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☆ Billionaire real estate investor Frank McCourt wants to buy TikTok — but he's not interested in the algorithm
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-16 | by ( Shubhangi Goel | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Read previewReal estate mogul Frank McCourt is the latest person to raise his hand to try to acquire TikTok's US business. Related stories"We thought this was a really fantastic opportunity to accelerate the creation of an alternative internet," McCourt told the Associated Press. McCourt wants to change TikTok's basic business to an open-source model that allows users and creators more control over their data. McCourt told the New York Times that he doesn't want the algorithm. "We doubt very much that China would sell TikTok with the algorithm," McCourt told the Times.

Persons: —, Frank McCourt, McCourt, Kirkland, Ellis, TikTok, Forbes, Tim Berners, Lee, TikTok . McCourt, Eric Schmidt, Steven Mnuchin, he's Organizations: Service, Guggenheim Securities, Business, Associated Press, Liberty, Los Angeles Dodgers, Big Tech, New York Times, Times Locations: China

☆ TikTok’s new suitor is former Dodgers owner Frank McCourt, as lawsuit pushes back against ban
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-15 | by ( Brian Fung | Clare Duffy | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

Frank McCourt, a real estate billionaire and the former owner of the Los Angeles Dodgers, said Wednesday he is laying the groundwork to acquire TikTok as part of a broad initiative to make a healthier internet. Still, McCourt said, the potential opportunity to acquire TikTok is a chance to rewire how social media works. “We can, and must, do more to safeguard the health and well-being of our children, families, democracy and society,” McCourt said in a statement. McCourt joins a host of other would-be suitors angling to pick up a platform used by 170 million Americans. A group of eight TikTok creators on Tuesday also filed a separate lawsuit challenging the potential ban.

Persons: Joe Biden, TikTok, Frank McCourt, McCourt, ” McCourt, Kirkland, Ellis, Sir Tim Berners, Lee, Steven Mnuchin, Kevin O’Leary, “, ”, Topher Townsend, ” TikTok Organizations: New, New York CNN, Los Angeles Dodgers, TikTok, Guggenheim Securities, Former, O’Leary Ventures, US Department of Justice Locations: New York, United States, China

☆ Opinion | Yes, the Internet Is Broken. But What Does a Fix Look Like?
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-13 | by ( Peter Coy | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Tuesday was the 35th anniversary of the day that Tim Berners-Lee of the European Organization for Nuclear Research wrote the memo proposing what became the World Wide Web. I think it’s fair to say, though, that most people are not in the mood to celebrate what has become of Sir Timothy’s invention. It’s common to hear that the internet is broken and that social media is a dumpster fire. A lot go in the right direction, but I haven’t seen anything that seems likely to fully solve the many problems of today’s internet, from invasions of privacy to incitements of violence. Lasting solutions, if there are any, are likely to come from a combination of technological, legal and cultural approaches.

Persons: Tim Berners, Lee, Elizabeth II, Sir, I’ve Organizations: European Organization for Nuclear Research Locations: United States

☆ ‘Wildly disappointing’: Tech exec warns web innovation is stagnating, compares it to space exploration post-1970s
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-13 | by ( Ryan Browne | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

But Blumofe, who noted he's still a believer in the web and modern technology, cautioned we could be in for stagnation. Blumofe compared the current state of the web today to the aerospace industry in the 1960s. Today, aerospace innovation has stalled, he added. "All that was in the 60s and 70s," Blumofe noted. "If someone had gone asleep in 1975 and then woke up and looked at aerospace today they would be wildly disappointed."

Persons: Edwin E, Aldrin, Jr, we'd, underwhelmed, Robert Blumofe, Tim Berners, Lee, he's, Blumofe Organizations: United, CNBC, Boeing Locations: United States

☆ World Wide Web turns 35: Tim Berners-Lee gives predictions for future
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-12 | by ( Ryan Browne | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +10 min

Tim Berners-Lee is credited with inventing the World Wide Web in 1989. These are just some of the predictions for the future of the web from the inventor of the World Wide Web, Tim Berners-Lee, on the 35th anniversary of its invention. Tim Berners-Lee Inventor, World Wide WebBerners-Lee got to continue working on his idea for this information sharing system, and by 1991, the World Wide Web was up and running. When Tim Berners-Lee started work on the World Wide Web 35 years ago, he had no idea it was about to become the ubiquitous force it is today. Tim Berners-Lee Inventor, World Wide Web

Persons: Tim Berners, Lee, Rita Franca, Berners, Fabrice Coffrini, of Berners, Robert Blumofe, Akamai, Blumofe, we'll, Sebastian Derungs, you'll, Chintan Patel, Patel Organizations: CERN, CNBC, AFP, Getty, Microsoft, Samsung, Galaxy, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Google, Apple, Afp, Forte Ventures, Akamai, Glasswing Ventures, Cisco, Big Tech, Digital Markets Locations: Swiss, London, Berners, U.S

☆ CNBC Daily Open: Wall Street wary as inflation data looms
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-12 | by ( Sumathi Bala | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

This report is from today's CNBC Daily Open, our international markets newsletter. CNBC Daily Open brings investors up to speed on everything they need to know, no matter where they are. Overnight, U.S. stocks ended mixed as investors await key inflation data for clues on the Federal Reserve's path on rate cuts. "The question is to what extent and how broad will it be," he told CNBC. Web inventor's top predictionsTim Berners-Lee, recognized for inventing the World Wide Web, told CNBC his top predictions for the future of the web — and how it will be transformed by Al.

Persons: Patria Stodghill, vender Susan Mendoza, Hang Seng, Dow, Shaun Rein, it's, Steven Okun, Tim Berners, Lee Organizations: Patria, Washington , DC, CNBC, CSI, Nikkei, Nasdaq, China Market Research, APAC Advisors, Al, Barclays Locations: Washington ,, Hong Kong, Asia, China, U.S, Washington

☆ ‘Cute’ exhibition examines the complex power of all things adorable
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-14 | by ( Zara Khan | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

How cuteness has taken over our world — and why — is a subject being explored in “Cute,” a new (and the first ever) exhibition devoted to the movement at London’s Somerset House. The Industrial Revolution and the rise of mass production allowed cuteness to be unleashed on the world — toys, books and illustrations could, increasingly, be made easily and cheaply. The exhibition — a world first — examines the enduring appeal of the cute aesthetic amongst adults and asks deeper questions about its allure. For Simon May, a professor of philosophy at King’s College London and author of “The Power of Cute,” kawaii is just part of a story which involves the country of Japan more broadly. The Edwardian artist is credited with increasing the cute appeal of our feline friends by giving them human hobbies and pastimes.

Persons: cuteness, Hattie Stewart, David Parry, ”, Somerset, Cliff Lauson, Tim Berners, Lee, Claire Catterall, Andy Holden's, Louis Wain —, Andy Holden’s, Joshua Dale, “, Isabelle Galleymore, Yumeji Takehisa, Simon May, kawaii, Louis Wain's, Kitty, Japan ”, Setsuko Tamura, Rachel Maclean’s, Maclean, ” May Organizations: CNN, London’s Somerset House, Somerset House, Somerset, Cats, King’s College London, Bethlem, panini, Somerset House Scottish, “ Locations: London’s, London, Somerset, Tokyo, Japan, ” Japan

☆ A growing number of tech execs think AI is giving Big Tech 'inordinate' power
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-22 | by ( Arjun Kharpal | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

"Right now, there are only a handful of companies with the resources needed to create these large-scale AI models and deploy them at scale. McCourt also thinks AI could give too much power to tech giants. The inventor of the web, Tim Berners Lee, has also raised concerns about the concentration of power among the tech giants. On AI, however, he feels that while the technology giants now are leading the way, there is space for disruption. These are AI models that are not owned by a single entity, such as Google or Microsoft, and instead can be developed and added to by anyone.

Persons: OpenAI's ChatGPT, Meredith Whittaker, Whittaker, Maven, Frank McCourt, McCourt, Tim Berners Lee, Jimmy Wales, that's Organizations: Tech, Microsoft, Google, CNBC, Department of Defense, Los Angeles Dodgers, team, Liberty, Wales Locations: U.S, China, Wales

OXFORD, England (AP) — Fans of Philip Pullman have been waiting almost five years for the final instalment in the author’s sextet of books about his intrepid heroine Lyra and her adventures in multiple worlds. “I haven’t got a title yet,” Pullman told The Associated Press in his home city of Oxford, where he was honored Thursday with the Bodley Medal. I haven’t found the right title yet — but I will.”The medal, awarded by Oxford University’s 400-year-old Bodleian Libraries, honors contributions to literature, media or science. Pullman says the next book will be his final foray into Lyra’s world -– though he also said that after the first trilogy, only to be tempted back. “There are other things I want to do,” including a book about words and images and how they work together on the imagination.

Persons: Philip Pullman, Lyra, haven’t, ” Pullman, Bodley, ”, Tim Berners, Lee, Stephen Hawking, Hilary, Kazuo Ishiguro, Zadie Smith, Colm Tóibín, Pullman, Canterbury Rowan Williams, “, Pullman’s, Philip doesn’t, ” Williams Organizations: OXFORD, Associated Press, Oxford, HBO, “ Locations: England, Oxford, Pullman, Canada, United States

☆ Cryptos have no intrinsic value and trading in them should be regulated like gambling, UK lawmakers say
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-17 | by ( Ryan Browne | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Trading in cryptocurrencies is akin to gambling and should be treated as such, British lawmakers said. Unbacked tokens like bitcoin and ether aren't underpinned by underlying assets and have "no intrinsic value," lawmakers on the U.K. Treasury Select Committee said in a report published Tuesday. The Treasury committee said it was concerned by government proposals to regulate consumer crypto trading as a financial service. This, lawmakers said, would create a "halo" effect that leads people to believe crypto trading is safe and protected, when this is not the case. Blair Halliday, U.K. managing director for top U.S. crypto exchange Kraken, said: "We fundamentally disagree with the Treasury Select Committee's conclusion that cryptoassets have no intrinsic value.

☆ Mark Cuban says the potential impact of AI tools like ChatGPT is 'beyond anything I’ve ever seen in tech'
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-05 | by ( Cheyenne Devon | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Billionaire Mark Cuban believes artificially intelligent (AI) chatbots like Open AI's ChatGPT are still in the beginning stages of development. But the potential impact of this new technology is "beyond anything I've ever seen," he tells CNBC Make It. On Monday, Cuban compared ChatGPT's debut to the introduction of HTML in the early days of the Internet in a tweet. "Everyone knew it would be impactful, but we made it seem far more complicated that it was," Cuban said of HTML. It's the basic coding language used to build websites and determine how they appear to users.

☆ Twitter grants UK far-right party Britain First 'official organization' label
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-24 | by ( Ryan Browne | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Twitter labeled the British far-right political party Britain First an "official organization," raising questions about the direction in which Elon Musk has taken the platform after its content moderation and verification overhaul. When clicking on the checkmark, a textbox shows the message: "This account is verified because it's an official organization on Twitter." On April 20, about 400,000 legacy-verified Twitter accounts lost their blue checkmarks as part of Musk's drive to gain the platform more money from subscriptions. Individual users must pay $8 for a membership with Twitter Blue, which gives them features such as the blue tick and the ability to edit tweets. In response to those labels, NPR and CBC announced they would stop using Twitter in an official capacity to disseminate reporting.

☆ Sony backs maker of tiny Raspberry Pi computers with fresh funding, access to A.I. chips
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-12 | by ( Ryan Browne | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Sony Semiconductor Solutions, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation, invested an undisclosed amount in Raspberry Pi Ltd, the trading company of Raspberry Pi, the company said in a statement on Wednesday. Upton established Raspberry Pi in 2012 with the aim of making computing more accessible to young people. Raspberry Pi's tiny single-board computers are the size of a credit card and have been used to build everything from high-altitude balloons to small radio-controlled submarines. Raspberry Pi's customers were mainly hobbyists and teachers in the early days. The deal extends an existing manufacturing relationship between Sony and Raspberry Pi.

☆ With ChatGPT hype swirling, UK government urges regulators to come up with rules for A.I.
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-29 | by ( Ryan Browne | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +6 min

In the white paper, the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) outlined five principles it wanted companies to follow. Rather than establishing new regulations, the government is calling on regulators to apply existing regulations and inform companies about their obligations under the white paper. "When parliamentary time allows, legislation could be introduced to ensure regulators consider the principles consistently." On Monday, Secretary of State Michelle Donelan visited the offices of AI startup DeepMind in London, a government spokesperson said. Not everyone is convinced by the U.K. government's approach to regulating AI.

Google , Netflix , Meta , Apple , Amazon and Microsoft generate nearly half of all internet traffic today. Big Tech firms say this would amount to an "internet tax" that could undermine net neutrality. They bemoaned spending billions on laying cables and installing antennas to cope with rising internet demand without corresponding investments from Big Tech. One suggestion is to require individual bargaining deals with the Big Tech firms, similar to Australian licensing models between news publishers and internet platforms. "The imbalance is not down to Big Tech, it's not down to streamers, and it's not down to telcos.

☆ EU executive arm bars employees from using TikTok, citing security risks
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-23 | by ( Ryan Browne | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Shou Zi Chew, chief executive officer of TikTok Inc., speaks during the Bloomberg New Economy Forum in Singapore, on Wednesday, Nov. 16, 2022. The European Commission, the executive arm of the EU, banned its employees from using TikTok on their smartphones amid concerns from Western governments about the risks the platform may pose to national security. The commission said staff would no longer be able to have the Chinese-owned app installed on corporate and personal devices, citing concerns over how it handles user data. TikTok has admitted that data on its European users can be accessed by employees based in China, but denies it would ever share such information with the Chinese government. "We are continuing to enhance our approach to data security — establishing three data centres in Europe to store user data locally; further reducing employee access to data; and minimising data flows outside of Europe."

☆ World Wide Web inventor Tim Berners-Lee calls crypto 'dangerous' and likens it to gambling
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-20 | by ( Arjun Kharpal | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

Tim Berners-Lee is credited with inventing the World Wide Web in 1989. But he has been dissatisfied with the way his original vision for the web has panned out. Tim Berners-Lee, the inventor of the World Wide Web, called cryptocurrency "dangerous" and likened it to gambling in an episode of CNBC's "Beyond The Valley" podcast published last Friday. Discussing the future of the web, Berners-Lee said digital currencies are "only speculative" and compared it to the dot-com bubble, in which internet stocks, often without a solid business behind them, were highly inflated. Obviously, that's really dangerous," Berners-Lee told CNBC.

☆ Cybersecurity firm Darktrace hires EY to review financial processes after damning short seller report
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-20 | by ( Ryan Browne | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

LONDON — Cybersecurity firm Darktrace on Monday said it has appointed auditing firm EY to review its "key financial processes and controls," in a bid to soothe investor fears after a short seller accused the company of manipulating its accounts. "The Board believes fully in the robustness of Darktrace's financial processes and controls. EY will report to the chair of Darktrace's audit and risk committee, Paul Harrison, Darktrace said. Darktrace shares rose more than 2% Monday on the heels of the announcement. The firm said it was "deeply skeptical about the validity of Darktrace's financial statements" and believed sales and growth rates may have been overstated.

☆ Three decades after inventing the web, Tim Berners-Lee has some ideas on how to fix it
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-17 | by ( Arjun Kharpal | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

Share Share Article via Facebook Share Article via Twitter Share Article via LinkedIn Share Article via EmailThree decades after inventing the web, Tim Berners-Lee has some ideas on how to fix itThe internet is now disempowering for individuals, and its inventor Tim Berners-Lee and Inrupt CEO John Bruce share their ideas for the future of the web.

☆ The inventor of the web thinks everyone will have their own personal A.I. assistants like ChatGPT
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-17 | by ( Arjun Kharpal | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

Through their company Inrupt, Sir Tim Berners-Lee, the inventor of the World Wide Web, and John Bruce, are trying to change the future of the internet. Inrupt is a company they co-founded which aims to deliver the web inventors' original vision of the way the internet should work. Data will be stored in so-called "pods," which are basically a person's personal data online storage container. And the opportunity for individuals to take more command over their role on the web," Bruce told CNBC's Beyond The Valley. But Berners-Lee is keen to call the next generation of the internet Web 3.0, emphasizing the dot.

☆ Tim Berners-Lee wants us to reclaim the internet from tech giants
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-16 | by ( Daniel Renjifo | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

London CNN —The internet has come a long way since Tim Berners-Lee invented the world wide web in 1989. Now, in an era of growing concern over privacy, he believes it’s time for us to reclaim our personal data. Through their startup Inrupt, Berners-Lee and CEO John Bruce have created the “Solid Pod” — or Personal Online Data Store. The latter plans to use Pods to let its citizens choose how to share their personal data. A former physicist, Tim Berners-Lee, pictured in 1994, invented the world wide web at the European Organization for Nuclear Research, CERN.

☆ Web inventor Tim Berners-Lee wants us to 'ignore' Web3: 'Web3 is not the web at all'
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-04 | by ( Ryan Browne | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

It involves a few technologies, including blockchain, cryptocurrencies and nonfungible tokens. Personal data stores have to be fast, cheap and private." "Ignore the Web3 stuff, random Web3 that was built on blockchain," he added. Berners-Lee said people too often conflate Web3 with "Web 3.0," his own proposal for reshaping the internet. "The result was a big data race where the winner was the one corporation that controlled the most data and the losers were everybody else," he said.

☆ Explainer: Why methane emissions are threatening climate stability
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-03 | by ( Tim Cocks | Avi Asher-Schapiro | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Nov 3 (Reuters) - Methane emissions have emerged as a top threat to the global climate, with scientists and policymakers calling for aggressive action to curb the output. At last year's U.N. climate summit in Glasgow, Scotland, more than 100 countries pledged a 30% cut from 2020 methane emissions levels by 2030. "If you're interested in the climate impacts, we'll be experiencing in 2050 ... you'd be absolutely screaming about methane emissions." WHERE IT COMES FROMThree-fifths of the world's estimated methane emissions are from human activity; the rest are from natural sources like swamps. The European Union recently endorsed labeling some natural gas projects as "green" in a major boost to the industry.

☆ This startup could become the Google Analytics of carbon accounting. Here's the 13-slide pitch deck Climatiq used to raise $5.8 million.
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-13 | by ( Tasmin Lockwood | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Climate tech startup Climatiq has raised 6 million euros (around $5.8 million) in a seed round. VC firm Singular led the round into the carbon API startup with Cherry Ventures also participating. Companies can also import their own carbon emissions data to provide a more accurate estimate of their impact. Some consumer-focused tools already embed emissions data. Emissions data is already shown on travel sites like Google Flights.

☆ Explainer: How methane leaks accelerate global warming
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-27 | by ( Tim Cocks | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Methane, the main component of natural gas, can leak from pipelines and drill sites, and is also emitted from farming and food waste. Scientists normally compare the warming effects of methane and carbon dioxide over one century, and over that timescale methane is 28 times worse. "If you're interested in the climate impacts we'll be experiencing in 2050 ... you'd be absolutely screaming about methane emissions." WHERE IT COMES FROMThree-fifths of the world's estimated methane emissions are from human activity; the rest, from natural sources like swamps. The European Union recently endorsed labeling some natural gas projects as "green" in a major boost to the industry.

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