More than 30 major Japanese firms will begin experiments next year towards issuing a common, private digital currency to promote digitalisation in one of the world’s most cash-loving countries, the group’s organising body said on Thursday. From a report: The move follows the Bank of Japan’s recently announced plan to experiment with issuing a digital yen, underscoring a growing awareness of…
Tag: settlement
Apple To Pay $113 Million Settlement Over Its iPhone ‘Batterygate’ Slowdowns
Apple is paying $113 million to settle an investigation by 34 states and the District of Columbia over the company’s practice of slowing down the performance of older iPhones when their batteries degrade. From a report: Apple’s moves weren’t announced by the company, but rather proven by internet sleuths. That led regulators and customers alike to criticize the company for not…
FTC Announces a Settlement With Zoom Over Security Issues
Zoom will implement new security practices as part of a proposed settlement with the Federal Trade Commission, the agency announced on Monday. From a report: “Zoom has agreed to a requirement to establish and implement a comprehensive security program, a prohibition on privacy and security misrepresentations, and other detailed and specific relief to protect its user base, which has skyrocketed from…
The International Space Station is 20 and going strong
20 years ago, three astronauts stepped aboard the ISS. It’s since hosted residents from many countries, creating humanity’s first history of living in space. Source: https://earthsky.org/space/20-years-iss-what-its-future-holds-nov-2-2020…
Facebook Claims Its Proposed Payments Network is 7 Times Faster Than Visa’s
As work continues on Novi, Facebook’s digital wallet the company hopes will one day be used to access currencies in the blockchain-based payment system Libra, semblances of a framework have emerged from new research published in AFT ’20: Proceedings of the 2nd ACM Conference on Advances in Financial Technologies. From a report: A paper coauthored by scientists at Facebook’s Novi division…
T-Mobile Will Pay $200 Million To Settle Sprint’s Alleged Lifeline Abuse
T-Mobile is paying the price for the reported misdeeds of its recent acquisition. From a report: The carrier has agreed to pay a $200 million settlement over FCC allegations Sprint abused the Lifeline program for low-income communications, claiming subsidies for 885,000 customers that weren’t using the initiative. The agreement also requires that T-Mobile honor the rules of a consent decree.The provider…
SpaceX Will ‘Make Its Own Laws On Mars’
schwit1 writes: SpaceX will not recognize international law on Mars, according to the Terms of Service of its Starlink internet project. Elon Musk’s space company will instead reportedly adhere to a set of “self-governing principles” that will be defined at the time of Martian settlement. Musk revealed plans to create a self-sustaining city on Mars last week, though no timeframe is…
US Antitrust Regulators Could Target Google’s Chrome Browser For Breakup
Slashdot reader alternative_right shares a report from Politico:
Justice Department and state prosecutors investigating Google for alleged antitrust violations are considering whether to force the company to sell its dominant Chrome browser and parts of its lucrative advertising business, three people with knowledge of the discussions said… The conversations — amid preparations for an antitrust legal battle that the Department of Justice…
To Avoid Prison For Leaving Bad Hotel Reviews Online, An American in Thailand Must Apologize
The New York Times reports:
He’s very, very sorry. But the hotel in Thailand that threatened an American guest with prison for his bad reviews may end up with bigger regrets. Wesley Barnes, the American guest, publicly apologized on Friday for his blunt online reviews of the Sea View Koh Chang resort in Thailand. In exchange, the hotel promised it would drop…
Illinois Facebook Users Can Claim Up To $400 In Class-Action Suit
Facebook has settled a class action lawsuit that claimed the company collected and stored facial templates for its users between June 7, 2011, and Aug. 19, 2020, when the settlement was approved. “Individuals could be eligible for cash payouts of $200 to $400,” reports Patch. From the report: In 2015, lawsuits were filed against Facebook over its use of “face tagging”…