The U.S. Justice Department said on Monday it will hold a “listening session” with officials from more than a dozen states on Tuesday to discuss consumer protection and the technology industry, an agency official said. The meeting, first announced on Sept. 5, was called by Attorney General Jeff Sessions to …
your ad hereInstagram Co-founders Resign
The co-founders of Instagram are resigning their positions with the social media company. Chief Executive Kevin Systrom said in a statement late Monday that he and Mike Krieger plan to leave the company in the next few weeks. Krieger is chief technical officer. They founded the photo-sharing app …
your ad hereAP Explains: The US Push to Boost ‘Quantum Computing’
A race by U.S. tech companies to build a new generation of powerful “quantum computers” could get a $1.3 billion boost from Congress, fueled in part by lawmakers’ fear of growing competition from China. Legislation passed earlier in September by the U.S. House of Representatives would create a 10-year federal …
your ad hereFacebook Hires New India Head in Midst of Fake News Controversy
Facebook has hired Ajit Mohan of the Indian streaming service Hotstar to run its India division, in the midst of accusations from the Indian government that the company’s WhatsApp messaging service has helped trigger mob violence. Mohan has been CEO of Hotstar since 2016, according to his LinkedIn. Mohan’s appointment …
your ad hereTalking Gloves and Tactile Windows Provide Help for the Disabled
New technologies are helping people who are disabled with physical, cognitive, vision and hearing problems. Some promising new tools include a digital glove that translates sign language, and tactile windows for people who are blind. More from VOA’s Deborah Block. …
your ad hereTechnology Enhances Food Delivery Experiences
Self-driving technology is making online shopping a more convenient, more cost-effective experience. One new startup in San Jose, California, is launching a fully driverless delivery service, which many predict is something customers will be seeing a lot more of in the future. Faiza Elmasry takes a look at how these …
your ad hereFacebook to Drop On-site Support for Political Campaigns
Facebook Inc. said Thursday that it would no longer dispatch employees to the offices of political campaigns to offer support ahead of elections, as it did with U.S. President Donald Trump in the 2016 race. The company and other major online ad sellers, including Alphabet Inc.’s Google and Twitter Inc., have long offered free dedicated assistance …
your ad hereEU Getting ‘Impatient’ with Facebook Over Consumer Data Use
The European Union’s consumer protection chief said Thursday she’s growing impatient with Facebook’s efforts to improve transparency with users about their data, warning it could face sanctions for not complying. EU Consumer Commissioner Vera Jourova turned up the pressure on the social media giant, saying she wants the company to …
your ad hereFor My Birthday, Please Give: Facebook Feature Raises Cash for Causes
When Behnoush Babzani turned 35, she threw a party. She also used her birthday to ask friends to donate to a cause she cares about deeply: helping people who need bone marrow transplants. She herself received a bone marrow transplant from her brother. “It’s not that my body was making …
your ad hereFacebook’s Birthday Fundraiser Feature Brings Smiles to Charitable Causes
Facebook has always been a convenient way to send birthday wishes to friends. But many users have started taking advantage of a new feature introduced a year ago by the popular social networking site to turn birthday wishes into donations to help a favorite cause. And it’s turned into a …
your ad hereAmazon’s Use of Merchant Data Under EU Microscope
EU regulators are quizzing merchants and others on U.S. online retailer Amazon’s use of their data to discover whether there is a need for action, Europe’s antitrust chief said on Wednesday. The comments by European Competition Commissioner Margrethe Vestager came as the world’s largest online retailer faces calls for more …
your ad hereTranslation Apps and Devices Take Off As Travelers Look to Connect
How to communicate with someone who speaks a different language? It’s an age-old problem. But now with an explosion of translation apps and devices, Michelle Quinn reports that overcoming language barriers is becoming easier. …
your ad hereKenya Taxi Drivers Create New Ride Hailing App
In Kenya, a new taxi hailing app developed by local taxi drivers is in its fourth month of operation in Nairobi. Dubbed BebaBeba by the Drivers and Partners Association of Kenya (DPAK), it was created to compete with Uber and other ride hailing apps. Rael Ombuor reports from Nairobi. …
your ad hereAudi Launches Electric SUV in Tesla’s Backyard
German luxury car brand Audi this week staged the global launch of a new electric sport utility vehicle on the home turf of rival Tesla, and highlighted a deal with Amazon.com Inc. to make recharging its forthcoming e-tron models easier. The Audi e-tron midsize SUV will be offered in the …
your ad hereUkrainians Relive Bloodshed of Kyiv’s Maidan in Virtual Reality
A volunteer medic and the man whose life he saved. A lawmaker whose Facebook post calling for protests in Kyiv’s Maidan square helped bring down a president. These are some of the characters featured in a virtual reality reconstruction of the bloodiest day in the 2013-14 street demonstrations in Ukraine, …
your ad hereWill Flying Cars Take Off? Japan’s Government Hopes So
Electric drones booked through smartphones pick people up from office rooftops, shortening travel time by hours, reducing the need for parking and clearing smog from the air. This vision of the future is driving the Japanese government’s “flying car” project. Major carrier All Nippon Airways, electronics company NEC Corp. and …
your ad hereSpaceX’s First Private Passenger is Japanese Fashion Magnate Maezawa
SpaceX, Elon Musk’s space transportation company, on Monday named its first private passenger as Japanese businessman Yusaku Maezawa, the founder and chief executive of online fashion retailer Zozo. A former drummer in a punk band, billionaire Maezawa will take a trip around the moon planned for 2023 aboard its forthcoming …
your ad hereTesla’s Musk Sued for Calling Thai Cave Rescuer Pedophile
Elon Musk, the chief executive of Tesla, was sued for defamation on Monday for falsely suggesting that a British caver who helped save 12 boys and their soccer coach from a Thailand cave in July was a pedophile and child rapist. Vernon Unsworth sued over Musk’s reference to him in …
your ad hereWhy Robots That Look Too Human Make Some People Uneasy
Researchers are working to create robots that can do all types of jobs and now some scientists are trying to make androids – or robots that appear human. But androids can make some people feel uneasy. VOA’s Elizabeth Lee explains this feeling or phenomenon known as the “uncanny valley.” …
your ad hereZuckerberg Says Facebook ‘Better Prepared’ for Election Meddling
Facebook is better prepared to defend against efforts to manipulate the platform to influence elections and has recently thwarted foreign influence campaigns targeting several countries, chief executive Mark Zuckerberg said Thursday. Zuckerberg, posting on his Facebook page, outlined a series of steps the leading social network has taken to protect …
your ad hereUpdated Apple System Takes on Smartphone Addiction
Apple’s polished iPhone line-up comes with tools to help users dial back their smartphone obsessions, amid growing concerns over “addiction” and harmful effects on children. An iOS 12 mobile operating system that will power new iPhones unveiled on Wednesday, and be pushed out as an update to prior models, has …
your ad hereApple Unveils Larger iPhones, Health-Oriented Watches
Apple Inc unveiled larger iPhones and watches based on the design of current models on Wednesday, confirming Wall Street expectations that the company is making only minor changes to its lineup. The world’s most valuable tech company wants users to upgrade to newer, more expensive devices as a way to …
your ad hereInternet Group Backs ‘National’ Data Privacy Approach
A group representing major internet companies including Facebook, Amazon.com and Alphabet said on Tuesday it backed modernizing U.S. data privacy rules but wants a national approach that would preempt California’s new regulations that take effect in 2020. The Internet Association, a group representing more than 40 major internet and technology …
your ad hereStudy: US Teens Prefer Remote Chats to Face-to-Face Meetings
American teenagers are starting to prefer communicating via text instead of meeting face-to-face, according to a study published Monday by the independent organization Common Sense Media. Some 35 percent of kids aged 13 to 17 years old said they would rather send a text than meet up with people, which …
your ad hereSurvey: Number of Americans Getting News on Social Media Slows
About two-thirds of American adults say they occasionally get their news from social media, according to a survey released Monday by the Pew Research Center. The number is 1 percent more than last year, indicating a slowdown in the growth of news consumption on social media. Despite the popularity of …
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