4 FRANCE
Owners of popular humanoid robot pause production
The owners of the well-known humanoid robot Pepper have decided to pause production , raising questions over people falling out of love with robots imitating humans . The robot was created by French company , Aldebaran , which became the robotics of Japan ’ s SoftBank . SoftBank confirmed to the BBC that it has “ paused ” its production of its new models .
6 CHINA
US tech giants could quit Honk Kong over data privacy laws
US tech giants , Facebook , Google and Twitter have reportedly privately warned the Hong Kong government they could withdraw their services if authorities proceed with changes to data protection laws . The laws could make the tech companies liable for the malicious sharing of individuals ' information online .
5 WORLDWIDE
Rise in ransomware attacks prompt spike in cyber insurance premiums
Rampant ransomware , rising cyberattacks and regulation have caused major spikes in cyber insurance premiums . A report from international broker , Howden , claims rates increased by an average of 32 % year on year in June . Globally , the number of attacks rose by 140 % in the first quarter of last year . technologymagazine . com 17