Pony Ma’s Tencent Holdings has been put on notice. Asia’s largest conglomerate was censured by China’s antitrust watchdog on Friday as Beijing expands a crackdown that began with Jack Ma’s online empire.

Deputy President David Mabuza said in parliament that Eskom has communicated a headcount reduction plan to government.

China has blasted US President Joe Biden’s administration for imposing new restrictions on national tech champion Huawei Technologies, saying the US “isn’t a reliable country that is to be trusted”.

Qualcomm is struggling to keep up with demand for its processor chips used in smartphones and gadgets, as a chip shortage that first hit the car industry spreads across the electronics business, sources said.

Tim Berners-Lee, the inventor of the World Wide Web, has said the dominance of Internet giants is a “fad” that does not have to endure.

View the latest contribution from TechCentral cartoonist Jerm.

Netflix is testing a feature that asks viewers to verify they share a household with the account holder, the company said, a move that could lead to a clampdown on sharing of passwords.

Ransom-seeking hackers have begun taking advantage of a recently disclosed flaw in Microsoft’s e-mail server software, a researcher said – a serious escalation that could portend widespread digital disruption.

The Biden administration this week amended licences for companies to sell to China’s Huawei Technologies, further restricting companies from supplying items that can be used with 5G devices, sources said.

Apple’s stock could reach a market capitalisation of $3-trillion (R45-trillion), analysts say, citing the development of the Apple Car as well as high expectations for the next iPhone.