Technology

Pakistan gets on the TikTok ban wagon
Pakistan gets on the TikTok ban wagon
Pakistan has become the second South Asian nation after India to ban Chinese video-sharing app TikTok.  The Pakistan Telecommunication Authority on 9 October banned TikTok…
The many trails of Ant Group
The many trails of Ant Group
When the last of the big four state-owned Chinese banks listed a decade ago, one could be forgiven for thinking that the age of mega Chinese financial listings was over. After all…
The unique power of TikTok’s algorithm
The unique power of TikTok’s algorithm
Most people know TikTok as an entertaining app with an endless stream of snappy, addictive short videos that make them smile after a long day. Kids jiggle away in cute dance…
Colourless green content: AI, disinformation and geopolitical risk
Colourless green content: AI, disinformation and geopolitical risk
“Orwell's goal was not good writing, Orwell's goal was to prevent people from lying.” In an essay in 1945, George Orwell discussed the relationship between military innovation…
Who’s watching the algorithms?
Who’s watching the algorithms?
Just like the enigmatic algorithms behind popular social media platforms, facial recognition algorithms are unleashing their own share of social problems. Machine-learning systems…
Understanding the full spectrum of hate
Understanding the full spectrum of hate
What is the relationship between online and offline extremism? What types of data should be examined in order to understand this relationship? What is the full scope of violent…
In Malaysia’s Covid “infodemic”, crime is all too easy
In Malaysia’s Covid “infodemic”, crime is all too easy
In Malaysia earlier this month, it was reported a woman had been nabbed by the police for spreading false information relating to a supermarket closure in the northern state of…
From Santiago to Sydney, opening Latin America with fibre-optic cable
From Santiago to Sydney, opening Latin America with fibre-optic cable
In 2018, when Australia shared security concerns about Chinese tech giant Huawei with allies and later banned the company from supplying equipment for the development of its fifth…
Japan’s tech industry reboot will have region-wide effects
Japan’s tech industry reboot will have region-wide effects
With Covid-19, Japan has an opportunity to help accelerate the world’s digital transformation and, simultaneously, to revitalise its fragile domestic economy. In an encouraging…
Cyber sovereignty cuts both ways
Cyber sovereignty cuts both ways
The White House's approach to managing the potential security threats posed by TikTok, WeChat and other Chinese-owned apps is hardly a model of procedural justice. Without a…