Technology

Trump comments raise doubts over Netflix's $72 billion deal with Warner Bros

Dec 8 (Reuters) - Netflix's $72 billion Warner Bros deal led to several price target cuts by Wall Street analysts as U.S. President Donald Trump warned of market-share concerns, underscoring the tough scrutiny that the acquisition is likely to face.

Technology

Warner Bros fight heats up with $108 billion hostile bid from Paramount

Dec 8 (Reuters) - Paramount Skydance on Monday launched a hostile bid worth $108.4 billion for Warner Bros Discovery, in a last-ditch effort to outbid Netflix and create a media powerhouse that would challenge the dominance of the streaming giant.

Technology

IBM accelerates cloud drive with $11 billion Confluent deal as AI demand booms

Dec 8 (Reuters) - IBM said on Monday it will buy data infrastructure company Confluent in a deal valued at $11 billion, ramping up its cloud-computing offerings to capitalize on an AI-driven demand boom. 

Technology

NextEra, Google accelerate US data center build-out with new deals

Dec 8 (Reuters) - U.S. utility company NextEra Energy has expanded its partnership with Alphabet's Google Cloud to build new energy supplies for the company's operations across the U.S., the groups said on Monday.

Technology

Meta pledge to use less personal data for ads gets EU nod, avoids daily fines

BRUSSELS, Dec 8 (Reuters) - Meta's proposal to use less personal data for targeted advertising in its pay-or-consent model that will be rolled out next month won the approval of EU antitrust regulators on Monday, signaling the company will not face daily fines after all.

Technology

Amnesty says India's review of location-tracking plan 'deeply concerning'

BENGALURU, Dec 8 (Reuters) - Amnesty International has said India's review of a telecom industry proposal to mandate always-on satellite location tracking on phones for better lawful surveillance was "deeply concerning" and puts data of human rights defenders at risk.

Technology

Only a few automakers to keep up AI push, Gartner says

BERLIN, Dec 8 (Reuters) - Only a handful of automotive companies are likely to sustain ambitious artificial intelligence investment in the coming years, a study released on Monday showed, raising doubts over whether current industry "euphoria" will deliver lasting benefits.

Social media

Suspected TikTok and drunken driving crashes highlight dangers of impaired and distracted driving

A fatal crash that may have occurred while the driver was livestreaming on TikTok, and a severe sentence in a fatal drunken driving crash, highlight continued dangers from impaired and distracted driving as the holidays approach.

Technology

Apple just lost a key designer– many are happy to see him go

The longtime Apple designer, responsible for the Apple Watch and Liquid Glass, is heading to Meta. Industry voices are pleased.

Social media

A grand social media experiment begins in Australia

The country is trying to wean children under 16 off the likes of TikTok, Snapchat, YouTube and Instagram with a new law. The teenagers are skeptical.

Internet

Silicon Valley builds Amazon and Gmail copycats to train AI agents

Several new start-ups are building replicas of sites so A.I. can learn to use the internet and maybe replace white-collar workers.

AI

People are uploading their medical records to AI chatbots

Despite privacy risks and inaccuracy concerns, people are feeding blood test results, doctor's notes and surgical reports into ChatGPT and the like.

Technology

Christmas unplugged: Australian teen social media ban brings holiday headspace woes

SYDNEY, Dec 8 (Reuters) - Sydney teenager Ayris Tolson believes the start of her first summer holiday under Australia's youth social media ban will be relatively easy as she spends time with family, but as the weeks drift by, she fears being alone and isolated.

Social media

'Not black or white': Teens worldwide react to Australia social media ban

"I don't think the government really knows what they're doing and I don't think it's going to have any impact on children of Australia," said 15-year-old Layton Lewis.

Technology

IBM nears $11 billion Confluent deal to boost cloud push, WSJ reports

Dec 7 (Reuters) - IBM is in advanced talks to acquire data-infrastructure company Confluent for about $11 billion, the Wall Street Journal reported on Sunday, in a move aimed at boosting Big Blue's ability to capture growing demand for cloud services.

Technology

Where coal once reigned, Virginia eyes data centres

Nonprofit envisions energy transformation in SW Virginia while proponents try to beat back data center scepticism.

Social media

It’s not just you. Users struggle with the Instagram repost button.

The new repost option, sandwiched between comment and share, has led to consternation and accidental reposts by some users.

Technology

Robinhood to enter Indonesia with brokerage, crypto trader acquisition

Dec 7 (Reuters) - Robinhood Markets will acquire Indonesian brokerage firm Buana Capital Sekuritas and licensed digital asset trader Pedagang Aset Kripto, marking the retail trading platform's entry into one of Southeast Asia's major crypto hubs, the company said in a blog post on Sunday.

Technology

Trump says he'll be involved in review of Netflix-Warner Brothers deal

WASHINGTON, Dec 7 (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump said on Sunday that he would have a say whether a proposed merger between Netflix and Warner Brothers should go forward, telling reporters the market share of a combined entity could raise concerns.

AI

Artificially intelligent: The evolving threat of deepfakes

With artificial intelligence increasingly being used to augment and sometimes create photos and videos populating social media feeds, how can you tell what's authentic and what's not? Experts weigh in with some pointers.