Apple Inc on Wednesday said it is setting up its first data center in China, in partnership with a local internet services company, to comply with tougher cyber-security laws introduced last month. The U.S. technology company said it will build the center in the southern province of Guizhou with data management firm Guizhou-Cloud Big Data Industry Co Ltd (GCBD). An Apple spokesman in Shanghai told Reuters the center is part of a planned $1 billion investment into the province. "The addition of this data center will allow us to improve the speed and reliability of our products and services while also complying with newly passed regulations," Apple said in a statement to Reuters. "These regulations require cloud services be operated by Chinese companies so we're partnering with GCBD to offer iCloud," it said, referring to its online data storage service. Apple is the first foreign firm to announce amendments to its data storage for China following the implementation of a new … [Read more...] about Apple sets up China data center to meet new cyber-security rules
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Dollar gains amid European concerns, upbeat U.S. job data
The U.S. dollar climbed against major currencies this week as concerns about the European debt crisis again weighed on the euro and upbeat U.S. job data helped restore investors' confidence in the U.S. economy. The dollar index gained 1.4 percent to 80.076 in the past week. Meanwhile, the euro dropped 1.9 percent against the dollar to 1.308. The minutes of the Federal Reserve's latest monetary policy meeting showed that the policymakers acknowledged recent signs of slightly stronger growth but still remained cautious about a broad pick-up in U.S. economic activities. Meanwhile, the minutes also signaled that the Fed is less willing to launch a third round of quantitative easing policy, given the current economic situation. The euro was under pressure this week as concerns about the European debt crisis again took center stage. Spain's government has predicted its debt to gross domestic product ratio will soar to 79.8 percent in 2012, a record high since 1990. The country's labor market … [Read more...] about Dollar gains amid European concerns, upbeat U.S. job data
Big U.S. data breaches offer treasure trove for hackers
A massive breach of U.S. federal computer networks disclosed this week is the latest in a flood of attacks by suspected Chinese hackers aimed at grabbing personal data, industrial secrets and weapons plans from government and private computers. The Obama administration on Thursday disclosed the breach of computer systems at the Office of Personnel Management and said the records of up to 4 million current and former federal employees may have been compromised. U.S. officials have said on condition of anonymity they believe the hackers are based in China, but Washington has not publicly blamed Beijing at a time when tensions are high over Chinese territorial claims in the South China Sea. China has denied involvement. It was the second computer break-in in less than a year at the OPM, the federal government's personnel office. The first breach has been linked to earlier thefts of personal data from millions of records at Anthem Inc, the second largest U.S. health insurer, an attack also … [Read more...] about Big U.S. data breaches offer treasure trove for hackers
Data hacked from U.S. government dates back to 1985: official
Data stolen from U.S. government computers by suspected Chinese hackers included security clearance information and background checks dating back three decades, U.S. officials said on Friday, underlining the scope of one of the largest known cyber attacks on federal networks. The breach of computer systems of the Office of Personnel Management was disclosed on Thursday by the Obama administration, which said records of up to 4 million current and former federal employees may have been compromised. Accusations by U.S. government sources of a Chinese role in the cyber attack, including possible state sponsorship, could further strain ties between Washington and Beijing. Tensions are already heightened over Chinese assertiveness in pursuit of territorial claims in the South China Sea. The hacking also raises questions about how the United States would respond if it confirmed that the Chinese government was behind it. Several U.S. officials, who requested anonymity, said the hackers were … [Read more...] about Data hacked from U.S. government dates back to 1985: official
Facebook report shows slight rise in government requests for data
Facebook Inc recorded a slight increase in government requests for account data in the second half of 2014, according to its Global Government Requests Report, which includes information about content removal. Requests for account data increased to 35,051 in the second half of 2014 from 34,946 in the first half, with requests from countries such as India rising and those from others including United States and Germany falling, the report by the world's largest Internet social network showed. Facebook said it restricted 9,707 pieces of content for violating local laws, 11 percent more than in the first half, with access restricted to 5,832 pieces in India and 3,624 in Turkey.(govtrequests.facebook.com) "We will continue to scrutinize each government request and push back when we find deficiencies. We will also continue to push governments around the world to reform their surveillance practices in a way that maintains the safety and security of their people while ensuring their rights … [Read more...] about Facebook report shows slight rise in government requests for data