Technology
TikTok files complaint against Trump administration to block US ban
Technology|: Washington: Popular video-sharing app TikTok has asked a US judge to block the Trump administration from enforcing a ban on the Chinese social media network, according to court documents filed late on Friday. TikTok and its parent company, ByteDance Ltd., filed a complaint in a Washington federal court challenging the recent prohibitory moves by the Trump administration. See more Photos: New products, services rolled out by Apple Get set to climb UAE’s tallest restaurant location from October 1 Mexico holds symbolic raffle for unwanted presidential jet Chinese firms bet on plant-based meat as COVID-19 fuels healthy eating trend With airline fleets grounded, plane recyclers bet on parts boom The US Commerce Department announced a ban on Friday blocking people in the United States from downloading Chinese-owned messaging app WeChat and TikTok starting Sept. 20. The ban was being introduced for political reasons, TikTok and ByteDance alleged in their complaint. TikTok also said the ban would violate the company’s First Amendment rights. US President Donald Trump, who has been locked in a long-running trade dispute with China, issued an executive order on Aug. 6 that prohibited U.S. transactions with the Chinese owners of messaging app WeChat and TikTok. Both ByteDance and TikTok are seeking a “declaratory” judgment and an order “invalidating and preliminarily and permanently enjoining the Prohibitions and the August 6 order,” according to the complaint. The White House did not immediately respond when Reuters contacted it for comment early on Saturday. TikTok, which has over 100 million users in the United States, said the ban would “irreversibly destroy the TikTok business in the U.S.”
Scientists use Indian Ocean earthquake data to tell how fast it is warming
Scientists have developed a novel method to determine how fast the Indian Ocean is warming by analysing the sound from seabed earthquakes, an advance that may lead to a relatively low-cost technique to monitor water temperatures in all of the oceans.
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Australia to amend law making Facebook, Google pay for news
Technology|: Canberra: Australia’s fair trade regulator Rod Sims, chair of the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission, said he would give his final draft of the laws to make Facebook and Google pay Australian media companies for the news content they use by early October. See more Photos: Egypt's blossoming trade in fragrant jasmine flowers Billionaire car-part supplier aims to triple sales in five years Vanishing jobs and empty offices plague Britain's retailers Photos: Czech guitar maker born of necessity woos stars Photos: Unemployment rate rises due to coronavirus Facebook has warned it might block Australian news content rather than pay for it. Google has said the proposed laws would result in ``dramatically worse Google Search and YouTube,’’ put free services at risk and could lead to users’ data ``being handed over to big news businesses.’’ Sims said he is discussing the draft of his bill with the U.S. social media platforms. It could be introduced into Parliament in late October. ``Google has got concerns about it, some of it is that they just don’t like it, others are things that we’re happily going to engage with them on,’’ Sims told a webinar hosted by The Australia Institute, an independent think-tank. ``We’ll make changes to address some of those issues -- not all, but some,’’ Sims said. Among the concerns is a fear that under the so-called News Media Bargaining Code, news businesses ``will be able to somehow control their algorithms,’’ Sims said. ``We’ll engage with them and clarify that so that there’s no way that the news media businesses can interfere with the algorithms of Google or Facebook,’’ Sims said. He said he would also clarify that the platforms would not have to disclose more data about users than they already share. ``There’s nothing in the code that forces Google or Facebook to share the data from individuals,’’ Sims said. Sims was not prepared to negotiate the ``core’’ of the code, which he described as the ``bits of glue that hold the code together, that make it workable.’’ These included an arbitrator to address the bargaining imbalance between the tech giants and news businesses. If a platform and a news outlet can’t reach an agreement on price, an arbitrator would be appointed to make a binding decision. Another core aspect was a non-discrimination clause to prevent the platforms from prioritizing Australia’s state-owned Australian Broadcasting Corp. and Special Broadcasting Service, whose news content will remain free. Sims said he did not know whether Facebook would act on its threat and block Australian news, but he suspected that to do so would ``weaken’’ the platform. Spain and France and have both failed to make Facebook and Google pay for news through copyright law. Sims said he has spoken about Australia’s approach through fair trading laws to regulators in the United States and Europe. ``They’re all wrestling with the same problem,’’ Sims said.
US bans WeChat, TikTok from app stores, threatens shutdowns
Technology|: Washington: The US Commerce Department said Friday it will ban Chinese-owned TikTok and WeChat from US app stores on Sunday and will bar the apps from accessing essential internet services in the U.S. _ a move that could effectively wreck the operation of both Chinese services for U.S. users. TikTok won’t face the most drastic sanctions until after the Nov. 3 election, but WeChat users could feel the effects as early as Sunday. See More More residential options added at Dubai south residential district Trees, birds, ponds: Mexico City's ancient lake reclaims scrapped airport Abu Dhabi: 9 places where rents have dropped in the capital Get set to climb UAE’s tallest restaurant location from October 1 Chinese firms bet on plant-based meat as COVID-19 fuels healthy eating trend With airline fleets grounded, plane recyclers bet on parts boom The order, which cited national security and data privacy concerns, follows weeks of dealmaking over the video-sharing service TikTok. President Donald Trump has pressured the app’s Chinese owner to sell TikTok’s U.S. operations to a domestic company to satisfy U.S. concerns over TikTok’s data collection and related issues. Oracle deal California tech giant Oracle recently struck a deal with TikTok along those lines, although details remain foggy and the administration is still reviewing it. Trump said Friday said he was open to a deal, noting that ``we have some great options and maybe we can keep a lot of people happy,’’ suggesting that even Microsoft, which said its TikTok bid had been rejected, might continue to be involved, as well as Oracle and Walmart. Trump noted that TikTok was ``very, very popular,” said ``we have to have the total security from China,” and added that ``we can do a combination of both.’’ The new order puts pressure on TikTok’s owner, ByteDance, to make further concessions, said James Lewis of the Center for Strategic and International Studies. Trump had said this week that he does not like the idea of ByteDance keeping majority control of TikTok. TikTok expressed ``disappointment’’ over the move and said it would continue to challenge President Donald Trump’s ``unjust executive order.’’ The Commerce Department is enacting an order announced by President Donald Trump in August. TikTok sued to stop that ban. WeChat owner Tencent said in an emailed statement that it will continue to discuss ways to address concerns with the government and look for long-term solutions. Google and Apple, the owners of the major mobile app stores, did not immediately reply to questions. Oracle also did not reply. ``At the President’s direction, we have taken significant action to combat China’s malicious collection of American citizens’ personal data, while promoting our national values, democratic rules-based norms, and aggressive enforcement of U.S. laws and regulations,” Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross said in a prepared statement. Security concerns The action is the Trump administration’s latest attempt to counter the influence of China, a rising economic superpower. Since taking office in 2017, Trump has waged a trade war with China, blocked mergers involving Chinese companies and stifled the business of Chinese firms like Huawei, a maker of phones and telecom equipment. China-backed hackers, meanwhile, have been blamed for data breaches of U.S. federal databases and the credit agency Equifax, and the Chinese government strictly limits what U.S. tech companies can do in China. The order requires WeChat, which has millions of U.S. users who rely on the app to stay in touch and conduct business with people and companies in China, to end payments for business transactions through its service as of Sunday and prohibits it from obtaining vital technical services from vendors. The Justice Department said in a filing that it would not target users with criminal or civil penalties for messaging on the app. WeChat users have sued to stop the ban, and a federal judge in California on Friday set an emergency hearing for Saturday at 1:30 p.m. Pacific time. Similar technical limitations for TikTok don’t go into effect until Nov. 12, shortly after the U.S. election. Ross said early Friday on Fox Business Network that access to that app may be possible if certain safeguards are put into place. TikTok says it has 100 million U.S. users and 700 million globally. Nicholas Weaver, a computer science lecturer at UC Berkeley, said the actions taking effect Sunday are short-sighted and suggest that ``the U.S. is not to be trusted and not a friendly place for business.’’ Users, meanwhile, face a security ``nightmare’’ because they won’t be able to get app updates that fix bugs and security vulnerabilities, he said.
German prosecutors open homicide case after hacker attack on hospital leaves woman dead
News/Technology & Science: German prosecutors opened a homicide investigation on Friday into the case of a patient who died after a hospital in the western city of Duesseldorf was unable to admit her because its systems had been knocked out by a cyber attack.
ROG and ACRONYM announce partnership with new special edition Zephyrus G14
Technology|: Asus Republic of Gamers (ROG) has announced a collaboration with ACRONYM, a leading technical apparel design agency, creating a special edition ROG Zephyrus G14 gaming laptop with top-of-the-line hardware and a new vision for what technology can be. ROG x ACRONYM . Image Credit: Supplied ACRONYM co-founder Errolson Hugh and long-time collaborator, designer David Rudnick have designed and prototyped a new design language for the laptop. It features bespoke typefaces and material treatments, touching every aspect of the ROG Zephyrus G14. As always, ROG is committed to making premium gaming hardware for pro-level work and play, while also incorporating customization options for gamers to express themselves. ACRONYM designs consistently embody their belief that aesthetic expression is a form of freedom and through style, audiences can share their story. Pushing Engineering Limits The Zephyrus G14 converges style and technology, making the ultra slim gaming laptop the most powerful 14-inch offering on the market. It comes with hardware for both everyday multitasking and gaming, engineered with high-end materials that are lightweight and resilient enough during travel. . Image Credit: Supplied It boasts a punchy 8-core 16-thread AMD Ryzen 9 CPU alongside an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 GPU, giving it the power for content creation or streaming. You also find an IPS-level Pantone Validated display on it for color accuracy and ultra-smooth gaming performance. Taking premium to a new level, all of this comes housed in a compact 14-inch chassis at less than 20mm thin. From its magnesium alloy deck to its aluminium lid, the Zephyrus G14 is not only light but also strong. And visually, it sets itself apart via its one-of-a-kind AniMe Matrix LED display that offers gamers and creators a new platform to display custom animations, text effects and audio visualizers, with the ROG Zephyrus 14 ACRNM RMT01 exclusively equipped with eight ACRONYM designed animations. Expanding Premium Gaming . Image Credit: Supplied In the ROG Zephyrus G14 ACRNM RMT01, you get a design that pushes what is possible. It uses custom materials, etchings, specially developed paints and two original typefaces to bring ACRONYM’s vision to life. While its carbon black surfaces are sleek, a closer look reveals striking touches such as schematic markings and iconography that invite curiosity. ACRONYM even addresses the device’s packaging, building on its philosophy of sustainability and functionality. The ROG Zephyrus G14 ACRNM RMT01 comes with a unique ACRONYM Airpak laptop sleeve which is both reusable and recyclable. In combination, it represents a bold new perimeter in gaming technology, collating next-generation styling with next-generation hardware. . Image Credit: Supplied Availability and Pricing Reflecting the belief of Asus and ROG, customers will be able to take advantage of a free upgrade to a 2 Year Perfect Warranty that includes accidental damage protection from spills, drops and electrical surges. They will also benefit from a 1-month subscription to XBOX Game Pass, offering unlimited access to over 100 high-quality PC games on Windows 10. The ROG Zephyrus G14 ACRNM RMT01 is available now in the UAE, exclusively at Virgin Megastore Dubai Mall for Dh9,999.
