Thursday, May 9

Big Tech, Digital Economy

Big tech has the power to make or break societies. Powerful in their promise and abilities, they are often designed with efficiency in mind. That comes with questions about control, responsibility, and the impact on humanity. Meanwhile, the digital economy is emerging as a separate topic, posing opportunities in the global marketplace.

EU Moves One Step Closer To Forcing Standard Phone Cords
7Jun By Patti MohrNo Comments
Big Tech, Digital Economy, Climate Action, ESG, Sustainable Finance, Europe, EU, Eurozone, Types of News: Bit

EU Moves One Step Closer To Forcing Standard Phone Cords

June 7, 2022—The European Union is moving one step closer to forcing tech companies to standardize cords charging cell phones. Today, the European Parliament and EU Member States agreed on a plan to require tech companies to make it easier for consumers to use a uniform charger, USB-C as it's known, for mobile phones and other portable electronic devices. The European Commission developed the plan for a common charger last September. The commissioners have been working on the issue since 2009, to the chagrin of Apple and other firms who prefer to sell consumers multiple cords for multiple devices. Common Charger The 2021 plan is to make the USB-C "the standard port for all smartphones, tablets, cameras, headphones, portable speakers and handheld videogame consoles." Supporte...
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Elon Musk Makes Offer To Buy Twitter
14Apr By Patti MohrNo Comments
Big Tech, Digital Economy, Types of News: Brief

Elon Musk Makes Offer To Buy Twitter

Musk Says Platform Has Potential To Advance 'Free Speech Around the Globe' April 14, 2022—In yet another twist and extraordinary move, Elon Musk made an offer on Wednesday to buy 100 percent of the shares of the social networking site Twitter. It comes after Musk, the world's richest person, spent $2.64 billion this year to purchase a 9 percent stake in the company. He briefly agreed to join the company's board on April 9, but then changed course. In an April 13 letter to the Securities and Exchange Commission, Musk said he wants to turn the firm back into a private company. "I invested in Twitter as I believe in its potential to be the platform for free speech around the globe, and I believe free speech is a societal imperative for a functioning democracy," Musk wrote. "Howe...
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Crypto In The Russia-Ukraine War
11Apr By Jesús CedeñoNo Comments
Big Tech, Digital Economy, Cryptocurrency, Foreign Aid, International Development, Types of News: Analysis, Types of News: Brief

Crypto In The Russia-Ukraine War

Cryptocurrencies Are Playing Roles In The Battle; And The Battle Is Impacting The Prices This is a follow-up piece to Finance writer Jesús Cedeño's analysis of where cryptocurrencies are today. All viewpoints are his own do not necessarily reflect the views and positions of the Global Economic Report. Neither the writer nor Mohr Media’s GER website are responsible for readers’ investment decisions. April 11, 2022—It’s no coincidence that Bitcoin prices have shown an upward trend since February 25th. Today, we cannot talk about cryptocurrencies without looking at the Russia-Ukraine war. It's a factor that is influencing not only crypto’s value, but also the way governments all over the world are using and reacting to the conflict.   Larry Fink, chairman of BlackRock, says the ...
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Europe Takes On Big Tech
28Mar By Patti MohrNo Comments
Big Tech, Digital Economy, Types of News: Brief

Europe Takes On Big Tech

EU passes sweeping rules for big tech. EU Sets Rules For Online Gatekeepers Like Google, Meta, Amazon, and Apple March 28, 2022—The European Union agreed on a set of new rules for large digital platforms late last week. Lawmakers have been working on the legislation, known as the Digital Markets Act, since 2020. The set of sweeping changes for large platforms gives users greater rights and forces the companies to give greater access to competing operating systems, apps, and advertising positions. "These rules are key to stimulating and unlocking digital markets, enhancing consumer choice, enabling better value sharing in the digital economy, and boosting innovation," said Cédric O, a French Minister of State. "The European Union is the first to take such decisive action in thi...
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White House Urges Americans To Strengthen Cybersecurity Tools
3Mar By Patti MohrNo Comments
Big Tech, Digital Economy, Types of News: Brief, Types of News: Videos

White House Urges Americans To Strengthen Cybersecurity Tools

March 3, 2022--The White House released a video message on Wednesday encouraging individuals, businesses, and government workers to strengthen their cybersecurity defenses. "Given the history of Russia's use of cyber, it's important that we do all we can to prepare and maximize our resilience," said Anne Neuberger, deputy national security advisor for a new federal department on cybersecurity. Neuberger said the country is not raising its threat level on cybersecurity at this time. The message is intended as a precaution in case the level rises. Specifically, she is recommending users patch their systems—keeping anti-virus software up-to-date. She is also encouraging people to enhance passwords with multifactor authentication, such as fingerprints, at sign-ins. The Cybersecurity ...
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House Committee Passes Bill On Digital Privacy Research
21Jan By Jacob DavenportNo Comments
Big Tech, Digital Economy, Types of News: Brief

House Committee Passes Bill On Digital Privacy Research

January 21, 2022--The House Science, Space and Technology Committee conducted a full committee markup of digital privacy legislation on Wednesday. H.R. 847, the "Promoting Digital Privacy Technologies Act," would prompt the National Science Foundation to sponsor research on privacy-enhancing technologies and promote responsible data use. Reps. Haley Stevens, D-Mich., and Anthony Gonzalez, R-Ohio, sponsored the bipartisan bill. The committee considered three amendments. The first two amendments were proposed by Rep. Stevens. The first amendment supported research for Privacy and Enhancing Technologies (PETS) whereas the second amendment suggested technical corrections to the definition of PETS and shifted the focus to mitigating privacy risks. The third and final amendment prop...
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IMF: Crypto, Stocks Surged In Response To Central Bank Policies Since 2020
11Jan By Patti MohrNo Comments
Big Tech, Digital Economy, Cryptocurrency, Currency, Debt, National Budgets & Interest Rates, Europe, EU, Eurozone, Types of News: Brief, United States

IMF: Crypto, Stocks Surged In Response To Central Bank Policies Since 2020

In Effect, The Policies Pose The Risk Of Shocks To The Financial Systems Photo by BTC Keychain January 11, 2022--Cryptocurrencies and stock market equities skyrocketed as central banks produced loose monetary policies amid the 2020 global pandemic. Although cryptocurrency prices and some high-growth stocks have dipped since the start of the year, they both "surged amid easy global financial conditions," the International Monetary Fund reported on today. That may come as no surprise among high finance investors who carefully watch interest rates established by central banks, especially those in the United States and Europe. But today's report by the IMF appears to be the first acknowledgment from the multilateral organization that government agencies are fueling the boom in ...
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Blockchains 101: A Beginner’s Guide To What They Are And How They Work
6Jan By Jesús CedeñoNo Comments
Big Tech, Digital Economy, Cryptocurrency, Types of News: Analysis

Blockchains 101: A Beginner’s Guide To What They Are And How They Work

A Look At One Of The Most Revolutionary And Disruptive New Technologies By Jesús Cedeño The words blockchain and cryptocurrency are becoming increasingly familiar. It seems like they’re mentioned on the news almost every day, generally speaking about Bitcoin. Since some articles talk about the bitcoin blockchain and some about the bitcoin cryptocurrency, a lot of people think the two words are synonyms. However, that’s not true. Those words refer to two different, albeit related concepts. Blockchains are the technology that makes cryptocurrencies possible. And, when push comes to shove, they are just very sophisticated and secure ledgers. In this article, we’ll be taking a look at blockchains to find out what they are, how they work, and why there’s so much fuss about them. B...
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As It Faces Global Backlash, Facebook Reports Strong Earnings
28Oct By Srinidhi RajagopalNo Comments
Big Tech, Digital Economy, Types of News: Analysis

As It Faces Global Backlash, Facebook Reports Strong Earnings

Company Faces Scrutiny In India Where Hate Speech Flourished October 28, 2021—The backlash against Facebook's policies continued to make waves internationally this week. But even as the trove of internal documents leaked by whistleblower Frances Haugen reached more journalists, none of that showed up on the company's balance sheet. Strong Profits This week the social networking site declared strong earnings growth and a larger user base. According to the company's reporting, the platform's daily active users increased by a solid 6 percent, year over year, reaching close to 2 billion people. Furthermore, the company's revenue increased 35 percent, from $21 billion in 2020 to $29 billion in 2021. Also, its net profits increased 17 percent, from $7.8 billion to $9.2 bi...
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Facebook Building Massive, New Virtual Platform
18Oct By Patti MohrNo Comments
Big Tech, Digital Economy, Types of News: Analysis

Facebook Building Massive, New Virtual Platform

Tech giants are building a "metaverse" to replace real life and the internet. Execs Say 'Metaverse' Will Replace The Internet With New Digital World October 18, 2021—Undaunted by criticism by lawmakers and former workers about the company's policies, Facebook is planning to build a massive virtual-reality platform called "metaverse." According to the tech giant, the metaverse is "a new phase of interconnected virtual experiences." What's interesting is that even as governments discuss ways to reign in and regulate the 3.5 billion-user platform, the company is growing ever larger and integrating itself deeper into human life. Meeting the Metaverse Metaverse is a concept of combining multiple virtual worlds into one that supersedes the internet. Big tech giants like Microsoft...
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