Tech

Xiaomi’s Mi 11 is now available in Europe

Published

4 years ago

February 8, 2021

The Canadian Press

Iowa governor auctioned off access for pork barons’ charity

IOWA CITY, Iowa — Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds auctioned off an afternoon of her time to raise money for the namesake charity of a couple who own one of the nation’s largest pork producers and have contributed nearly $300,000 to her campaign. The 2019 auction to benefit the Deb and Jeff Hansen Foundation provides a striking example of the Republican governor’s close relationship with the state’s pork industry and particularly Iowa Select Farms, owned by the West Des Moines couple. Company staff members run the Hansens’ foundation, which sponsors charitable programs including giveaways of pork products to needy families. Details of the auction surfaced recently in public records the governor’s office released to Direct Action Everywhere, an animal rights group that has accused Iowa Select of mistreating hogs. The records show Reynolds has supported policies Iowa Select has sought, made several appearances for the corporation and its charity, and routinely spoken with Jeff Hansen. The day after Reynolds won a four-year term in November 2018, Iowa Select’s public affairs director wrote to an aide in the governor’s office to “request you save the date” on Reynolds’ calendar so that she could attend a Hansen foundation gala scheduled for six months later. The Hansens’ had been her top campaign donors. Reynolds not only attended their May 10, 2019, event but turned her state position into one of the night’s most lucrative auction items. The event at a Des Moines hotel featured auctions for goods ranging from wine to tickets to sporting events, and the crowd included Iowa Select employees and business partners. The time with Reynolds was advertised as an “afternoon with Iowa’s leading lady.” The “one-of-a-kind package” for four would begin with lunch at the state mansion where the governor lives and proceed to the Capitol for discussion and “a personalized tour of the building where all of Iowa’s legislative action happens.” “From the top of the gold dome to the Governor’s office, you’ll be treated to a tour unlike any other!” it said. Influential pork industry executive Gary Lynch, a major GOP campaign donor who owns Lynch Livestock in Waucoma, made the winning bid of $4,250. Reynolds spokesman Pat Garrett said the event was one of many in which the governor auctioned off meals and tours for charity in 2018 and 2019, before she paused the practice during the pandemic. Others that benefited included educational, civic and medical groups, such as the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society and the Science Center of Iowa. Reynolds also participated twice in the annual charity auction of grocery store chain Hy-Vee. “All of these are great causes that help people in need,” Garrett said. Lawyers for former Democratic Govs. Chet Culver and Tom Vilsack say their administrations never auctioned off the governors’ time for a donor’s charity, which they said carried the appearance of impropriety. “I’m not aware of a single instance in Gov. Culver’s tenure where we got anywhere close to that kind of use of a governor’s time or resources or public spaces,” said Culver aide Jim Larew. Former Vilsack general counsel Gary Dickey said constituents’ access to the governor should not be up for auction, calling Reynolds’ participation “a colossal error in judgment.” Vilsack served as U.S. agriculture secretary under former President Barack Obama, and President Joe Biden has nominated him to fill that role again. Lynch, who declined comment, has donated more than $100,000 to Reynolds’ campaigns since 2016. Weeks after he won the auction, Reynolds was a keynote speaker at Lynch’s annual charity banquet in Decorah. Iowa Ethics and Campaign Disclosure Board director Mike Marshall said he did not believe the auction violated any campaign finance laws. He said he saw no indication that the governor’s participation in the fundraiser was contingent upon the Hansens’ campaign contributions or that public resources were used for political purposes. The auction wasn’t the only favour for Iowa Select and its owners. Reynolds made a cameo in a cooking video for its employees last summer, spoke at a ribbon-cutting for a new warehouse in Osceola and her staff once flew one of the company’s flags over the Iowa Capitol. “It is AMAZING. She hit on so many talking points in a short period of time,” Crall wrote to the governor’s office about a video Reynolds recorded for the charity in 2018. Before Reynolds participated in its Christmas pork loin giveaway that year, Crall supplied the governor’s office with talking points that included, “What a great example of Iowa farmers giving back.” The access paid dividends when coronavirus disrupted the pork industry. Iowa Select pushed Reynolds’ office to keep meatpacking plants open at full capacity after outbreaks slowed production, for aid programs to benefit producers and to arrange drive-thru COVID-19 testing at its corporate office in West Des Moines. Iowa Select spokeswoman Jen Sorenson said the company feels “an important responsibility” to educate elected officials on Iowa’s multibillion-dollar animal agriculture industry, saying it leads to better policy. Reynolds’ spokesman Garrett said the governor “has a strong relationship with Iowa producers.” Iowa Citizens for Community Improvement policy director Adam Mason said his group, which has opposed Iowa Select’s expansion on environmental grounds, has been unable to get a meeting with Reynolds for years. He said the Hansens’ charity buys good will in communities where their farms pollute the air and water with hog manure. “The general criticism that we have the best government money can buy — this is that actually happening,” Mason said. “She is auctioning off her time to representatives of this industry, and not only that, bending over backward to do it and to make a donor happy. If it’s not illegal, it should be.” Ryan J. Foley, The Associated Press

Tech

Ottawa orders TikTok’s Canadian arm to be dissolved

Published

1 week ago

November 6, 2024

Anne Joseph

The federal government is ordering the dissolution of TikTok’s Canadian business after a national security review of the Chinese company behind the social media platform, but stopped short of ordering people to stay off the app.

Industry Minister François-Philippe Champagne announced the government’s “wind up” demand Wednesday, saying it is meant to address “risks” related to ByteDance Ltd.’s establishment of TikTok Technology Canada Inc.

“The decision was based on the information and evidence collected over the course of the review and on the advice of Canada’s security and intelligence community and other government partners,” he said in a statement.

The announcement added that the government is not blocking Canadians’ access to the TikTok application or their ability to create content.

However, it urged people to “adopt good cybersecurity practices and assess the possible risks of using social media platforms and applications, including how their information is likely to be protected, managed, used and shared by foreign actors, as well as to be aware of which country’s laws apply.”

Champagne’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment seeking details about what evidence led to the government’s dissolution demand, how long ByteDance has to comply and why the app is not being banned.

A TikTok spokesperson said in a statement that the shutdown of its Canadian offices will mean the loss of hundreds of well-paying local jobs.

“We will challenge this order in court,” the spokesperson said.

“The TikTok platform will remain available for creators to find an audience, explore new interests and for businesses to thrive.”

The federal Liberals ordered a national security review of TikTok in September 2023, but it was not public knowledge until The Canadian Press reported in March that it was investigating the company.

At the time, it said the review was based on the expansion of a business, which it said constituted the establishment of a new Canadian entity. It declined to provide any further details about what expansion it was reviewing.

A government database showed a notification of new business from TikTok in June 2023. It said Network Sense Ventures Ltd. in Toronto and Vancouver would engage in “marketing, advertising, and content/creator development activities in relation to the use of the TikTok app in Canada.”

Even before the review, ByteDance and TikTok were lightning rod for privacy and safety concerns because Chinese national security laws compel organizations in the country to assist with intelligence gathering.

Such concerns led the U.S. House of Representatives to pass a bill in March designed to ban TikTok unless its China-based owner sells its stake in the business.

Champagne’s office has maintained Canada’s review was not related to the U.S. bill, which has yet to pass.

Canada’s review was carried out through the Investment Canada Act, which allows the government to investigate any foreign investment with potential to might harm national security.

While cabinet can make investors sell parts of the business or shares, Champagne has said the act doesn’t allow him to disclose details of the review.

Wednesday’s dissolution order was made in accordance with the act.

The federal government banned TikTok from its mobile devices in February 2023 following the launch of an investigation into the company by federal and provincial privacy commissioners.

— With files from Anja Karadeglija in Ottawa

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 6, 2024.

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Health

Here is how to prepare your online accounts for when you die

Published

3 weeks ago

October 24, 2024

Anne Joseph

LONDON (AP) — Most people have accumulated a pile of data — selfies, emails, videos and more — on their social media and digital accounts over their lifetimes. What happens to it when we die?

It’s wise to draft a will spelling out who inherits your physical assets after you’re gone, but don’t forget to take care of your digital estate too. Friends and family might treasure files and posts you’ve left behind, but they could get lost in digital purgatory after you pass away unless you take some simple steps.

Here’s how you can prepare your digital life for your survivors:

Apple

The iPhone maker lets you nominate a “ legacy contact ” who can access your Apple account’s data after you die. The company says it’s a secure way to give trusted people access to photos, files and messages. To set it up you’ll need an Apple device with a fairly recent operating system — iPhones and iPads need iOS or iPadOS 15.2 and MacBooks needs macOS Monterey 12.1.

For iPhones, go to settings, tap Sign-in & Security and then Legacy Contact. You can name one or more people, and they don’t need an Apple ID or device.

You’ll have to share an access key with your contact. It can be a digital version sent electronically, or you can print a copy or save it as a screenshot or PDF.

Take note that there are some types of files you won’t be able to pass on — including digital rights-protected music, movies and passwords stored in Apple’s password manager. Legacy contacts can only access a deceased user’s account for three years before Apple deletes the account.

Google

Google takes a different approach with its Inactive Account Manager, which allows you to share your data with someone if it notices that you’ve stopped using your account.

When setting it up, you need to decide how long Google should wait — from three to 18 months — before considering your account inactive. Once that time is up, Google can notify up to 10 people.

You can write a message informing them you’ve stopped using the account, and, optionally, include a link to download your data. You can choose what types of data they can access — including emails, photos, calendar entries and YouTube videos.

There’s also an option to automatically delete your account after three months of inactivity, so your contacts will have to download any data before that deadline.

Facebook and Instagram

Some social media platforms can preserve accounts for people who have died so that friends and family can honor their memories.

When users of Facebook or Instagram die, parent company Meta says it can memorialize the account if it gets a “valid request” from a friend or family member. Requests can be submitted through an online form.

The social media company strongly recommends Facebook users add a legacy contact to look after their memorial accounts. Legacy contacts can do things like respond to new friend requests and update pinned posts, but they can’t read private messages or remove or alter previous posts. You can only choose one person, who also has to have a Facebook account.

You can also ask Facebook or Instagram to delete a deceased user’s account if you’re a close family member or an executor. You’ll need to send in documents like a death certificate.

TikTok

The video-sharing platform says that if a user has died, people can submit a request to memorialize the account through the settings menu. Go to the Report a Problem section, then Account and profile, then Manage account, where you can report a deceased user.

Once an account has been memorialized, it will be labeled “Remembering.” No one will be able to log into the account, which prevents anyone from editing the profile or using the account to post new content or send messages.

It’s not possible to nominate a legacy contact on Elon Musk’s social media site. But family members or an authorized person can submit a request to deactivate a deceased user’s account.

Passwords

Besides the major online services, you’ll probably have dozens if not hundreds of other digital accounts that your survivors might need to access. You could just write all your login credentials down in a notebook and put it somewhere safe. But making a physical copy presents its own vulnerabilities. What if you lose track of it? What if someone finds it?

Instead, consider a password manager that has an emergency access feature. Password managers are digital vaults that you can use to store all your credentials. Some, like Keeper,Bitwarden and NordPass, allow users to nominate one or more trusted contacts who can access their keys in case of an emergency such as a death.

But there are a few catches: Those contacts also need to use the same password manager and you might have to pay for the service.

___

Is there a tech challenge you need help figuring out? Write to us at onetechtip@ap.org with your questions.

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Tech

Google’s partnership with AI startup Anthropic faces a UK competition investigation

Published

3 weeks ago

October 24, 2024

Anne Joseph

LONDON (AP) — Britain’s competition watchdog said Thursday it’s opening a formal investigation into Google’s partnership with artificial intelligence startup Anthropic.

The Competition and Markets Authority said it has “sufficient information” to launch an initial probe after it sought input earlier this year on whether the deal would stifle competition.

The CMA has until Dec. 19 to decide whether to approve the deal or escalate its investigation.

“Google is committed to building the most open and innovative AI ecosystem in the world,” the company said. “Anthropic is free to use multiple cloud providers and does, and we don’t demand exclusive tech rights.”

San Francisco-based Anthropic was founded in 2021 by siblings Dario and Daniela Amodei, who previously worked at ChatGPT maker OpenAI. The company has focused on increasing the safety and reliability of AI models. Google reportedly agreed last year to make a multibillion-dollar investment in Anthropic, which has a popular chatbot named Claude.

Anthropic said it’s cooperating with the regulator and will provide “the complete picture about Google’s investment and our commercial collaboration.”

“We are an independent company and none of our strategic partnerships or investor relationships diminish the independence of our corporate governance or our freedom to partner with others,” it said in a statement.

The U.K. regulator has been scrutinizing a raft of AI deals as investment money floods into the industry to capitalize on the artificial intelligence boom. Last month it cleared Anthropic’s $4 billion deal with Amazon and it has also signed off on Microsoft’s deals with two other AI startups, Inflection and Mistral.

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