News

JD.com racks up $38B in sales in annual online shopping fest

By ZEN SOO Associated Press HONG KONG (AP) — JD.com’s annual “618” online shopping extravaganza racked up a total of 269.2 billion yuan ($38 billion) worth of transactions, as consumers splurged during China’s first major e-commerce sale since the pandemic began. This year’s tally was 33% higher than last year’s 201.5 billion yuan in sales. […]

Netflix CEO to donate $120M to historically black colleges

By The Associated Press undefined Netflix CEO Reed Hastings and his wife, Patty Quillin, are donating $120 million toward student scholarships at historically black colleges and universities. The couple is giving $40 million to each of three institutions: the United Negro College Fund, Spelman College and Morehouse College. The organizations said it is the largest […]

Administration seeking rollbacks on tech company protections

By MICHAEL BALSAMO and MARCY GORDON Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — The Justice Department is proposing that Congress roll back legal protections for online platforms such as Facebook, Google and Twitter that generally could not be held legally responsible for what people post on the sites. The proposed changes to Section 230 of a major […]

Facebook aims to help voters, but won't block Trump misinfo

By BARBARA ORTUTAY AP Technology Writer Facebook is launching a widespread effort to boost U.S. voter turnout and provide authoritative information about voting — just as it doubles down on its policy allowing politicians like President Donald Trump to post false information on the same subject. The social media giant is launching a “Voting Information […]

FCC calls hours-long T-Mobile service outage 'unacceptable'

By TALI ARBEL AP Technology Writer NEW YORK (AP) — The head of the U.S. communications regulator said T-Mobile’s nationwide, hours-long outage Monday was “unacceptable” and that the Federal Communications Commission will investigate. T-Mobile, one of the country’s three largest cellphone service providers, said it had a “voice and text wireless issue” that began around […]

WhatsApp starts payments in Brazil: Sign of things to come?

By The Associated Press undefined Facebook’s WhatsApp chat platform is launching mobile payments in Brazil, a country often used to test out new services because of its large online population. WhatsApp said in a blog post Monday that users in Brazil will now be able to send money securely, or make a purchase from a […]

Norway ends virus tracing app over privacy concerns

OSLO, Norway (AP) — Norway has suspended use of its smartphone app meant to track and trace coronavirus contagions after a public spat between health authorities and the information watchdog. Geir Bukholm, an official at the Norwegian Institute of Public Health (NIPH), said the decision Monday to delete data and halt any further information gathering […]

Reports: Amazon under scrutiny by California, Washington

NEW YORK (AP) — State officials in California and Washington are reviewing Amazon’s business practices to determine whether the company is violating any laws with respect to the independent merchants that sell goods on its site, according to published reports. The Wall Street Journal reported Friday that California is examining the retail giant’s business practices, […]

UK regulators investigate Facebook's purchase of Giphy

LONDON (AP) — British regulators have opened an investigation into Facebook’s recent purchase of Giphy over concerns that it will stifle competition. The Competition and Markets Authority said Friday it’s examining the deal over concern it will result in “substantial lessening of competition in any market or markets in the United Kingdom.” The social network […]

Japan court backs Karpeles conviction for data manipulation

By YURI KAGEYAMA AP Business Writer TOKYO (AP) — A Japanese high court on Thursday upheld a lower court’s decision that the French head of Mt. Gox, a Tokyo-based bitcoin exchange that went bankrupt after a massive hacking attack, was guilty of manipulating electronic data but not embezzlement. The Tokyo District Court last year sentenced […]