Tag: IT

Modest praise for US reform of visa program for skilled workers

by Rob Lever Agence France Presse WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — The Trump administration’s new rules for a US visa program widely used for technology workers are getting cautious praise from Silicon Valley amid surging demand for high-skill employees. The H-1B visa program, which admits some 85,000 foreign nationals each year, will give higher priority to people with post-graduate degrees from US universities, under a final rule published in January by the Department of Homeland […]

Germany sets new limits on Facebook data collection

GERMANY (AFP) — Germany’s Federal Competition Office (FCO) said Thursday it would impose new limits on how Facebook collects data from subsidiaries Whatsapp and Instagram, as well as third-party websites with embedded Facebook features such as “Like” buttons. Rather than requiring users to accept that such data can be folded into their Facebook accounts under a one-off agreement to the social network’s terms and conditions, users must in future be asked for their specific consent […]

Two top executives leave Facebook PR team

SAN FRANCISCO, United States (AFP) — Two of Facebook’s top executives in its public relations team are leaving the company, stepping away after the most tumultuous period in the history of the social networking giant. Caryn Marooney put out word on Wednesday that she is quitting her job as leader of Facebook’s communications group after eight years at the social network and is working with chief executive Mark Zuckerberg on finding a replacement. Marooney wrote […]

Facebook lets senders undo sent Messenger missives

SAN FRANCISCO, United States (AFP) — Facebook on Tuesday added a Messenger feature for anyone who has fired off a comment they regretted — a way to take it back. Messenger users will now have a 10-minute window after sending a message to undo it, leaving behind a note telling everyone in a conversation that the remark was removed, according to the leading online social network. “Have you ever accidentally sent a message to the […]

Zuckerberg sees ‘positive’ force of Facebook despite firestorm

  SAN FRANCISCO, United States (AFP) — Mark Zuckerberg said Monday he sees Facebook as a largely “positive” force for society as the embattled social network marked its 15th anniversary. Even as Facebook is facing a wave of criticism over issues of manipulation, misinformation, abuse and other social ills, Zuckerberg said it would be a mistake “to overly emphasize the negative” impacts of social media and the internet. The Facebook co-founder and chief executive said […]

Facebook at 15: a titan with grown-up woes

by Glenn CHAPMAN Agence France Presse SAN FRANCISCO, United States (AFP) — Fifteen years after its founding, Facebook has made strides toward Mark Zuckerberg’s goal of connecting the world. But it has also made some huge missteps that have turned some of its cheerleaders into vocal detractors. The online social network founded on February 4, 2004 in Zuckerberg’s Harvard University dorm heads into adolescence with the grown-up burdens of being held accountable for its behavior […]

Apple profit stable as service gains offset iPhone slump

by Glenn CHAPMAN Agence France Presse SAN FRANCISCO, United States (AFP) — Apple said Tuesday that profits held steady in the most recent quarter, with revenue growth in music, movies, apps and other services offsetting slumping iPhone sales, sparking a rally in shares of the California tech giant. Profit in the final quarter of last year was $20 billion, a dip of less than one percent, on revenue of $84.3 billion even as money from […]

For bruised Apple, a need to go beyond the iPhone

by Glenn CHAPMAN Agence France Presse SAN FRANCISCO, United States (AFP) — Apple is aiming to show it can do more than just make iPhones in a quarterly update Tuesday for investors who are skeptical over whether the culture-changing company can regain the momentum from its glory days. In recent weeks, Apple shares have been hammered on concerns that its best days are over, with smartphone sales slipping and no new “big thing” on the […]

Misinformation woes could multiply with ‘deepfake’ videos

by Rob Lever Agence France Presse WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — If you see a video of a politician speaking words he never would utter, or a Hollywood star improbably appearing in a cheap adult movie, don’t adjust your television set — you may just be witnessing the future of “fake news.” “Deepfake” videos that manipulate reality are becoming more sophisticated due to advances in artificial intelligence, creating the potential for new kinds of misinformation […]

Boeing flying car prototype completes first test flight

WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — Boeing said Wednesday its prototype “flying car” — part of a project aimed at “on-demand autonomous air transportation” — has completed its first successful test flight. The electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft said the test was carried out Tuesday outside the US capital Washington, the company said in a statement. Boeing is among a handful of companies in the United States and around the world — including Uber […]

Apple’s Tim Cook calls for privacy bill with right to delete data

WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — Apple chief executive Tim Cook called on US lawmakers Thursday to pass privacy legislation enabling consumers to see and delete their harvested online personal data from a central clearinghouse. Cook, writing in Time magazine, offered his view as the US Congress was set to consider tougher enforcement of privacy and data protection for online platforms. Several lawmakers and activist organizations have proposed data privacy measures, some of which contain elements […]

Google acquires Fossil smartwatch tech for $40 mn

SAN FRANCISCO, United States (AFP) — Google agreed to pay $40 million for the smartwatch technology of the fashion and accessory group Fossil, the companies said Thursday, enabling the California tech giant to expand in the growing wearable tech market. As part of the deal, Texas-based Fossil Group’s research and development team working on the smartwatch will join Google, which will acquire the intellectual property for Fossil smartwatches, the firms said. The move would give […]