By Brian Fung, CNN For years, Microsoft flew under the radar as policymakers around the world went after Amazon, Facebook and Google as some of the biggest alleged threats to fair competition. But now, more than two decades after its landmark court battle with the US government over browsers, Microsoft is firmly back in the
Continue ReadingBy Jennifer Korn TikTok is testing a new option to let users create AI-generated avatars for their profile pictures, the company confirmed to CNN on Wednesday, in a move with the potential to put recent advances in artificial intelligence technology front and center for millions of users. The new feature appears to create a stylized,
Continue ReadingCNN By Jennifer Korn TikTok is testing a new option to let users create AI-generated avatars for their profile pictures, the company confirmed to CNN on Wednesday, in a move with the potential to put recent advances in artificial intelligence technology front and center for millions of users. The new feature appears to create a
Continue ReadingBy Brian Fung, CNN A new federal bill unveiled Wednesday would establish a national minimum age for social media use and require tech companies to get parents’ consent before creating accounts for teens, reflecting a growing trend at all levels of government to restrict how Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and other platforms engage with young users.
Continue ReadingBy Hanna Ziady, CNN The UK antitrust regulator has blocked Microsoft’s purchase of Activision Blizzard, threatening to thwart one of the tech industry’s biggest deals over concerns it will stifle competition in cloud gaming. The Competition and Markets Authority said in a statement Wednesday that it was worried the deal would lead to “reduced innovation
Continue ReadingCNN, CNN BUSINESS By Clare Duffy, CNN In the days after TikTok’s CEO was grilled by Congress for the first time, many TikTok users began posting about an alternative platform called Lemon8, sometimes with eerily similar language. Multiple creators described the app as being like “if Pinterest and Instagram had a baby, with TikTok’s algorithm.”
Continue ReadingBy Brian Fung, CNN A group of Republican senators on Tuesday urged the Biden administration to “use all available tools” to sanction cloud computing firms with links to China. The letter led by Sen. Bill Hagerty calls on the Departments of Commerce, State and Treasury to impose “sanctions, export restrictions, and investment bans” on companies
Continue ReadingBy Veronica Miracle, Cheri Mossburg and Phil Gast, CNN Nima Momeni, the man accused of killing Cash App founder Bob Lee in San Francisco, intends to plead not guilty next week, his attorney said. Momeni was to be arraigned on a murder charge Tuesday but that was put off until May 2 after defense attorney
Continue ReadingBy Michelle Toh, CNN Temu, an online shopping platform that has quickly become the most popular app in the United States, has crossed the Atlantic. The company is now operating in six European countries, including France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain and the United Kingdom, according to its website. Temu is a Boston-based online retailer
Continue ReadingBy Brian Fung, CNN A federal appeals court largely sided with Apple on Monday in a closely watched case about its app store policies, a decision that could complicate future efforts to regulate app store operators and frustrate claims that Apple behaves monopolistically. The decision in the case involving Epic Games, maker of the hit
Continue ReadingBy Michelle Toh and Nathaniel Meyersohn, CNN Temu and Shein are taking off in the United States, topping app stores and creating a frenzy with consumers. But as the two online shopping platforms become hugely popular, they’re also facing questions over a litany of issues, including how they’re able to sell goods at such strikingly
Continue ReadingBy Samantha Murphy Kelly, CNN Business A complex but concerning method of gaining control over a user’s iPhone and permanently locking them out the device appears to be on the rise. Some iPhone thieves are exploiting a security setting, called the recovery key, that makes it nearly impossible for owners to access their photos, messages,
Continue ReadingCNN By Brian Fung, CNN Lyft plans to “significantly reduce” its workforce, the company’s new CEO David Risher told employees on Friday, in another round of layoffs as it struggles to turn a profit and pull off a turnaround. In a company-wide memo, Risher said the cuts were aimed at making Lyft a “faster, flatter
Continue ReadingBy Brian Fung, CNN Lyft plans to “significantly reduce” its workforce, the company’s new CEO David Risher told employees on Friday, in another round of layoffs as it struggles to turn a profit and pull off a turnaround. In a company-wide memo, Risher said the cuts were aimed at making Lyft a “faster, flatter company
Continue ReadingCNN By Samantha Murphy Kelly, CNN The White House plans to meet on Friday with government officials, business leaders and members of the academic community to discuss strategies for building out next-generation 6G wireless technology and lessons learned from the rollout of 5G. The 6G technology is almost certainly years away, but the administration’s effort
Continue ReadingBy Samantha Murphy Kelly, CNN The White House plans to meet on Friday with government officials, business leaders and members of the academic community to discuss strategies for building out next-generation 6G wireless technology and lessons learned from the rollout of 5G. The 6G technology is almost certainly years away, but the administration’s effort is
Continue ReadingBy Taylor Romine, CNN The suspect accused of killing CashApp founder Bob Lee was cited last year by police for misdemeanor battery, the San Francisco Chronicle reported exclusively Thursday. Police in Emeryville, California, cited and released Nima Momeni on a misdemeanor battery charge after a woman reported he attacked her, the newspaper reported, citing documents
Continue ReadingBy Catherine Thorbecke and Jennifer Korn, CNN Ramesh “Sunny” Balwani, the former chief operating officer of failed startup Theranos and ex-boyfriend of founder Elizabeth Holmes, has reported to prison, according to his attorney. “Mr Balwani turned himself in… smoothly without incident,” Jeffrey Coopersmith, Balwani’s attorney, said in an email to CNN on Thursday. “We will
Continue ReadingBy Clare Duffy, CNN Elon Musk’s Twitter on Thursday began a purge of blue verification check marks from users who have not signed up for its subscription service, with the checks disappearing from the accounts of journalists, academics and celebrities. The blue checks even disappeared from the accounts of some of the most well-known and
Continue ReadingBy Samantha Kelly When Colin McEvoy, a father of two from Bethlehem, Pennsylvania and a self-described film fanatic, wants to watch a Bollywood film or an obscure independent movie, he often turns to Netflix — but not its popular streaming service. McEvoy, 39, said he’s been using Netflix’s DVD-by-mail service since 2001, just three years
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