Tech

A proposal to ease procurement norms, facilitated by the Ministry of Electronics and IT, is expected to help Indian software companies secure more technology projects from the central and state governments. The aim — to uplift home-grown software product companies, in line with the government’s “Atmanirbhar Bharat” (self-reliant India) scheme. According to a top government official, a government committee is drafting a model Request for Proposal (RFE) document for software products which will soften eligibility conditions such as revenue and work experience thresholds, need for third-party certifications and easier payment norms for Indian software products. The committee is headed by IIT-Bombay’s DP Pathak and includes government officials as well as members from industry associations such as Nasscom and iSPIRT. “If the Indian products have to be competitive, then the government will have to loosen its mindset when it comes to standard … [Read more...] about IT ministry has a winning code for Desi tech companies

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security sent a letter to chief executives of five large tech companies asking them to ensure social media platforms are not used to incite violence in the wake of nationwide protests following George Floyd's death. "I am writing to ask you to do your part to put an end to violence and illegal activity spreading across our country by ensuring that your platforms are not used as a tool to organize, facilitate, or incite dangerous or deadly riots, in violation of state and local laws," Acting Secretary Chad Wolf said in the letter. Wolf said the department supports First Amendment rights that allow citizens to freely express themselves but cautioned against social media being weaponized to perpetuate criminal activity. "The misuse of social media platforms to coordinate criminal acts threatens the safety and security of our nation," Wolf wrote, adding: "the department supports the powerful voice that social media provides to its users." He asked … [Read more...] about US government asks tech CEOs to ensure online platforms not used to spur violence

The PS5 is huge, according to internet detectives Insomniac confirms Spider-Man: Miles Morales is a standalone PS5 game Sony’s surprise PS5 Digital Edition sets up a next-gen price war Watch the 24 biggest trailers from the PS5 event The PS5 is getting a camera, charging dock, headphones, and media remote accessories Sony announces PlayStation 5 Digital Edition with no disc drive Resident Evil Village revealed at Sony’s PlayStation 5 event Horizon Zero Dawn is getting a PS5 sequel, Horizon Forbidden West The creators behind Sword & Sworcery return on the PS5 with Jett: The Far Shore A little over 14 minutes into the show, Dieter and Nilay discuss first impressions of the Android 11 beta that was released this week, Google countersuing Sonos for patent infringement, and the potential announcement at Apple’s WWDC about switching MacBooks to ARM processors. … [Read more...] about Vergecast: Android 11 beta, PS5 reveal, and big tech halts facial recognition for police

9to5 Mac has a list of states that plan to use the Apple and Google COVID-19 exposure notifications. The short version is that there aren't many states on board with Apple and Google yet. Globally, COVID-19 exposure apps haven't fared well. A few recent headlines include: … [Read more...] about COVID-19 contact tracing: Maybe analog trumps APIs and high tech approaches

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson is expected to begin phasing out the use of Chinese tech giant Huawei's technology in Britain's 5G network as soon as this year, The Daily Telegraph reported on Saturday. Officials are drawing up proposals to stop installing new Huawei Technologies equipment in the 5G network in as little as six months, and to speed up the removal of technology that is already in place, the newspaper https://bit.ly/3f12gST reported. The move comes after the nation's spy agency GCHQ raised new security fears over Chinese technology. A report prepared by GCHQ's National Cyber Security Centre concludes that new U.S. sanctions on Huawei will force the company to use untrusted technology that could make the risk impossible to control, the newspaper said. The sanctions have had a "severe" impact on the firm that significantly changes GCHQ's calculations, the report said. The report is expected to be presented to Johnson this week. Johnson's spokesman said … [Read more...] about UK PM Boris Johnson to phase out Huawei’s 5G role within months: Report