News

Amazon bans police use of its face recognition for a year

By JOSEPH PISANI and MATT O’BRIEN Associated Press NEW YORK (AP) — Amazon banned police use of its face recognition technology for a year, making it the latest tech giant to step back from law-enforcement use of systems that have faced criticism for incorrectly identifying people with darker skin. The Seattle-based company did not say […]

Just Eat swallows Grubhub creating restaurant delivery giant

By DEE-ANN DURBIN AP Business Writer Two pioneers in restaurant delivery — Just Eat Takeaway.com and Grubhub — are combining in a $7.3 billion deal that will create one of the world’s largest delivery companies. Amsterdam-based Just Eat Takeaway.com said late Wednesday that it was acquiring Chicago-based Grubhub, snatching it away from ride-hailing giant Uber, […]

IBM quits facial recognition, joins call for police reforms

By MATT O’BRIEN AP Technology Writer IBM is getting out of the facial recognition business, saying it’s concerned about how the technology can be used for mass surveillance and racial profiling. Ongoing protests responding to the death of George Floyd have sparked a broader reckoning over racial injustice and a closer look at the use […]

Feds seek $225M fine for pair who made a billion robocalls

By TALI ARBEL AP Technology Writer The U.S. communications regulator on Tuesday proposed a $225 million fine, its largest ever, against two health insurance telemarketers for spamming people with 1 billion robocalls using fake phone numbers. The Federal Communications Commission said John Spiller and Jakob Mears made the calls through two businesses. State attorneys general […]

China's companies emerge as global donors in virus pandemic

By JOE McDONALD AP Business Writer BEIJING (AP) — As the coronavirus spread, the world’s richest communist dug into his deep pockets. Jack Ma, founder of e-commerce giant Alibaba Group and a member of the ruling Communist Party, helped to pay for 1,000 ventilators delivered to New York in April. Ma’s foundation also is giving […]

Personal mobility machine needs no help at Tokyo airport

By YURI KAGEYAMA AP Business Writer TOKYO (AP) — An autonomous mobility system that works like a wheelchair without anyone pushing it is scuttling around a Tokyo airport to help with social distancing amid the coronavirus pandemic. The personal mobility machine seats one person and runs on its own without crashing, even when people jump […]

Zuckerberg-funded scientists: Rein in hate on Facebook

By FRANK BAJAK Associated Press BOSTON (AP) — Dozens of scientists doing research funded by Mark Zuckerberg say Facebook should not be letting President Donald Trump use the social media platform to “spread both misinformation and incendiary statements.” The researchers, including 60 professors at leading U.S. research institutions, wrote the Facebook CEO on Saturday asking […]

Facebook removes nearly 200 accounts tied to hate groups

By DAVID KLEPPER Associated Press Facebook has removed nearly 200 social media accounts linked to white supremacy groups that planned to encourage members to attend protests over police killings of black people — in some cases with weapons, company officials said Friday. The accounts on Facebook and Instagram were tied to the Proud Boys and […]

Study: Autonomous vehicles won't make roads completely safe

By TOM KRISHER AP Auto Writer DETROIT (AP) — A new study says that while autonomous vehicle technology has great promise to reduce crashes, it may not be able to prevent all mishaps caused by human error. Auto safety experts say humans cause about 94% of U.S. crashes, but the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety […]

Germany, France hope cloud data project to boost sovereignty

By GEIR MOULSON Associated Press BERLIN (AP) — Germany and France on Thursday launched a project to set up a European cloud computing platform that they hope will enhance European economic sovereignty in the wake of the coronavirus crisis and break the continent’s dependence on U.S. and Chinese companies. The platform, entitled GAIA-X, is meant […]