Tech

Demonstrators in Berlin take part in a "Stop Killer Robots" campaign organised by German NGO "Facing Finance" to ban what they call killer robots, in March 2019. WASHINGTON: Amazon, Microsoft and Intel are among leading tech companies putting the world at risk through killer robot development, according to a report that surveyed major players from the sector about their stance on lethal autonomous weapons.Dutch NGO Pax ranked 50 companies by three criteria: whether they were developing technology that could be relevant to deadly AI, whether they were working on related military projects, and if they had committed to abstaining from contributing in the future. "Why are companies like Microsoft and Amazon not denying that they're currently developing these highly controversial weapons, which could decide to kill people without direct human involvement?" said Frank Slijper, lead author of the report published this week. The use of AI to allow weapon systems to autonomously … [Read more...] about Amazon, Microsoft ‘putting world at risk of killer AI’

Mr Chawapol predicts continued growth of cloud services in Thailand. Amazon Web Services (AWS), a cloud service arm under tech giant Amazon, has vowed to focus on the Thai market by increasing the workforce and possibly setting up a data centre here."AWS has been running its operation locally four years now and Thailand is a strategic market in Asia," Chawapol Jariyawiroj, country manager of AWS (Thailand), said during the launch of its new office in the Singha Complex on New Phetchaburi Road yesterday. The new office is 10 times bigger than the former workplace. A data centre is in the pipeline, while a similar centre will be established in Indonesia in 2021. He said the firm has doubled its workforce in Thailand every year and the increasing investment is in line with customer growth for cloud service adoption. Despite the economic slowdown, cloud computing still sees growing demand as the technology enables new services and reduces investment costs via a pay-per-use … [Read more...] about AWS expands presence in Thailand

Chase Ross started his YouTube channel to talk about his experience as an out-and-proud trans person in 2010. The friends he found through YouTube, he told The Verge, saved his life. Now, nine years later, Ross feels like the platform that he once called a supportive home is unrecognizable and actually harmful to his community. Ross is one of eight creators — alongside Amp Somers, Lindsay Amer, Chris Knight, Celso Dulay, Cameron Stiehl, and Chrissy Chambers — attempting to fight YouTube over a number of systemic issues that the LGBTQ community say they’ve faced on the platform. In a lawsuit filed last week, these creators allege that YouTube hinders their channels by incorrectly restricting viewership of videos and not placing ads on queer-related content, limiting their ability to make money. The lawsuit claims that “YouTube is engaged in discriminatory, anticompetitive, and unlawful conduct that harms a protected class of persons under California law.” … [Read more...] about LGBTQ YouTubers love the site — that’s why they’re suing it

In May, Google announced plans to crack down on misleading advertisements from anti-abortion groups that present themselves as abortion clinics online. In the tech giant’s initial update, it changed its “Healthcare and medicines” policy after numerous allegations that it provided $150,000 in free adverts to an anti-abortion group known for running misleading ads designed to discourage women from terminating their pregnancies. How will blockchain impact finance and business? Find out at TNW’s Hard Fork Summit Take me there However, a report from the Guardian found that Google’s policy has a loophole. This means anti-abortion centers are able to continue to post misleading ads because the disclaimer is only application to searches containing the word “abortion.”  In a statement published on Google’s support page back in May, it outlined that starting in June, people looking to run ads using keywords in relation to “getting an … [Read more...] about Anti-abortion groups found a way around Google’s new ad policy

The US Commerce Department effectively suspended for a second time tough rules stopping the sale of components and services to Huawei and a prohibition on buying equipment from it BEIJING: Huawei on Tuesday dismissed Washington's three-month delay to a ban on US firms selling to the Chinese tech giant and said the decision would not change the fact it had been "treated unjustly".The US Commerce Department effectively suspended for a second time tough rules stopping the sale of components and services to the telecoms titan and a prohibition on buying equipment from it. However, it also said it would add 46 more companies to its list of Huawei subsidiaries and affiliates that would be covered by the ban if it is implemented in full -- taking the total on the list to more than 100. The original ban was announced earlier this year by US authorities who claim it provides a backdoor for Chinese intelligence services -- something the firm denies. "It's clear that this decision, … [Read more...] about Huawei dismisses new suspension of ‘unjust’ US ban