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Celebs join Instagram 'freeze' to protest Facebook inaction

LONDON (AP) — Kim Kardashian West, Katy Perry, Leonardo DiCaprio and other celebrities are taking part in a 24-hour Instagram “freeze” on Wednesday to protest against what they say is parent company Facebook’s failure to tackle violent and hateful content and election misinformation. Hollywood stars and influencers are lending their backing to the “#StopHateforProfit” movement’s […]

Bill Gates Sr., father of Microsoft co-founder, dies at 94

SEATTLE (AP) — William H. Gates II, a lawyer and philanthropist best known as the father of Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates, has died at 94. Gates died peacefully Monday at his beach home in Washington state from Alzheimer’s disease, the family announced Tuesday. In an obituary the family credited the patriarch with a “deep commitment […]

Q&A: What does a deal between TikTok and Oracle mean?

HONG KONG (AP) — ByteDance, the Chinese company that owns the popular video-sharing app TikTok, has chosen Oracle over Microsoft as a new American technology partner to help keep the app operating in the U.S. TikTok confirmed the decision Monday, echoing earlier statements from Oracle and the U.S. treasury secretary. ByteDance faces a Sept. 20 […]

Oracle wins TikTok over Microsoft in Trump-urged bid

The owner of TikTok has chosen Oracle over Microsoft as the American tech partner that could help keep the popular video-sharing app running in the U.S., according to a source familiar with the deal who was not authorized to speak publicly about it. Microsoft announced Sunday that its bid to acquire TikTok’s U.S. operations was […]

Officials battle online misinformation along with wildfires

SEATTLE (AP) — Emergency responders in the Pacific Northwest are fighting misinformation along with raging wildfires as people spread unsubstantiated social media posts blaming coordinated groups of arsonists from both the far left and far right for setting the blazes. The FBI said Friday that it’s investigated several claims and found them to be untrue, […]

Twitter to label or remove misleading claims on vote results

OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — Twitter said Thursday that starting next week it will label or remove misleading claims that try to undermine public confidence in elections. The policy will apply to tweets that attempt to undermine people’s faith in the electoral process itself, such as false claims about election rigging or ballot tampering, or about […]

What slowdown? Amazon seeks to hire 33,000 people

NEW YORK (AP) — Amazon is on a hiring spree. In the latest sign of how it’s prospering while others are faltering during the pandemic, Amazon said Wednesday it is seeking to bring aboard 33,000 people for corporate and tech roles in the next few months. It’s the largest number of job openings it’s had […]

Netflix film dissects a technology-driven 'social dilemma'

SAN RAMON, Calif. (AP) — A new Netflix documentary is setting out to expose technology’s corrosive effects on society during a pandemic that’s left people more dependent than ever on tools that keep them connected with friends, family and colleagues they can no longer meet in person. So the timing for Wednesday’s release of “The […]

Italy investigates Apple, Google, Dropbox over cloud storage

Italy’s competition watchdog has launched an investigation into Apple, Google and Dropbox over their cloud storage services. The competition and market authority said Monday it has opened a total of six investigations into Apple iCloud, Google Drive and Dropbox’s online storage service in response to complaints about unfair commercial practices and violations of the country’s […]

Chinese chipmaker denies military ties as US steps up feud

BEIJING (AP) — China’s leading maker of semiconductors has denied it has any links to the military following reports Washington is considering stepping up its feud with Beijing over technology and security by imposing export controls that could disrupt manufacturing for a national industrial champion. U.S. regulators are considering adding Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corp. to […]