Netflix to spend $100m on racial equality initiatives June 30, 2020 Netflix has said it intends to set aside approximately two per cent of its cash reserves for initiatives focused on supporting Black communities in the US, following widespread racial equality protests worldwide. It will start with an initial tranche of $35m, $25m of which will go into a new fund called the Black Economic Development [...]
Tiktok denies giving data to China over India ban June 30, 2020 Tiktok has today denied claims by the Indian government that it has shared individuals’ data with China, as the app went dark for the country’s 200m users. India yesterday banned Tiktok along with 58 other apps which have parent firms in China, claiming they “pose a threat to the sovereignty and security” of the country. [...]
Puma, Adidas, Microsoft and Ford join Facebook boycott June 30, 2020 Major global brands have joined a long list of companies that have withdrawn adverts from Facebook amid mounting pressure for the social media site to remove harmful and false content. Sportswear giants Puma and Adidas joined a raft of almost 200 major companies around the world including Reebok, Coca-Cola, and Starbucks, that have signed up [...]
Uber makes offer for US food delivery service Postmates June 30, 2020 Uber is said to have made a takeover offer for rival food delivery app Postmates, despite the latter having recently filed to go public. The deal values Postmates at $2.6bn, the New York Times first reported. Talks are still ongoing, and an agreement could yet fall apart. The tie-up could provide a leg-up to Uber’s [...]
Coronavirus has reshaped urban mobility but the biggest challenge remains Climate Change June 30, 2020 | Sponsored The argument for small, environment-friendly personal transport has been growing stronger for some time. This was true even before the Coronavirus pandemic required us to socially distance, and the government urged us all to “consider all other forms of transport before using public transport”; thus marking a reversal of the long-standing encouragement to use trains [...]
Boris built a digital London — now he must turbocharge digital Britain June 30, 2020 With the economy slowly beginning to reopen as lockdown measures are eased, all eyes this week will be on the government’s plan for reigniting confidence and growth. The Prime Minister is expected to refocus on the levelling-up agenda, skirting any suggestion of a return to austerity and concentrating instead on public services, the environment, and [...]
Facebook launches campaign to help Brits spot fake news June 30, 2020 Facebook has today unveiled a new campaign to help users identify misinformation online, as it handles an ongoing boycott of advertising on its platform by major companies. The ads will ask users to consider the source of the news they’re looking at, whether it’s truthful or balanced and what they felt when they saw it. [...]
Digital wealth manager Moneyfarm hits £1bn assets under management June 30, 2020 Moneyfarm has become the latest digital wealth management company to have more than £1bn in assets under management, it announced today. The milestone comes eight years after the launch of the company, which started out in Italy. Now UK-based, it boasts more than 45,000 customers in Britain, Italy, and Germany. At the end of 2019, [...]
The UK is setting fintech trends in the wake of COVID-19 June 29, 2020 | Sponsored Much has been written about the greatness of the UK fintech hub as one of the world-class locations that keeps setting global fintech trends. The UK used to be THE global fintech hub, thanks to combined efforts by regulators, governments, the great tech and finance talent pool, and famous startups that were born here. The [...]
Advertising boycott dents Facebook shares as campaign gathers steam June 29, 2020 Facebook is facing another day of difficulty on Wall Street, as investors baulk at the growing list of major companies boycotting advertising on its platform. Shares in the tech giant plunged more than eight per cent last Friday, as top advertisers paused ad buying on the platform over concerns about misinformation and hate speech. As [...]