Facebook and Google are a “menace” to society because of their failure to protect against “the consequences of their actions,” the billionaire investor George Soros said. Speaking at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, Soros launched an aggressive and multipronged attack on the tech giants, accusing them of “monopolistic” and anticompetitive behavior. He said the firms were encouraging “addiction” like gambling companies and called them “obstacles to innovation.” The billionaire investor and philanthropist George Soros has launched a blistering and multipronged attack on Facebook and Google, arguing the tech giants’ size and “monopolistic” behavior had made them a “menace” to society, damaged democracy, and encouraged “addiction” akin to gambling companies. Speaking on Thursday at the World Economic Forum … [Read more...] about George Soros calls Facebook and Google a ‘menace’ to society and ‘obstacles to innovation’ in blistering attack
Society
Watch the full discussion: AI and its impact on society
Watch the full discussion on artificial intelligence and its implications for society. Business Insider CEO Henry Blodget moderates a panel of AI experts from the Microsoft Cafe in Davos, Switzerland. Microsoft president Brad Smith, Princeton University professor Jennifer Rexford, and Mckinsey Global Institute chairman James Manyika discuss how to ensure AI can be a source for good. Opening remarks by Philip Hammond, Chancellor of the Exchequer. … [Read more...] about Watch the full discussion: AI and its impact on society
We’re an ageing society. More sex please?
The Thai government wants its citizens to have more sex. Yes, really. As if there isn't a lot of it going on already, right? Actually, the government just wants to encourage couples to have more than one child.It offers to double the tax breaks for each child after the first one from 30,000 baht to 60,000 baht. Parents can also claim up to 60,000 baht in deductions for prenatal care and delivery expenses.Why would the government spend 2.5 billion baht a year to urge citizens to engage in more amorous activities?Planners are worried that Thailand is becoming an ageing society at the same time that the overall fertility rate has been declining.They fear there will not be enough people to make up for lost labour as older people retire from the work force.Statistics from the Interior Ministry show there are currently just over 700,000 new births per year compared to over a million new births during the boom years in the late 60s through the 80s.They are worried by the declining ratio … [Read more...] about We’re an ageing society. More sex please?
Is Thailand’s civil society waking up again?
It is hard to believe how the military-backed government of Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha that appeared so strong not so long ago now looks shaky enough to be untenable. For more than three years from the time it seized power by force in May 2014, the military regime carried the day with ease. There were sporadic noises of dissent but they were not sufficiently sustained and critical to be a threat to government's survival. These civil society noises, together with political parties, are now on rise and may build into a crescendo of opposition to the military government. Thailand's civil society that has been so instrumental in political change and democratisation in the past may be making a comeback after a dormant and divided period if entrenched military rule continues to abuse power at will.The saga over the luxury watches worn by Deputy Prime Minister and Defence Minister Prawit Wongsuwon has galvanised civil society and the Thai public more than any other dubious government … [Read more...] about Is Thailand’s civil society waking up again?
Change in Canadian society on sexual harassment ‘not fast enough,’ Trudeau says
OTTAWA—Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says he believes society is still lagging behind the systemic changes he is trying to make on Parliament Hill when it comes to preventing and responding to sexual harassment and other inappropriate behaviour.“We recognize that this particular workplace that is Parliament Hill is one that is rife with hierarchies and power dynamics wrapped up in and around an institution that for centuries has been the purview of a certain type of person — older, male, successful,” Trudeau said this week in a roundtable interview with The Canadian Press.That, however, has started to change, the prime minister suggested, with the election of a more diverse group of MPs and political staff — although the consequences of that long-standing, male-dominated hierarchy have clearly not disappeared overnight.“We have a system that has changed, but a society that is changing not fast enough, and that is going to lead to difficult … [Read more...] about Change in Canadian society on sexual harassment ‘not fast enough,’ Trudeau says