Ghosted: Whatsapp rolls out disappearing messages in privacy push November 5, 2020 Whatsapp is introducing a new function that will delete messages from the app after seven days in an effort to ramp up its privacy credentials. The social media platform, which has more than 2bn users worldwide, said the new feature will help keep chats private and “more like a face-to-face conversation that is not recorded [...]
Alibaba gets post-pandemic revenue boost amid Ant Group float woes November 5, 2020 Chinese tech giant Alibaba has posted continued sales growth following the coronavirus lockdown, just days after Beijing slammed the brakes on Ant Group’s mammoth stock market float. The conglomerate, run by billionaire Jack Ma, posted a 30 per cent year-on-year increase in revenue to 155bn yuan (£17.9bn) in the three months to the end of [...]
Switch it up: Nintendo profit triples on lockdown gaming boom November 5, 2020 Nintendo’s profit tripled in the six months to the end of September as consumers splashed out on gaming during the coronavirus lockdown. The Japanese tech giant posted a first-half operating profit of 291.4bn yen (£2.1bn), up from 94bn yen in the same period last year. Nintendo has enjoyed booming demand for its Switch consoles, with [...]
Sink or float: What’s next for Ant Group after China suspends world’s biggest IPO? November 4, 2020 The tech world was thrown into turmoil yesterday after Chinese authorities put an abrupt halt to Ant Group’s record-breaking initial public offering. The Chinese fintech giant was set to raise $34.4bn (£26.5bn) through a dual listing in Shanghai and Hong Kong in what would be the world’s largest stock market debut. But the Shanghai leg [...]
Prop 22: Uber and Lyft win California bid to class drivers as contractors November 4, 2020 Uber and Lyft have secured a major victory today after winning a vote in California that allows the ride-hailing apps to continue classing their drivers as contractors rather than employees. Voters in California yesterday passed Proposition 22, a state ballot measure that will enable companies in the gig economy to bypass labour laws. Roughly 58 [...]
Shares in cyber firm ECSC spike as home working drives up demand November 4, 2020 Shares in ECSC jumped more than 11 per cent this morning as the cybersecurity firm said a shift to home working during the pandemic had boosted demand for its services. In a trading update for the four months since June, ECSC said revenue and profit had continued to rise as clients bolstered their cyber defences. [...]
How ‘following the science’ has let our country down November 4, 2020 If I were to be diagnosed with a malignant tumour, I would expect my doctors to lay out for me the alternative treatment options, how each would affect my quality of life, its impact on survival or potential cure and, as far as is knowable, all the other potential costs and benefits. I would listen [...]
UK spooks block two cyber attacks per day as hackers exploit Covid-19 November 3, 2020 UK spooks blocked an average of almost two major cyber attacks per day last year as unscrupulous hackers tried to capitalise on the Covid-19 crisis. The National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) handled 723 incidents between 1 September 2019 and 31 August 2020, up from an average of 602 incidents over the last three years. The [...]
Softbank Vision Fund dealt another blow with boardroom exodus November 2, 2020 After a year of hefty losses, Softbank is now dealing with an exodus of executives at its $100bn Vision Fund. The Japanese conglomerate plunged to its worst ever annual performance in March after recording a huge $18bn loss for the Vision Fund. It bounced back in August after strong performances by its tech investments. Softbank [...]
Software firm The Bytes Group unveils plans for London stock market float November 2, 2020 Software firm The Bytes Group today unveiled plans for an initial public offering after posting a rise in revenue and profit thanks to the shift in home working. The planned float would see the firm demerge from its South African parent company Altron and pursue a primary listing on the London Stock Exchange and a [...]