Category: iTechnology

Category: iTechnology

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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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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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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Japan’s New Rocket Fails After Engine Issue, in Blow to Space Ambitions
03/07/2023 iNews,iTechnology iMaster

Japan’s new medium-lift rocket failed on its debut flight in space on Tuesday after the launcher’s second-stage engine did not ignite as planned, in a blow to its efforts to cut the cost of accessing space and compete against Elon Musk’s SpaceX.  The 57-metre tall H3 rocket lifted off without a hitch from the Tanegashima

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Attorneys General in 45 US States Demand TikTok Hand Over Information
03/07/2023 iNews,iTechnology iMaster

A group of attorneys general from 45 U.S. states and Washington, D.C., demanded Monday that social media app TikTok produce materials as part of an investigation into its effect on young users’ mental health.    “We know that social media is taking a devastating toll on young people’s mental health and well-being, and through our investigation

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Twitter Suffers Glitches Over Inaccessible Links
03/06/2023 iNews,iTechnology iMaster

Twitter users reported a string of problems with the social media site on Monday, including broken links and images not loading. The company’s tech support account said in a tweet, “Some parts of Twitter may not be working as expected right now. We made an internal change that had some unintended consequences. We’re working on

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Satellites Could Beam Poorest Nations out of Digital Desert 
03/05/2023 iNews,iTechnology iMaster

Only a third of people in the world’s poorest countries can connect to the internet, the U.N. telecoms agency said Sunday, but low-flying satellites could bring hope to millions, especially in remote corners of Africa. Tech giants including Microsoft have pledged to help populations hobbled by poor internet services to “leapfrog” into an era of

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US Launches Aggressive National Cybersecurity Strategy
03/02/2023 iNews,iTechnology iMaster

The Biden administration is pushing for more comprehensive federal regulations to keep the online realm safer against hackers, including by shifting cybersecurity responsibilities away from consumers to industry and treating ransomware attacks as national security threats. The plan is part of the National Cyber Strategy that the administration released Thursday, outlining long-range goals for how

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Can AI Help Solve Diplomatic Dispute Over the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam?
03/01/2023 iNews,iTechnology iMaster

Ethiopia’s hydropower dam on the Blue Nile River has angered downstream neighbors, especially Sudan, where people rely on the river for farming and other livelihoods. To reduce the risk of conflict, a group of scientists has used artificial intelligence, AI, to show how all could benefit. But getting Ethiopia, Sudan, and Egypt to agree on

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Biden Administration Grilled Over $23B in Licenses for Blacklisted Chinese Firms
03/01/2023 iNews,iTechnology iMaster

The Biden administration approved more than $23 billion worth of licenses for companies to ship U.S. goods and technology to blacklisted Chinese companies in the first quarter of 2022, a Republican lawmaker said Tuesday. The data comes amid growing pressure on the administration of Democratic President Joe Biden to further expand a broad crackdown on

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Mexican President Says Tesla to Build Plant in Mexico
02/28/2023 iNews,iTechnology iMaster

Mexico’s president announced Tuesday that electric car company Tesla has committed to building a major plant in the industrial hub of Monterrey in northern Mexico. President Andrés Manuel Lopez Obrador said the promise came in phone calls he had Friday and Monday with Tesla head Elon Musk. It would be Tesla’s third plant outside the

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