An obesity strategy that stigmatises patients won’t work August 12, 2020 At the end of last month, the government revealed an array of measures as part of its new obesity strategy to “protect against coronavirus and safeguard the NHS”. Unveiling a 12-week plan to get the nation fit and healthy, the Prime Minister spoke openly about his own brush with death, and the part his excess [...]
Making it work: Why we need to start talking about who gets access to a coronavirus vaccine August 12, 2020 There is an unprecedented international scientific effort underway to develop an effective vaccine for SARS CoV-2 — the cause of Covid-19 — and we are all desperate for some good news. I have spent my life fighting infectious diseases around the world, from HIV to SARS to Ebola. Unfortunately, our collective track record for speedy [...]
Government to crack down on online political campaigns August 12, 2020 The government has today outlined proposals for new laws designed to improve the transparency of political advertising on social media. The new measures would require political parties and campaigners to clearly state who they are when promoting campaign content online. Under the plans, all campaigners would be required to include a digital imprint containing their [...]
Airbnb to confidentially file to go public this month August 11, 2020 Airbnb is said to be preparing to confidentially filing paperwork for a listing with the US Securities and Exchange Commission later this month. The move would pave the way for the short-term rentals company to go public on Wall Street later this year, the Wall Street Journal reported. Airbnb was reported last year to be [...]
Tiktok under scrutiny by French privacy watchdog over data use August 11, 2020 France’s privacy watchdog has opened a preliminary investigation into Tiktok, after it received a complaint against the short-form video app in May. Tiktok is already under investigation over privacy concerns from EU and Dutch authorities. It is also the subject of an EU-wide taskforce, as it attempts to transition its European data to be overseen [...]
Nokia phone maker HMD Global bags $230m in Google-led funding round August 11, 2020 Nokia smartphone maker HMD Global today said it has secured an additional $230m (£176m) in investment following a funding round led by Google. Chip giant Qualcomm and Nokia also contributed to the round, which is the largest since the company was founded in 2016. The Finnish manufacturing firm said the investment would be used to [...]
Police use of facial recognition tech ruled unlawful by UK court August 11, 2020 The use of automatic facial recognition (AFR) technology by a UK police force has been ruled unlawful by the Court of Appeal, following a legal challenge in south Wales. The court found South Wales Police’s use of facial recognition technology breaches privacy rights, data protection laws and equality laws, bringing a long-running trial of the [...]
Softbank bounces back with $12bn profit thanks to tech boom August 11, 2020 Softbank has bounced back from a record loss earlier in the year after strong performances by its tech investments fuelled a $12bn (£9.2bn) quarterly profit. The Japanese conglomerate plunged to its worst ever annual performance in March after recording a huge $18bn loss for its flagship $100bn Vision Fund. Softbank set out plans for a [...]
The UK is falling behind in AI race, warns Microsoft August 11, 2020 The UK risks falling into an artificial intelligence skills gap, Microsoft said today, after it found most businesses in Britain use the technology less frequently and at a less advanced level. The software giant said in its annual report that projects using AI in the UK has a higher failure rate — meaning they generate [...]
Tech giants join legal challenge against Trump worker visa ban August 10, 2020 A number of tech giants have pledged their support to a legal challenge against a ban on foreign worker visas by US President Donald Trump, aimed at preserving jobs for Americans during the pandemic. Apple, Microsoft, Amazon, Facebook, Netflix and Twitter were among 52 companies that signed the legal brief, which was filed in a [...]