Twitter and Facebook lock Trump’s account amid Capitol riots January 7, 2021 Twitter and Facebook last night took the unprecedented step of locking US President Donald Trump’s account after his supporters stormed the Capitol. In a message to protesters at the height of the violence, Trump told protesters “I love you” before telling them to go home. He also repeated false claims that the election, which he [...]
Trump issues ban on Alipay in latest China crackdown January 6, 2021 US President Donald Trump today stepped up his campaign against Chinese businesses, banning transactions with eight apps including Alipay. The new executive order is aimed at curbing the alleged threat to Americans posed by Chinese software companies that have access to personal data. The order states that the US must take “aggressive action” against Chinese [...]
FRC: Deloitte allowed Autonomy to ‘present misleading financial position’ January 6, 2021 Deloitte’s audit of scandal-hit UK software firm Autonomy allowed the company to “present a misleading picture of its financial position”, the City watchdog said this morning. The Financial Reporting Council investigated the actions of Deloitte and former partners Richard Knights and Nigel Mercer in relation to their audits of the disgraced tech company’s accounts. Autonomy [...]
Qualcomm boss Steve Mollenkopf steps down after seven tumultuous years January 5, 2021 Qualcomm chief executive Steve Mollenkopf will step down after seven tumultuous years at the helm of the company. He will be replaced by his deputy Cristiano Amon who was “unanimously selected” by the board following Mollenkopf’s decision to retire. The end of Mollenkopf’s reign will allow Qualcomm to put its period of legal battles behind [...]
More than 80,000 UK-run websites suspended due to Brexit January 5, 2021 Over 80,000 UK-run websites have been plunged into a blackout following a culling of EU domain names after Brexit. EURid, which manages the European Union domain name, has suspended the .eu websites under new rules that came into force on 1 January. The stringent new regime means that all existing UK-registered .eu domains have been [...]
Ticketmaster handed $10m fine for hacking into rival company January 5, 2021 Ticketmaster has been slapped with a $10m (£7.4m) fine after it was charged with repeatedly hacking into the computer systems of a rival company. In court documents filed last week, the Department of Justice (DoJ) said several Ticketmaster employees used stolen passwords to access confidential information in a bid to “choke off” competition from a [...]
Google workers to form union after string of protests January 4, 2021 Hundreds of Google employees in the US have formed a union, marking a rare example of organisation in Silicon Valley. More than 200 staff members have signed up to the Alphabet Workers Union (AWU), which also represents other companies owned by Google’s parent group. The union, which is supported by the Communications Workers of America, [...]
Where is Jack Ma? Chinese billionaire ‘missing’ after criticising Beijing January 4, 2021 Speculation has been mounting over the whereabouts of Chinese tech billionaire Jack Ma, who has not been seen in public for two months. Ma, who founded ecommerce behemoth Alibaba, hit the headlines in October when he made a speech criticising China’s financial regulators and state banks. The tycoon was reprimanded by Beijing and the $34bn [...]
Matt Hancock: South African coronavirus mutation ‘more of a problem’ than current strain January 4, 2021 The new South African coronavirus mutation is the fastest-spreading Covid strain yet and will likely present a “very, very significant problem” for the UK, the health secretary has warned. Speaking on the BBC’s Today programme, Hancock said he was “incredibly worried” about the South African variant. “That’s why we took the action that we did [...]
Software startup Ondato moves to London in post-Brexit boost December 31, 2020 Software startup Ondato is establishing new headquarters in London, marking a show of confidence in the UK’s booming tech scene after Brexit. Ondato, which operates biometric authentication software, said it was “undeterred” by the UK’s departure from the EU and would use its new base in Canary Wharf to drive further expansion in Europe. The [...]