New Safeguards For Young Users To Prevent Grooming On Its Platform To Be Taken By TikTok

With the aim of preventing grooming on the platform, the short video sharing app TikTok will impose “groundbreaking” new restrictions on children on the platform and the new rules will be particularly severe for those users who are under the age of 16 years, the Chinese owned company said. Those children users of the platform,…

Business users of WhatsApp’s not protected by end-to-end encryption

With users migrating to other messaging platforms following privacy concerns stemming from Facebook Inc’s WhatsApp update, Facebook said, it will delay the update. WhatsApp users are concerned that the Facebook owned messaging app is watering down its privacy policy in the update. Earlier this month, WhatsApp notified users through a notification that it was preparing…

Italy’s data authority scrutinizes WhatsApp’s updated privacy disclaimer

In a statement Italy’s data protection authority said, Facebook Inc has not clearly communicated its new privacy policy for its messenger app WhatsApp to users. On January 4, 2021, in an update WhatsApp said it reserved the right to share some data, including location and phone numbers, with Facebook and its units including Messenger and…

Trump Administration adds China’s Comac and Xiaomi to trade blacklist

The Trump Administration has added nine Chinese companies, including Chinese plane maker Comac and mobile phone maker Xiaomi,  to a trade blacklist which Washington thinks are owned or controlled by the Chinese military. These companies will be subject to a new U.S. investment ban which will compel American investors to divest their holdings of the…

Class action lawsuit filed against Amazon.com over ebook pricing

A class-action lawsuit has been filed accusing Amazon.com Inc of inflating ebook prices in collusion with some publishers. The class action lawsuit alleges that the e-commerce giant along with the five largest U.S. publishers, collectively called the ‘Big Five’, agreed to price restraints that cause consumers to overpay for eBooks purchased from them through a…

Public Backlash Against China’s 3rd Largest E-Retailer Pinduoduo Over Exploitative Work Culture

There is intense backlash by the public in China against one of the prominent e-commerce companies of the country over charges that the firm exploits its employees by overworking them. This reflects the broadening of the scrutiny of the top tech companies of the country and could even become even more intense. Two employees of…

EU companies should prepare for the worst over U.S.-China digital decoupling

In a statement European business groups have said, EU business must “prepare for the worst” over digital decoupling between the U.S. and the Chinese economy, which could significantly impact EU businesses in China. In a statement the European Chamber of Commerce in China and MERICS, a Berlin-based think tank said, U.S.-China political, trade and financial…

NASA scientist pleads guilty to participation in China’s Thousand Talent program

According to a statement from the U.S. Department of Justice, a senior NASA scientist has pleaded guilty to lying about his ties to a program that encourages researchers to develop relationships with China in exchange for grants. Meyya Meyyappan, 66, of Pacifica, California, entered his plea before U.S. District Judge Kevin Castel in Manhattan. According…

China’s Search Engine Giant Baidu And Car Maker Geely To Make Smart Cars Jointly

Chinese search engine giant Baidu will be joining hands with auto firm Geely to develop and manufacture smart electric vehicles (EVs), the tech giant has announced. While the role of Geely will be to provide its expertise on designing of cars and other vehicles and in manufacturing them, Baidu will add value to the partnership…