Tuesday, August 31, 2021

VPNs in India Should Be Blocked, Parliamentary Panel Again Urges Government

The Parliamentary Standing Committee on Home Affairs has urged the government to block virtual private networks (VPNs) in India, citing VPN services as a "technological challenge" that could lead... https://ift.tt/3t5rPKn

South Korea Passes Bill to Curb Google, Apple Commission Dominance

A landmark bill passed in South Korea's parliament bans major app store operators such as Google and Apple from forcing software developers to use their payment systems, effectively stopping them from... https://ift.tt/3zAZluv

As ad revenue surges, Alphabet shares are up 65% over 2021, and up more than 7% in August to reach a record high of $2,891.81, the longest rally since 2009 (Ryan Vlastelica/Bloomberg)

Ryan Vlastelica / Bloomberg:
As ad revenue surges, Alphabet shares are up 65% over 2021, and up more than 7% in August to reach a record high of $2,891.81, the longest rally since 2009  —  - Shares are poised for their eighth straight month of gains  — Yearly rise nearly twice as much as Facebook, Microsoft



Sources and experts say US-funded Afghan government databases containing sensitive personal data could be used by the Taliban to identify millions of Afghans (MIT Technology Review)

MIT Technology Review:
Sources and experts say US-funded Afghan government databases containing sensitive personal data could be used by the Taliban to identify millions of Afghans  —  By capturing 40 pieces of data per person—from iris scans and family links to their favorite fruit—a system meant to cut fraud …



At the behest of South Korean regulators, payments service Kakao lowers its IPO target to ~$1.3B at the top of the range, down from ~$1.4B (Sohee Kim/Bloomberg)

Sohee Kim / Bloomberg:
At the behest of South Korean regulators, payments service Kakao lowers its IPO target to ~$1.3B at the top of the range, down from ~$1.4B  —  - Regulators asked the startup to revise its IPO prospectus  — Krafton's lukewarm debut has soured sentiment domestically



TikTok parent ByteDance acquires VR headset maker Pico

In a statement issued to the publication, ByteDance said that Pico's "comprehensive suite of software and hardware technologies, as well as the talent and deep expertise of the team, will support both our entry to the VR space and long-term investment in this emerging field". https://ift.tt/3kBpsv7

OpenAI unveils policy proposals for a world with superintelligence: higher capital gains taxes, a public AI investment fund, strengthened safety nets, and more (Amrith Ramkumar/Wall Street Journal)

Amrith Ramkumar / Wall Street Journal : OpenAI unveils policy proposals for a world with superintelligence: higher capital gains taxes, a...