EU to toughen up enforcement powers against tech giants September 20, 2020 The EU is said to be preparing new rules to strengthen its executive arm, which would allow it to force companies to break up or sell off their European operations if deemed a threat to competition. The European Commission is currently planning to propose a Digital Services Act by the end of this year, which [...]
Bytedance seeks $60bn Tiktok price tag after Oracle deal gets green light September 20, 2020 Tiktok owner Bytedance is said to be seeking a valuation of $60bn for Tiktok’s US operations, after a partnership with Oracle and Walmart was approved by the Trump administration late last night. Through the creation of a new entity called Tiktok Global, software giant Oracle will take a 12.5 per cent stake and manage the [...]
Tiktok and Wechat US downloads to be banned from Sunday September 18, 2020 Downloads of popular video app Tiktok and Chinese messaging app Wechat will be banned in the US from Sunday, White House officials have said. However the ban on Tiktok could still be reversed if its owner Bytedance is able to get a deal to offload its ownership over the US service approved by US President [...]
Does Nvidia’s buyout of ARM signal the death knell for UK tech entrepreneurship September 18, 2020 Earlier this week, it emerged that the UK’s largest technology firm, ARM, was to be sold to US giant Nvidia. The deal, worth £31bn, led to cries from Arm founder Hermann Hauser that it would be an “absolute disaster” and would cost UK jobs. However Jensen Huang, Nvidia’s chief executive, said the deal would create [...]
Facebook muzzles staff from debating politics internally September 18, 2020 Facebook has said it is updating its policies to impose limitations on employees’ ability to discuss social and political issues on internal messaging services. The new rules will prohibit staff from debating topics such as racial inequality and political beliefs on parts of Facebook’s internal messaging platform Workplace, and provide moderation of debates when they [...]
How Covid changed cyber crime September 18, 2020 | City Talk It might not be surprising that cyber criminals have taken advantage of coronavirus and the rush to remote working. The age of cyber warfare was upon us even before the crisis. New research suggests online fraudsters are boosting their attacks at an alarming pace, and it’s thought multimillion dollar ransoms could be at stake. Interpol, [...]
Healthtech: are ‘virtual’ doctors here to stay? September 17, 2020 | City Talk Earlier today, the heads of NHSX and NHS Digital, discussed ‘digital transformation in the National Health Service’ in front of a parliamentary committee in Westminster. NHSX is a government unit set up last year to focus on NHS technology, digital and data (the ‘X’ stands for ‘user experience’). NHS Digital provides IT infrastructure and support. [...]
MP accuses government of ‘interference’ in inquiry into Oneweb takeover September 17, 2020 The government has been accused of interfering in an independent inquiry of its acquisition of space tech unicorn Oneweb, after it attempted to prevent a witness from giving evidence. The business, energy and industrial strategy select committee was scheduled to interview three witnesses today regarding the takeover, however it received a letter from business secretary [...]
Trump wavers on Tiktok deal as Bytedance seeks Chinese approval September 17, 2020 US President Donald Trump has said he is “not prepared to sign off” on a plan to offload management of Tiktok’s US operations to Oracle, as parent firm Bytedance admits the deal will require approval from Beijing. Trump said he will be briefed on the full details of the plan today, which is expected to [...]
Open source should always have been the way for the Covid-19 contact tracing app September 17, 2020 The government should have gone with an open source contact tracing app from the beginning, argues Tom Bianchi. The long-awaited Covid-19 contact tracing app will launch in the UK next week, marking a “defining moment”, according to health secretary Matt Hancock, in our response to the virus. While this is encouraging, the app should have [...]