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
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
Uber’s messy data breach collides with launch of SoftBank deal
A newspaper advertisement for an Uber Technologies Inc stock sale was juxtaposed on Wednesday with a report that the ride-service provider had covered up a data hack - something of a metaphor for Uber, a company with boundless investor interest, but whose penchant for rule-breaking has led to a series of scandals.The stock sale advertised in the New York Times will enable Uber [UBER.UL] investors to sell their shares to Japanese investor SoftBank, a critical deal for the company whose problems included building software to spy on competitors and to evade regulators and being investigated in Asia for paying bribes.Uber on Tuesday said that it had paid hackers $100,000 to destroy data on more than 57 million customers and drivers that was stolen from the company - and decided under the previous CEO Travis Kalanick not to report the matter to victims or authorities. Uber was first hacked in October 2016 and discovered the data breach the following month.Chief Executive Dara Khosrowshahi, … [Read more...] about Uber’s messy data breach collides with launch of SoftBank deal