Tech industry

Lobbying groups representing Facebook, Twitter, Google and other tech companies filed an emergency request with the U.S. Supreme Court on Friday, seeking to block a Texas law that prohibits large social media platforms from banning users based on their political views. The Texas law went into effect on Wednesday when the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals granted the state’s request for a stay of a district judge’s injunction blocking the law. The law forbids social media companies with more than 50 million active users per month from banning members based on their political views and requires them to publicly disclose how they moderate content. It was signed into law by Texas Governor Greg Abbott, a Republican, in September. Internet lobbying groups NetChoice and the Computer & Communications Industry Association filed a lawsuit against the measure, and U.S. District Judge Robert Pitman in Austin, Texas, issued a preliminary injunction in December. Pitman had found that the law … [Read more...] about Tech Giants Ask US Supreme Court to Block Texas’ New Social Media Law

TOKYO/DUBAI (Reuters) - Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund (PIF) has taken a 5.01% stake in Nintendo Co Ltd as the sovereign wealth fund increases its exposure to the Japanese video gaming industry. The investment in the Kyoto-based group company was made for investment purposes, a filing said, and comes as PIF has also taken stakes in video game companies Nexon, Capcom and Koei Tecmo. PIF, which is chaired by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, is an anchor investor in SoftBank Group Corp's $100 billion Vision Fund but also invests independently as part of the prince's plans to transform the country's economy. The sovereign wealth fund, which manages more than $600 billion, took a stake in Activision Blizzard, the "Call of Duty" publisher which Microsoft said in January it would buy. PIF has launched its own video game and e-sports company, Savvy Gaming. Nintendo, which this month announced a 10-1 stock split in an appeal to retail investors, is forecasting a second … [Read more...] about Saudi Arabia’s wealth fund takes 5% Nintendo stake

Alphabet Inc’s Google on Wednesday unveiled a palette of 10 skin tones that it described as a step forward in making gadgets and apps that better serve people of colour. The company said its new Monk Skin Tone Scale replaces a flawed standard of six colours known as the Fitzpatrick Skin Type, which had become popular in the tech industry to assess whether smartwatch heart-rate sensors, artificial intelligence systems including facial recognition and other offerings show colours bias. Tech researchers acknowledged that Fitzpatrick underrepresented people with darker skin. Reuters exclusively reported last year that Google was developing an alternative. The company partnered with Harvard University sociologist Ellis Monk, who studies colourism and had felt dehumanised by cameras that failed to detect his face and reflect his skin tone. In partnership with Dr. Ellis Monk, we’re releasing a new skin tone scale designed to be more inclusive of the full spectrum of skin tones — the next … [Read more...] about Google Unveils New 10-Shade Skin Tone Scale to Test AI for Bias

Over 10,000 students have got job offers at SRM Institute of Science and Technology with Puranjay Mohan getting the highest offer of ₹1 crore a year from Amazon, Germany. Several top companies, including Amazon, PayPal, Morgan Stanley, EY GDS, Google, Siemens, TCS, Wipro, L&T Construction, Philips and Bank of America were among the 1,097 companies that offered placements to SRM students, the institute said. T.R. Paarivendhar, Chancellor of SRM Institute of Science and Technology, said every year placement opportunities had been increasing. While in 2019-20, 7,000 students got placement, it rose to 8,000 last year and this year, it has crossed 10,000. “Last year, two students who were twins got the highest offer of ₹50 lakh per annum. This has been surpassed by Puranjay Mohan this year,” he said. Puranjay Mohan, a student of electronics and instrumentation engineering, said technical expertise, soft skills and communication skills were essential for a successful career in … [Read more...] about SRM student gets ₹1-crore job offer from Amazon, Germany