Technology

Robots help fight COVID-19

Robots are one group of workers on the frontline that have managed well though the pandemic. They are now recognised as an extremely valuable technology in the attempt to keep COVID-19 under control and look after those infected with the virus. These include things like the decontamination of hospitals and public spaces or delivering goods […]

Why trust is important in the digital world

As our lives become more dominated by digital services with many aspects of our day-to-day activities fully controllable by our phones and tablets, the question of trust in our technology providers has become more important. Whether you’re buying groceries, dealing in real estate, seeking health advice, finding life partners or even the security of the […]

Lebron James, Spotify, HBO among 2020 Webby Award winners

LOS ANGELES (AP) — LeBron James, Jimmy Fallon, Spotify and HBO are among the 2020 Webby Award winners for internet excellence. The International Academy of Digital Arts and Sciences announced the winners Tuesday. Fallon’s “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon” won a Webby for best social media for promoting a celebrity, while James was honored […]

China warns US of 'all necessary measures' over Huawei rules

BEIJING (AP) — China’s commerce ministry says it will take “all necessary measures” in response to new U.S. restrictions on Chinese tech giant Huawei’s ability to use American technology, calling the measures an abuse of state power and a violation of market principles. An unidentified spokesperson quoted Sunday in a statement on the ministry’s website […]

Google's smart-city plan is no more

Sidewalk Labs, a part of Google’s Alphabet company, has suddenly cancelled an ambitious (or, as many critics had it, “overweening”) plan to transform a largely derelict section of Toronto’s waterfront some 1.5 kilometres east of the Downtown district into a “super-smart city”. They have now used the ‘unpredictability of COVID-19’ excuse, they have now abandoned […]

Faxes and email: Old technology slows COVID-19 response

By FRANK BAJAK AP Technology Writer On April 1, a researcher at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention emailed Nevada public health counterparts for lab reports on two travelers who had tested positive for the coronavirus. She asked Nevada to send those records via a secure network or a “password protected encrypted file” to […]

Dutch authority to investigate TikTok privacy for children's data

TikTok privacy settings and security have been called into question by a Dutch data protection authority. Amid the growing popularity of TikTok – ByteDance Ltd’s social media app – the increasing number of younger users has raised concerns about data privacy. As such, the clarity, user friendliness, and navigation features for children will be investigated. […]

Why open a store? Chinese merchants go livestreaming instead

By ZEN SOO AP Business Writer HONG KONG (AP) — At the height of China’s coronavirus outbreak, the skincare-products maker Forest Cabin closed more than half of its 300 stores across the nation as shoppers stayed home. With sales plunging, founder Sun Laichun decided it was time to reach his customers more directly. “We knew […]