As if we didn’t have enough to worry about: Some scientists are warning about the inevitable catastrophic effects on modern life from a super-sized solar storm. These outbursts from the sun, which eject energy in the form of magnetic fields and billions of tons of plasma gas known as “flares,” …
China Suspected of Cyberattacks Targeting US Organizations
Media giant News Corp is investigating a cyberattack that has accessed the email and documents of some of its employees and journalists. On Friday, New York-based News Corp, whose entities include The Wall Street Journal and the New York Post, sent an internal email to staff, stating that it had …
Use of Technology at Beijing Olympics Adds Precautions, Raises Concerns
At the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics, China is using technology to keep athletes and visitors safe as part of its pandemic precautions. But for visitors, the use of technology can come with security and privacy concerns. Michelle Quinn reports. Carolyn Presutti contributed. …
US Taking the Fight Against Terrorism to the App Store
More than a decade ago, technology giant Apple began telling its smartphone customers that if something was worth doing, “There’s an app for that.” Starting now, the same can be said of fighting terrorism. The U.S. National Counterterrorism Center (NCTC) Monday launched its aCTknowledge mobile app, ready for download from …
News Corp Suspects China Behind Cyberattack on Its System
News Corp disclosed on Friday it was the target of a cyberattack that accessed data of some employees, with its internet security adviser saying the hack was likely aimed at gathering “intelligence to benefit China’s interests.” The publisher of the Wall Street Journal said the breach, discovered in late January, …
Facebook Share Price Plummets, Leading Broad Rout of US Tech Stocks
The same technology companies that helped drag the U.S. stock market back from the depths of the pandemic recession in 2021 led the market into a sharp plunge on Thursday after Meta Platforms, the company that owns Facebook, revealed that user growth on its marquee product has hit a plateau, …
US Lightning Bolt Leaps Into Record Books at 768 Kilometers Long
A single lightning bolt that leapt across three U.S. states has been identified as the longest ever, the U.N. weather agency said Tuesday. Dubbed a megaflash, the rare low-rate horizontal discharge covered 768 kilometers (477 miles) between clouds in Texas and Mississippi in April 2020. It was detected by scientists …
Cyberattacks Increasingly Hobble Pandemic-Weary US Schools
For teachers at a middle school in New Mexico’s largest city, the first inkling of a widespread tech problem came during an early morning staff call. On the video, there were shout-outs for a new custodian for his hard work, and the typical announcements from administrators and the union rep. …
Myanmar Cybersecurity Law ‘Days’ Away as Coup Anniversary Nears
Myanmar’s military government is set to pass a new cybersecurity law that will ban the use of internet services, a move that has been condemned by digital rights activists and business groups. The Southeast Asian country has been in turmoil since a coup by the military last February. A widespread …
Innovative Electric Vehicles on Display at Washington Auto Show
Electric vehicles are in high demand as gas prices and concerns about carbon emissions and global warming climb. From the 2022 Washington Auto Show, VOA’s Saqib Ul Islam examines where consumers and car manufacturers think all-electric vehicles are heading in the future. Camera: Saqib Ul Islam Produced by: Saqib Ul …
FAA, Telecom Companies to Turn On More 5G Towers
The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration announced Friday U.S.-based telecommunications companies AT&T and Verizon can activate more of their fifth-generation, or 5G, transmitters after consultation with the agency. Earlier this month, the telecommunication companies agreed they would delay launching the new wireless service near key airports after weeks of legal wrangling …
Toyota Heading to Moon with Cruiser, Robotic Arms, Dreams
Toyota is working with Japan’s space agency on a vehicle to explore the lunar surface, with ambitions to help people live on the moon by 2040 and then go live on Mars, company officials said Friday. The vehicle being developed with the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency is called Lunar Cruiser, …
Nigerian Language Advocates Seek Inclusion of African Languages in Tech Devices
Voice-activated virtual assistant technologies, such as Siri and Alexa, are becoming increasingly common around the world, but in Africa, with its many languages, most people are at a digital disadvantage. To address the problem, some African researchers are creating translation tools to recognize and promote indigenous languages, such as Yoruba. …
California Hotels Use Robots to Do Service Jobs
The current difficulty in filling many service jobs in the U.S. is leaving hotels scrambling to provide room service. But with a bit of ingenuity and a little high-tech help some American hotels are finding a way. Angelina Bagdasaryan has the story, narrated by Anna Rice. …
Nigerian Language Advocates Call for Including African Languages in High Tech Devices
Voice activated virtual assistant technologies, such as Siri and Alexa, are becoming increasingly common around the world but in Africa, with its many languages, most people are at a digital disadvantage. To address the problem, some African researchers are creating translation tools to recognize and promote indigenous languages, such as …
Delay in Creating New US Cybersecurity Board Prompts Concern
It’s a key part of President Joe Biden’s plans to fight major ransomware attacks and digital espionage campaigns: creating a board of experts that would investigate major incidents to see what went wrong and try to prevent the problems from happening again — much like a transportation safety board does …
California Nursing Homes Use Robotic Pets to Help the Elderly
In a California senior care community, very special pets are helping residents keep their spirits up, fight anxiety and feel loved. Officials say these animals are therapeutic, low-maintenance and never get moody. Angelina Bagdasaryan has the story, narrated by Anna Rice. Camera: Vazgen Varzhabetian …
UAE Bans Flying of Recreational Drones After Fatal Attack
The United Arab Emirates has banned the flying of drones in the country for recreation after Yemen’s Houthi rebels claimed a fatal drone attack on an oil facility and major airport in the country. As of Saturday, drone hobbyists and other operators of light electric sports aircraft face “legal liabilities” …
Facebook Removes Kurdish Pages Linked to Misinformation on Belarus Migrant Crisis
Meta, the parent company of Facebook, has removed two popular Kurdish Facebook pages accused of spreading misinformation that helped convince thousands of Kurds to mass along the border of Belarus and Poland late last year. The two accounts, one from a Kurdish lawmaker with 143,000 followers and another belonging to …
Biden Pushes Expansion of Domestic Semiconductor Manufacturing
U.S. President Joe Biden touted a $20 billion investment by American technology company Intel to build a semiconductor factory in Ohio to address a global shortage that has been exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic and the U.S.-China trade war. In a speech from the White House on Friday, Biden said …
Israel Probes Allegations Police Cyber-Spied on Citizens
Israel on Thursday launched an investigation into allegations police used the controversial Pegasus spyware on the country’s citizens. In a letter sent to police commander Koby Shabtai, Attorney General Avichai Mandelblit asked to receive all wiretapping and computer spying orders from 2020 and 2021 in order to “verify allegations made …
Senate Panel Moves Forward With Bill Targeting Big Tech
Legislation that would bar technology companies from favoring their own products in a way that undermines competitiveness moved forward Thursday after a Senate panel voted to move the bill to the Senate floor. The American Innovation and Choice Online Act received bipartisan support in a 16-6 vote in the Senate …
US Air Travel Safety Questions Linger Amid 5G Rollout
An unresolved disagreement between U.S. wireless communications carriers and commercial airlines over the rollout of new 5G networks continues to generate confusion about whether air travel is safe in the United States. On Wednesday, AT&T and Verizon, the two largest providers of mobile voice and internet service in the U.S., …
Explainer: How Sweeping EU Rules Would Curb Tech Companies
Online companies would have to ramp up efforts to keep harmful content off their platforms and take other steps to protect users under rules that European Union lawmakers are set to vote on Thursday. The 27-nation bloc has gained a reputation as a trendsetter in the growing global push to …