Clearview AI fined by Dutch agency for facial recognition database
U.S. facial recognition company Clearview AI has been fined $33.7 million for building what Dutch data protection watchdog DPA said on Tuesday was an illegal database. DPA also issued an additional order, imposing a penalty of up to some $5.5…
Brazil Supreme Court panel upholds judge’s decision to block X nationwide
RIO DE JANEIRO — A Brazilian Supreme Court panel on Monday unanimously upheld the decision of one of its justices to block billionaire Elon Musk’s social media platform X nationwide, according to the court’s website. The broader support among justices…
Robot waiters in Kenya create buzz, and concerns about what it means for human labor
Children giggle as young people flash their smartphones to film robots carrying plates of freshly prepared meals on their inbuilt trays to deliver to diners in a busy eatery in Kenya’s capital. Nairobi has a vibrant tech industry with various…
Rocket scientists build robot probes to gauge melting beneath Antarctic ice shelf
LOS ANGELES — Engineers who specialize in building NASA spacecraft to explore distant worlds are designing a fleet of underwater robot probes to measure how rapidly climate change is melting vast ice sheets around Antarctica and what that means for…
Brazil’s block on X comes into effect after judge’s order
Brasilia, Brazil — A block on Elon Musk’s X social network in Brazil started to take effect early Saturday after a Supreme Court judge ordered its suspension, according to AFP. Brazilian Supreme Court Judge Alexandre de Moraes on Friday ordered…
Smartwatch insults Chinese as authorities struggle to tame AI
Washington — Technology analysts say a Chinese company’s smartwatch directs racist insults at Chinese people and challenges their historic inventions, showing the challenges authorities there face in trying to control content from artificial intelligence and similar software. A parent in…
X platform suspended in Brazil amid Brazilian judge’s feud with Musk
SAO PAULO — A Brazilian Supreme Court justice on Friday ordered the suspension of Elon Musk’s social media giant X in Brazil after the tech billionaire refused to name a legal representative in the country, according to a copy of…
France charges Telegram boss over illegal content, prompting warnings from Russia
The arrest in France last Saturday of Pavel Durov, the billionaire boss of the social media platform Telegram, is reverberating around the world as Russia urges France not to turn the investigation into ‘political persecution.’ Durov is under formal investigation…
Starlink’s Botswana entry hailed as ‘game-changer’ amid concern over costs
Gaborone, Botswana — The entry of Elon Musk’s Starlink into the Botswana market this week has been hailed as a “game-changer.” Analysts concur the introduction of the satellite internet service provider will improve internet access but there is concern over…
Alleging illegal content, France charges Telegram boss; Russia gives warning
London — Russia on Thursday warned France not to turn the investigation of Pavel Durov, the boss of Telegram, into a “political persecution” after the billionaire 39-year-old CEO was put under formal investigation relating to activities on his social media…