Science and technology

The US Supreme Court agreed on Wednesday to hear TikTok’s appeal of a law that would force its Chinese owner to sell the online video-sharing platform or shut it down. The top court scheduled oral arguments in the case for January 10, nine days before TikTok faces a ban unless ByteDance divests from the popular app. The law, signed by President Joe Biden in April, would block TikTok from US app stores and web hosting services unless ByteDance sells its stake by January 19. TikTok is arguing that the law, the Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act, violates its First Amendment free speech rights. Read more: TikTok fights for survival in US, appeals to top court over looming ban “Congress has enacted a massive and unprecedented speech restriction,” TikTok, which claims to have more than 170 million monthly US users, said in a filing with the Supreme Court. Should the law take effect it would “shutter one of America’s most popular speech platforms t...

Google is reportedly developing a new feature for Android 16 that will enable users of Instagram, Snapchat, and other apps to take high-quality pictures and videos in low light. The next-generation Android operating system will have a new APU that will let social networking apps to automatically recognise when the device is in low light conditions and switch to Night Mode, according to a blog post by Android Developers. By doing this, the camera setup will be optimised to produce a clearer, brighter image with fewer noise. A comparable function is currently available on Instagram for a few devices, such as the Pixel 6, Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra, Galaxy Z Flip 6, and Galaxy Z Fold 6. The moon icon automatically shows on the screen to alert users to the need to switch to Night Mode when the program detects low light levels in the surrounding area. To make it simpler for social media users to shoot high-quality pictures in low light without having to manually alter the camera setting...

ISLAMABAD: State Minister for IT Shaza Fatima Khawaja Wednesday clarified that the decision to restrict social media platform X (Twitter) was made by the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) under the directives of the Ministry of Interior, ARY News reported. “PTA is an autonomous body responsible for regulations,” said Shaza Fatima while responding to queries about slow internet and restrictions on X in the National Assembly. The minister rejected the impression of relating X restrictions to freedom of expression, adding that only 2% of Pakistan’s population uses X, making the impact minimal. Shaza Fatima Khawaja said according to PTA report, internet speed has improved by 28% since last year, and mobile internet users have grown by 24%. November saw a 25% growth in IT exports, with fibre optic infrastructure being the primary focus for future expansion. The minister acknowledged the challenges posed by the recent high-security environment during the SCO summit but assure...

AI has dominated discussions throughout this year; however, a troubling aspect has emerged alongside its achievements. The prevalence of AI-related scams and deepfakes has significantly increased. Deepfake videos featuring celebrities have become alarmingly frequent, raising concerns as these impersonations have grown increasingly realistic, making distinguishing them from genuine content difficult. In response to this issue, YouTube is intensifying its efforts to safeguard creators and celebrities from the exploitation of their identities. To this end, the platform has formed a partnership with the Creative Artists Agency (CAA). Together, they intend to introduce sophisticated tools designed to detect AI-generated content. These tools will empower creators to identify videos that replicate their facial features, vocal characteristics, or other elements of their identity through artificial intelligence. This advancement will facilitate the process of requesting the removal of suc...

Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) has blocked a total of over 1.4 million sites for illegal activities under the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act (PECA). According to an official document, PTA blocked 109771 sites in FY2023-24. In one year, 33634 sites were blocked citing defense and security threat while 268 blasphemous sites were suspended during the same period. Moreover, 55,723 unethical sites and 3618 sites were blocked under communal or hate speech threats. PTA said 13,422 sites were blocked during last fiscal year for inciting religious hatred and 1,058 sites related were suspended for offensive content. And 2,428 sites were blocked for other illegal activities in one year. In a separate development, the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) confiscated as many as 25 illegal mobile booster sets during a raid. “Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) Zonal Office Karachi, in collaboration with the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) Cyber Crime Circle Kar...

Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defence of the UAE, today launched the Middle East’s first-of-its-kind drone delivery system at Dubai Silicon Oasis (DSO), the special economic zone for knowledge and innovation and a member of the Dubai Integrated Economic Zones Authority (DIEZ). Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed placed the first order using the drone delivery system through the platform from the Rochester Institute of Technology-Dubai (RIT-Dubai), one of the landing points within DSO’s drone delivery network. The order was successfully delivered from one of the take-off points in the community. With the aid of cutting-edge flight control algorithms and multi-sensor fusion positioning technology, the drone is designed to operate in various city landscapes. It is equipped with low-noise propellers, a parachute, and a flight control system, all developed in-house.   View this post on Instagram ...

WASHINGTON: TikTok made a last-ditch effort on Monday to continue operating in the United States, asking the Supreme Court to temporarily block a law intended to force ByteDance, its China-based parent company, to divest the short-video app by Jan. 19 or face a ban. TikTok and ByteDance filed an emergency request to the justices for an injunction to halt the looming ban on the social media app used by about 170 million Americans while they appeal a lower court’s ruling that upheld the law. A group of US users of the app filed a similar request on Monday as well. Congress passed the law in April. The Justice Department has said that as a Chinese company, TikTok poses “a national-security threat of immense depth and scale” because of its access to vast amounts of data on American users, from locations to private messages, and its ability to secretly manipulate content that Americans view on the app. The US Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit in Washington on Dec. 6 ...