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This Week In Technology: Microsoft, Equifax, and More

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Microsoft Invests $1Bn In OpenAI

Microsoft announced that it was investing $1Bn in OpenAI on Monday. The two companies formed a multi-year partnership, with the San Francisco-based OpenAI developing AI technology for use on Microsoft’s Azure cloud service. In addition, OpenAI plans to move many of their services to Microsoft.

However, the two companies declined to comment on the deal. “We believe it’s crucial that AGI is deployed safely and securely and that its economic benefits are widely distributed,” Sam Altman, one of OpenAI’s creators. said in a statement. “We are excited about how deeply Microsoft shares this vision.”

Equifax To Pay Up To $700M In Fines

Equifax agreed to pay up to $700M in fines after a data breach in 2017. The Atlanta-based credit score agency recently settled their two-year-long battle with the FTC. In this data breach, the records of nearly 150 million people were exposed. Because of this, the FTC alleges that Equifax failed to take steps to prevent the incident.

As a result, $300M will go towards paying identity theft services and other expenses the victims need. This can also expand up to $425M if need be. The 50 US states and territories will divide the rest up, as well as a penalty paid to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.

Kazakhstan’s New Safety Tool Brings Concerns

Last week, Kazakhstan informed its citizens that they would have to install a new online security certificate. However, many people say this causes many security and privacy issues. In a nation ranked low in human rights standards, this motion draws the public eye even more.

The new security certificate may allow the government to intercept and decrypt the populace’s internet history and usage. In addition, not having a certificate may cause slower speeds and blocked access. Paul Bischoff, from Comparitech, said the move “is about surveillance, not security”. He also encouraged browsers to ban the certificate.

Libra Launch Postponed Until Regulators Are Happy

Global regulators won’t let Facebook launch their cryptocurrency until their concerns are satisfied. Currently, they are worried about money laundering, financial stability, and terrorist funding. “You’ve got to be safe, robust and resilient from day one,” Benoit Coeure, a European Central Bank board member, said in an interview. “It’s not a learning process: either it works or it doesn’t.”

Russia Fines Google For Filter Failure

Russia’s watchdog fined Google $11,100 on Thursday. They said Google failed to fulfill legal requirements to remove entries from its search results that Moscow believes contain illegal information.

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