U.S. Anti-Chinese Tech Stance Could Backfire, Big Tech Congressional Hearing, LinkedIn Adds Name Pronunciation Feature

July 22, 2020 — The United States’ attempts to derail the influence of Chinese technology domestically could backfire, CNET reported.

China’s technology offerings are largely high-quality and cost-effective, making them competitive players in the race for universal 5G in the United States. But concerns about the location and data-gathering practices of 5G towers and related technology have made some members of Congress skittish.

Many experts have warned about the implications of government-adjacent Chinese tech companies gaining a competitive advantage over U.S. companies. Such companies could potentially share sensitive information gathered over the networks with the Chinese government.

However, some experts warn that the U.S.’s inward-focused approach to 5G development will allow China to expand into other markets and dominate 5G offerings in developing regions.

“We recognize that network security needs to be addressed for every operator and host country,” said Don Morrissey of Huawei. “And we’ve been advocating for national and global standards for third party testing to ensure the security of the supply chain. But from a cybersecurity perspective, it doesn’t make sense to single out an individual company.”

Big Tech CEOs to testify before Congress

Washington’s assault on Big Tech will culminate in a blockbuster congressional hearing next Monday, Axios reported.

The event will primarily focus on monopolistic and anticompetitive behavior, but lawmakers will grill Big Tech CEOs from Facebook, Google, Amazon and Apple on other adjacent topics as well.

Congressional leaders on both sides of the aisle have long accused Google and other tech companies of anti-competitive practices. Google and Amazon have both been accused of practices favoring their own products in search results.

Content moderation, misinformation and Section 230 will also be discussed.

Chinese technology is also likely to come up, as some members of Congress take a more aggressively anti-China stance. Some government agencies, like the Federal Communications Communication, have gone so far as to classify Chinese tech companies like Huawei and ZTE as national security threats and revoke some of the funding available to them.

LinkedIn adds name pronunciation feature

LinkedIn has added a feature that allows users of its platform to record the correct pronunciation of their names, CNET reported.

“Ever seen someone’s name in writing and find yourself not totally sure how to pronounce it correctly?” said Joseph Akoni of LinkedIn. “Correct pronunciation is not just a common courtesy — it’s an important part of making a good first impression and creating an inclusive workplace.”

LinkedIn users can hear pronunciations on any device, but can only add their own on the platform’s mobile app.

In order to add a pronunciation to their profile, users can tap their profile picture, the edit icon and then “record name pronunciation.”

The feature will be available worldwide within the next month, LinkedIn said.