In a landmark move, the European Parliament voted today to support consumers’ Right to Repair. The resolution was adopted with 395 in favor and just 94 against, with 207 abstentions. iFixit reports: “By adopting this report, the European Parliament sent a clear message: harmonized mandatory labelling indicating durability and tackling premature obsolescence at EU level are the way forward,” said Rapporteur…
Tag: citizens
The US Could Soon Ban the Selling of Carrier-Locked Phones
An anonymous reader quotes a report from Wired: In the U.S., a complicated combination of corporate interests and pre-smartphone era legislation has resulted in more than two decades of back and forth about the legality of phone locking. It’s looking like that battle could ramp up again next year. The transition to a Biden administration could shake up the regulatory body…
‘Extremely Aggressive’ Internet Censorship Spreads In the World’s Democracies
Researchers from the University of Michigan used their own automated censorship tracking system to collect more than 21 billion measurements over 20 months in 221 countries. They discovered that citizens in what are considered the world’s freest countries aren’t safe from internet censorship. From a press release: [Roya Ensafi, U-M assistant professor of electrical engineering and computer science who led the…
Steve Bannon Caught Running a Network of Misinformation Pages On Facebook
An anonymous reader quotes a report from Gizmodo: Steve Bannon has been outed for his involvement in running a network of misinformation pages on Facebook. Who could have possibly seen this coming. Facebook has talked a big game about monitoring election misinformation, and yet the independent activist network Avaaz said it had to alert the company to the pages before it…
Former Google CEO Eric Schmidt Has Applied To Become a Citizen of Cyprus
The former CEO of Google, Eric Schmidt, is finalizing a plan to become a citizen of the island of Cyprus, Recode has learned, becoming one of the highest-profile Americans to take advantage of one of the world’s most controversial “passport-for-sale” programs. From the report: Schmidt, one of America’s wealthiest people, and his family have won approval to become citizens of the…
Tech Startups Say New Pay Rules for H-1B Visas Are Unaffordable
New rules from the Trump administration restricting skilled foreign workers are unnerving U.S. startup hubs, as founders and investors say the limitations will hamstring their ability to recruit top-tier talent to grow their businesses [Editor’s note: the link may be paywalled; free syndicated source]. From a report: The changes to the H-1B visa program announced in October will make qualifying for…
While Europe Accounts for 46% of COVID-19 Cases, Taiwan Goes 200 Days Without a Local Infection
Europe “now accounts for 46% of global coronavirus cases,” reports ABC News, “and nearly a third of total related deaths.” Dr. Jean-Francois Delfraissy, a senior French physician and the president of the scientific council that reports to the government, warned that the country has “lost control of the epidemic,” after health authorities reported more than 52,000 new cases. He said that…
US and UK Citizens Are World’s Biggest Sources of Plastic Waste
An anonymous reader quotes a report from The Guardian: The U.S. and UK produce more plastic waste per person than any other major countries, according to new research. The analysis also shows the U.S. produces the most plastic waste in total and that its citizens may rank as high as third in the world in contributing to plastic pollution in the…
‘Iranian YouTube’ CEO Sentenced To 10 Years Over Video Uploaded By User
The founder and manager of Iran’s main video-sharing platform, referred to by some as Iran’s YouTube, has been sentenced to 10 years in prison after being convicted of “encouraging corruption” over a video posted by a user. Radio Free Europe reports: In the video posted on Aparat.com last year, children were asked whether they know how they were born, Iranian media…
Edward Snowden Granted Permanent Residency In Russia
Fugitive US whistleblower Edward Snowden has been granted permanent residency in Russia, his lawyer said on Thursday. wiredmikey writes: Snowden, the former US intelligence contractor who revealed in 2013 that the US government was spying on its citizens, has been living in exile in Russia since the revelations. The 37-year-old has said he would like to return to the United States….