News

Mastercard to abandon magnetic strip on cards by 2033

Mastercard announced on Thursday its plans to halt the issuance of cards with a magnetic strip by 2033.  The global financial firm will have strip-less debt and credit cards in Europe starting from 2024, and across the globe by 2033, Mastercard declared in a statement.   The company claimed that it will be the first payments network to phase out the technology, which dates to the 1960s.   “Magnetic strip is reaching its expiration date with […]

Moscow court fines Google for controversial material

A Moscow court penalized on Tuesday Alphabet Inc’s Google with a sum of $142,877 for violating the state’s rules on prohibited content, amidst the latest clash between Big Tech companies and the Russian state. The Tagansky District Court fined search engine titan Google with five independent fines of approximately $190,000 for not deleting content banned […]

Despite seizing power, Taliban is still banned from Facebook

The Taliban’s content will remain banned on Facebook, the company confirmed to Sky News on Tuesday, as the group is considered a dangerous terrorist organization under the site’s policies. The Taliban seized power over Afghanistan nearly 20 years after the U.S. war with the country ended. However, the organization is listed under a Specially Designated […]

US agencies scrub websites to protect Afghans left behind

Multiple federal agencies that operated in Afghanistan and worked with Afghan citizens have been hastily purging their websites, removing articles and photos that could endanger the Afghan civilians who interacted with them and now fear retribution from the Taliban. The online scrubbing campaign appeared to begin late last week when it became clear that the […]

Fed's Powell: There's no returning to pre-pandemic economy

Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell said Tuesday that the U.S. economy has been permanently changed by the COVID pandemic and it is important that the central bank adapt to those changes. “We’re not simply going back to the economy that we had before the pandemic,” Powell said at a Fed virtual town hall for educators […]

Walmart is on the lookout for a cryptocurrency expert

Walmart is officially joining the cryptocurrency bandwagon. The popular American retailer posted on the company’s job listing a new position for a senior director to develop digital currency products, with the potential of including cryptocurrency payments.   If you’re still warming up to the idea of cryptocurrency disrupting our traditional means of finance, then you might be moving on a slower pace as an increasing number of Fortune 500 companies are beginning to work with the digital currencies.   Walmart’s move […]

Indian politician back on Twitter following controversial post

Rahul Gandhi, leader of India’s largest opposition party is back on Twitter.   After being blocked from the social networking site for sharing a photo of himself with the parents of a girl who was allegedly raped and murdered in New Delhi, Twitter decided to reinstate Gandhi and his political community within their digital sphere.  Gandhi’s tweet — which has been shared around by […]

Twitter is changing their look after complaints flooded the platform

Twitter is learning a hard lesson on the importance of accessibility. After releasing on Wednesday new designs that were meant to make the platform more accessible, the micro-blogging website said it was “listening and iterating” its design based on feedback from users.  No one said change was easy, but for Twitter users, the adjustments felt like they’ve been listening to construction work […]

China’s 5-year plan stiffens Big Tech regulations

The Chinese government revealed on Wednesday a five-year plan sketching the state’s scheme to strengthen its regulation grasp on much of its economy. The documentation, referencing Chairman Mao, came as a follow-up to Beijing’s recent regulations wave targeting the nation’s various industries and sectors. Beijing’s plan clarifies that additional rules will be endorsed to empower […]

How Reddit raised its value to $10 billion

After doubling its value in only six months, Reddit, the social networking site often labeled as the front page of the internet, is now worth more than $10 billion after earning $410 million in funding.  The company announced the milestone through an in-depth interview with The New York Times, in which Reddit’s co-founder and CEO Steve Huffman disclosed how the company managed to raise its value in a short […]