Masha Borak
Rest of World
Hong Kong
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Past articles by Masha:
$620 for an HIV diagnosis: Russians buy their way out of military service on Telegram
The platform has given rise to a robust cottage industry helping Russian men avoid mobilization. → Read More
Fleeing Putin, Russian tech workers find a home in Armenia
“If Russia wins, everything in Russia will be bad. If Russia loses, everything will still be bad. I see no sense in returning there.” → Read More
Croatia’s China-built, EU-funded bridge to open over troubled waters
Beijing’s way of doing business and its rigid Covid-19 response have damaged its relationships in key belt and road corridor, experts say. → Read More
In Ukraine, Elon Musk’s Starlink finally found its right place, right time
For years, the much-hyped satellite internet venture has struggled with delays and doubts. → Read More
Russian influencers desperately scramble to maintain their followers — and livelihoods
Increasingly isolated, creators are moving to Russian platform alternatives like VK, Yandex Zen, and RuTube. → Read More
“I bought a one-way ticket”: Inside Russia’s sudden tech exodus
Facing sanctions, conscription and internet restrictions, Russian tech workers are fleeing the country. → Read More
Ukraine’s tech community rallies to support refugees and battle misinformation
From an Airbnb for displaced people to a volunteer cyber army, Ukrainian technologists have joined the war effort. → Read More
Can China’s drive to protect gig economy workers work by pressing Big Tech to give more?
The focus on labour rights is part of the Chinese government’s push to create a fairer society and narrow the income gap under President Xi Jinping. Internet companies must now sign labour contracts with their gig workers, and provide them with the insurance coverage of state-run insurers. → Read More
Huawei employs more lobbyists in the EU than Google, Facebook, Microsoft and Apple, but spends less
Huawei has the full-time equivalent of 19 lobbyists on payroll in the EU, more than Big Tech rivals, as it tries to fight curbs to its market access. → Read More
ByteDance makes another move into metaverse with acquisition of VR start-up , Digital News
ByteDance, the Beijing-based maker of short video platform TikTok, has made another move towards creating its own metaverse with the acquisition of virtual reality (VR) start-up Pico Interactive. The company said that Pico Interactive’s software and hardware, as well as its talent and expertise, will support ByteDance’s “entry to the VR space and long-term investment in this emerging field”.… → Read More
App stores pull China's former 'podcast king' and 66 others for data abuse, Digital News
Dragonfly FM, one of China's biggest podcast platforms with 130 million monthly active users, was one of 67 apps recently removed from app stores at the behest of regulators. The Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) said in a statement on Wednesday (Aug 25) that the apps failed to fix issues such as asking users for too many device... → Read More
Didi announces first, albeit delayed, update of its ride-hailing app since Beijing ban and cybersecurity probe
Didi introduces breakdown of drivers income after criticism over lack of transparency on pricing and fee sharing. → Read More
China declares war on 'fake news' in blow to social media, Digital News
China has launched a new campaign to crack down on “fake news” in Beijing’s latest effort to clean up online content, placing additional pressure on the country’s social media platforms to screen out unsanctioned information, likely impacting citizen journalists. The campaign will target “illegal news activities” by news organisations and staff, internet platforms and public accounts, as well as… → Read More
AI unicorn SenseTime appoints Three-Body Problem author Liu Cixin as director of ‘immersive’ sci-fi research project
China’s most famous sci-fi writer will work with SenseTime, the country’s top facial recognition firm, on an ‘innovative and immersive offline entertainment experience’. → Read More
China antitrust: Didi’s ride hailing dominance prompts scrutiny before it sets forth for its Uber-beating New York IPO
Didi is not the only Chinese technology behemoth to have come under the scrutiny of SAMR, as regulators catch up after more than a decade of laissez faire growth in every aspect of the country’s technology-related industry, from games to online entertainment, e-commerce to electronic payments. → Read More
ByteDance, Tencent apps among latest batch targeted for misuse of user data, Digital News
Popular news aggregation app Jinri Toutiao developed by TikTok owner ByteDance has been named in a new batch of 129 apps ordered to rectify their user data collection practices by China’s internet watchdog. Jinri Toutiao, meaning Today’s Headlines, alongside Tencent-operated Kuai Bao and Tencent News, Sogou News by New York-listed Sogou, and Nasdaq-listed Qutoutiao, were among a group of news... → Read More
Bitcoin mining refugees: China’s cryptocurrency crackdown pushes miners overseas
Large bitcoin mining companies are looking at moving operations to North America and Central Asia after taking advantage of cheap electricity in China, which recently initiated a new crackdown in response to volatile price swings. → Read More
As China’s working population falls, factories turn to machines to pick up the slack
China’s factories are turning to automation to upgrade production lines, and at the same time prepare for fewer, higher-skilled workers. Chinese manufacturing companies like Midea have already embraced automation to sharply reduce the number of humans needed. → Read More
As China’s working population falls, factories turn to machines to pick up the slack
China’s factories are turning to automation to upgrade production lines, and at the same time prepare for fewer, higher-skilled workers. Chinese manufacturing companies like Midea have already embraced automation to sharply reduce the number of humans needed. → Read More
US-China tech war: basic research in AI, semiconductors and biotech gets closer to US$110 billion boost in US
A US Senate committee has authorised US$110 billion in spending for basic research in AI, semiconductors, biotech and other areas as the country aims to counter China. → Read More