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WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — Twitter announced Friday it would not block the accounts of world leaders even if their statements are “controversial,” citing a need to promote a “public conversation” on political issues. The announcement came just days after a tweet from President Donald Trump hinting at the use of US nuclear weapons sparked criticism that the social network was allowing threats of violence. “Twitter is here to serve and help advance the global, public conversation. […]
by Rob Lever Agence France Presse WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — Amid a frantic rush to patch a computer security flaw, experts struggled Thursday to determine the impact of a newly discovered vulnerability which could affect billions of devices worldwide. Cybersecurity researchers called for computer systems to urgently install updates a day after the release of details of the so-called Spectre and Meltdown vulnerabilities affecting the chips powering most modern PCs and many mobile devices. […]
by Chris Wright Agence France Presse PARIS, France (AFP) — As the poster child for the growing ranks of computer-generated currencies, bitcoin’s recent stratospheric price rises have propelled it from the chat forum-hosted depths of nerddom into the global consciousness. As it rose from under $1,000 to over $19,500 at one point this year, hordes of tech-savvy punters have rushed in to buy, while any investors can now do the same on the US […]
TOKYO, Japan (AFP) — A Japanese company will start paying part of its employees’ salaries in Bitcoin, as it aims to get better understanding of the virtual currency, a spokeswoman said on Friday. GMO Internet, which operates a range of web-related businesses including finance, online advertising and internet infrastructure, will start paying up to 100,000 yen ($890) monthly by Bitcoin to its employees in Japan from February next year. “Employees can receive salaries by Bitcoin […]
NEW YORK, United States | AFP) — Apple is in talks to buy the popular song recognition app Shazam as the tech giant tries to compete with streaming leader Spotify, TechCrunch reported Friday. The technology news site, quoting unnamed sources, said that the deal could be announced Monday with financial terms not yet clear. A spokeswoman for Apple declined comment. Since its founding in 1999, Shazam has offered a high-tech solution to listeners’ longtime agony […]
SAN FRANCISCO, United States (AFP) — YouTube pulled 150,000 videos of children after lewd comments about them were posted by viewers, as the Google-owned platform sought to reassure advertisers their messages would be kept out of compromising situations. The online video-sharing behemoth confirmed on Thursday that it deleted several hundred accounts along with the thousands of videos that were problematic. The move came after a British newspaper reported that ads for big-name brands were displayed alongside videos […]
WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — Google, Facebook and other tech firms joined global news organizations Thursday in an initiative aimed at identifying “trustworthy” news sources, in the latest effort to combat online misinformation. Microsoft and Twitter also agreed to participate in the “Trust Project” with some 75 news organizations to tag news stories which meet standards for ethics and transparency. “In today’s digitized and socially networked world, it’s harder than ever to tell what’s accurate […]
by Julie Charpentrat Agence France-Presse SAN FRANCISCO, United States (AFP) — Uber’s tieup with Japanese tech giant SoftBank suggests the ridesharing giant is set to come of age in the business world, but it still faces a long road ahead. The deal is giving the world’s most valuable startup an additional $1 billion in capital and could allow SoftBank to acquire as much as 14 percent of Uber over time. While Uber has become a global phenomenon […]
SAN FRANCISCO, United States (AFP) — A massive security breach that hit Equifax has cost the US credit bureau nearly $90 million so far, a figure that is set to rise further, its chief financial officer said on Thursday. The company, which gathers data on consumers to help lenders determine borrowers’ creditworthiness, revealed in September that hackers had stolen the personal details, including names, dates of birth and social security numbers, of nearly 146 million people. In […]
WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — It was a sad day for Twitter purists, dismayed that the 140-character limit restricting users on the social media platform to crisp, succinct posts had been doubled to a gaudy 280. And they have been expressing their outrage — how else? — with short tweets and hashtags like #140forlife. “Personally, I enjoyed the challenge of fitting my thoughts into 140 characters!” tweeted Weather Channel meteorologist Maria LaRosa, with the hashtag #lessismore. “Like […]
by Glenn Chapman Agence France-Presse SAN FRANCISCO, United States (AFP) — Waymo on Tuesday said that its self-driving cars are hitting the road without anyone behind the wheel as the Alphabet subsidiary steers toward launching an automated ride service. The subsidiary of Google parent Alphabet has been testing autonomous cars for years, but with a driver behind the wheel to take over if needed. Waymo chief executive John Krafcik used the Web Summit in Lisbon to announce […]
WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — Major US tech firms reversed course Friday and endorsed a proposal in Congress which could hold website owners liable for human trafficking. The Internet Association, which includes giants Facebook, Google, Microsoft and Amazon, said in a statement it supported the measure after reaching a compromise with legislative sponsors. The association “is committed to combating sexual exploitation and sex trafficking online” president Michael Beckerman said in endorsing the Stop Enabling Sex Traffickers Act (SESTA). “Important […]
