Apple To Appeal Against $14 Billion EU Tax Demand And 4 Other Updates.

1. Apple to Appeal Against $14 Billion EU Tax Demand.

Apple Inc will challenge the $14 Billion Tax Demand from EU this week as the company officials have argued that European Union’s regulators have ignored corporate laws and tax experts in order to deliberately increase the penalty from one of the highest revenue-generating companies in Ireland.

In 2014, European Union accused Ireland authorities of letting Apple violate Tax reforms to earn billions of dollars in profit in return for maintaining jobs in Ireland. Apple and Ireland denied the accusation and have joined hands to challenge EU Authorities.

2. Germany to Fine 500,000 Euros for every Fake Post on Facebook.

Germany has passed a new law that will allow the authorities to fine Facebook 500,000 Euros for every fake post issued on the portal. Earlier this week, Facebook officials said that they are planning to partner with third-party fact-checking sites like Snopes to tackle the fake news problem and it seems that Germany is not confident about Facebook self- regulating the problem and have passed this new law.

The law will abide all leading internet platforms operating in Germany for around the clock check on verifying every post consisting problematic content and fake news. Facebook Officials are yet to comment on the development.

3. Blackberry Joins the Self-Driving Car Race.

Blackberry will open a Self-Driving car research center in Canada on Monday and this move will cement their position in the autonomous driving vehicle race. Canadian PM Justin Trudeau will inaugurate the research center, making it a high-profile event.

Blackberry officials have stated that rather than focusing on making self-driven cars, the company will provide all the high tech software needed in the business like sensors and tracking chips. Officials also said that the company is not in a position to lose a lot of money in infrastructure and Blackberry will concentrate on the department in which they are a pioneer i.e software.  

4. Google will launch a new self-driving car Unit named Waymo.

Google Inc has announced that the company is all set to launch a new unit, Waymo, which will solely focus on the self-driving car business. Google representatives also said that rather than focusing on the car, the company will focus more on autonomous driving technology. Google Inc has been developing this tech since last seven years and the decision to launch a new unit indicates that the company has moved from a distant ambition to a full-fledged product for the market.

5. Uber launches Self Driving cars in California without applying for a permit.

Uber Technologies Inc. has been offering self-driven cars to its customers since Wednesday in California. The company has ignored regulators’ demand of applying for a permit or take their vehicles off the roads. Uber is not opting for either of the choices as the company claims that permit regulations do not apply to self-driven cars and it doesn’t matter if it costs only $150.

In another case, a self-driven Uber vehicle violated a traffic signal in California, making it a concern for the authorities as well as the company. However, Uber said that the vehicle was controlled by a human monitor and the software had nothing to do with it. The company also claimed that the person was suspended immediately after the error.

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16 December 2016
Rohan Jaitly