Digital sector salaries outstrip UK average but gender pay gap remains September 4, 2019 Salaries for employees in the UK’s digital sector are more than 50 per cent higher than the national average, according to government figures published today. Staff in digital-based roles earned on average £36,300 in 2018, which is 51.3 per cent higher than the UK average of £24,000. Read more: Surge in demand for UK tech [...]
Court throws out privacy challenge to facial recognition technology in landmark ruling September 4, 2019 The High Court today rejected a privacy challenge to the use of facial recognition technology in a landmark ruling. The High Court found that the use of automatic facial recognition technology (AFR) by South Wales police was lawful after a challenge by privacy campaigner Ed Bridges who was represented by advocacy group Liberty. AFR technology [...]
Former Softbank spinoff plugs $23m into crypto startup Elliptic September 4, 2019 Elliptic, which provides crypto-asset risk management solutions for crypto businesses and financial institutions, has today secured $23m in investment from Tokyo giant SBI Group. Albion VC also joined the round, alongside existing investors Signalfire, Octopus Ventures and Santander’s venture capital arm. SBI Group was formerly part of Japanese mega investor Softbank, before fully separating from [...]
London design startup Papier picks up $11m from top UK venture funds September 4, 2019 Personalised stationery firm Papier today closed an $11m (£9.1m) funding round, led by Monica Vinader backer Beringea. Other investors such as Felix Capital, Innocent Drinks’ founders fund Jamjar Investments and Downing Ventures also participated, taking Papier’s total raised to date to $15m. The design company said it will use the funding to accelerate its growth [...]
Stirling Industries tables £190m bid for Apple Watch supplier Ipsen September 3, 2019 Industrial acquisition firm Stirling Industries is said to be close to snapping up Apple Watch supplier Ipsen International for £190m. Aim-listed Stirling, which was set up last year, is on the brink of closing the takeover of Ipsen, which provides heat treatment services for hardening steel in products across a range of industries. Read more: [...]
Huawei accuses US of threatening its staff in bid to hire informants September 3, 2019 Huawei has accused the US government of carrying out cyber attacks on its computer networks and threatening its staff. The Chinese tech firm issued a statement today alleging that the FBI and other US law enforcement bodies had “threatened, menaced and coerced” Huawei employees in a bid to extract information. Read more: US prosecutors probe [...]
King’s Cross ditches facial recognition technology after watchdog savaged plans September 3, 2019 King’s Cross has denied it will reintroduce facial recognition cameras at the site, as details emerged of its plans to use the technology to identify criminals. In a letter sent to the Mayor of London last month, the developers behind the 67-acre site said they were rolling out an upgraded facial recognition system that would [...]
King’s Cross facial recognition technology ‘not used since 2018’ September 3, 2019 Facial recognition technology has not been used at King’s Cross since March 2018, the site’s developers have insisted. Property development firm Argent, which is overseeing a regeneration project on the 67-acre site, was forced to defend its use of the controversial technology last month amid concerns about privacy and personal data. Read more: King’s Cross [...]
Can’t name the UK technology secretary? That’s because we don’t have one September 3, 2019 Do you know who our secretary of state for technology is? Or can you name the tech minister? No? That’s not surprising, because they don’t exist. While we all might agree that technology is a key ingredient to a successful and vibrant economy and to our advancement as a society, there is still no one [...]
Car alarm: Half of UK consumers fear driverless vehicles September 2, 2019 Almost half of UK consumers are worried about the dangers posed by driverless cars, a new survey has revealed. Roughly 43 per cent of adults surveyed said they were concerned about the problems that may arise from autonomous vehicles, as car manufacturers race to develop the new technology. Read more: Former Uber driverless guru charged [...]