By , In a statement, Microsoft said it has worked on enacting principles and legislation for the software’s use.“We do not sell our facial recognition technology to U.S. police departments today, and until there is a strong national law grounded in human rights, we will not sell this technology to police,” the company said. The Washington Post first reported the news.The death of George Floyd, a black man pinned down by a white officer who kneeled on his neck for nearly nine minutes, prompted worldwide protests against racial inequity. Concerns also arose over whether facial recognition...…By , In a statement, Microsoft said it has worked on enacting principles and legislation for the software’s use.“We do not sell our facial recognition technology to U.S. police departments today, and until there is a strong national law grounded in human rights, we will not sell this technology to police,” the company said. The Washington Post first reported the news.The death of George Floyd, a black man pinned down by a white officer who kneeled on his neck for nearly nine minutes, prompted worldwide protests against racial inequity. Concerns also arose over whether facial recognition...WW…

By , Intel’s shares fell 6% in extended trading, as executives tried to brace investors for the possibility that a short-term bump in demand for its processor chips from cloud computing centers and locked-at-home consumers buying PCs could become a slump if the economy enters recession.“It’s really hard to think about the second half in terms of how demand is going to look compared to what we ultimately thought when we first gave guidance,” Chief Financial Officer George Davis told investors on a conference call.The COVID-19 pandemic has ripped through the semiconductor industry, disrupting...…By , Intel’s shares fell 6% in extended trading, as executives tried to brace investors for the possibility that a short-term bump in demand for its processor chips from cloud computing centers and locked-at-home consumers buying PCs could become a slump if the economy enters recession.“It’s really hard to think about the second half in terms of how demand is going to look compared to what we ultimately thought when we first gave guidance,” Chief Financial Officer George Davis told investors on a conference call.The COVID-19 pandemic has ripped through the semiconductor industry, disrupting...WW…

By , It released the data as part of its sixth Community Standards Enforcement Report, which it introduced in 2018 along with more stringent decorum rules in response to a backlash over its lax approach to policing content on its platforms.The world’s biggest social network said it would invite proposals from experts this week to audit the metrics used in the report, beginning in 2021. It committed to the audit during a July ad boycott over hate speech practices.The company removed about 22.5 million posts with hate speech on its flagship app in the second quarter, a dramatic increase from...…By , It released the data as part of its sixth Community Standards Enforcement Report, which it introduced in 2018 along with more stringent decorum rules in response to a backlash over its lax approach to policing content on its platforms.The world’s biggest social network said it would invite proposals from experts this week to audit the metrics used in the report, beginning in 2021. It committed to the audit during a July ad boycott over hate speech practices.The company removed about 22.5 million posts with hate speech on its flagship app in the second quarter, a dramatic increase from...WW…

Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.comWASHINGTON, April 16 (Reuters) - NASA awarded billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk's space company SpaceX a $2.9 billion contract to build a spacecraft to bring astronauts to the moon as early as 2024, the agency said on Friday, picking it over Jeff Bezos' Blue Origin and defense contractor Dynetics Inc.Bezos and Musk - the world's first and third richest people respectively, according to Forbes - were competing to lead humankind's return to the moon for the first time sine 1972.Musk's SpaceX bid alone while Amazon.com founder Bezos's Blue...…Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.comWASHINGTON, April 16 (Reuters) - NASA awarded billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk's space company SpaceX a $2.9 billion contract to build a spacecraft to bring astronauts to the moon as early as 2024, the agency said on Friday, picking it over Jeff Bezos' Blue Origin and defense contractor Dynetics Inc.Bezos and Musk - the world's first and third richest people respectively, according to Forbes - were competing to lead humankind's return to the moon for the first time sine 1972.Musk's SpaceX bid alone while Amazon.com founder Bezos's Blue...WW…

By , (Reuters) - Alphabet Inc will report the cost and operating profit of its Google Cloud business for the first time on Tuesday, disclosures that are expected to overshadow record overall quarterly sales for the internet’s biggest platform for ads.The transparency marks a milestone after years of aggressive investment and comes as the COVID-19 pandemic is pushing more work, shopping and entertainment online.That drives the ad business Google dominates over rivals Facebook Inc and Amazon.com Inc, and it also has created a surge in demand for both parts of Google’s cloud business:...…By , (Reuters) - Alphabet Inc will report the cost and operating profit of its Google Cloud business for the first time on Tuesday, disclosures that are expected to overshadow record overall quarterly sales for the internet’s biggest platform for ads.The transparency marks a milestone after years of aggressive investment and comes as the COVID-19 pandemic is pushing more work, shopping and entertainment online.That drives the ad business Google dominates over rivals Facebook Inc and Amazon.com Inc, and it also has created a surge in demand for both parts of Google’s cloud business:...WW…

By , (Reuters) - Facebook Inc’s WhatsApp is delaying an update aimed at increasing business transactions on the platform after a storm of concern from users who feared that the messaging platform was watering down its privacy policy in the process.WhatsApp users received a notification this month that it was preparing a new privacy policy and terms, and it reserved the right to share some user data with the Facebook app.That sparked global outcries and a rush of new users to competitor private messaging apps including Telegram and Signal.WhatsApp on Friday said it would delay the new policy...…By , (Reuters) - Facebook Inc’s WhatsApp is delaying an update aimed at increasing business transactions on the platform after a storm of concern from users who feared that the messaging platform was watering down its privacy policy in the process.WhatsApp users received a notification this month that it was preparing a new privacy policy and terms, and it reserved the right to share some user data with the Facebook app.That sparked global outcries and a rush of new users to competitor private messaging apps including Telegram and Signal.WhatsApp on Friday said it would delay the new policy...WW…

By , (Reuters) - Facebook Inc’s WhatsApp is delaying an update aimed at increasing business transactions on the platform after a storm of concern from users who feared that the messaging platform was watering down its privacy policy in the process.WhatsApp users received a notification this month that it was preparing a new privacy policy and terms, and it reserved the right to share some user data with the Facebook app.That sparked global outcries and a rush of new users to competitor private messaging apps including Telegram and Signal.WhatsApp on Friday said it would delay the new policy...…By , (Reuters) - Facebook Inc’s WhatsApp is delaying an update aimed at increasing business transactions on the platform after a storm of concern from users who feared that the messaging platform was watering down its privacy policy in the process.WhatsApp users received a notification this month that it was preparing a new privacy policy and terms, and it reserved the right to share some user data with the Facebook app.That sparked global outcries and a rush of new users to competitor private messaging apps including Telegram and Signal.WhatsApp on Friday said it would delay the new policy...WW…

By , (Reuters) - Messaging app Signal has seen “unprecedented” growth following a controversial change in rival WhatsApp’s privacy terms and is looking to hire more staff as it seeks to bolster the service and supporting infrastructure, the head of its controlling foundation said on Wednesday.Slideshow Along with another encrypted app, Telegram, Signal has been the main beneficiary of online outrage around the changes announced last week, which require WhatsApp users to share their data with both Facebook FB.O and Instagram.Telegram said on Wednesday it had surpassed 500 million active...…By , (Reuters) - Messaging app Signal has seen “unprecedented” growth following a controversial change in rival WhatsApp’s privacy terms and is looking to hire more staff as it seeks to bolster the service and supporting infrastructure, the head of its controlling foundation said on Wednesday.Slideshow Along with another encrypted app, Telegram, Signal has been the main beneficiary of online outrage around the changes announced last week, which require WhatsApp users to share their data with both Facebook FB.O and Instagram.Telegram said on Wednesday it had surpassed 500 million active...WW…

By , (Reuters) - Mastercard Inc and Visa Inc on Thursday stopped processing payments on Pornhub after a New York Times report last week that many videos posted on the adult website depicted sexual assault of children.Mastercard said it was permanently ending the use of its cards on the sex videos site after its investigation confirmed the presence of illegal content on the platform. Visa said it was suspending payments till an investigation was completed.Pornhub called the actions as “disappointing”, saying it came after the site implemented safeguards such as a ban on video downloads, as...…By , (Reuters) - Mastercard Inc and Visa Inc on Thursday stopped processing payments on Pornhub after a New York Times report last week that many videos posted on the adult website depicted sexual assault of children.Mastercard said it was permanently ending the use of its cards on the sex videos site after its investigation confirmed the presence of illegal content on the platform. Visa said it was suspending payments till an investigation was completed.Pornhub called the actions as “disappointing”, saying it came after the site implemented safeguards such as a ban on video downloads, as...WW…

By (Reuters) - International Business Machines Corp is splitting itself into two public companies, capping a years-long effort by the world’s first big computing firm to diversify away from its legacy businesses to focus on high-margin cloud computing.IBM will list its IT infrastructure services unit, which provides technical support for 4,600 clients in 115 countries and has a backlog of $60 billion, as a separate company with a new name by the end of 2021.The new company will have 90,000 employees and its leadership structure will be decided in a few months, Chief Financial Officer James...…By (Reuters) - International Business Machines Corp is splitting itself into two public companies, capping a years-long effort by the world’s first big computing firm to diversify away from its legacy businesses to focus on high-margin cloud computing.IBM will list its IT infrastructure services unit, which provides technical support for 4,600 clients in 115 countries and has a backlog of $60 billion, as a separate company with a new name by the end of 2021.The new company will have 90,000 employees and its leadership structure will be decided in a few months, Chief Financial Officer James...WW…