Technology

The icons of Instagram, Facebook and WhatsApp can be seen on the screen of a smartphone in Kempten, Germany, Monday, Oct. 4, 2021. The six-hour outage of Facebook, Instagram and Whatsapp on Monday was a headache for many casual users. But the outage was far more serious for many people worldwide who rely on the social media sites to communicate with relatives, friends and neighbors and run their businesses. It’s a stark reminder that many of the most popular ways to communicate are controlled by one company, Facebook. And any lengthy outage can have severe implications. (Karl-Josef Hildenbrand/dpa via AP)

Outage highlights how vital Facebook has become worldwide

For small businesses, the outages meant hundreds or thousands of dollars in lost revenue

 

FILE - In this Friday, Sept. 17, 2021 file photo, The app Smart Voting is displayed on an iPhone screen in Moscow, Russia. Big Tech companies that operate around the globe have long promised both to obey local laws and to protect civil rights while doing business. But when Apple and Google capitulated to Russian demands and removed Smart Voting, a political-opposition app from their local app stores, it raised worries that two of the world’s most successful companies are more comfortable bowing to undemocratic edicts — and maintaining a steady flow of profits— than upholding their stated principles.(AP Photo/Alexander Zemlianichenko, File)

One plug to charge them all: EU demands universal charger for phones

EU wants to cut down on the 11,000 metric tons of electronic waste residents throw out every year

 

A woman looks at the Quebec government’s new vaccine passport called VaxiCode on a phone in Montreal, Wednesday, Aug. 25, 2021, as the COVID-19 pandemic continues in Canada and around the world. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Graham Hughes

Police complaints filed after politicians’ vaccine passport QR codes allegedly hacked

Codes contain name, date of birth and information about the vaccinations a person has received

 

FILE - This Tuesday, July 28, 2020, file photo shows the icon for the Tinder dating app on a device in New York. The use of dating apps in the last 18 months of the pandemic has surged around the globe. Tinder reported 2020 as its busiest year. (AP Photo/Patrick Sison, File)

Dating changed during the pandemic, apps are following suit

New tools will allow users to get to know people better online

FILE - This Tuesday, July 28, 2020, file photo shows the icon for the Tinder dating app on a device in New York. The use of dating apps in the last 18 months of the pandemic has surged around the globe. Tinder reported 2020 as its busiest year. (AP Photo/Patrick Sison, File)
Britain’s Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak, left, and EU’s Economy Commissioner Paolo Gentiloni pose for photos as finance ministers from across the G7 nations meet at Lancaster House in London, Saturday, June 5, 2021 ahead of the G7 leaders’ summit. (AP Photo/Alberto Pezzali, Pool)

G-7 nations sign key pact to make tech giants pay fair taxes

Nations have been grappling with how to deter companies from legally avoiding paying taxes through tax havens

Britain’s Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak, left, and EU’s Economy Commissioner Paolo Gentiloni pose for photos as finance ministers from across the G7 nations meet at Lancaster House in London, Saturday, June 5, 2021 ahead of the G7 leaders’ summit. (AP Photo/Alberto Pezzali, Pool)
A low-speed autonomous shuttle rides past a taxi during a demonstration on roads around government buildings in Ottawa, Monday, Nov. 2, 2020. Statistics Canada says domestic firms that invested in robots over since the late 1990s have actually expanded their workforce, suggesting a less than “apocalyptic” result for workers overall. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Adrian Wyld

Firms with more robots also have more workers overall, Statistics Canada study says

Firms that invested in robots were also likely to cut the number of managers

A low-speed autonomous shuttle rides past a taxi during a demonstration on roads around government buildings in Ottawa, Monday, Nov. 2, 2020. Statistics Canada says domestic firms that invested in robots over since the late 1990s have actually expanded their workforce, suggesting a less than “apocalyptic” result for workers overall. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Adrian Wyld
Information and Privacy Commissioner for British Columbia Michael McEvoy during a news conference in Vancouver, Tuesday, Nov. 26, 2019. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck

Canada crawling toward AI regulatory regime, but experts say reform is urgent

Clearview AI said in July it will no longer provide facial recognition services in Canada

Information and Privacy Commissioner for British Columbia Michael McEvoy during a news conference in Vancouver, Tuesday, Nov. 26, 2019. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck
This image provided by Apple shows a display of the new iPhones equipped with technology for use with faster new 5G wireless networks that Apple unveiled Tuesday, Oct. 13, 2020. (Apple via AP)

Apple unveils new iPhones for faster 5G wireless networks

Apple will no longer include charging adapters with new phones

This image provided by Apple shows a display of the new iPhones equipped with technology for use with faster new 5G wireless networks that Apple unveiled Tuesday, Oct. 13, 2020. (Apple via AP)
Apple held its annual conference for computer programmers and mobile app makers in virtual form on June 22, 2020. (Photo by THE ASSOCIATED PRESS)

Apple previews new iPhone software, changes to Mac chips

Apple Watch detects when wearers wash hands

  • Jun 23, 2020
Apple held its annual conference for computer programmers and mobile app makers in virtual form on June 22, 2020. (Photo by THE ASSOCIATED PRESS)