An anonymous reader quotes a report from the BBC: Facebook has deleted a large group dedicated to sharing and discussing QAnon conspiracy theories. QAnon is a wide-ranging, unfounded conspiracy theory that a “deep state” network of powerful government, business and media figures are waging a secret war against Donald Trump. A Facebook spokeswoman said the group was removed for “repeatedly posting…
Tag: reuters
US Senate Votes To Ban TikTok App On Government Devices
The U.S. Senate on Thursday unanimously voted to ban federal employees from using TikTok on government-issued devices. Reuters reports: The app has come under fire from U.S. lawmakers and the Trump administration over national security concerns because China’s ByteDance owns the technology. The company currently faces a deadline of Sept. 15 to either sell its U.S. operations to Microsoft Corp or…
Google To Buy Stake In ADT In Home Security Push For $450 Million
An anonymous reader quotes a report from Reuters: Alphabet’s Google is picking up a 6.6% stake in ADT for $450 million, betting on the home security company’s strong customer base and an army of technicians to drive sales of its Nest devices. The investment gives ADT the backing of a high-profile technology partner and broadens its services business. In return, Google…
NASA Astronauts Fire Deorbiting Burn. Watch Splashdown Back to Earth
After travelling all night to return from the International Space Station, two NASA astronauts will splashdown in the Gulf of Mexico at 11:48 PT, reports CNET. “There will be about an hour of excitement prior to that moment as Crew Dragon deorbits and re-enters Earth’s atmosphere…” That 11-minute deorbiting burn should begin in five minutes (at 10:56 PT), and you can…
Arizona Leads Multi-State Probe Into Older iPhones Slowing, Shutting Down
Arizona is leading a multi-U.S. state probe into whether Apple’s deliberate slowing of older iPhones violated deceptive trade practice laws, Reuters reported Wednesday, citing documents. From a report: Last week, a separate document released by a tech watchdog group showed the Texas attorney general might sue Apple for such violations in connection with a multi-state probe, without specifying charges. In the…
Rite Aid Deployed Facial Recognition Systems In Hundreds of US Stores
Rite Aid installed facial recognition technology across 200 stores in the U.S. “In the hearts of New York and metro Los Angeles, Rite Aid deployed the technology in largely lower-income, non-white neighborhoods,” reports Reuters. “Among the technology the U.S. retailer used: a state-of-the-art system from a company with links to China and its authoritarian government.” From the report: Over about eight…
Twenty Years On, Japan Government’s Digital Ambitions Still Stuck In Piles of Paper
Two decades after Japan rolled out an ambitious plan to go digital, the COVID-19 crisis has exposed the government’s deeply rooted technological shortcomings as ministries remain stuck in a paper-driven culture that experts say is hurting productivity. Reuters reports: While Tokyo has made “digital transformation” its main policy plank this year, the switch may not prove so easy as bureaucrats from…
More Than 1,000 People at Twitter Had Ability To Aid Hack of Accounts
More than a thousand Twitter employees and contractors as of earlier this year had access to internal tools that could change user account settings and hand control to others, Reuters is reporting citing two former employees said, making it hard to defend against the hacking that occurred last week. From the report: Twitter and the FBI are investigating the breach that…
Who Still Needs the Office? US Companies Start Cutting Space
An anonymous reader quotes a report from Reuters: Corporate America is downsizing its real estate footprint as companies allow more employees to work from home, a growing threat to the bottom line of owners of traditional office buildings and a sign that companies are looking for ways to cut costs as a result of the coronavirus pandemic. A Reuters analysis of…
With 24/7 Programming, the Future of TV Looks a Lot Like Its Past
Plex is bringing back the cable grid. The popular media center app added 80 live TV channels Thursday, complete with a programming guide that will look very familiar to anyone who has ever subscribed to pay TV, albeit with a few key differences: Plex’s new live TV service is free to use, and it doesn’t feature popular cable channels like CNN,…