EXPLAINER: Starving for more chips in a tech-hungry world
MICHAEL LIEDTKE and TOM KRISHER, AP Business Writers
April 1, 2021
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1of6In this aerial photo, mid-sized pickup trucks and full-size vans are seen in a parking lot outside a General Motors assembly plant where they are produced Wednesday, March 24, 2021, in Wentzville, Mo. As the U.S. economy awakens from its pandemic-induced slumber, a vital cog is in short supply: the computer chips that power our cars and other vehicles, and a vast number of other items we take for granted. Ford, GM and Stellantis have started building vehicles without some computers, putting them in storage with plans to retrofit them later.Jeff Roberson/APShow MoreShow Less
Large Florida school district hit by ransomware attack
TERRY SPENCER and FRANK BAJAK, Associated Press
April 1, 2021
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FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) The computer system of one of the nation s largest school districts was hacked by a criminal gang that encrypted district data and demanded $40 million in ransom or it would erase the files and post students and employees personal information online.
Broward County Public Schools said in a statement Thursday that there is no indication that any personal information has been stolen and that it made no extortion payment to the ransomware gang, which as an apparent pressure tactic last week posted screenshots of its online negotiations with the district to its site on the dark web.
Polish state websites hacked and used to spread false info
March 17, 2021
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WARSAW, Poland (AP) Two Polish government websites were hacked Wednesday and used briefly to spread false information about a non-existent radioactive threat, in what a Polish government official said had the hallmarks of a Russian cyberattack.
The National Atomic Energy Agency and Health Ministry websites briefly carried claims of a supposed nuclear waste leak coming from neighboring Lithuania and threatening Poland.
In addition, the Twitter account of a journalist who often writes about Russian and eastern European affairs was also hacked and used to further spread the information.
Founder of Chinese e-commerce firm Pinduoduo departs
ZEN SOO, AP Technology Writer
March 17, 2021
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HONG KONG (AP) Colin Huang, founder of the Chinese e-commerce firm Pinduoduo, stepped down as chairman Wednesday just as the company’s annual user base surpassed that of rival Alibaba.
Huang, who founded Pinduoduo in 2015 and is China’s third-richest man with a net worth of about $56 billion, said that he is giving up the chairmanship to pursue research in food and life sciences.
Huang’s board seat will be taken by CEO Chen Lei, according to the company.
Shares of Pinduoduo, which is listed on Nasdaq, tumbled 7% following the announcement.
Ford partners with U-M on robotics research, new building
COREY WILLIAMS, Associated Press
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1of6In a frame grab from video, robots walk across the floor of the University of Michigan s Ford Motor Co. Robotics Building, March 12, 2021 in Ann Arbor, Mich. The four-story, $75 million, 134,000-square-foot complex has three floors that house classrooms and research labs for robots that fly, walk, roll and augment the human body.Carlos Osorio/APShow MoreShow Less
2of6Exterior of the University of Michigan s Ford Motor Co. Robotics Building is seen, March 12, 2021 in Ann Arbor, Mich. The four-story, $75 million, 134,000-square-foot complex has three floors that house classrooms and research labs for robots that fly, walk, roll and augment the human body.Carlos Osorio/APShow MoreShow Less