Digital Map to Monitor Users’ Health

A visitor tests the Reign health tracker bracelet by Jaybird, which monitors activity and sleep. Reuters
A visitor tests the Reign health tracker bracelet by Jaybird, which monitors activity and sleep. Reuters
TT

Digital Map to Monitor Users’ Health

A visitor tests the Reign health tracker bracelet by Jaybird, which monitors activity and sleep. Reuters
A visitor tests the Reign health tracker bracelet by Jaybird, which monitors activity and sleep. Reuters

A Chinese company has developed a digital map for every individual using DNA and samples of saliva and urine. This information is then used to inform the user of his / her overall health status and to help monitor early-stage disease.

During her trip to China last week, German Chancellor Angela Merkel visited the headquarters of a new private Chinese company specializing in the collection and analysis of health data for citizens in China to help them monitor their health all the time in return for a subscription, the German News Agency reported.

Collecting the largest amount of users’ data highlights the success of iCarbonX, founded by the Chinese Wang Jun, a biologist and programming specialist in 2015.

The iCarbonX aims to collect and evaluate the health data of about one million users in China over the next five years. The company cooperates with fitness clubs and medical clinics, as well as opening its own biological measurement stations in major cities in China, but also, aims to reach its data collection points to the user's home in the long run.

At the same time, the firm plans to develop a new generation of smart home appliances such as "toilets" that analyze urine, toothbrushes that analyze saliva, and mirrors that scan the user's skin to provide the best and most accurate health information.



As Instagram Remains Blocked in Türkiye, Erdogan Accuses Social Media Companies of ‘Digital Fascism’

A woman holds a phone showing the Instagram logo, in Istanbul, Türkiye, 03 August 2024. (EPA)
A woman holds a phone showing the Instagram logo, in Istanbul, Türkiye, 03 August 2024. (EPA)
TT

As Instagram Remains Blocked in Türkiye, Erdogan Accuses Social Media Companies of ‘Digital Fascism’

A woman holds a phone showing the Instagram logo, in Istanbul, Türkiye, 03 August 2024. (EPA)
A woman holds a phone showing the Instagram logo, in Istanbul, Türkiye, 03 August 2024. (EPA)

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan accused social media platforms of “digital fascism” on Monday for allegedly censoring photographs of Palestinian “martyrs.”

The Turkish leader’s comments came as Turkish officials were engaged in discussions with representatives of the social media platform, Instagram, to reinstate access to millions of its users in Türkiye.

The Information and Communication Technologies Authority barred access to Instagram on Aug.2 without providing a reason. Government officials said the ban was imposed because Instagram failed to abide by Turkish regulations.

Several media reports said however, that the action was in response to Instagram removing posts by Turkish users that expressed condolences over the killing of Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh. It was the latest instance of a clampdown on websites in the country which has a track record of censoring social media and other online platforms.

“They cannot even tolerate photographs of Palestinian martyrs and immediately ban them,” Erdogan said at a human rights event. “We are confronted with a digital fascism that is disguised as freedom."

Unlike its Western allies, Türkiye does not consider Hamas a terror organization. A strong critic of Israel’s military actions in Gaza, Erdogan has described the group as a liberation movement

Erdogan went on to state that social media websites were allegedly allowing all kinds of propaganda by groups considered terrorists in Türkiye.

“We have tried to establish a line of dialogue through our relevant institutions. However, we have not yet been able to achieve the desired cooperation,” Erdogan said.

The transportation and infrastructure minister, Abdulkadir Uraloglu, said Turkish authorities had met with representatives of the Meta-owned company last week and were holding a fresh round of talks on Monday.

Instagram has more than 57 million users in Türkiye, a nation of 85 million people, according to the We Are Social media company.

The Electronic Commerce Operators’ Association estimates that Instagram and other social media platforms per day generate about 930 million Turkish lira ($27 million) worth of e-commerce.