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Amazon was considered the lead contender to provide technology for the Joint Enterprise Defense Infrastructure (JEDI) programme, with Amazon Web Services dominating the cloud computing arena and the company already providing classified servers for other government agencies including the CIA. Amazon has alleged it was shut out of the deal because of Trump’s vendetta against the company and its chief executive Jeff Bezos. (Photo | AP)

Pentagon reaffirms deal with Microsoft for cloud computing despite Amazon's allegations of bias

However, the contract can’t move forward yet due to a court order putting it on hold as Amazon pursues a lawsuit over the bidding process.

05 Sep 2020 9:50 PM

Fake posts that appear to be real are of particular concern ahead of the US presidential election in November, especially after false social media posts exploded in number during the 2016 vote that brought Donald Trump to power. Microsoft said it has partnered with the AI Foundation in San Francisco to make the video authentication tool available to political campaigns, news outlets and others involved in the democratic process. (Photo | AFP)

Microsoft launches software to detect deepfakes ahead of US election

The software analyses an image or each frame of a video, looking for evidence of manipulation that could be invisible to the naked eye.

03 Sep 2020 8:26 PM

“I said that the United States has to be compensated—well compensated—because we are the ones that are making it possible, and so we should be compensated,” President Donald Trump said referring to his demand for a percentage for the government on the possible sale deal of TikTok to an American company. (Photo | AFP)

Trump repeats demand for piece of TikTok sale deal as September 15 deadline approaches

“Well, I told them that they have until September 15th to make a deal; after that, we close it up in this country,” the US President said.

02 Sep 2020 7:11 PM

Walmart could make TikTok into an extension of its sales machine, helping advertisers, creators and others sell products. It would also help generate data on what shoppers want and do — valuable information for retailers and advertisers. (Photos | AP/Pixabay)

What do the young want? Walmart will be able to find out of it has TikTok on board

Among other things, Walmart could use TikTok to promote sellers from its online marketplace, which it’s trying to develop to rival Amazon.

29 Aug 2020 8:25 PM

Walmart is likely interested in TikTok to better connect with younger shoppers who turn to the internet for lifestyle trends, analysts say. (Photo | AFP)

TikTok has one more suitor, Walmart teams up with Microsoft to buy video app

Already business partners, Microsoft provides cloud computing services that help run the retailer’s stores and online shopping.

28 Aug 2020 3:36 PM

“Apple’s discontinuation of Epic’s ability to develop and support Unreal Engine for iOS or macOS will harm game creators and gamers,” wrote Kevin Gammill, Microsoft’s general manager of gaming developer experiences. (Photo | AFP)

XBox maker Microsoft on Epic Games' side, says Apple’s actions will affect game creators

Apple threatened to cut off access to tools needed to maintain “Unreal Engine”, Epic’s software used by many game studios to create graphics

24 Aug 2020 5:47 PM

The new title goes on sale on Tuesday, initially for PCs, with an Xbox version to come. It is something of a take-off for the French company Asobo, founded by 12 gaming friends in 2002 in an apartment in the southwestern city of Bordeaux. (Photo | Xbox.com)

Microsoft Flight Simulator game gets a French update, set to take off among 'grounded' pilots

French developers Asobo Studio seek to render the piloting experience lifelike, in the first update to the Microsoft video game since 2006.

14 Aug 2020 12:37 PM

While Twitter does allow for the sharing of videos, most posts contain short text messages and photos or GIFs. In 2012 Twitter acquired the platform Vine, which allowed users to share short videos, but shut down the service in 2016. (Photo | maxpixel.net)

Twitter also in talks to purchase TikTok, says report

Twitter’s bid is a long shot, but it believes it would face less antitrust scrutiny than larger corporations such as Microsoft.

09 Aug 2020 3:51 PM

The important Chinese market, which is very restrictive for foreign firms, represents a drop in the ocean of Microsoft’s business, accounting for barely 1.8 percent of its turnover, president Brad Smith said at the beginning of the year.

Here’s how Microsoft entered and managed to stay in China

The software giant has kept its business alive in the country by complying with the strict local laws on censorship.

08 Aug 2020 5:04 PM

Trump said Monday to reporters that the US “should get a very large percentage of that price because we’re making it possible,” adding that “we want and we think we deserve to have a big percentage of that price coming to America, coming to the Treasury.” There’s no legal precedent in antitrust law for such a payment, said Gene Kimmelman, a senior adviser at the advocacy group Public Knowledge and a former antitrust official at the Department of Justice. (Photo | AP)

Trump's talk of government getting a cut of TikTok deal not legally enforceable

The President sometimes floats ideas or actions that get set aside without follow-through.

05 Aug 2020 11:31 PM

Some analysts are sceptical that Microsoft would be successful with TikTok as it has never been good at consumer-focused business. They also don’t see a synergy between Microsoft's core businesses and catering to a teen user base, although the tech giant’s Xbox gaming business has somewhat similar users. (Photo | AP)

Microsoft hopes to gain social media cred with TikTok purchase

Microsoft has had limited success in social media, although it did acquire the business-focused network LinkedIn.

05 Aug 2020 6:13 PM

Some Republican leaders, including House Minority Whip, have written to Secretary of State Mike Pompeo saying they suspect that Microsoft, which is in talks to buy the US operations of TikTok, despite being a US company, may be compromised. (Photo | AFP)

Trump says US should get a 'very large percentage' of TikTok sale proceeds

The US president has set a deadline of September 15 for TikTok to sell its US business or stop operations in the country.

04 Aug 2020 8:20 PM

“Following a conversation between Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella and President Donald J Trump, Microsoft is prepared to continue discussions to explore a purchase of TikTok in the United States,” the company said in a statement. With TikTok, Microsoft will be making its first foray into social media, a sphere that has grown as people seek to connect amid the restrictions imposed by the pandemic on physical interactions. (Photo | AFP)

Microsoft keen on buying TikTok US, hopes to convince Trump against ban

Tech giant says will “build on the experience TikTok users love, while adding world-class security, privacy, and digital safety protections.

03 Aug 2020 10:54 AM

If Microsoft were to buy TikTok, there would be no ban on TikTok in the US. (Photo | AFP)

TikTok's US operations could be bought by Microsoft, say reports

Microsoft a leading buyer, report New York Times and Bloomberg as Trump likely to order ByteDance to sell or face a ban on its video app.

01 Aug 2020 2:29 AM

‘Drive-by download’ attacks involve downloading malicious code onto an unsuspecting user’s computer when they visit a website or fill up a form.

Cyber attacks on India rise, here's what you can do to keep your data safe

India sees second highest drive-by download attacks in Asia Pacific region in 2019, says Microsoft

29 Jul 2020 6:09 PM

Under the NBA’s virtual video experience, fans will be removed from their individual backgrounds and brought together in a shared visual space seen in the venue and on game broadcasts. (File Photo | AP)

With Microsoft's help, NBA fans will now feature on 17-foot video boards at games

Similar technology has been deployed by European football clubs, notably Manchester City, since play resumed.

25 Jul 2020 9:00 PM

“Organizations that build their own digital capability will recover faster and emerge from this crisis stronger,” Microsot CEO Satya Nadella said. (Photo | AP)

Revenues rise but profits fall at Microsoft as taxes take a bite

Chief executive Satya Nadella said Microsoft was equipped to deal with the pandemic with its “integrated, modern technology stack.”

23 Jul 2020 9:09 PM

Ultimate subscribers, who pay $15 monthly, will be able to access a library of games for play on Xbox consoles or Windows-powered computers.

XBox to debut cloud gaming service in September

Gamers can continue their game wherever they left off on any of your devices, Microsoft said.

17 Jul 2020 8:25 PM

Google, Facebook, Microsoft and other tech companies say the US Immigration rule requiring international college students whose classes have gone online to leave the country will disrupt their recruiting plans.

Google, Microsoft, Facebook join lawsuit against US visa rule forcing international students out

An Immigration and Customs Enforcement rule bars international students from staying in the country if their classes have gone fully online.

14 Jul 2020 4:38 PM

A Chinese flag flutters outside the Office for Safeguarding National Security of the Central People's Government in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region after its official inauguration in Hong Kong on July 8, 2020. - China opened a new office for its security agents to operate openly in Hong Kong for the first time under a tough new law. The law stipulates that trials can be held behind closed doors without juries, with offenders subject to a maximum of a life sentence. (Photo | AFP)

Won't entertain Hong Kong user data requests, say Microsoft, Zoom joining Twitter, Facebook, Google

Police have stepped up requests on user data to pick up dissidents in the wake of the national security law being enforced.

08 Jul 2020 4:10 PM

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Dilip Cherian