Ofcom to build Manchester tech hub as it gears up for new online role March 26, 2021 Ofcom today unveiled plans to open a new tech hub in Manchester as it prepares to take on its new role as the UK’s first online regulator. The media watchdog said its new base, which is set to be up and running by the summer, will create 150 new jobs by 2025. The organisation will [...]
eSports team expands into India March 26, 2021 | City Talk One of Europe’s biggest eSports brands, Team Vitality, has today announced its first all-Indian mobile eSports roster. The move represents the Paris-based eSports brand’s first major expansion beyond Europe and its first foray into the world of mobile eSports. The announcement reconfirms the brand’s plans to globalise its teams into Asia and South America. The [...]
Screenshot: Will workers’ rights put a puncture in Deliveroo’s IPO? March 26, 2021 This week **Media Moment of the Week: Farewell to the real McCoy **Will workers’ rights put a puncture in Deliveroo’s IPO? **A watchdog bares its teeth Media Moment of the Week: Farewell to the real McCoy In a shock bit of transfer news this week, BBC presenter Simon McCoy announced he was leaving the Beeb [...]
Zuckerberg denies Facebook was to blame for Capitol riots March 26, 2021 Facebook boss Mark Zuckerberg has denied his social media site was responsible for the storming of the US Capitol in January, placing the blame instead with former president Donald Trump. Appearing in front of a House committee yesterday, Zuckerberg hit back at suggestions that tech platforms were to blame for allowing the spread of misinformation [...]
Facebook’s Giphy takeover could harm Gif supply, watchdog warns March 25, 2021 The competition watchdog has given Facebook and Giphy five working days to address concerns their merger could harm the digital advertising market and the supply of Gifs. The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) today said Facebook’s planned takeover of the popular gif-maker, worth a reported $400m (£320m), could stifle competition. Following an initial investigation, the [...]
Big Tech hearing: Facebook, Google and Twitter face Congress grilling March 25, 2021 The chief executives of Facebook, Google and Twitter will be hauled in front of Congress again this afternoon to face questions about misinformation and extremism on their platforms. Mark Zuckerberg, Sundar Pichai and Jack Dorsey will appear before a virtual joint hearing of two subcommittees of the House Energy and Commerce Committee. It follows a [...]
Ikea and ITV invest in location tech startup what3words March 25, 2021 Ikea and ITV have both thrown their weight behind a startup that has divided the world into three-metre squares each with a unique three-word name to help pinpoint addresses. Ingka Group, the holding company behind the Swedish flat-pack giant, has pumped £12m into what3words, while ITV has taken a minority stake valued at £2m. What3words, [...]
Tencent confirms talks with regulators amid China tech crackdown March 24, 2021 Tencent has confirmed it is in talks with Chinese antitrust regulators as authorities in Beijing ramp up the pressure on tech firms. President Martin Lau today said the company’s founder Ma Huateng had held a voluntary meeting with antitrust watchdog officials this month to discuss compliance at the company. He said the two sides had [...]
Shares in IT firm Softcat jump as pandemic drives up profit March 24, 2021 Shares in IT firm Softcat fizzed in morning trading after after the pandemic helped drive strong growth in both revenue and profit for the second half of the year. The FTSE 250 firm reported revenue of £577m in the six months to the end of January — up 10 per cent on the same period [...]
Intel to splash out $20bn on factories in new chipmaking push March 24, 2021 Intel has unveiled plans to spend $20bn (£14.6bn) on two new semiconductor factories as part of a radical turnaround plan aimed at restoring the company’s chipmaking prowess. Under a multi-year strategy outlined by new chief executive Pat Gelsinger, Intel will build two new plants in Arizona. It will also start outsourcing to other manufacturers and [...]