Twitter said it would make it easier to report misleading information about the voting process in Britain’s Dec. 12 election, less than a month after its global ban on political advertising comes into force.The microblogging site is a vital tool for candidates, political parties and journalists to break news and …
your ad hereEthical AI Learns Human Rights Framework
Artificial intelligence or AI, is broadly defined as the technology that allows machines to do tasks that only humans have done in the past. However, as that technology continues to advance there is a growing conversation about ensuring that machines aren’t just making decisions, but making ethical decisions. …
your ad hereFacebook Is Deleting the Name of the Potential Whistleblower
Facebook says it is deleting the name of the person who has been identified in conservative circles as the whistleblower who triggered a congressional impeachment inquiry into President Donald Trump’s actions.The company said Friday that mention of the potential whistleblower’s name violates Facebook’s “coordinating harm policy,” which prohibits material that …
your ad hereApple Rolls Out Health Records on iPhones for US Military Veterans
Apple Inc on Wednesday said that U.S. military veterans who use its iOS devices and get medical care from the Veterans Health Administration will be able to access their health records on the devices.The Department of Veterans Affairs runs the largest integrated health care system in the United States, with …
your ad herePeople Puzzled by Peculiar Texts, and No One Can Say Why
If you woke up Thursday to a weird text that seemed totally out of place, you aren’t alone. A mysterious wave of missives swept America’s phones overnight, delivering largely unintelligible messages from friends, family and the occasional ex.Friends who hadn’t talked to each other in months were jolted into chatting. …
your ad hereUS Raises Security Concerns Over Chinese-Owned TikTok
The social media application, TikTok, is booming in popularity especially with kids who use it to share short, usually funny videos. But TikTok’s parent company, ByteDance, is owned by China, and this is raising concerns by U.S. lawmakers worried about the security of the app’s American users. In Washington, Esha Sarai …
your ad hereUS: Saudis Recruited Twitter Workers to Spy on Critics
Saudi Arabia, frustrated by growing criticism of its leaders and policies on social media, recruited two Twitter employees to spy on thousands of accounts that included prominent opponents, prosecutors alleged Wednesday. The complaint unsealed in U.S. District Court in San Francisco detailed a coordinated effort by Saudi government officials …
your ad hereStudy: Russia’s Web-censoring Tool Sets Pace for Imitators
Russia is succeeding in imposing a highly effective internet censorship regime across thousands of disparate, privately owned providers in an effort also aimed at making government snooping pervasive, according to a study released Wednesday.The study by University of Michigan researchers says the model can be easily exported to other nations, …
your ad hereFormer Twitter Employees Charged With Spying for Saudi Arabia
The U.S. Justice Department has charged two former Twitter employees of spying on users on behalf of Saudi Arabia.The charges unsealed in a San Francisco court said Ali Alzabarah and Ahmad Abouammo used their employee credentials to access information about specific Twitter users.Abouammo, a U.S. citizen, was arrested Tuesday. Alzabarah, …
your ad hereTwitter to Give Users Option to Follow Topics
Twitter said Wednesday that it was rolling out a feature that lets users follow topics the way they do people, starting with sports and K-pop, as part of its efforts to bring in and keep more users on the service. The new “Topics” option was expected to be available …
your ad hereApple Launches New Privacy Website, but Policies Unchanged
Apple is expanding its website on privacy with more explanations about its commitments, though its policies and practices aren’t changing.The new site Wednesday is part of Apple’s ongoing push to distinguish itself from data-hungry, advertising-fueled rivals such as Google and Facebook.Apple’s privacy website is mostly a users’ guide with papers …
your ad hereGroup Says Misinformation on the Rise on Facebook
An advocacy group tracking misinformation says it has found an increase in fake political news shared on Facebook ahead of the 2020 presidential elections.The group, Avaaz, said Wednesday that it found that viral misinformation is still being spread on the social network despite measures Facebook has put in place since …
your ad hereAfrican-Made Mobile Phone Launched in Rwanda
Dubai-based Mara Group launched in October what it calls Africa’s first smartphone manufacturer in the Rwandan capital, Kigali. Mara Phone says its device is the first high specification, affordable smartphone made in Africa to compete in a market dominated by South Korean and Chinese brands. As Ruud Elmendorp reports from …
your ad hereTikTok Stresses Its Independence From China But US Lawmakers Unconvinced
TikTok, a video app popular with teens, stressed its independence from China in a letter to U.S. lawmakers but failed to convince Senator Josh Hawley, who chaired a hearing on Tuesday on the security of U.S. citizens’ personal data.TikTok, a unit of Chinese-based ByteDance Ltd., said in a letter to …
your ad hereUPS Drone Makes First Home Prescription Deliveries for CVS
United Parcel Service Flight Forward drones have flown prescription medications to the front lawn of a private home and to a retirement center, the UPS unit’s first revenue-generating deliveries for drugstore chain CVS Health.Flight Forward’s maiden delivery flight on Friday in Cary, North Carolina, beat rivals in one phase of …
your ad hereFueled by Teenagers, the Video App TikTok Raises Regulators Concerns
It has captured the attention of teenagers, celebrities and global brands.And now U.S. lawmakers and regulators are interested in TikTok, the video app downloaded by 1 billion people.According to Reuters, the U.S. government is launching a national security review into the Chinese company ByteDance’s 2017 acquisition of U.S. app Musical.ly. …
your ad hereBringing Seniors Into the Digital Age
This generation of children are called digital natives because they have grown up in a digital world. But there are two generations of older people and many disadvantaged people for whom the digital world is a mystery. A computer science teacher in Washington DC is working to change that. VOA’s …
your ad hereSpace Shipment Launched with Sports Car Parts, Cookie Oven
A supply ship rocketed toward the International Space Station on Saturday with sports car parts, an oven for baking cookies and a vest to protect against radiation. Northrop Grumman launched its Cygnus capsule for NASA from Wallops Island, Virginia. The 8,200-pound shipment (3,700 kilograms) should reach the orbiting lab …
your ad hereUS to Religious Freedom Violators: ‘You Will Be Held to Account’
The United States is painting a bleak portrait of religious freedom, with violations in countries including North Korea, Iran, Russia, Myanmar and China, while praising Uzbekistan for its progress in respecting people’s fundamental rights. U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Friday released the State Department’s 2018 Report on International …
your ad hereTrump Warns Iran that US ‘Cocked & Loaded’ but ‘In No Hurry’
Capitol Hill correspondent Katherine Gypson and VOA Persian’s Katherine Ahn contributed to this report from Washington. The United States was “cocked & loaded,” ready to strike three sites in Iran in retaliation for the downing of a U.S. drone over the Strait of Hormuz but called off the attacks at the last possible …
your ad hereUS Official Urges Ending Kosovo Trade Taxes Against Serbia
A U.S. State Department official has called for an end to Kosovo’s taxes on Serbian goods so that European Union-mediated talks on resolving the dispute between the former war foes could resume. Deputy Assistant Secretary of State Matthew Palmer said Monday full normalization of relations between Serbia and its former …
your ad hereVirginia City to Divest Budget Funds From Fossil Fuels
Officials in Charlottesville, Virginia, have voted to divest the city’s operating budget investments from any entity involved in the production of fossil fuels or weapons. WVIR-TV reports the City Council voted 4-1 last week to complete those divestments within the next 30 days. Supporters of divestment argued that …
your ad hereBoris Johnson to EU: I Won’t Pay Unless Deal Improved
Former Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson is stepping up his campaign to be Britain’s next prime minister by challenging the European Union over Brexit terms. Johnson told the Sunday Times he would refuse to pay the agreed-upon 39 billion-pound ($50 billion) divorce settlement unless the EU offers Britain a better withdrawal …
your ad hereTrade Experts Unruffled About Rare Earth Minerals Supply
Rising trade tensions between the U.S. and China have sparked worries about the 17 exotic-sounding rare earth minerals needed for high-tech products like robotics, drones and electric cars. China recently raised tariffs to 25% on rare earth exports to the U.S. and has threatened to halt exports altogether after …
your ad hereG-20 Finance Leaders’ Goal: Adapt to Turmoil in Trade, Tech
Financial leaders of the Group of 20 gathered Saturday to brainstorm ways to adapt global finance to an age of trade turmoil and digital disruptions. The central bank governors and other financial regulators meeting in this southern Japanese port city also flagged risks from upsets to the global economy as …
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