Technology

Italian authorities are working on introducing a smartphone app that would help health services trace the contacts of people who test positive for the coronavirus as the government looks at ways of gradually lifting a lockdown imposed a month ago.

The U.S Justice Department on Wednesday recommended U.S. regulators approve Alphabet Inc unit Google's request to use part of an U.S.-Asia undersea telecommunications cable after the company warned it would face significantly higher prices to carry traffic by other means.

Video conferencing company Zoom has been responsive to concerns over its software, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) said in a memo recently distributed to top government cybersecurity officials and seen by Reuters.

The German foreign ministry has restricted use of the video conferencing service Zoom , saying in an internal memo to employees that security and data protection weaknesses made it too risky to use, newspaper Handelsblatt reported on Wednesday.

Turkey will monitor the mobile phones of those diagnosed with the new coronavirus to ensure they do not break quarantine, authorities said on Wednesday, marking the latest measure to stem an outbreak that has surged over the last month.

The European Union is drawing up common rules for using mobile apps to track the spread of the coronavirus, aiming to make better use of the technology and address privacy concerns.

Tesla Inc told employees on Tuesday it would furlough all non-essential workers and implement salary cuts during a shut down of its U.S. production facilities because of the coronavirus outbreak.

The European Union will on Wednesday adopt a pan-European approach on the use of mobile applications to track the spread of the coronavirus, according to a European Commission document seen by Reuters.

China'a internet regulator ordered search engine Baidu to clean up improper information and halt the spread of "low-brow content."

Twitter Inc Chief Executive Officer Jack Dorsey on Tuesday pledged $1 billion of his stake in Square Inc , the payments processor that he co-founded and heads, to help fund relief efforts related to the coronavirus pandemic.

Amazon.com Inc will suspend a delivery service that aims to compete with UPS and FedEx in the United States.

Taiwanese electronics manufacturer Foxconn will make ventilators with U.S. firm Medtronic Plc to help patients afflicted by the coronavirus outbreak, the company said on Wednesday.

California's Santa Clara County, the technology hub hit hard by some of the first American cases of the coronavirus, dramatically slowed the illness with early and aggressive shelter-at-home rules, public health officer Sara Cody said on Tuesday.

Computer chip makers are banking on less disruptions to their factories from this week's strict lockdown in Singapore than the havoc wreaked on their supply chains last month when Malaysia and the Philippines imposed vague restrictions about "essential" operations.

Boeing Co said late on Tuesday it will make two new software updates to the 737 MAX's flight control computer as it works to win regulatory approval to resume flights after the jet was grounded following two fatal crashes in five months.

A WeWork board committee that negotiated a $3 billion tender offer with SoftBank Group sued the Japanese conglomerate on Tuesday for abandoning the deal, accusing it of succumbing to "buyer's remorse" amid the novel coronavirus outbreak.

California's Department of Motor Vehicles on Tuesday authorized autonomous technology startup Nuro to test two driverless delivery vehicles in nine cities, a decision that comes as coronavirus concerns lock down many in the state.

BlackRock Inc, the world's largest asset manager, has partnered with Microsoft Corp to have its Aladdin investment and risk management system hosted on the Microsoft Azure cloud platform, the companies said on Tuesday.

Netflix Inc on Tuesday rolled out a number of features for parental control on its streaming platform, including options to filter out select titles and review what children are watching.

Taiwan's cabinet has told government agencies to stop using Zoom Video Communications Inc's conferencing app, the latest blow to the company as it battles criticism of its booming platform over privacy and security.