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The world is a very busy place, and it’s hard to stay on top of everything. Infoplease has got you covered. Here are the Science & Technology news events you need to know so far for April 2023.
- UK Regulatory Body Fines TikTok Over Mismanagement Of Children’s Data
- Alibaba Set To Roll Out Its Own AI Program To Compete With ChatGPT
- The United States Issues Fines In Relation To Export Violation
- NASA Successfully Extracts Oxygen From Lunar Soil Prototype
UK Regulatory Body Fines TikTok Over Mismanagement Of Children’s Data
Photo Source: AP Photo/Kiichiro Sato
Wednesday, April 5, 2023 — The U.K.’s data authority fined TikTok £12.7 million for failing to protect children’s privacy. It is anticipated that TikTok will allow up to 1.4 million UK children under 13 to utilize the site by 2020.
According to an inquiry by the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO), the video-sharing service exploited the data of children of this age without parental approval, even though TikTok stated that it has “heavily invested” in preventing under-13s from accessing the service.
TikTok executives disagree with the ICO’s decision, which applies from May 2018 to July 2020, although they are delighted that the fine issued today is less than half of the sum imposed last year. We will keep reviewing the judgment and contemplating future measures.
TikTok can appeal the acceptable amount and has 28 days to make submissions. The regulator has a maximum of 16 weeks from receiving notice of a potential fine to when it issues its final judgment.
Source: BBC
Alibaba Set To Roll Out Its Own AI Program To Compete With ChatGPT
Photo Source: AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein
Wednesday, April 12, 2023 — Alibaba, the Chinese technology giant, has announced plans to launch its own ChatGPT-style artificial intelligence product called Tongyi Qianwen. It will integrate the chatbot across all of Alibaba’s businesses in the “near future,” but no timetable has been provided.
In recent months, technology companies worldwide have debuted their own “generative AI chatbots.” Generative AI has become increasingly popular since the release of ChatGPT by Microsoft-backed OpenAI in November. ChatGPT can respond to questions in natural, human-like language and mimic other writing styles, using the internet as it existed in 2021 as its database.
Tongyi Qianwen translates roughly as “seeking an answer by asking a thousand questions,” but Alibaba has not provided any other name. Tongyi Qianwen, a bilingual voice assistant, will be added to DingTalk, Alibaba’s workplace messaging app, and can convert meetings into written notes, write emails, and draft business proposals. It will also be integrated into Tmall Genie, a smart speaker similar to Amazon’s Alexa.
Source: BBC
The United States Issues Fines In Relation To Export Violation
Photo Source: AP Photo/Kiichiro Sato
Thursday, April 20, 2023 – U.S. officials have fined tech company Seagate $300 million for allegedly breaking export laws by sending hard drives to China’s Huawei. After export restrictions were put in place in 2020, Seagate Technology delivered Huawei equipment valued at more than $1.1 billion, according to the Department of Commerce.
The fine is the most recent action taken by the U.S. government to halt the export of advanced technology to China. According to the Commerce Department, Seagate supplied 7.4 million SSDs to Huawei for nearly a year after the previous administration of President Donald Trump placed the embargo.
The technology, according to Washington, might be used by the Chinese military to assist violations of human rights or pose other threats to U.S. national security. Although, the Chinese government has consistently refuted these charges.
The U.S. is still trying to stop Huawei from buying sophisticated computer chips and other technologies as part of its attempts to reduce sales of American products to Chinese companies due to worries about national security and foreign policy.
Source: BBC
NASA Successfully Extracts Oxygen From Lunar Soil Prototype
Photo Source: Getty Images
Wednesday, April 26, 2023 – Using a high-powered laser, scientists at NASA were able to simulate heat from a solar energy concentrator and melt the lunar soil simulant within a carbothermal reactor developed by Sierra Space Corp.
Aaron Paz, a NASA senior engineer, commented that the efficacy of the technology would greatly help and sustain the settlement of the human race on the moon. The carbothermal reduction has been utilized for decades on Earth to make products such as solar panels by employing high temperatures to produce carbon monoxide or dioxide.
To use the same method to produce oxygen on the moon, a carbothermal reactor must maintain pressure and prevent gases from escaping into space while enabling lunar material to move in and out of the reaction zone. Operating the reactor in a vacuum atmosphere during the CaRD test approximated lunar surface conditions and raised the reactor’s technical readiness level.
Source: Fox News
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