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☆ North Korea satellite had 'no military utility' - South Korea
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-05 | by ( Hyonhee Shin | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/2] People watch a TV broadcasting a news report on North Korea firing what it called a space satellite toward the south, in Seoul, South Korea, May 31, 2023. "After detailed analysis on major parts of North Korea's space launch vehicle and satellite which were salvaged, South Korean and U.S. experts have assessed that they had no military utility as a reconnaissance satellite at all," the military said in a statement. It is the first time South Korea has secured a satellite launched by the North, South Korean military experts said. The nuclear-armed North has pursued a satellite launch programme since the 1990s and has said it would launch its first reconnaissance satellite to boost monitoring of U.S. military activities. In a key policy address in January 2021, North Korea's leader, Kim Jong Un, pledged to develop military reconnaissance satellites.

Persons: Kim Hong, Lee Choon, Yang Uk, Kim Jong Un, Hyonhee Shin, Jack Kim, Ed Davies, Gerry Doyle Organizations: REUTERS, South, Aircraft, South Korea's Science, Technology Policy, Asan Institute, Policy Studies, Workers, Party, Thomson Locations: North Korea, Seoul, South Korea, Korean, SEOUL, North, U.S, Korea, South Korean, Pyongyang, Japan

☆ White House releases report on reflecting sunlight to cool the earth, no formal study planned now
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-30 | by ( Catherine Clifford | In Catclifford | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

The Biden-Harris administration has no plans underway to launch a comprehensive research program into solar radiation modification, according to a senior administration official. 'Risk vs risk'For decades, solar radiation modification has been relegated to the realm of science fiction. The White House report focuses on two methods of solar geoengineering. But it also has a lot of unknown risks — what the White House report called "known unknowns." Critically, solar radiation modification is not a permanent solution.

Persons: Harris, Chelsea Thompson Organizations: Biden, White, Office of Science, Technology, Consolidated, NOAA, SRM, European Union, European Commission Locations: United States

In a San Francisco courtroom, federal regulators are fighting to block one of the biggest deals in the history of Silicon Valley. David McCabe, who covers technology policy for The New York Times, talks about Lina Khan, the F.T.C. chair who is the architect of the lawsuit, and the growing campaign to finally rein in big tech.

Persons: David McCabe, Lina Khan Organizations: The New York Times Locations: San Francisco, Silicon Valley

☆ U.S.-China tech battle entering its 'primetime' — and generative A.I. could be the next frontier
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-23 | by ( Arjun Kharpal | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

AI, which is seen as a critical technology by both nations, will likely be dragged into the battle between the two sides. Washington's attention is now likely to turn to generative AI. Generative AI relates to applications such as ChatGPT which are able to generate content when prompted by users. Generative AI is based on so-called large language models, meaning it is trained on huge amount of language in order to be able to understand and respond to prompts from users. China's generative A.I.

Persons: Xi Jinping, Antony Blinken, Leah Millis, Abishur Prakash, Donald Trump, Paul Triolo, Albright Stonebridge, Biden, Triolo, China hasn't, Blinken, China's Xi Organizations: U.S, AFP, CNBC, Chips, Science, Nvidia, Microsoft, Baidu, Alibaba, Washington, Micron Locations: U.S, China, Washington, Toronto, Beijing

The Defense... Read moreSEOUL, June 16 (Reuters) - South Korea has recovered from the sea part of a rocket used in North Korea's failed attempt to launch its first military satellite last month, the Joint Chiefs of Staff said on Friday. The announcement came about two weeks after North Korea unsuccessfully tried to launch its first spy satellite, with the booster and payload plunging into the sea. South Korea began retrieving debris shortly after the launch, and had already recovered smaller parts. Lee Choon-geun, a honorary research fellow at South Korea's Science and Technology Policy Institute, said the newly retrieved object appeared to be a fuel tank. On Friday, the U.S. guided-missile submarine USS Michigan arrived in South Korea for the first time since 2017 for joint special warfare exercises aimed at improving responses to North Korean threats, the South Korean navy said.

Persons: North Korea's, Lee Jong, Lee Choon, Chang Young, Chang, Soo, hyang Choi, Hyonhee Shin, Ed Davies, Gerry Doyle Organizations: South Korean, The Defense, Joint Chiefs, Staff, North, Korea's Defence, South Korea's Science, Technology Policy Institute, Korea Aerospace University, North Korean, Thomson Locations: Korea, South Korea, SEOUL, North, North Korea, United States, Seoul, Washington, Pyongyang, U.S, Michigan

☆ North Korea launches rocket likely connected to military spy satellite, South Korea says
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-30 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

North Korea launched a purported rocket Wednesday, a day after the country announced a plan to put its first military spy satellite into orbit, South Korea's military said. It wasn't immediately clear whether a North Korean spy satellite would significantly bolster its defenses. Since the beginning of 2022, North Korea has conducted more than 100 missile tests, many of them involving nuclear-capable weapons targeting the U.S. mainland, South Korea and Japan. North Korea says its testing activities are self-defense measures meant to respond to expanded military drills between Washington and Seoul that it views as invasion rehearsals. U.S. and South Korean officials say their drills are defensive and they've bolstered them to cope with growing nuclear threats by North Korea.

Persons: Kim Jong Un, Kim Ju, Kim Il, Ri, Lee Choon Geun, Kim Organizations: North, Korean Central News Agency, Chiefs, Staff, North Korean, South Korea's Science, Technology Policy, U.S Locations: Pyongyang, North Korea, South Korea's, Seoul, Korea, United States, Korean, South Korea, Washington, Japan

☆ You're right to be scared of A.I., says Ivy League expert and White House advisor—these 5 guardrails can protect 'against harm'
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-06 | by ( Tom Huddleston Jr. | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

On Monday, researcher Geoffrey Hinton, known as "The Godfather of AI," said he'd left his post at Google, citing concerns over potential threats from AI development. Google CEO Sundar Pichai talked last month about AI's "black box" problem, where even its developers don't always understand how the technology actually works. Among the other concerns: AI systems, left unchecked, can spread disinformation, allow companies to hoard users personal data without their knowledge, exhibit discriminatory bias or cede countless human jobs to machines. In the "Blueprint for an AI Bill of Rights," Venkatasubramanian helped lay out proposals for "ethical guardrails" that could safely govern and regulate the AI industry. With them in place, most people would barely notice the difference while using AI systems, he says.

☆ More than 250 business leaders back Julie Su for Labor secretary as nomination hangs in the balance
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-04 | by ( Emma Kinery | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Deputy Labor Secretary Julie Su testifies before the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee during her confirmation hearing to be the next secretary of the Labor Department in the Dirksen Senate Office Building on Capitol Hill on April 20, 2023 in Washington, DC. More than 250 business leaders are urging the Senate to confirm acting Labor Secretary Julie Su to helm the department, according to a letter first obtained by CNBC. "Julie Su is a trailblazer whose track record speaks for itself," reads the letter, which cited her experience as Labor secretary of California. Additionally, her experience as U.S. Deputy Labor Secretary has given her a thorough understanding of the Labor Department and the current issues facing the economy, businesses, and workers." She was confirmed to be deputy secretary to former Labor Secretary Marty Walsh in 2021 by a party-line vote, but several key moderate Democrats have yet to say whether they will support her this round.

☆ Kamala Harris to discuss A.I. in meeting with Google, Microsoft, OpenAI and Anthropic CEOs
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-02 | by ( Ashley Capoot | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Vice President Kamala Harris will meet with the chief executives of Google , Microsoft , OpenAI and Anthropic Thursday to discuss the responsible development of artificial intelligence, the White House confirmed to CNBC Tuesday. Harris will address the need for safeguards that can mitigate AI's potential risks and emphasize the importance of ethical and trustworthy innovation, the White House said. Generative AI has exploded into public consciousness after OpenAI released its viral new chatbot called ChatGPT late last year. In the months since, Microsoft has been integrating OpenAI's generative technology across many of its products as part of its multi-year, multi-billion-dollar investment in the company. While many experts are optimistic about the potential of generative AI, the technology has also inspired questions and concerns from regulators and tech industry giants.

☆ White House to study employer tools that monitor workers
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-01 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

WASHINGTON, May 1 (Reuters) - The Biden administration plans to study companies' use of technology to monitor and manage workers, which it said on Monday is becoming increasingly common and can cause "serious risks to workers." The White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, in a blog post, sought comments from employees about their experience with surveillance technology, and asked employers and software vendors how they develop and use them. "While these technologies can benefit both workers and employers in some cases, they can also create serious risks to workers," the OSTP said. And, when paired with employer decisions about pay, discipline, and promotion, automated surveillance can lead to workers being treated differently or discriminated against." The Biden administration has made labor issues a centerpiece of its economic policies following years of wages failing to keep up with inflation on basics like housing.

☆ U.S. senator introduces bill targeting AI's shortfalls
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-28 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

WASHINGTON, April 28 (Reuters) - Senator Michael Bennet introduced a bill on Thursday that would create a task force to look at U.S. policies on artificial intelligence, and identify how best to reduce threats to privacy, civil liberties and due process. In Washington, national security experts have fretted about its use by foreign adversaries, and teachers have complained about it being used to cheat. The job of the AI Task Force, which could include cabinet members, will be to identify shortfalls in regulatory oversight of AI and recommend reforms, if needed. Under the terms of the bill, the task force would work for 18 months, issue a final report and then shut down. Reporting by Diane Bartz; Editing by Sandra MalerOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Electric cars could cost the same as gas-powered ones as soon as 2025 — so long as you buy small
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-28 | by ( Alexa St. John | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Electric cars could cost the same as gas-powered ones as early as the mid-2020s. That's only if shoppers go small, according to new analysis from the International Energy Agency. It's as long as shoppers buy small, according to the International Energy Agency's latest global EV outlook. Still, the average new EV cost $58,940 in March, according to Kelley Blue Book, while the average new gas-powered car went for $48,008. Bigger battery-powered vehicles have batteries that are two- to three-times larger than small cars, according to the IEA, which requires more critical minerals that are costly.

☆ Smaller EV prices to come down as EV sales climb, IEA says
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-26 | by ( Victoria Waldersee | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The agency raised its EV sales forecasts in part because of the U.S. Inflation Reduction Act, which supports green industry and subsidises consumers' purchase of electric vehicles (EVs), IEA executive director Fatih Birol said on a media call. China features prominently, making up half the EVs on the road worldwide including battery-electric cars and plug-in hybrids, and with 60% of EV sales last year taking place there, according to the IEA's annual outlook on EVs. The country has also seen prices for some smaller EV models edging lower towards those of their combustion engine equivalents, said the IEA's energy technology policy head, Timar Guell. SUVs and large cars account for nearly two-thirds of EVs in China and Europe and a greater proportion in the United States. In emerging and developing economies, two- or three-wheel electric vehicles outnumber cars.

☆ The creepy secret behind online therapy
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-20 | by ( Tanmoy Goswami | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +16 min

Crisis Text Line, now in its 10th year of operations, uses artificial intelligence to respond to people experiencing emotional abuse, self-harm, and suicidal thoughts. 'The vast majority of mental-health apps are exceptionally creepy'BetterHelp, a poster child of online therapy founded in 2013, calls itself "the world's largest therapy platform" and says it has over 2 million users. One of the first popular mental-health apps, PTSD Coach, was launched by the US Department of Veteran Affairs in 2011. But for mental-health companies these practices can undermine the very foundations of mental-health care: dignity, trust, and psychological safety. As Crisis Text Line wrote on its website extolling its deal with Loris: "Why sell T-shirts when you can sell what your organization does best?"

☆ Opinion: Banning TikTok isn’t just a bad idea. It’s a dangerous one
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-16 | by ( Evan Greer | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

CNN —The US government is racing ahead with proposals aimed at banning TikTok, the viral video platform used by more than 150 million Americans. Banning TikTok won’t make us safer from China’s surveillance operations. But banning TikTok isn’t just foolish and dangerous, it’s also unconstitutional. You do that by passing a strong national data privacy law that bans companies from collecting more data about us than they need to provide us with the service we’ve requested. Join us on Twitter and FacebookIt’s a national embarrassment that we have no basic data privacy law in the United States.

☆ Factbox: What is China's new government restructuring plan?
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-08 | by ( Laurie Chen | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

The restructured ministry will be overseen by a newly created Communist Party body, the Central Science and Technology Commission, strengthening party oversight of science and technology policy. A new national data bureau will be responsible for coordinating the sharing and development of data resources, as well as planning the digital economy and promoting initiatives. Since taking power in 2012, Xi has established several new central party committees overseeing multiple ministries, which report directly to him. Analysts expect the party reforms to be revealed soon after the NPC concludes its meetings on Monday. A top-level party financial watchdog, the Central Financial Work Commission, is likely to be resurrected after the NPC, sources earlier told Reuters.

☆ U.S. Commerce Dept. names financial sector, government experts to chips team
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-17 | by ( David Shepardson | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

WASHINGTON, Feb 17 (Reuters) - The U.S. Commerce Department said Friday it is naming more than a dozen members to a team overseeing $52.7 billion in government funding to boost semiconductor manufacturing and research. The new team members include officials with experience managing large federal programs, experts from the semiconductor industry, and executives with financial sector experience, the department said. The department said Todd Fisher - a Commerce official who previously worked for nearly 25 years at KKR & Co. Inc - will serve as chief investment officer. The department plans to release its first Notice of Funding Opportunity this month, a key step to beginning the process of making funding awards. In September, Commerce Department chief economist Aaron "Ronnie" Chatterji was named White House Coordinator for CHIPS Implementation while former Treasury official Michael Schmidt was named Commerce Department CHIPS Program Office director.

☆ House, Senate to renew fight pitting child tax credit vs. corporate cash
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-15 | by ( Eric Rosenbaum | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +9 min

The fate of that corporate tax policy, supported by many Democrats, had been linked to the Democratic Party's desire for a deal on the child tax credit . But House and Senate members are getting ready to reintroduce legislation on the R&D tax credit. Indexing the child tax credit to inflation would also be a matter of tax policy that both parties might agree on as a way to enshrine future increases in law. But there's still the divide on the corporate tax priorities and child tax credit, and at a basic level, getting a bipartisan tax bill through the House and Senate and to the White House is always challenging. Many companies were surprised that the R&D tax credit did not get extended in the late year legislative package because it had so much bipartisan support.

☆ China's tech giants are launching ChatGPT clones — and Beijing is watching closely
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-14 | by ( Arjun Kharpal | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

But announcements from China's biggest firms have not said they are working on all-encompassing platforms like the U.S.' ChatGPT, a move which could worry Beijing which heavily censors internet content. Chinese authorities have heavy control over internet content, often blocking sites or censoring content that does not sit well with Beijing. ChatGPT is not officially blocked in China but OpenAI does not allow users in the country to sign up. The fact that ChatGPT will answer questions on sensitive topics in China is likely a concern to Beijing's authorities. "ChatGPT poses some unique challenges for Beijing.

☆ Facebook co-founder Moskovitz funds research into cooling the Earth with sunlight reflection
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-07 | by ( Catherine Clifford | In Catclifford | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +9 min

(It's sometimes called solar radiation modification or solar geoengineering.) But it's potentially important, it could be very, very helpful, it could be disastrous," Stone told CNBC. And so it goes for solar geoengineering," Stone said. Everyone perceives it to be controversial," Camilloni told CNBC. "This is no one's Plan A for how you deal with climate risk, and whatever happens, we have to cut our emissions," Stone told CNBC.

☆ Huawei turns to patents for a lifeline — including those in the U.S.
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-06 | by ( Evelyn Cheng | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +7 min

In 2022, Huawei announced it signed more than 20 new or extended licensing agreements for its patents. But the sheer number of patents filed meant Huawei ranked fourth last year by the number of patent grants in the U.S., IFI said. For Huawei, licensing its patents to other companies has the potential to claw back a bit of that revenue. Huawei did not break down specific figures, and only said it met its intellectual property revenue expectations for 2021. "I don't think they had a choice in terms of sort of boosting their licensing revenue."

☆ TikTok tries to sell ‘Project Texas’ as it fights for survival in the U.S.
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-26 | by ( David Ingram | David Ingram Covers Tech For Nbc News. | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +4 min

Some of the details appeared Thursday on the security blog Lawfare, where two people provided a rundown of what they said they heard at one TikTok briefing last week. He said his center has received funding from TikTok, but that he had no view on whether TikTok’s assurances were satisfactory. “We have shifted our approach,” Erich Andersen, the general counsel of ByteDance, the Chinese owner of TikTok, told the Times. A key partner of TikTok is the U.S. computing giant Oracle, which has its headquarters in Austin, Texas, where TikTok may choose to house the data of its U.S. users. The code name “Project Texas” became public last year.

The FBI has infiltrated and disrupted a major cybercriminal group that extorted schools, hospitals and critical infrastructure around the world, a law enforcement official told NBC News. As of Thursday morning, its website on the dark web showed a message saying it had been seized by an international law enforcement coalition, including the FBI and Justice Department. The FBI had secretly gained access to Hive’s network for months and provided victims keys to unlock their data, the law enforcement official said. Previous ransomware attacks have resulted in the release of sensitive information about law enforcement officers and schoolchildren. But as is often the case with such groups, Hive’s core group spoke Russian, said Allan Liska, a ransomware analyst at the cybersecurity firm Recorded Future.

The U.S. has arrested a Russian national and founder of a cryptocurrency exchange on charges of allegedly laundering more than $700 million, the Department of Justice said Wednesday. Anatoly Legkodymov, the founder of Bitzlato, a Hong Kong-registered cryptocurrency exchange that touted its lax approach to verifying customers’ identity, was arrested in Miami Tuesday night. The Treasury Department also declared Bitzlato a “Primary Money Laundering Concern,” an extreme measure rarely used against financial institutions. “If the U.S. Treasury Department designates a financial institution as a ‘Primary Money Laundering Concern,’ the goal is to isolate them,” Redbord said. “Being cut off from the U.S. financial system, not being able to transact in U.S. dollars, is essentially a death sentence.”

☆ Biden admin releases first plan to support Asian American, Pacific Islander and Native Hawaiian communities
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-17 | by ( Kimmy Yam | Kimmy Yam Is A Reporter For Nbc Asian America. | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +3 min

The Biden administration on Tuesday released its first national agenda aimed at addressing the range of disparities that Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander communities face. More than two dozen officials and community leaders gathered to formally unveil a strategy that was spearheaded by the White House Initiative on Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders. Among the administration’s priorities are combating anti-Asian hate and discrimination, the disaggregation of data across the communities and better language access, according to the report. In the strategy, the agencies laid out some of their previous work pertaining to the communities, in addition to new goals. And I’ve been so heartened by the support of this administration that has gone beyond the usual political rhetoric."

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