Amazon and Google hit with competition probe over fake reviews June 25, 2021 Amazon and Google have been hit with a competition probe in the UK over concerns they have not done enough to tackle fake reviews on their sites. The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) today opened a formal investigation into the tech platforms to examine whether they have broken consumer laws by taking insufficient action to [...]
SpaceX to launch UK-built satellites into space to track climate change June 24, 2021 SpaceX is set to launch three UK-built satellites into space tomorrow, designed to monitor climate change and track endangered wildlife. The UK companies behind the environment tracking tech received a near £15m from the UK Space Agency, through the European Space Agency’s Pioneer Partnership Programme. “As we get ready to host the UN climate change [...]
UK Navy boasts ‘battle winning’ drone, day after Ukraine defence deal June 24, 2021 The Royal Navy has today boasted how its new drone, which can monitor an area larger than Greater Manchester, has come ‘leaps and bounds’ during ‘amphibious assaults’. Testing the airborne surveillance, known as Puma, in the Baltic and the North Sea, lieutenant Ash Loftus and Puma flight commander said the Navy’s tech is advancing into [...]
Shares fly at London-listed DeepVerge as Covid-19 detection tech passes trials June 24, 2021 London-listed scientific research group DeepVerge has said today its wastewater Covid-19 detection technology has successfully completed trials. The news sent the group’s shares flying this morning, rocketing 7.81 per cent and lifting its share price to 34.5p per share. The Covid-19 detection tech, known as Microtox, offers another string to the UK and the rest [...]
Visa snaps up Swedish open banking platform Tink for €1.8bn June 24, 2021 Visa today said it has agreed to buy Swedish open banking platform Tink in a deal worth €1.8bn (£1.5bn). Tink, which was founded in 2012, enables financial institutions and fintech firms to develop financial products and services through access to data. The company is partnered with 3,400 banks and financial institutions, reaching millions of customers [...]
David Davis: Online safety bill will be ‘catastrophic’ for freedom of speech June 23, 2021 The government’s plans for new laws cracking down on tech companies will be “catastrophic” for freedom of speech, David Davis said today. The former cabinet minister branded the online safety bill a “censor’s charter”, comparing it to George Orwell’s 1984 and accusing the government of outsourcing the policing of the internet to Silicon Valley. Ministers [...]
‘Science superpower’: UK to pump £64m into post-pandemic clinical research June 23, 2021 The government has pledged a £64m injection into the UK’s clinical research system, off the back of Boris Johnson’s plans to make the country a “science superpower”. The investment will go towards the development and trial of new Covid-19 treatments and inoculations, to ensure a “front-footed approach in tackling the virus”, health secretary Matt Hancock [...]
London launches England’s first hydrogen-powered double decker buses June 23, 2021 Transport for London (TFL) will today add 20 new environmentally friendly hydrogen double decker buses to its fleet. Launched by London mayor Sadiq Khan in Ealing, the buses will provide commuters with smoother, quieter journeys thanks to less vibrations. Free-to-use USB charging ports will also be available onboard. They will join more than 500 electric [...]
EU opens competition probe into Google’s online advertising June 22, 2021 The EU has opened a formal antitrust investigation into Google over concerns the tech giant favours its own online advertising services. The probe will examine whether Google is harming competition by restricting third-party access to user data for use in advertising while reserving this data for its own use. “Online advertising services are at the [...]
Youtube handed major victory in EU copyright battle June 22, 2021 The EU has ruled that Youtube is not responsible for copyright-infringing material uploaded to its platform by users, marking a major victory for the social media firm. Music producer Frank Peterson took Youtube and parent company Google to court in Germany after users uploaded several phonograms to which he owns the rights in 2008. Publisher [...]