Senate passes bill that could ban TikTok
A bill that could ban TikTok is now all but certain to become law. The Senate approved a measure that requires ByteDance to sell TikTok or face a ban, in a vote of 79 – 18. The “Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act,” will next head to President…
House votes in favor of bill that could ban TikTok, sending it onward to Senate
The US House of Representatives passed a bill on Saturday that could either see TikTok banned in the country or force its sale. A revised version of the bill, which previously passed the House in March but later stalled in Senate, was roped in with a foreign aid package this…
Apple says it was ordered to remove WhatsApp and Threads from China App Store
Apple users in China won’t be able to find and download WhatsApp and Threads from the App Store anymore, according to The Wall Street Journal and The New York Times. The company said it pulled the apps from the store to comply with orders it received from Cyberspace Administration, China’s…
Microsoft Copilot has reportedly been blocked on all Congress-owned devices
US Congressional staff members can no longer use Microsoft’s Copilot on their government-issued devices, according to Axios. The publication said it obtained a memo from House Chief Administrative Officer Catherine Szpindor, telling Congress personnel that the AI chatbot is now officially prohibited. Apparently, the Office of Cybersecurity has deemed Copilot…
The White House lays out extensive AI guidelines for the federal government
It’s been five months since President Joe Biden signed an executive order (EO) to address the rapid advancements in artificial intelligence. The White House is today taking another step forward in implementing the EO with a policy that aims to regulate the federal government’s use of AI. Safeguards that the…
China bans Intel and AMD processors in government computers
China has introduced guidelines that bar the the use of US processors from AMD and Intel in government computers and servers, The Financial Times has reported. The new rules also block Microsoft Windows and foreign database products in favor of domestic solutions, marking the latest move in a long-running tech…
House passes bill that would bar data brokers from selling Americans’ personal information to ‘adversary’ countries
The House of Representatives approved a measure targeting data brokers’ ability to sell Americans’ personal data to “adversary” countries, like Russia, China, Iran and North Korea. The Protecting Americans’ Data from Foreign Adversaries Act passed with a unanimous 414 – 0 vote. The bill, which was introduced alongside a measure…
Intel will get $8.5 billion in CHIPS Act funding to support its US manufacturing efforts
Intel is getting a huge boost from the US government under the CHIPS and Science Act. The company could get up to $8.5 billion in direct funding from the government, according to the preliminary agreement it has reached with the Department of Commerce. That money will go towards the chipmaker’s…
TikTok’s CEO urges users to ‘protect your constitutional rights’ as US ban looms
Hours after the House passed a bill that could ban TikTok in the United States, Shou Chew, the company’s CEO urged users to “protect your constitutional rights.” Chew also implied that TikTok would mount a legal challenge if the bill is passed into law. “We will not stop fighting and…
Joe Biden says he would sign bill that would force a sale or ban of TikTok
TikTok’s future is looking increasingly uncertain as support grows for a new bill that would force the company to sell itself or face a ban in the United States. Now, President Joe Biden has come out in support of the measure, one day after it cleared its first legislative hurdle…