In The News

UN Urges Probe of Alleged Saudi Hacking: NPR

Avie Schneider and Shannon Bond January 22, 2020
The United Nations has urged a probe after an investigation pointed to a 2018 WhatsApp message, sent by an account of Saudi Arabia’s crown prince to the CEO of Amazon that when opened allowed exposed contents of the phone. The target, Jeff Bezos, commissioned the investigation and report, reviewed by UN human rights experts. “The forensic analysis assessed that the intrusion likely was...

Money-Laundering by Video Games: Financial Times

Tim Bradshaw January 13, 2020
Valve, the developer of the popular video game “Counter-Strike: Global Offensive,” announced that players wouldn’t be allowed to trade the in-game currency that could be used for buying virtual knives, guns and skins. That was an abrupt action against the rising trend of money laundering by video games, in which criminals could cash in stolen credit cards or use the proceeds of crime for in-game...

Hitting Refresh on Privacy Policies: Brookings

Cameron Kerry and Caitlin Chin January 9, 2020
Technology and online applications have developed swiftly and many people still do not realize how much private information they release with every choice and click online. US legislators and policymakers express dissatisfaction with prrivate policies that regard issuance of notices, often lengthy and cryptic, as consent. A Brookings report highlights the problems with privacy policies: over-...

A No-Commute Culture: Irish Times

Chris Horn December 27, 2019
Commuting carries economic costs. Businesses of all types should try to be innovative, encouraging remote work arrangements and reducing long commutes. “Cloud computing enables any staff member to access software and data resources from anywhere, provided of course that there is a reasonable internet connection,” writes tech CEO Chris Horn for the Irish Times. “Given that many functions of a...

Life Under the Algorithm: New Republic

Gabriel Winant December 21, 2019
Productivity fuels economic growth and wealth, and management increasingly relies on technologies to motivate workers to achieve greater speed. Yet wages do not grow at the same pace, and top company officers and investors collect most of the gains. “The decline of unions, the rise of inequality, the crisis of liberal democracy, and the changing face of American culture all, in one form or...

Macron and International Digital Tax: Reuters

Richard Lough December 6, 2019
France seeks an international tax on digital services like internet advertising. The United States has responded with proposed tariffs on French champagne, handbags, cheese and more. “The French leader is keen to reach an international agreement on taxing big tech companies and has urged the Trump administration to help reform global corporate taxes,” reports Reuters. “Internet giants … are...

Restore Internet for Iran? Deutsche Welle

Fabian Schmidt November 25, 2019
Blocking most of the internet within Iran’s borders was the government's response to nationwide protests over a rise in fuel prices. The US ambassador to Germany suggests that the United States and European Union could restore internet access, and he called on tech and telecom companies to provide service. Limited communications could be available with the help of secret servers, explains...