Tech

New Delhi: Digital rights advocacy group Internet Freedom Foundation along with 45 other organisations have made a representation to the Prime Minister’s office and the Home ministry against the coercion to use the Aarogya Setu app in Noida and ‘100% coverage’ in all workplaces, calling the COVID tracker as a ‘privacy minefield’. Separately, the body has also legally challenged Noida authorities’s order of criminally prosecuting people who have not downloaded the app in their phones. In a legal representation to Additional Deputy Commissioner of Police (ADCP), Gautam Buddha Nagar district in Noida date May 6, IFF said that the order is contrary to law as Section 144 orders “cannot impose positive obligations on persons to do certain acts, such as download and install an App on their smartphone, but only direct them to “abstain from a certain act”.” The ADCP is the magistrate in this case. The Noida administration, on May 3, … [Read more...] about Digital rights group Internet Freedom Foundation moves PMO, MHA against mandatory app download issue

Samsung Electronics Co Ltd flagged a 23% rise in second-quarter operating profit, beating analysts' estimates on solid chip sales to data centres catering for a work-from-home economy during the coronavirus pandemic. The sales offset weak demand for smartphones and TVs, while one-off gains from its display business, which counts Apple Inc. as a customer, also boosted profits, the company said. It gave no further details. The world's top memory chip and smartphone maker said operating profit was likely 8.1 trillion won ($6.8 billion) in the quarter ended June, far above the 6.4 trillion won analyst forecast by Refinitiv SmartEstimate. It would be the highest quarterly profit since the fourth quarter of 2018. Revenue likely fell 7% to 52 trillion won from a year earlier, Samsung added, giving only limited data in a regulatory filing ahead of its full earnings figures later this month. Work-from-home orders and growth in online learning are underpinning chip demand amid the COVID-19 … [Read more...] about Samsung Electronics flags Q2 profit jump on solid chip demand, one-off gains from Apple

The U.S. Department of Commerce is close to signing off on a new rule that would allow U.S. companies to work with China's Huawei Technologies on setting standards for next generation 5G networks, people familiar with the matter said. Engineers in some U.S. technology companies stopped engaging with Huawei to develop standards after the Commerce Department blacklisted the company last year. The listing left companies uncertain about what technology and information their employees could share with Huawei, the world's largest telecommunications equipment maker. That has put the United States at a disadvantage, said industry and government officials. In standards setting meetings, where protocols and technical specifications are developed that allow equipment from different companies to function together smoothly, Huawei gained a stronger voice as U.S. engineers sat back in silence. The Commerce Department placed Huawei on its "entity list" last May, citing national security … [Read more...] about US drafts rule to allow Huawei and US firms to work together on 5G standards: Source

The U.S. Department of Commerce posted a new rule that allows U.S. companies to work with China's Huawei to develop standards for 5G and other cutting-edge technologies, despite restrictions on doing business with the telecommunications equipment maker. Reuters reported on Monday that the rule had been approved and sent to the Federal Register. It is scheduled to be formally published in the register, the official U.S. government journal, on Thursday. The rule amends the Huawei "entity listing," which restricts sales of U.S. goods and technology to the company. The U.S. placed Huawei on the list a year ago, citing national security concerns. Industry and government officials have said the restrictions backfired in standards settings. With U.S. companies uncertain what technology or information they could share, they said, Huawei gained a stronger voice. Huawei and 114 of its foreign affiliates on the Entity List "continue to participate in many important international standards … [Read more...] about US posts rule allowing companies to work with Huawei on 5G and other standards

A Huawei Technologies executive warned that Brazil could suffer years of delay in deploying a 5G telecoms network and higher costs if it succumbs to mounting U.S. pressure to snub the Chinese equipment supplier. His remarks come as the Trump administration steps up efforts to limit Huawei's role in rolling out high-speed, fifth-generation technology in Latin America's largest economy. U.S. Ambassador Todd Chapman has even suggested Washington is willing to fund the purchase of gear from other suppliers for Brazil. Brazil's far-right President Jair Bolsonaro said last month that 5G deployment would have to meet national sovereignty, information and data security requirements. A longtime China skeptic, Bolsonaro has adopted a less abrasive stance toward Beijing since taking office in 2019, although he remains a close Trump ally. Curtailing Huawei's role "will only delay 5G deployment in Brazil and ultimately impact prices for carriers, regional internet service providers and … [Read more...] about Huawei says US pressure on Brazil threatens long delays in 5G rollout