The Cross Heads

Facing ban next month, TikTok begs SCOTUS for help

TikTok: Ban is slippery slope to broad US censorship According to TikTok, the government’s defense of the ban to prevent China from wielding a “covert” influence over Americans is a farce invented by lawyers to cover up the true mission of censorship. If the lower court’s verdict stands, TikTok alleged, “then Congress will have free […]

December 17, 2024 | bytedance, china, First Amendment, free speech, Policy, tiktok, TikTok ban, trump administration | No comments

China orbits first Guowang internet satellites, with thousands more to come

While there are open questions about how China will use its satellite megaconstellations, their deployment will require a significant increase in the country’s launch capacity, driving the development of new commercial rockets, including reusable boosters, to lower costs and increase their flight rate. The Long March 5B rocket, developed by China’s incumbent state-owned launch company, is […]

December 17, 2024 | broadband, china, launch, long march, long march 5b, megaconstellation, Science, Space, space debris, US Space Force | No comments

TikTok’s two paths to avoid US ban: Beg SCOTUS or woo Trump

“What the Act targets is the PRC’s ability to manipulate that content covertly,” the ruling said. “Understood in that way, the Government’s justification is wholly consonant with the First Amendment.” TikTok likely to appeal to Supreme Court TikTok is unsurprisingly frustrated by the ruling. In a statement provided to Ars, TikTok spokesperson Michael Hughes confirmed […]

December 6, 2024 | bytedance, china, national security, Policy, tiktok, TikTok ban | No comments

China hits US with ban on critical minerals used in tech manufacturing

Although China’s response to the latest curbs was swift and seemingly strong, experts told Ars that China’s response to Biden’s last round of tariffs was relatively muted. It’s possible that this week’s ban on exports into the US could also be a response to President-elect Donald Trump’s threat to increase tariffs on all Chinese goods […]

December 3, 2024 | biden administration, china, china tariffs, Donald Trump, export ban, Policy, rare earth metals, tech manufacturing, us-china trade war | No comments

Over the weekend, China debuted a new rocket on the nation’s path to the Moon

These startups operate with the blessing of China’s government and, in many cases, got their start by utilizing surplus military equipment and investment from Chinese local or provincial governments. However, the Chinese Communist Party has allowed them to raise capital from private sources, and they operate on a commercial basis, almost exclusively to serve domestic […]

December 2, 2024 | china, launch, long march, long march 12, moon, Science, Space | No comments

Rocket Report: A good week for Blue Origin; Italy wants its own launch capability

NASA taps Falcon Heavy for another big launch. A little more than a month after SpaceX launched NASA’s flagship Europa Clipper mission on a Falcon Heavy rocket, the space agency announced its next big interplanetary probe will also launch on a Falcon Heavy, Ars reports. What’s more, the Dragonfly mission the Falcon Heavy will launch […]

November 28, 2024 | blue origin, china, human spaceflight, italy, launch, rocket lab, rocket report, Science, Space, spacex | No comments

Trump targets Mexico and Canada with tariffs, plus an extra 10% for China

Trump had in particular targeted Mexico on the campaign trail, threatening to impose “whatever tariffs are required—100 percent, 200 percent, 1,000 percent” to stop Chinese cars from crossing the southern border. He has also warned Mexico’s president, Claudia Sheinbaum, he would impose tariffs of 25 percent if she did not crack down on the “onslaught […]

November 26, 2024 | Canada, china, Donald Trump, mexico, Policy, syndication, tariffs | No comments

Microsoft asks Trump for help with Russian hacks

Smith testified before the US Senate in September that Russia, China, and Iran had stepped up their digital efforts to interfere in global elections this year, including in the US. However, Microsoft’s own security standards have come under fire in recent months. A damning report by the US Cyber Safety Review Board in March said […]

November 22, 2024 | china, cybersecurity, Fancy Bear, hacking, microsoft, russia, Security, syndication | No comments

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