Tag: governor
Montana’s governor signs bill banning TikTok
Montana’s TikTok ban is now official. Governor Greg Gianforte signed a bill banning the app in the state, one month after it was passed by the state’s legislature. The law is scheduled to take effect in 2024, though legal challenges could potentially delay that timeline.
The law prohibits the company from operating in the state and requires app stores to block users in Montana from downloading TikTok. The app’s users won’t face repercussions for using the service, but app stores and TikTok face daily fines of $10,000 for violating the law.
The statewide ban, and the expected legal challenge to it, offers a preview into how future attempts to ban the app could play out around the country. In a statement, a TikTok spokesperson said the Montana law “unlawfully” violates the First Amendment rights of its users.
“Governor Gianforte has signed a bill that infringes on the First Amendment rights of the people of Montana by unlawfully banning TikTok, a platform that empowers hundreds of thousands of people across the state,” the 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.”
Like other officials who have proposed bans or restrictions on TikTok, Montana lawmakers have claimed that TikTok’s ties to ByteDance, a Chinese company, puts the personal data of US users at risk. The company has long denied that it would turn over such data to the Chinese government, and has invested more than $1 billion into Project Texas to address data security concerns raised by US regulators.
But officials have reportedly said those efforts don’t go far enough, and the US government is now trying to force ByteDance to sell TikTok. If it doesn’t, TikTok will face a nationwide ban and, likely, another massive legal fight.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/montanas-governor-signs-bill-banning-tiktok-225326086.html?src=rss
Letting China’s Vice President attend coronation is a ‘stick in the eye’, says Hong Kong’s last governor
THE sight of China’s Vice President at the Coronation will be an insult to the people who have fled Hong Kong, its last governor said yesterday.
Lord Chris Patten said Beijing’s decision to send Han Zheng — blamed for a brutal crackdown on freedom in Hong Kong — shows it does not “give a toss” about the UK.
Foreign Secretary James Cleverly has faced fury for not blocking the visit of the Communist Party politician.
Lord Patten told the BBC: “You can’t ignore the fact he’s there, and it’s a stick in the eye for 140,000 or more HongKongers in exile here.”
“And also I think it’s an indication of the fact that, however much you grovel to China, however much you try to give them face, they don’t give a toss about giving us face because they could have sent lots of other people.
“There are, after all, 1.4 billion of them and they chose to send the guy who’s responsible for breaking their word about Hong Kong.”
Mr Han led Hong Kong affairs for Beijing between 2018 and March this year, during which time it imposed the national security law after mass protests in the city, stifling opposition and criminalising dissent.
The move strained relations with the UK and led to the creation of a visa scheme allowing Hongkongers to come to Britain.
The UK says China remains in breach of the 1984 Sino-British Joint Declaration, under which it has a duty to uphold Hong Kong’s high degree of autonomy and rights and freedoms.
Hong Kong was handed from the UK to China in 1997 with a promise by Beijing to keep Western-style liberties.
Florida Governor Strips Disney of Special District Control
Florida governor Ron DeSantis has retaliated against Disney for speaking out against the state’s “Don’t Say Gay” bill by revoking the Disney Company’s control over the Reedy Creek District, the area where Disney Parks has long encompassed its own city.
Donald Dillbeck who slit woman’s throat tells governor ‘suck our d***s’ before execution
Key Words: Fed Governor warns crypto investors: ‘Don’t expect taxpayers to socialize your losses’
Texas governor Greg Abbott claims he can ‘kick as good as Brett Maher’ in savage tweet
Bank of England governor warns of Truss hangover effect
California Governor Teases Support for Digital IDs: ‘We’re Going to Do It Like No Other State’
California has been developing a digital ID for some time now, and the California DMV received permission to start testing mobile driver’s licenses and ID cards with a limited number of people back in 2021. The state has not yet confirmed specifically that its mobile ID solution will integrate with the Wallet app function that Apple has introduced, but we may not have long to wait to find out what California has planned.
California governor Gavin Newsom today outlined the 2023/2024 California budget proposal, and as part of his speech, he said that the state is ready to roll out some kind of digital ID solution in “a matter of months,” with plans to implement support in a unique way compared to other states.
Know this, in just a matter of months, we’re finally going to have those digital wallets, where you can get your driver’s license on a digital wallet. And we’re going to do it like no other state has done it. There’s only a few that have. But there’s issues. Ours we think it’ll be next level. We’re so excited about what the DMV can look like.
Little is known about California’s digital identification plans, as the state has not shared details at this time, but the California legislature has been privacy focused. As outlined by The Los Angeles Times last year, digital IDs and corresponding mobile apps are not able to collect or hold any information beyond what’s needed to perform stated functions, and all information is limited to what’s on a physical driver’s license or ID card.
The legislation also specifies that digital IDs be opt-in and that digital ID users cannot be forced to hand over a smartphone to verify ID, nor does using a device for an ID provide consent for law enforcement to search a smartphone.
As of right now, digital driver’s licenses and IDs in the Wallet app are supported by Arizona, Maryland, and Colorado.
Connecticut, Georgia, Hawaii, Iowa, Kentucky, Mississippi, Ohio, Oklahoma, and Utah have all committed to allowing residents to add a state ID or driver’s license to the wallet app, but timing is not yet clear. Apple has been discussing support with many other states as well as Puerto Rico, but no California-specific announcements have been made.
It is possible that California could eschew the Wallet app and offer driver’s licenses through a state-operated app similar to what Florida and Louisiana do, but California has supported other integrations with the iPhone and Apple is based in California, so it is likely the Cupertino company will be able to convince California officials to participate.
In states that do support IDs and driver’s licenses in the Wallet app on the iPhone, the information can be used in lieu of a physical ID at select airports, including the Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport (BWI), the Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA), and the Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport (PHX).
Digital IDs can also be used in select iPhone apps for identity or age verification purposes as of iOS 16, and Apple is also working with retailers and venues to begin accepting digital identification verification.
This article, “California Governor Teases Support for Digital IDs: ‘We’re Going to Do It Like No Other State’” first appeared on MacRumors.com
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The Morning After: New York’s governor signs a weakened right-to-repair bill
New York governor Kathy Hochul has finally signed a right-to-repair bill into law, over half a year since the state legislature was passed. Representatives for Microsoft and Apple pressed Hochul’s office for changes, as well as industry association TechNet, which represents many notable tech companies, including Amazon, Google, Dell and HP. Critics say the amendments will weaken the law’s effectiveness. The bill’s revised language excludes enterprise electronics, like devices used in schools and hospitals. Home appliances, motor vehicles, medical devices and off-road equipment were also previously exempted.
Whatever aims the right-to-repair bill had when first proposed have been weakened. Public Interest Research Groups (PIRG), a collective of consumer rights organizations, said in a statement to Engadget: “Such changes could limit the benefits for school computers and most products currently in use.” It continued: “The bill now excludes certain smartphone circuit boards from parts the manufacturers are required to sell and requires repair shops to post unwieldy warranty language.”
– Mat Smith
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TikTok will be banned on most US federal government devices
Included in a mammoth $1.7 trillion bill that President Biden just signed.
TikTok will be outlawed on almost all devices issued by the federal government after lawmakers passed a $1.7 trillion spending bill. Officials recently added the No TikTok on Government Devices Act (what a name) to the bill, which the Senate unanimously approved last week. The mammoth 4,155-page legislation was fast-tracked to avoid a partial government shutdown. It will fund the government through September. The legislation requires the Biden administration to establish rules to remove TikTok from government devices by mid-February. The bill carved out exceptions for elected officials, congressional staff, law enforcement agents and other officials. However, the House of Representatives separately banned TikTok on devices it owns and manages.
Samsung’s new smart fridge has a massive 32-inch display
Think of it like a smart TV with a fridge attached to it.
CES is nearly here, which means we’re once again writing about refrigerators. With its Family Hub Plus, Samsung has boosted the touch display size to 32 inches from 21 inches, although it’s still a vertical screen. Samsung has added support for Google Photos, along with the OneDrive integration seen on past models. There’s also a new SmartThings hub so you can control multiple smart home devices from your… kitchen, including robot vacuums, air conditioning, lighting and more. It also supports Amazon’s Your Essentials service, letting you order groceries and other products directly from the touchscreen. Those groceries go inside.
The EV revolution became an eventuality in 2022
It’s been a busy year for the industry.
It’s been a decade since the first Tesla EV made its commercial debut and the electrification of American automotive society began in earnest. Over the past ten years as battery capacities have grown and range anxieties have shrunk, electric vehicles have become a daily sight in most parts of the country. Now, virtually every notable automaker on the planet has jumped on the electric bandwagon with sizable investments in battery and production technologies and pledges to electrify their lineups within a decade or so.
Not even recent years’ production slowdowns and supply chain disruptions brought on by the COVID pandemic managed to stall the industry’s momentum. The International Energy Agency in January reported that EVs had managed to triple their market share between 2019 and 2021 with 6.6 million units being sold globally last year. And as eventful as 2022 turned out to be, 2023 and beyond could be even bigger for the EV industry. We’re expecting EV debuts including the VW ID.3; the Lucid Gravity, Polestar 3, Jeep (one of four!) and Honda’s Prologue SUVs.