Google considers alternatives to Hong Kong for undersea cable
By: Financial Times June 24, 2020 Google is contemplating different locations for a deliberate high-speed web cable after the US authorities warned it towards constructing the hyperlink to Hong Kong for safety causes. “We are looking at alternatives. You always have alternative plans or are evaluating alternatives,” stated Thomas Kurian, the pinnacle of Google’s cloud […]
The Arbiters of Truth in the Digital Age
There has been much ado recently about whether social media platforms are, or should be gatekeepers of information, thereby acting as arbiters of truth. Currently, platforms like Facebook, Youtube, Twitter, WeChat, Weibo and Tiktok perform several functions that arguably do install them squarely in the gatekeeper seat: Content moderation – requires judgment by these platforms, […]
China’s quantum satellite helps send secure messages over 1200km
By: New Scientist August 15, 2020 Two observatories in China have used a quantum communications satellite to send an encrypted message a record-breaking 1200 kilometres – a major step towards building a secure quantum internet. China launched its Micius quantum satellite in 2016. It produces pairs of photons that are quantum entangled, meaning the measured state of one […]
Amazon Halts Police Use Of Its Facial Recognition Technology
By: NPR June 12, 2020 Amazon announced on Wednesday a one-year moratorium on police use of its facial-recognition technology, yielding to pressure from police-reform advocates and civil rights groups. It is unclear how many law enforcement agencies in the U.S. deploy Amazon’s artificial intelligence tool, but an official with the Washington County Sheriff’s Office in Oregon confirmed […]
The Global Implications of “Re-education” Technologies in Northwest China
By: Newlines Institute June 08, 2020 Since May 2014, when Chinese Communist Party Secretary Zhang Chunxian announced the People’s War on Terror in the Uighur region, Chinese technology firms have received billions of dollars in Chinese state capital to build a comprehensive Muslim “re-education” system in Northwest China. Over the same period of time they have created a […]
Protests Renew Scrutiny of Tech’s Ties to Law Enforcement
By: Wired June 02, 2017 THE COLLECTIVE OUTRAGE over the murder of George Floyd has led to nationwide protests, renewed calls for police reform, and uncharacteristically swift support for racial equity from Silicon Valley leaders. The backlash has been swift as well. Critics are calling out many companies now pledging support for Black Lives Matter, accusing them of […]
A Tokyo Hospital Is Live Streaming Surgeries In Virtual Reality
By: Futurism May 29, 2020 In order to protect medical students and doctors during the coronavirus pandemic, a hospital in Tokyo has started livestreaming surgical procedures in virtual reality for students stuck at home. At Tokyo Women’s Medical University, which is known for experimenting with medical robots and AI algorithms, surgeons are now performing operations […]
Creepy Technologies Invade European Workplaces
By: Bloomberg May 22, 2017 A “Romware Covid Radius bracelet” beeps every time a Tata Steel Ltd. worker in the U.K. or a docker at Belgium’s Antwerp port is within virus-catching distance of someone. At Bouygues SA construction sites and in Sanofi and Schneider Electric SE offices in France employees enter after thermal cameras check […]
Oops: China Just Dropped a Huge Rocket Piece Back to Earth
By: Futurism May 12, 2020 Parts of China’s gigantic Long March 5B rocket finally made their uncontrolled descent back to Earth on Monday, CNN reports. Pieces of debris soared over the continental United States before splashing into the Atlantic Monday afternoon, as confirmed by the US Air Force. “For a large object like this, dense […]