Tag: Internet

Russia fines WhatsApp for failing to delete content

MOSCOW, June 1, 2023 (AFP) – A Russian court imposed a fine on US messenger service WhatsApp on Thursday for failing to delete banned content. The three-million-rouble ($37,000) fine was the first imposed on WhatsApp for such an offence. WhatsApp’s parent company, Meta, was banned and branded “extremist” by Russian authorities last year. Meta’s other platforms, Facebook and Instagram, were blocked in Russia along with Twitter, but WhatsApp remained accessible. WhatsApp was punished for failing […]

US, Microsoft warn Chinese hackers attacking ‘critical’ infrastructure

WASHINGTON, May 25, 2023 (AFP) – State-sponsored Chinese hackers have infiltrated critical US infrastructure networks, the United States, its Western allies and Microsoft said Wednesday while warning that similar espionage attacks could be occurring globally. Microsoft highlighted Guam, a US territory in the Pacific Ocean with a vital military outpost, as one of the targets, but said “malicious” activity had also been detected elsewhere in the United States. The stealthy attack — carried out by […]

TikTok sues to stop ban in US state of Montana

SAN FRANCISCO, United States (AFP) — TikTok on Monday filed suit in US federal court to stop the state of Montana from implementing an overall ban on the video sharing app. The unprecedented ban, set to start in 2024, violates the constitutionally protected right to free speech, TikTok argued in the suit. “We believe our legal challenge will prevail based on an exceedingly strong set of precedents and facts,” a TikTok spokesperson told AFP. Montana […]

Montana TikTok ban unrealistic and misguided: experts

By Glenn CHAPMAN Agence France-Presse SAN FRANCISCO, United States (AFP) — A total ban of TikTok in the US state of Montana is set up to face an epic battle in the courts, but many experts wonder whether the law is even technically possible. Montana is the first US state to ban TikTok, with the law set to take effect next year as debate escalates over the impact and security of the popular video app […]

Montana becomes first US state to ban TikTok

SAN FRANCISCO, United States (AFP) — Montana on Wednesday became the first US state to ban TikTok, with the law set to take effect next year as debate escalates over the impact and security of the popular video app. The prohibition signed into law by Governor Greg Gianforte will serve as a legal test for a national ban of the Chinese-owned platform, something that lawmakers in Washington are increasingly calling for. “TikTok may not operate […]

Audio book narrators say AI is already taking away business

NEW YORK, May 14, 2023 (AFP) – As people brace for the disruptive impact of artificial intelligence on jobs and everyday living, those in the world of audio books say their field is already being transformed. AI has the ability to create human-sounding recordings — at assembly-line speed — while bypassing at least part of the services of the human professionals who for years have made a living with their voices. Many of them are […]

Former exec at TikTok parent firm sues, citing ‘lawlessness’

SAN FRANCISCO, May 13, 2023 (AFP) – A former US-based executive of ByteDance, the Chinese company that owns TikTok, has sued it for wrongful dismissal, saying he was fired for sounding the alarm over what he called its “culture of lawlessness.” The suit, filed by Yintao Yu in a San Francisco court, comes as political pressure has been growing in the US to ban TikTok. Critics say the popular platform allows Beijing to covertly collect […]

Linda Yaccarino to bring vaunted ad skills to Twitter

NEW YORK, May 12, 2023 (AFP) – Named Friday as Elon Musk’s successor as Twitter CEO, Linda Yaccarino is a respected media and advertising executive considered a visionary by some. Yaccarino left her job as head of advertising at NBCUniversal, where she worked for 12 years. Born into a family with Italian roots, Yaccarino has spent her career in television, 20 years of it with the Time Warner group that has since become known as […]

Elon Musk says new Twitter chief has been hired

  SAN FRANCISCO, May 11, 2023 (AFP) – Elon Musk on Thursday said that he has hired someone to replace him as boss of Twitter and its newly named X Corporation parent. “Excited to announce that I’ve hired a new CEO for X/Twitter,” Musk said in a tweet, adding that she would start in the job in about six weeks. Twitter users in December voted to oust owner Musk as chief executive in an unscientific […]

ASEAN vows action on human traffickers operating online

LABUAN BAJO, Indonesia, May 10, 2023 (AFP) – Southeast Asian nations vowed Wednesday tougher action on human trafficking as criminals increasingly use social media and other online platforms to recruit and exploit victims. International alarm is growing over internet scams in the region that are often staffed by trafficking victims tricked or coerced into promoting bogus crypto investments. Cambodia, Laos and Myanmar have emerged as “countries of destination” for victims, according to the International Organization […]

Microsoft expands AI access to public

SAN FRANCISCO, United States (AFP) — Microsoft on Thursday expanded public access to its generative artificial intelligence programs, despite fears that tech firms are rushing ahead too quickly with potentially dangerous technology. The AI-enhanced features of the company’s Bing search engine and Edge internet browser are now open for anyone to use, Yusuf Mehdi, corporate vice president, said in a blog post. “This means that it will now be easier than ever for everyone to […]

One of world’s oldest newspapers to end daily print run

VIENNA, April 27, 2023 (AFP) – One of the world’s oldest newspapers still in print, Austria’s Wiener Zeitung, will primarily move online, after a decision Thursday by the country’s parliament. The development marks the final step in a years-long dispute between the Austrian government and the newspaper about the future of the state-owned daily. Founded in 1703 under the name Wiennerisches Diarium, and later renamed Wiener Zeitung in 1780, the formerly private bi-weekly paper was […]