Thursday, 20 December 2018 09:01
Tech giant to invest further $1 billion for NYC campus
Alphabet Inc. has announced it will invest more than $1 billion to build a new campus in New York. The parent company of Google plans to make the Hudson Square site its primary global business hub; with new office space in Lower Manhattan, and new property at 550 Washington Street. The 1.7 million square-foot campus is set to double its staff numbers within a decade. Earlier this year, the tech giant spent $2.4 billion buying New York City’s historic Chelsea…
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Monday, 17 December 2018 07:15
Trump thanks Apple CEO for job opportunities in Texas
Plans for a $1 billion Apple campus in Texas has won the praise of President Donald Trump.
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Wednesday, 12 December 2018 12:12
Google CEO expresses fears over AI’s potential to harm
Head of Google, Sundar Pichai, has expressed feelings of “deep responsibility” as a leader in the development of artificial intelligence (AI). In an interview with The Washington Post, he encouraged his tech competitors such as Apple and Amazon to ‘self regulate’ their technology when designing AI that has the potential to harm. Pichai said it was important to factor in ethics during early stages of production, rather than afterwards; accepting concerns surrounding AI’s potential to hurt people as “very legitimate”.…
Thursday, 06 December 2018 08:54
Lawmakers demand information about controversial software
Amazon’s facial recognition software Rekognition has come under fresh scrutiny after a group of US lawmakers demanded more information into how the tool is tested and audited.
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Tuesday, 04 December 2018 07:26
US tech giants roll out controversial new app
Google has plans to roll out a controversial new app in which AI will make phone calls on behalf of users to arrange appointments, book tables and order food. Duplex will run through Google Assistant, and is described as “a new technology for conducting natural conversations to carry out ‘real world’ tasks over the phone.” At a conference in May, CEO Sundar Pichai played two recordings of Google Assistant running Duplex, arranging a hairdressing appointment and booking a table. The…
Thursday, 29 November 2018 12:27
Facebook’s new app will cover news across 400 US cities
Facebook has announced it is expanding its local news alert to 400 US cities, and is testing the feature in Australia. “Today In” includes previews that link to news websites and relevant government pages about top headlines, current discussions, weather and more. A separate section within the app will allow users to receive local updates. A decline in the number of local news organizations is said to have inspired Facebook’s “Today In” section. It is understood the social network will…
Thursday, 29 November 2018 12:23
Google workers condemn controversial Dragonfly App
An open letter condemning Google’s ‘Project Dragonfly’, has garnered the support of human rights groups such as Amnesty International and Reporters Without Borders. Written by staff at Google, 407 of its workforce have already signed the petition, which has called upon the internet giant to end plans to provide a censored search engine for China. To comply with strict laws, a search application would be designed with the Chinese government to filter out censored content from results. In 2010, Google…
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Thursday, 29 November 2018 12:10
Facebook under fire from former colleague
A former strategic partner manager at Facebook has shared a public memo about Facebook’s failings in regards to their black workforce and users. In a post to his personal profile during his last week at the company, Mark Luckie openly criticised the Californian social network, claiming they have a ‘black people problem’. Luckie, who is black, felt he had to resign from his position as he had ‘lost the will and the desire’ to advocate on behalf of Facebook, and…
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Thursday, 14 June 2018 09:10
Facebook embroiled in new data sharing claims
Beleaguered social media behemoth Facebook has been subjected to further scrutiny over its data sharing policies following a report by the Wall Street Journal. The WSJ has claimed that Facebook offered deeper access to user records in a series of customized data sharing deals. According to the report in the New York-based publication the Silicon Valley based social networking firm struck agreements, known internally as whitelists with a small group of companies which allowed access to users’ data which included…
Tuesday, 31 October 2017 11:10
Facebook boosts presence in Middle East and North Africa
Completing five years in the Middle East and North Africa, Facebook opened the doors to its brand new regional headquarters in Dubai on Oct. 27. The 20,000-square-foot space features an open office concept, and showcases regional cultural inspirations through the various designs and artistic cues. Since launching a local presence in the region in 2012, Facebook has been embraced by users, growing to 164 million monthly active people. With over 60 employees, mostly from the Arab region, Facebook’s office in…
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Sunday, 15 October 2017 13:35
New Uber CEO to meet London transport regulator in desperate attempt to renew license
Uber’s new CEO has jetted into London for negotiations with the city’s transport regulator following the TFL’s (Transport for London) decision to suspend the license of the global ride-hailing service. The TFL deemed Uber unfit to run a taxi service and refused to renew its license. The decision by the TFL left Uber reeling, as the UK, and in particular London is a massive market for the US firm. It was the latest setback in a long line of controversies…
Sunday, 01 October 2017 13:26
Ford and Lyft to collaborate on self-driving cars
Ford Motor Company said it has formed a partnership with ride-sharing service Lyft to deploy self-driving vehicles on Lyft’s network in large numbers by 2021. The two companies will work together to design software that will allow Ford vehicles to communicate with Lyft’s smartphone applications. Sherif Marakby, Ford’s vice president for autonomous vehicles and electrification, told Reuters that Ford self-driving vehicles will connect to Lyft’s network, but customers won’t be able to use them at first. Marakby said Ford plans…
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