News

Trump signs law to reduce robocalls, though they won't end

By TALI ARBEL AP Technology Writer NEW YORK (AP) — An anti-robocalls measure signed into law Monday by President Donald Trump should help reduce the torrent of unwanted calls promising lower interest rates or pretending to be the IRS, though it won’t make all such calls disappear. The new law gives authorities more enforcement powers […]

Calif. vastly expands digital privacy. Will people use it?

By RACHEL LERMAN AP Technology Writer SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Forty million Californians will soon have sweeping digital-privacy rights stronger than any seen before in the U.S., posing a significant challenge to Big Tech and the data economy it helped create. So long as state residents don’t mind shouldering much of the burden of exercising […]

China to complete Beidou competitor to GPS with new launches

BEIJING (AP) — China said Friday its Beidou Navigation Satellite System that emulates the U.S. Global Positioning System will be competed with the launch of its final two satellites in the first half of next year. Project director Ran Chengqi told reporters that the core of the positioning system was completed this month with the […]

Court rules Turkey violated freedoms by banning Wikipedia

ANKARA, Turkey (AP) — Turkey’s highest court on Thursday ruled in favor of Wikipedia, saying the Turkish government’s two-year ban on the online encyclopedia constitutes a violation of freedom of expression, the state-run news agency reported. Turkey blocked Wikipedia in April 2017, accusing it of being part of a “smear campaign” against the country, after […]

Rust Belt region banks on becoming hub for electric vehicles

By JOHN SEEWER Associated Press The day Youngstown’s steel mills began shutting down 40 years ago remains fresh in the minds of those who live in the blue-collar corner of Ohio. Community leaders don’t want the recent closing of General Motors’ massive assembly plant to leave that same lingering gloom. The region is embarking on […]

It takes a tech village to track Santa on Christmas Eve

By JAMES ANDERSON Associated Press PETERSON AIR FORCE BASE, Colo. (AP) — Depending on which country they’re from, the kids may ask about Father Christmas, Papa Noel, Saint Nick or Santa Claus. But they all want to know one thing: where in the world the jolly old man and his sleigh full of gifts are […]

China promises more access to oil, telecoms, power markets

BEIJING (AP) — China’s government promised Monday to open its oil, telecom and power markets wider to private competitors as the ruling Communist Party tries to shore up growth in the slowing, state-dominated economy. The Cabinet also promised to give private companies equal treatment with state-owned enterprises in more industries. The statement gave no indication […]

France fines Google $166 million for abusing ad dominance

PARIS (AP) — France’s competition authority fined Google 150 million euros ($166 million) on Friday for “abusing its dominant position” in the online ad market. The agency said the U.S. tech company mistreated buyers of ads based on keywords. Methods used by its Google Ads platform are “opaque and difficult to understand” and the company […]

French telecom company Orange convicted over suicides

By NICOLAS VAUX-MONTAGNY Associated Press French phone and Internet provider Orange was found guilty Friday of a string of employee suicides. A Paris court fined it 75,000 euros (more than $83,000) on Friday in a landmark court ruling over suicides in the 2000s while the company was undergoing difficult restructuring. A decision on whether to […]

Facebook to tackle efforts to interfere with 2020 US census

By BARBARA ORTUTAY and MAE ANDERSON AP Technology Writer SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Facebook plans to clamp down on attempts to use its services to interfere with the 2020 U.S. census, including the posting of misleading information about when and how to participate, who can participate and what happens when people do. Facebook and other […]