The Tech Weekender | Top news from the world of technology this week
This week the US FTC clamps down on MasterCard, India sets its deadline for the common charger directive, India recognizes eSports as an official sport, then we tell you about the best gaming laptop money can buy, Apple's run-in with Japan's taxation bureau and North Korea using state sponsored hackers to target South Korea policy makers
The United States Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has ordered Mastercard to provide competing services with the necessary information to process debit card transactions. The FTC called Mastercard's tactics "Illegal" and said it has forced, "merchants to route debit card payments through its payment network." In a proposed order, the FTC said Mastercard will need to hand over the customer account information needed, so that competing services can process debit card payments. It called upon the company to reverse the practice it has been using to keep competitors, "out of the ecommerce debit payment business."
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Device manufacturers have been given a deadline of March 2025, to ensure the products they sell in India have a USB Type-C port for charging. Called the common charger directive, device manufacturers will have to ensure that they follow a common USB Type-C wired charging standard. The European Union (EU) has already given a deadline of December 28, 2024 to device manufacturers for compliance, and the mandate will be enforced a few months after that in India, starting March 2025.
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The President of India, Droupadi Murmu, has asked the Indian Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) and the Sports Ministry to integrate eSports into multi-sports events. According to a report from PTI, The President's notification was issued on December 23 and named the IT Ministry as the nodal agency for all online-gaming related matter. It said that the Sports Ministry will have it include it in the curriculum.
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If you are looking for the best-performing gaming laptop money can buy, then ‘yes’. The Titan is perfect for professional creators by day and enthusiast gamers by night. However, going over-the-top doesn’t get you the best bang for your buck. Even among the top-tier laptops, the Titan stands out for its pricing. There’s no doubt that this is the closet you’ll ever come to desktop gaming performance on a gaming laptop. But you’ll have to spend a hefty amount to get that close.
According to South Korea's National Police Agency, hackers working for the North Korean government have targeted at least 892 of its foreign policy makers to steal personal data, email lists and carrying out ransomware attacks on online malls. The agency told the press that the attacks began in April last year, and targeted think tank experts and professors. The hackers sent phishing emails posing as public figures in South Korea to break into accounts.
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Apple's Tokyo offices in Japan have received a bill of $105 million from Tokyo's Regional Taxation Bureau. The bureau began its investigation last year, and found several unusual transactions that included a tourist purchasing several hundred devices at the Apple Store. It found that tax-exempt sales for a period of two years were made by fraudulent duty-free purchases that would be resold for commercial purposes.
![The United States Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has ordered Mastercard to provide competing services with the necessary information to process debit card transactions. The FTC called Mastercard's tactics "Illegal" and said it has forced, "merchants to route debit card payments through its payment network." In a proposed order, the FTC said Mastercard will need to hand over the customer account information needed, so that competing services can process debit card payments. It called upon the company to reverse the practice it has been using to keep competitors, "out of the ecommerce debit payment business."](https://images.moneycontrol.com/static-mcnews/2022/11/visa-mastercard-rep-770x433.jpg "The United States Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has ordered Mastercard to provide competing services with the necessary information to process debit card transactions. The FTC called Mastercard's tactics "Illegal" and said it has forced, "merchants to route debit card payments through its payment network." In a proposed order, the FTC said Mastercard will need to hand over the customer account information needed, so that competing services can process debit card payments. It called upon the company to reverse the practice it has been using to keep competitors, "out of the ecommerce debit payment business."")
