AP Technology

February 17, 2025

Emboldened crypto industry seeks to cement political influence and mainstream acceptance

The cryptocurrency industry is emboldened, impatient and eager to cement its influence in politics and mainstream financial systems. Crypto-friendly lawmakers expect two pieces of legislation to become law within the next year. One would set regulations and reserve requirements for issuers of stablecoins, a popular type of crypto whose value is typically tied to the dollar or other traditional currencies. Another sets clear rules on how other digital assets should be regulated. Similar legislation has stalled in past years but many crypto backers expect broad, bipartisan support for passage this time. That’s due in part to the heavy political spending by the crypto industry.

A top Chinese official tours Thai-Myanmar border to highlight crackdown on scam centers

BANGKOK (AP) — Efforts to shut down online scam centers in Myanmar appear to gain momentum with a visit by a top Chinese official to the border zone ahead of expected large-scale repatriations of workers in the illicit industry. The visit Monday by Liu Zhongyi, China’s vice minister of public security, is part of a stepped-up effort by the three countries to address the online scam problem. Areas of Myanmar bordering Thailand have been serving as havens for criminal syndicates employing an estimated hundreds of thousands of people from Southeast Asia and elsewhere who help carry out online scams including false romantic ploys, bogus investment pitches and illegal gambling schemes.

What changes to the CHIPS act could mean for AI growth and consumers

LOS ANGELES (AP) — President Donald Trump has threatened tariffs on semiconductors, arguing that production must be returned to the United States. But the president has also criticized a sweeping Biden-era law designed to revive domestic semiconductor manufacturing by providing billions for computer chips and scientific research. Trump has called the federal contracts made with the help of the CHIPS and Science Act “ridiculous,” signaling that he doesn’t support the program. Experts warn that type of policy would harm consumers and hamstring the U.S. competitive edge in developing chips.

Downloads of DeepSeek’s AI apps paused in South Korea over privacy concerns

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — DeepSeek, a Chinese artificial intelligence startup, has temporarily paused downloads of its chatbot apps in South Korea while it works with local authorities to address privacy concerns, according to South Korean officials on Monday. South Korea’s Personal Information Protection Commission said DeepSeek’s apps were removed from the local versions of Apple’s App Store and Google Play on Saturday evening and that the company agreed to work with the agency to strengthen privacy protections before relaunching the apps. The action does not affect users who have already downloaded DeepSeek on their phones or use it on personal computers.

Mexico awaits new response from Google on dispute over Gulf of Mexico name before filing lawsuit

MEXICO CITY (AP) — Mexico says it’s awaiting a new response from Google to its request that the tech company fully restore the name Gulf of Mexico to its Google Maps service before filing a lawsuit. President Claudia Sheinbaum shared a letter addressed to her government from Google’s vice president of government affairs and public policy. It says that Google will not change the policy it outlined after U.S. President Donald Trump declared the body of water the Gulf of America. Sheinbaum said Monday at a press briefing: “We will wait for Google’s response and if not, we will proceed to court.”

OpenAI board unanimously rejects Elon Musk’s $97.4 billion proposal

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — OpenAI says its board of directors has unanimously rejected a $97.4 billion takeover bid by Elon Musk. Bret Taylor, chair of OpenAI’s board, says OpenAI is not for sale and the board has unanimously rejected Musk’s “latest attempt to disrupt his competition.” OpenAI attorney William Savitt in a letter to Musk’s attorney Friday said the proposal “is not in the best interests of OAI’s mission and is rejected.” Musk, an early OpenAI investor, began a legal offensive against the ChatGPT maker nearly a year ago.

State Department halts plan to buy $400M worth of armored vehicles from Musk’s Tesla

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) — The State Department had been in talks with Elon Musk’s Tesla company to buy armored electric vehicles, but the plans have been put on hold by the Trump administration after reports emerged about a potential $400 million purchase. A State Department spokesperson said the electric car company owned by Musk was the only one that expressed interest back in May 2024. The deal with Tesla was only in its planning phases but it was forecast to be the largest contract of the year. It shows how some of his wealth has come and was still expected to come from taxpayers.

Amazon workers in North Carolina vote against joining union

Workers at an Amazon warehouse in North Carolina have rejected a proposal to unionize. They are the latest group of the company’s employees to side against union representation. The National Labor Relations Board said Saturday said about three-quarters of employees at an Amazon fulfillment center in Garner, a town located near Raleigh, voted against joining a grassroots labor organization called Carolina Amazonians United for Solidarity and Empowerment. The federal labor agency said 2,447 workers cast ballots against union representation while 829 voted in favor of joining the independent union, which is made up of former and current Amazon workers.

TikTok returns to Apple and Google app stores in the US

HONG KONG (AP) — TikTok has returned to the app stores of Apple and Google in the U.S., after President Donald Trump delayed the enforcement of a TikTok ban. TikTok, which is operated by Chinese technology firm ByteDance, was removed from Apple and Google’s app stores on Jan. 18 to comply with a law that requires ByteDance to divest the app or be banned in the U.S. The popular social media app, which has over 170 million American users, previously suspended its services in the U.S. for a less than a day before restoring service following assurances from Trump that he would postpone banning the app. On Trump’s first day in office, he signed an executive order to extend the enforcement of a ban on TikTok to April 5.