Lifestyle

Facebook tightens live-streaming in crackdown on violence

by Glenn CHAPMAN SAN FRANCISCO, United States (AFP) — Facebook announced Wednesday it is tightening access to livestreaming to prevent the rampant sharing of graphic video as took place with the Christchurch massacre. People who have broken certain rules, including those against “dangerous organizations and individuals,” will be restricted from using the Facebook Live streaming feature, said vice president of integrity Guy Rosen. “Following the horrific recent terrorist attacks in New Zealand, we’ve been reviewing […]

Under-fives’ daily screen time should be kept to 60 minutes only, warns WHO

Toddlers should spend no more than 60 minutes passively watching a screen every day, while babies under 12 months should have none, to ensure that they grow up fit and well, the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Wednesday, as part of a campaign to tackle the global obesity crisis. In recommendations specifically aimed at under-fives for the first time, the UN health agency said that some than 40 million children around the globe – […]

Facebook profit slumps on set-aside for big US fine

SAN FRANCISCO, United States (AFP) — Facebook on Wednesday reported quarterly profit sank 51 percent from a year earlier due to setting aside $3 billion for an anticipated fine from US regulators. The leading social network logged a profit of $2.4 billion on revenue that climbed 26 percent to $15.1 billion in the first three months of this year. The number of monthly active users of Facebook at the end of March was 2.38 billion, […]

Samsung delays launch of folding Galaxy smartphone

by Glenn CHAPMAN SAN FRANCISCO, United States (AFP) — Samsung said Monday it was delaying the launch of its folding smartphone after trouble with handsets sent to reviewers. Some reviewers who got their hands on the Galaxy Fold early reported problems with screens breaking. Samsung said it decided to put off this week’s planned release of the Fold after some reviews “showed us how the device needs further improvements.” The South Korean consumer electronics giant […]

Facebook says it stored ‘millions’ of Instagram passwords in “readable format”

  SAN FRANCISCO, United States (AFP) — “Millions” of Instagram users had their passwords stored in unencrypted form on internal servers, Facebook said Thursday, raising its original estimate of tens of thousands. “We discovered additional logs of Instagram passwords being stored in a readable format. We now estimate that this issue impacted millions of Instagram users,” Facebook said in a blog post. “We will be notifying these users as we did the others. Our investigation […]

Intel withdraws from 5G smartphone modem business

SAN FRANCISCO, United States (AFP) — US electronics giant Intel said Tuesday it was withdrawing from the 5G smartphone modem business, hours after Apple and American microchip manufacturer Qualcomm announced they had clinched an agreement to end a battle over royalty payments. The modems that connect smartphones to telecommunications networks were at the heart of the battle between Apple and Qualcomm. Intel said it will “complete an assessment of the opportunities for 4G and 5G […]

Watch: 5G mobile network technology explained

  5G, or fifth generation mobile network technology, represents a technological revolution and is likely to have a significant impact on our lifestyles, propelling us into the era of connected objects. While 4G is based on the use of longer airwaves, 5G uses millimetre waves, super-high frequencies in theory capable of multiplying the speed by 20. The result: no more buffering while watching a video, as downloading a Giga octet file will take just a […]

South Korea launches first national 5G networks — two days early

by Sunghee Hwang SEOUL, South Korea (AFP) — South Korea launched the world’s first nationwide 5G mobile networks two days early, its top mobile carriers said Thursday, giving a handful of users access in a late-night scramble to provide the super-fast wireless technology. Three top telecom providers — SK Telecom, KT and LG Uplus — began their 5G services at 11 pm local time Wednesday, despite previously announcing the launch date would be April 5. […]

Social media bosses face jail under ‘world first’ Australian laws

by Andrew Beatty Agence France Presse SYDNEY, Australia (AFP) — Social media executives risk jail for failing to take down violent extremist content quickly, under controversial laws passed in Australia Thursday — a “world first” in the wake of the Christchurch mosques massacre. Lawmakers voted overwhelmingly in favour of the laws, which hold firms like Facebook and YouTube — and their executives — responsible for removing “abhorrent material” quickly. The companies face fines approaching billions […]

Facebook seeks tab to promote ‘high quality news’

  WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — Facebook is working on a “news tab” that could be used to financially support “high quality and trustworthy” journalism, chief executive Mark Zuckerberg said Monday. Zuckerberg made the comments in a video conversation about the future of technology and society with Mathias Doepfner, chairman of German-based media giant Axel Springer. Zuckerberg said he sees interest in building a product separate from its personalized feed that would serve people who […]

Facebook seeks tab to promote ‘high quality news’

WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — Facebook is working on a “news tab” that could be used to financially support “high quality and trustworthy” journalism, chief executive Mark Zuckerberg said Monday. Zuckerberg made the comments in a video conversation about the future of technology and society with Mathias Doepfner, chairman of German-based media giant Axel Springer. Zuckerberg said he sees interest in building a product separate from its personalized feed that would serve people who want […]

Reiwa: A new imperial era name for Japan

  by Shingo Ito and Richard Carter Agence France Presse TOKYO, Japan (AFP) — “Reiwa”: Japan Monday revealed the name of the era that will define the new emperor’s reign when he ascends the Chrysanthemum Throne next month following the first abdication in around 200 years. The new imperial name consists of two characters: “Rei”, which can mean “order” but also “auspicious” and “Wa”, usually translated as “peace” or “harmony.” After weeks of fevered speculation […]