president Archives

AppWizard

May 28, 2025

Perspective – Why online privacy is vital: Insights from messaging app Signal’s president

Meredith Whittaker, president of Signal, emphasized the need for enhanced personal data protection and criticized major tech companies for their pervasive data collection practices with minimal oversight. She called for structural reforms to regulate user data management and highlighted that a few tech giants dominate data collection without adequate transparency. Whittaker advocated for comprehensive regulations to safeguard user privacy and protect free speech, reflecting growing concerns among consumers and privacy advocates about the balance between technology and individual rights.

AppWizard

May 28, 2025

Messaging app Signal will block Windows Recall from taking chat screenshots

Signal has introduced a "Screen Security" feature in its desktop application to prevent external programs, including Windows 11, from capturing screenshots of its interface. This feature is enabled by default and is a response to Microsoft's Recall feature, which captures app window screenshots for AI processing. Signal is concerned about the privacy risks posed by Recall's design, despite Microsoft's assurances of improved privacy controls. The developers have used Windows' Digital Rights Management technology to protect against unauthorized screenshots due to the lack of official APIs from Windows 11. Signal's leadership has criticized the need for such workarounds and has called on Microsoft to provide better tools for developers to safeguard user privacy.

AppWizard

May 24, 2025

Decentralized Messenger Session Goes Live on Arbitrum With $SESH Token Launch

The decentralized encrypted messenger app, Session, is launching its token, $SESH, on May 21st, 2025, coinciding with the mainnet launch of the new Session Network after a testing phase. Session has over one million monthly active users and operates on a specialized DePIN network with more than 2,000 nodes, ensuring user privacy and anonymity. The total supply of $SESH is capped at 240 million, with an initial release of up to 80 million tokens at the Token Generation Event (TGE). Users can stake 25,000 $SESH tokens to operate a Session Node, ensuring network integrity. The application emphasizes minimal metadata collection and offers features like emoji reactions, voice calls, and group chats. Session is now managed by the nonprofit Session Technology Foundation based in Zug, Switzerland.

AppWizard

May 24, 2025

Vietnam orders messaging app Telegram to be blocked

Vietnam's technology ministry has mandated telecommunication service providers to block the messaging application Telegram due to its alleged non-cooperation in addressing criminal activities associated with its users. This directive, dated May 21, requires telecom companies to restrict access to Telegram and report their actions to the ministry by June 2. A report from the police indicated that 68% of the 9,600 Telegram channels and groups in Vietnam are violating local laws, including fraud and drug trafficking. The ministry highlighted the need for providers to implement measures to prevent Telegram's activities in the country. Telegram has faced scrutiny for not complying with requests for user data during criminal investigations, and the Vietnamese government has previously urged other companies like Facebook and YouTube to help eliminate content deemed "toxic."

AppWizard

May 24, 2025

Surprising: Telegram slams Vietnam’s decision to block messaging app

Vietnam's technology ministry has mandated telecom providers to restrict access to Telegram due to concerns about the app's failure to combat criminal activities and disseminate illegal content. A government document from May 21 instructed telecom companies to limit access, citing that 68 percent of the 9,600 Telegram channels and groups in Vietnam were linked to illegal activities such as fraud, drug trafficking, and potential terrorism. The ministry criticized Telegram for not cooperating with investigations, particularly regarding user data requests. Despite the directive, Telegram remained accessible in Vietnam as of the latest report. The situation is part of Vietnam's broader digital crackdown, which has included pressure on other platforms to remove content deemed harmful by the government. Telegram has previously faced scrutiny regarding its security and privacy practices.

AppWizard

May 23, 2025

The FTC has dropped its case against Microsoft over Activision Blizzard deal

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has withdrawn its appeal regarding Microsoft's acquisition of Activision Blizzard, stating that the "public interest is best served" by terminating the case. Microsoft’s vice chair and president, Brad Smith, expressed enthusiasm for the ruling, calling it a "victory for players" and thanking the FTC. This dismissal follows the FTC's unsuccessful attempt to impose an injunction against the acquisition, where Judge Daniel P. Collins noted that the FTC did not present a compelling case to show a significant likelihood of success in its claims and raised no serious questions about the merger's impact on competition.

AppWizard

May 22, 2025

‘Just stick to your guns’: Neil Druckmann isn’t phased by all the hate Intergalactic got, ‘There’s stuff happening with media right now that you just have to ignore’

Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet debuted at The Game Awards, where Naughty Dog showcased the game towards the end of the event. The trailer received mixed reactions, with viewers criticizing it as a "DEI game" and expressing discontent over its "woke" agenda due to the protagonist being a Black woman. Doug Cockle, voice actor for Geralt in The Witcher series, defended diversity in storytelling, while Neil Druckmann, co-president of Naughty Dog, expressed excitement for the game, describing it as having the "deepest gameplay" the studio has produced. The trailer featured a retro spaceship and introduced a new bounty hunter protagonist, with a nod to classic anime.

Tech Optimizer

May 21, 2025

YugabyteDB Extends Support for Document Databases With Postgres Extension DocumentDB

Yugabyte has integrated support for the DocumentDB extension, a document database-compatible Postgres extension released by Microsoft, enhancing its multi-modal database capabilities. This integration allows developers to combine SQL and NoSQL functionalities within a single database environment, facilitating the transition from MongoDB workloads to YugabyteDB and enabling vector search queries through the pg_vector Postgres extension. The DocumentDB extension is open-source and aims to provide a unified, vendor-agnostic solution based on Postgres, which is rapidly gaining adoption. Since its launch, DocumentDB has received significant attention on GitHub, with over 1.6k stars and more than 80 forks. YugabyteDB is designed for high-performance, distributed SQL database applications and is backed by various investors.

Winsage

May 20, 2025

Trending tickers: The latest investor updates on Microsoft, Pfizer, Foxconn, CATL and Vodafone

Microsoft unveiled a vision for AI agents at its annual Build conference, highlighting their potential to operate across various contexts and enhance productivity. The company announced the availability of Grok 3, an AI model from Elon Musk's xAI, on its Azure AI Foundry marketplace. Microsoft shares closed up 1% on Monday. Pfizer entered an exclusive licensing agreement with 3SBio for an experimental cancer treatment, SSGJ-707, with an upfront payment of 4 million and potential additional payments of up to .8 billion. Following the announcement, shares of 3SBio surged over 32%. Foxconn plans to invest nearly .5 billion in its Indian operations, acquiring shares in Yuzhan Technology India as Apple shifts some iPhone assembly from China to India. Contemporary Amperex Technology Co Limited (CATL) shares rose 16.4% in its market debut, raising billion in the largest IPO of the year. Vodafone reported a full-year operating loss of €411 million, down from a €3.67 billion profit the previous year, attributed to non-cash impairment charges. Despite this, Vodafone launched a €2 billion share buyback program, leading to a 1.6% increase in its shares.

Winsage

May 20, 2025

Microsoft to add Anthropic’s AI coding agent to its GitHub service

Microsoft is integrating an artificial intelligence coding agent from Anthropic into its GitHub platform, alongside its own coding agent. This was announced by Executive Vice President Jay Parikh during Microsoft's annual software developer conference. The AI tool aims to assist developers by automating tasks such as bug identification and resolution. Additionally, Microsoft is collaborating with OpenAI to provide another coding agent, reflecting its commitment to offering diverse AI solutions for developers and organizations.