Category Archives: Tech News
Samsung Group Chairman Dead at 78
An unfortunate death related to South Korea’s elite was announced on October 25th. It was revealed that Samsung Group Chairman, Lee Kun-Hee, had died at his home at the age of seventy-eight. Chairman Kun-Hee was the primary attribute associated with Samsung’s growth between 1968 to 2020. His development enabled a small trading business to become a powerhouse electronics manufacturer, which maintains millions of smartphones & televisions worldwide. Samsung also manufacturers home appliances for consumers worldwide.
Samsung Electronics would become an international corporation rivalling Apple & Google during the reign of Chairman Lee Kun-Hee. His fortune has been left in-question, with millions throughout Samsung wondering who will inherit the $21 billion net worth of Lee Kun-Hee. The wealth of this chairman will likely be left for his four children, three of whom hold strong positions within the Samsung Group. It should be noted that the Kun-Hee Family is the richest in South Korea.
The Samsung Group issued a formal statement regarding Chairman Kun-Hee’s passing. It was stated that family were bedside with Lee Kun-Hee into the late hours of October 25th. Sentiments of sadness were expressed by Samsung, evoking that his memory will be cherished for generations in South Korea. It was noted that since 2014, Lee Kun-Hee had been living in specialized care after experiencing a heart attack.
Legends of Kun-Hee
Samsung Chairman Kun-Hee was infamous throughout South Korea for changing his fathers trading firm into an electronic conglomerate. When the initial strategy for becoming an electronic corporation didn’t work, Chairman Kun-Hee would inform thousands of employees to change everything at Samsung except for their wives & children. What followed was 150+ thousand mobile phones from the 1990s being burned in a bonfire.
This decision cemented the legacy of Chairman Kun-Hee & is still told by thousands of South Koreans. However, after this decision, the Samsung Chairman would become a recluse & garner the nickname Hermit King. Reclusion of Lee Kun-Hee also followed after he was convicted twice of criminal charges, with the former South Korean President pardoning him of any prison time. His last public appearance was the 2018 Winter Olympics in South Korea.
British Airways Fined £20m by ICO.
Nobody would’ve anticipated that British Airways would receive a fine valued at £20 Million during the coronavirus pandemic. This aviation firm has lost extensive profits throughout the epidemic, with losses entering volumes of bankruptcy. The epidemic was accounted for by the Information Commissioner’s Office when executing a fine towards British Airways. That £20 Million fine follows after the ICO located a data breach on servers maintained by British Airways. This data breach saw financial & personal information of 400+ thousand customers stolen.
The Information Commissioner’s Office clarified that financial punishments towards British Airways would’ve evoked £183 to £200 Million before the coronavirus pandemic. However, economic impacts associated with the pandemic have saved this airline financial burdens that would have been hard to overcome. It should be noted that for the Information Commissioner’s Office, the £20 Million fine issued is their most extensive to date. British Airways, in one instance, has been financially relieved from the COVID-19 pandemic.
Loss of consumer data wasn’t exclusively faulted of British Airways. Groups of international hackers-imposed dozens of attacks on BA Servers, then modifying what information they could & harvest customer details before being kicked-off by backup protocols. Outdated protocols meant that international hackers had prolonged periods to siphon information, which was known to British Airway’s Cybersecurity Research. It’d take 60-Days for that individual to inform executives that breaches had occurred, providing proof to an onslaught of complaints from targeted customers.
Cybersecurity Upgrades Required
Investigations into British Airways didn’t implicate the aviation corporation for being at-fault. The International Commissioner’s Office was investigating the security measures & multi-factor authentication enabled in the BA Severs. What was found by investigators was deemed unsatisfactory, meaning British Airways played a critical role in the data breach. Vital investments into server cybersecurity would’ve enabled more excellent protection for customer data.
It’s consistently been an issue that largescale corporations don’t regularly update their cybersecurity protocols. It’s not understood that regular enhancements are required to guarantee hackers don’t locate loopholes. Employing a cybersecurity firm for one project isn’t enough. Routine maintenance must also be accounted for when electing new protocols to servers. British Airways is expected to payout their £20 Million fine to the Information Commission’s Office by October 31st.
Holocaust Deniers Banned from Facebook
Mark Zuckerberg’s Facebook has made updated conditions to the user terms, with the company making a formal announcement through their Founder & CEO. Mark Zuckerberg announced that updated policies had been implemented that explicitly ban Holocaust denial, which has grown throughout the hateful political climate. Zuckerberg emphasized that his understanding of banning posts & free speech is growing, that a correct balance is coming into effect.
Governments worldwide have implored Mark Zuckerberg to understand that freedom of speech can be detrimental to society. It means that the spreading of false information regarding historical events like genocide grows daily. In 2018, Mark Zuckerberg didn’t believe that banning posts regarding Holocaust denial was required & that these individuals were getting it wrong. Zuckerberg acknowledged two-years-ago that deniers would be informed of accurate historical information.
Sentiments from Mark Zuckerberg have now changed, with the Facebook Founder & Chief Executive Officer emphasizing his offence towards the growing number of Holocaust deniers. Millions were killed because of the hateful mentalities of the Nazi Army. When Mark Zuckerberg had initially declined to remove Holocaust denial posts on Facebook, his Jewish community shunned the CEO for turning his back against the community. After changing the policy, praise has been given by Jewish users that’ve experienced a backlash against their defences on Holocaust denial posts.
Mark Zuckerberg emphasized that his mindset & thinking has evolved in recent months, with Facebook data indicating Anti-Semitic violence is growing worldwide. Data also revealed that hate speech is increasing against multiple communities and that he’s begun considering policies that determine acceptable speech.
It should be mentioned that Facebook terminates hate speech regarding harmful stereotypes on race & gender. Zuckerberg was hoping to avoid implementing a similar measure against religious hatred, specifically Anti-Semitism. Multiple news agencies have questioned Facebook executives on this decision, including the VP of Content Policy. Monika Bicker expressed that an alarming level of ignorance regarding the Holocaust is growing amongst young communities & that it cannot be tolerated going forward. The Vice President of Content Policy promised Facebook users that reliable information regarding the Holocaust would be proved, in-replacement of Holocaust denial posts.
DPAH Fines H&M €35.3 Million for Illegal Surveillance
Several hundred employed personnel working for Hennes & Mauritz AB (H&M Clothing) had their digital profiles illegally surveyed by international corporations. Excessive information was located by the “Data Protection Authority of Hamburg”. Records of employed personnel’s religious beliefs, extended family, and respective illnesses were documented against the will of several hundred employees. H&M was charged under the “General Data Protection Regulation of Europe” at €35.3 Million.
Hennes & Mauritz AB took full accountability of their illegal actions, confirming that employees will receive compensation for the crimes committed against them. H&M being fined €35.3 Million marks the 2nd large fines under the European Union’s GDPR Legislation. France’s CNIL issued a €50 Million fine onto Google for breaching consumer data. Largescale corporations worldwide are receiving backlash from international government, with the realization that these companies have collected the data of billions illegally & without a proper warrant.
Privacy Violations from H&M Clothing include the following:
- Comprising staff surveys.
- Details regarding holiday plans.
- The demand for an illness diagnosis.
- Information on medical symptoms.
- Friendship access on employee’s social media.
Details regarding them several hundred employed personnel targeted in the illegal surveillance, shows that H&M Managers working under the Corporate Division were illegally requesting information that goes beyond obligatory data. DPAH clarified that throughout their investigation, it became notified that H&M Managers in specific locations were requesting data on family issues & religious beliefs. Exceptional cases also saw Managers contacting female or male staff with sexually targeted discussions.
The DPAH mentioned that Hennes & Mauritz AB – Corporate Division, showed despicable disregard for the allegations when first approached. The DPAH Head of Operations clarified that the €35.3 Million fine is justified, with Johannes Caspar hoping that it’ll evoke fear into other companies implementing similar tactics.
No apologies were made by Hennes & Mauritz Clothing, sentiments seemingly being unreserved & lacking on genuine sympathies. All that H&M Clothing could state was that all employed personnel at affected service centres would receive financial compensation. When questioned on their lack of care, H&M Clothing responded by saying forceful measures will be taken against Q3/Q4 shortcomings. This is threatening for affected employed personnel, who’ll likely lose their jobs.
Uber Defeats London City in Appealed Court Case
An appeal against the City of London has been awarded to Uber Technologies Ltd. This follows after the judge proceeding this case determined that services maintained by Uber were fit & proper to industry standards. His ruling enables Uber to continue operation in Great Britain’s Capital, which notably angered legislators wanting the elimination of Uber in London. These legislators were upset initially when Uber Technologies Ltd was permitted operational status during the eighteen-month appeal. Sustainability for thousands of jobs in London was more important than adhering to legislators.
The judge governing over this court case admitted Uber Technologies Ltd made historical failings in 2019, which came after the Transport of London Association noted multiple discrepancies behind Uber’s operations. It was TFLs primary reason for not electing Uber an additional licence in November 2019, which prompted Uber Lawyers to appeal their decision immediately. What ensued was eighteen months of legal fees, which saw Uber Technologies Ltd become victorious & London-city taxpayers losing out on viable funds.
It should be noted that legislators that attacked Uber were reaching. Uber Technologies Ltd had the TFL allege that unauthorized drivers were permitting to upload photographs from their account to other driver accounts. This prompted an influx of scenarios that were deemed unfavourable for employed contractors with uber. This includes sexual harassment, bullish threats, and unlawful tactics to gain increased exposure to riders.
Twenty-four employed contractors with Uber Technologies Ltd were found creating a loophole under the UTL Software. This enabled Uber’s software to steal rides from competing drivers, which was accomplished by stealing the competing driver’s photographic identity. The Transport of London Association believes that the 24-Illegally operating employed contractors stole nearly fifteen thousand trips.
The Ruling
Deputy Chief Judge Tan Ikram noted that Uber Technologies Ltd had proved themselves to better operational standards. The judge felt satisfied with the cyber-security mechanisms Uber has enacted to ensure that ethical business is conducted. Tan Ikram clarified that Uber Technologies Ltd went beyond the court’s expectations. Subsequently, Uber’s been granted an additional Eighteen-month license to continue operations in London. Afterwards, a subsequent review of their internal data will be reviewed & yearly licenses will be regranted if no discrepancies are found. TFL won’t investigate.
Dark Web Drug Dealers Are Caught
International law enforcement have worked in-correlation with each other to arrest nearly two hundred criminals. This co-ordinated raid on marketplaces that originate from the dark web resulted in $6.5 Million in Drugs, Guns, Virtual Currencies, and Cash to be confiscated. There were a total of 179 people arrested from the European Union & North America. 64 Guns were collected, with the majority being pistols. Europol has stated that this co-ordinated arrest terminates underground marketplaces & ends their golden age of illegal operations.
The Europol Cybercrimes Centre headed this co-ordinated raid, evoking that the hidden internet isn’t secretive any longer. Europol handled the arrests across Europe, with the American Department of Justice handling cases in the United States. The raid was adeptly named “Disrupt Tor”, in reference to a web-browser named TOR. It’s estimate that together they’ve eliminated thousands of sales for illicit goods & services throughout international waters. Drugs seized from these illegal sales include Fentanyl, Methamphetamine, Oxycodone, Cocaine, Heroin, MDMA, and Ecstasy. Eliminating a large percentage of these sales saves the lives of young Europeans & Americans consuming these drugs.
Internationally, there was 179 criminals arrested for engaging with illegal dark web behaviour. It was found that 119 of these individuals were from America, with 42 residing in Germany. Eight arrested were from the Netherlands, four from the United Kingdom, three living in Austria, two operating in Canada, and one engaging in illegal activities throughout Sweden’s borders.
New Methods
Global law enforcement have learned unique methods to target dark web activity, which requires specialized tools. It’s the dark webs largest raid & will likely setback activity for a prolonged period. The raid followed after the Department of Justice terminated an illegal Wall Street Market on the dark web in 2019. That takedown taught the DOP numerous tactics to utilize tools better than digital criminals or hackers. Completing this raid proves strategies employed by Europol & the Department of Justice are becoming more effective.
Researcher for Digital Shadows, a monitoring service for illegal activity on the dark web, evoked that this raid prominently affects organized cybercrime. Kacey Clark emphasized that “Disrupt Tor” will be similar to the Hansa & Alpha Bay raids, which lowered criminal activity with the dark web.
Oracle Managing TikTok Cloud Operations
After weeks of rumours regarding which company would acquire TikTok’s North American operations, it’s been revealed that nobody has outright bought the social media platform. It’s been announced instead that Oracle has entered a partnership agreement with ByteDance, the Chinese-established company that operates TikTok. Oracle will take over the US Cloud Operations for TikTok, with ByteDance maintaining overall governance over their social media service. It means that American data will continue being collected & distributed to the Chinese Communist Party, permitting that President Donald Trump doesn’t accept this contract.
August 6th marked the date when President Donald Trump signed an executive order to have TikTok sold to an American company. It came after detailed evidence found that ByteDance was collecting data from US Citizens & sending it to the Chinese Communist Parties. ByteDance was provided ninety days to locate a potential buyer, with Microsoft being the anticipated company to acquire TikTok’s US Operations.
Understanding the associated security risks with Chinese-established companies has become a pinnacle of international politics. The CCP implemented new legislation in 2020 that requires any technology-established company to handover their data upon request. However, ByteDance had been handing over data for years.
Microsoft Replaced by Oracle
The news cycle would be given 60-Minutes to account for the revelation that Microsoft wouldn’t acquire TikTok. ByteDance announced that they hadn’t entered an acquisition contract with the Microsoft Company, and selected another “Trusted Tech Supplier”. Oracle was chosen because of their long-term collaboration with the United States Government, showcasing a strategic move against President Donald Trump. ByteDance believes that with Oracle by their side, POTUS won’t retaliate for the Government’s partnership with Oracle.
Donald Trump doesn’t take strategic moves against his executive orders regarding China lightly. Political & business analysts both anticipate that President Trump will sever ties with Oracle, while enforcing the official ban of TikTok. After the ban is enacted, acquisition opportunities are eliminated & TikTok won’t be seen in America again. For millions of teenager girls and boys, the inevitably banning of TikTok will eliminate their core dating platform. It’ll also stop the Chinese Communist Party from collecting data on millions of American civilians.
Huawei Network Deconstruction Costing $1.8 Billion.
September 4th saw the Federal Communications Commission in America announce that it’ll cost taxpayers $1.8 Billion to remove & replace the telecommunication networks maintained by Huawei. This follows after the Chinese Telecommunications Company refused to deconstruct their network, allowing them to continue covert operations on the American public until President Donald Trump implemented the order to remove the network under USA Federal Funding. It’s a petty action consistent with companies that engage with the Chinese Communist Party.
June 20202 saw the official clarification of Huawei & their subsidiary telecommunications company, ZTE, banned from American soil under the classification of NST (National Security Threats). Companies operating in the United States were told twelve-months earlier in 2019 that engaging with Huawei would evoke notable finds. Subsequently, Huawei hasn’t held market share in America for 14-Months. Similar nations to America like Canada & Britain have followed suit, banning Huawei from operating in their borders.
Telecommunication providers active in the United States aren’t permitted to purchase equipment from Huawei or ZTE. Their network equipment likely stores the capability to continue covert operations on the American public, even under new ownership. The FCC Chairman noted that Huawei’s network is insecure & supports equipment that rural carriers in America thrive on, meaning small towns are likely still being covertly watched by the Chinese company.
The FCC urged US Congress to provide telecommunication providers in America with the funding to rebuild any equipment they’ve purchased from Huawei since 2010, noting Huawei-built cellular towers are detrimental to American society. It’s actively known that Russian & Chinese bots have worked diligently towards destabilizing American culture, creating false social media accounts that focus on increasing social movements in America.
The CCP
Huawei has an actively known relationship with the Chinese Communist Party. Worldwide there are national security concerns relating to tech companies in China, with the CCP enforcing legislation that requires corporations to comply with intelligence service requests. This means that anytime Chinese intelligence services demand that tech companies hand over data on American’s, Europeans, Africans, and Middle Eastern’s, it must be obliged. Since democratic nations cannot stop a communist regime from their criminal actions, democracies worldwide have begun limiting their engagement with China.
Tesla CEO Showcases Computer Chip inside a Pig
The Chief Executive Officer of Tesla, SpaceX, Solar City, Star Link, Hyperloop, and The Boring Company has made a new announcement regarding his latest project. It seems that Elon Musk never stops working towards growing his empire of corporations, with the latest being a start-up company named NeuraLink. Musk announced his investment into NeuraLink by revealing a testing pig named Gertrude. This pig is living with a coin-sized computer chip inside her brain, showcasing ambitious technologies & strategies for creating an interface that accounts for a brain-to-machine ecosystem.
Elon Musk clarified that the computer chip used inside Gertrude works similarly to a Fitbit, allowing for Americans & international civilians that have neurological disorders to control their computers or mobile handsets via their mind. This technology is feared by billions worldwide, with the concept of humanity adopting computer chips into their brain being widely disliked. Elon Muck believes that fear outweighs the positive benefactors of NeuraLink Tech. Civilians with Dementia, Spinal Cord Injuries, Severe Brain Trauma, and Parkinson’s Disease could survive the onslaught of their conditions. It’s been a revolutionary technology adopted by the medic profession immediately.
The Tesla & SpaceX CEO wants to usher in a new age of “Superhuman Cognition”. Musk noted that it’d be the exclusive way humanity can combat artificial intelligence robotics, which Elon has actively disputed is detrimental to society. Global governments haven’t outlawed free-thinking artificial intelligence, prompting Elon Musk to locate another solution. The NeuraLink CEO mentioned that future generation wouldn’t feel this chip and would receive an influx of benefits to assist their daily times.
Failures Will Come
Scientists worldwide have mentioned that Elon Musk will fail in his endeavour with NeuraLink. It’s been noted that decoding all the brain electrodes & synapses will be impossible, that NeuraLink will inevitably hit a barrier that extends past our fundamental knowledge of the human brain. It won’t matter how much data is collected of brain neurons, and patterns. These scientists are likely more correct than Elon Musk. The required information & investment that Musk would need to accomplish this task outweigh his finances.
TikTok Announces Legal Action Against Trump Administration
The Trump Administration could find themselves in a legal battle against a Chinese-owned corporation. This follows after TikTok’s parent company, ByteDance, announced on August 22nd that they’d be seeking legal actions against Donald Trump & his administration. ByteDance hopes to start proceedings with the courts before August 28th, hoping to solve any legal discrepancies with the Trump Administration before TikTok’s ban in America comes into effect.
An emailed statement was provided by ByteDance to multiple news agencies throughout the United States, including the Washington Post & NBC News. TikTok’s parent company evoked that Donald Trump is discarding the rule of law, which ByteDance wants to avoid & guarantee that their company is treated fairly in the United States market. Under these assumptions of evident unfair treatment, ByteDance will challenge POTUS’s Executive Order with the US House of Representatives.
The national security of Americans is the reasoning for President Donald Trump’s ban over TikTok, which was implemented on August 6th & was initially slated to take effect on September 15th. That would have given ByteDance less than one month to solve legal discrepancies with the Trump Administration, which is unlikely either way.
After a President’s Executive Order is gone into effect, challenging it becomes drastically harder for opposing forces. Hope was given to ByteDance when Donald Trump doubled the timeframe for TikTok’s ban on August 14th, meaning their ban would become effective on October 30th. Female users everywhere would shed tears over the loss of posting sexualized content on October 31st, the day of Halloween.
Data Collection
Proof has been given to President Donald Trump that ByteDance collects consumer data for the Chinese Communist Party. It’s this core reason that prompted POTUS’s Executive Order, with Donald Trump holding a notable vendetta against China’s growth over recent decades. The one genuine hope that TikTok has for survival is selling their services to Microsoft, giving the computing corporation ownership over operations in democratic nations. Those countries would include the United States, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand. There’s little competition for Microsoft in the acquisition of TikTok. Only Apple & Twitter have expressed similar interest on a smaller level.