Telegram user numbers surge after Whatsapp privacy update January 12, 2021 Messaging app Telegram has seen its user numbers balloon amid a backlash over changes to Whatsapp’s privacy policy. Telegram, which offers encrypted chat services, today said 25m new users had signed up in the last 72 hours alone. This is compared to the 1.5m daily additions it averaged last year, while the app’s total user [...]
Trump brands social media ban ‘catastrophic mistake’ and defends pre-riot speech January 12, 2021 Donald Trump has branded his social media ban a “catastrophic mistake” as he refused to take responsibility for inciting riots at the Capitol last week. The outgoing president, who has been accused of inciting violence and is facing a second impeachment, today played down his role in the riots and attempted to blame Silicon Valley. [...]
CES 2021: The futuristic gadgets killing Covid January 12, 2021 In years gone by, Morning Wire would have been on the showroom floor in Las Vegas bringing you the latest news from the frontline of the tech world. This year, of course, the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) has done digital, and if any expo in the world can pull off that feat, it should be [...]
Zoom kicks off $1.5bn share issue as vaccine threat looms January 12, 2021 Zoom is set to raise $1.5bn (£1.1bn) in a mammoth share sale as it looks to maintain momentum following a bumper year of growth. The video conferencing app launched the fundraising today, adding that it could be expanded by a further $225m. Zoom did not say what it plans to do with the fresh capital. [...]
Social media site Parler sues Amazon over account suspension January 11, 2021 Controversial social media site Parler is suing Amazon over its decision to pull support for the app. The so-called free speech app, which is popular among right-wing extremists, accused Amazon of violating antitrust laws by suspending its account. In a complaint filed in Seattle, Parler said Amazon’s decision to stop hosting the app was “apparently [...]
Huawei set for year of transition amid ‘technological Cold War’ January 11, 2021 Huawei will likely transition towards software as a “technological Cold War” controls the hardware supply, shifting the company’s prospects for 2021, analysts have said. Harsh US sanctions on China have hit suppliers of chips, which are crucial to mobile phone production, and forced the tech giant to look to other avenues. Ben Wood, chief of [...]
Twitter shares slide following ‘problematic’ Donald Trump ban January 11, 2021 Twitter’s shares went into reverse this morning following the social media site’s decision to ban US President Donald Trump. The platform permanently suspended the president’s account over the weekend, stating that there was a risk of further incitement of violence following riots at the Capitol last week. “After close review of recent Tweets from the [...]
Twitter permanently suspends Donald Trump’s account to prevent incitement of violence January 9, 2021 Twitter has permanently suspended Donald Trump’s account, citing the risk of further incitement of violence following the storming of the US Capitol on Wednesday. The US President has repeatedly used the platform to declare that the outcome of the 3 November election was fraudulent and to share other conspiracy theories. Trump also urged his supporters [...]
Twitter and Facebook lock Trump’s account amid Capitol riots January 7, 2021 Twitter and Facebook last night took the unprecedented step of locking US President Donald Trump’s account after his supporters stormed the Capitol. In a message to protesters at the height of the violence, Trump told protesters “I love you” before telling them to go home. He also repeated false claims that the election, which he [...]
Trump issues ban on Alipay in latest China crackdown January 6, 2021 US President Donald Trump today stepped up his campaign against Chinese businesses, banning transactions with eight apps including Alipay. The new executive order is aimed at curbing the alleged threat to Americans posed by Chinese software companies that have access to personal data. The order states that the US must take “aggressive action” against Chinese [...]