Boris Johnson’s gigabit broadband target will be ‘missed by years’, warns BT boss September 27, 2020 Boris Johnson’s target for delivering gigabit broadband across the UK will be missed by eight years without £9bn worth of tax and red tape cuts, BT has warned ministers. BT claims the industry is on course to deliver gigabit speeds across the nation by 2033, significantly later than Johnson’s election pledge of full coverage by [...]
Brussels to appeal court ruling over Apple’s €13bn Irish tax bill September 25, 2020 The European Commission today said it will appeal a court decision that overturned a ruling for Apple to pay back €13bn (£11.8bn) in back taxes to Ireland. In July the General Court scrapped a 2016 ruling by the Commission that found Ireland’s selective tax breaks constituted illegal state aid and ordered Apple to pay back [...]
Volunteers ‘to be deliberately infected with Covid-19’ in UK vaccine trials September 24, 2020 Britain is reportedly planning to host clinical trials where volunteers are deliberately infected with Covid-19 to test the effectiveness of potential vaccines. So-called challenge trials are expected to begin at a quarantine facility in London in January, the Financial Times reported, citing people involved with the project. The government said it was working with partners [...]
Facebook to launch oversight board just before US election September 24, 2020 Facebook is planning to launch its long-delayed oversight board in mid- to late October, just ahead of the US presidential election, following mounting criticism over its handling of hate speech and other divisive content. The social media giant’s independent oversight board will initially have the power to review decisions to remove content from Facebook and [...]
Youtube launches UK fact checking amid Covid-19 misinformation September 24, 2020 Youtube has today announced it will expand its fact-checking tool to the UK, as it battles the spread of misinformation related to the coronavirus pandemic. The feature, which is already available in the US, Brazil and India, provides an information panel displayed above searches covering topics “prone to longstanding misinformation”, such as coronavirus or flat [...]
Ant Group set to raise $17.5bn in Hong Kong listing September 23, 2020 Ant Group is said to be targeting a raise of $17.5bn when it goes public in Hong Kong as part of a dual listing that will also see it float in Shanghai. The Chinese firm is hoping to raise a total of $35bn across both listings, which if successful, will top Saudi Aramco’s $29.4bn debut [...]
Facebook backtracks on pulling out of Europe over data laws September 23, 2020 Facebook’s head of policy has said the company won’t be making its platforms inaccessible in the EU, despite reportedly making that argument to an Irish court as it battles new data transfer legislation. The company was said to have told Ireland’s High Court it cannot see how its services could operate in the EU if [...]
Former BT boss tapped to lead search for Huawei replacement September 23, 2020 Former BT chief executive and trade minister Lord Ian Livingston has been tapped to find alternative telecoms providers to replace Huawei equipment in the UK’s 5G networks. Livingston has been named as chair of a new government task force that will seek to diversify the country’s telecoms supply chain and reduce reliance on high-risk vendors. [...]
Huawei urges US to stop ‘attack’ on global supply chain September 23, 2020 Embattled Chinese tech giant Huawei has said its global supply chain is under attack from the US and called on Washington to reverse its trade bans. US President Donald Trump’s administration has ramped up its crackdown on Huawei, issuing fresh trade bans designed to limit the telecom company’s access to chips. “The US has modified [...]
Facebook removes network of Chinese accounts over US election influence September 23, 2020 Facebook has said it has taken down a number of inauthentic Chinese accounts for attempting to influence elections and political activity in the US and Philippines. The company said it had suspended 155 accounts on Facebook and six Instagram accounts. Some of the accounts had been sharing content both in support and opposition of US [...]