The monopoly of a big tech company is a clear danger to everyone involved. Do you know as to how many companies they have swallowed in the past few years? WION brings you a report.

Big tech killing competition with acquisitions?

How big is big tech? How much influence does it wield? How much does it know about you? How much it shapes your life and future? WION's report tells you exactly how much control you've given to a handful of tech companies.

Decoding the powers of Facebook, Google & Twitter

The great China decoupling is truly underway with India slowly emerging as a viable alternative. New Delhi has given its nod to partners of Apple and Samsung to set up their smartphone manufacturing in India.

India wants to become a smartphone production hub. As many as 16 global companies are ready to set up a base in India.

The Indian government has promised these firms incentives worth well over six billion dollars, and the biggest beneficiaries could be Samsung and Apple.

The South Korean electronics giant has won a place in the government's incentive programme. Three contract manufacturing partners of Apple are also on the list.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/distrust-of-china-jumps-to-new-highs-in-democratic-nations-333269">Also read:&nbsp;Distrust of China jumps to new highs in democratic nations</a>

Ambitious targets

India wants smartphone makers to produce phones and components worth more than 143 billion dollars over the next five years.

According to a report, 60 per cent of the products made locally will be exported. The incentives will generate two lakh direct and six lakh indirect jobs.

India wants to leverage the anti-China sentiment in the global markets. Since the outbreak of the&nbsp;coronavirus, decoupling from China has become the new buzzword as major companies have announced plans to move out of China.

Samsung has shutdown its mobile phone production in China. The company has expanded production in India and Vietnam. Hasbro began shifting its manufacturing last year. The toy maker wants to have only 50 per cent of its products to come from China by the end of this year.

Apple's supplier Foxconn is leaving China too. Reports say the company plans to invest one billion dollars to expand its factory in Chennai.

Electronics company Nintendo and tech company GoPro want to leave China too.

India has positioned itself to leverage this great China exit. In an effort to attract smartphone makers,&nbsp;New Selhi came up with an incentive scheme. These companies have been given a 6 per cent financial incentive on additional sales of goods for the next five years. This is likely to be offered as a tax rebate.

However, India faces an uphill battle.

Chinese smartphone makers dominate the Indian market. According to one report, these companies command an 80 per cent market share in India alone.

So, India must break this Chinese monopoly — anroad, as well as at home.

The great China decoupling is truly underway with India slowly emerging as a viable alternative. New Delhi has given its nod to partners of Apple and Samsung to set up their smartphone manufacturing in India.

The great China decoupling is truly underway with India slowly emerging as a viable alternative. New Delhi has given its nod to partners of Apple and Samsung to set up their smartphone manufacturing in India. India wants to become a smartphone production hub. As many as 16 global companies are ready to set up a base in India. The Indian government has promised these firms incentives worth well over six billion dollars, and the biggest beneficiaries could be Samsung and Apple. The South Korean electronics giant has won a place in the government's incentive programme. Three contract manufacturing partners of Apple are also on the list. Also read: Distrust of China jumps to new highs in democratic nations Ambitious targets India wants smartphone makers to produce phones and components worth more than 143 billion dollars over the next five years. According to a report, 60 per cent of the products made locally will be exported. The incentives will generate two lakh direct and six lakh indirect jobs. India wants to leverage the anti-China sentiment in the global markets. Since the outbreak of the coronavirus, decoupling from China has become the new buzzword as major companies have announced plans to move out of China. Samsung has shutdown its mobile phone production in China. The company has expanded production in India and Vietnam. Hasbro began shifting its manufacturing last year. The toy maker wants to have only 50 per cent of its products to come from China by the end of this year. Apple's supplier Foxconn is leaving China too. Reports say the company plans to invest one billion dollars to expand its factory in Chennai. Electronics company Nintendo and tech company GoPro want to leave China too. India has positioned itself to leverage this great China exit. In an effort to attract smartphone makers, New Selhi came up with an incentive scheme. These companies have been given a 6 per cent financial incentive on additional sales of goods for the next five years. This is likely to be offered as a tax rebate. However, India faces an uphill battle. Chinese smartphone makers dominate the Indian market. According to one report, these companies command an 80 per cent market share in India alone. So, India must break this Chinese monopoly — anroad, as well as at home.

Another win: Samsung and Apple strike deal with India; abandon China

The United Kingdom's government has announced a $ 1.6 billion relief package to help tech start-ups survive the coronavirus epidemic.

UK provides $1.6 Bn relief package to tech start-ups battling pandemic Coronavirus

France's competition authority on Friday fined Google 150 million euros for anti-competitive behaviour and for having unclear advertising on the Google Ads page. #Google #France #WION

Google fined by France over power misuse during advertisements' treatment

A landmark lawsuit has been filed against the world’s tech giants by Congolese families who say their children were killed while mining for cobalt used to power smartphones, laptops and electric cars. #TechGiants #Apple #Google

Tech giants like Google, Apple sued for Congolese child cobalt mining deaths

Restrictions on the H1-B visas by the US have compelled Indian tech companies to hire more locally and led to an escalation in employee costs, a rating agency said Friday.

Second largest exporter Infosys led with 2,122 visa denials in the&nbsp;fiscal year 2017-18, followed by its larger rival TCS with 1,896 rejections, the report by Care Ratings said.

"The increasing protectionist measures imposed by US administration to safeguard US workers are directly having an adverse impact on the Indian IT majors," it said.

Out of the top three companies with highest H-1B visa denials in FY18, Cognizant was leading with 32 per cent denials followed by two Indian IT majors namely Infosys and TCS with 26 per cent and 18 per cent, it said.

It can be noted that the US-headquartered Cognizant has a large pool of employees working out of India comparable with any Indian tech major.

The cost structures for the Indian IT majors have been impacted as a result of the US policies, the agency said.

It can be recalled that while every major Indian company has pointed out to a surge in local hires in the US, while sub-contracting work in geographies like the US has also put a drain on profitability for some.

The report said in the last five years, the number of H-1B approvals reduced by 21 per cent.

However, after the installation of the Trump administration, which has been vigilant on ensuring American interests, there has been a faster fall. 
The approvals declined by a sharp 50 per cent in FY18 to 22,429 from the 43,957 in the year-ago period, it said.&nbsp;

Restrictions on the H1-B visas by the US have compelled Indian tech companies to hire more locally and led to an escalation in employee costs, a rating agency said Friday.

Restrictions on the H1-B visas by the US have compelled Indian tech companies to hire more locally and led to an escalation in employee costs, a rating agency said Friday. Second largest exporter Infosys led with 2,122 visa denials in the fiscal year 2017-18, followed by its larger rival TCS with 1,896 rejections, the report by Care Ratings said. "The increasing protectionist measures imposed by US administration to safeguard US workers are directly having an adverse impact on the Indian IT majors," it said. Out of the top three companies with highest H-1B visa denials in FY18, Cognizant was leading with 32 per cent denials followed by two Indian IT majors namely Infosys and TCS with 26 per cent and 18 per cent, it said. It can be noted that the US-headquartered Cognizant has a large pool of employees working out of India comparable with any Indian tech major. The cost structures for the Indian IT majors have been impacted as a result of the US policies, the agency said. It can be recalled that while every major Indian company has pointed out to a surge in local hires in the US, while sub-contracting work in geographies like the US has also put a drain on profitability for some. The report said in the last five years, the number of H-1B approvals reduced by 21 per cent. However, after the installation of the Trump administration, which has been vigilant on ensuring American interests, there has been a faster fall. The approvals declined by a sharp 50 per cent in FY18 to 22,429 from the 43,957 in the year-ago period, it said.

H1-B visa restrictions compel tech firms to hire more locals

US&nbsp;tech companies would be forced to disclose if they allowed American adversaries, like Russia and China, to examine the inner workings of software sold to the US military under proposed legislation, Senate staff told Reuters on Thursday.&nbsp;

The bill, approved by the Senate Armed Services Committee on Thursday, comes after a year-long Reuters investigation found software makers allowed a Russian defence agency to hunt for vulnerabilities in software that was already deeply embedded in some of the most sensitive parts of the US&nbsp;government, including the Pentagon, the Federal Bureau of Investigation and intelligence agencies.

Security experts say allowing Russian authorities to conduct the reviews of internal software instructions -- known as source code -- could help Russia find vulnerabilities and more easily attack key systems that protect the United States.&nbsp;

The new source code disclosure rules were included in Senate version of the National Defense Authorization Act, the Pentagon’s spending bill, according to staffers of Democratic Senator Jeanne Shaheen.

In a statement, Shaheen said that tech companies have a duty to help protect federal software systems.&nbsp;

"This is why the Department of Defense and other federal agencies should know of any potential vulnerabilities relating to a partner company’s business practices overseas," she said. The language in the bill mandates those disclosures and "ultimately makes overdue reforms to harden the Department against cyber attacks."

Details of bill, which passed the committee 25-2, are not yet public. And the legislation still needs to be voted on by the full Senate and reconciled with a House version of the legislation before it can be signed into law by President Donald Trump.&nbsp;

If passed into law, the legislation would require companies that do business with the US&nbsp;military to disclose any source code review of the software done by adversaries, staffers for Shaheen told Reuters. If the Pentagon deems a source code review a risk, military officials and the software company would need to agree on how to contain the threat. It could, for example, involve limiting the software’s use to non-classified settings.

The details of the foreign source code reviews, and any steps the company agreed to take to reduce the risks, would be stored in a database accessible to military officials, Shaheen`s staffers said. For most products, the military notification will only apply to countries determined to be cybersecurity threats, such as Russia and China.&nbsp;

Shaheen has been a key voice on cybersecurity in Congress. The New Hampshire senator last year led successful efforts in Congress to ban all government use of software provided by Moscow-based antivirus firm Kaspersky Lab, amid allegations the company is linked to Russian intelligence. Kaspersky denies such links.

In order to sell in the Russian market, tech companies including Hewlett Packard Enterprise Co , SAP and McAfee have allowed a Russian defence agency to scour software source code for vulnerabilities, Reuters found. In many cases, Reuters found that the software companies had not previously informed US&nbsp;agencies that Russian authorities had been allowed to conduct the source code reviews. In most cases, the US&nbsp;military does not require comparable source code reviews before it buys software, procurement experts have told Reuters.

The companies have said the source code reviews were conducted by the Russians in company-controlled facilities, where the reviewer could not copy or alter the software. McAfee announced last year that it no longer allows government source code reviews. Hewlett Packard Enterprise has said none of its current software offerings have gone through the process.&nbsp;

Details of bill, which passed the committee 25-2, are not yet public

US tech companies would be forced to disclose if they allowed American adversaries, like Russia and China, to examine the inner workings of software sold to the US military under proposed legislation, Senate staff told Reuters on Thursday. The bill, approved by the Senate Armed Services Committee on Thursday, comes after a year-long Reuters investigation found software makers allowed a Russian defence agency to hunt for vulnerabilities in software that was already deeply embedded in some of the most sensitive parts of the US government, including the Pentagon, the Federal Bureau of Investigation and intelligence agencies. Security experts say allowing Russian authorities to conduct the reviews of internal software instructions -- known as source code -- could help Russia find vulnerabilities and more easily attack key systems that protect the United States. The new source code disclosure rules were included in Senate version of the National Defense Authorization Act, the Pentagon’s spending bill, according to staffers of Democratic Senator Jeanne Shaheen. In a statement, Shaheen said that tech companies have a duty to help protect federal software systems. "This is why the Department of Defense and other federal agencies should know of any potential vulnerabilities relating to a partner company’s business practices overseas," she said. The language in the bill mandates those disclosures and "ultimately makes overdue reforms to harden the Department against cyber attacks." Details of bill, which passed the committee 25-2, are not yet public. And the legislation still needs to be voted on by the full Senate and reconciled with a House version of the legislation before it can be signed into law by President Donald Trump. If passed into law, the legislation would require companies that do business with the US military to disclose any source code review of the software done by adversaries, staffers for Shaheen told Reuters. If the Pentagon deems a source code review a risk, military officials and the software company would need to agree on how to contain the threat. It could, for example, involve limiting the software’s use to non-classified settings. The details of the foreign source code reviews, and any steps the company agreed to take to reduce the risks, would be stored in a database accessible to military officials, Shaheen`s staffers said. For most products, the military notification will only apply to countries determined to be cybersecurity threats, such as Russia and China. Shaheen has been a key voice on cybersecurity in Congress. The New Hampshire senator last year led successful efforts in Congress to ban all government use of software provided by Moscow-based antivirus firm Kaspersky Lab, amid allegations the company is linked to Russian intelligence. Kaspersky denies such links. In order to sell in the Russian market, tech companies including Hewlett Packard Enterprise Co , SAP and McAfee have allowed a Russian defence agency to scour software source code for vulnerabilities, Reuters found. In many cases, Reuters found that the software companies had not previously informed US agencies that Russian authorities had been allowed to conduct the source code reviews. In most cases, the US military does not require comparable source code reviews before it buys software, procurement experts have told Reuters. The companies have said the source code reviews were conducted by the Russians in company-controlled facilities, where the reviewer could not copy or alter the software. McAfee announced last year that it no longer allows government source code reviews. Hewlett Packard Enterprise has said none of its current software offerings have gone through the process.

US bill would force tech companies to disclose foreign software probes

ndia skipper Virat Kohli on Saturday rejected the reports of him having any rift with head coach Anil Kumble, saying they are mere speculations which have been created by the people ahead of the team`s much anticipated high octane opening match of the Champions Trophy against Pakistan to be played at Edgbaston Cricket Ground on Sunda

&nbsp;

ndia skipper Virat Kohli on Saturday rejected the reports of him having any rift with head coach Anil Kumble, saying they are mere speculations which have been created by the people ahead of the team`s much anticipated high octane opening match of the Champions Trophy against Pakistan to be played at Edgbaston Cricket Ground on Sunda - Prem

British Prime Minister Theresa May held tech companies partly responsible for providing extremists a ?safe space? to grow.

ndia skipper Virat Kohli on Saturday rejected the reports of him having any rift with head coach Anil Kumble, saying they are mere speculations which have been created by the people ahead of the team`s much anticipated high octane opening match of the Champions Trophy against Pakistan to be played at Edgbaston Cricket Ground on Sunda ndia skipper Virat Kohli on Saturday rejected the reports of him having any rift with head coach Anil Kumble, saying they are mere speculations which have been created by the people ahead of the team`s much anticipated high octane opening match of the Champions Trophy against Pakistan to be played at Edgbaston Cricket Ground on Sunda - Prem

Why it's not fair to condemn tech companies and regulate cyberspace

The gender gap in the tech sector is widely known. While tech firms have been striving to hire more women, the current numbers show that companies are still lagging to maintain gender equality in their workforce. On International Women&rsquo;s Day, we bring you data to highlight where the world&rsquo;s top 10 tech companies including Apple, Samsung and Microsoft, stand in their pursuit of gender parity.

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Current numbers show that tech companies are lagging to maintain gender equality in their workforce

The gender gap in the tech sector is widely known. While tech firms have been striving to hire more women, the current numbers show that companies are still lagging to maintain gender equality in their workforce. On International Women’s Day, we bring you data to highlight where the world’s top 10 tech companies including Apple, Samsung and Microsoft, stand in their pursuit of gender parity. GENDER WORKFORCE DISPARITY Create your own infographics

International Women's Day: This infographic highlights gender workforce gap in top 10 tech firms

Tech Mahindra Ltd, India&#39;s fifth-biggest software services exporter, will buy US-based healthcare IT consulting firm CJS Solutions Group for an enterprise value of $110 million.

Tech Mahindra, which will acquire CJS through a unit, will make an upfront cash payment of $89.5 million for the acquisition of 84.7 per cent stake in CJS with the remaining 15.3 per cent to be acquired over three years, the company said in a statement.

CJS, which operates as the HCI Group, specialises in the implementation of electronic medical records (EMR) software.

Healthcare and life sciences business, which accounts for around 7 per cent&nbsp;of Tech Mahindra&#39;s revenues, has been a key focus area for the Indian company and the acquisition of CJS will help it consolidate its position, the company said.

Ernst &amp; Young acted as the due diligence advisor to Tech Mahindra while Allen &amp; Company LLC were the financial advisors to HCI Group.

The transaction is expected to close before the end of April.

Indian companies are speeding up acquisitions of US&nbsp;firms with local staff as they try to beat challenges posed by an expected tightening of visa rules in their biggest market.

India&#39;s $150 billion information technology industry uses H-1B visas to fly engineers and developers to the United States to provide services to clients.&nbsp;

Any tightening of the visa scheme rules could restrict the companies&#39; ability to send staff to the United States.

President Donald Trump&#39;s administration last week announced it would temporarily suspend expedited applications for H-1B visas.

(Reuters)

Indian companies are speeding up acquisitions of US?firms, trying to beat challenges as Visa rules are expected to tighten under Trump

Tech Mahindra Ltd, India's fifth-biggest software services exporter, will buy US-based healthcare IT consulting firm CJS Solutions Group for an enterprise value of $110 million. Tech Mahindra, which will acquire CJS through a unit, will make an upfront cash payment of $89.5 million for the acquisition of 84.7 per cent stake in CJS with the remaining 15.3 per cent to be acquired over three years, the company said in a statement. CJS, which operates as the HCI Group, specialises in the implementation of electronic medical records (EMR) software. Healthcare and life sciences business, which accounts for around 7 per cent of Tech Mahindra's revenues, has been a key focus area for the Indian company and the acquisition of CJS will help it consolidate its position, the company said. Ernst & Young acted as the due diligence advisor to Tech Mahindra while Allen & Company LLC were the financial advisors to HCI Group. The transaction is expected to close before the end of April. Indian companies are speeding up acquisitions of US firms with local staff as they try to beat challenges posed by an expected tightening of visa rules in their biggest market. India's $150 billion information technology industry uses H-1B visas to fly engineers and developers to the United States to provide services to clients. Any tightening of the visa scheme rules could restrict the companies' ability to send staff to the United States. President Donald Trump's administration last week announced it would temporarily suspend expedited applications for H-1B visas. (Reuters)

Tech Mahindra to buy US healthcare IT firm CJS for $110 million

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