Friday, June 4, 2021

Biden issues an order banning US investment in 59 Chinese tech companies that aid surveillance, substantially expanding on an earlier order issued by Trump (David E. Sanger/New York Times)

David E. Sanger / New York Times:
Biden issues an order banning US investment in 59 Chinese tech companies that aid surveillance, substantially expanding on an earlier order issued by Trump  —  The new order includes firms engaged in making and deploying the surveillance technology used against Muslim minorities and dissidents around the globe.



Survey of Americans: since 2019, smartphone ownership increased 4% to 85% and broadband subscriptions rose 4% to 77%; 30% report internet connectivity issues (Andrew Perrin/Pew Research Center)

Andrew Perrin / Pew Research Center:
Survey of Americans: since 2019, smartphone ownership increased 4% to 85% and broadband subscriptions rose 4% to 77%; 30% report internet connectivity issues  —  Smartphone ownership and home broadband adoption are up slightly since 2019.  And 30% of Americans say they at least sometimes …



How to turn Zoom’s audio notifications on or off

As important as this feature might sound, at times it can start getting on your nerves especially when you are a part of the Zoom meeting and people are joining and leaving the meeting.If that’s the case with you and looking for a way to turn the notification off, here are the steps you are supposed to follow. https://ift.tt/3pkydeY

Moto G Stylus 5G Leaked Render Tips 48-Megapixel Quad Rear Camera

Moto G Stylus 5G press renders have been leaked online by tipster Evan Blass (@evleaks). Previous reports suggest the smartphone could be powered by a Snapdragon 480 SoC and come in 4GB and 6GB RAM... https://ift.tt/3cibwTo

EU Commission Clarifies Revamped Copyright Rules Amid Criticism

The European Commission sought to clarify the scope and liability of revised copyright rules adopted last year in an effort to defuse criticism from France, Poland, EU broadcasters, and Internet... https://ift.tt/2SZtnHL

FBI Says It Is Investigating About 100 Types of Ransomware: Report

FBI Director Christopher Wray told the Wall Street Journal that the agency is investigating about 100 different types of ransomware, many of which trace back to actors in Russia. https://ift.tt/3uR9U9I

Facebook Marketplace in EU, UK Antitrust Crosshairs

European Union and the UK have launched antitrust investigations into Facebook's use of advertising data in its classified ads business, probes that could force it to change its business model on top... https://ift.tt/3ikOYoO

Germany's antitrust regulator says it will probe Google News Showcase to check if Google's terms offer "unreasonable conditions" to publishers (Bloomberg)

Bloomberg:
Germany's antitrust regulator says it will probe Google News Showcase to check if Google's terms offer “unreasonable conditions” to publishers  —  - Cartel office has opened multiple probes in recent weeks  — Regulator is wielding new powers to take on U.S. tech giants



How to use Zoom for video calls

Zoom meeting app is being popularly these days by educational institutions and organizations. Here are steps on how to use it. https://ift.tt/34PVqwd

HBO Max Takes First Step Towards a 'Potential Future' India Launch

HBO Max India launch takes its first step with the hiring of Disney+'s Amit Malhotra as the managing director for HBO Max in Southeast Asia and India. Malhotra will help upgrade HBO Go Asia into HBO... https://ift.tt/3wTEXmA

Watch: Battlegrounds Mobile India Gets New Teaser, Shows PUBG's UAZ Jeep

Battlegrounds Mobile India's new teaser shows the UAZ jeep from PUBG and mentions the Erangel map. It confirms that the game will have the Erangel map. Now whether it will be exactly the same as... https://ift.tt/3cgVYiW

MIT Researchers Create Programmable Digital Fibre, Can Be Sewn Into Fabrics

A team of researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) has invented a fibre with digital capabilities that can sense, store, analyse, and infer activities after it's sewn into a... https://ift.tt/3z1I3XD

EU and UK open antitrust investigations into Facebook's classified ad service Marketplace, ramping up regulatory scrutiny for the company in Europe (Sam Schechner/Wall Street Journal)

Sam Schechner / Wall Street Journal:
EU and UK open antitrust investigations into Facebook's classified ad service Marketplace, ramping up regulatory scrutiny for the company in Europe  —  Investigations into classified-ads service Marketplace ramp up regulatory scrutiny on the company in Europe



Alphabet's Waymo partners with Google Maps to offer autonomous rides

The service, called Waymo One, will be added in the "ride-sharing and transit" tabs of the Maps app, Waymo said. Waymo One currently offers fully autonomous rides in the East Valley of Phoenix, Arizona. https://ift.tt/3uSvjiJ

Motorola Defy Series Could Soon Be Relaunched: Report

Motorola Defy series could soon be relaunched. It is tipped to launch in markets outside India. The upcoming smartphone was earlier spotted on Google Play Console listing and Geekbench. It is expected... https://ift.tt/2S0aDbj

Sources: Ross Nordeen, the last remaining cofounder at xAI, left the company on Friday; Nordeen reported directly to Elon Musk as his right-hand operator (Grace Kay/Business Insider)

Grace Kay / Business Insider : Sources: Ross Nordeen, the last remaining cofounder at xAI, left the company on Friday; Nordeen reported d...