Category: iNews

Category: iNews

Original Apple Built by Jobs and Wozniak to be Auctioned 
11/09/2021 iNews,iTechnology iMaster

An original Apple computer, hand-built by company founders Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak 45 years ago, goes under the hammer in the United States on Tuesday.  The functioning Apple-1, the great, great grandfather of today’s sleek chrome-and-glass Macbooks, is expected to fetch up to $600,000 at an auction in California.  The so-called “Chaffey College” Apple-1,

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Costs, Literacy and Design: The Invisible Barriers to Tackling the Digital Divide
11/08/2021 iNews,iTechnology iMaster

Connecting everyone in the world to the web will not single-handedly bridge the digital divide, tech experts at the Web Summit said this week, citing other invisible barriers like high costs, low digital literacy and complicated user interfaces. The so-called “digital divide” refers to the gap between those who have access to computers and the

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Alleged Russian Hacks of Microsoft Service Providers Highlight Cybersecurity Deficiencies
11/06/2021 iNews,iTechnology iMaster

Cybersecurity experts say Microsoft’s recent disclosure that alleged Russian hackers successfully attacked several IT service providers this year is a sign that many U.S. IT companies have underinvested in security measures needed to protect themselves and their customers from intrusions. But a U.S.-based association of IT professionals says the industry’s efforts to combat foreign hacking

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Exodus of Foreign Internet Giants Strengthens China’s Homegrown Ecosystem
11/05/2021 iNews,iTechnology iMaster

China now depends almost entirely on its own online content providers, as the number of big foreign companies in the market, such as Yahoo and LinkedIn, keeps dwindling, giving the government a boost in controlling the internet, analysts say. On Monday the Silicon Valley internet service provider Yahoo closed all of its services in China,

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Manufacturing Moon Ships and NASA Warns of Climate Catastrophe
11/04/2021 iNews,iTechnology iMaster

An Earth-flight giant contributes to NASA’s upcoming moon missions. Plus, words from the next crew to visit the International Space Station and grim news from NASA about the future of food on Earth. VOA’s Arash Arabasadi brings us the Week in Space. …

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What Are the Facebook Papers?
11/04/2021 iNews,iTechnology iMaster

Social media behemoth Facebook is facing public and regulatory scrutiny after the disclosure of thousands of pages of internal documents by a whistleblower who used to work for the company. What are the Facebook papers? After compiling the documents while working as a Facebook product manager, Frances Haugen distributed them to a group of 17

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US Blacklists Four Foreign Companies for ‘Malicious Cyber Activities’
11/03/2021 iNews,iTechnology iMaster

The U.S. government has added four foreign technology companies to its restricted companies list, saying they “developed and supplied spyware to foreign governments” and that the spyware was used “to maliciously target government officials, journalists, businesspeople, activists, academics, and embassy workers.” The State Department accused the companies of “engaging in activities contrary to the national

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Facebook Shuts Down Facial Recognition Technology
11/02/2021 iNews,iTechnology iMaster

Facebook says it is shutting down its facial recognition system. Citing “growing societal concerns” about the technology that can automatically identify people in photos and videos, the company says it will continue to work on the technology to try to address issues.  “Regulators are still in the process of providing a clear set of rules

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Yahoo Halts Services in Mainland China
11/02/2021 iNews,iTechnology iMaster

Yahoo said it stopped providing services in mainland China because of what it described as a difficult operating environment. The U.S. web services provider said in a statement on its website the move took effect on November 1 “in recognition of the increasingly challenging business and legal environment.” November 1 is the date on which

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Taiwan Chip Giant to Expand to Japan
11/02/2021 iNews,iTechnology iMaster

Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC), one of the world’s largest chipmakers, has announced plans to build a new plant in Japan, a move experts say may help revive Japan’s declining chipmaking sector and bolster its economic security. The new plant is slated to begin operation in 2024, said CEO C.C. Wei, who announced the expansion.

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China Hits Reset on Belt and Road Initiative
10/30/2021 iNews,iTechnology iMaster

Green energy is the new focus of China’s one-of-a-kind Belt and Road Initiative or BRI, that aims to build a series of infrastructure projects from Asia to Europe. The eco-friendlier version of BRI has caught the attention of some 70 other countries that are getting new infrastructure from the Asian economic powerhouse in exchange for expanding trade. The reset on China’s eight-year-old, $1.2 trillion effort comes

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US Lawmakers Vote to Tighten Restrictions on Huawei, ZTE
10/29/2021 iNews,iTechnology iMaster

The U.S. Senate voted unanimously on Thursday to approve legislation to prevent companies that are deemed security threats, such as Huawei Technologies Co. Ltd. or ZTE Corp., from receiving new equipment licenses from U.S. regulators.  The Secure Equipment Act, the latest effort by the U.S. government to crack down on Chinese telecom and tech companies,

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Facebook Inc. Rebrands as Meta to Stress ‘Metaverse’ Plan
10/28/2021 iNews,iTechnology iMaster

Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg said his company is rebranding itself as Meta in an effort to encompass its virtual-reality vision for the future — what Zuckerberg calls the ” metaverse.”  Skeptics point out that it also appears to be an attempt to change the subject from the Facebook Papers, a leaked document trove so dubbed by a

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US State Department Creates Bureau to Tackle Digital Threats
10/27/2021 iNews,iTechnology iMaster

The State Department is creating a new Bureau of Cyberspace and Digital Policy to focus on tackling cybersecurity challenges at a time of growing threats from opponents. There will also be a new special envoy for critical and emerging technology, who will lead the technology diplomacy agenda with U.S. allies. On Wednesday, Secretary of State

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Five Things Facebook Has to Worry About After Whistleblower Disclosures
10/27/2021 iNews,iTechnology iMaster

The past several weeks have been difficult for the social media behemoth Facebook, with a series of whistleblower revelations demonstrating that the company knew its signature platform was exacerbating all manner of social ills around the globe, from human trafficking to sectarian violence.    The tide shows no sign of receding. New revelations this week have

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International Police Operation Cracks Down on Illegal Internet Drug Vendors
10/26/2021 iNews,iTechnology iMaster

U.S. federal law enforcement agencies and Europol announced dozens of arrests to break up a global operation that sold illegal drugs using a shadowy realm of the internet.  At a Department of Justice news conference Tuesday in Washington, officials said they arrested 150 people for allegedly selling illicit drugs, including fake prescription opioids and cocaine,

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Artificial Intelligence-Powered App Helps Musicians Learn to Play
10/26/2021 iNews,iTechnology iMaster

A popular new music app uses artificial intelligence to “democratize” how musicians of all skill levels learn and play music. VOA’s Julie Taboh has more. …

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Rental Car Company Hertz Announces Purchase of 100,000 Teslas 
10/26/2021 iNews,iTechnology iMaster

Car rental company Hertz says it will buy 100,000 electric cars from Tesla.  Hertz interim CEO Mark Fields said the Model 3 cars could be ready for renters as early as November, The Associated Press reported.  Fields said the reason for the move was that electric cars are becoming mainstream, and consumer interest in them

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Facebook Whistleblower Presses Case with British Lawmakers 
10/25/2021 iNews,iTechnology iMaster

Facebook whistleblower Frances Haugen told British lawmakers Monday that the social media giant “unquestionably” amplifies online hate.  In testimony to a parliamentary committee in London, the former Facebook employee echoed what she told U.S. senators earlier this month. Haugen said the media giant fuels online hate and extremism and does not have any incentive to

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In Face of Hack Attacks, US State Department to Set Up Cyber Bureau
10/25/2021 iNews,iTechnology iMaster

The U.S. State Department plans to establish a bureau of cyberspace and digital policy in the face of a growing hacking problem, specifically a surge of ransomware attacks on U.S. infrastructure.  State Department spokesperson Ned Price said a Senate-confirmed ambassador at large will lead the bureau.  Hackers have struck numerous U.S. companies this year.  One

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Microsoft Discloses New Russian Hacking Effort
10/25/2021 iNews,iTechnology iMaster

The U.S. technology giant Microsoft says that the same Russia-backed hackers responsible for the 2020 SolarWinds breach of corporate computer systems is continuing to attack global technology systems, this time targeting cloud service resellers. Microsoft said the group, which it calls Nobelium, is employing a new strategy to take advantage of the direct access resellers

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Whistleblower Haugen to Testify as UK Scrutinizes Facebook
10/25/2021 iNews,iTechnology iMaster

Former Facebook data scientist turned whistleblower Frances Haugen plans to answer questions Monday from lawmakers in the United Kingdom who are working on legislation to rein in the power of social media companies.  Haugen is set to appear before a parliamentary committee scrutinizing the British government’s draft legislation to crack down on harmful online content,

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