Tech giants under Washington’s microscope

An Australian lobby group for Facebook and Google has said its members would move to label and remove false content. Lawmakers have said they would not change a proposal to make the companies pay news outlets.

The US has labeled five Chinese tech companies, including Huawei, as national security risks. President Joe Biden may be continuing his predcessor's hardline stance against China's growing technological dominance.

The chief executives of Facebook, Twitter and Google have been accused of allowing the spread of dangerous conspiracy theories by not properly policing their platforms.

It's whip fast, obeys commands and doesn't leave unpleasant surprises on the floor -- meet the AlphaDog, a robotic response to two of China's burgeoning loves: pets and technology. The high-tech hound uses sensors and Artificial Intelligence (AI) technology to 'hear' and 'see' its environment -- and can even be taken for walks.

Irish regulators are responsible for the investigation because the US tech giant has set up its European headquarters in Dublin. It will focus on reports that more than 500 million users saw their data leaked online.

Beijing has accused Washington of promoting protectionism following Senate approval of a bill aimed at boosting US research and development in key technologies to compete with China.

The legislation is aimed at reining in the power wielded by Silicon Valley giants Apple, Facebook, Google and Amazon.

Joe Biden has appointed Lina Khan, a prominent critic of the power of large technology companies, to chair the Federal Trade Commission.

In a bid to increase access to coronavirus vaccines in Africa, the World Health Organization is setting up a hub to share mRNA technology to produce the jab in the continent.

Hong Kong's leader on Tuesday brushed off a warning by major tech companies including Google, Facebook and Twitter that they may quit the financial hub if authorities push ahead with a new privacy law. "Our goal is to target these illegal doxxing actions and the privacy commissioner is empowered to take action and carry out investigations, that’s it," says Chief Executive Carrie Lam at the weekly press conference.

Apple, Microsoft and Google's parent company Alphabet have seen a surge in revenue. The results are attributed to the coronavirus pandemic — but also the easing of lockdowns.

Alibaba's Jack Ma was the first to be targeted by Beijing's crackdown on private enterprise. Now ride-hailing, streaming, delivery and tuition firms have run foul of authorities and investors are nursing heavy losses.