DEBATE: Is Tim Berners-Lee right that we need to save the web from abuse? November 7, 2018 Is Tim Berners-Lee right that we need to save the web from abuse? Sven Hughes, chief executive and founder of Verbalisation and Global Influence, says YES. When info.cern.ch went live in 1991, it was the address of the world’s first ever website and web server. Sir Tim Berners-Lee was the man to create that website, and [...]
Hammond’s digital tax is an illogical game of whack-a-mole November 7, 2018 The introduction of a new digital services tax was the most depressingly inevitable part of Philip Hammond’s Budget speech last week. Years of pressure from a pincer movement of corporate tax moralists and traditional retailers have paid off. Starting in April 2020, profitable digital businesses with £500m in global revenues would face a two per cent [...]
Politicians should be wary of regulating the internet November 7, 2018 The internet is under scrutiny like never before. On Monday, Sir Tim Berners-Lee, architect of the world wide web, warned of his invention’s detrimental effect on society and democracy, and launched a “Magna Carta” so people can use it “freely, safely and without fear”. Then yesterday, the UK information commissioner, Elizabeth Denham, gave evidence to [...]
We must get over our fear of the private sector helping the NHS November 7, 2018 No one at either end of the political spectrum can dispute that the NHS is under significant pressure. From annual winter crises to the challenges of an ageing population, the health service is struggling to keep up with society’s demands. And it’s always non-emergency – though still life-changing – services that are pushed down the [...]
Downing Street denies leaked Brexit timetable November 6, 2018 Reports tonight of a leaked document apparently from the Department for Exiting the EU, which outlined the government’s strategy for revealing a successful Brexit deal to the press and MPs later this month, have been refuted by Downing Street. A spokesperson for the Prime Minister's office said the document seemed "childish", denying its authenticity: "The [...]
Theresa May emerges from Cabinet meeting insisting she will not agree a Brexit deal ‘at any cost’ November 6, 2018 Theresa May has emerged from a tense Cabinet meeting this morning insisting she will not agree to a Brexit deal "at any cost", despite the clock ticking on reaching a Withdrawal Agreement. The Prime Minister's spokesperson said ministers needed more time to consider possible mechanisms that will prevent the UK from being tied to the European [...]
Facebook blocks 115 ‘inauthentic’ accounts over election interference fears as midterm elections start November 6, 2018 Facebook has blocked more than 100 accounts displaying suspicious activity on the eve of the US midterm elections, raising concerns of voting manipulation. The social network is investigating whether 30 Facebook accounts and 85 Instagram accounts might be connected to Russia’s Internet Research Agency, which was at the heart of attempts to use social media [...]
Trade minister Liam Fox says it is ‘impossible’ to say whether a Brexit deal will be achieved this month or next November 6, 2018 International trade minister Liam Fox has admitted that it is impossible to say whether a Brexit deal can be reached with the European Union in the next two months, as negotiations continued to stall over the Irish backstop. Asked by Reuters whether a Brexit deal will be struck this month Fox said: “That’s impossible for me [...]
UK data watchdog fines Arron Banks’ insurance firm and Leave.EU campaign £135,000 November 6, 2018 An insurance firm owned by Arron Banks, as well as the Leave.EU campaign he founded, face fines totalling £135,000 from the UK's data watchdog. Banks's Leave.EU Brexit campaign and his company Eldon Insurance (trading as Go Skippy) were each given notice of fines of £60,000 by the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) for serious breaches of the Privacy [...]
DEBATE: With some institutions at risk of bankruptcy, does the UK have too many universities? November 6, 2018 With some institutions at risk of bankruptcy, does the UK have too many universities? Benedict Spence, a freelance writer, says YES. Britain prides itself on its universities for their heritage, academic progress, and economic importance. But undergraduate applications dropped two per cent last year, student debt is rising, and whispers of refunds are starting to [...]