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China bans US chipmaker Micron in apparent retaliation for sanctions
An eye for an eye only makes everyone blind
The US government’s trade sanctions on Chinese smartphone maker Huawei went down as some of the biggest restrictions in the tech space, with Huawei still suffering from consequences like the lack of Google service integration. Recently, the Chinese tech market regulatory body found US-made Micron chips failing a security review. Its ban on the company’s wares can be seen as a retaliatory move following other recent sanctions, but could have a lasting ripple effect on the consumer electronics market.
Taking out Huawei and ZTE tech from US 5G networks will cost billions more than planned
What's another $3 billion going to hurt?
Back in November 2019, the FCC snuffed out ties with Chinese (government-backed) enterprise, deciding that Huawei and ZTE posed a threat to US national security. Congress later allocated funds and required operators using 5G equipment from either or both vendors to "rip and replace" it all. The FCC estimated that the procedure would cost nearly $1.84 billion at the outset of the project but, as it's now turned out, that figure may have been grossly underestimated.
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Short-form content isn't new, but few platforms have made a splash bigger than TikTok. Wanting to capitalize on this growing trend, competitors have cropped up in numbers, and existing platforms like Instagram are scrambling to adapt. After experimenting with Shorts (60-second vertical videos) in India, YouTube is now making the feature available to users in the US.
This company will sell you a modified Galaxy S9 without any proprietary Google software
Previously available in Europe, two refurbished models running /e/ OS are now shipping to the US and Canada.
We're big fans of Google, obviously. But we also live in the real world, where Google does a lot of stuff that's unambiguously bad. If you want to use open source Android without getting its parent company involved, then you have a few options. Previously only available in Europe, the eSolutions shop is now selling versions of the Galaxy S9 scrubbed clean of all proprietary Google software to the US and Canada.
United States military has been purchasing user location data from apps with millions of downloads
Muslim Pro, Screen Stream Mirroring, and Global Storms are some of the affected apps
The lack of strong data protection across most of the world, combined with the need for free smartphone apps and services to create some amount of revenue, has often led to private user data being shared with third parties. This time around, several high-profile Android apps have been sending location data to data brokers, which in turn are selling them to defense contractors working for the US military.
The US and Canada are getting the Pixel 5 after everywhere else
And Japan gets the Pixel 4a 5G first
Google's Pixel 5 is official, and the pre-order floodgates have been opened. But this year, there's a bit of a twist when it comes to actual availability: The US and Canada won't be getting the phones first or on the same day as most other markets. In fact, we're getting it last, on October 29th compared to October 15th everywhere else.
Google Trends introduces portal for tracking US election search topics
See which candidates and issues are Googled the most
For better or worse, search engines are how most people research information, so Google has been one of the primary ways people are informing themselves ahead of the United States presidential election. Google Trends already allows anyone to see what the most popular web searches are at any given time, but now Trends has introduced a page specifically for queries related to the election.
Huawei's temporary license to trade with US companies has expired
Huawe phones with Play Services won't get any more support
Huawei receiving a trade ban from the United States over concerns about spying was one of the most important technology events last year, but its full ramifications have yet to take effect. The U.S. Commerce Department has repeatedly granted companies temporary 90-day licenses to continue selling components to Huawei, which have been renewed time and time again. However, the most recent license has now lapsed, potentially placing the company in further trouble.
Trump administration seeks to ban 'untrusted' apps from China in expansion of Clean Network plan
The latest in the war against TikTok
Last week, President Trump told reporters that he was going to ban TikTok, the popular short form video app that's owned by Chinese company ByteDance. It hasn't happened yet, partly due to the interest Microsoft may have in purchasing the company. But now it looks like the Trump administration wants to go further than just banning TikTok. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has announced an expansion of the Clean Network effort including a new initiative seeking to ban "untrusted" Chinese apps from digital platforms in the US.
Microsoft gets Trump blessing on TikTok deal, but it must be closed within 45 days
It could lead to a US-only version of the popular social media app
The events surrounding President Donald Trump's TikTok ban have been unfolding rapidly over the weekend. Initially, Trump wanted to force ByteDance to sell TikTok to a US company, only to follow up by saying that he prefers an outright ban of the Chinese social media app. He's since backtracked, as Microsoft announced that it's interested in the app's US business and would like to start negotiating. Reuters then followed up with an exclusive, stating that the president would give Microsoft 45 days to close the deal.
United States Justice Department expected to file antitrust lawsuit against Google this summer
The result of a year-long probe
Google is one of the largest tech conglomerates on the planet, and its dominance of online advertising and web searches has made it a prime target for antitrust lawsuits. The U.S. Department of Justice has been conducting a probe into the company's potential antitrust violations for around a year, and now it looks like legal action could begin in the coming months.
United States Senate fails to protect your web activity from government snooping
Pandemic gripping the nation? Time to check in on everyone's browser histories
The United States has a long history of unwarranted surveillance on its citizens, mostly stemming from the Patriot Act signed into law after the September 11 attacks. The Patriot Act allowed various law enforcement agencies to conduct surveillance on citizens (without warrants) in the name of protecting against future terrorist attacks, and while that law has lapsed, a new amendment passed by the U.S. Senate once again allows law enforcement to rummage through your internet history with no probable cause.
Huawei's US trade ban gets delayed (again) to May 15
The Department of Commerce is also seeking feedback from the public
Huawei receiving a trade ban from the United States over concerns about spying was perhaps the most important tech story of 2019, but it hasn't fully panned out yet. The U.S. Commerce Department gave companies like Qualcomm a temporary license to continue selling components to Huawei, which was extended again in May, and in August, and in November. Now the company is receiving another reprieve.
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In the never-ending Huawei saga, the Chinese company has decided to file a lawsuit in the Eastern District of Texas against the U.S. government for the latter's ban on the sale of equipment or services to government entities. Huawei asserts that said ban is unconstitutional.
U.S. government claims Huawei has compromised law enforcement back doors in phone networks
I thought the U.S. wanted back doors in phone networks 🤔
The battle between Huawei and the U.S. government over spying allegations shows no signs of stopping. Last month, the Department of Commerce attempted to place more trade limits on Huawei, and now the federal government is claiming Huawei has back doors in various cell networks across the world.
Huawei's battle with the United States over trade bans is still very much alive, nearly a year after the White House initially called Huawei a security risk. Several American companies have continued to sell components to Huawei under special licenses, and now the Commerce Department and the Defense Department are sparring over more limits on Huawei trade.
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For the third time this year, the US Commerce Department has granted another 90-day reprieve to Huawei that lets American companies continue to do business with China's biggest telecom. The new rule takes effect on November 18th, and it follows the first extension granted in May and the second in August.
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- Samsung has apparently pulled the Android 10 beta update for its 2019 Note devices after briefly taking some registrations earlier today, according to a report by SamMobile. The update wasn't meant to be pushed out today and has been delayed until next week, when it's expected to arrive only for unlocked units. Something similar happened to the Galaxy S10 beta testers in the UK last week when Samsung withdrew the first beta update hours after its release.
The One UI 2.0 beta release brought Android 10 to the Galaxy S10 line last week, but the S10 5G and the Note 10 series couldn’t make the cut. The two omitted models are now being brought under Samsung’s beta program in different parts of the world, as per SamMobile’s learnings. These devices are joining the program while, concurrently, S10 units already in the test program are getting the second beta.
Federal court ruling ends random searches of phones (and other devices) at U.S. airports and borders
Random searches of phones, laptops, and other electronic devices at airports (and other ports of entry) in the United States have increased over the past few years. In fact, the practice is so commonplace that some people choose to wipe their phones before traveling. Thankfully, a district court has decided that random searches of devices at ports of entry is unconstitutional, making the searches illegal.
TikTok has surged in popularity over the past year, becoming not just a place for music mashups, but also short memes in the spirit of Vine. However, the rise of TikTok has also piqued the interest of federal officials, who are worried that the China-owned social media network could be storing user data improperly or censoring content.