Monzo backer Accel raises $575m fund for European and Israeli startups May 16, 2019 London venture capital stalwart Accel has today announced its sixth fund for Europe's early-stage startups, closed at a final raise of $575m (£440m). The fund will be managed by a core investment team based in its London office, seeking out entrepreneurs across the continent and in Israel in both consumer and enterprise sectors at series A stage. Accel [...]
Trump backs out of Christchurch online terror pledge May 15, 2019 The United States has refused to join other nations in signing a pledge to tackle the spread of violent and extremist content online. The White House said while it supported the document’s overall goals, it is “not currently in a position to join the endorsement”. Named the Christchurch Call, the statement asks governments and companies [...]
OnePlus 7 Pro review: OnePlus went all out on its first super-premium phone, and created something incredible May 15, 2019 OnePlus takes the war on bezels very seriously. Having valiantly whittled down the notch of last year’s OnePlus 6T to a single-lens nipple-nubbin, zealous OnePlus engineers have obliterated it completely in the newly launched OnePlus 7 Pro. Announced this week, the company’s very first premium, no-holds-barred flagship is nothin’ but screen – top to bottom, [...]
Private equity owner of NSO Group pledges privacy crack down after Whatsapp hack May 15, 2019 Novalpina Capital, which owns a large stake in Israeli spyware firm NSO Group – whose technology was used to hack Whatsapp – has promised to crack down on the company’s approach to privacy. The UK private equity fund said it would bring the company in line with UN privacy principles and reform its governance to [...]
Trump set to sign executive order rolling out US ban on Huawei May 15, 2019 US President Donald Trump is expected to sign an executive order this week that will set in motion the country’s ban on Chinese tech firm Huawei. Trump is set to sign a long-discussed executive order preventing US companies from using telecoms equipment made by firms that pose a national security risk, Reuters reported, citing three [...]
San Francisco becomes first US city to ban facial recognition software May 15, 2019 San Francisco officials have voted to ban the use of facial recognition technology by local authorities in the latest regulatory clampdown on tech giants. The city’s board of supervisors voted eight to one in favour of the legislation, which would also require police and government departments to submit surveillance technology policies for vetting. Read more: [...]
DEBATE: Is the Tesco boss right to call for slashed business rates and an online tax to save the high street? May 15, 2019 Is the Tesco boss right to call for slashed business rates and an online tax to save the high street? Robert Palmer, executive director of Tax Justice UK, says YES. Tesco’s Dave Lewis is right: the way we tax high street shops and online firms isn’t working. The tax system benefits companies like Amazon and Google, [...]
Adobe partners with Software AG to personalise customer experiences May 15, 2019 Adobe has teamed up with German software giant Software AG to launch a new data platform that helps businesses create better messaging for their customers. The partnership, which combines the two firms’ software, will allow businesses to access data from different sources in real time to create a personalised customer profile. Read more: Adobe and [...]
Bank of England director calls for ‘collective solution’ to cyber security threats May 14, 2019 The Bank of England has called for a “collective solution” to tackle cyber security threats similar to the "super shield" system used in the US. The US has implemented a private sector initiative called Sheltered Harbour to protect customers and financial institutions in the event that a cyber attack causes critical systems to fail. Read [...]
Foxconn posts fall in first-quarter revenues as demand for smartphones falters May 14, 2019 Apple supplier Foxconn has posted a sharp fall in profits and revenues for the first quarter amid declining demand for smartphones. Read more: Huawei to build 400-person chip plant near Cambridge The Taiwanese firm, which is the world’s largest contract manufacturer, reported revenues of T$1.05tn (£26bn) for the three months to the end of March, [...]