How 2023 became the year Congress forgot to ban TikTok

Posted on December 31, 2023 by Admin

Momentum seemed to be on their side of US lawmakers this year to stop 150 million Americans from using TikTok. What happened?

Banning TikTok in the US seemed almost inevitable at the start of 2023. The previous year saw a trickle of legislative actions against the short-form video app, after dozens of individual states barred TikTok from government devices in late 2022 over security concerns. At the top of the new year, the US House followed suit, and four universities blocked TikTok from campus wifi.

The movement to prohibit TikTok grew into a flash flood by spring. CEO Shou Zi Chew was called before Congress for brutal questioning in March. By April – with support from the White House (and Joe Biden’s predecessor) – it seemed a federal ban of the app was not just possible, but imminent.

Brazil receives pushback from tech companies on ‘fake news’ bill

Posted on May 3, 2023 by Admin

Brazilian government has accused Alphabet of interference after it placed advertising on its search homepage and YouTube

Brazil’s government is taking a stand against major tech companies over a new internet regulation that is shaping up to be one of the world’s strongest legislations on social media.

Bill 2630, also known as the ‘fake news’ law, puts the onus on the internet companies, search engines and social messaging services to find and report illegal material, instead of leaving it to the courts, charging hefty fines for failures to do so.

MPs throw punches in Ghana parliament over payment tax – video

Posted on December 21, 2021 by Admin

MPs grappled with each other in a fight in Ghana's parliament during a proposed tax debate for electronic transactions on Monday.

The 1.75% e-levy, which would include taxes on mobile money payments, has been challenged by the opposition for weeks, pushing the national budget announcement back.

Members of parliament rushed to the front of the chamber and started fighting each other after deputy speaker Joseph Osei-Owusu suggested the tax be debated in an urgency procedure

Hacking enlightenment: can ultrasound help you transcend reality? – video

Posted on June 29, 2021 by Admin

Can technology improve the way we meditate? At the University of Arizona, Dr Jay Sanguinetti and master meditator Shinzen Young are using ultrasound to improve our ability to achieve mindfulness – as well as enhance our cognition and wellbeing. They believe it could revolutionise the way we treat those with depression and trauma. But as investors from Silicon Valley become interested in the technology, the pair are fighting to make sure the device is used in the right way and for the right reasons.