Google Safari lawsuit: iPhone users win appeal to seek £3bn in damages October 2, 2019 Google faces a potential £3bn bill after judges ruled that a Google Safari tracking lawsuit on behalf of 4m iPhone users can proceed. The Court of Appeal today overruled the High Court’s dismissal of a case alleging that Google secretly tracked the web activity of more than 4m iPhone users. Read more: Google turns 21: [...]
Deliveroo losses deepen in expansion drive October 2, 2019 Deliveroo deepened its losses last year despite soaring sales as it pushed forward with expansion plans. The food delivery app said losses before tax were £232m in 2018 from £199m the previous year. Global sales increased by 72 per cent to £476m for the year. Read more: Deliveroo ad banned over misleading claim it could [...]
‘Calling BS’: Libra co-founder hits out at secrecy claims October 2, 2019 The co-creator of Facebook’s new cryptocurrency has hit out at claims that the organisation did not share detailed information on how to tackle crime with its members. David Marcus, a Facebook executive who is overseeing the Libra project, said he was “calling BS” [bullshit] on claims in the Wall Street Journal that Libra kept information [...]
What kind of person crosses the Nevada desert to investigate UFO conspiracies? October 2, 2019 Area 51 is a mysterious place. Located deep in the Nevada desert, it is home to highly classified US military operations. Rumours abound that it harbours secrets about extraterrestrial life. In June, a podcaster released an interview with someone who claims to have studied flying saucers in Area 51. The video spread like wildfire on [...]
FuroSystems Furo X review: A slick and stylish carbon fibre electric folding bike with buckets of power October 1, 2019 It took a short while for them to find one another, but now that they’re together, electric bikes and folding bikes are a match made in heaven. Either one is essential for those of us intending to commute partly by public transport and partly by bike, and without arriving at the office a sweating, stinking, [...]
Mark Zuckerberg says control over Facebook prevented him being fired October 1, 2019 Facebook boss Mark Zuckerberg has admitted he would have been fired on several occasions were it not for his total control over the company. “So one of the things that I’ve been lucky about in building this company is, you know, I kind of have voting control of the company, and that’s something I focused [...]
Airbnb ‘plots direct listing’ instead of traditional IPO for hotly-anticipated float October 1, 2019 Airbnb is said to be shunning a traditional initial public offering (IPO) in favour of a less conventional direct listing when it floats on the public market next year. The San Francisco-based tech giant is currently making preparations for a listing that would not involve creating any new shares, Bloomberg reported, citing people familiar with [...]
Ranked: The best and worst London boroughs for broadband October 1, 2019 Broadband speeds in the City are the lowest of any London borough, according to new data on internet speeds across the capital. The data, compiled by Broadband Choices, shows massive disparities in average download speeds, with the fastest borough clocking up an average speed over three times quicker than the slowest. Read more: Boris Johnson [...]
Mobile shopping platform Rezolve secures bumper deal with Samsung September 30, 2019 Mobile shopping platform Rezolve has secured a deal with Samsung to make its technology available on the South Korean firm’s smartphones. The London-based tech startup said its product will be embedded directly into Samsung’s Bixby Vision software and will be available in the US later this year. Read more: Samsung prepares to release new foldable [...]
Uncanny valley: Explaining the rise of virtual influencers September 30, 2019 I have fallen down a social media rabbit hole. I’ve been scrolling through the feed of an online influencer called “Lil Miquela”, and watching her videos on YouTube. Her Instagram is just like any other influencer account. There are pictures of her on nights out with friends, several of her posing in trendy clothes, even [...]