BOCA RATON, Fla.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--May 18, 2023--

An overview of the media in Slovenia, including links to broadcasters and newspapers.

An overview of the media in the Czech Republic, including links to broadcasters and newspapers.

Alaska Native villages have long been caught on the wrong side of the digital divide with no internet connections or a sluggish link at best

Montana has become the first US state to announce an outright ban of TikTok, however questions have been raised about both the legality and the practicality of the new law. State legislators signed the bill into law on Wednesday, making it illegal for TikTok to operate in the state from January 2024. Some claim such a ban is unconstitutional, as it challenges the First Amendment right to freedom of speech and the press, while others note that it would be “impossible” to enforce. “Montanans are indisputably exercising their First Amendment rights when they post and consume content on TikTok,” Jameel Jaffer, executive director at the Knight First Amendment Institute at Columbia University, told The Independent. “Because Montana can’t establish that the ban is necessary or tailored to any legitimate interest, the law is almost certain to be struck down as unconstitutional.” Montana’s 200,000 TikTok users will not face any repercussions for using the app, however TikTok and other companies face a $10,000 daily fine for each time someone accesses the app or is “offered the ability” to download it. Apple and Google have not spoken out against the law, but a representative for TechNet, the trade group that counts the two tech giants as its members, has said app stores don’t have the ability to “geofence” apps in different states and it would be impossible to prevent TikTok from being downloaded in Montana. The group has also said the responsibility should be on an app to determine where it can operate, not an app store. Telecoms analyst Roger Entner, of Recon Analytics, said he believes the app stores could have the capability to enforce the law, but it would be cumbersome to implement and full of loopholes. Apple and Google’s address-linked billing could be bypassed with prepaid cards and IP geolocation easily masked by using a VPN service, which can alter IP addresses and allows users to evade content restrictions, said mobile security expert Will Strafach, the founder of Guardian, which makes a privacy protection app for Apple devices. Oded Vanunu, head of products vulnerability research at the cyber security firm Check Point, agreed it would be difficult for app stores to isolate a single state from downloading an app. He suggested it would be more feasible for TikTok to comply since it controls the software and can “adjust the settings based on the geographical location or IP addresses” of users. TikTok could technically block any people from Montana using the app by tracking their location, and disable the app if they are within a certain area, however this type of restriction can be easily bypassed with VPN technology. A legal battle is likely to follow, with TikTok hinting that a legal challenge will be launched in the coming weeks and months. A spokesperson said: “We want to reassure Montanans that they can continue using TikTok to express themselves, earn a living, and find community as we continue working to defend the rights of our users inside and outside of Montana.” Additional reporting from agencies Read More TikTok ban in numbers: Charting the controversial rise of the world’s most popular app Shou Chew: How a Facebook intern became the boss of TikTok

SAN FRANCISCO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--May 18, 2023--

MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--May 18, 2023--

PIKETON, Ohio--(BUSINESS WIRE)--May 18, 2023--

Days after OpenAI CEO Sam Altman testified in front of Congress and proposed creating a new federal agency to regulate artificial intelligence, a US senator has introduced a bill to do just that.

When most people picture New York City, it’s likely that its many skyscrapers are one of the first things that come to mind, but now, scientists are concerned that the city is sinking under their weight. It comes after the findings of a new study observed subsidence of the footprint after the geology beneath the city was modelled and compared to satellite data. The study was conducted by geologist Tom Parsons from the United States Geological Survey and colleagues from The University of Rhode Island, who found that, under the weight of its multiple skyscrapers, NYC is sinking by one to two millimetres per year. Subsistence can occur due to shifting soft sediments and the sheer weight of the load on the ground pushing it down. The study calculated that there are over 1 million buildings in NYC with a cumulative mass of approximately 764,000,000,000 kilograms. Sign up to our free Indy100 weekly newsletter While a few millimetres of subsidence per year might sound like nothing, some parts of the city are subsiding faster – with calculations putting a sample site in lower Manhattan at 294 millimetres. To calculate the rates of subsidence, experts compared their modelling with satellite data that measured the land surface height. The scientists warn that thought must be given to low-lying cities such as NYC, which is home to 8 million people, particularly given rising sea levels and increasing flood risks. Parsons explained: “The point of the paper is to raise awareness that every additional high-rise building constructed at coastal, river, or lakefront settings could contribute to future flood risk.” Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings.

BT Group is planning to slash up to 55,000 jobs in the next five to seven years as it turns to technology to cut costs and simplify its business.

MILTON KEYNES, England--(BUSINESS WIRE)--May 18, 2023--