Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian announced his resignation from the board of the social media site and urged the board to replace him with a black candidate. Ohanian, who is white, implicitly linked his move to protests around the globe over the killing of George Floyd, a black man who died in Minneapolis after a police … continue reading -> “Reddit Co-Founder Leaves Board, Urges Black Replacement”

A group of young professionals in California’s Silicon Valley has created a non-profit organization called “Code for Venezuela,” dedicated to bringing together tech innovators to solve the most pressing needs of the South American nation.  The group’s latest initiative aims to help residents in Venezuela find information about COVID-19.   Cristina Caicedo Smit has the story … continue reading -> “Silicon Valley Entrepreneurs Reach Out to Help Venezuela”

In Ethiopia, mobile applications are spreading fast to help health care workers and the public fight against COVID-19, which has claimed 12 lives in the country and affected about 1,100 people.  Ethiopian web developers have designed seven apps that do everything from virus tracing to sharing data and patient information among health workers.  But while the … continue reading -> “Ethiopian Diaspora Champions Digital Apps in Fight Against COVID “

Several prominent media and entertainment organizations, including Apple and ViacomCBS, paid tribute to the call for racial equality and justice in the United States amid the recent protests, some violent, by pausing regular services and company events on what they are calling “Black Out Tuesday.”    According to Reuters, CBS said it would spend the day reflecting on “building community,” putting business ventures temporarily “on … continue reading -> “Music Industry Pauses for ‘Black Out Tuesday’  “

An advocacy group backed by the tech industry filed a lawsuit on Tuesday against President Donald Trump’s executive order on social media, as U.S. technology companies have been fighting White House efforts to weaken a law that protects them. The Washington-based Center for Democracy & Technology said in its lawsuit that Trump’s executive order violates the … continue reading -> “Tech Advocacy Group’s Lawsuit Says Trump’s Order on Social Media Is Unconstitutional “

Should President Donald Trump and Twitter ultimately part ways, his campaign has a backup plan at the ready to get his voice out.   Tensions between Trump and the messaging platform escalated last week after Twitter began to label some of his tweets with a fact-check. Trump responded with an executive order that threatens to … continue reading -> “With Rallies Halted And Tweets Fact-Checked, Trump Campaign Turns to Smartphone App”

Though Black Out Tuesday was originally organized by the music community, the social media world also went dark in support of the Black Lives Matter movement, joining voices around the world outraged by the killings of black people in the U.S. Instagram and Twitter accounts, from top record label to everyday people, were full of … continue reading -> “Social Media, Music World Go Dark for Black Out Tuesday”

Facebook employees walked away from their work-from-home desks on Monday and took to Twitter to accuse Chief Executive Mark Zuckerberg of inadequately policing U.S. President Donald Trump’s posts as strictly as the rival platform has done.Reuters saw dozens of online posts from employees critical of Zuckerberg’s decision to leave Trump’s most inflammatory verbiage unchallenged where … continue reading -> “Facebook Staffers Walk Out Saying Trump’s Posts Should be Reined in”

President Donald Trump posted identical messages on Twitter and Facebook this week. But while the two social platforms have very similar policies on voter misinformation and glorifying violence, they dealt with Trump’s posts very differently, proof that Silicon Valley is far from a united front when it comes to political decisionsTwitter placed a warning label … continue reading -> “Online Divisions: Twitter, Facebook Diverge on Trump’s Words”

U.S. President Donald Trump President Donald Trump speaks before signing an executive order aimed at curbing protections for social media giants, in the Oval Office of the White House, May 28, 2020.The order requires the Federal Communication Commission to clarify a section of the Communications Decency Act that largely exempts online companies from any legal … continue reading -> “Trump Signs Order to Try to Tighten Social Media Controls”

Fourteen Democratic members of the U.S. House of Representatives’ Energy and Commerce Committee are requesting that Federal Trade Commission regulators investigate the popular video app TikTok for violations of children’s privacy.The Energy and Commerce Committee conducts oversight on the FTC’s privacy unit. The lawsuit filed Thursday follows claims submitted by the Center for Digital Democracy, … continue reading -> “Democratic Lawmakers Raise Concerns Over TikTok Privacy Regulations”

QUESTION: What is Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act?ANSWER: Section 230 “is one of the most valuable tools for protecting freedom of expression and innovation” on the internet, according to the Electronic Frontier Foundation, a U.S.-based global nonprofit digital rights group.The original purpose of the 1996 Communications Decency Act was to restrict free speech … continue reading -> “What is Section 230 of Communications Decency Act?”

U.S. President Donald Trump will sign an executive order Thursday regarding social media platforms, after Twitter tagged a pair of his tweets with a fact-check warning.Sources close to the White House say the president’s executive order would require the Federal Communication Commission to clarify a section of the Communications Decency Act that largely exempts online … continue reading -> “Trump to Sign Executive Order Aimed at Reining in Twitter”

Vietnam’s financial hub is setting aside land to develop what locals call a new “Silicon Valley,” a reference to the area of California where a lot of new technology is developed, but with not-so-California characteristics, such as state planning and a lack of venture capital. The Home Affairs Department of Ho Chi Minh City filed a plan this month to … continue reading -> “Why Vietnam’s ‘Silicon Valley’ Won’t Be Like California’s”

Amazon.com Inc is in advanced talks to buy self-driving startup Zoox Inc, in a move that would expand the e-commerce giant’s reach in autonomous-vehicle technology, the Wall Street Journal reported on Tuesday.The deal will value Zoox at less than the $3.2 billion it achieved in a funding round in 2018, the Journal reported, citing people … continue reading -> “WSJ: Amazon in Advanced Talks to Buy Self-Driving Startup Zoox”

Italy’s new contact tracing app for the coronavirus is about to be launched in a number of pilot regions. It will be available to everyone in the country on a voluntary basis and will guarantee the privacy of users, officials who commissioned its development say.   Italians will be able to download the contact tracing … continue reading -> “Italy’s New COVID-19 App Tracks Contacts and Protects Privacy”

Cyberattacks have been flying fast and furious around the world during these days of global uncertainty because of the coronavirus. Countries accuse each other of engaging in cyber warfare, and each of the accused also claims to be a cyber victim. International organizations dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic have also been targeted. Linda Gradstein reports … continue reading -> “Cyberattacks Spike Amid Coronavirus Pandemic”

A New England teenager is collecting old devices to connect loved ones to patients quarantined in hospital rooms. VOA’s Arash Arabasadi brings us this good news story from New England. …

The first astronauts launched by SpaceX are breaking new ground for style with hip spacesuits, gull-wing Teslas and a sleek rocketship — all of it white with black trim.   The color coordinating is thanks to Elon Musk, the driving force behind both SpaceX and Tesla, and a big fan of flash and science fiction.   NASA astronauts Doug … continue reading -> “SpaceX’s 1st Astronaut Launch Breaking New Ground for Style “

Adjusting to online education could be tough. For deaf and hard of hearing students and educators, it’s probably more so. Now teachers are creating their own online resources in American Sign Language to overcome this difficult time. VOA’s Calla Yu has more.Camera: Austin Ao    …

As she settled down to work from home when India announced a lockdown in March, Shweta Andrews thought exultantly “this is the way to go.” After all she no longer had to do the grinding commute between office and home in the Indian capital that took up two hours daily.Two months on, the digital editor … continue reading -> “Initially Thrilled to Telework, India Workers Miss the Office”

As she settled down to work from home when India announced a lockdown in March, Shweta Andrews thought exultantly “this is the way to go.” After all she no longer had to do the grinding commute between office and home in the Indian capital that took up two hours daily.Two months on, the digital editor … continue reading -> “Remote Work May Be India’s Future, But Everyone Not On Board”

China has responded to a new U.S. ban targeting telecom giant Huawei, threatening to retaliate through a series of countermeasures, including putting U.S. companies such as Apple, Qualcomm and Cisco on an “unreliable entity list” that would seriously impede their sales in Chinese markets.   The U.S. Commerce Department on Friday threw a one-two punch at China’s high-tech efforts by … continue reading -> “China Threatens to Put American Tech Giants on Its ‘Unreliable Entity List’ “

Worries about the breach of individual privacy rights could undermine Louisiana’s ability to quickly pinpoint those who have encountered someone infected with COVID-19, a tracking plan that public health experts say is critical to slowing the spread of the coronavirus disease.Gov. John Bel Edwards has started reopening much of Louisiana’s economy, saying residents have done … continue reading -> “Analysis: Privacy Worries Could Derail Virus Tracking Plans”

Facebook likely knows a lot about you already. So would you fill out a survey on the social media site about how you are feeling today?What if that information could help researchers and officials navigate the current pandemic? If it meant local businesses, parks and beaches might reopen sooner rather than later, would that make … continue reading -> “Facebook Data Help Track COVID-19 Spread”