Google fires 28 workers protesting contract with Israel
New York — Google fired 28 employees following a disruptive sit-down protest over the tech giant’s contract with the Israeli government, a Google spokesperson said Thursday. The Tuesday demonstration was organized by the group “No Tech for Apartheid,” which has…
New TikTok Lite app raises concerns in EU
TikTok has 24 hours to provide a risk assessment after the launch of its new app, TikTok Lite, in France and Spain, the European Commission said Wednesday, citing concerns over the app’s impact on children and users’ mental health. The…
US Commerce Dept. grants Samsung $6.4 billion for Texas chip plants
The U.S. Commerce Department announced Monday $6.4 billion in grants to the South Korea-based Samsung electronics company to help fund a new chip-manufacturing hub in Taylor, Texas, and to expand an existing facility in nearby Austin. In a White House…
AI-generated fashion models could bring more diversity to industry — or leave it with less
Chicago, Illinois — London-based model Alexsandrah has a twin, but not in the way you’d expect: Her counterpart is made of pixels instead of flesh and blood. The virtual twin was generated by artificial intelligence and has already appeared as…
Instagram blurring nudity in messages to protect teens, fight sexual extortion
LONDON — Instagram says it’s deploying new tools to protect young people and combat sexual extortion, including a feature that will automatically blur nudity in direct messages. The social media platform said in a blog post Thursday that it’s testing…
Swarms of drones can be managed by a single person
The U.S. military says large groups of drones and ground robots can be managed by just one person without added stress to the operator. As VOA’s Julie Taboh reports, the technologies may be beneficial for civilian uses, too. VOA footage…
Indiana aspires to become next great tech center
indianapolis, indiana — Semiconductors, or microchips, are critical to almost everything electronic used in the modern world. In 1990, the United States produced about 40% of the world’s semiconductors. As manufacturing migrated to Asia, U.S. production fell to about 12%….
Indiana aspires to become next great tech hub
The Midwestern state of Indiana aspires to become the next great technology center as the United States ramps up investment in domestic microchip development and manufacturing. VOA’s Kane Farabaugh has more from Indianapolis. Videographer: Kane Farabaugh, Adam Greenbaum Source: voanews.com
Ukrainian civilians help build up their country’s drone fleet
Inexpensive first-person view – or radio controlled – drones have become a powerful weapon in Ukraine’s war against Russian invaders. As the country presses the West for more military aid, many Ukrainian civilians are stepping in to help by making…
Biden administration imposes first-ever national drinking water limits on toxic PFAS
The Biden administration on Wednesday finalized strict limits on certain so-called “forever chemicals” in drinking water that will require utilities to reduce them to the lowest level they can be reliably measured. Officials say this will reduce exposure for 100…