Associated Press

News Agency

Facebook sorry for 'primates' label on video of Black men

Facebook has apologized for putting a “primates” label on a video of Black men, according to a report in the New York Times. The newspaper said the video was posted by a tabloid in June and showed Black men in altercations with white civilians and police officers. After the video ended, an automatic message popped […]

How 9/11 changed air travel: more security, less privacy

Ask anyone old enough to remember travel before Sept. 11, 2001, and you’re likely to get a gauzy recollection of what flying was like. There was security screening, but it wasn’t anywhere near as intrusive. There were no long checkpoint lines. Passengers and their families could walk right to the gate together, postponing goodbye hugs […]

Do we need humans for that job? Automation booms after COVID

Ask for a roast beef sandwich at an Arby’s drive-thru east of Los Angeles and you may be talking to Tori — an artificially intelligent voice assistant that will take your order and send it to the line cooks. “It doesn’t call sick,” says Amir Siddiqi, whose family installed the AI voice at its Arby’s […]

Social media's 70-up 'grandfluencers' debunking aging myths

Joan MacDonald’s health was in shambles at age 71. She was overweight and on numerous medications with high cholesterol, rising blood pressure and kidney trouble. Her daughter, a fitness coach, warned that she’d wind up an invalid if she didn’t turn things around. She did, hitting the gym for the first time and learning to […]

Irish watchdog fines WhatsApp $267M after EU privacy probe

Ireland’s privacy watchdog has fined WhatsApp a record 225 million euros ($267 million) after an investigation found it breached stringent European Union data protection rules on transparency about sharing people’s data with other Facebook companies. The Data Protection Commission said Thursday that it was also ordering WhatsApp to take “remedial actions” to change the way […]

EXPLAINER: What is Apple doing with its App Store?

Over the past week or so, Apple has eased some longstanding restrictions that helped make its App Store into a big moneymaker for the company. The company has long required app developers to pay high commissions to Apple on the sales of paid apps as well as purchases of subscriptions or digital items inside their […]

China orders ride-hailing firms to correct unfair tactics

BEIJING (AP) — Chinese regulators have ordered ride-hailing platforms to correct unfair market tactics amid a broad crackdown on the internet sector that has spooked investors and shaved billions off the valuations of some of China’s biggest technology companies. The transport ministry, internet watchdog and other regulators on Wednesday ordered 11 such platforms by year’s […]

Congress asks tech companies for Jan. 6 records

A House committee investigating the Jan. 6 U.S. Capitol insurrection has requested that telecommunications and social media companies preserve the personal communications of hundreds of people who may have somehow been connected to the attack. It’s a sweeping public demand from Congress that is rare, if not unprecedented, in its breadth and could put the […]

Google appeals $591M French fine in copyright payment spat

Google is appealing a 500 million euro ($591 million) fine issued by French regulators over its handling of negotiations with publishers in a dispute over copyright. The dispute is part of a larger battle by authorities in Europe and elsewhere to force Google and other tech companies to compensate publishers for content. “We disagree with […]

US asks Tesla how Autopilot responds to emergency vehicles

The U.S. government’s highway safety agency wants detailed information on how Tesla’s Autopilot system detects and responds to emergency vehicles parked on highways. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration made the detailed request in an 11-page letter sent to the electric car maker that was dated Tuesday. The letter is part of a wide-ranging investigation […]