Category: iNews

Category: iNews

With Twitter’s Human Rights Team Gone, Some Experts Say Users’ Safety Jeopardized
11/17/2022 iNews,iTechnology iMaster

With Twitter’s human rights team eliminated, legal experts voice alarm about what it could mean for users around the world. Tina Trinh reports. Camera: Daniel Brody. …

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FBI Says It has ‘National Security Concerns’ About TikTok
11/16/2022 iNews,iTechnology iMaster

FBI Director Christopher Wray said on Tuesday that the bureau has “national security concerns” about popular short-form video hosting app TikTok as the Chinese-owned company seeks U.S. government approval to continue operating in the country. Speaking during a U.S. House of Representatives Homeland Security Committee hearing on “worldwide threats to the homeland,” Wray said the

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EXPLAINER: Nasa’s New Mega Moon Rocket, Orion Crew Capsule
11/16/2022 iNews,iTechnology iMaster

NASA is kicking off its new moon program with a test flight of a brand-new rocket and capsule. Liftoff was slated for early Wednesday from Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The test flight aims to send an empty crew capsule into a far-flung lunar orbit, 50 years after NASA’s famed Apollo moonshots. The project is

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40 States Settle Google Location-tracking Charges for $392 Million
11/14/2022 iNews,iTechnology iMaster

Search giant Google has agreed to a $391.5 million settlement with 40 states to resolve an investigation into how the company tracked users’ locations, state attorneys general announced Monday.  The states’ investigation was sparked by a 2018 Associated Press story, which found that Google continued to track people’s location data even after they opted out

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Musk Touches on Twitter Criticism, Workload at G20 Forum
11/14/2022 iNews,iTechnology iMaster

It’s not easy being Elon Musk. That was the message the new Twitter owner and billionaire head of Tesla and SpaceX had for younger people who might seek to emulate his entrepreneurial success. “Be careful what you wish for,” Musk told a business forum in Bali on Monday when asked what an up-and-coming “Elon Musk

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Musk’s Latest Twitter Cuts: Outsourced Content Moderators
11/14/2022 iNews,iTechnology iMaster

Twitter’s new owner Elon Musk is further gutting the teams that battle misinformation on the social media platform as outsourced moderators learned over the weekend they were out of a job. Twitter and other big social media firms have relied heavily on contractors to track hate and enforce rules against harmful content. But many of

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Researchers Identify More Potential Hydro Energy Storage Sites 
11/13/2022 iNews,iTechnology iMaster

Australian researchers have identified 1,500 additional locations across the country that could be used as pumped storage hydropower facilities. They have said it should reduce Australia’s reliance on fossil fuels. Academics at the Australian National University have said pumped storage hydropower is a “low-cost, mass storage option” that could help Australia reach its emissions reduction

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Musk Halts Twitter’s Blue Check Fee Program Amid Flood of Impostors
11/12/2022 iNews,iTechnology iMaster

Twitter paused its recently announced $8 blue check subscription service Friday as fake accounts mushroomed and new owner Elon Musk brought back the “official” badge to some users of the social media platform. The coveted blue check mark was previously reserved for verified accounts of politicians, famous personalities, journalists and other public figures. But a

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Crypto Firm FTX Files for Bankruptcy, Bankman-Fried Exits
11/11/2022 iNews,iTechnology iMaster

Crypto exchange FTX filed for U.S. bankruptcy proceedings on Friday and founder Sam Bankman-Fried stepped down as CEO, in a stunning downfall that has sent shock waves through markets and drawn calls for better regulation of the digital industry. The distressed crypto trading platform had been struggling to raise billions in funds to stave off

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Meta Layoffs Deepen Silicon Valley’s Jobs Losses
11/10/2022 iNews,iTechnology iMaster

The widespread retrenchment in the U.S. technology industry has thrown thousands of workers in Silicon Valley out of work, a trend greatly amplified on Wednesday by Meta Platforms, the parent company of Facebook, which announced it would eliminate 13% of its workforce, amounting to more than 11,000 jobs. The announcement followed on the heels of

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As Midterm Elections Near, Twitter Turmoil Raises Misinformation Concerns
11/08/2022 iNews,iTechnology iMaster

Tech billionaire Elon Musk’s takeover of Twitter comes as the U.S. holds midterm elections this week, with observers warning that online misinformation about the credibility of the electoral process can have real-world effects. Is Twitter, under Musk, ready? Tina Trinh reports. Michelle Quinn contributed. …

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Facebook Parent Company Meta Reportedly Planning Large-scale Layoffs
11/07/2022 iNews,iTechnology iMaster

Facebook parent company Meta is preparing to begin large-scale layoffs this week, according to U.S. media reports.  The layoffs, which were first reported by The Wall Street Journal, are expected to affect thousands of employees and would be the company’s first job cuts of this scale in its 18-year history.  The job cuts are expected

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Facebook Parent Meta Is Preparing Large-scale Layoffs This Week, Say Media
11/07/2022 iNews,iTechnology iMaster

Meta Platforms Inc. is planning to begin large-scale layoffs this week that will affect thousands of employees, The Wall Street Journal reported on Sunday, citing people familiar with the matter, with an announcement planned as early as Wednesday. Meta declined to comment on the WSJ report. Facebook parent Meta in October forecasted a weak holiday

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South Korea’s DRX Crowned League of Legends World Champions
11/06/2022 iNews,iTechnology iMaster

South Korean team DRX were crowned League of Legends world champions on Saturday after scoring a surprise 3-2 victory over compatriots T1 in a thrilling final of the eSports tournament in San Francisco. T1, the most successful team in eSports history, started as favorites and took the lead in the first round of the competition.

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UN Urges Musk to Ensure Twitter Respects Human Rights
11/06/2022 iNews,iTechnology iMaster

U.N. rights chief Volker Turk on Saturday urged Twitter’s new owner, Elon Musk, to make respect for human rights central to the social network after he sacked around half the company’s employees. Reports of Musk laying off the platform’s entire human rights team were “not, from my perspective, an encouraging start,” Turk said in an

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Twitter Offers $7.99 Monthly Subscription That Includes Checkmark
11/06/2022 iNews,iTechnology iMaster

Twitter on Saturday launched a subscription service for $7.99 a month that includes a blue check now given only to verified accounts as new owner Elon Musk overhauls the platform’s verification system just ahead of the U.S. midterm elections. In an update to Apple iOS devices, Twitter said users who “sign up now” can receive

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Widespread Twitter Layoffs Begin, Worry Advertisers, Civic Groups
11/05/2022 iNews,iTechnology iMaster

Twitter began widespread layoffs Friday as new owner Elon Musk overhauls the company, raising grave concerns about chaos enveloping the platform and its ability to fight disinformation just days ahead of the U.S. midterm elections. The speed and size of the cuts also opened Musk and Twitter to lawsuits. At least one was filed Thursday

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Twitter Temporarily Closes Offices as Layoffs Begin
11/04/2022 iNews,iTechnology iMaster

Twitter Inc temporarily closed its offices on Friday after telling employees they would be informed by email later in the day about whether they are being laid off. The move follows a week of uncertainty about the company’s future under new owner Elon Musk. The social media company said in an email to staff it

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UN: Agricultural Automation Can Boost Global Food Production
11/02/2022 iNews,iTechnology iMaster

A new U.N. report finds agricultural automation can boost global food production and be a boon for small-scale farmers in developing countries. The U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization, FAO, has just released The State of Food and Agriculture 2022 report. The report’s authors said automation is rapidly changing the face of agriculture. New technologies, they

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LogOn: Experts Worry Digital Footprints Will Incriminate US Patients Seeking Abortions
11/01/2022 iNews,iTechnology iMaster

The U.S. Supreme Court’s overturning of protections for abortion rights has intensified scrutiny of the personal data that technology firms collect. For women who live in states where most abortions are now illegal, their smartphones and devices could be used against them. Tina Trinh reports. Camera: Saqib Ul Islam, Greg Flakus …

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Observers: China’s Chip Talent Hurdle Worsens After Layoffs at US Firm Marvell
11/01/2022 iNews,iTechnology iMaster

Santa Clara, California-based chip producer Marvell Technology has confirmed that it is eliminating research and development staffs in China – the third U.S. chipmaker that has done so this year as the U.S.-China tech rivalry intensifies. Observers say this will hobble China’s chip ambitions and worsen its talent shortfall in the field of designing and

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Ag App Connects Small Farmers and Buyers
11/01/2022 iNews,iTechnology iMaster

Small farmers produce about one-third of the world’s food. Yet they lack global visibility and face many obstacles getting their crops to larger markets.  A new app is helping to change that for some farmers in Africa. VOA’s Julie Taboh has more. Camera, production: Adam Greenbaum …

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