Privacy ‘cannot be a luxury good’, says Google boss Sundar Pichai January 22, 2020 Privacy “cannot be a luxury good”, Google’s chief executive said today, while vowing his company would protect its users’ information. Sundar Pichai, who also leads parent company Alphabet, said privacy was “at the heart of what we do”. “Users come to Google at very important moments, ask us questions, we deal with people’s sensitive information [...]
OECD tells UK to ‘hold fire’ on new tech giants tax January 22, 2020 The UK has been told by the OECD to “hold fire” on a new tax on big technology companies planned for April. The secretary general of the organisation, which is tasked with brokering a global compromise on the issue of tech giants not paying enough tax, said there would be the risk of “a cacophony” [...]
Our way, not the Huawei — for the sake of national security January 22, 2020 Boris Johnson might have been forgiven for thinking that the biggest dilemma he inherited from Theresa May would be how to resolve Brexit. But a second straggler from the May era has reared its head to disrupt the post-election serenity. How the Prime Minister chooses to deal with it may have long-term effects as important [...]
What lessons have we learned from a decade in cyber security? January 22, 2020 A colleague recently asked me what I thought had changed in cyber security over the last 10 years. We agreed that it had certainly been a time of momentous change. In 2012, there was the Shamoon attacks in the Gulf region. In one stroke, 35,000 computers were wiped and disabled within a matter of hours. [...]
Data watchdog launches new code to protect children’s privacy online January 22, 2020 Social media firms will be required to tighten up their privacy settings for children using their platforms as part of a new code outlined by the data watchdog. The Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) today unveiled its age appropriate design code, which sets out 15 standards for online services. It is aimed at companies responsible for [...]
Jeff Bezos reportedly hacked by Mohammed bin Salman January 21, 2020 Billionaire Amazon boss Jeff Bezos reportedly had his phone hacked in 2018 after receiving a Whatsapp message from the crown prince of Saudi Arabia Mohammed bin Salman. An encrypted message from the number used by the de facto Saudi ruler included a malicious file that infiltrated Bezos’ phone, The Guardian reported. It said digital forensic [...]
Netflix beats fourth-quarter revenue estimates as subscribers jump January 21, 2020 Netflix added more subscribers than analysts had expected at the end of last year, despite the debuts of several rival streaming services. The streaming giant added 8.76m paid subscribers globally in the three months to December, compared with analysts’ average estimate of 7.63m, thanks to hits such as the Irishman and the third season of [...]
UK fintech Monese nears unicorn status January 21, 2020 UK fintech Monese is in talks to raise £100m from investors in a deal that would give it a valuation of more than £1bn. The fundraising would give the business so-called unicorn status. The Financial Times first reported the talks which are expected to lead to a deal with new and existing investors in the [...]
New app allows jetsetters to manage passports and visas on mobile January 21, 2020 Globetrotters will be able to manage multiple passports and visa requirements on their mobiles thanks to a new app launched today. Passport Index allows users to compare passports and their visa needs, meaning travellers with multiple passports can see which document is best for any given destination. The app was launched at the World Economic [...]
Uber sells Indian food delivery business to Zomato January 21, 2020 Uber today said it has sold its food delivery business in India to local rival Zomato in an all-share deal worth a reported $350m (£268m). The deal gives Uber a 10 per cent stake in Zomato, which is backed by Ant Financial, a fintech affiliate of Chinese conglomerate Alibaba. The companies did not disclose the [...]