Parler is partially running again with the help of a Russian tech firm, the FBI looks into a stolen laptop from the Capitol assault, and office vacancies in downtown Toronto are on a rise.
It’s all the tech news that’s popular right now. Welcome to Hashtag Trending! It’s Wednesday, January 20, and I’m your host Baneet Braich.
Parler partially reappears with support from Russian technology firm from technology
Parler lives on – for now. The social platform has reappeared with the support of a Russain technology firm. The current internet protocol Parler is using is owned by DDos-Guard and controlled by two Russian men. An infrastructure expert told Reuters that it provides protection from distributed denial of service attacks. The publication also says that DDoS-Guard has worked with other racist, rightist and conspiracy sites that have been used by mass murderers to share messages. Parler critics say its a security risk to depend on a Russain company. So far the website is partially restored however, Parler remains banned from Apple and Google stores.
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ABC News is reporting that the FBI is investigating whether a woman who allegedly participated in the Jan. 6 assault on the U.S. Capitol stole a computer or hard drive from the office of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. Not only that, the FBI is looking into whether or not she had the intention of selling it to Russia’s intelligence service. Riley June Williams’ whereabouts were unknown until late Monday when the Department of Justice reported she had been taken into custody in Pennsylvania.
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Are you currently in your work office? If not, I’m sure others can relate. according to commercial real estate firm CBRE, Office vacancies in downtown Toronto surged at the end of 2020 to 7.2 per cent. CBRE Canada Vice Chairman says “We’re seeing larger, well-capitalized tenants wait for the vaccine to resume operations, while smaller businesses have had to adjust their office commitments in order to meet current challenges.” its increased over half from the third quarter last year. Sublet space also hit an all-time high and makes up more than 40 per cent of the vacant space. Beyond Toronto, the national vacancy rate is also setting a record since 2004 and has currently risen to 13.4 per cent. [LinkedIn]
That’s all the tech news that’s trending right now. Hashtag Trending is a part of the ITWC Podcast network. Add us to your Alexa Flash Briefing or your Google Home daily briefing. I’m Alex Coop, thanks for listening!