Paris, France | AFP | French lawmakers on Monday began debating a new tax on digital giants such as Facebook and Apple that has angered the United States, with Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire boasting that France was proud to be in the vanguard of such a move. The United …
Read More »EU: Breaking up Big Tech not the answer
Washington, United States | AFP | Breaking up the world’s tech titans is not the best way to counter their power, EU Competition Commissioner Margrethe Vestager said Friday, while leaving room for that eventuality as a “last resort.” “There is a risk that with the network effects, even if we …
Read More »The mind distracted: technology’s battle for our attention
Paris, France | AFP | Between distractions, diversions and the flickering allure of a random suggestion, the major computer platforms aim to keep us glued to our screens come what may. Now some think it is time to escape the tyranny of the digital age. Everyone staring for hours at …
Read More »Google fights European copyright overhaul
Brussels, Belgium | AFP | Internet giant Google on Monday urged the European Parliament to resist approving a planned overhaul of the bloc’s online copyright law that the company said would hurt Europe for “decades to come”. European lawmakers could vote as soon as next week on the landmark legislation that is intended to modernise …
Read More »New tech taking telemedicine to the next level
Barcelona, Spain | AFP | Telemedicine has gone way beyond conference calls: new technologies allow doctors to monitor blood pressure and other vital signs — take x-rays even — and assist with operations from miles away. Wireless technology is moving “healthcare outside of clinics and hospitals”, said Pamela Spence, …
Read More »Warning issued over attacks on internet infrastructure
San Francisco, United States | AFP | Key parts of the internet infrastructure face large-scale attacks that threaten the global system of web traffic, the internet’s address keeper warned Friday. The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) declared after an emergency meeting “an ongoing and significant risk” to key …
Read More »Pope Francis warns against internet ‘disinformation’
Vatican City, Holy See | AFP | Pope Francis on Thursday warned against the “disinformation” and “targeted distortion of facts” to be found on the Internet and social networks’ “manipulation of personal data”. The Internet “is a source of knowledge and relationships that were once unthinkable,” the Argentine pope said in …
Read More »Fans baffled as Liverpool star Mohamed Salah goes offline
Cairo, Egypt | AFP | Fans were left baffled on Wednesday after Liverpool’s star Egyptian striker Mohamed Salah appeared to have deleted all of his social media accounts where his followers number in the millions. The Facebook, Instagram and Twitter accounts of Salah, who is idolised in Egypt and Liverpool, …
Read More »EU countries split over copyright overhaul
Bruxelles, Belgium | AFP | Divisions between EU countries could delay or derail plans to overhaul copyright law, an ambition that has set up a battle pitting media firms against internet giants like Facebook and Google. The European Parliament, the European Council and the European Commission had planned to meet …
Read More »Zimbabwe court rules against internet shutdown
Harare, Zimbabwe | AFP | Zimbabwe’s High Court on Monday ruled that State Security Minister Owen Ncube had no power to order the internet shutdown which took place during last week’s nationwide protests. “It has become very clear that the minister had no authority to make that directive,” judge Owen …
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