Victor Barreiro Jr.

Philippines

Desk Editor and Technology Reporter at Rappler

Desk Editor and Technology Reporter at @rapplerdotcom, Blogs at https://t.co/FgQr1JbIds. Also on Mastodon: @[email protected]

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Articles

Microsoft to lay off about 6,000 people from workforce

1 day ago | rappler.com | Victor Barreiro Jr.

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[Tech Thoughts] Triggered by cash-for-biometrics scheme, more expensive Netflix, unethical AI research

6 days ago | rappler.com | Victor Barreiro Jr.

April moving into May has been rather crazy. Aside from the regular bits of world news putting a damper on everything — from the various wars, to the troubles with the United States and how its president is treating everyone, to the prices of commodities — it’s no wonder I’m irritable. Adding to this are a bunch of infuriating, if not tiresome, news tidbits in the world of tech that just made me want to pause, put my head in my hands, and begin screaming.
Netflix bumps up prices ahead of Philippine digital tax implementation

1 week ago | rappler.com | Victor Barreiro Jr.

MANILA, Philippines – Streaming giant Netflix listed on Tuesday, May 6, its updated prices for Philippine users ahead of the implementation of a 12% value added tax on digital services, which is set to take effect on June 1. The law imposes this tax on nonresident digital service providers, which would include Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, and Spotify, and other digital services, such as shopping sites like Shein and Temu, and digital game storefronts like Steam and Epic Games.
[Tech Thoughts] Better discernment needed as Filipinos among most targeted by digital fraud

1 week ago | rappler.com | Victor Barreiro Jr.

Recently, global risk information provider and credit reporting agency TransUnion released an update to its State of Omnichannel Fraud Report which, while not exactly exhaustive and definitive in terms of coverage of countries dealing with digital fraud, paints a not-so-wonderful picture of the state of fraudulent activity in the country.
Meta releases standalone AI application

2 weeks ago | rappler.com | Victor Barreiro Jr.

MANILA, Philippines – Meta announced on Tuesday, April 29, it had come out with a standalone AI assistant app meant to challenge the likes of ChatGPT while adding an AI-focused tweak that makes AI use seem social media-ish.
'West Philippine Sea' goes missing on Google Maps

2 weeks ago | rappler.com | Victor Barreiro Jr.

MANILA, Philippines – It appears the “West Philippine Sea” naming has gone missing off the waters west of the Philippines on Google Maps. Previously, the West Philippine Sea naming was placed west of the Philippines, with the South China Sea naming convention slightly northwest of that on Google Maps, as shown below:At the time, a Google spokesperson said that changes were made to affect its visibility, but the labeling was always there.
Duolingo to replace contract workers with AI - CEO

2 weeks ago | rappler.com | Victor Barreiro Jr.

MANILA, Philippines – Duolingo CEO Luis von Ahn released a company-wide email on Monday, April 28, saying the company was going to “gradually stop using contractors to do work that AI can handle.”The email was posted on LinkedIn through Duolingo’s official account. Von Ahn’s email points to this being a push towards making Duolingo “AI-first.” He added: “Being AI-first means we will need to rethink much of how we work.
Catholic cardinals meet to discuss date of conclave for new pope

2 weeks ago | rappler.com | Victor Barreiro Jr.

Any decision could be announced around mid-day at the Vatican, though the conclave is not expected to begin before May 6
DZRH says its news correspondent threatened by Abra mayor

3 weeks ago | rappler.com | Victor Barreiro Jr.

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Intel set to cut more than 20% of workforce - report

3 weeks ago | rappler.com | Victor Barreiro Jr.

MANILA, Philippines – Intel is set to cut over 20% of its workforce, a report from Bloomberg News revealed on Wednesday, April 23 (April 22, US time). The report says the layoffs are part of a strategy meant to refocus Intel into more of an engineering-driven culture. In its report, Reuters called the layoffs the first major move under its new CEO, Lip-Bu Tan, who took over in March. In April, Tan flattened the leadership structure of Intel and streamlined its leadership team.