News

Facebook bans all Myanmar military-linked accounts and ads

Social media giant Facebook announced Thursday it was banning all accounts linked to Myanmar’s military as well as ads from military-controlled companies in the wake of the army’s seizure of power on Feb. 1. It said in a statement that it was treating the post-coup situation in Myanmar as an “emergency,” explaining that the ban […]

Australia passes law to make Google, Facebook pay for news

Australia’s law forcing Google and Facebook to pay for news is ready to take effect, though the laws’ architect said it will take time for the digital giants to strike media deals. The Parliament on Thursday passed the final amendments to the so-called News Media Bargaining Code agreed between Treasurer Josh Frydenberg and Facebook chief […]

Tech firms say there's little doubt Russia behind major hack

Leading technology companies said Tuesday that a months long breach of corporate and government networks was so sophisticated, focused and labor-intensive that a nation had to be behind it, with all the evidence pointing to Russia. In the first congressional hearing on the breach, representatives of technology companies involved in the response described a hack […]

Huawei unveils flagship foldable smartphone for China market

Struggling under U.S. sanctions, Huawei unveiled a folding smartphone with an 8-inch (20-centimeter) -wide screen Monday to show off its tech prowess but said it will be sold only in China. The Mate X2 highlights the challenges for Huawei Technologies Ltd. after Washington cut off access to U.S. processor chips and Google services. Last year, […]

China urges US to lift trade restrictions, stop interference

China’s top diplomat called Monday for new U.S. President Joe Biden’s administration to lift restrictions on trade and people-to-people contacts while ceasing what Beijing considers unwarranted interference in the areas of Taiwan, Hong Kong, Xinjiang and Tibet. Foreign Minister Wang Yi’s comments at a Foreign Ministry forum on U.S.-China relations come as Beijing presses the […]

Thai users of Clubhouse app warned about political content

Thailand’s government warned users of the recently introduced Clubhouse voice chat app on Wednesday that they must be careful not to misuse it or face possible legal consequences. The warning from the Ministry of Digital Economy and Society came after many people used the mobile app to listen to a popular self-exiled opponent of the […]

Millennial Money: Turn your quarantine clutter into money

I placed more online orders than I can count in 2020. And I justified all of them. My front porch was filled with boxes containing all sorts of things: furniture (I needed to redecorate), paper towels (I needed to stock up), crafts (I needed activities), board games (more activities) and a treadmill (I needed exercise). […]

Australia news media 'large and small' discuss Google deals

Google was quickly negotiating generous deals with big and small Australian media companies to pay for news as the Parliament considers forcing digital giants into such agreements, a minister said on Wednesday. Seven West Media on Monday became the largest Australian news media business to strike a deal with Google to pay for journalism and […]

Pennsylvania emerges as online misinformation hot spot

A single voting machine jammed for just minutes Tuesday morning at a precinct in Joe Biden’s hometown of Scranton, Pennsylvania — but misleading posts on Facebook and Twitter claimed multiple machines there were down for hours. Pennsylvania emerged as a hot spot for online misinformation on Election Day. Facebook and Twitter scrambled to take down […]

Phone flip: New Quibi series 'Wireless' empowers the viewer

NEW YORK (AP) — Most directors insist on having final edit approval of their films. Not the creators of “Wireless.” The series on the mobile-platform Quibi employs an ingenious way to tell a story on a smartphone: You see different things on the screen depending on whether you hold your phone vertically or horizontally. Horizontally, […]