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Observing an increase in climate-harming emissions, <a href="https://www.wionews.com/topics/elon-musk?page=1">Elon Musk’s</a> electric car company, <a href="https://www.wionews.com/topics/tesla">Tesla</a>, has decided to temporary suspend payment for cars with bitcoin.

"Tesla has suspended vehicle purchase using Bitcoin. We are concerned about the rapidly increasing use of fossil fuels for Bitcoin mining and transactions, especially coal, which has the worst emissions of any fuel," Musk&nbsp;said in a statement.

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Tesla &amp; Bitcoin <a href="https://t.co/YSswJmVZhP">pic.twitter.com/YSswJmVZhP</a>
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Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/entertainment/lifestyle/news-elon-musk-reveals-he-has-asperger%E2%80%99s-syndrome-on-%E2%80%98saturday-night-live%E2%80%99-383885" hreflang="en">Elon Musk reveals he has Asperger’s syndrome on ‘Saturday Night Live’</a>

Recently, Tesla shifted towards fulfilling its owner’s dream of making electric cars mainstream and tried to drive people away from combustion engines pumping out emissions contributing to climate change.

In a bid to give a boost to digital currency, in March, the electric car company started accepting bitcoin in exchange for electric cars from Tesla.

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/technology/elon-musks-tesla-says-it-appears-driver-was-at-the-wheel-in-crash-380728" hreflang="en">Elon Musk's Tesla says it appears driver was at the wheel in crash</a>

"Cryptocurrency is a good idea on many levels and we believe it has a promising future, but this can not come at great cost to the environment," the statement read.

Musk also said that Tesla will not be selling any of its bitcoin and will wait to resume bitcoin purchases and sales only after "mining transitions to more sustainable energy".

Meanwhile, the company is also looking at other options in digital currency that do not harm the environment like bitcoin.

Observing an increase in climate-harming emissions, Elon Musk’s electric car company, Tesla, has decided to temporary suspend payment for cars with bitcoin. "Tesla has suspended vehicle purchase using Bitcoin.

Observing an increase in climate-harming emissions, Elon Musk’s electric car company, Tesla, has decided to temporary suspend payment for cars with bitcoin. "Tesla has suspended vehicle purchase using Bitcoin. We are concerned about the rapidly increasing use of fossil fuels for Bitcoin mining and transactions, especially coal, which has the worst emissions of any fuel," Musk said in a statement. Tesla & Bitcoin pic.twitter.com/YSswJmVZhP — Elon Musk (@elonmusk) May 12, 2021 × Also read | Elon Musk reveals he has Asperger’s syndrome on ‘Saturday Night Live’ Recently, Tesla shifted towards fulfilling its owner’s dream of making electric cars mainstream and tried to drive people away from combustion engines pumping out emissions contributing to climate change. In a bid to give a boost to digital currency, in March, the electric car company started accepting bitcoin in exchange for electric cars from Tesla. Also read | Elon Musk's Tesla says it appears driver was at the wheel in crash "Cryptocurrency is a good idea on many levels and we believe it has a promising future, but this can not come at great cost to the environment," the statement read. Musk also said that Tesla will not be selling any of its bitcoin and will wait to resume bitcoin purchases and sales only after "mining transitions to more sustainable energy". Meanwhile, the company is also looking at other options in digital currency that do not harm the environment like bitcoin.

Elon Musk's Tesla halts bitcoin purchases amid concerns of increasing carbon emissions

Instagram on Wednesday began letting English-language users enhance profiles to show new gender pronouns they want applied to them in conversation.

The photo-centric social network became the lasted internet service to broaden beyond basic "he" or "she" references to pronouns preferred by those with alternate gender identities.

"Add pronouns to your profile," Instagram said in a tweet.

"The new field is available in a few countries, with plans for more."

Instagram users can opt to have pronoun choices shown publicly, or just to friends at the service.

Pronoun options included "them" and "theirs" along with nonbinary "co," "ze" and others shared at a resource center page at the University of California, Davis, website.

"We are giving people more tools to express themselves on Instagram," the Facebook-owned service said.

"Sharing pronouns has been widely adopted by our community, and with this feature we hope to normalize the adoption further," he added.

Instagram added that it consulted with advocacy groups on pronoun options.

The addition to Instagram profiles was rolled out globally in English, with work being done to expand to other languages, according to Instagram.

(With inputs from agencies)

Instagram on Wednesday began letting English-language users enhance profiles to show new gender pronouns they want applied to them in conversation. The photo-centric social network became the lasted internet service to broaden beyond basic "he" or "she" references to pronouns preferred by those with alternate gender identities.

Instagram on Wednesday began letting English-language users enhance profiles to show new gender pronouns they want applied to them in conversation. The photo-centric social network became the lasted internet service to broaden beyond basic "he" or "she" references to pronouns preferred by those with alternate gender identities. "Add pronouns to your profile," Instagram said in a tweet. "The new field is available in a few countries, with plans for more." Instagram users can opt to have pronoun choices shown publicly, or just to friends at the service. Pronoun options included "them" and "theirs" along with nonbinary "co," "ze" and others shared at a resource center page at the University of California, Davis, website. "We are giving people more tools to express themselves on Instagram," the Facebook-owned service said. "Sharing pronouns has been widely adopted by our community, and with this feature we hope to normalize the adoption further," he added. Instagram added that it consulted with advocacy groups on pronoun options. The addition to Instagram profiles was rolled out globally in English, with work being done to expand to other languages, according to Instagram. (With inputs from agencies)

Instagram to let users add pronouns in profiles, in nod to alternate gender identities

A German regulator on Tuesday slapped a three-month ban on <a href="https://www.wionews.com/topics/facebook">Facebook</a> collecting user data from <a href="https://www.wionews.com/topics/whatsapp">WhatsApp</a> accounts and referred the case to an EU watchdog, citing concerns about election integrity.

The Hamburg Commissioner for Data Protection and Freedom of Information sent the order to the social network, which owns the popular messaging service. Hamburg has jurisdiction because Facebook's German branch is based in the city.&nbsp;

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/technology/whatsapp-rolls-out-stickers-to-spread-covid-19-vaccine-awareness-check-out-details-376095" hreflang="en">WhatsApp rolls out stickers to spread COVID-19 vaccine awareness: Check out details</a>

The tech giant informed WhatsApp users earlier this year that they had to consent to a new data-use policy to continue using the service.

The German authority said in an emergency decision that the terms of that agreement were now null and void in Europe's top economy for three months.

It will hand the case over to the European Data Protection Board, an independent EU body that enforces rules throughout the 27-nation bloc. &nbsp;

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/social-media-platforms-should-not-amplify-untrustworthy-content-biden-383169" hreflang="en">Social media platforms should not amplify 'untrustworthy' content: Biden</a>

The head of the German regulator, Johannes Caspar, said past Facebook data protection breaches as well as Germany's general election in September showed the "dangers" of "mass building of user profiles" that could be exploited.

"This ruling is intended to protect the rights and freedoms of the many millions of user across Germany who give their permission to the new use and privacy policy," he said.

"That includes not only the private sphere but also the possibility of using profiles to influence voter choices and manipulate democratic decisions."&nbsp;

A 'fundamental misunderstanding'

Caspar noted that with nearly 60 million users in Germany, WhatsApp was "by far" the country's most popular social media app.

WhatsApp on Friday stepped back from its plan to require users to accept the new terms, which critics said could expand data collection from its two billion users around the world.

The service had been set to enforce its new data-sharing policy on May 15, following a delay in response to a user outcry. Instead, it said on its website that it would not immediately cut off users who don't accept the new terms, although it would send reminders to those who don't opt in.

A WhatsApp spokesman said the update would not allow additional passing of user information from the service to Facebook's other applications.

"Your acceptance of the new Terms of Service does not expand WhatsApp's ability to share user data with its parent company Facebook," he said.

WhatsApp said the German order "is based on a fundamental misunderstanding of the purpose and effect of WhatsApp's update and therefore has no legitimate basis".

The update actually "provides further transparency about how we collect and use data", said the spokesman.

As the Hamburg authority's "claims are wrong, the order will not impact the continued roll-out of the update", he added.

A German regulator on Tuesday slapped a three-month ban on Facebook collecting user data from WhatsApp accounts and referred the case to an EU watchdog, citing concerns about election integrity.

A German regulator on Tuesday slapped a three-month ban on Facebook collecting user data from WhatsApp accounts and referred the case to an EU watchdog, citing concerns about election integrity. The Hamburg Commissioner for Data Protection and Freedom of Information sent the order to the social network, which owns the popular messaging service. Hamburg has jurisdiction because Facebook's German branch is based in the city. Also read | WhatsApp rolls out stickers to spread COVID-19 vaccine awareness: Check out details The tech giant informed WhatsApp users earlier this year that they had to consent to a new data-use policy to continue using the service. The German authority said in an emergency decision that the terms of that agreement were now null and void in Europe's top economy for three months. It will hand the case over to the European Data Protection Board, an independent EU body that enforces rules throughout the 27-nation bloc. Also read | Social media platforms should not amplify 'untrustworthy' content: Biden The head of the German regulator, Johannes Caspar, said past Facebook data protection breaches as well as Germany's general election in September showed the "dangers" of "mass building of user profiles" that could be exploited. "This ruling is intended to protect the rights and freedoms of the many millions of user across Germany who give their permission to the new use and privacy policy," he said. "That includes not only the private sphere but also the possibility of using profiles to influence voter choices and manipulate democratic decisions." A 'fundamental misunderstanding' Caspar noted that with nearly 60 million users in Germany, WhatsApp was "by far" the country's most popular social media app. WhatsApp on Friday stepped back from its plan to require users to accept the new terms, which critics said could expand data collection from its two billion users around the world. The service had been set to enforce its new data-sharing policy on May 15, following a delay in response to a user outcry. Instead, it said on its website that it would not immediately cut off users who don't accept the new terms, although it would send reminders to those who don't opt in. A WhatsApp spokesman said the update would not allow additional passing of user information from the service to Facebook's other applications. "Your acceptance of the new Terms of Service does not expand WhatsApp's ability to share user data with its parent company Facebook," he said. WhatsApp said the German order "is based on a fundamental misunderstanding of the purpose and effect of WhatsApp's update and therefore has no legitimate basis". The update actually "provides further transparency about how we collect and use data", said the spokesman. As the Hamburg authority's "claims are wrong, the order will not impact the continued roll-out of the update", he added.

Germany halts Facebook sharing WhatsApp data

With accounts deleted on Twitter and content blocked on Instagram, Palestinian social media users say they have been censored from showing the reality of the unrest in Jerusalem.

The eastern part of the holy city has been hit with the worst violence since 2017, with clashes centred around the Al-Aqsa mosque, the third holiest site in Islam, since Friday.

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The tensions have since spiralled into a full-scale military confrontation, in which Islamist groups have fired rockets and Israel has launched air raids on targets in the coastal enclave of Gaza.

The tensions, which the United Nations has warned is heading towards "a full-scale war", were triggered by the looming evictions of Palestinian families to make way for Israeli settlers in the Jerusalem neighbourhood of Sheikh Jarrah.

On social media, Palestinians have widely shared photos and videos of Israeli forces facing off with residents, in what Amnesty International has denounced as an "illegal and abusive use of force" against "largely peaceful" protesters.

Social media remains an important tool for Palestinians, many of whom believe traditional media coverage does not sufficiently capture the reality of the crisis.

Instagram and&nbsp;Twitter&nbsp;had&nbsp;blamed technical errors for deleting posts mentioning the possible eviction of Palestinians from East Jerusalem, but data rights groups fear "discriminatory" algorithms are at work and want greater transparency.

Palestinians living in the Sheikh Jarrah neighbourhood claimed by Jewish settlers have taken to social media to protest as they face eviction, but some found their posts, photos or videos removed or their accounts blocked starting last week.

It came as a long-running legal case over evictions from homes in Sheikh Jarrah has fuelled tensions in Jerusalem where hundreds of Palestinians clashed with Israeli police on Monday.

Sada Social, a platform designed to protect content shared by Palestinians online, recorded 200 restrictions in the past week on matters related to Sheikh Jarrah and East Jerusalem.

"This includes the closure of accounts on Twitter or Instagram or the blocking of features on Instagram, such as streaming live videos, or restricting access to content related to Sheikh Jarrah, Gaza or Jerusalem," said director Eyad Rifai.

A spokesperson for Twitter said it was reversing action against accounts that were targeted "in error by an automated spam filter".

"Defending and respecting the voices of the people who use our service is one of our core values at Twitter," said the statement.

"We use a combination of technology and human review to enforce the Twitter Rules across the service. In this case, our automated systems took enforcement action on a number of accounts in error".

Instagram meanwhile blamed a "technical bug which impacted millions of people's stories, highlights and archives globally" including Palestinians who saw their content "disappear".

Likewise, the Arabic hashtag Al-Aqsa was "mistakenly restricted" in an action which has since been "lifted", said a spokesperson for Facebook, which owns the platform.

"We sincerely apologise for both issues, and to all those, including our Palestinian community, who felt like their ability to have an open discussion around important matters was affected in any way".

But Palestinian internet users still report restrictions, said Marwa Fatafta, Middle East and North Africa manager at digital activist group Access Now.&nbsp;

"On Friday evening, during the Israeli assault on worshippers at Al-Aqsa Mosque, Facebook restricted the 'Al-Aqsa' hashtag and the streaming of live videos on Instagram was disrupted or blocked for many users," Fatafta said.

She added that Twitter also suspended dozens of accounts, including that of Palestinian journalist Mariam Barghouti, "as she covered a violent Israeli crackdown on protesters near Ramallah" in the occupied West Bank.

"These arbitrary 'technical errors' tend to happen in peak times when activists are sharing information and documenting Israeli aggression," said Fatafta, who called for transparency and an investigation.

Barghouti's Twitter account, with over 50,000 followers, has since been restored.

Rifai, from Sada Social, accused the Israeli government of having forged partnerships with major social networks to "crack down on Palestinian digital content", but said this is the first time that restrictions have become widespread.

"It is a very serious situation which prevents us, as Palestinians, from enjoying our digital rights like other users of these sites around the world," he told said.

Rifai said that some deleted accounts have been restored on Twitter, but that the process is "still ongoing".

In a statement released on Sunday, Instagram said that the same restrictions had affected content related to protests in Colombia and the rights of indigenous communities in Canada and the United States.&nbsp;

The social network said it has solved the problem but Hind Khoudary, a Palestinian journalist with more than 18,000 followers on Instagram, said she is "still censored".

"I have lost stories. And my stories on Instagram cannot be seen," she told said.

(With inputs from agencies)

With accounts deleted on Twitter and content blocked on Instagram, Palestinian social media users say they have been censored from showing the reality of the unrest in Jerusalem.

With accounts deleted on Twitter and content blocked on Instagram, Palestinian social media users say they have been censored from showing the reality of the unrest in Jerusalem. The eastern part of the holy city has been hit with the worst violence since 2017, with clashes centred around the Al-Aqsa mosque, the third holiest site in Islam, since Friday. The tensions have since spiralled into a full-scale military confrontation, in which Islamist groups have fired rockets and Israel has launched air raids on targets in the coastal enclave of Gaza. The tensions, which the United Nations has warned is heading towards "a full-scale war", were triggered by the looming evictions of Palestinian families to make way for Israeli settlers in the Jerusalem neighbourhood of Sheikh Jarrah. On social media, Palestinians have widely shared photos and videos of Israeli forces facing off with residents, in what Amnesty International has denounced as an "illegal and abusive use of force" against "largely peaceful" protesters. Social media remains an important tool for Palestinians, many of whom believe traditional media coverage does not sufficiently capture the reality of the crisis. Instagram and Twitter had blamed technical errors for deleting posts mentioning the possible eviction of Palestinians from East Jerusalem, but data rights groups fear "discriminatory" algorithms are at work and want greater transparency. Palestinians living in the Sheikh Jarrah neighbourhood claimed by Jewish settlers have taken to social media to protest as they face eviction, but some found their posts, photos or videos removed or their accounts blocked starting last week. It came as a long-running legal case over evictions from homes in Sheikh Jarrah has fuelled tensions in Jerusalem where hundreds of Palestinians clashed with Israeli police on Monday. Sada Social, a platform designed to protect content shared by Palestinians online, recorded 200 restrictions in the past week on matters related to Sheikh Jarrah and East Jerusalem. "This includes the closure of accounts on Twitter or Instagram or the blocking of features on Instagram, such as streaming live videos, or restricting access to content related to Sheikh Jarrah, Gaza or Jerusalem," said director Eyad Rifai. A spokesperson for Twitter said it was reversing action against accounts that were targeted "in error by an automated spam filter". "Defending and respecting the voices of the people who use our service is one of our core values at Twitter," said the statement. "We use a combination of technology and human review to enforce the Twitter Rules across the service. In this case, our automated systems took enforcement action on a number of accounts in error". Instagram meanwhile blamed a "technical bug which impacted millions of people's stories, highlights and archives globally" including Palestinians who saw their content "disappear". Likewise, the Arabic hashtag Al-Aqsa was "mistakenly restricted" in an action which has since been "lifted", said a spokesperson for Facebook, which owns the platform. "We sincerely apologise for both issues, and to all those, including our Palestinian community, who felt like their ability to have an open discussion around important matters was affected in any way". But Palestinian internet users still report restrictions, said Marwa Fatafta, Middle East and North Africa manager at digital activist group Access Now. "On Friday evening, during the Israeli assault on worshippers at Al-Aqsa Mosque, Facebook restricted the 'Al-Aqsa' hashtag and the streaming of live videos on Instagram was disrupted or blocked for many users," Fatafta said. She added that Twitter also suspended dozens of accounts, including that of Palestinian journalist Mariam Barghouti, "as she covered a violent Israeli crackdown on protesters near Ramallah" in the occupied West Bank. "These arbitrary 'technical errors' tend to happen in peak times when activists are sharing information and documenting Israeli aggression," said Fatafta, who called for transparency and an investigation. Barghouti's Twitter account, with over 50,000 followers, has since been restored. Rifai, from Sada Social, accused the Israeli government of having forged partnerships with major social networks to "crack down on Palestinian digital content", but said this is the first time that restrictions have become widespread. "It is a very serious situation which prevents us, as Palestinians, from enjoying our digital rights like other users of these sites around the world," he told said. Rifai said that some deleted accounts have been restored on Twitter, but that the process is "still ongoing". In a statement released on Sunday, Instagram said that the same restrictions had affected content related to protests in Colombia and the rights of indigenous communities in Canada and the United States. The social network said it has solved the problem but Hind Khoudary, a Palestinian journalist with more than 18,000 followers on Instagram, said she is "still censored". "I have lost stories. And my stories on Instagram cannot be seen," she told said. (With inputs from agencies)

Palestinians denounce 'censorship' of content by Instagram and Twitter

A computer game called&nbsp;"Escape COVID-19" is helping&nbsp;health workers&nbsp;not only get a distraction but also garner knowledge to battle about the novel coronavirus&nbsp;in real life.

Players of the game&nbsp;are guided through a series of scenarios that health workers at hospitals and long-term care facilities encounter on a daily basis.&nbsp;

Each challenge, from before leaving the house to their commute and especially on the job,&nbsp;is geared towards helping frontline staff change their real-world behaviour to better protect against spreading the virus.

Researchers at the&nbsp;Geneva University Hospitals (HUG) have&nbsp;developed the "serious game", which is available online in French, German, Italian and English, to help healthcare workers internalise the best practices for avoiding outbreaks on the job.

Professor Stephan Harbarth heads the infection prevention unit at the hospital and his team helped provide the protocol and procedural expertise underlying "Escape COVID-19".

"Classical hospital hygiene and inter-hospital infection prevention are not always the most sexy of topics," he acknowledged.&nbsp;

"We see that a playful game, along with other communication methods, is more effective in helping people change their behaviour."

A study published in the Journal of Medical Internet Research earlier this month indicated that the game was far more effective than regular information manuals in inspiring behavioural change among staff.

"Those who played the game were three times more likely to say they wanted to change their behaviour compared to those who received the regular material."

Inciting behaviour change among health professionals is vital.&nbsp;

Since the start of the pandemic, hospitals and care facilities have tragically become incubators of COVID-19 outbreaks.

In the beginning, Harbarth said most of the focus was on protecting doctors and nurses from getting infected while caring for COVID-19 patients.&nbsp;

But after a while it became clear that asymptomatic health workers were spreading the virus too, and often to non-Covid patients.

"We realised we needed to be very careful that the personnel didn't become vectors, or mosquitos if you will, infecting patients," Harbarth said.

There was a need to dramatically change attitudes among health professionals, who are accustomed to working long hours and not letting a cough or sniffle keep them away.

Now, they were asked to stay away at the slightest symptom, and to get tested even without symptoms.

"It is really a complete change of our normal paradigm," Harbarth said. "The game has helped us do that."

In fact, he said, the game deserved some of the credit for the dramatic drop in hospital-sparked Covid infections in recent months.

Looking forward, Harbarth said he hoped games would be more widely used to reinforce important medical messages, including on vaccination.

"This is a huge challenge," he said, pointing out that not all hospital employees agree to get a Covid jab.

"A playful game... might be a good tool for distributing accurate information."

It involved nearly 300 emergency room workers in Geneva who were either provided with written material about the proper procedures to follow or asked to play the computer game.

"The study measured a real benefit," said Suppan.

(With inputs from agencies)

A computer game called "Escape COVID-19" is helping health workers not only get a distraction but also garner knowledge to battle about the novel coronavirus in real life.

A computer game called "Escape COVID-19" is helping health workers not only get a distraction but also garner knowledge to battle about the novel coronavirus in real life. Players of the game are guided through a series of scenarios that health workers at hospitals and long-term care facilities encounter on a daily basis. Each challenge, from before leaving the house to their commute and especially on the job, is geared towards helping frontline staff change their real-world behaviour to better protect against spreading the virus. Researchers at the Geneva University Hospitals (HUG) have developed the "serious game", which is available online in French, German, Italian and English, to help healthcare workers internalise the best practices for avoiding outbreaks on the job. Professor Stephan Harbarth heads the infection prevention unit at the hospital and his team helped provide the protocol and procedural expertise underlying "Escape COVID-19". "Classical hospital hygiene and inter-hospital infection prevention are not always the most sexy of topics," he acknowledged. "We see that a playful game, along with other communication methods, is more effective in helping people change their behaviour." A study published in the Journal of Medical Internet Research earlier this month indicated that the game was far more effective than regular information manuals in inspiring behavioural change among staff. "Those who played the game were three times more likely to say they wanted to change their behaviour compared to those who received the regular material." Inciting behaviour change among health professionals is vital. Since the start of the pandemic, hospitals and care facilities have tragically become incubators of COVID-19 outbreaks. In the beginning, Harbarth said most of the focus was on protecting doctors and nurses from getting infected while caring for COVID-19 patients. But after a while it became clear that asymptomatic health workers were spreading the virus too, and often to non-Covid patients. "We realised we needed to be very careful that the personnel didn't become vectors, or mosquitos if you will, infecting patients," Harbarth said. There was a need to dramatically change attitudes among health professionals, who are accustomed to working long hours and not letting a cough or sniffle keep them away. Now, they were asked to stay away at the slightest symptom, and to get tested even without symptoms. "It is really a complete change of our normal paradigm," Harbarth said. "The game has helped us do that." In fact, he said, the game deserved some of the credit for the dramatic drop in hospital-sparked Covid infections in recent months. Looking forward, Harbarth said he hoped games would be more widely used to reinforce important medical messages, including on vaccination. "This is a huge challenge," he said, pointing out that not all hospital employees agree to get a Covid jab. "A playful game... might be a good tool for distributing accurate information." It involved nearly 300 emergency room workers in Geneva who were either provided with written material about the proper procedures to follow or asked to play the computer game. "The study measured a real benefit," said Suppan. (With inputs from agencies)

'Escape COVID-19': Computer game helping health workers combat virus spread

Properly understanding and responding to customer feedback on social media platforms is crucial for brands, and it may have just gotten a little easier thanks to new research by computer science researchers at the University of Central Florida who have developed a sarcasm detector.

Social media has become a dominant form of communication for individuals, and for companies looking to market and sell their products and services.

Properly understanding and responding to customer feedback on Twitter, Facebook and other social media platforms are critical for success, but it is incredibly labour-intensive.

A UCF team developed a technique that accurately detects sarcasm in a social media text.The team`s findings were recently published in the journal Entropy.

The team effectively taught the computer model to find patterns that often indicate sarcasm and combined that with teaching the program to correctly pick out cue words in sequences that were more likely to indicate sarcasm. They taught the model to do this by feeding it large data sets and then checked its accuracy.

"The presence of sarcasm in the text is the main hindrance in the performance of sentiment analysis," says Assistant Professor of engineering Ivan Garibay.

"Sarcasm is not always easy to identify in conversation, so you can imagine it's pretty challenging for a computer program to do it and do it well. We developed an interpretable deep learning model using multi-head self-attention and gated recurrent units. The multi-head self-attention module aids in identifying crucial sarcastic cue-words from the input, and the recurrent units learn long-range dependencies between these cue-words to better classify the input text," he added.

The team, which includes computer science doctoral student Ramya Akula, began working on this problem under a DARPA grant that supports the organization`s Computational Simulation of Online Social Behavior program.

"Sarcasm has been a major hurdle to increasing the accuracy of sentiment analysis, especially on social media, since sarcasm relies heavily on vocal tones, facial expressions, and gestures that cannot be represented in text," says Brian Kettler, a program manager in DARPA`s Information Innovation Office (I2O).

"Recognising sarcasm in textual online communication is no easy task as none of these cues is readily available."

This is one of the challenges Garibay`s Complex Adaptive Systems Lab (CASL) is studying. CASL is an interdisciplinary research group dedicated to the study of complex phenomena such as the global economy, the global information environment, innovation ecosystems, sustainability, and social and cultural dynamics and evolution.

CASL scientists study these problems using data science, network science, complexity science, cognitive science, machine learning, deep learning, social sciences, team cognition, among other approaches.

"In face-to-face conversation, sarcasm can be identified effortlessly using facial expressions, gestures, and tone of the speaker," Akula says.

"Detecting sarcasm in textual communication is not a trivial task as none of these cues is readily available. Especially with the explosion of internet usage, sarcasm detection in online communications from social networking platforms is much more challenging."

(With inputs from agencies)

Properly understanding and responding to customer feedback on social media platforms is crucial for brands, and it may have just gotten a little easier thanks to new research by computer science researchers at the University of Central Florida who have developed a sarcasm detector.

Properly understanding and responding to customer feedback on social media platforms is crucial for brands, and it may have just gotten a little easier thanks to new research by computer science researchers at the University of Central Florida who have developed a sarcasm detector. Social media has become a dominant form of communication for individuals, and for companies looking to market and sell their products and services. Properly understanding and responding to customer feedback on Twitter, Facebook and other social media platforms are critical for success, but it is incredibly labour-intensive. A UCF team developed a technique that accurately detects sarcasm in a social media text.The team`s findings were recently published in the journal Entropy. The team effectively taught the computer model to find patterns that often indicate sarcasm and combined that with teaching the program to correctly pick out cue words in sequences that were more likely to indicate sarcasm. They taught the model to do this by feeding it large data sets and then checked its accuracy. "The presence of sarcasm in the text is the main hindrance in the performance of sentiment analysis," says Assistant Professor of engineering Ivan Garibay. "Sarcasm is not always easy to identify in conversation, so you can imagine it's pretty challenging for a computer program to do it and do it well. We developed an interpretable deep learning model using multi-head self-attention and gated recurrent units. The multi-head self-attention module aids in identifying crucial sarcastic cue-words from the input, and the recurrent units learn long-range dependencies between these cue-words to better classify the input text," he added. The team, which includes computer science doctoral student Ramya Akula, began working on this problem under a DARPA grant that supports the organization`s Computational Simulation of Online Social Behavior program. "Sarcasm has been a major hurdle to increasing the accuracy of sentiment analysis, especially on social media, since sarcasm relies heavily on vocal tones, facial expressions, and gestures that cannot be represented in text," says Brian Kettler, a program manager in DARPA`s Information Innovation Office (I2O). "Recognising sarcasm in textual online communication is no easy task as none of these cues is readily available." This is one of the challenges Garibay`s Complex Adaptive Systems Lab (CASL) is studying. CASL is an interdisciplinary research group dedicated to the study of complex phenomena such as the global economy, the global information environment, innovation ecosystems, sustainability, and social and cultural dynamics and evolution. CASL scientists study these problems using data science, network science, complexity science, cognitive science, machine learning, deep learning, social sciences, team cognition, among other approaches. "In face-to-face conversation, sarcasm can be identified effortlessly using facial expressions, gestures, and tone of the speaker," Akula says. "Detecting sarcasm in textual communication is not a trivial task as none of these cues is readily available. Especially with the explosion of internet usage, sarcasm detection in online communications from social networking platforms is much more challenging." (With inputs from agencies)

Researchers develop artificial intelligence that can detect sarcasm in social media

Digital media portal The Information has said that Seven of Apple's suppliers were found to be linked to suspected forced labour of Uyghur Muslims and other persecuted groups sourced from the Xinjiang region.

The investigation report suggests that the use of forced labour by some of Apple's largest suppliers is more widespread than previously reported. 
 
Gravitas: Is forced Uighur labour making your favourite Apple products?

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"Apple’s suppliers participated in labour programs suspected of being part of China's alleged genocide against Uyghurs. The newly uncovered evidence stands in contrast to Apple's statements that it hasn't found evidence of forced labour," said that report. 
 
Gravitas | China: The world capital for forced labour

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If Chinese propaganda is to be believed, the ethnic minorities in Xinjiang are happy and prosperous. In a video, the Chinese ambassador to Belgium says the minorities in Xinjiang are happy and carefree.

But there is another side of Xinjiang which China hasn't shared. A report from August narrates the tale of how Uighur Muslims are pushed into forced labour. As the global demand for personal protective equipment or PPE shot up, Uighurs were sent to work in at least 17 companies against their will.

China describes it as lifting the poor out of poverty, but a report by the US Labour Department blows the lid off China's slavery program.

China tops the list of countries that are exporting products made with forced labour. Reports say that the origins of at least 17 goods can be traced back to forced and child labour. This includes artificial flowers, Christmas decorations, coal, fish, footwear, gloves, hair products and more.

In March 2020, the Australian Strategic Policy Institute (ASPI) published a report Uyghurs for sale: ‘Re-education’, forced labour and surveillance beyond Xinjiang, which identified 83 foreign and Chinese companies as allegedly directly or indirectly benefiting from the use of Uyghur workers outside Xinjiang through potentially abusive labour transfer programs.&nbsp;

Activists and UN experts say that more than 1 million Muslim Uighurs and other Turkic Muslims are being held against their will in harsh camps in the remote western region.

(With inputs from agencies)

Digital media portal The Information has said that Seven of Apple's suppliers were found to be linked to suspected forced labour of Uyghur Muslims and other persecuted groups sourced from the Xinjiang region.

Digital media portal The Information has said that Seven of Apple's suppliers were found to be linked to suspected forced labour of Uyghur Muslims and other persecuted groups sourced from the Xinjiang region. The investigation report suggests that the use of forced labour by some of Apple's largest suppliers is more widespread than previously reported. Gravitas: Is forced Uighur labour making your favourite Apple products? "Apple’s suppliers participated in labour programs suspected of being part of China's alleged genocide against Uyghurs. The newly uncovered evidence stands in contrast to Apple's statements that it hasn't found evidence of forced labour," said that report. Gravitas | China: The world capital for forced labour If Chinese propaganda is to be believed, the ethnic minorities in Xinjiang are happy and prosperous. In a video, the Chinese ambassador to Belgium says the minorities in Xinjiang are happy and carefree. But there is another side of Xinjiang which China hasn't shared. A report from August narrates the tale of how Uighur Muslims are pushed into forced labour. As the global demand for personal protective equipment or PPE shot up, Uighurs were sent to work in at least 17 companies against their will. China describes it as lifting the poor out of poverty, but a report by the US Labour Department blows the lid off China's slavery program. China tops the list of countries that are exporting products made with forced labour. Reports say that the origins of at least 17 goods can be traced back to forced and child labour. This includes artificial flowers, Christmas decorations, coal, fish, footwear, gloves, hair products and more. In March 2020, the Australian Strategic Policy Institute (ASPI) published a report Uyghurs for sale: ‘Re-education’, forced labour and surveillance beyond Xinjiang, which identified 83 foreign and Chinese companies as allegedly directly or indirectly benefiting from the use of Uyghur workers outside Xinjiang through potentially abusive labour transfer programs. Activists and UN experts say that more than 1 million Muslim Uighurs and other Turkic Muslims are being held against their will in harsh camps in the remote western region. (With inputs from agencies)

7 suppliers of iPhone maker Apple in China linked to forced labour programmes: Report

A bipartisan group of 44 attorneys general has written to Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg urging him to drop company plans for a version of Instagram for children under the age of 13, Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey announced Monday.

The attorneys general in the letter said they are concerned about social media's effects on the physical and emotional well-being of children, the potential for increased cyberbullying, possible vulnerability to online predators, and what they called Facebook's "checkered record" in protecting children on its platforms.

"It appears that Facebook is not responding to a need, but instead creating one, as this platform appeals primarily to children who otherwise do not or would not have an Instagram account," said the letter, signed by the attorneys general of 40 states, the District of Columbia and three US territories.

Children under 13 are technically not allowed to use the Instagram app in its current form due to federal privacy regulations. But Facebook in March confirmed a report by Buzzfeed News, saying it is "exploring a parent-controlled experience"&nbsp;on Instagram.

"It's shameful that Facebook is ignoring the very real threat that social media poses to the safety and well-being of young children in an attempt to profit off of a vulnerable segment of our population,"&nbsp;Healey said in a statement.

Facebook in a statement Monday said it is exploring Instagram for kids to give parents more control over what children who are already online are exposed to, will make every effort to protect children, and will not show advertising on the platform.

"We are developing these experiences in consultation with experts in child development, child safety and mental health, and privacy advocates," the company said. "We also look forward to working with legislators and regulators, including the nation's attorneys general."&nbsp;

Facebook also pointed out that it is a founding sponsor of the Digital Wellness Lab at Boston Children's Hospital, launched in March to study the effects of digital technology on kids' "brains, bodies, and behaviors."

The effort of the attorneys general is backed by Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood.

Facebook faces a critical choice: will they plow ahead with their ill-conceived plan to ensnare young children, or will they listen to the growing chorus of parents, experts, advocates, lawmakers and regulators who are telling them that an Instagram kids' site will undermine young children's healthy development and right to privacy,&nbsp;Executive Director Josh Golin said in a statement.

Facebook faced similar criticism in 2017 when it launched the Messenger Kids app, touted as a way for children to chat with family members and friends approved by parents.&nbsp;

A bipartisan group of 44 attorneys general has written to Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg urging him to drop company plans for a version of Instagram for children under the age of 13, Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey announced Monday.

A bipartisan group of 44 attorneys general has written to Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg urging him to drop company plans for a version of Instagram for children under the age of 13, Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey announced Monday. The attorneys general in the letter said they are concerned about social media's effects on the physical and emotional well-being of children, the potential for increased cyberbullying, possible vulnerability to online predators, and what they called Facebook's "checkered record" in protecting children on its platforms. "It appears that Facebook is not responding to a need, but instead creating one, as this platform appeals primarily to children who otherwise do not or would not have an Instagram account," said the letter, signed by the attorneys general of 40 states, the District of Columbia and three US territories. Children under 13 are technically not allowed to use the Instagram app in its current form due to federal privacy regulations. But Facebook in March confirmed a report by Buzzfeed News, saying it is "exploring a parent-controlled experience" on Instagram. "It's shameful that Facebook is ignoring the very real threat that social media poses to the safety and well-being of young children in an attempt to profit off of a vulnerable segment of our population," Healey said in a statement. Facebook in a statement Monday said it is exploring Instagram for kids to give parents more control over what children who are already online are exposed to, will make every effort to protect children, and will not show advertising on the platform. "We are developing these experiences in consultation with experts in child development, child safety and mental health, and privacy advocates," the company said. "We also look forward to working with legislators and regulators, including the nation's attorneys general." Facebook also pointed out that it is a founding sponsor of the Digital Wellness Lab at Boston Children's Hospital, launched in March to study the effects of digital technology on kids' "brains, bodies, and behaviors." The effort of the attorneys general is backed by Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood. Facebook faces a critical choice: will they plow ahead with their ill-conceived plan to ensnare young children, or will they listen to the growing chorus of parents, experts, advocates, lawmakers and regulators who are telling them that an Instagram kids' site will undermine young children's healthy development and right to privacy, Executive Director Josh Golin said in a statement. Facebook faced similar criticism in 2017 when it launched the Messenger Kids app, touted as a way for children to chat with family members and friends approved by parents.

More than 40 US attorneys-general ask Facebook to drop 'Instagram for kids' proposal

Smartphones have literally become the "place where we live," and a large study has claimed this.&nbsp;

Researchers at University College London (UCL), in a study that involved nine countries and conducted for more than a year, found that people feel the same about their smartphones as they do about their homes.&nbsp;

"The smartphone is no longer just a device that we use, it's become the place where we live," Prof Daniel Miller, who led the study, was quoted as saying by The Guardian.&nbsp;

Also read | <a href="http://wionews.com/science-technology/smartphone-camera-can-help-doctors-measure-pulse-breathing-rate-375344">Smartphone camera can help doctors measure pulse, breathing rate</a>

"The flip side of that for human relationships is that at any point, whether over a meal, a meeting or other shared activity, a person we're with can just disappear, having 'gone home' to their smartphone."

He added that this phenomenon is causing "death to proximity" of face-to-face communication.&nbsp;

"This behaviour, and the frustration, disappointment or even offence it can cause, is what we're calling the 'death of proximity'. We are learning to live with the jeopardy that even when we are physically together, we can be socially, emotionally or professionally alone," Miller further said.&nbsp;

Also read | <a href="http://wionews.com/world/smartphones-have-made-uk-one-of-the-laziest-countries-in-europe-323237">Smartphones have made UK one of the laziest countries in Europe</a>

Chat apps like WhatsApp are leading this transformation, according to the research which describes these as the "heart of the smartphone".&nbsp;

"These apps are the platforms where siblings come together to take care of elderly parents, proud parents send out endless photographs of their babies, and migrants reconnect with families; they are the means by which you can still be a grandparent even if living in another country," the lead researcher said.&nbsp;

Smartphones have literally become the "place where we live," and a large study has claimed this. Researchers at University College London (UCL), in a study that involved nine countries and conducted for more than a year, found that people feel the same about their smartphones as they do about their homes.

Smartphones have literally become the "place where we live," and a large study has claimed this. Researchers at University College London (UCL), in a study that involved nine countries and conducted for more than a year, found that people feel the same about their smartphones as they do about their homes. "The smartphone is no longer just a device that we use, it's become the place where we live," Prof Daniel Miller, who led the study, was quoted as saying by The Guardian. Also read | Smartphone camera can help doctors measure pulse, breathing rate "The flip side of that for human relationships is that at any point, whether over a meal, a meeting or other shared activity, a person we're with can just disappear, having 'gone home' to their smartphone." He added that this phenomenon is causing "death to proximity" of face-to-face communication. "This behaviour, and the frustration, disappointment or even offence it can cause, is what we're calling the 'death of proximity'. We are learning to live with the jeopardy that even when we are physically together, we can be socially, emotionally or professionally alone," Miller further said. Also read | Smartphones have made UK one of the laziest countries in Europe Chat apps like WhatsApp are leading this transformation, according to the research which describes these as the "heart of the smartphone". "These apps are the platforms where siblings come together to take care of elderly parents, proud parents send out endless photographs of their babies, and migrants reconnect with families; they are the means by which you can still be a grandparent even if living in another country," the lead researcher said.

Are smartphones our homes now? Study calls them 'place where we live'

Clubhouse announced on Sunday that it will launch test version of its Android app in the. Downloads of the app have significantly fallen. On this&nbsp;background, android launch is being seen as a potential big expansion of its market.

The app, which spiked in popularity early this year after celebrity billionaire Elon Musk and others appeared in audio chats, has sparked copy cats from startups and larger rivals including Facebook Inc and Twitter Inc.

It has been available only to users of Apple devices and by invitation. In some markets such as China, invitations were so sought after some were auctioned on online marketplaces.

Downloads of the app peaked in February this year with 9.6 million downloads. The number fell to 2.7 million in March. In April, the number of downloads fell further to 900,000.

The drop in downloads raised questions whether Clubhouse's popularity was sustainable over the long-term.

The long-anticipated Android launch is expected to reach more new users globally. The Android app will be initially launched in the US. It will then reach other English-speaking markets and then the rest of the world and weeks after the US market beta launch.

Clubhouse, which created the category, now faces the likes of Facebook, whose CEO Mark Zuckerberg announced in April a slew of audio products, including Clubhouse-style live audio rooms and a way for users to find and play podcasts.

In January, Twitter Inc said that it will introduce a new feature to let users charge admission to their live audio chat rooms in its "Spaces" feature, as the company seeks to court more content creators. It has been available to Android users since March.

(With inputs from agencies)

Clubhouse announced on Sunday that it will launch test version of its Android app in the. Downloads of the app have significantly fallen. On this background, android launch is being seen as a potential big expansion of its market.

Clubhouse announced on Sunday that it will launch test version of its Android app in the. Downloads of the app have significantly fallen. On this background, android launch is being seen as a potential big expansion of its market. The app, which spiked in popularity early this year after celebrity billionaire Elon Musk and others appeared in audio chats, has sparked copy cats from startups and larger rivals including Facebook Inc and Twitter Inc. It has been available only to users of Apple devices and by invitation. In some markets such as China, invitations were so sought after some were auctioned on online marketplaces. Downloads of the app peaked in February this year with 9.6 million downloads. The number fell to 2.7 million in March. In April, the number of downloads fell further to 900,000. The drop in downloads raised questions whether Clubhouse's popularity was sustainable over the long-term. The long-anticipated Android launch is expected to reach more new users globally. The Android app will be initially launched in the US. It will then reach other English-speaking markets and then the rest of the world and weeks after the US market beta launch. Clubhouse, which created the category, now faces the likes of Facebook, whose CEO Mark Zuckerberg announced in April a slew of audio products, including Clubhouse-style live audio rooms and a way for users to find and play podcasts. In January, Twitter Inc said that it will introduce a new feature to let users charge admission to their live audio chat rooms in its "Spaces" feature, as the company seeks to court more content creators. It has been available to Android users since March. (With inputs from agencies)

Clubhouse to launch Android app

South Korea said on Sunday it will strengthen its monitoring system against cryptocurrency-related phishing websites by working with the National Police Agency amid recent surges in prices of virtual money.&nbsp;

The ICT ministry said there have recently been increasing reports of phishing attempts via text messages that lead cryptocurrency users to enter their exchange IDs and passwords on fake websites to steal them and access their accounts.&nbsp;

The ministry said it found and blocked 32 such phishing websites in the past three months, compared with a total of 41 websites detected in the whole of last year, reports Yonhap news agency.&nbsp;

Examples of such websites include www.bithnub.com, compared with the address of local cryptocurrency exchange Bithumb -- www.bithumb.com.&nbsp;

The ministry said it will strengthen its 24-hour monitoring system to swiftly block such phishing websites.&nbsp;

The National Police Agency has also been conducting a crackdown on phishing websites since the start of March this year.&nbsp;

As of May 4, the police were investigating 21 cases, in which individuals accessed other cryptocurrency users' accounts and sold their assets.&nbsp;

Major cryptocurrency Bitcoin topped $72,000 per unit in South Korea for the first time in mid-April. The virtual currency has since fallen, trading at around 67 million won on Friday, according to Bithumb.&nbsp;

Amid rising prices, South Korean financial authorities are also cracking down on illegal activities involving cryptocurrencies, such as money laundering, until June.&nbsp;

(With inputs from agencies) &nbsp;

South Korea said on Sunday it will strengthen its monitoring system against cryptocurrency-related phishing websites by working with the National Police Agency amid recent surges in prices of virtual money.

South Korea said on Sunday it will strengthen its monitoring system against cryptocurrency-related phishing websites by working with the National Police Agency amid recent surges in prices of virtual money. The ICT ministry said there have recently been increasing reports of phishing attempts via text messages that lead cryptocurrency users to enter their exchange IDs and passwords on fake websites to steal them and access their accounts. The ministry said it found and blocked 32 such phishing websites in the past three months, compared with a total of 41 websites detected in the whole of last year, reports Yonhap news agency. Examples of such websites include www.bithnub.com, compared with the address of local cryptocurrency exchange Bithumb -- www.bithumb.com. The ministry said it will strengthen its 24-hour monitoring system to swiftly block such phishing websites. The National Police Agency has also been conducting a crackdown on phishing websites since the start of March this year. As of May 4, the police were investigating 21 cases, in which individuals accessed other cryptocurrency users' accounts and sold their assets. Major cryptocurrency Bitcoin topped $72,000 per unit in South Korea for the first time in mid-April. The virtual currency has since fallen, trading at around 67 million won on Friday, according to Bithumb. Amid rising prices, South Korean financial authorities are also cracking down on illegal activities involving cryptocurrencies, such as money laundering, until June. (With inputs from agencies)

South Korea to clamp down on cryptocurrency phishing activity 

The exercise equipment company Peloton is recalling over 125,000 treadmills across the United States, and the UK.

This announcement comes within a month after the company denied that the treadmills were dangerous and saying it would not pull them from the market, even though they were linked to the death of a child and injuries of 29 others.&nbsp;

Earlier this year, a six-year-old child had died after being pulled underneath its treadmill. Around the same time, a three-year-old suffered head injuries after being trapped under a peloton treadmill.

The company called it a 'tragic accident' and CEO published a letter assuring that his company cares about the health and wellness of its customers.

In a statement, Peloton apologised for not acting more quickly to resolve the issue after reports of one death and dozens of injuries.

“I want to be clear, Peloton made a mistake in our initial response to the Consumer Product Safety Commission’s request that we recall the Tread+,” CEO John Foley said in a statement Wednesday. “We should have engaged more productively with them from the outset. For that, I apologise.”

How was a machine meant to make people healthy, becoming a threat to their lives?

Turns out, Peloton's treadmills are not ordinary, they can be connected to virtual fitness classes. They come with fancy touchscreens.

The product was first called the Tread but is now known as the Tread+ because Peloton was preparing to begin selling a less expensive version in the United States later this year. The original model costs $4,300.

Unlike most treadmills, Peloton's machines have a large gap between the floor and the belt and that leaves enough space for injuries and mishaps.

In the last few months, pets and objects have been pulled under the treadmill. This was something&nbsp;no one had seen coming. When the pandemic struck, Peloton's treadmills became a rage. They offered everything you needed to stay fit at home.

In 2020, Peloton reported $1.8 billion in revenue, up&nbsp;$915 million from the previous year.

As orders hit sky-high, the company struggled with supply. Soon, the treadmill's touchscreen began loosening. In at least six cases, they fell from the tread, Injured people, and damaged the company's reputation.

Peloton's CEO now says&nbsp;his company made a mistake by not recalling the treadmills sooner.

Reports say- the Peloton has lost $4 billion in market value in just a day.

The exercise equipment company Peloton is recalling over 125,000 treadmills across the United States, and the UK. This announcement comes within a month after the company denied that the treadmills were dangerous and saying it would not pull them from the market, even though they were linked to the death of a child and injuries of 29 others.

The exercise equipment company Peloton is recalling over 125,000 treadmills across the United States, and the UK. This announcement comes within a month after the company denied that the treadmills were dangerous and saying it would not pull them from the market, even though they were linked to the death of a child and injuries of 29 others. Earlier this year, a six-year-old child had died after being pulled underneath its treadmill. Around the same time, a three-year-old suffered head injuries after being trapped under a peloton treadmill. The company called it a 'tragic accident' and CEO published a letter assuring that his company cares about the health and wellness of its customers. In a statement, Peloton apologised for not acting more quickly to resolve the issue after reports of one death and dozens of injuries. “I want to be clear, Peloton made a mistake in our initial response to the Consumer Product Safety Commission’s request that we recall the Tread+,” CEO John Foley said in a statement Wednesday. “We should have engaged more productively with them from the outset. For that, I apologise.” How was a machine meant to make people healthy, becoming a threat to their lives? Turns out, Peloton's treadmills are not ordinary, they can be connected to virtual fitness classes. They come with fancy touchscreens. The product was first called the Tread but is now known as the Tread+ because Peloton was preparing to begin selling a less expensive version in the United States later this year. The original model costs $4,300. Unlike most treadmills, Peloton's machines have a large gap between the floor and the belt and that leaves enough space for injuries and mishaps. In the last few months, pets and objects have been pulled under the treadmill. This was something no one had seen coming. When the pandemic struck, Peloton's treadmills became a rage. They offered everything you needed to stay fit at home. In 2020, Peloton reported $1.8 billion in revenue, up $915 million from the previous year. As orders hit sky-high, the company struggled with supply. Soon, the treadmill's touchscreen began loosening. In at least six cases, they fell from the tread, Injured people, and damaged the company's reputation. Peloton's CEO now says his company made a mistake by not recalling the treadmills sooner. Reports say- the Peloton has lost $4 billion in market value in just a day.

Watch | Peloton recalls 125,000 treadmills: A machine that traps babies, pets

Like almost everything in the world, the old-school method of ‘please leave your tips in the jar’ has now been converted to a virtual world.

The social media platform, <a href="https://www.wionews.com/topics/twitter">Twitter</a>, is now allowing people to add virtual tip jars to accounts, through which other users can contribute money to their cause and/or provide tips for the offered services.

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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Now you can do more to support the many amazing voices who add to the conversation on Twitter –– send them tips. 
 
You can send someone a tip through several payment services by tapping the new Tip Jar icon on their profile, testing on Android and iOS. <a href="https://t.co/oSrfY2sJ8b">https://t.co/oSrfY2sJ8b</a>
— Twitter Support (@TwitterSupport) <a href="https://twitter.com/TwitterSupport/status/1390396738788339722?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 6, 2021</a></blockquote>
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<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">×</a></div>

However, this option is not open for all users right now. Only a limited number of users around the world can add the virtual "tip jar" feature to their Twitter profiles, explained the company’s senior product manager Esther Crawford.

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/social-media-platforms-should-not-amplify-untrustworthy-content-biden-383169" hreflang="en">Social media platforms should not amplify 'untrustworthy' content: Biden</a>

"You drive the conversation on Twitter and we want to make it easier for you to support each other beyond Follows, Retweets, and Likes," Crawford explained in his blog post. "This is a first step in our work to create new ways for people to receive and show support on Twitter -— with money."

The option of ‘Tip Jar’ will allow the users to be redirected to services such as Patreon, PayPal or Venmo, through which the users can pay tips to the selected Twitter star.

"Soon, more people will be able to add Tip Jar to their profile and we'll expand to more languages," Crawford said.

She also clarified that twitter will not be taking any cuts of these tips in any scenario.

The selected group of individuals include creators, journalists, experts and a few non-profit organisations.

Like almost everything in the world, the old-school method of ‘please leave your tips in the jar’ has now been converted to a virtual world. The social media platform, Twitter, is now allowing people to add virtual tip jars to accounts, through which other users can contribute money to their cause and/or provide tips for the offered services.

Like almost everything in the world, the old-school method of ‘please leave your tips in the jar’ has now been converted to a virtual world. The social media platform, Twitter, is now allowing people to add virtual tip jars to accounts, through which other users can contribute money to their cause and/or provide tips for the offered services. Now you can do more to support the many amazing voices who add to the conversation on Twitter –– send them tips. You can send someone a tip through several payment services by tapping the new Tip Jar icon on their profile, testing on Android and iOS. https://t.co/oSrfY2sJ8b — Twitter Support (@TwitterSupport) May 6, 2021 × However, this option is not open for all users right now. Only a limited number of users around the world can add the virtual "tip jar" feature to their Twitter profiles, explained the company’s senior product manager Esther Crawford. Also read | Social media platforms should not amplify 'untrustworthy' content: Biden "You drive the conversation on Twitter and we want to make it easier for you to support each other beyond Follows, Retweets, and Likes," Crawford explained in his blog post. "This is a first step in our work to create new ways for people to receive and show support on Twitter -— with money." The option of ‘Tip Jar’ will allow the users to be redirected to services such as Patreon, PayPal or Venmo, through which the users can pay tips to the selected Twitter star. "Soon, more people will be able to add Tip Jar to their profile and we'll expand to more languages," Crawford said. She also clarified that twitter will not be taking any cuts of these tips in any scenario. The selected group of individuals include creators, journalists, experts and a few non-profit organisations.

Twitter adds 'tip jar' for selected 'content creators'

For decades, each generation of computer&nbsp;chips got&nbsp;faster&nbsp;and more power-efficient because their most basic building blocks, called transistors, got smaller.

The pace of those improvements has slowed, but International Business Machines Corp on Thursday said that silicon has at least one more generational advance in store.

IBM&nbsp;introduced what it says is the world's first 2-nanomere chipmaking&nbsp;technology. The&nbsp;technology&nbsp;could be as much as 45%&nbsp;faster&nbsp;than the mainstream 7-nanometre chips in many of today's laptops and phones and up to 75% more power efficient, the company said.

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="Scientists fuse nature with tech as 'robo-plants' surge">Scientists fuse nature with tech as 'robo-plants' surge</a>

The&nbsp;technology&nbsp;likely will take several years to come to market. Once a major manufacturer of&nbsp;chips,&nbsp;IBM&nbsp;now outsources its high-volume&nbsp;chip&nbsp;production to Samsung Electronics Co Ltd but maintains a&nbsp;chip&nbsp;manufacturing research centre in Albany, New York that produces test runs of&nbsp;chips and has joint&nbsp;technology&nbsp;development deals with Samsung and Intel Corp to use&nbsp;IBM's&nbsp;chipmaking&nbsp;technology.

The 2-nanometre chips will be smaller and&nbsp;faster&nbsp;than today's leading edge 5-nanonmetre chips, which are just now showing up in premium smartphones like Apple Inc's iPhone 12 models, and the 3-nanometre chips expected to come after 5-nanometre.

The&nbsp;technology&nbsp;IBM&nbsp;showed on Thursday is the most basic building block of a&nbsp;chip: a transistor, which acts like an electrical on-off switch to form the 1s and 0s of binary digits at that foundation of all modern&nbsp;computing.

Making the switches very tiny makes them&nbsp;faster&nbsp;and more power efficient, but it also creates problems with electrons leaking when the switches are supposed to be off. Darío Gil, senior vice president and director of&nbsp;IBM&nbsp;Research, told Reuters in an interview that scientists were able to drape sheets of insulating material just a few&nbsp;nanometers thick to stop leaks.

"In the end, there's transistors, and everything else (in&nbsp;computing) relies on whether that transistor gets better or not. And it's not a guarantee that there will be a transistor advance generation to generation anymore. So it's a big deal every time we get a chance to say there will be another," Gil said.

For decades, each generation of computer chips got faster and more power-efficient because their most basic building blocks, called transistors, got smaller. The pace of those improvements has slowed, but International Business Machines Corp on Thursday said that silicon has at least one more generational advance in store.

For decades, each generation of computer chips got faster and more power-efficient because their most basic building blocks, called transistors, got smaller. The pace of those improvements has slowed, but International Business Machines Corp on Thursday said that silicon has at least one more generational advance in store. IBM introduced what it says is the world's first 2-nanomere chipmaking technology. The technology could be as much as 45% faster than the mainstream 7-nanometre chips in many of today's laptops and phones and up to 75% more power efficient, the company said. Also read: Scientists fuse nature with tech as 'robo-plants' surge The technology likely will take several years to come to market. Once a major manufacturer of chips, IBM now outsources its high-volume chip production to Samsung Electronics Co Ltd but maintains a chip manufacturing research centre in Albany, New York that produces test runs of chips and has joint technology development deals with Samsung and Intel Corp to use IBM's chipmaking technology. The 2-nanometre chips will be smaller and faster than today's leading edge 5-nanonmetre chips, which are just now showing up in premium smartphones like Apple Inc's iPhone 12 models, and the 3-nanometre chips expected to come after 5-nanometre. The technology IBM showed on Thursday is the most basic building block of a chip: a transistor, which acts like an electrical on-off switch to form the 1s and 0s of binary digits at that foundation of all modern computing. Making the switches very tiny makes them faster and more power efficient, but it also creates problems with electrons leaking when the switches are supposed to be off. Darío Gil, senior vice president and director of IBM Research, told Reuters in an interview that scientists were able to drape sheets of insulating material just a few nanometers thick to stop leaks. "In the end, there's transistors, and everything else (in computing) relies on whether that transistor gets better or not. And it's not a guarantee that there will be a transistor advance generation to generation anymore. So it's a big deal every time we get a chance to say there will be another," Gil said.

IBM unveils 2-nanometre chip technology for faster computing

North American companies boosted spending on industrial robots in the first quarter as they scrambled to keep up with surging demand in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. 
 
Companies ordered 9,098 robots in the first quarter, a 19.6% increase over a year ago, according to the Association for Advancing Automation, an industry group based in Ann Arbor, Michigan. The orders were valued at over $466 million in total. 
 
Robots were once concentrated in the auto industry but are now moving into more corners of the economy, from e-commerce warehouses to food processing plants. For the first time last year, most of the robots ordered by companies in North America weren’t destined for auto factories or their parts suppliers. 
 
The strongest growth in the latest quarter was to metal producers, where orders surged 86%. Orders to life science, pharmaceutical and biomedical companies rose 72%, while orders to consumer goods companies increased 32%. 
 
“The strong economy obviously helps,” said Jeff Burnstein, president of the Association for Advancing Automation, “It gives companies the confidence to invest in more things -- including in more automation.” 
 
Burnstein said the pandemic froze many businesses, as operations shut down to protect human health. “But ultimately it accelerated the adoption of automation, because companies recognized if they were going to do it, now would be the time.” 
 
Tyson Foods Inc, the U.S. meat company, is among those looking to use more robots on its production lines. In 2019, the company opened a 26,000 square foot automation research centre near its headquarters in Springdale, Arkansas. 
 
“For the most part, it’s still too soon for some of the really innovative and proprietary systems we’re developing,” said Marty Linn, the centre’s director of engineering. Automating jobs such as deboning chickens is extremely difficult, he noted, because the size and shape of each chicken can vary greatly. Robots work best when they can handle uniform items. 
 
With that in mind, Linn said, Tyson has already started installing at its plants' robots that sit at the end of production lines and automatically stack and wrap boxes on pallets - a process that involves standard shapes and the repetition of precise movements.

North American companies boosted spending on industrial robots in the first quarter as they scrambled to keep up with surging demand in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.

North American companies boosted spending on industrial robots in the first quarter as they scrambled to keep up with surging demand in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. Companies ordered 9,098 robots in the first quarter, a 19.6% increase over a year ago, according to the Association for Advancing Automation, an industry group based in Ann Arbor, Michigan. The orders were valued at over $466 million in total. Robots were once concentrated in the auto industry but are now moving into more corners of the economy, from e-commerce warehouses to food processing plants. For the first time last year, most of the robots ordered by companies in North America weren’t destined for auto factories or their parts suppliers. The strongest growth in the latest quarter was to metal producers, where orders surged 86%. Orders to life science, pharmaceutical and biomedical companies rose 72%, while orders to consumer goods companies increased 32%. “The strong economy obviously helps,” said Jeff Burnstein, president of the Association for Advancing Automation, “It gives companies the confidence to invest in more things -- including in more automation.” Burnstein said the pandemic froze many businesses, as operations shut down to protect human health. “But ultimately it accelerated the adoption of automation, because companies recognized if they were going to do it, now would be the time.” Tyson Foods Inc, the U.S. meat company, is among those looking to use more robots on its production lines. In 2019, the company opened a 26,000 square foot automation research centre near its headquarters in Springdale, Arkansas. “For the most part, it’s still too soon for some of the really innovative and proprietary systems we’re developing,” said Marty Linn, the centre’s director of engineering. Automating jobs such as deboning chickens is extremely difficult, he noted, because the size and shape of each chicken can vary greatly. Robots work best when they can handle uniform items. With that in mind, Linn said, Tyson has already started installing at its plants' robots that sit at the end of production lines and automatically stack and wrap boxes on pallets - a process that involves standard shapes and the repetition of precise movements.

North American companies buying more robots to keep up with demand

US tech giant Microsoft on Thursday pledged to store all European cloud-based client data in Europe amid unease on the continent over the reach of US legislation on personal data collection.

Microsoft's European clients have long been concerned over the legal status of data they store with US companies in the cloud and the extent to which they could be scrutinised by US authorities.

Those worries came to a head last July when the European Court of Justice struck down the EU-US Privacy Shield, a framework allowing firms to transfer personal data to the United States in compliance with Brussels' General Data Protection Regulation.

The court found the mechanism did not adequately protect EU data from US authorities over which Europe has neither control nor right of redress.

In a blog post on Thursday, Microsoft president Brad Smith said: "If you are a commercial or public sector customer in the EU, we will go beyond our existing data storage commitments and enable you to process and store all your data in the EU.

"In other words, we will not need to move your data outside the EU."

He said the commitment -- dubbed the EU Data Boundary for the Microsoft Cloud -- would apply across all of Microsoft's core cloud services -– Azure, Microsoft 365, and Dynamics 365 and would take effect by the end of next year.

US tech giant Microsoft on Thursday pledged to store all European cloud-based client data in Europe amid unease on the continent over the reach of US legislation on personal data collection.

US tech giant Microsoft on Thursday pledged to store all European cloud-based client data in Europe amid unease on the continent over the reach of US legislation on personal data collection. Microsoft's European clients have long been concerned over the legal status of data they store with US companies in the cloud and the extent to which they could be scrutinised by US authorities. Those worries came to a head last July when the European Court of Justice struck down the EU-US Privacy Shield, a framework allowing firms to transfer personal data to the United States in compliance with Brussels' General Data Protection Regulation. The court found the mechanism did not adequately protect EU data from US authorities over which Europe has neither control nor right of redress. In a blog post on Thursday, Microsoft president Brad Smith said: "If you are a commercial or public sector customer in the EU, we will go beyond our existing data storage commitments and enable you to process and store all your data in the EU. "In other words, we will not need to move your data outside the EU." He said the commitment -- dubbed the EU Data Boundary for the Microsoft Cloud -- would apply across all of Microsoft's core cloud services -– Azure, Microsoft 365, and Dynamics 365 and would take effect by the end of next year.

Microsoft pledges to store European cloud data in Europe

Facebook's independent oversight board on Wednesday upheld&nbsp;the platform's ban of former US President Donald Trump in a case that sets a precedent for how social media handles harmful content from world leaders.

Facebook indefinitely blocked Trump's access to his Facebook and Instagram accounts over concerns of further violent unrest following the January&nbsp;6 storming of the US&nbsp;Capitol by supporters of the former president.

<div class="videoWrapper trancodeVideo"><iframe allowfullscreen="" autoplay="1" class="includeVideo" frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.wionews.com/videos/donald-trump-launches-his-own-social-media-space-on-his-website-382917/embed" style="width:100%;max-width:560px;" width="560"></iframe></div>

At the time of the suspension, Facebook Chief Executive Mark Zuckerberg said in a post that "the risks of allowing the President to continue to use our service during this period are simply too great."

The company later referred the case to its recently established board, which includes academics, lawyers and rights activists, to decide whether to uphold the ban or restore Trump.

"Both of those decisions are no-win decisions for Facebook," said Kate Klonick, an assistant law professor at St. John's University who embedded at Facebook to follow the board`s creation. "So, offloading those to a third party, the Oversight Board, is a win for them no matter what."

The binding verdict marks a major decision for the board, which rules on a small slice of challenging content decisions and which Facebook created as an independent body as a response to criticism over how it handles problematic material. Facebook has also asked the board to provide recommendations on how it should handle political leaders` accounts.

Tech platforms have grappled in recent years with how to police world leaders and politicians that violate their guidelines.

Facebook has come under fire both from those who think it should abandon its hands-off approach to political speech and those who saw the Trump ban as a worrying act of censorship.

Trump was permanently banned from Twitter Inc, where he has more than 88 million followers.

Trump, who has been sending out short, emailed press releases, continued to promote election misinformation in one on Monday, saying "the

Fraudulent Presidential Election of 2020 will be, from this day forth, known as THE BIG LIE!"

On Tuesday, he launched a new web page to share messages that readers can then re-post to their Facebook or Twitter accounts. A senior adviser has said Trump also has plans to launch his own social media platform.

Facebook has said Trump, who has 35 million Facebook followers, would be subject to the same policies as ordinary users after the end of his presidency. This means that if Trump returned to the platform, his posts would now be eligible for fact-checking. Following a widening of the board`s scope in April, Facebook users would also be able to appeal the former president`s posts to the board.

Trump`s suspension was the first time Facebook had blocked a current president, prime minister or head of state. Facebook`s oversight board said it received more than 9,000 comments from the public on the Trump ban, the most it has had for a case so far.

Several academics and civil rights groups have publicly shared their letters urging the board to block Trump permanently, while Republican lawmakers and some free expression advocates have criticized the decision.

"I would hope that they`re also thinking about the precedent-setting of this," said Katie Harbath, a former Facebook public policy director and a fellow at the Washington D.C.-based Bipartisan Policy Center. "What does that look like internationally, what does that look like in the long term?" she added.

The Oversight Board, an idea that Zuckerberg first publicly floated in 2018, currently has 20 members, including former Danish Prime Minister Helle Thorning-Schmidt and several law experts and rights advocates. Decisions need only majority approval.

The board, which some have dubbed Facebook`s "Supreme Court," has been hailed as a novel experiment by some researchers but blasted by other critics who have been skeptical over its independence or view it as a PR stunt to deflect attention from the company`s more systemic problems.

It is funded through a $130 million trust created by Facebook and has so far made rulings on a small number of cases from hate speech to nudity.

(With inputs from agencies)

Facebook's independent oversight board on Wednesday upheld the platform's ban of former US President Donald Trump in a case that sets a precedent for how social media handles harmful content from world leaders.

Facebook's independent oversight board on Wednesday upheld the platform's ban of former US President Donald Trump in a case that sets a precedent for how social media handles harmful content from world leaders. Facebook indefinitely blocked Trump's access to his Facebook and Instagram accounts over concerns of further violent unrest following the January 6 storming of the US Capitol by supporters of the former president. At the time of the suspension, Facebook Chief Executive Mark Zuckerberg said in a post that "the risks of allowing the President to continue to use our service during this period are simply too great." The company later referred the case to its recently established board, which includes academics, lawyers and rights activists, to decide whether to uphold the ban or restore Trump. "Both of those decisions are no-win decisions for Facebook," said Kate Klonick, an assistant law professor at St. John's University who embedded at Facebook to follow the board`s creation. "So, offloading those to a third party, the Oversight Board, is a win for them no matter what." The binding verdict marks a major decision for the board, which rules on a small slice of challenging content decisions and which Facebook created as an independent body as a response to criticism over how it handles problematic material. Facebook has also asked the board to provide recommendations on how it should handle political leaders` accounts. Tech platforms have grappled in recent years with how to police world leaders and politicians that violate their guidelines. Facebook has come under fire both from those who think it should abandon its hands-off approach to political speech and those who saw the Trump ban as a worrying act of censorship. Trump was permanently banned from Twitter Inc, where he has more than 88 million followers. Trump, who has been sending out short, emailed press releases, continued to promote election misinformation in one on Monday, saying "the Fraudulent Presidential Election of 2020 will be, from this day forth, known as THE BIG LIE!" On Tuesday, he launched a new web page to share messages that readers can then re-post to their Facebook or Twitter accounts. A senior adviser has said Trump also has plans to launch his own social media platform. Facebook has said Trump, who has 35 million Facebook followers, would be subject to the same policies as ordinary users after the end of his presidency. This means that if Trump returned to the platform, his posts would now be eligible for fact-checking. Following a widening of the board`s scope in April, Facebook users would also be able to appeal the former president`s posts to the board. Trump`s suspension was the first time Facebook had blocked a current president, prime minister or head of state. Facebook`s oversight board said it received more than 9,000 comments from the public on the Trump ban, the most it has had for a case so far. Several academics and civil rights groups have publicly shared their letters urging the board to block Trump permanently, while Republican lawmakers and some free expression advocates have criticized the decision. "I would hope that they`re also thinking about the precedent-setting of this," said Katie Harbath, a former Facebook public policy director and a fellow at the Washington D.C.-based Bipartisan Policy Center. "What does that look like internationally, what does that look like in the long term?" she added. The Oversight Board, an idea that Zuckerberg first publicly floated in 2018, currently has 20 members, including former Danish Prime Minister Helle Thorning-Schmidt and several law experts and rights advocates. Decisions need only majority approval. The board, which some have dubbed Facebook`s "Supreme Court," has been hailed as a novel experiment by some researchers but blasted by other critics who have been skeptical over its independence or view it as a PR stunt to deflect attention from the company`s more systemic problems. It is funded through a $130 million trust created by Facebook and has so far made rulings on a small number of cases from hate speech to nudity. (With inputs from agencies)

Facebook oversight board upholds ban on Donald Trump

Russia wants to fine technology giant Twitter an additional $321,586 (24 million roubles) for failing to remove certain content which remains banned in Russia, the TASS news agency reported on Wednesday.

According to state communications regulator Roskomnadzor, Twitter is complying with the demand to remove banned content but is taking too long. Due to this, Twitter remains shut in the country till May 15. TASS also reported that under Russia’s Administrative Offences Code, fine of upto 4 million roubles over failure to remove content was imposed on Twitter. Even then, no date for the hearing has been set so far.&nbsp;

In April, a Russian court had issued three separate fines against Twitter, which amounted to 8.9 million roubles for the company had allegedly failed to delete banned content. According to Roskomnadzor, this content includes child pornography, drug abuse, and suicide.

Twitter claims that it a zero-tolerance policy for child abuse and opposed the promotion of suicide. It has also denied its platforms being used to promote illegal activities.

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="http://13.235.153.162/technology/twitter-to-let-users-charge-admission-to-their-live-audio-chat-rooms-382618" hreflang="en">Twitter to let users charge admission to their live audio chat rooms</a>

Over the recent few months, Russia has stepped up efforts to assert more control over social media platforms and technology companies.&nbsp; Besides Twitter, Russian authorities are suing Google, Facebook and other companies for being unable to delete posts that urged children to participate in “illegal protests”.

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="http://13.235.153.162/world/twitter-to-open-first-africa-office-to-tap-fast-growing-market-377248" hreflang="en">Twitter to open first Africa office to tap fast-growing market</a>

The outrage has multiplied after the jailing of fierce Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny who was allegedly poisoned by Russian authorities using a Soviet-era nerve agent called Novichok. Russia has ardently denied this charge. Since his return to Russia, pro-Navalny supporters have conducted multiple rallies across the country and have demanded his release but to no avail.&nbsp;

Many allege that the critic is not receiving enough medical care in jail and is at continuous risk of dying.

(With inputs from agencies)

Russia wants to fine technology giant Twitter an additional $321,586 (24 million roubles) for failing to remove certain content which remains banned in Russia, the TASS news agency reported on Wednesday.

Russia wants to fine technology giant Twitter an additional $321,586 (24 million roubles) for failing to remove certain content which remains banned in Russia, the TASS news agency reported on Wednesday. According to state communications regulator Roskomnadzor, Twitter is complying with the demand to remove banned content but is taking too long. Due to this, Twitter remains shut in the country till May 15. TASS also reported that under Russia’s Administrative Offences Code, fine of upto 4 million roubles over failure to remove content was imposed on Twitter. Even then, no date for the hearing has been set so far. In April, a Russian court had issued three separate fines against Twitter, which amounted to 8.9 million roubles for the company had allegedly failed to delete banned content. According to Roskomnadzor, this content includes child pornography, drug abuse, and suicide. Twitter claims that it a zero-tolerance policy for child abuse and opposed the promotion of suicide. It has also denied its platforms being used to promote illegal activities. Also read: Twitter to let users charge admission to their live audio chat rooms Over the recent few months, Russia has stepped up efforts to assert more control over social media platforms and technology companies. Besides Twitter, Russian authorities are suing Google, Facebook and other companies for being unable to delete posts that urged children to participate in “illegal protests”. Also read: Twitter to open first Africa office to tap fast-growing market The outrage has multiplied after the jailing of fierce Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny who was allegedly poisoned by Russian authorities using a Soviet-era nerve agent called Novichok. Russia has ardently denied this charge. Since his return to Russia, pro-Navalny supporters have conducted multiple rallies across the country and have demanded his release but to no avail. Many allege that the critic is not receiving enough medical care in jail and is at continuous risk of dying. (With inputs from agencies)

Russia is seeking extra fines from Twitter for failure to delete 'banned content': Report

First look at 'Arrival Car', Uber's futuristic ride-hailing vehicle

Apple Inc said on Monday it has hired former distinguished Google scientist&nbsp;Samy&nbsp;Bengio, who left the search giant amid turmoil in its artificial intelligence research department.

Bengio&nbsp;is expected to lead a new AI research unit at Apple under John Giannandrea, senior vice president of machine learning and AI strategy, two people familiar with the matter said. Giannandrea joined Apple in 2018 after spending about eight years at Google.

Bengio&nbsp;who left Google last week after about 14 years said last month he was pursuing "other exciting opportunities".

His decision followed Google's firings of fellow scientists Margaret Mitchell for taking company data and Timnit Gebru after an offer to resign.

Though at least two Google engineers had earlier resigned to protest the dismissal of artificial intelligence (AI) researcher Timnit Gebru,&nbsp;Bengio&nbsp;is the highest-profile employee yet to depart.

As one of the early leaders of the Google Brain research team,&nbsp;Bengio&nbsp;advanced the "deep learning" algorithms that underpin today's AI systems for analyzing images, speech and other data.

Google fired staff scientist Margaret Mitchell in February after alleging she transferred electronic files out of the company. It fired fellow researcher Gebru in December after she threatened to quit rather than retract a paper.

Mitchell has said she tried "to raise concerns about race and gender inequity, and speak up about Google's problematic firing of Dr. Gebru." Gebru has said the company wanted to suppress her criticism of its products and its efforts to increase workforce diversity. Google has said it accepted her offer to resign.

Bengio&nbsp;had defended the pair, who co-led a team of about a dozen people researching ethical issues related to AI software. In December,&nbsp;Bengio&nbsp;wrote on Facebook that he was stunned that Gebru, whom he was managing, was removed from the company without him being consulted.

Though he did not mention the firings in his farewell note, they influenced his decision to resign, people familiar with the matter said, speaking on condition of anonymity.

Bengio&nbsp;wrote in the email, "I learned so much with all of you, in terms of machine learning research of course, but also on how difficult yet important it is to organize a large team of researchers so as to promote long term ambitious research, exploration, rigor, diversity and inclusion."

Nicolas Le Roux, a Google Brain researcher, told Reuters that&nbsp;Bengio&nbsp;had devoted himself to making the research organization more inclusive and "created a space where everyone felt welcome."

Google recently moved oversight of the AI ethics team from&nbsp;Bengio&nbsp;to vice president Marian Croak. In February, Croak told staff at a town hall that Google wanted management that could focus fully on that area, saying it had just been a small part of what&nbsp;Bengio&nbsp;was supporting.

Google also pledged several changes at the town hall aiming to regain researchers' trust.

(With inputs from agencies)

Apple Inc said on Monday it has hired former distinguished Google scientist Samy Bengio, who left the search giant amid turmoil in its artificial intelligence research department.

Apple Inc said on Monday it has hired former distinguished Google scientist Samy Bengio, who left the search giant amid turmoil in its artificial intelligence research department. Bengio is expected to lead a new AI research unit at Apple under John Giannandrea, senior vice president of machine learning and AI strategy, two people familiar with the matter said. Giannandrea joined Apple in 2018 after spending about eight years at Google. Bengio who left Google last week after about 14 years said last month he was pursuing "other exciting opportunities". His decision followed Google's firings of fellow scientists Margaret Mitchell for taking company data and Timnit Gebru after an offer to resign. Though at least two Google engineers had earlier resigned to protest the dismissal of artificial intelligence (AI) researcher Timnit Gebru, Bengio is the highest-profile employee yet to depart. As one of the early leaders of the Google Brain research team, Bengio advanced the "deep learning" algorithms that underpin today's AI systems for analyzing images, speech and other data. Google fired staff scientist Margaret Mitchell in February after alleging she transferred electronic files out of the company. It fired fellow researcher Gebru in December after she threatened to quit rather than retract a paper. Mitchell has said she tried "to raise concerns about race and gender inequity, and speak up about Google's problematic firing of Dr. Gebru." Gebru has said the company wanted to suppress her criticism of its products and its efforts to increase workforce diversity. Google has said it accepted her offer to resign. Bengio had defended the pair, who co-led a team of about a dozen people researching ethical issues related to AI software. In December, Bengio wrote on Facebook that he was stunned that Gebru, whom he was managing, was removed from the company without him being consulted. Though he did not mention the firings in his farewell note, they influenced his decision to resign, people familiar with the matter said, speaking on condition of anonymity. Bengio wrote in the email, "I learned so much with all of you, in terms of machine learning research of course, but also on how difficult yet important it is to organize a large team of researchers so as to promote long term ambitious research, exploration, rigor, diversity and inclusion." Nicolas Le Roux, a Google Brain researcher, told Reuters that Bengio had devoted himself to making the research organization more inclusive and "created a space where everyone felt welcome." Google recently moved oversight of the AI ethics team from Bengio to vice president Marian Croak. In February, Croak told staff at a town hall that Google wanted management that could focus fully on that area, saying it had just been a small part of what Bengio was supporting. Google also pledged several changes at the town hall aiming to regain researchers' trust. (With inputs from agencies)

Apple hires ex-Google AI scientist who resigned after colleagues' firings

Twitter Inc said on Monday it will introduce a new feature to let users charge admission to their live audio chat rooms in its "Spaces" feature, as the social media company seeks to court more content creators.

Until now, only some users who were part of Twitter's pilot testing were able to host their own Space. Starting on Monday, any user with at least 600 followers can be a host, the company added.

Twitter introduced Spaces last year to compete with viral app Clubhouse, which jump-started the audio chat trend and attracted celebrities and entrepreneurs, but remains limited as an invite-only app.

Over the coming months, Twitter said a limited group of users will be able to sell tickets to access their Spaces conversations, and will determine their own pricing and how many tickets to make available. Hosts will keep the majority of the revenue, while Twitter will earn a "small amount," the company added.

The move is part of Twitter's effort to be a bigger player in the "creator economy," as influencers and independent writers are increasingly earning money from their content on platforms like YouTube or Substack.

Facebook last month announced its own plans for audio chat features, and also said it would allow listeners to tip hosts.

(With inputs from agencies)

Twitter Inc said on Monday it will introduce a new feature to let users charge admission to their live audio chat rooms in its "Spaces" feature, as the social media company seeks to court more content creators.

Twitter Inc said on Monday it will introduce a new feature to let users charge admission to their live audio chat rooms in its "Spaces" feature, as the social media company seeks to court more content creators. Until now, only some users who were part of Twitter's pilot testing were able to host their own Space. Starting on Monday, any user with at least 600 followers can be a host, the company added. Twitter introduced Spaces last year to compete with viral app Clubhouse, which jump-started the audio chat trend and attracted celebrities and entrepreneurs, but remains limited as an invite-only app. Over the coming months, Twitter said a limited group of users will be able to sell tickets to access their Spaces conversations, and will determine their own pricing and how many tickets to make available. Hosts will keep the majority of the revenue, while Twitter will earn a "small amount," the company added. The move is part of Twitter's effort to be a bigger player in the "creator economy," as influencers and independent writers are increasingly earning money from their content on platforms like YouTube or Substack. Facebook last month announced its own plans for audio chat features, and also said it would allow listeners to tip hosts. (With inputs from agencies)

Twitter to let users charge admission to their live audio chat rooms

China's main internet watchdog has found that 33 mobile phone apps have broken data privacy rules by collecting data without consent, among other issues.

The Cyberspace Administration of China (CAC), in a statement on its official website, identified map apps, those used for instant messaging and others with more functions, such as the downloading of emojis.

<div class="videoWrapper trancodeVideo"><iframe allowfullscreen="" autoplay="1" class="includeVideo" frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.wionews.com/videos/gravitas-china-takes-on-homegrown-internet-titans-381522/embed" style="width:100%;max-width:560px;" width="560"></iframe></div>

The CAC said the programmes collected data without consent, more information was collected than needed for operational purposes and that data was not deleted or revised in accordance with regulations.

Companies have 10 days to comply with the rules or face a fine.

Beijing has been clamping down on the country's vast “platform economy”, used for a whole range of e-commerce activities from banking to food delivery.

The crackdown started with last year’s shelving of Ant Group’s $37 billion IPO and has expanded across the sector, battering companies' share prices.

(With inputs from agencies)

China's main internet watchdog has found that 33 mobile phone apps have broken data privacy rules by collecting data without consent, among other issues. The Cyberspace Administration of China (CAC), in a statement on its official website, identified map apps, those used for instant messaging and others with more functions, such as the downloading of emojis.

China's main internet watchdog has found that 33 mobile phone apps have broken data privacy rules by collecting data without consent, among other issues. The Cyberspace Administration of China (CAC), in a statement on its official website, identified map apps, those used for instant messaging and others with more functions, such as the downloading of emojis. The CAC said the programmes collected data without consent, more information was collected than needed for operational purposes and that data was not deleted or revised in accordance with regulations. Companies have 10 days to comply with the rules or face a fine. Beijing has been clamping down on the country's vast “platform economy”, used for a whole range of e-commerce activities from banking to food delivery. The crackdown started with last year’s shelving of Ant Group’s $37 billion IPO and has expanded across the sector, battering companies' share prices. (With inputs from agencies)

Chinese internet watchdog says 33 mobile apps broke data privacy rules

Australian television and newspaper firm Seven West Media Ltd signed multi-year content deals with Facebook Inc and Google as tough new media laws enabled the industry to secure new revenue sources and adapt to the internet age.

The top-rating free-to-air broadcaster and publisher of Perth city's main metro daily said on Monday it would supply content for the Alphabet Inc unit's News Showcase platform for five years and to a similar Facebook product for three. Terms of the deals were not disclosed.

<div class="videoWrapper trancodeVideo"><iframe allowfullscreen="" autoplay="1" class="includeVideo" frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.wionews.com/videos/gravitas-australia-wants-google-to-pay-for-news-google-threatens-to-turn-off-search-358676/embed" style="width:100%;max-width:560px;" width="560"></iframe></div>

The arrangements mean the US&nbsp;"Big Tech" platforms are now committed to paying two of&nbsp;Australia's three largest traditional news outlets for content, marking an about turn just two months after they had vowed to quit the country over laws forcing them to pay for the links that drive traffic to their websites.

"These partnerships have been made possible by the introduction of the Media Bargaining Code," said Seven CEO James Warburton in a statement, referring to the law which gives the government power to intervene if domestic media companies can't reach agreement with a large internet provider.

"They underpin our sustainability and enable us to continue to build our digital platform."

Rupert Murdoch's News Corp, which owns about two-thirds of&nbsp;Australian newspapers, signed global deals with the platforms in the past two months.

Nine Entertainment Co Holdings Ltd, which competes with Seven in free-to-air and publishes the Sydney Morning Herald and&nbsp;Australian Financial Review newspapers, has said it signed a Google deal but is yet to finalise arrangements with Facebook.

Many smaller&nbsp;Australian media outlets, including the state-owned&nbsp;Australian Broadcasting Corp, have signed deals with Google or said they are open to doing deals with Facebook, which blocked all third-party content in&nbsp;Australia&nbsp;for a week in February to protest the laws.

Separately, Google said it passed the milestone of having 100&nbsp;Australian news titles contracted to supply content for News Showcase with a deal with regional publisher Times News Group, owner of seven regional mastheads in the country's south.

(With inputs from agencies)

Australian television and newspaper firm Seven West Media Ltd signed multi-year content deals with Facebook Inc and Google as tough new media laws enabled the industry to secure new revenue sources and adapt to the internet age.

Australian television and newspaper firm Seven West Media Ltd signed multi-year content deals with Facebook Inc and Google as tough new media laws enabled the industry to secure new revenue sources and adapt to the internet age. The top-rating free-to-air broadcaster and publisher of Perth city's main metro daily said on Monday it would supply content for the Alphabet Inc unit's News Showcase platform for five years and to a similar Facebook product for three. Terms of the deals were not disclosed. The arrangements mean the US "Big Tech" platforms are now committed to paying two of Australia's three largest traditional news outlets for content, marking an about turn just two months after they had vowed to quit the country over laws forcing them to pay for the links that drive traffic to their websites. "These partnerships have been made possible by the introduction of the Media Bargaining Code," said Seven CEO James Warburton in a statement, referring to the law which gives the government power to intervene if domestic media companies can't reach agreement with a large internet provider. "They underpin our sustainability and enable us to continue to build our digital platform." Rupert Murdoch's News Corp, which owns about two-thirds of Australian newspapers, signed global deals with the platforms in the past two months. Nine Entertainment Co Holdings Ltd, which competes with Seven in free-to-air and publishes the Sydney Morning Herald and Australian Financial Review newspapers, has said it signed a Google deal but is yet to finalise arrangements with Facebook. Many smaller Australian media outlets, including the state-owned Australian Broadcasting Corp, have signed deals with Google or said they are open to doing deals with Facebook, which blocked all third-party content in Australia for a week in February to protest the laws. Separately, Google said it passed the milestone of having 100 Australian news titles contracted to supply content for News Showcase with a deal with regional publisher Times News Group, owner of seven regional mastheads in the country's south. (With inputs from agencies)

After news law feud, Australia's Seven West Media signs Google, Facebook deals

Digital iterations of books have successfully penetrated the reading space. Almost every bibliophile has embraced e-books, especially with technology dedicated for reading books on digital devices and platforms.

Even then, hesitancy among readers for digital books remains high. A new survey sheds light on the patterns of readership among those who cherish the art of words.&nbsp;

There are many benefits that come with e-readers like Kindle - the ability to read in the dark, the elimination of storage issues and many devices have been successfully able to mimic the reading experience of a book with visual elements specifically designed to emulate the traditional book reading experience.

Even though smartphone reading has become the new normal, many have believed that traditional books would quickly lose appeal in the market and go out of circulation. Even then, most predictions have not come true. Bookstores may have disappeared across the world, turns out readers still prefer enjoying books in their hands.

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="http://13.235.153.162/science-tech/stuck-with-paperbacks-5-tips-to-help-you-upgrade-to-e-books-all-that-for-free-11500" hreflang="en">Stuck with paperbacks? 5 tips to help you upgrade to e-books - all that for free</a>

According to data from Statista’s Advertising and Media Outlook, e-book usage still heavily trails behind printed books across the globe. In the US alone, 23 per cent of the population are reported to have purchased e-books last year. On the other hand, 45 per cent bought a printed book last year.

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="http://13.235.153.162/entertainment/lifestyle/news-becoming-by-michelle-obama-is-among-the-most-popular-ebooks-borrowed-in-2020-355949" hreflang="en">'Becoming' by Michelle Obama is among the most popular ebooks borrowed in 2020</a>

E-books remain the most popular across China, where 24.4 per cent users prefer the digital format as opposed to 32 per cent users preferred paper books.

In India, only 5.6 per cent readers have switched to e-books in 2020, while 24.5 per cent continued to read paper books. This pattern points to the future of reading. As many critics believed, traditional books would not disappear but would in fact continue to exist along with modern e-books and perhaps even complement the platform.&nbsp;

Digital iterations of books have successfully penetrated the reading space. Almost every bibliophile has embraced e-books, especially with technology dedicated for reading books on digital devices and platforms.

Digital iterations of books have successfully penetrated the reading space. Almost every bibliophile has embraced e-books, especially with technology dedicated for reading books on digital devices and platforms. Even then, hesitancy among readers for digital books remains high. A new survey sheds light on the patterns of readership among those who cherish the art of words. There are many benefits that come with e-readers like Kindle - the ability to read in the dark, the elimination of storage issues and many devices have been successfully able to mimic the reading experience of a book with visual elements specifically designed to emulate the traditional book reading experience. Even though smartphone reading has become the new normal, many have believed that traditional books would quickly lose appeal in the market and go out of circulation. Even then, most predictions have not come true. Bookstores may have disappeared across the world, turns out readers still prefer enjoying books in their hands. Also read: Stuck with paperbacks? 5 tips to help you upgrade to e-books - all that for free According to data from Statista’s Advertising and Media Outlook, e-book usage still heavily trails behind printed books across the globe. In the US alone, 23 per cent of the population are reported to have purchased e-books last year. On the other hand, 45 per cent bought a printed book last year. Also read: 'Becoming' by Michelle Obama is among the most popular ebooks borrowed in 2020 E-books remain the most popular across China, where 24.4 per cent users prefer the digital format as opposed to 32 per cent users preferred paper books. In India, only 5.6 per cent readers have switched to e-books in 2020, while 24.5 per cent continued to read paper books. This pattern points to the future of reading. As many critics believed, traditional books would not disappear but would in fact continue to exist along with modern e-books and perhaps even complement the platform.

Paper books aren't dying! New survey reveals people still don't dig e-books

Since 2007,&nbsp;Calibri has served as Microsoft Office’s default font. Fourteen years since it took the helm from Times New Roman, now it is time for Calibri to vacate the throne and make way for a new leader to take charge.

The company has urged netizens to come forward and suggest the new font which would be treated as default across Microsoft Office.

“It has served us all well, but we believe it’s time to evolve. To help us set a new direction, we’ve commissioned five original, custom fonts to eventually replace Calibri as the default.”, writes Microsoft.

According to a post on Microsoft’s website, there are five contenders&nbsp;but only one can win. Here’s presenting the competition:

In corner ‘A’ we have ‘Tenorite’ a font by Erin McLaughlin and Wei Huang. In the ‘B’ corner is ‘Bierstadt’ by Steve Matteson. Defending corner ‘C’ is ‘Skeena’ by John Hudson and Paul Hanslow. Champion for the corner ‘D’ is ‘Seaford’ by Tobias Frere-Jones, Nina Stössinger, and Fred Shallcrass and lastly in corner ‘E’ is ‘Grandview’ by Aaron Bell.

The evaluation of these five fonts will be done over the next few months, and everyone on the internet gets a say. The fonts are already available via the cloud on MS Office, and netizens are invited to use them and then vote for their favourite font via feedback and comments on Microsoft’s social media accounts.

Once finalised, Calibri will be officially dethroned as the official font for Microsoft Office. So, which among the contenders is your favourite?

Since 2007, Calibri has served as Microsoft Office’s default font. Fourteen years since it took the helm from Times New Roman, now it is time for Calibri to vacate the throne and make way for a new leader to take charge.

Since 2007, Calibri has served as Microsoft Office’s default font. Fourteen years since it took the helm from Times New Roman, now it is time for Calibri to vacate the throne and make way for a new leader to take charge. The company has urged netizens to come forward and suggest the new font which would be treated as default across Microsoft Office. “It has served us all well, but we believe it’s time to evolve. To help us set a new direction, we’ve commissioned five original, custom fonts to eventually replace Calibri as the default.”, writes Microsoft. According to a post on Microsoft’s website, there are five contenders but only one can win. Here’s presenting the competition: In corner ‘A’ we have ‘Tenorite’ a font by Erin McLaughlin and Wei Huang. In the ‘B’ corner is ‘Bierstadt’ by Steve Matteson. Defending corner ‘C’ is ‘Skeena’ by John Hudson and Paul Hanslow. Champion for the corner ‘D’ is ‘Seaford’ by Tobias Frere-Jones, Nina Stössinger, and Fred Shallcrass and lastly in corner ‘E’ is ‘Grandview’ by Aaron Bell. The evaluation of these five fonts will be done over the next few months, and everyone on the internet gets a say. The fonts are already available via the cloud on MS Office, and netizens are invited to use them and then vote for their favourite font via feedback and comments on Microsoft’s social media accounts. Once finalised, Calibri will be officially dethroned as the official font for Microsoft Office. So, which among the contenders is your favourite?

Move over Calibri! Microsoft invites netizens to vote on new default font

Apple&nbsp;was&nbsp;charged by&nbsp;EU&nbsp;antitrust&nbsp;regulators on Friday of abusing its dominance in the music streaming market via restrictive rules, the first case out of four that could lead to a hefty fine and changes in its lucrative business model.

iPhone maker&nbsp;Apple&nbsp;found itself in the&nbsp;European Commission's crosshairs following a complaint by Swedish music streaming service Spotify two years ago, which said that&nbsp;Apple&nbsp;unfairly restricts rivals to its own music streaming service&nbsp;Apple&nbsp;Music on iPhones.

The&nbsp;EU&nbsp;competition enforcer in its so-called statement of objections setting out the&nbsp;charge&nbsp;said the issue related to&nbsp;Apple's restrictive rules for its&nbsp;App&nbsp;Store&nbsp;that force developers to use its own in-app&nbsp;payment system and prevent them from informing users of other purchasing options.

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/technology/us-senators-question-apple-and-google-on-app-store-dominance-379186">US senators question Apple and Google on app store dominance</a>

"By setting strict rules on the&nbsp;App&nbsp;store&nbsp;that disadvantage competing music streaming services,&nbsp;Apple&nbsp;deprives users of cheaper music streaming choices and distorts competition,"&nbsp;European Competition Commissioner Margrethe Vestager said in a statement.

"This is done by charging high commission fees on each transaction in the&nbsp;App&nbsp;store&nbsp;for rivals and by forbidding them from informing their customers of alternative subscription options," she said.

This is the first&nbsp;EU&nbsp;antitrust&nbsp;charge&nbsp;against&nbsp;Apple, a move that could lead to fines of as much as 10 per cent of its global turnover. Reuters was the first to report about the imminent&nbsp;EU&nbsp;antitrust&nbsp;charge&nbsp;in March.

Apple&nbsp;will have the opportunity to respond to the&nbsp;EU&nbsp;charges before the&nbsp;EU&nbsp;competition enforcer makes a final ruling. It can offer concessions to stave off the fine without any finding of wrongdoing.

The&nbsp;EU&nbsp;charge&nbsp;comes a week before&nbsp;Apple's face-off with Epic Games in a US&nbsp;antitrust&nbsp;trial following a lawsuit by the "Fortnite" creator alleging that&nbsp;Apple&nbsp;has abused its dominance in the market for mobile&nbsp;apps.

Epic has complained to the Commission on the same issues.

Last month, the UK Competition and Markets Authority opened an investigation into&nbsp;Apple&nbsp;after complaints the iPhone maker's terms and conditions for&nbsp;app&nbsp;developers were unfair.

Apple was charged by EU antitrust regulators on Friday of abusing its dominance in the music streaming market via restrictive rules, the first case out of four that could lead to a hefty fine and changes in its lucrative business model.

Apple was charged by EU antitrust regulators on Friday of abusing its dominance in the music streaming market via restrictive rules, the first case out of four that could lead to a hefty fine and changes in its lucrative business model. iPhone maker Apple found itself in the European Commission's crosshairs following a complaint by Swedish music streaming service Spotify two years ago, which said that Apple unfairly restricts rivals to its own music streaming service Apple Music on iPhones. The EU competition enforcer in its so-called statement of objections setting out the charge said the issue related to Apple's restrictive rules for its App Store that force developers to use its own in-app payment system and prevent them from informing users of other purchasing options. Also read | US senators question Apple and Google on app store dominance "By setting strict rules on the App store that disadvantage competing music streaming services, Apple deprives users of cheaper music streaming choices and distorts competition," European Competition Commissioner Margrethe Vestager said in a statement. "This is done by charging high commission fees on each transaction in the App store for rivals and by forbidding them from informing their customers of alternative subscription options," she said. This is the first EU antitrust charge against Apple, a move that could lead to fines of as much as 10 per cent of its global turnover. Reuters was the first to report about the imminent EU antitrust charge in March. Apple will have the opportunity to respond to the EU charges before the EU competition enforcer makes a final ruling. It can offer concessions to stave off the fine without any finding of wrongdoing. The EU charge comes a week before Apple's face-off with Epic Games in a US antitrust trial following a lawsuit by the "Fortnite" creator alleging that Apple has abused its dominance in the market for mobile apps. Epic has complained to the Commission on the same issues. Last month, the UK Competition and Markets Authority opened an investigation into Apple after complaints the iPhone maker's terms and conditions for app developers were unfair.

Apple hit with EU antitrust charge over App Store practices

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