Washington, United States | AFP | Facebook on Tuesday announced a $3 million pilot project aimed at helping US newspapers boost paid digital subscriptions. The move was the latest by the huge social network to respond to concerns that it and other online platforms have hurt news organizations by dominating …
Read More »Twitter sets crackdown on automated and fake account
San Francisco, United States | AFP | Twitter announced Wednesday a crackdown on accounts powered by software “bots” which can artificially amplify a person or cause and which have been accused of manipulating the social network during the 2016 US election. The San Francisco messaging platform said the move was …
Read More »Cyberattacks are costly, and things could get worse: US report
Washington, United States | AFP | Cyberattacks cost the United States between $57 billion and $109 billion in 2016, a White House report said Friday, warning of a “spillover” effect for the broader economy if the situation worsens. A report by the White House Council of Economic Advisers sought to …
Read More »Google begins blocking annoying ads on its browser
Washington, United States | AFP | Google has begun a new effort to block annoying ads on its Chrome browser, as part of an initiative aimed at improving the online advertising ecosystem that provides the bulk of its revenues. The new ad filtering system rolled out this week aims to …
Read More »Twitter hits milestone with first-ever profit
Washington, United States | AFP | Twitter on Thursday reported its first-ever quarterly profit, a key milestone that sent shares soaring at the social network which has lagged for years behind fast-growing rivals. The San Francisco-based one-to-many microblogging service said it earned $91 million in the fourth quarter, the first …
Read More »At trial, former Uber CEO seeks to fend off conspiracy talk
San Francisco, United States | AFP | Former Uber chief executive Travis Kalanick appeared tense and tentative as he took the witness stand Tuesday seeking to counter allegations that his company stole autonomous driving secrets from former Google car unit Waymo. A key witness in the blockbuster trade secrets case, Kalanick …
Read More »Apple overtakes Samsung in shrinking smartphone market: survey
Washington, United States | AFP | Apple overtook Samsung in the fourth quarter as the largest smartphone producer in a declining global market for handsets, research firm IDC said Friday. A survey by IDC showed Apple — which reported its quarterly data Thursday — led all vendors with 77.3 million …
Read More »Apple delivers record profit, seeks to allay iPhone X fears
San Francisco, United States | AFP | Apple on Thursday said its earnings in the final three months of last year set new records, with sales of its flagship iPhone X topping its expectations. The California-based technology giant reported that profit climbed to $20 billion on revenue that increased 13 …
Read More »Google parent hit by higher costs, names new chairman
San Francisco, United States | AFP | Google parent company Alphabet on Thursday reported a quarterly loss to set aside funds to pay taxes on repatriated profits, and named a new chairman to replace outgoing Eric Schmidt. Shares in Alphabet slid 2.3 percent in after-hours trade on the results, highlighting …
Read More »Facebook acknowledges social media’s risks to democracy
Washington, United States | AFP | Facebook acknowledged Monday that widespread use of social media can be harmful to democracy, while pledging to work to minimize these risks. The world’s biggest social network’s comments were the latest response to persistent criticism for its role in allowing the spread of misinformation, reinforcing …
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