SAN FRANCISCO, United State - A group of European digital advertising associations on Friday criticized Apple Inc's plans to require apps to seek additional permission from users before tracking them across other apps and websites.
Apple last week disclosed features in its forthcoming operating system for iPhones and iPads that will require apps to show a pop-up screen before they enable a form of tracking commonly needed to show personalized ads.
Sixteen marketing associations, some of which are backed by Facebook Inc and Alphabet Inc's Google, faulted Apple for not adhering to an ad-industry system for seeking user consent under European privacy rules. Apps will now need to ask for permission twice, increasing the risk users will refuse, the associations argued.
Facebook and Google are the largest among thousands of companies that track online consumers to pick up on their habits and interests and serve them relevant ads.
Apple said the new feature was aimed at giving users greater transparency over how their information is being used. In training sessions at a developer conference last week, Apple showed that developers can present any number of additional screens beforehand to explain why permission is needed before triggering its pop-up.
The pop-up says an app "would like permission to track you across apps and websites owned by other companies" and gives the app developer several lines below the main text to explain why the permission is sought. It is not required until an app seeks access to a numeric identifier that can be used for tracking, and apps only need to secure permission once.
The group of European marketing firms said the pop-up warning and the limited ability to customize it still carries "a high risk of user refusal."
Apple engineers also said last week the company will bolster a free Apple-made tool that uses anonymous, aggregated data to measure whether advertising campaigns are working and that will not trigger the pop-up.
"Because it's engineered to not track users, there's no need to request permission to track," Brandon Van Ryswyk, an Apple privacy engineer, said in a video session explaining the measurement tool to developers.
-reuters-
BEIJING/NEW YORK/WASHINGTON — TikTok's poaching of Disney's Kevin Mayer to be its CEO was just the most visible part of a broader strategy by its Chinese owner to shift its center of power away from China at a time of rising global tensions, several people familiar with the plans said.
The short video app's parent company ByteDance has quietly made a series of moves in recent months to transfer global decision-making and research capabilities out of its home country, the sources told Reuters.
The strategy is aimed not only at TikTok, which is not available in China, but all of ByteDance's non-China focused businesses, the sources said. Such businesses also include units in India like social networking app Helo.
ByteDance has expanded TikTok's engineering and research and development operations in Mountain View, California, according to three sources. One of the people said it had hired more than 150 engineers there.
ByteDance has also hired a New York-based investor relations director to stay in touch with major investors including General Atlantic and KKR, relationships that were previously managed through Beijing, according to two sources.
The new hire, Michelle Huang, is a former SoftBank investor who worked on the Japanese firm's investment in ByteDance. Huang did not immediately respond to an emailed request for comment.
The changes come at a time of heightened tension between the United States and China over trade, technology and the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as intense US regulatory scrutiny of TikTok, which has rapidly gained popularity around the globe and counts the United States as one of its biggest market.
Formerly Walt Disney Co streaming chief Mayer, who was dually named ByteDance's chief operating officer based in Los Angeles, will also be handed leadership for areas such as global corporate development. Many of his responsibilities were previously managed out of Beijing, according to three sources.
More broadly, ByteDance is also recruiting engineers around the world, including in Singapore, Jakarta and Warsaw, online job postings show.
These significant organizational changes are being greeted warily by some ByteDance staff who support the company's global operations from China, three sources told Reuters. They are concerned they may become less relevant in the next phase of expansion and have started to look for work elsewhere, the sources said.
AMERICAN MIGRATION
For TikTok, the rapid expansion of the US engineering team is part of efforts to migrate its technical resources to the West from China, where most of the work on the app has been done up to this point, according to two of the sources familiar with the company's plans. It is not uncommon for multinational tech companies like Google to have engineers in China.
Although the engineering team on the app have previously reported to managers in China, TikTok is in the process of recruiting a high-level executive to run the engineering department from the United States, according to two sources. It has approached a senior Google employee in recent months, one source said.
Severing ties with the China-based team will be difficult, however.
Some of the engineers in China support TikTok as well as ByteDance's Chinese social media app Douyin, the three sources said. Separating development completely would be nearly impossible as both apps share some infrastructure, two of the sources said.
TikTok, which allows users to create short videos with special effects, has become wildly popular with American teenagers doing viral challenges that pair dances with music clips from the app's library.
Its Chinese ownership has, however, caused concerns in Washington about TikTok's handling of personal data. The company uses sophisticated artificial intelligence to make video recommendations based on users' behavior on the app.
Separately from the hiring of 150 staff, the Mountain View team has poached a few dozen data engineers from US tech giants to manage user data security, one source said.
'ISSUE OF CREDIBILITY'
Since last year, TikTok has faced scrutiny by US authorities over potential national security risks. An investigation by the US Treasury's Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS) is focused on the handling of personal data, Reuters reported in November.
Legal experts said regulators would study TikTok's latest actions to determine if they mitigated any potential risks and were more than cosmetic touches.
"With any attempted restructuring, the issue is one of credibility," said Paul Marquardt, CFIUS lawyer at law firm Cleary Gottlieb, who is not involved in the TikTok review.
"CFIUS would assess whether it actually believed that the operations were functionally independent and insulated from potentially hostile influence."
Republican Senator Marco Rubio was among US lawmakers who last year urged CFIUS to review ByteDance's 2018 acquisition of Musical.ly, a music video app popular in the United States.
When asked about whether TikTok's recent moves could assuage US regulatory concerns, he told Reuters: "As long as TikTok or any other application operates in a way that gives the Chinese government and Communist Party leverage, it is impossible to separate the dangers of using such an application from the reality that users’ information could be at risk."
-reuters-
Taiwan's cabinet has told government agencies to stop using Zoom Video Communications Inc's conferencing app, the latest blow to the company as it battles criticism of its booming platform over privacy and security concerns.
Zoom's daily users ballooned to more than 200 million in March, as coronavirus-induced shutdowns forced employees to work from home and schools switched to the company's free app for conducting and coordinating online classes.
However, the company is facing a backlash from users worried about the lack of end-to-end encryption of meeting sessions and "zoombombing," where uninvited guests crash into meetings.
If government agencies must hold video conferencing, they "should not use products with security concerns, like Zoom," Taiwan's cabinet said in a statement on Tuesday. It did not elaborate on what the security concerns were.
The island's education ministry later said it was banning the use of Zoom in schools.
Zoom did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Taiwan would be the first government formally advising against use of Zoom, although some US schools districts are looking at putting limits on its use after an FBI warning last month.
Zoom Chief Executive Officer Eric Yuan last week apologized to users, saying the company had fallen short of the community's privacy and security expectations, and was taking steps to fix the issues.
Zoom competes with Microsoft's Teams, Cisco's Webex and Google's Hangouts.
Taiwan's cabinet said domestically-made conferencing apps were preferred, but if needed, products from Google and Microsoft could also be considered.
Zoom's shares dipped 1 percent in premarket trading on the Nasdaq. They have lost nearly a third of their market value since touching record highs late March.
source: news.abs-cbn.com
NEW YORK - Video conferencing app Zoom, which has seen its popularity skyrocket in the coronavirus pandemic, is in hot water after users complained to the FBI of being startled by porn during meetings.
New York Attorney General Letitia James sent a letter to the in-vogue California enterprise "with a number of questions to ensure the company is taking appropriate steps to ensure users' privacy and security," a spokesman said.
He refused to give further information on the contents but added Tuesday that James's office was "trying to work with the company" to resolve any problems.
The investigation comes after the FBI's Boston office warned on Monday that it had "received multiple reports of conferences being disrupted by pornographic and/or hate images and threatening language."
The FBI listed two examples where hackers had "Zoom-bombed" schools which have closed because of the deadly virus and which are now teaching classes online.
A Massachusetts high school reported that an unidentified individual dialed into the virtual classroom and yelled a profanity at the teacher before shouting the teacher's home address.
Another school in the same state reported the appearance of an unknown person with swastika tattoos.
Using the hashtag "zoombombed," social media users have testified that they suddenly saw pornographic or racist images on their screens while using the app.
The FBI recommended that Zoom users make all meetings private and avoid screen sharing to combat would-be hackers.
Silicon Valley-based Zoom said it "takes its users' privacy, security, and trust extremely seriously.
"During the COVID-19 pandemic, we are working around-the-clock to ensure that hospitals, universities, schools, and other businesses across the world can stay connected and operational," a spokesperson told AFP.
"We appreciate the New York Attorney General's engagement on these issues and are happy to provide her with the requested information."
Zoom saw US downloads surge by 252 percent to 4.2 million during the week of March 16 -- when strict stay-at-home measures began being rolled out across America -- compared to the previous week, according to research firm Sensor Tower.
They increased by another 66 percent the following week to reach seven million downloads.
The app has seen similar growth in Europe, with downloads hitting 6.5 million at the end of March, according to Sensor Tower.
Agence France-Presse
WASHINGTON - Huawei Technologies Co Ltd and ZTE Corp on Monday both asked the US Federal Communications Commission (FCC) not to finalize its designation of the China tech giants as risks to US national security.
In November, the FCC voted 5-0 to initially designate Huawei and ZTE as national security risks in a move that would bar their US rural carrier customers from tapping an $8.5 billion government fund to purchase equipment.
Huawei said in a nearly 200-page filing with the FCC the action was "designed to implement a campaign by certain government officials, including members of Congress, to single out Huawei for burdensome and stigmatizing restrictions, put it out of business in the United States, and impugn its reputation here and around the world." It called the effort "unlawful and misguided."
ZTE asked the FCC Monday in a filing to "take additional time to assess ZTE’s enhancements in the area of US export control and economic sanctions compliance and security controls in ZTE products."
ZTE added it has "spent hundreds of millions of dollars to implement a compliance program relating to US export control compliance regulations."
The commission left the final determination to the FCC's Public Safety and Homeland Security Bureau, which could determine not to finalize the risk designation.
Such a move would run counter to the Trump administration's stance to date, after its blacklisting of Huawei in May sharply restricted the export of US high-tech components to the company.
The administration has also tried with limited success to persuade its allies to bar Huawei, saying its equipment could potentially be used by Beijing for spying.
Huawei has repeatedly denied those allegations, and scored a big win last week when the UK announced it was giving Huawei a role in its new generation of telecoms infrastructure.
In its November vote, the FCC proposed requiring that US carriers remove and replace equipment from both Huawei and ZTE, also China-based, from existing networks.
The companies' ties to the Chinese government and military apparatus, and laws requiring their assistance in intelligence activities, are why they pose a security risk, the FCC said.
source: news.abs-cbn.com
Microsoft said Monday it obtained a court order allowing it to seize web domains used by North Korean hacking groups to launch cyberattacks on human rights activists, researchers and others.
The US technology giant said a federal court allowed it to take control of 50 domains operated by a group dubbed Thallium, which tricked online users by fraudulently using Microsoft brands and trademarks.
"This network was used to target victims and then compromise their online accounts, infect their computers, compromise the security of their networks and steal sensitive information," said Tom Burt, Microsoft's vice president for customer security and trust.
"Based on victim information, the targets included government employees, think tanks, university staff members, members of organizations focused on world peace and human rights, and individuals that work on nuclear proliferation issues. Most targets were based in the US, as well as Japan and South Korea," he added.
Microsoft, which had been investigating the group through its Digital Crimes Unit and Threat Intelligence Center, said the hacking group sent spoofed emails that appeared to come from Microsoft which tricked users into revealing their login credentials, a technique known as spear phishing.
"By gathering information about the targeted individuals from social media, public personnel directories from organizations the individual is involved with and other public sources, Thallium is able to craft a personalized spear-phishing email in a way that gives the email credibility to the target," Burt said.
After getting the victim's credentials, the hackers can access emails, contact lists, calendar appointments and other data and often forwards any new emails to the attackers.
The hackers also used malicious software which can access other data on a victim's computer.
An order from a US federal court in Virginia allowed Microsoft to take control of the domains, meaning "the sites can no longer be used to execute attacks," Burt said.
Microsoft said this was the fourth nation-state group it has acted against and follows similar moves against operations from China, Russia and Iran, dubbed Barium, Strontium and Phosphorus, respectively.
source: news.abs-cbn.com
WASHINGTON - The Trump administration intends to propose a regulation next year that would require all travelers - including U.S. citizens - to be photographed when entering or leaving the United States, according to the administration's regulatory agenda.
The proposed regulation, slated to be issued in July by the Homeland Security Department, would be part of a broader system to track travelers as they enter and exit the United States.
The plan has already drawn opposition from some privacy advocates. Jay Stanley, a senior policy analyst with the American Civil Liberties Union, blasted the idea in a written statement on Monday.
"Travelers, including U.S. citizens, should not have to submit to invasive biometric scans simply as a condition of exercising their constitutional right to travel," he said.
The Trump administration contends in its regulatory agenda that the face scan requirement will combat the fraudulent use of U.S. travel documents and aid the identification of criminals and suspected terrorists.
The public typically has 30 to 60 days to comment on a proposed US regulation. The federal agency then needs to review and respond to comments, a process that can be time-consuming for major regulations.
The Trump administration also said in its regulatory agenda that it plans to issue a separate fast-track regulation this month that would allow the entry-exit project to move beyond a pilot status.
US Customs and Border Protection, which is part of DHS, has already conducted pilot programs that collect photographs and fingerprints from foreign travelers.
A 2018 internal audit found technical and operational problems during a pilot program at nine U.S. airports. The problems raised questions about whether DHS would meet a self-imposed deadline to confirm all foreign departures at the top 20 U.S. airports by fiscal year 2021.
The non-partisan Pew Research Center estimated in 2006 that 45 percent of immigrants in the United States without legal status entered on a valid visa but did not depart when it expired.
source: news.abs-cbn.com
BERLIN - Germany could still decide to rule out Chinese telecom equipment vendor Huawei Technologies from the construction of the country's fifth-generation data network (5G) due to security concerns, the defense minister said on Tuesday.
Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer told a cyber security conference organised by German business daily Handelsblatt that it was important to minimize any risks.
The German government is currently trying to shape the 5G security criteria in a way that would prevent foreign governments from gaining access to Germany's important infrastructure, said Kramp-Karrenbauer.
"If that's not possible, then one has to ban Huawei from the procedure - just like other countries have done," said the minister, who is a close ally of Chancellor Angela Merkel.
The comments are the strongest sign yet that Berlin is willing to take a tougher approach on Huawei and may exclude the Chinese equipment vendor at least from some parts of the 5G network.
On Monday, Foreign Minister Heiko Maas also cast doubt on whether Huawei could participate in the construction of the country's fifth-generation data network (5G).
Government officials confirmed last month that Germany's so-called security catalogue foresaw an evaluation of technical and other criteria, but said no single vendor would be barred in order to create a level playing field for equipment vendors.
The United States has piled pressure on its allies to shut out Huawei, the leading telecoms equipment vendor with a global market share of 28 percent, saying its equipment contained 'back doors' that would enable China to spy on other countries.
source: news.abs-cbn.com
BEIJING - Beijing will use facial recognition tools to speed up security checks in the city's overcrowded metro, using a 'credit system' to sort passengers into different channels, state-run media reported on Wednesday.
Long queues and commuters arguing with staff over slow security procedures are common sites during rush hour in the metro system of the 20 million-strong metropolis.
The city plans to install cameras that will scan the faces of passengers as they enter a subway station and sort them into different security channels, said Zhan Minghui, director of the Beijing Rail Traffic Control Center.
He said the plan involves creating a "passenger credit system," and individuals on a "white list" will be offered expedited security clearance, Beijing Youth Daily reported.
Those who receive "abnormal feedback" after their faces are scanned will be subjected to extra checks.
Zhan did not offer details on the criteria used to sort passengers or what could trigger that type of feedback.
"The technique aims to improve the efficiency of security checks and includes both body checks and luggage screening when large numbers of passengers enter the station," he told an urban transportation forum in Beijing on Tuesday.
The Beijing subway in May said it has started "deducting credit points" from passengers who eat in railway carriages.
The city's subway system currently handles over 12 million trips on a work day and the number is expected to increase to 17 million trips by 2022.
Zhan did not offer a timetable for rolling out the technology.
Facial recognition is gaining traction across China, where it is being used for everything from supermarket checkouts to surveillance.
While researchers have warned of the privacy risks associated with gathering facial recognition data, consumers have widely embraced the technology.
The Universal Studios amusement park under construction in Beijing recently said it will admit visitors without a ticket -- thanks to cameras that will scan their faces to determine if they paid for entry.
source: news.abs-cbn.com
WASHINGTON - Microsoft Corp. has won the Pentagon's $10 billion cloud computing contract, the Defense Department said on Friday, beating out favorite Amazon.com Inc.
The Joint Enterprise Defense Infrastructure Cloud (JEDI) contract is part of a broader digital modernization of the Pentagon meant to make it more technologically agile.
But the contracting process had long been mired in conflict of interest allegations, even drawing the attention of President Donald Trump, who has publicly taken swipes at Amazon and its founder Jeff Bezos.
Oracle Corp. had expressed concerns about the award process for the contract, including the role of a former Amazon employee who worked on the project at the Defense Department but recused himself, then later left the Defense Department and returned to Amazon Web Services.
In a statement, an Amazon Web Services (AWS) spokesman said the company was "surprised about this conclusion."
The company said that a "detailed assessment purely on the comparative offerings" would "clearly lead to a different conclusion," according to the statement.
AWS is considering options for protesting the award, a person familiar with the matter told Reuters.
Although the Pentagon boasts the world's most potent fighting force, its information technology remains woefully inadequate, according to many officials.
Officials have complained of having outdated computer systems and being unable to access files or share information as quickly as they might be able to in the private sector.
Some companies were also concerned that a single award would give the winner an unfair advantage in follow-on work. The Pentagon has said it planned to award future cloud deals to multiple contractors.
This week, US Defense Secretary Mark Esper removed himself from reviewing the deal due to his adult son's employment with one of the original contract applicants, IBM Corp. IBM had previously bid for the contract but had already been eliminated from the competition.
Microsoft said it was working on a comment. IBM and Oracle did not immediately return requests for comment.
The Washington Post on Wednesday reported that retired Navy commander Guy Snodgrass, who served as a speech writer and communications director to former Defense Secretary Jim Mattis, said in a forthcoming book that Trump sought to “screw” Amazon by awarding the cloud computing contract to a rival.
"We’re not going to do that," Mattis told Pentagon officials, according to The Post's report on the book, which is due to be published on Oct. 29. "This will be done by the book, both legally and ethically."
Reuters could not immediately obtain a copy of the book to verify the Post's report.
In a statement announcing Microsoft as the winner, the Pentagon underscored its view that the competition was conducted fairly and legally.
"All (offers) were treated fairly and evaluated consistently with the solicitation's stated evaluation criteria. Prior to the award, the department conferred with the DOD Inspector General, which informed the decision to proceed," it said.
Microsoft shares were up 2.5 percent to $144.35 in after-hours trading after the news. Amazon shares were down 0.98 percent to $1,744.12.
The Pentagon said it had awarded more than $11 billion across 10 separate cloud contracts over the past two years.
"As we continue to execute the DOD Cloud Strategy, additional contracts are planned for both cloud services and complementary migration and integration solutions necessary to achieve effective cloud adoption," the Pentagon said.
source: news.abs-cbn.com
PALENQUE, Mexico - He has negotiated dense jungle and clung precariously with other migrants to a freight train, taking on the combined might of 2 countries' ever more rigid immigration authorities -- but Jose Contreras isn't giving up his dream of reaching the United States.
Like the many migrants who set out daily for new lives in America, the Honduran father-of-4 will not be deterred by the expanding Mexican immigration crackdown prompted by US pressure.
The journey northwards is becoming ever more treacherous since Mexico deployed thousands of troops to its border with Guatemala, which has also signed a pact with Washington aimed at keeping migrants out of the US.
Contreras, 31, left San Pedro Sula in northwestern Honduras eight days ago and paid $26 to be taken across 20 miles (33 kilometers) of national park from El Naranjo in Guatemala to the Mexican frontier.
The price jumped to $42 for the onward 40-mile trip to Tenosique, in Mexico, where migrants can jump on the train known as "La Bestia," which means "the beast."
Contreras was among 50 Hondurans who boarded at 1:00 am to get to the tourist town of Palenque, known for its stunning Mayan archeological site.
"They tell us there are lots of security agents who are going to catch us and that's how they sow fear" to make migrants pay more, Contreras said of the tactics used by the "polleros" -- people smugglers.
Those who don't have enough money are faced with the choice of turning over their valuables or being left behind.
"That's where you lose everything you brought: rings, watch. You have to leave it all there," added the construction worker, trying for a fourth time to get across so he can earn enough money to support his wife and children aged 2 to 10.
'BE BRAVE!'
La Bestia's blazing headlights and the screeching sound of metal on the tracks break the humid dawn atmosphere in Palenque.
After climbing down from the wagons, migrants walk alongside the rails flanked by the seventh century city as the red sky stretches out overhead.
"Be brave!" shouted one migrant with an enthusiasm that provided a welcome counterpoint to the tired faces around him, weighed down by rucksacks and carrying bottles of water.
"We crossed rivers and mountains," added Jose Ramon Fuentes.
"The aim is to get to the other side, God willing," said the 37-year-old father-of-3, embarking on his first attempt to reach the US in search of work.
"Many prefer to go deeper into the jungle and the mountains to get here because both the police and criminals will rob them," said Sister Maria Tello, director of the Casa del Caminante refuge located close to the Palenque train stop.
Sister Maria says she doesn't know which routes exactly the migrants take "but even if we knew them, we wouldn't divulge them because that would put (the migrants) in danger."
She said migrants arrive "badly hurt and tired," with viral diseases and dehydrated due to the long routes through inhospitable terrain.
'MORE DEATHS'
Mexico's government insists that its new migration measures are designed to treat undocumented travelers with dignity, looking after their integrity and human rights.
"From the moment they take away everything (the migrants) bring, that doesn't seem like good treatment to me," said Sister Maria scornfully.
On Tuesday, Mexican authorities freed a Honduran family that had been kidnapped last week in the southern Chiapas state that borders Guatemala.
A woman claiming to be a relative told Honduran television station Televicentro that she had been contacted by kidnappers asking for $15,000.
One of the Hondurans given refuge at the Casa del Caminante, 24-year-old Cesar Caballero, says he had to pay members of the Guatemalan security forces three times.
"Otherwise they would have made me get off the bus," said Caballero, travelling with his wife and three children, including a 3-month old.
After 6 hours at rest, the freight train chugs into gear again, with many of those who arrived early clinging onto its metal steps.
Others throw their rucksacks into the open wagons before scrambling aboard.
Just before joining his compatriots, Contreras hit out at US President Donald Trump and his Mexican counterpart Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador over the agreement that increased border patrols to stave off the threat of stiff new US trade tariffs against its southern neighbor.
"What the presidents have done is stir up the hornet's nest, so there is going to be damage, more deaths," said Contreras.
source: news.abs-cbn.com
SYDNEY -- Australian police on Tuesday arrested three men accused of links to the Islamic State group over an alleged plot to attack police stations, embassies and defense facilities in central Sydney.
The men -- aged 20, 23 and 30 -- were arrested in raids in the city's suburbs after their online activities raised suspicion.
Two of them will face charges of being members of a terrorist organization and of preparations to carry out terror attacks.
"We will say that they had a number of targets, including police stations, defense establishments, embassies and councils, courts and churches," Australian Federal Police Assistant Commissioner Ian McCartney told reporters.
The plots were said to be in the "early stages", but included moves to import weapons and explosives to target facilities in the central business district.
The third man -- described as an "associate" -- will be charged with lesser offences.
New South Wales police assistant commissioner Mick Willing said the men "knew each other via social media" including WhatsApp and Telegram, and shared a "like-minded philosophy".
Late last year, Australia passed controversial laws allowing spy agencies and police to access encrypted communications from suspected criminals and terrorists.
Police said one of the suspects had come under the watch of authorities after returning from Lebanon last year, alleging he had made plans to go to Afghanistan to fight with the Islamic State.
Police said there was no further threat to the public.
source: news.abs-cbn.com
WASHINGTON - American technology firms are still selling components to Chinese technology giant Huawei despite a ban imposed by President Donald Trump on national security grounds, the New York Times reported Tuesday.
The report, citing unnamed sources, said US chip makers and others have found ways to continue sales, getting around the sanctions by selling goods made outside the United States.
According to the report, the products from American companies overseas are being considered exempt from the prohibition, and could allow Huawei to continue to sell products such as smartphones and servers.
The Commerce Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
John Neuffer of the Semiconductor Industry Association, a US-based trade association, said in a statement last week that its members "are committed to rigorous compliance" with the sanctions, but noted that "it is now clear some items may be supplied to Huawei" based on the law.
"Each company is impacted differently based on their specific products and supply chains, and each company must evaluate how best to conduct its business and remain in compliance," Neuffer said.
Huawei founder and CEO Ren Zhengfei said earlier this month that its overseas smartphone sales had fallen by up to 40 percent as a result of the ban.
Trump's administration has essentially banned Huawei from the huge US market.
Last month it also added Huawei to an "entity list" of companies barred from receiving US-made components without permission from Washington.
The US fears that systems built by Huawei could be used by China's government for espionage via secret security "back doors" built into telecom networking equipment, allegations vigorously denied by the firm.
source: news.abs-cbn.com
BEIJING -- China plans to establish a system to ensure "national security" in technology, state media reported Saturday amid an expanding trade war with the United States which has snared Chinese tech titan Huawei.
The powerful National Development and Reform Commission has been tasked with establishing a list system to "more effectively forestall and defuse national security risks," the Xinhua news agency said.
Xinhua did not elaborate or state whether the move was linked to the trade war but said "detailed measures will be unveiled in the near future".
Washington and Beijing resumed their trade battle last month when trade talks in the US ended without a deal and US President Donald Trump raised tariffs on $200 billion in Chinese goods, which Beijing retaliated to with its own tariff hike on billions worth US goods.
The trade war has stepped up in recent weeks with Washington's move to blacklist Huawei over national security concerns, threatening the firm's global ambitions.
The US Commerce Department placed Huawei on an "entity list" on grounds of national security on May 16, a move that curbs its access to US-made components it needs for its equipment. A 90-day reprieve was later issued.
"Based on what I know, China is building a management mechanism to protect China's key technologies," Hu Xijin, the influential editor of the Chinese daily Global Times, said Saturday on Twitter.
"This is a major step to improve its system, and also a move to counter US crackdown. Once taking effect, some technology exports to the US will be subject to the control," Hu said.
China accuses Trump of wanting to thwart Huawei's development because the company is the world leader in next-generation 5G mobile technology and faces no US competition.
Following Washington's move, Beijing on Thursday said it would draw up its own blacklist of "unreliable" foreign companies, which could target US and international firms that have cut off supplies to Huawei.
source: news.abs-cbn.com
WASHINGTON -- The tough sanctions imposed on Huawei by President Donald Trump could deal a blow to the many US firms that make up the Chinese tech giant's supply chain.
American firms last year sold an estimated $11 billion worth of components to Huawei, which was put on a blacklist last week by Washington over national security concerns as trade frictions grow between the US and China.
Trump's executive order could effectively ban makers of US hardware and software from selling to Huawei by requiring a special license from Washington.
The Commerce Department on Monday delayed the sanctions on Huawei for 90 days, saying the additional time was needed to allow for software updates and other contractual obligations.
The agency said it was granting Huawei a "temporary general license" through August 19 allowing for transactions "necessary to maintain and support existing and currently fully operational networks and equipment, including software updates and patches, subject to legally binding contracts and agreements" signed before May 16.
HARDWARE AND SOFTWARE
Bloomberg News reported that US-based chipmakers Intel, Qualcomm, Broadcom and Xilinx have indicated they would halt shipments to the Chinese firm which is the world's number two smartphone maker and a leader in telecom infrastructure and super-fast 5G networks.
Google said it would comply with the US order, leaving Huawei without access to critical services for the Android operating system such as Gmail and Google Maps.
Microsoft, which supplies the Windows operating system for many Huawei devices, did not respond to an AFP query on how the order might impact the Redmond, Washington-based firm.
Bob O'Donnell of the consultancy Technalysis Research said any ban would almost certainly affect Microsoft.
"If it affects Google I don't see why it wouldn't affect Microsoft," O'Donnell said.
"Any version of Windows comes from Microsoft, since there is no open-source version."
MOVING TOWARD INDEPENDENCE
Roger Kay, founder and analyst at Endpoint Technologies Associates, said the ban is likely to accelerate efforts by Huawei and other Chinese firms to develop their own sources of microprocessors and other components.
"The short-term effect on both American and Chinese companies are inevitably negative," Kay said.
"The longer-term effect is that Huawei and other Chinese companies turn away more sharply from American suppliers."
Neither Intel nor Qualcomm responded to queries on how they would respond to the order on Huawei.
Avi Greengart, founder of the research firm Techsponential, said a ban on sales to Huawei could hit a wide range of large and small US firms including Corning, which makes the popular Gorilla Glass for smartphones, and Dolby, a producer of video and audio software for handsets.
"When you think about all the software and hardware components you get a pretty big list," Greengart said.
"The US is a big part of the global supply chain."
Few firms offered public comments on their response to the Huawei executive order.
But one, California-based Lumentum Holdings, a maker of optical and laser applications, said it would comply with the executive order and that Huawei accounted for 15 percent of its revenue so far in the current fiscal year.
RISK TO APPLE
Greengart said Apple could also suffer from any protracted crisis over Huawei, estimating the iPhone maker gets about 17 percent of its revenues from China.
Even though Apple might benefit in the premium smartphone market in Europe, "I think the risks are higher than the rewards for Apple," Greengart said.
"If there is a backlash against Apple in China, that could have damaging long-term effects."
Greengart said that Google might not see a major impact for the moment.
"Ironically (the ban) won't affect Google much because Google doesn't make money selling Android."
Patrick Moorhead, of Moor Insights & Strategy, said he sees a limited impact on US firms in the short run.
"The impact to the US companies depends on the length of the ban but also how indexed they are in sales to Huawei," Moorhead said.
"Neither Intel, Google or Nvidia do more than three percent of their business with Huawei, so short-term, it shouldn't be an issue."
O'Donnell said a bigger risk is that Huawei and other Chinese firms step up efforts to develop software and hardware that allows them to break free from Silicon Valley.
"The longer-term question is: does this drive Huawei to develop a third mobile platform?" O'Donnell said.
"China is already developing its own technology infrastructure, and this plays into the whole notion of a separate internet in China, which would be a big deal."
source: news.abs-cbn.com
WASHINGTON, United States - US regulators on Thursday denied a request by China Mobile to operate in the US market and provide international telecommunications services, saying links to the Chinese government pose a national security risk.
The Federal Communications Commission said that because of China Mobile USA's ownership and control by the Chinese government, allowing it into the US market "would raise substantial and serious national security and law enforcement risks."
The decision brings the Chinese telecoms giant's 8-year effort to crack the US market to an end, but was not really a surprise since FCC Chairman Ajit Pai had publicly opposed the company's application last month.
China Mobile -- the world's largest mobile operator with nearly 930 million customers as of February -- first filed an application for permission to operate in the United States in 2011.
The 5-member FCC said in a statement that the decision was made after "extensive review" and "close consultation" with national security and law enforcement agencies.
It also marks the first instance in which executive branch agencies have recommended that the FCC deny an application due to national security and law enforcement concerns, the statement said.
The move comes as Chinese tech firms -- such as Huawei and ZTE -- have faced stiff resistance from US government agencies, which have described them as security threats.
WIDER TRADE BATTLE
ZTE came close to collapse last year after American companies were banned from selling it vital components over its continued dealings with Iran and North Korea.
Federal authorities unveiled sweeping charges against Huawei in January for allegedly stealing technology and violating US sanctions on Iran.
The company has also been under fire as it faces a global US campaign to blacklist Huawei over espionage fears.
Washington has barred the Chinese networking equipment company Huawei from developing the new ultra-fast 5G mobile network in the United States and has blocked US government purchases of its services.
Defense of intellectual property in China and getting fair access to that country's markets have long been points of concern for US tech companies. They are also considered hard-to-fix problems when it come to trade between the US and China.
Meanwhile, technology has become increasingly vital to national security and economies.
Denial of the China Mobile request came as US President Donald Trump held out hopes of salvaging a trade deal with China, just hours before Beijing's negotiators were due to return to the bargaining table amid a sudden flare-up in hostilities.
Since last year, the 2 sides have exchanged tariffs on more than $360 billion in 2-way trade, gutting US agricultural exports to China and weighing on both countries' manufacturing sectors.
The International Monetary Fund also repeated its warning on Thursday that the trade battle between the world's top economies was a "threat" to global growth.
source: news.abs-cbn.com
LONDON - British Prime Minister Theresa May has reportedly approved a limited role for China's Huawei to help build a 5G network in the UK, shrugging off security warnings from senior ministers and Washington surrounding the telecoms giant, media said Wednesday.
Britain's National Security Council, which is chaired by May, agreed Tuesday to allow the Chinese technology giant limited access to build "non-core" infrastructure such as antennas, The Daily Telegraph newspaper wrote.
The Financial Times, citing those close to the meeting, added that the Chinese company had been banned from more sensitive "core" parts of the project.
The Times newspaper meanwhile was more cautious, stating that May was "considering giving limited approval".
Her reported moves come despite concerns raised by Home Secretary Sajid Javid, Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt, Defence Secretary Gavin Williamson, International Trade Secretary Liam Fox and International Development Secretary Penny Mordaunt.
May's Downing Street office declined to comment on the story.
However, Digital Minister Margot James dismissed the media speculation.
"In spite of cabinet leaks to the contrary, final decision yet to be made on managing threats to telecoms infrastructure," she tweeted.
She later told Sky News that while a final decision had not been made, James indicated that a security review had concluded.
"The decision has not been finally made yet and the Prime Minister will take advice form all of the relevant agencies and departments," James added.
Huawei itself welcomed the report.
"Huawei welcomes reports that the UK government is moving towards allowing Huawei to help build the UK's 5G network," it said in a brief statement.
"This green light means that UK businesses and consumers will have access to the fastest and most reliable networks thanks to Huawei's cutting edge technology.
"While we await a formal government announcement, we are pleased that the UK is continuing to take an evidence-based approach to its work and we will continue work cooperatively with the government, and the industry," the Chinese company added.
Britain's move would be at odds with the United States, which has banned Huawei's 5G technology from its territory and urged allies in the so-called Five Eyes intelligence sharing collective -- comprising also Australia, Britain, Canada and New Zealand -- to follow suit.
Huawei is the leading manufacturer of equipment for next-generation 5G mobile networks with almost instantaneous data transfer that will become the nervous system of Europe's economy, in strategic sectors like energy, transport, banking and health care.
SPYING FEARS
The technology titan faces pushback in some Western markets over fears Beijing could spy on communications and gain access to critical infrastructure.
Last month, Britain identified "significant technological issues" in Huawei's engineering processes that pose "new risks" for the nation's telecommunications, according to a government report.
"Further significant technical issues have been identified in Huawei's engineering processes, leading to new risks in the UK telecommunications networks," read annual findings from the Huawei Cyber Security Evaluation Centre oversight board.
The board -- which includes officials from Britain's GCHQ cybersecurity agency as well as a senior Huawei executive and representatives from the UK telecommunications sector -- added it could provide only limited assurance that risks posed by the Chinese tech giant to UK national security would be "sufficiently mitigated long-term".
Shrugging off the widespread concerns, Egypt on Sunday said Huawei would roll out a 5G phone network there for the first time during the upcoming Africa Cup of Nations football tournament.
source: news.abs-cbn.com
QINGDAO - Freedom of navigation should not be used to infringe upon the rights of other countries, China's navy chief Shen Jinlong said on Wednesday, taking a dig at the United States and its allies who have sailed close to disputed South China Sea islets.
The United States has frequently sent warships near to Chinese-occupied features in the South China Sea, where China has been reclaiming land for runways and ports. Some US allies, including Britain, have followed suit.
China regards the patrols by the United States and its allies as a provocation, as it views almost all of the South China Sea as its territory, although Vietnam, Malaysia, Taiwan, Brunei and the Philippines all have competing claims.
Speaking at a forum in the eastern city of Qingdao, following a major naval parade marking 70 years since the founding of the Chinese navy, Shen said everyone needed to follow the rules and "safeguard good order".
"Respect for the rules is the cornerstone of maritime good order," said Shen, who is close to President Xi Jinping.
"Freedom of navigation is a concept widely recognized by the international community. However it should not be used as an excuse to infringe upon the legitimate rights and interests of littoral states," he added, without naming the United States directly.
The United States has sent only a low level delegation to the Chinese navy anniversary events. And unlike its close allies Australia, Japan and South Korea, the United States did not send a ship to take part in Tuesday's naval parade reviewed by Xi himself.
"The US government seeks a bilateral relationship that is results-oriented and focused on risk reduction," Lt. Col. Dave Eastburn, a Pentagon spokesman, said in comments sent to Reuters, responding to a question on US participation at the event.
"The US Navy will continue to pursue its primary goal of constructive, risk-reduction focused discourse with the PLAN," he said, referring to the People's Liberation Army Navy.
Shen said that China was continuing to advance talks on the Code of Conduct for the South China Sea, which Beijing has been having with Southeast Asian states for the past few years.
"We are committed to making the South China Sea a sea of peace, friendship and cooperation," he added, speaking to an audience of both senior Chinese and foreign navy officers, but without giving details.
The navy has been a key beneficiary of Xi's ambitious military modernization plan, which has seen China develop aircraft carriers, advanced new warships and nuclear submarines, and stealth jets for the air force.
"We adhere to non-conflict and non-confrontation and strive to be a stabilizer for maritime peace," Shen said.
source: news.abs-cbn.com
SAN FRANCISCO, United States - "Millions" of Instagram users had their passwords stored in unencrypted form on internal servers, Facebook said Thursday, raising its original estimate of tens of thousands.
"We discovered additional logs of Instagram passwords being stored in a readable format. We now estimate that this issue impacted millions of Instagram users," Facebook said in a blog post.
"We will be notifying these users as we did the others. Our investigation has determined that these stored passwords were not internally abused or improperly accessed," the social network said.
Facebook, Instagram's parent company, revealed last month that the unencrypted passwords of hundreds of millions of users had been stored, putting the number of Instagram users affected in the tens of thousands.
The social network's handling of user data has been a flash point for controversy since it admitted last year that Cambridge Analytica, a political consultancy, used an app that may have hijacked the private details of 87 million users.
Facebook has announced a series of moves to tighten handling of data, including eliminating most of its data-sharing partnerships with outside companies.
The California firm reaches an estimated 2.7 billion people with its core social network, Instagram and messaging applications.
source: news.abs-cbn.com
MANILA -- Google on Thursday offered 6 tips for the billions of people who use the Internet to make their online presence safe from hacking and fraud.
By strengthening their online defenses, internet users can be sure that their online information is secure, Google said. The world marked Safer Internet Day on Wednesday.
Here are 6 ways to a safer online experience, according to Google:
1. Keep software up to date across devices, including mobile and desktop.
2. Use a unique password for every account. Think of it as having a different key to your front door, office and car. Passwords should be at least 8 characters long. Consider using a password manager.
3.Take the Security Checkup on your Google account to spot possible unauthorized log-ins and access to your data.
4. Add a recovery phone number or email address to help you regain access to your account in case you can't sign in and keep these details updated. Some services use the recovery email to alert users on suspicious activity such as unauthorized logins.
5. Use 2-Step Verification to add another layer of security before accessing your account. This could come in the form of a code that is sent to a trusted device or a physical security key.
6. For parents, teach your children about Internet safety. Google's Family Link allows users to manage their children's account settings and block certain apps and websites.
source: news.abs-cbn.com
