donald trump
Russia’s push back against big tech has major consequences for Apple
Tech companies are getting so large that Russia is fast-tracking laws aimed at developing “digital sovereignty.” How will these regulations affect tech companies looking to do business in the country?
Trump’s travel ban could extend to Africa’s top tech country, Nigeria
The Trump administration is poised to add several African countries to a U.S. travel ban list, including Africa’s top tech hub, Nigeria. Politico first reported the White House is considering…
Twitter’s new reply blockers could let Trump hide critics
What if politicians could only display Twitter replies from their supporters while stopping everyone else from adding their analysis to the conversation? That’s the risk of Twitter’s upcoming Conversation Participants…
Facebook data misuse and voter manipulation back in the frame with latest Cambridge Analytica leaks
More details are emerging about the scale and scope of disgraced data company Cambridge Analytica’s activities in elections around the world — via a cache of internal documents that’s being…
Only a few 2020 US presidential candidates are using a basic email security feature
Just one-third of the 2020 U.S. presidential candidates are using an email security feature that could prevent a similar attack that hobbled the Democrats during the 2016 election. Out of…
Banning digital political ads gives extremists a distinct advantage
While Jack Dorsey’s policy sounds compelling, it’s flawed in principle and, I fear, counterproductive.
Twitter’s political ads ban is a distraction from the real problem with platforms
Sometimes it feels as if Internet platforms are turning everything upside down, from politics to publishing, culture to commerce, and of course swapping truth for lies. This week’s bizarro reversal was…
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Work permit delays disrupt foreign workers’ career plans
Immigration advocates are rightly fretting over the Trump administration’s new health insurance mandate and efforts to dismantle the asylum system. But away from the spotlight, another crisis is quietly brewing that could affect virtually every foreign-born STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) student and worker.
EU-US Privacy Shield passes third Commission ‘health check’ — but litigation looms
The third annual review of the EU-US Privacy Shield data transfer mechanism has once again been nodded through by Europe’s executive. This despite the EU parliament calling last year for…
British parliament presses Facebook on letting politicians lie in ads
In yet another letter seeking to pry accountability from Facebook, the chair of a British parliamentary committee has pressed the company over its decision to adopt a policy on political…
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Facebook should ban campaign ads. End the lies.
Permitting falsehood in political advertising would work if we had a model democracy, but we don’t. Not only are candidates dishonest, but voters aren’t educated, and the media isn’t objective. And now, hyperlinks turn lies into donations and donations into louder lies. The checks don’t balance. What we face is a self-reinforcing disinformation dystopia. That’s…
The reelection campaign will be live-streamed. US president Donald Trump has joined Amazon-owned live-streaming platform Twitch. Twitch is best known as a social video streaming platform for gamers but does…
Udacity will offer 100,000 free programming classes as part of the ‘Pledge to America’s Workers’
Udacity, the online education company founded by Sebastian Thrun, is launching a new scholarship initiative as part of the Pledge to America’s Workers job training initiative undertaken by the administration…
Ensuring politicians in the 2020 election stay truthful is hard work, so Facebook has decided it’s going to sit this one out. Joe Biden’s campaign team sent a letter to…
US sanctions two Russians for cyber-related election interference
The U.S. Treasury has imposed sanctions against two Russian nationals accused of working for a notorious disinformation unit. In a statement, the Treasury said Igor Nesterov, 34, and Denis Kuzmin,…
Apple products under pricing pressure as new 15% tariffs drop Sunday
A new 15% tariff on Chinese imports will go in effect just after midnight Sunday, placing levies on hundreds of household goods and consumer tech, including a bevy of Apple…
US border officials are increasingly denying entry to travelers over others’ social media
Travelers are increasingly being denied entry to the United States as border officials hold them accountable for messages, images and video on their devices sent by other people. It’s a…
Trump adds tariffs to $550 billion of Chinese imports in trade war reprisal
President Trump announced Friday on Twitter that tariffs on Chinese imports will increase 5 percentage points in a tit-for-tat response to China’s own plans to place new duties on U.S.…
Tech companies get a reprieve thanks to a reversal from the president on tariffs
President Donald Trump and the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative have issued technology companies some temporary tariff relief. Citing an unwillingness to hit consumers with higher prices on things…
Democratic presidential nominees are ignoring the issue of our cybersecurity infrastructure
With the long battle for the Democratic nominee for president in 2020 firmly underway, more than 20 political hopefuls are talking about spreading the fruits of a solid economy to…
Reports say White House has drafted an order putting the FCC in charge of monitoring social media
The White House is contemplating issuing an executive order that would widen its attack on the operations of social media companies. The White House has prepared an executive order called…
Tech stocks walloped as China retaliates in the latest salvo of its trade war with the US
All U.S. stock markets were down severely today, and tech stocks were hit especially hard, as China retaliated to increasing U.S. tariffs by halting imports on U.S. agricultural goods and…
UK watchdog eyeing PM Boris Johnson’s Facebook ads data grab
The online campaigning activities of the UK’s new prime minister, Boris Johnson, have already caught the eye of the country’s data protection watchdog. Responding to concerns about the scope of…
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Which immigration headlines should you care about?
Newsflash! President Donald Trump is planning to deport naturalized US citizens, force H-1B visa holders to return to their home countries, and revoke the green cards of lawful permanent residents…
How Carl Pope helped drive a $500 million pledge to push the U.S. “Beyond Carbon” (Part 2)
Billionaire businessman and philanthropist Michael Bloomberg recently pledged to rapidly spend $500 million in a bid to push the U.S. “Beyond Carbon,” aiming to end this country’s use of coal…
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How US national security agencies hold the internet hostage
Team Telecom, a shadowy US national security unit tasked with protecting America’s telecommunications systems, is delaying plans by Google, Facebook and other tech companies for the next generation of international fiber optic cables. Team Telecom comprises representatives from the departments of Defense, Homeland Security, and Justice (including the FBI), who assess foreign investments in American…
VidCon, the annual summit in Anaheim, CA for social media stars and their fans to meet each other drew over 75,000 attendees over last week and this past weekend. A…
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Facebook answers how Libra taxes & anti-fraud will work
Facebook provided TechCrunch with new information on how its cryptocurrency will stay legal amidst allegations from President Trump that Libra could facilitate “unlawful behavior.” Facebook and Libra Association executives tell me they expect Libra will incur sales tax and capital gains taxes. They confirmed that Facebook is also in talks with local convenience stores and…
Huawei can buy from US suppliers again — but things will never be the same
U.S. President Donald Trump has handed Huawei a lifeline after he said that U.S. companies are permitted to sell goods to the embattled Chinese tech firm following more than a…
Reddit quarantines its biggest headache
Reddit’s r/The_Donald subreddit has been a lingering issue for the site’s leadership. The community, which was organized in the lead-in to Trump’s presidential run, has come to represent much of…
