Alibaba and Tencent circle ‘Netflix of China’ as tech regulation looms November 27, 2020 Alibaba and Tencent are both said to have held talks over a potential takeover of the streaming service dubbed the ‘Netflix of China’. The two tech titans have been in discussions with search giant Baidu over a deal to acquire a controlling stake in iQiyi, Reuters reported. However, talks are said to have stalled after [...]
Black Friday: Union calls for inquiry into Amazon over ‘dehumanising’ conditions November 27, 2020 Union members have called for a parliamentary inquiry into Amazon over “dehumanising” conditions at the ecommerce giant’s warehouses. Disgruntled unionists have projected a banner reading ‘Make Amazon Pay’ outside the tech firm’s London headquarters as part of protests coinciding with Black Friday. “Amazon is well known for unsafe, dehumanising work practices which see our members [...]
Manchester United: UK cyber spooks called in after ‘disruptive’ attack November 27, 2020 British cyber spooks have been called in to support Manchester United following a “disruptive” attack on its computer systems. The Premier League football club last week said it had been hacked, but did not believe any fan data had been compromised. It has reported the incident to the UK data watchdog and the National Cyber [...]
Tech giants hit with new rules amid calls to fix ‘dysfunctional’ ad market November 27, 2020 Facebook and Google will be subjected to tighter scrutiny over how they use consumer data as ministers face calls to fix the “dysfunctional” online advertising market. The government today announced the launch of a new digital markets unit aimed at curbing the dominance of tech giants and giving consumers greater control over their personal data. [...]
Oppo Reno 4 Pro review: An all-rounder but no killer blow November 26, 2020 Last week I reviewed two new phones, one you’ve definitely heard of, and one you almost certainly haven’t. The latter was a handset from one of the biggest manufacturers in the world, Chinese firm Vivo, which has virtually no footprint in Europe (the camera-focused X51 is its first official launch over here). This week I’m [...]
Tiktok granted seven-day extension to US sale order November 26, 2020 Tiktok has been granted a seven-day extension to an order forcing the viral video app to sell its US operations. The Trump administration had given parent company Bytedance a 15-day extension of the order issued in August, which was set to expire tomorrow. The latest change means Tiktok has until 4 December to resolve concerns [...]
Salesforce ‘in talks’ to buy workplace chat app Slack November 26, 2020 Salesforce is said to be in talks to acquire workplace messaging platform Slack as it looks to expand its cloud offering to businesses. If discussions are successful, the takeover could be announced in the next few weeks, according to several media reports. Shares in Slack surged almost 40 per cent on the reports, pushing its [...]
PS5 fans fight scalpers by placing fake eBay bids November 26, 2020 PS5 fans are fighting back against scalpers by placing fake bids on eBay. Demand for the new PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X consoles has vastly outstripped supply, with outlets across the world, including Game and Amazon, currently out of stock. Sony this week joined Microsoft in warning that shortages could last for months. The [...]
On the charge: Tesla breaks $500bn market valuation after stock rally November 24, 2020 Tesla has broken through the $500bn (£375bn) market value mark following a mammoth rally that has seen its share price rise more than sixfold this year. The company’s shares were opened more than five per cent up today to give the firm a market cap of $519bn. The growth will round off an historic year [...]
New government website warns tech firms over China risk November 24, 2020 The government has launched a new website warning British tech firms about the risks of doing business with Chinese companies. The site, which carries the slogan “China. See the Potential. Know the Challenge.”, is designed to help UK firms negotiate the ethical, legal and commercial challenges when expanding into China or accepting investment from Chinese [...]