Regulator implored to probe Android apps advertising to preschoolers

Several children’s apps on Google’s app store have been found to inappropriately lure youngsters to watch ads or make purchases, according to a pair of consumer groups that cited a new study in calling for an investigation by federal authorities. “Popular apps for preschoolers are rife with marketing,” Josh Golin, executive director of Campaign for …

PayPal, Stripe, GoDaddy and other platforms throw GAB offline

Gab,social media site is being de-platformed and forced offline by its service providers after it became clear that the alleged Pittsburgh shooter Robert Bowers had a history of anti-semitic postings on the site. In the hours following the attack, when the suspect’s postings were discovered on the site, Gab’s corporate partners abandoned it one by …

Rwanda launches world’s first blockchain project to track tantalum mining

Rwanda’s mining boss announced on Tuesday the world’s first blockchain project to track tantalum from the pit-face to the refinery, part of a push to woo investors seeking a conflict-free source of minerals. “Blockchain is one of the technologies that has demonstrated capabilities of providing a more efficient and effective way of delivering traceability for …

Sundar Pichai says Google is still considering the Dragonfly, censored search engine in China

Google is still considering whether to launch a censored version of its search product in China, CEO Sundar Pichai said Monday. “It’s very early. We don’t know whether we could or would do this in China, but we felt it was important for us to explore,” Pichai said at the Wired25 conference in San Francisco. …

New Facebook Portal videochat hardware looks like a privacy disaster waiting to happen

Facebook has released new AI controlled hardware at quite n odd time when its fighting privacy breach allegations. The devices Facebook claims creates a new way to videochat with your Facebook friends. It’s not an app, nor is it some awkward virtual-reality playpen. It’s a device called Portal, and it’s meant to sit in your …

Survey: Internet Connectivity Builds Positive Impact on Life in Sub-Saharan Africa

In a new Pew Research Center analysis, Sub-Saharan Africa has experienced dramatic gains in internet use in recent years. With this rapid growth in connectivity have come a host of potential problems, including fake news, political targeting and manipulation and financial scams, among others. Yet according to the Pew Research Center analysis, most sub-Saharan Africans …