politics

Huawei is probably thanking its lucky stars that it got off easy. The US government might be working to block sales and use of its products in the country, but it remains unhindered in making such products and selling them elsewhere, even indirectly in the US. Unfortunately for ZTE, it might be facing the worst challenge to its smartphone business yet. And while this single instance could be justified in some way, the sanctions imposed by the US government could pose problems for the entire mobile industry it left unchecked.

Continue Reading

Facebook is updating its Ads and Pages rules to make them more transparent, in the aftermath of Russian adverts designed to manipulate the 2016 US election. The social network has faced considerable criticism from several quarters over how easily foreign bad actors were able to buy targeted advertising and attempt to use it in order to shape political opinion.

Continue Reading

It’s almost too easy to start a war. All it takes is for someone in power (after all, those without power can’t start wars) to say something that offends another person in power who, in turn, says something back. It’s not easy, however, to end the war or to pick up the broken pieces. In the case of a trade war like the one brewing between the US and China, those pieces are the consumers from both sides. Because in a clash of titans, it’s the little humans below that get stomped on.

Continue Reading

Facebook has been burned and it is burning others in turn. And wherever there is fire, there will always be damages on either side. Facebook has just announced what is probably its boldest and biggest fake accounts takedown. And while 270 or so accounts pales in comparison to the thousands it already removed, it’s the source of the accounts that makes it such a big move. Facebook has taken down most, but probably not all, accounts and pages connected to the Russian Internet Research Agency, the notorious Internet troll factory blamed for manipulating the outcome of the 2016 US presidential elections.

Continue Reading

Russia has successfully tested its new ICBM missile, the country's Ministry of Defense has claimed, a long range weapon that could fly more than 7,000 miles. Officially known as Sarmat, the intercontinental ballistic missile has been nicknamed "Satan 2" and is the planned successor to Russia's Soviet-era Voevoda, or SS-18 Satan, missile.

Continue Reading

Facebook is being called to account for how it handled Cambridge Analytica's misuse of data and American vote manipulation, with lawmakers demanding answers for what the social site insists was not a data breach. Reports last week revealed that, thanks to several hundred thousand Facebook users voluntarily taking part in a supposed psychology test, the data of approximately 50m users was then extracted.

Continue Reading

As the US continues to uncover the effects of Russian manipulation on its elections, Facebook has found itself desperately trying to fix its platform to eliminate interference and regain trust. Now the social media company has come up with one solution to improve its advertising during the US elections to come: physically mailing verification postcards.

Continue Reading

Remember WannaCry? If you don’t or never even heard about it, this latest public statement coming from the US will probably make sure you won’t. The ransomware that plagued Windows computers in the first half of the year has been blamed for not a few outages of computer systems all over the country, including some life-critical ones in hospitals. And now, the mastermind behind WannaCry has been finally unmasked. At least according to the US. And, unsurprisingly, it is pointing the finger at North Korea.

Continue Reading

The $7,500 tax credit for electric car buyers in the US faces an unexpected premature death, with a new Republican tax plan cutting the credit immediately. The credit gives EV buyers a sizable cut on their tax bill when they purchase a new car, and has been instrumental in driving the adoption of electric vehicles across the country. Now, Republicans are proposing doing away with it altogether.

Continue Reading

Facebook, Google, and Twitter have been given a stark ultimatum by US lawmakers, as the role each played in Russian gaming of the US election goes under the microscope. The three firms have faced challenging questioning at this week's Senate and House Intel Committee meetings, though arguably nothing so blunt as the deadline laid down by Democratic Senator Dianne Feinstein this morning. Speaking as part of the Senate Intel Committee, Sen. Feinstein told legal representatives of the trio that if they wouldn't fix things, the government would be forced to step in and do it for them.

Continue Reading

A scheme to label Internet of Things devices that meet more stringent security standards has been proposed by the US Democrats, responding to mounting concerns about the safety of connected gadgets. The idea, dubbed the Cyber Shield Act of 2017, was put forward by Congressman Ted W. Lieu (D | Los Angeles County) and Senator Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.) today. In addition to a labeling scheme that compliant IoT devices would bear, if passed it would also be responsible for establishing a best-practices advisory committee.

Continue Reading

Russian government-linked internet troll accounts aimed to use Pokemon GO to stir several political bees nests over the past year. Using the then mega-popular game to lure users to participate, Russian-linked operatives attempted to draw foot traffic to physical locations where events involving police brutality had occurred. Operatives promised that once Pokemon gamers had arrived at these locations, they were to snap a photo and send it in to win prizes.

Continue Reading