DIRS.INFO The most relevant business & tech news

☆ Shocking: Some AI developers didn’t listen when a woman rejected their offer
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-22 | by ( Allison Morrow | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

Back in September, Scarlett Johansson, who played the hauntingly complex AI assistant in the 2013 Spike Jonze film “Her,” got a request from OpenAI’s CEO, Sam Altman. He wanted to hire Johansson to voice his company’s newest ChatGPT model, “Sky.” She said no. Johansson quickly lawyered up, saying Monday she was “shocked, angered and in disbelief” that Altman would use a voice “so eerily similar” to her own. OpenAI was forced to confront some of those concerns late last week, after two prominent employees left the company. “Being friends with AI will be so much easier than forging bonds with human beings,” wrote Wired editor Brian Barrett in a recent essay about the movie.

Persons: CNN Business ’, you’ve, Scarlett Johansson, Spike Jonze, ”, Sam Altman, Johansson, OpenAI, Altman, Altman —, Jan Leike, OpenAI’s, Ilya Sutskever, ” Altman, “, that’s, Joaquin, Brian Barrett, — CNN’s Clare Duffy, Brian Fung Organizations: CNN Business, New York CNN, Google Locations: New York, Silicon

☆ Why OpenAI should fear a Scarlett Johansson lawsuit
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-22 | by ( Brian Fung | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +11 min

“It doesn’t matter if OpenAI used any of Scarlett Johansson’s actual voice samples,” Li posted on Threads. Here, Johansson could accuse OpenAI of illegally monetizing who she is by essentially fooling users into thinking she had voiced Sky. But there’s substantial case law — and one very inconvenient fact for OpenAI — undercutting that defense, legal experts say. According to Johansson, OpenAI approached her to perform as Sky; Johansson declined. While California’s publicity law protects all individuals, some state statutes only protect famous people, and not all states have such legislation on the books.

Persons: Will Scarlett Johansson, OpenAI, Johansson, OpenAI’s, Sam Altman, OpenAI didn’t, demoed, Tiffany Li, Scarlett Johansson’s, ” Li, monetizing, John Bergmayer, “, ”, —, Bette Midler, Midler, Tom Waits, Waits, …, James Grimmelmann, Scarlett Johansson ”, Altman, Sky’s, Johansson ”, Samantha, ‘, ” Grimmelmann, Joel Saget, ” Bergmayer, Dana Rao, Adobe’s, we’re, Jennifer Rothman, ” Rothman Organizations: Washington CNN, University of San, Public, Ford Motor Company, Appeals, Circuit, Frito, Cornell University, Getty, Adobe, FAIR, University of Pennsylvania Locations: University of San Francisco, California, Midler’s, Paris, AFP

☆ FCC is considering AI rules for political ads
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-22 | by ( Brian Fung | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

Washington CNN —The Federal Communications Commission is taking initial steps toward new rules that could require political ads on TV and radio to include disclaimers about the use of artificial intelligence. Under the proposed rules, political advertisers on those mediums would have to make on-air disclosures if their ads contain AI-generated content. The FCC move seeks to fill a yawning gap in the regulation of artificial intelligence in political advertising. In March, a bipartisan proposal by Minnesota Democratic Sen. Amy Klobuchar and Alaska Republican Sen. Lisa Murkowski unveiled the AI Transparency in Elections Act, which could require AI disclaimers on political ads. Online platforms such as Meta have taken their own steps to address AI in political ads, requiring campaigns to disclose the use of deepfakes and banning the use of its in-house generative AI tools for political advertising.

Persons: Jessica Rosenworcel, ” Rosenworcel, I’ve, ”, “, Minnesota Democratic Sen, Amy Klobuchar, Alaska Republican Sen, Lisa Murkowski, Chuck Schumer Organizations: Washington CNN, Federal Communications Commission, “, FCC, Federal, FEC, Minnesota Democratic, Alaska Republican, Meta Locations: Alaska, New York

☆ TikTok plans global layoffs in operations and marketing
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-22 | by ( Brian Fung | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +1 min

CNN —TikTok is planning to lay off large swaths of its operations and marketing workforce, current employees briefed on the plans told CNN. The global layoffs are expected to hit teams that handle user support and communications, as well as content and marketing. TikTok’s current global user operations team will be dismantled as part of the move, and remaining employees will be distributed among the company’s trust and safety, marketing, content and product teams. The layoffs had been in the works for some time, perhaps almost a year, but recent turnover in TikTok’s marketing, trust and safety and operations teams prompted delays, one of the employees told CNN. It is unclear how many TikTok employees could lose their jobs.

Persons: Adam Presser, Zenia Mucha, TikTok Organizations: CNN, The, Brand, Communications Locations: United States

☆ OpenAI puts flirty ChatGPT voice that sounds like ScarJo in ‘Her’ on hold
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-20 | by ( Brian Fung | Clare Duffy | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

New York CNN —OpenAI says it’s hitting the pause button on a synthetic voice released with an update to ChatGPT that prompted comparisons with a fictional voice assistant portrayed in the quasi-dystopian film “Her” by actor Scarlett Johansson. “We’ve heard questions about how we chose the voices in ChatGPT, especially Sky,” OpenAI said in a post on X Monday. A spokesperson for the company said that structure would help OpenAI better achieve its safety objectives. OpenAI President Greg Brockman responded in a longer post on Saturday, which was signed with both his name and Altman’s, laying out the company’s approach to long-term AI safety. “We have raised awareness of the risks and opportunities of AGI so that the world can better prepare for it,” Brockman said.

Persons: New York CNN — OpenAI, Scarlett Johansson, OpenAI, “ We’ve, ” OpenAI, “, Desi Lydic, ”, ” Lydic, Joaquin Phoenix, Everett, Sam Altman, Johansson, Jan Leike, Ilya Sutskever, Altman, Leike, Greg Brockman, ” Brockman Organizations: New, New York CNN, Daily, Warner Bros ., White, CNN Locations: New York, ChatGPT, OpenAI

☆ Chuck Schumer and bipartisan group of senators unveil plan to control AI – while investing billions of dollars in it
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-15 | by ( Brian Fung | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

It also instructs multiple Senate committees to come up with guardrails for AI to address some of its biggest risks, such as AI-enabled discrimination, job displacement and election interference. “Harnessing the potential of AI demands an all-hands-on-deck approach and that’s exactly what our bipartisan AI working group has been leading,” Schumer said Wednesday. “This roadmap represents the most comprehensive and impactful bipartisan recommendations on artificial intelligence ever issued by the legislative branch,” Young said Wednesday. Schumer has described regulating artificial intelligence as a challenge for Congress unlike any other, vowing a swift timeline measured in months, not years. But policy analysts, and some congressional aides, doubt whether Congress can pass significant legislation regulating AI in an election year.

Persons: Chuck Schumer, Schumer, ” Schumer, New Mexico Democratic Sen, Martin Heinrich, Republican Sens, Mike Rounds, Todd Young, ” Young, ” Organizations: CNN, European Union, National Security, Artificial Intelligence, New, New Mexico Democratic, Republican, South, Todd Young of Indiana, EU Locations: New York, New Mexico, South Dakota

☆ 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

☆ Why tonight’s massive solar storm could disrupt communications and GPS systems
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-10 | by ( Brian Fung | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

NOAA’s severe space weather watch suggests the storm could trigger numerous effects for life on Earth, possibly affecting the power grid as well as satellite and high frequency radio communications. Moreover, the changes to the ionosphere can block or degrade radio transmissions trying to pass through the atmosphere to reach satellites. And they can also prevent radio transmissions from successfully bouncing off the ionosphere — which some radio operators normally do to increase the range of their signals. The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency outlined a similar report in a 2021 presentation on space weather, finding that line-of-sight radio transmissions are generally not affected by space weather except in specific situations. The largest known geomagnetic storm in history, known as the Carrington Event of 1859, caused telegraph stations to spark and catch fire.

Persons: Washington CNN — Buckle, “ SWPC, Ashley Strickland Organizations: Washington CNN, Oceanic, Atmospheric Administration, Communications, NOAA, Prediction, Federal Emergency Management Agency, Infrastructure Security Agency Locations: Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, China, Quebec, Canada, Sweden, South Africa

☆ For US renters, the chance of owning a home is going from bad to worse
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-08 | by ( Elisabeth Buchwald | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

New York CNN —The American dream of homeownership is looking more like a nightmare. With inflation heating up again, the Federal Reserve is in no position to consider lowering interest rates at its upcoming meetings. That’s according to a New York Fed survey gauging consumers’ expectations of the housing market, released Monday. Consumers are gearing up for even bigger increases compared to the expected rise in mortgage rates over the next year, the New York Fed survey found. The issue of rent affordability is particularly pronounced in New York City, where housing costs have always been notoriously high compared to other parts of the country, absent a brief respite during the pandemic.

Persons: That’s, Kenny Lee, Aditya Bhave, Neel Kashkari, Bhave, ” Bhave, “, Perdue “, ”, Read, TikTok, Joe Biden, Brian Fung, Bytedance Organizations: CNN Business, Bell, New York CNN, Federal, New, Fed, Zillow, Bank of America, CNN, Minneapolis, Bloomberg, United States Department of Labor, Seaboard Triumph Foods, Perdue, Labor Department, Seaboard, Labor, Packers Sanitation Services, Appeals, District of Columbia Circuit Locations: New York, New York City, Fayette, DOL, Sioux City , Iowa, Accomac , Virginia, China

The information for the following product(s) has been collected independently by Business Insider: Capital One Spark 1% Classic†, Bank of America Business Advantage Unlimited Cash Rewards Secured Business Credit Card, FNBO Business Edition® Secured Mastercard® Credit Card, Capital One Spark Cash Select for Excellent Credit†. Introduction to the Capital One Spark 1% ClassicThe Capital One Spark 1% Classic† credit card is designed for small business owners with fair credit who need a business credit card for company purchases, bookkeeping and tax preparation management. Capital One Spark 1% Classic OverviewThe Capital One Spark 1% Classic† could be considered the entry level card in Capital One's line of small business cards, which are all branded with Spark name. Spark vs. QuicksilverMany people online compared the Capital One Spark business cards to the consumer-targeted Capital One Quicksilver cards. Capital One Spark 1% Classic Frequently Asked QuestionsWhat are the main features of the Capital One Spark Classic card?

Persons: Cardholders, it's, cardholders, Redditors, Jason Steele Jason Steele, Jason, Miles, Guy, Read, Angela Fung Organizations: Business, Bank of America Business, Credit, Mastercard, Capital, Accounting, Business Management, Abacus, Travel Insurance, Quicksilver, Chevron, Conference, Credit Card Media, Finance Locations: One's, Xero, Chevron, Denver , Colorado

☆ TikTok sues to block prospective US app ban
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-07 | by ( Brian Fung | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

If it loses, TikTok could be banned from US app stores unless its Chinese parent company, ByteDance, sells the app to a non-Chinese entity by mid-January 2025. But Virginia Democratic Sen. Mark Warner, an advocate for the TikTok legislation, said in remarks on the Senate floor in April that the briefings provided critical insight into the risk TikTok poses. US policymakers have described the law at issue as a forced divestiture of TikTok, not an outright app ban. Some US officials have been trying to ban TikTok from the United States since 2020, when former President Donald Trump moved to block the app by executive order. (Trump has since reversed his position, saying a TikTok ban would only help Meta, a company Trump blames for his 2020 election defeat.)

Persons: Washington CNN — TikTok, Joe Biden, TikTok, Bytedance, “, didn’t, Virginia Democratic Sen, Mark Warner, Warner, they’ve, They’ve, ”, Tuesday’s, ByteDance, TikTok’s, Berman, Evelyn Douek, Biden, Gautam Hans, Hans said, Jennifer Huddleston, Donald Trump, Trump, Douek, ” Douek Organizations: Washington CNN, Appeals, District of Columbia Circuit, Justice Department, Oracle, Foreign Investment, Republican, Democrat, Virginia Democratic, Senate, Stanford University, Cornell University . Still, Apple, Google, Cato Institute, European Commission, Trump Locations: China, United States, TikTok, Israel, Ukraine, Montana, Canada, United Kingdom, India

☆ What’s at stake in the Google antitrust case? Billions of dollars (and the way we use the internet)
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-03 | by ( Brian Fung | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

CNN —Whenever you type a search into Apple’s Safari browser — say, on an iPhone — chances are it’s Google that returns the results. You can tell Safari to pick another search engine, but in practice most people tend to stick with Google by default. You might know that Google pays Apple enormous sums of money every year for that prime placement. Those eye-popping figures, newly unsealed this week, come from a blockbuster antitrust lawsuit against Google that’s just entered its closing stages. Nothing prevented Apple from choosing a different default search partner, Google contends.

Persons: —, Google that’s, Trump, Amit Mehta, Mehta, ” Mehta, John Schmidtlein, Google’s, Sherman, “, ” Schmidtlein Organizations: CNN, Google, Apple, Justice Department, DOJ, Microsoft

☆ Affordable internet gave Native Americans a way to preserve community and culture. Now it’s another broken promise
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-01 | by ( Brian Fung | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +12 min

Within weeks, the two-year-old US Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP) is set to run out of funds, and Congress appears unlikely to authorize more. Even as many older and rural Americans may be thrust into financial hardship due to the ACP’s collapse, indigenous communities could fare even worse. Because tribal members can now work remotely, they are no longer forced to move away from their communities to seek opportunity, they told CNN. For example, Mitchell said, after decades of decline in Mohawk fluency, a growing number of tribal members are now involved in online language immersion. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig) Seth Wenig/AP/FileInstead, some say, the collapse of the ACP will become another stain on the US government’s centuries-long track record of breaking promises to tribal communities.

Persons: Kelly, ”, “, “ That’s, ” Kelly, Mike Johnson, Pennsylvania Democratic Sen, John Fetterman, Fetterman’s, Jonathan Nez, “ I’ve, Loren King, Geoffrey Starks, ” Starks, Allyson Mitchell, Mitchell, Nez, ” Nez, Derrick VanSoolen’s, Choctaw, ” VanSoolen, they’re, Bois, Randy Long, Gary Johnson, Paul, Seth Wenig, I’ll Organizations: Washington CNN, Mohawk, CNN, Connectivity Program, FCC, Pennsylvania Democratic, Federal Communications Commission, Treasury, US Federal Communications Commission, Mohawk Networks, Navajo, ACP, Emergency, Program, Choctaw Nation, Bois Forte, Paul Bunyan Communications Locations: St, Lawrence, New York, Canadian, Mohawk, America, Navajo, Oklahoma, Oklahoma , Arizona, New Mexico, Alaska, South Dakota, Arizona, Minnesota, Regis

☆ Interest rates: It’s a mystery when the Fed will begin to cut them
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-30 | by ( Bryan Mena | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

Washington CNN —Nowadays, it’s anyone’s guess when the Federal Reserve will begin to cut interest rates this year — if at all. Fed officials are meeting this week, starting Tuesday, to discuss rates and set policy. That guidance will be key for market observers who clearly have divergent views on interest rates. Forecasts from major Wall Street banks on the first rate cut are all over the place: JPMorgan and Goldman Sachs expect the first cut in July, while Wells Fargo is betting on September. Some Fed policymakers, meanwhile, have even floated the possibility of a rate hike, instead of a cut.

Persons: Goldman Sachs, Wall, Liz Ann Sonders, Charles Schwab, Jerome Powell, “, ” Kathleen Grace, John Towfighi, That’s, nearshoring, Alberto Ramos, Ramos, Morgan Stanley, Read, Cindy Westman, —, Brian Fung, Jason Carroll, I’ll, ”, Westman, ’, Westman — Organizations: CNN Business, Bell, Washington CNN, Federal Reserve, JPMorgan, Bank of America, CNN, Labor Department, Manufacturing, Commerce Department, Program, Social Locations: Washington, Wells, Mexico, —, China, United States, Eureka , Illinois

☆ ‘Should have been done yesterday’: Rural, older Americans could get hurt as affordable internet program runs out of cash
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-29 | by ( Brian Fung | Jason Carroll | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +14 min

But in just a few weeks, her internet bills, and those of other Americans like her, could skyrocket by hundreds of dollars a year. The program is heavily used by Americans over age 50, military veterans and low-income working families nationwide, according to FCC data. Amira Karaoud/Reuters/FileRural and older usersThe ACP has quickly gained adoption since Congress created the program in the 2021 bipartisan infrastructure law. Large swaths of the ACP’s user base trend older; Americans over 65 account for almost 20% of the program. The FCC’s Lifeline program, which dates to the Reagan administration, similarly gives low-income households a monthly discount on phone or internet service.

Persons: Cindy Westman, —, I’ll, ”, Westman, ’, Westman —, Gigi Sohn, “, Biden, Allison Bailey /, Cynthia George, George, ” George, Marc Veasey, They’re, Geoffrey Starks, “ It’s, ” Starks, Amira Karaoud, Walter Durham, I’m, ” Durham, Michelle McDonough, McDonough, she’ll, doesn’t, “ I’m, ” McDonough, Kamesha Scott, Louis, Megan Janicki, ” Janicki, Reagan, Mike Johnson, Blair Levin, Johnson didn’t, Levin, Jonathan Blaine, ” Blaine, they’re Organizations: CNN, Program, Social, Federal Communications Commission, FCC, Capitol, Getty, MSN, White, ” Texas Democratic, “, Comcast, ACP, Navy, American Library Association, Lifeline, Republicans, Republican, New, Research, ” Bills Locations: Eureka , Illinois, America, Dallas, Las Vegas, Kentucky, San Diego, United States, Maine, St, Vermont

☆ FCC fines wireless carriers millions for sharing user locations without consent
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-29 | by ( Brian Fung | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

Washington CNN —The US government has issued millions of dollars in fines to AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile and Verizon after an investigation found the nation’s top wireless carriers had illegally shared customers’ personal data without their consent. The fines target a practice in which carriers shared user location information with data resellers, known in the industry as “location aggregators.” These aggregators passed the data onward to their own third-party customers. “Each carrier attempted to offload its obligations to obtain customer consent onto downstream recipients of location information, which in many instances meant that no valid customer consent was obtained,” the FCC said in a release. In response to the FCC fines, all of the wireless carriers said they expect to appeal the decision. We take our responsibility to keep customer data secure very seriously and have always supported the FCC’s commitment to protecting consumers, but this decision is wrong, and the fine is excessive.

Persons: Trump, perversely, ”, “, Oregon Democratic Sen, Ron Wyden, Wyden, ” Wyden Organizations: Washington CNN, Mobile, Verizon, Federal Communications Commission, FCC, Sprint, ” Verizon, Oregon Democratic Locations: Securus

☆ EU investigates Meta over fears of election interference and foreign disinformation
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-29 | by ( Brian Fung | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

Officials said the investigation highlights apparent violations of Europe’s signature law governing online platforms, the Digital Services Act. They added that Meta’s tools for users to report illegal content don’t appear to align with the DSA’s requirements, either. The investigation comes after Meta submitted required materials to the European Commission last fall outlining how it manages perceived risks linked to its products. Without it, the European Commission said, users and researchers will have less visibility into what is happening on Meta services and could have a harder time detecting foreign election interference. “We look forward to continuing our cooperation with the European Commission and providing them with further details of this work.”

Persons: Meta, CrowdTangle, “, ” Organizations: CNN — European Union, European Commission, Officials, Digital Services, European, Facebook

☆ How CEOs are preparing for possible employee protests
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-29 | by ( Nicole Goodkind | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +10 min

You can always choose to move on, but remember you don’t have a right to work at most companies. We can’t keep re-litigating when we also have a business to runYou speak with CEOs every day. Most of the CEOs I’ve talked to said they haven’t seen their employees protest, but they’re bracing for it. But I will say that I don’t think it will become that widespread because of how swiftly and unapologetically Google addressed it. I don’t think it will become a thing.

Persons: Sundar Pichai, Bell, Johnny C, Taylor Jr, that’s, we’re, We’re, we’ve, I’m, You’d, They’re, I’ve, Royce, Peter Valdes, “ We’re, ”, Martin Fritsches, “ That’s, Brian Fung, Sean Lyngaas, Satya Nadella, Sam Altman, Northrop Grumman, Alejandro Mayorkas Organizations: CNN Business, Bell, New York CNN, Google, Tech, Society for Human Resource Management, Companies, Royce, BMW, OpenAI, Microsoft, Department of Homeland Security, Delta Air Lines, DHS, “, Amazon Web Services, IBM, Cisco, ’, Civil Locations: New York, Israel, Chichester , England

☆ Apple’s iPad will be subject to tough EU competition rules
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-29 | by ( Brian Fung | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

CNN —Apple’s iPad will face heightened regulation in the European Union after officials labeled its operating system Monday as a key gatekeeper technology under EU competition law. The stricter regulations require, for example, that the iPad not restrict third-party companies from accessing Apple services. And they prohibit Apple from giving its own services preferential treatment on the iPad compared to those offered by competitors. Apple is already subject to European gatekeeper obligations on iOS and in its app store and browser. “We will continue to constructively engage with the European Commission to comply with the DMA, across all designated services,” Apple said in a statement.

Persons: Margrethe Vestager, iPadOS didn’t, “, Vestager, ” Apple, ” Organizations: CNN, European Union, Google, Microsoft, Apple, European Commission Locations: European

☆ CEOs of OpenAI, Google and Microsoft to join other tech leaders on federal AI safety panel
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-26 | by ( Brian Fung | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

Washington CNN —The US government has asked leading artificial intelligence companies for advice on how to use the technology they are creating to defend airlines, utilities and other critical infrastructure, particularly from AI-powered attacks. The Department of Homeland Security said Friday that the panel it’s creating will include CEOs from some of the world’s largest companies and industries. The list includes Google chief executive Sundar Pichai, Microsoft chief executive Satya Nadella and OpenAI chief executive Sam Altman, but also the head of defense contractors such as Northrop Grumman and air carrier Delta Air Lines. It also includes federal, state and local government officials, as well as leading academics in AI such as Fei-Fei Li, co-director of Stanford University’s Human-centered Artificial Intelligence Institute. The US government already uses machine learning or artificial intelligence for more than 200 distinct purposes, such as monitoring volcano activity, tracking wildfires and identifying wildlife from satellite imagery.

Persons: Sundar Pichai, Satya Nadella, Sam Altman, Northrop Grumman, ”, Alejandro Mayorkas, Fei Li, Joe Biden Organizations: Washington CNN, Department of Homeland Security, Google, Microsoft, Delta Air Lines, DHS, “, Amazon Web Services, IBM, Cisco, ’, Civil, Stanford, Intelligence, Safety, Security

☆ Who could buy TikTok?
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-25 | by ( Brian Fung | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

Still, the company is under such close scrutiny that it would be a poor candidate to buy TikTok, experts say. If you were to tell me it’s Verizon, or AT&T, maybe it’s not as big of a problem.”Jasmine Enberg, principal analyst at Emarketer, highlighted a paradox: Only the largest, most dominant tech giants may have the resources to buy TikTok. Microsoft had been one of the handful of contenders to buy TikTok in 2020 when President Donald Trump first pushed for a sale. A former Trump Cabinet official enters the frayIn a move that caught many by surprise, former Trump Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin announced last month that he is putting together a team of investors to buy TikTok. As with Mnuchin, O’Leary has said a potential acquisition of TikTok may have to exclude TikTok’s algorithm.

Persons: Joe Biden, There’s, ”, Gene Kimmelman, Jasmine Enberg, ” Enberg, TikTok’s, Donald Trump, TikTok, Steven Mnuchin, Mnuchin, ” Oregon Democratic Sen, Ron Wyden, Trump, who’ve, Kevin O’Leary, O’Leary Organizations: CNN, Facebook, Google, Meta, Federal Trade Commission, FTC, Department, YouTube, Microsoft, Intel, Cisco, Verizon, Emarketer, Activision Blizzard, Walmart, Oracle, Project Texas, Texas, Trump Cabinet, Trump Treasury, Trump, ” Oregon Democratic, Washington Post, O’Leary Ventures Locations: United States, TikTok, ” Oregon

☆ Net neutrality is back as FCC votes to regulate internet providers
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-25 | by ( Brian Fung | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

The net neutrality regulations adopted Thursday by the Federal Communications Commission prohibit providers such as AT&T, Comcast and Verizon from selectively speeding up, slowing down or blocking users’ internet traffic. And for the first time, the FCC said it would step in to override state or local policies that conflict with the federal net neutrality rule. “The Title II authority will ensure that broadband providers are properly overseen by the FCC like all telecommunications services should be. “These 400-plus pages of relentless regulation are proof positive that old orthodoxies die hard,” said Jonathan Spalter, CEO of USTelecom, a trade association representing internet providers. As a result, the outcome of a legal challenge to the FCC’s net neutrality rules could have potentially broad ramifications for other US regulatory bodies, not just the FCC.

Persons: Trump, Jessica Rosenworcel, Rosenworcel, ” Rosenworcel, ”, Justin Brookman, Biden, Jonathan Spalter, Brendan Carr Organizations: Washington CNN, Federal Communications Commission, Comcast, Verizon, Democratic, FCC, “, Consumer, Trump, Republican, Communications Locations: unwound, Washington, America

☆ TikTok suspends TikTok Lite rewards program in the EU amid regulatory scrutiny
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-25 | by ( Brian Fung | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

Washington CNN —TikTok said Wednesday it would suspend a controversial program in the European Union that has prompted growing alarm among EU regulators. The program at issue appears within TikTok Lite, a less data-intensive version of TikTok’s main app, and which contains a feature that rewards users with cash for engaging with TikTok content and app features. “TikTok always seeks to engage constructively with the EU Commission and other regulators,” TikTok said in a post on X. “We are therefore voluntarily suspending the rewards functions in TikTok Lite while we address the concerns that they have raised.”The EU warnings to TikTok reflected an exercise of new oversight powers granted by the Digital Services Act, the trading bloc’s recently enacted law governing online platforms. TikTok also faces further, additional fines of up to 6% of its global annual revenue if the TikTok Lite feature is determined to be in violation of the DSA.

Persons: Washington CNN — TikTok, TikTok, “, “ TikTok, ” TikTok, Joe Biden Organizations: Washington CNN, European Union, European Commission, EU Commission, Digital Services, TikTok, Commission, DSA, Wednesday Locations: European, Europe, United States, Israel, Ukraine

☆ Congress just passed a potential TikTok ban. Here’s what happens next
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-23 | by ( Brian Fung | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

Washington CNN —Congress finalized legislation on Tuesday that could lead to a nationwide TikTok ban, escalating a massive threat to the company’s US operations. What does the TikTok legislation do? The earlier TikTok bill had been passed by the House, but it stalled in the Senate. In a procedural move, House Republicans this month attached the revised TikTok bill to the foreign aid package in hopes of forcing the Senate to vote on the TikTok legislation. Bundling the bill with the foreign aid — a top US priority — fast-tracked the TikTok bill and made it more likely to pass.

Persons: Joe Biden’s, Biden, there’s, Will Biden, Jennifer Gay, Mariam Zuhaib, —, TikTok, Shou Chew, ”, Nadine Farid Johnson, ByteDance Organizations: Washington CNN —, Republicans, Senate, White, U.S . Capitol, U.S, TikTok, Columbia University, “ Locations: Israel, Ukraine, United States, Washington, China

☆ TikTok could face EU fines and a suspension over sister app TikTok Lite
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-22 | by ( Brian Fung | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —European officials are threatening TikTok with massive fines and a possible forced suspension this week of parts of a new spinoff app, launched this month, that regulators allege contains addictive features. The warnings target TikTok Lite, a less data-intensive version of TikTok’s main app which contains a feature that rewards users with cash for engaging with TikTok content and app features. EU officials fear the feature could be used to turn TikTok Lite users into addicts who can’t stop using the app and described it as an “experiment” on unwitting EU citizens in Spain and France where TikTok Lite has been made available. A decision to order the suspension could come as early as Thursday, commission officials told reporters on a conference call. TikTok could face further, additional fines of up to 6% of its global annual revenue if the TikTok Lite features the Commission is investigating are determined to be violations of the DSA.

Persons: ”, TikTok didn’t, TikTok, we’ve Organizations: CNN, European Union, EU, Digital Services, DSA, European Commission, Lite, Commission, TikTok Locations: Spain, France, European, United States, Israel, Ukraine, TikTok

Search resuls for: "fung"

25 mentions found