Hardware

In spite of an earlier denial, the Chinese government has tightened its grip on the Internet, stepping up efforts against netizens’ access to unsupervised connections, including those via virtual private networks (VPNs) halfway through its 14-month-long crackdown nationwide. VPNs are third-party services that help bypass the so-called Great Firewall, installed …

RIVER FALLS, WISCONSIN —  A Wisconsin company is offering to microchip its employees, enabling them to open doors, log onto their computers and purchase break room snacks with a simple swipe of the hand. Three Square Market, also known as 32M, says it expects about 50 employees to take advantage …

SAN FRANCISCO —  Silicon Valley baron Elon Musk insulted rival billionaire Mark Zuckerberg on Tuesday, escalating a tech wizard war of words over whether robots will become smart enough to kill their human creators. “His understanding of the subject is limited,” Musk said in a tweet about the Facebook founder …

Johannesburg – A gas explosion knocked out fibre-optic cables affecting internet connections in parts of Johannesburg on Tuesday. Fibre installation and internet and voice service provider, BitCo tweeted that the explosion had burnt through its fibre cables. “Gas explosion on Jan Smuts Avenue has burnt Fibre cables. Repairs are underway. Randburg, …

New diesel and petrol cars and vans will be banned in the UK from 2040 in a bid to tackle air pollution, the government is set to announce. Ministers will also unveil a £255m fund to help councils tackle emissions from diesel vehicles, as part of a £3bn package of …

Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson has found a unique co-star for his latest role – Apple’s virtual assistant Siri, in a new extended advert for the voice technology. The actor tweeted a far from understated movie poster of himself starring in what’s described as a “full film” alongside Siri, which appeared …

NAIROBI —  Animated chatter spills out from a corner of tech giant Google’s Nairobi offices as five Kenyan schoolgirls discuss their upcoming trip to California where they hope to win $15,000 for I-cut, an app to end Female Genital Mutilation (FGM). The five teenagers, aged 15 to 17, are the …

Singapore – A recurring challenge for bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies is how to make them work in the real world. A Singapore-based startup says the answer is its Visa card. TenX is pitching its debit card as an instant converter of multiple digital currencies into fiat money: the dollars, yen and …

A Wisconsin company is to become the first in the US to microchip employees. Three Square Market is offering to implant the tiny radio-frequency identification (RFID) chip into workers’ hands for free – and says everyone will soon be doing it. The rice grain-sized $300 (£230) chip will allow them …

Russia’s parliament passed a bill to outlaw the use of virtual private networks, or VPNs, and other Internet proxy services, citing concerns about the spread of extremist materials. The State Duma on Friday unanimously passed a bill that would oblige Internet providers to block websites that offer VPN services. Many …