nigerian-based Experts Warn of China’s Growing Influence in African Technology
09/02/2021 iNews,iTechnology iMaster

Chinese telecommunications giant Huawei says it wants to train up to 3 million African youths to work with cutting-edge digital technology such as artificial intelligence. Already, Nigerian students who took part in a Huawei-sponsored information and communications technology (ICT) competition say the benefits, including possible job placements with the company, are enormous. But experts warn there could be potential

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Facebook Invests in New Partnerships With Argentine Press
09/02/2021 iNews,iTechnology iMaster

Social media giant Facebook will invest $1.5 million in Argentine media to train journalists and promote online development, a first in Latin America.The agreement signed last week with almost 150 media outlets will allow 3,000 journalists to be trained, while also helping Facebook develop commercial agreements.It’s part of the Facebook Journalism Project that involves collaboration

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South Korea Bans Google, Apple Payment Monopolies
09/01/2021 iNews,iTechnology iMaster

South Korea’s National Assembly approved legislation on Tuesday that bans app store operators such as Google and Apple from forcing developers to use their in-app payment systems. South Korea is reportedly the first country in the world to pass such a bill, which becomes law when it is signed by the president, whose party has backed

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Spacex Launches Ants, Avocados, Robot to Space Station
08/29/2021 iNews,iTechnology iMaster

A SpaceX shipment of ants, avocados and a human-sized robotic arm rocketed toward the International Space Station on Sunday.The delivery — due to arrive Monday — is the company’s 23rd for NASA in just under a decade.A recycled Falcon rocket blasted into the predawn sky from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center. After hoisting the Dragon capsule,

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Airport Security Goes High-tech as US Nears 20 Years Since 9/11
08/27/2021 iNews,iTechnology iMaster

As the 20th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks approaches, VOA’s Julie Taboh looks at some of the technology that works to keep U.S. airports and air travel safe.  Lesia Bakalets contributed to this story. …

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Apple CEO Brings Home $750 Million Bonus
08/27/2021 iNews,iTechnology iMaster

It pays to be the leader of Apple.The company’s CEO, Tim Cook, was recently given a bonus of $750 million worth of Apple stock, marking his 10th anniversary as CEO.The bonus was revealed Thursday in a regulatory filing.He promptly cashed out the 5 million shares, which were given based on both performance and time with

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Tech Companies Pledge Billions in Cybersecurity Investments
08/26/2021 iNews,iTechnology iMaster

Some of the country’s leading technology companies have committed to investing billions of dollars to strengthen cybersecurity defenses and to train skilled workers, the White House announced Wednesday following President Joe Biden’s private meeting with top executives. The Washington gathering was held during a relentless stretch of ransomware attacks that have targeted critical infrastructure and major

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