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

Tech Devices Displace Memory, Boost Digital Amnesia

Posted July 10th, 2015 at 3:35 pm (UTC-5)
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Digital devices have become where we keep many of the vital pieces of our lives – snapshots once relegated to photo albums, contact information that used to be committed to memory or recorded in address books, even sensitive records kept in filing cabinets. All it takes is one careless moment for all those digitally-stored ‘memories’ […]

Virtual Warsaw; IBM’s Power Chip; Sexism in Games; Windows 10

Posted July 9th, 2015 at 3:33 pm (UTC-5)
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Today’s Tech Sightings: How the Blind Led Warsaw to Internet of Things A project that started in Warsaw, Poland, a few years ago to help the visually impaired get around the city has taken on new life. The service, which provided an app that gave real-time traffic and navigation information based on the user’s location, […]

China’s Privacy Law; Gender on Facebook, Google; Mobile Addiction

Posted July 8th, 2015 at 3:32 pm (UTC-5)
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Today’s Tech Sightings: China’s Draft Cybersecurity Law Could Boost Censorship A draft cybersecurity law just published by China’s parliament boosts privacy protection from hackers and information peddlers, but strengthens government powers to obtain records and block information that might be deemed illegal under Chinese law. The move could have significant implications for Internet service providers […]

AI Demons; the Solar Race; Bitcoin; Cybersecurity; Firefox

Posted July 7th, 2015 at 4:16 pm (UTC-5)
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Today’s Tech Sightings: Five Ideas to End the Demonization of Artificial Intelligence The Future of Life Institute recently announced 37 winners of research grants in the field of Artificial Intelligence (AI), following concerns and warnings from luminaries such as Elon Musk, Stephen Hawking and Bill Gates about the dangers of Artificial Intelligence. The project is […]

Using Biometrics to Track India’s Tuberculosis Cases

Posted July 3rd, 2015 at 2:15 pm (UTC-5)
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Biometrics might be the future of security in cyberspace, but in India, a non-profit is using the technology to help health workers fight tuberculosis (TB). Operation ASHA, a group dedicated to bringing tuberculosis treatment and health services to India’s urban slums and rural villages, has adopted biometrics to ensure that TB patients receive full treatment […]

Laser Internet; Android Malware; Windows 10; Mobile Addiction

Posted July 2nd, 2015 at 3:14 pm (UTC-5)
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Today’s Tech Sightings: Facebook Works to Deliver High Speed Internet Using Laser Facebook founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg said on his social media page that Facebook’s Connectivity Lab is developing a laser communication system that can beam data via drones and satellites, thereby providing Internet connectivity at much higher speeds. New Android Malware Is Sprouting […]

Leap Second; India’s Digital Age; Zuckerberg on Telepathy

Posted July 1st, 2015 at 3:01 pm (UTC-5)
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Today’s Tech Sightings: Leap second Causes Internet Hiccup Overnight Don’t say you weren’t warned. The infamous leap second – that extra second added to sync world clocks with the Earth’s rotation – crashed about 2,000 networks just after midnight Coordinated Universal Time (UTC), half of them in Brazil. Most networks recovered after rebooting their routers. […]

Leap Second; 3-D-Printed Building; VPN Leaks; Apple Price Fixing

Posted June 30th, 2015 at 3:20 pm (UTC-5)
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Today’s Tech Sightings: The Leap Second Is Coming to Confuse the Internet Today It’s June 30; and that could be a problem. Just before midnight in London tomorrow, the world’s atomic clocks will gain a second before reverting back to 00:00:00. The extra leap second is needed to keep the clocks synced with the Earth’s […]

Beware the Mixed Blessings of Mobile Health, Medical Apps

Posted June 26th, 2015 at 3:48 pm (UTC-5)
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Health and medical apps are becoming part of daily life. They track fitness, provide useful health indicators, and even create new health care opportunities in developing countries. But despite their promise, unregulated apps are raising concerns about safety as well as the security of patient data. While health and medical apps can be useful, Kevin […]

Generation Mobile; IoT, Wearable Tech Promise; Yahoo Search

Posted June 25th, 2015 at 3:47 pm (UTC-5)
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Today’s Tech Sightings: Emerging ‘Gen M’ Workforce Requires a Rethink of IT Strategy A new, independent study from MobileIron that polled more than 3,500 professionals about work and personal life has uncovered an emerging demographic called “Generation Mobile” or “Gen M” that likely will require a review of traditional IT strategies. This demographic is described […]