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EU competition chief Margrethe Vestager will serve another term, with expanded powers to regulate tech companies
European competition chief Margrethe Vestager, who had been facing the end of her term, will instead return for a another five years, with an expanded role on the new team of commissioners, according to Reuters. Vestager has been behind much of the European Commission’s scrutiny of tech giants, and will now serve as an Executive Vice […]
Despite billions in sales, Amazon Europe received €241m in tax credits last year
Amazon Europe was granted €241m in tax credits last year, despite reporting nearly €30bn in sales, and even as authorities move to collect more taxes from tech giants. The credits could be deducted from taxes owed on future earnings, according to The Guardian. In recent years, tech companies in Europe, many of which are based in the […]
US states launch antitrust probes targeting Facebook and Google
US states attorney generals announced two new antitrust probes on Friday, aimed at large tech companies such as Facebook and Google, according to Reuters. One probe, investigating Facebook, will be led by New York and includes seven other states as well as the District of Columbia. A second probe is expected to be aimed at Google, […]
Hundreds of millions of Facebook users have had their phone numbers leaked
Hundreds of millions of phone numbers from Facebook users have been discovered in an unsecured database online, in the latest privacy lapse linked to the social media company, according to Gizmodo. With a total of more than 400 million records, the database includes 18 million users from the UK, as well as 122 million from the […]
Europe’s mental health websites are selling sensitive user data to advertisers
A new study has revealed that mental health websites in Europe are selling information collected from users, including psychological health data such as answers from quizzes, according to BBC News. The study, by Privacy International (PI), found that the way this information was collected is “neither transparent nor fair” and that many websites are “failing to meet […]
King’s Cross developers halt use of facial recognition technology
The developers behind London’s King’s Cross Central project have halted controversial plans to reimplement facial recognition technology at the site, they said in a statement on Monday. Last month, the developer revealed that its cameras “use a number of detection and tracking methods, including facial recognition.” It was among the first property-owners to admit using the […]
The BBC will launch its own digital voice assistant, called ‘Beeb’
The BBC is developing its own digital voice assistant, called “Beeb,” to rival Amazon’s Alexa, according to The Guardian. Instead of building its own smart speaker or other hardware, Beeb will be available on BBC’s website, its smart TV iPlayer app, and on smart speakers from other manufacturers. Beeb will focus on connecting users to BBC’s existing […]
Google security team reveals years-long spyware attack on iPhone users
Security researchers at Google have discovered a hacking operation which installed malware on the iPhones of “thousands of users a week,” over two and a half years, according to BBC News. Cybersecurity experts are calling it the worst general security failure yet found on Apple devices, and some researchers have suggested it showed signs of a hacking […]
Offering a digital platform to manage rentals, UK startup Residently draws £7m in seed funding
The UK-based startup Residently has raised £7 million in seed funding, with a tech platform to simplify and modernize the rental process for tenants in London and New York, according to Tech Crunch. A press release from the company said they’ve earned backing from European venture capital firms including Felix Capital, LocalGlobe, and A/0 PropTech, as well […]
YouTube will tweak its UK platform to promote fewer conspiracy videos
YouTube will implement algorithm changes to its platform in the UK, reducing recommendations of conspiracy theory and junk science videos, according to Tech Crunch. YouTube chief executive Susan Wojcicki said the changes will allow quality content “more of a chance to shine” and could reduce views of “borderline content” by 50 percent. The changes were first trialed […]