Social media firms to be judged on safety standards ahead of new laws May 8, 2019 Social media firms will be judged on their ability to protect their users before tough new legislation is introduced, the culture secretary has warned. Jeremy Wright today said firms need to take greater action to crack down on harmful material posted to their platforms now or risk a clampdown from a future regulator. Read more: [...]
Senior executives now biggest target of corporate cyber crime May 8, 2019 Senior executives with access to the most sensitive corporate information are now the biggest targets of corporate cyber crime, a new report has revealed. Research by telecoms giant Verizon showed top bosses are 12 times more likely to be the target of so-called social engineering attacks, which trick users into giving away data or access [...]
Tesla closes $2.7bn offering as it raises cash to fuel expansion plans May 8, 2019 Electric car company Tesla said today it had closed its $2.7bn (£2.08bn) offering of stock and convertible notes in an offering it said was oversubscribed. The fundraise gives Tesla some much needed cash as it tries to boost production. Tesla sold about $1.84bn in debt and $860m shares, with underwriters exercising their option to buy [...]
Challenger bank Monzo teams up with challenger energy suppliers in bid to steal customers from Big Six May 8, 2019 Monzo customers will be able to use their apps to get a better deal on their electricity and gas, the company announced today. The challenger bank has teamed up with challenger energy suppliers Ovo and Octopus in a bid to lure more customers away from standard tariffs and the Big Six suppliers. Read more: Supercharged: Moneysupermarket booms [...]
Look After My Bills helps consumers save money by automatically switching their energy provider May 8, 2019 When did you last switch your energy provider? For renters and homeowners alike, managing the cost of our electricity and gas supply is a major headache. Consumers are encouraged to switch regularly, not only in order to find cheaper deals and save money, but also to ensure that the energy market remains competitive and offers [...]
US secretary of state Mike Pompeo to issue Huawei warning during UK visit May 8, 2019 US secretary of state Mike Pompeo is expected to warn Prime Minister Theresa May against allowing Huawei to build the UK’s 5G network during a meeting in London today. Pompeo is holding talks with May and foreign secretary Jeremy Hunt, and will make a speech on foreign policy ahead of US President Donald Trump’s state [...]
It’s not cutting-edge AI we should feel anxious about, but mediocre automation May 8, 2019 If there were a betting market in future winners of the Nobel prize in economics, MIT’s Daniel Acemoglu would be at pretty short odds. His highly innovative work has already won him a string of prizes. So his research is always worth following – especially when he challenges the conventional wisdom, as in his paper [...]
London fintech startup Transfergo picks up an additional $3.4m from Seventure May 8, 2019 Money transfer platform Transfergo has added a $3.4m (£2.6m) to its $17.5m series B funding round, as it surpasses 1m customers. The additional investment came from French venture capital firm Seventure Partners, which has previoulsy backed the likes of Push Doctor and Sum Up. Read more: London startup Checkout.com raises Europe's largest ever fintech series A [...]
Gett eyes 2020 flotation and profitability as it raises $200m at a $1.5bn valuation May 8, 2019 Taxi-hailing firm Gett said it has raised $200m (£153m) in additional funding yesterday, with a flotation on the cards “as soon as the first quarter of 2020”. It added it is on track to become operationally profitable globally by the fourth quarter of this year, including its US operation. Read more: Uber drivers to stage [...]
Government’s digital identification system Verify is ‘failing users’ May 8, 2019 The government’s flagship digital identification programme is failing users and has not delivered value for money, according to a damning new report. The Public Accounts Committee (PAC) has slammed the Verify programme, which it said has been hampered by a catalogue of problems and has failed to deliver the benefits originally promised. Read more: "Grave [...]