August 16, 2017

Censored Internet; Is China Really Pro-Business?

Posted on August 16, 2017June 11, 2019 by Imee Malabonga

When it comes to internet access and social media, China is not usually one to conform. Their world-famous Great Wall of China has a virtual counterpart, dubbed the Great Firewall, which is causing a lot of chaos locally as well as globally. With the next major political gathering on its horizon, companies worldwide are wondering how China VPN crackdown will affect businesses in the country as well as around the globe.

…cutting off internal corporate VPNs has already triggered companies to consider reducing or completely closing operations in China.

While a large chunk of the world today has access to practically unlimited information with just a single click, in China, censors control and monitor every citizen while on the internet. The Great Firewall is a countrywide restriction that employs a minimum of 2 million of these online censors.

China is notorious for banning access to thousands of websites including popular ones such as YouTube, Facebook, Instagram and even Google. However, the country’s tech-savvy have found ways to bypass these constraints, most notably via virtual private networks (VPNs). This software redirects an internet connection so the accessed information appears to come from a different location. This means anybody who uses a VPN app in China can access these forbidden sites.

The Chinese Communist Party (CCP), China’s founding and ruling political party, is having its 19th Congress this fall. As the country’s governance changes so will its political direction. Experts believe this will most definitely lead to targeting and suppressing VPNs, which has already begun affecting international business at the start of this year.

Could completely losing VPN access in the world’s second largest economy mean massive censorship and a total communication blackout from the rest of the world? What impact will it have on multinational commerce and China’s supposedly pro-business reputation?

Bloomberg News stated that the communist government has ordered their three largest and state-owned telecommunications companies, China Mobile, China Unicom, and China Mobile, to prevent their users from running any VPN apps. With 860 million, 268 million, and 227 million subscribers respectively, banning VPNs was a bold move that is turning businesses off from investing or continuing their ties with the global superpower. The Chinese government expects to block VPN access altogether, both legally and otherwise, by February 1, 2018.

Time has also recently reported that Apple is supporting the crackdown overseas. Only last Saturday, the Silicon Valley bigwig removed popular VPN apps from the China App Store. Martin Johnson, co-founder of the censorship-monitoring site GreatFire.org, says Apple has become “an integral part of China’s censorship apparatus, helping the government expand its control to a global scale.”

Businesses Scaling the Great Firewall

Apple issued a statement saying they were required to remove VPN apps, which do not meet the new regulations in China, but only within the country. “These apps remain available in all other markets where they do business,” they assured consumers.

Even so, this is still potentially problematic for many reasons. For example, locals and even foreign visitors cannot access credible news sources like the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and Bloomberg, among many others. This may also affect tourism, as the world has gotten accustomed to accessing and sharing information in real-time. Even academics are potentially in danger since students and researchers have very limited access to published journals and are unable to reach out to individuals outside of Mainland China.

However, probably the most troublesome impact of the universal VPN ban involves China-based employees of global companies who will have issues conducting business as usual. Some restrictions they face include, no longer being able to use Google Docs and Gmail to collaborate with their worldwide counterparts, as well as the inability to use VPNs to secure sensitive company data. Imagine being an executive, or even an employee, sent for official business and not being able to access your company email.

Jane Parker, vice president of the U.S.-China Business Council, told the South China Morning Post that previously cutting off internal corporate VPNs has already triggered companies to consider reducing or completely closing operations in China.

CNN concurs, reporting that the U.S. views this bold censorship, along with a very strict new cybersecurity law enacted in June, as a “barrier to trade” and states that China’s “extensive blocking of legitimate websites” affects far too many aspects such as networking, news, communications, and billions of dollars’ worth of business.

Maryland Establishes UAV Test Center

Posted on August 16, 2017March 6, 2020 by Staff Writer

Autonomous technology is one of those news buzzwords that’s beginning to take hold in reality. In Cumberland, Maryland, an interstate agency is promoting an exciting new venture that involves building an autonomous technology testing center. The center will be used to test both driverless cars and drones.

That (request for proposal) will tell us whether this was a really good idea, or rather, we are kind of pipe-dreaming.

The Potomac Highlands Airport Authority, an interstate agency in West Virginia, has recently announced that they voted unanimously to fund half of a feasibility study. This study will tackle the proposed autonomous technology testing center scheduled to be located at The Greater Cumberland Regional Airport.

Having a technology center in the area means being at the forefront of innovation. It will also give Cumberland, Maryland a chance to be known as one of the country’s leading technology hubs.

William Atkinson, the Program Manager of Appalachian Regional Commission and the Director of the Maryland Department of Planning (Western Maryland Regional Office), will fund the other half of the feasibility study. The study is planned to cost no more than $60,000.

According to Atkinson, “That (request for proposal) will tell us whether this was a really good idea, or if we are kind of pipe-dreaming.”

It was reported that since The Greater Cumberland Regional Airport is a nonprofit, the creation of a building in order to house the technology center could theoretically take place. The site could also be leased back to a certain company down the road.

Logistically building the center is going to cost about $5 million. Half of the fund will be shouldered by the Appalachian Regional Commission, and the other half will in theory come from the state of Maryland.

Drone Center Becomes Autonomous Center

The original plan was to solely build a drone testing center, and now, it has broadened to the creation of an autonomous technology testing center. With the help of Kevon Clark, the Executive Director of the Mineral County Development Authority, Atkinson can already further develop the proposal for this advanced technology center.

Because there is an underlying threat to the security of the driverless technology, Atkinson had an idea to include a cybersecurity department for their planned autonomous technology.

“Allegany College has a really good cybersecurity program. So, one of the things they are going to be looking at is room for expansion in that program into autonomous cybersecurity,” Atkinson said.

Alongside Allegany College, Frostburg State University is also looking to be a part of the innovative project. Times News stated that the Appalachian Regional Commission is already funding the development of an unmanned aerial vehicle remote sensing training center for Frostburg State University.

The Potomac Highlands Airport Authority’s proposed technology center has been well-thought-out. Members of the agency do not see any issues that might alarm the Federal Aviation Administration.

The development of an autonomous technology in a specific area has massive and bold perks. It can be used for agriculture, mining, defense operation, and construction purposes. The proposed technology center in Maryland is just the start to a wider modernization around the globe. If the project becomes a success, the area will certainly make its mark in the world of technology.

Smart Car Test on I95

Posted on August 16, 2017March 6, 2020 by Staff Writer

The state of Virginia is attempting to wrestle the title, Capital of Driverless Cars, from California. Governor Terry McAuliffe has promised to spend the rest of his term making Virginia the capital of automated vehicles.

The tests will emphasize speed harmonization, a concept that provides a smooth flow of the traffic stream, reducing bottlenecks while increasing reliability.

Citing the more than 280 wineries, within the state, McAuliffe asserted that Virginia is already closing in on California regarding the crucial industry of winemaking. His focus is now on grabbing the world’s attention with the development of automated cars in Virginia. Michigan, Pennsylvania, Texas, Massachusetts and Arizona are also vying for the title.

An agreement among four agencies involved in the supervision and operation of Virginia’s Interstate 95 has paved the way to begin testing smart cars over a three-year period, which is still subject to an extension. This agreement allows for testing to be conducted when the express lanes are closed to the public. An exact schedule is being prepared by the Federal Highway Administration. Later on, testing will be conducted under light traffic conditions.

As California holds the distinction for having the most comprehensive regulations on the subject, Virginia makes their pitch anchored on the lack of legislation and rules pertaining to self-driving vehicles. Virginia Transportation Secretary, Aubrey Layne, has stated that the absence of rules pertaining to autonomous vehicles is intentional on their part.

Virginia Bids to Be the Capital of Smart Cars

Express lanes in Virginia will become the testing grounds of smart cars which are believed to be the future of transportation. The emerging technology will be tested on the lanes of Interstates 95 and 495. The smart vehicles will communicate wirelessly with one another as well as with the road’s infrastructure. Virginia’s express lanes are deemed ideal for testing purposes because of their separation from the primary lanes.

Virginia’s Assistant Secretary of Transportation, Ronique Day, hopes there will be no significant impact on the regular flow of traffic during the testing process. He believes the tests will potentially show how automated technology, as well as the proposed connected vehicle technology, can improve the state’s transportation system. They also hope the testing of smart cars on the interstate will start a new era for the department.

The three-year tests aim to significantly improve traffic flow and safety. Testing will include the Cooperative Adaptive Cruise Control, which involves a group of vehicles forming a platoon (a train of cars that travel closely together). It will also include tractor-trailer platoons traveling in groups of three.

The tests will emphasize speed harmonization, a concept that provides a smooth flow of the traffic stream, reducing bottlenecks while increasing reliability. Backers also hope the tests will reveal that driverless cars reduce the environmental impact of vehicles on the road and improve road safety, comfort and convenience.

The tests also aim to determine the viability of automated and connected vehicle technologies when it comes to improving lane changes, and merging off and on to roadways. These issues are something American motorists are very familiar with.

The integration of emerging transportation technologies into the infrastructure of US transportation began more than ten years ago, but has accelerating in recent years. The US Department of Transportation started a pilot program for automated and connected vehicle technology in 2015. The aforementioned pilot programs are currently being undertaken in New York City, Tampa, Wyoming, and Michigan.

As different states employ diverse approaches concerning the development of emerging technologies, the common goal remains to utilize these bold developments to innovate transportation. However, progressing the transportation industry will only be realized after a thorough series of testing is done within a real world environment.

Apple Seeks Patent for AR Glasses

Posted on August 16, 2017November 8, 2024 by Staff Writer

Apple AR Glasses patent has been filed to secure the rights to a new pair of augmented reality (AR) glasses. Designs outline how a pair of semi-transparent glasses, like a funky pair of reading glasses, can pair with a smartphone and transport the user into a virtual reality.

I do think that a significant portion of the population of developed countries, and eventually all countries, will have AR experiences every day.

According to Fox News, users will be able to walk around wearing the glasses while the technology will show information about an object when it is being looked at. It could also become a more “involved technology” which will allow add-ons to access already existing information, like a car dashboard for example.

The patent was originally filed by startup company Metaio, a business Apple acquired in 2015. The technology giant has not yet revealed what it plans to do with the project or when it will be released.

Bold Business recently revealed how AR is set to take off in a big way. A UK-based technology company was one of the first to develop the innovative new way of searching the internet. By using an augmented reality (AR) program that can send information to a user’s phone when they “look” at an object.

The Blippar visual app uses the camera on a smartphone or tablet to activate an instant digital search, that draws information from the internet, about the object in focus.

Instant Info Retrieval Apple AR

According to The Telegraph, a newspaper in the UK, the advancements in technology can lead to many new exciting possibilities. For example, when focusing a device on an album cover the technology can generate videos of the band, a source to buy concert tickets, Twitter posts, and the latest photographs. The app can also be used on fiction books, film posters, and even as an educational tool for students as well as those with learning difficulties.

Apple’s new AR glasses utilize a similar concept to the Blippar visual app. Instead of the user operating their smartphone as the “viewer”, the glasses will conduct the same function.

Apple has filed many AR and VR patents over the years, but this is by far their greatest technological achievement so far, and if successful it could propel the industry forward at a rapid rate.

“I imagine they’re spending a lot of money doing research and development work around glasses and headsets, and would think we’ll see something from them in that category over the next few years,” Jan Dawson, Jackdaw Research analyst, told Fox News.

Tim Cook, Apple’s CEO, has talked extensively about the potential AR and VR have. The firm’s latest patent just goes to prove the direction of their business and how they are developing their products.

“I do think that a significant portion of the population of developed countries, and eventually all countries, will have AR experiences every day, almost like eating three meals a day,” Cook said recently. “It will become that much a part of you, a lot of us live on our smartphones, the iPhone, I hope, is very important for everyone, so AR will become really big.”

AR and VR are becoming big business. Deloitte Global recently revealed that the VR sector exceeded $1 billion in 2016. The industry is set to reach the multi-billion-dollar mark annually before 2020. Meanwhile, Digi-Capital predicts that the virtual and augmented reality sector could be worth $108 billion by 2021, with AR accounting for $83 billion.

Day: August 16, 2017