Google has abandoned plans to offer a major new cloud service in China and other politically sensitive countries due in part to concerns over geopolitical tensions and the pandemic, according to two employees familiar with the matter, revealing the challenges for U.S. tech giants to secure business in those markets. In May, the search giant …
In response to protest calling for police reform around the country, some of the biggest names in tech are taking a closer look at their facial recognition technologies. In recent weeks, protests calling for police and criminal justice reform continue to sweep the Untied States. These demonstrations have also spurred conversations surrounding flawed, racially-biased technologies …
In a follow-up letter to the January 16, 2020 missive signed by Ron Wyden, Richard Blumenthal, Elizabeth Warren, and Anna Eshoo, the five US senators have given reasons why they urge ICANN to block the proposed change of control of the .ORG registry to the private equity firm Ethos Capital (Ethos). In our January letter, …
Twitter Inc.has asked all of its employees to work from home in order to slow the spread of coronavirus. In a blog statement today, the company wrote Beginning today, we are strongly encouraging all employees globally to work from home if they’re able. Our goal is to lower the probability of the spread of the …
Microsoft, Hewlett Foundation, MasterCard, and several other unnamed major corporations and philanthropic institutions have formed an independent non-profit organisation called the CyberPeace Institute aimed at protecting victims against cyberattacks and helping them recover from one. “For years, non-governmental organisations around the world have provided on-the-ground help and vocal advocacy for victims of wars and natural …
The South Gauteng High Court has found that parts of the Regulation of Interception of Communications and Provision of Communication-Related Information (RICA) Act are unconstitutional. In April 2017, media group amaBhungane filed an application in the High Court challenging the constitutionality of the act. This, after it emerged that journalist Sam Sole’s communications were intercepted …
Huge numbers of Chinese citizens are seeking trademarks in the U.S., flooding the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office with applications that officials say appear to be rife with false information. In February 2019, USPTO issued a warning to attorneys to beware of any foreign solicitation which offers to pay to use their information to file …
Facebook is willing to delay its entrance into the cryptocurrency market to work with regulators, Facebook executive David Marcus said in prepared remarks ahead of Congressional hearings on Libra this week. Marcus’ statement is Facebook’s strongest indication yet of its desire to work with regulators on Libra’s development. The company knew Libra might be a …
Big tech companies will now be required to pay a 3% tax of total annual revenues to the French government after a Bill targeting GAFA companies — an acronym for Google, Apple, Facebook, and Amazon — was passed on Thursday. A new 3% tax will be applied to tech companies that make €750 million globally …
Chip designer ARM has suspended business with Huawei, threatening the Chinese company’s ability to create its own chips. BBC News reports that ARM employees have been instructed to halt “all active contracts, support entitlements, and any pending engagements” with Huawei due to the US trade ban. The US has banned any US companies from doing …