Aida Akl
Aida Akl is a journalist working on VOA's English Webdesk. She has written on a wide range of topics, although her more recent contributions have focused on technology. She has covered both domestic and international events since the mid-1980s as a VOA reporter and international broadcaster.

All posts by Aida Akl

Thailand’s Firewall; the Next Big Thing; Android; Steve Jobs

Posted October 8th, 2015 at 3:38 pm (UTC-5)
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Today’s Tech Sightings: Thai Military’s Plan for ‘Great Firewall’ Risks Internet Competition Free speech advocates and former officials say the proposal by Thailand’s military government to create a single, controlled Internet gateway would kill competition and be seen as the latest effort to smother freedom of expression and dissent. Android Creator Thinks the Next Big […]

Nong Kalaland; Nepal’s Drones; Internet Use & Teen Health; Microsoft

Posted October 7th, 2015 at 3:37 pm (UTC-5)
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Today’s Tech Sightings: Thailand’s Gamers Fight to Save Open Internet Thailand’s idea of controlling Internet traffic through one gateway is not sitting well with a lot of the country’s citizens. Several groups that include privacy activists – even gamers – have united to take down government websites with coordinated Distributed Denial of Service attacks. The […]

Satellite Internet; Twitter’s Cultural Footprint; Windows 10

Posted October 6th, 2015 at 3:35 pm (UTC-5)
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Today’s Tech Sightings: Zuckerberg: Facebook Will Deliver ‘Internet From Space’ to Africa Facebook’s internet.org and satellite operator Eutelsat Communications will launch a satellite next year to deliver broadband Internet services to rural communities in Africa. Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg wrote in his blog that the company will work with local providers to help communities access the […]

Mobile Learning Plugs China’s Education Gap

Posted October 2nd, 2015 at 3:39 pm (UTC-5)
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A new Chinese government pilot program is taking aim at the education gap between the country’s urban and rural communities with help from Microsoft Office365 Education and digital classroom platform, Mobiliya Edvelop. Spearheaded by the China Development Research Foundation, a government think tank, the three-year program is being tested in eight participating schools in Qinghai and Guizhou […]

Thailands’ Internet; Freevolt; Skype; Android Blues

Posted October 1st, 2015 at 2:12 pm (UTC-5)
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Today’s Tech Sightings: Thai Government Faces Opposition in Bid to Build Single Internet Gateway Thailand’s plan to route all Internet traffic through one gateway is under fire. Former minister of information and communication technology, Anudith Nakornthap, a member of Thailand’s Pheu Thai Party, said the plan would slow down online services and could bring down […]

Google; Data Overload; Linux DDoS; iOS 9 Bugs; Windows Privacy

Posted September 29th, 2015 at 4:50 pm (UTC-5)
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Today’s Tech Sightings: Key Google Announcements Expected Today, September 29 The San Francisco event will highlight new features for Google’s Nexus 5X smartphone. The company also is expected to talk about its Android Marshmallow mobile operating system, Chromecast and other products. Study: ‘Data Overload’ Is Leaving UK Users Stressed, Sleep-Deprived A study of about 1,000 adults […]

Red Cross Puts World’s Most Vulnerable Spots on the Map

Posted September 25th, 2015 at 1:32 pm (UTC-5)
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The American Red Cross is stitching thousands of crowdsourced photos into OpenStreetMap to get a better view of the world’s most vulnerable communities and assess their needs as part of its Missing Maps project. Founded by the Red Cross, the Humanitarian OpenStreetMap Team and Doctors Without Borders, the Missing Maps project plots out vulnerable sites in developing […]

The Pope & Tech; Internet Broadband; Tetris; Kaspersky; Firefox Chat

Posted September 24th, 2015 at 3:31 pm (UTC-5)
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Today’s Tech Sightings: What Does the Pope Think About Technology? #It’sComplicated He poses for selfies. He thinks the Internet is a “gift from God” and has 7.2 million followers on Twitter. Yet Pope Francis believes digital media “can stop people from learning how to live wisely” and warns that too much digital data can cause […]

E-Learning; Thailand’s Firewall; Apple’s Ghost; Killer Selfies

Posted September 22nd, 2015 at 8:30 pm (UTC-5)
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Today’s Tech Sightings: Khan Academy Brings Free Learning to Android The non-profit educational group, Khan Academy, is planning to release a dedicated Android app and a redesigned iPhone app for its online courses. The new apps include improved search and an offline learning mode, among other features that allow students to keep track of their […]

Coding for Kids; Coursera; Google in India; Internet TV

Posted September 22nd, 2015 at 3:00 pm (UTC-5)
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Today’s Tech Sightings: Coding for Kids Makes Sense, Needs More Than Just Classrooms Coding is becoming increasingly popular to create a new generation of young programmers, with some countries already requiring coding classes in public schools. But the effort faces some challenges, including teacher availability and new approaches to teaching. Google Tips ‘Nanodegree’ Program for […]