Google and IAB hit with fresh complaints over ‘intimate’ user profiling for adverts January 28, 2019 New evidence emerged today outlining the extent of Google’s collection of ‘intimate’ user data amid a pan-European legal complaint against the tech giant. Mental health, infertility, sexual orientation and religious beliefs are among the categories attached by Google to internet browsers to be used in real-time ad auctions. Read more: Google hit with €50m fine by [...]
UK fintech Featurespace raises £25m in latest funding round led by Insight Venture Partners and Mission OG January 28, 2019 UK fintech firm Featurespace, a software company that specialises in behavioural analytics, has raised £25m in a funding round led by Insight Venture Partners and Mission OG. The funding, which is the largest amount the firm has raised to date, will be used to aid Featurespace’s international expansion and the development of the company’s artificial intelligence-led software. Featurespace, which currently [...]
Apple Watch Series 4 review: How Apple’s timepiece finally became a ‘must buy’ gadget January 25, 2019 In the almost four years since the first Apple Watch launched, many have come to see it as the weak link in the company’s portfolio. While iPhones have sold in record numbers, Apple has declined to release official sales figures for its timepiece, and initial excitement over the futuristic new category was at risk of [...]
London startups take the lead in Tech Nation’s fourth Upscale accelerator January 25, 2019 City startups have landed more than two thirds of the places available on Tech Nation’s fourth Upscale acceleration programme, beating out over 100 applicants. The digital entrepreneur network, which also runs a fintech accelerator backed by the Treasury, has selected 30 startups as “ones to watch” in 2019. The fast-growing tech firms will enter the programme’s [...]
London-based AI and emerging technology festival bags HSBC as lead sponsor January 25, 2019 An upcoming London-based festival of artificial intelligence, blockchain and emerging technologies has named global banking giant HSBC as its lead sponsor. CogX 2019, which takes place at the start of London Tech Week from 10-12 June, will also move to King’s Cross this year, and will feature 500 speakers, 300 startups and more than 15,000 [...]
Microsoft chief Satya Nadella calls for facial recognition regulation as Bing gets switched back on in China January 24, 2019 The boss of software giant Microsoft has said facial recognition technology needs to be regulated, as the company weathers another storm in China. Speaking at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, chief executive Satya Nadella said that self-regulation when it comes to facial recognition may not be enough as the technology grows more popular. [...]
Business lender Iwoca gets a helping hand with £7.5m from London fund Augmentum Fintech January 24, 2019 Small business lending challenger Iwoca is planning to close its next funding round within weeks, as the first stage of investment is revealed. London-listed fund Augmentum Fintech has plugged £7.5m into the round, which City A.M. understands to be part of a much larger series D raise to be announced in early February. A representative for Iwoca declined [...]
Xiaomi Mi 8 Pro review, specs, price and details: The Mi 8 Pro marks the Chinese phone company’s UK debut January 24, 2019 At the end of last year, Chinese phone giant Xiaomi finally launched its first products in the UK. A household name in its home nation, the company is the fourth biggest phone manufacturer in the world after heavyweights Huawei and Samsung, and just a hare’s fart behind Apple. Xiaomi introduced itself to Britain with four [...]
Apple dismisses more than 200 staff from self-driving car unit Project Titan January 24, 2019 Apple has cut more than 200 staff from its secretive self-driving car unit Project Titan, as the business undergoes some restructuring under new management. The dismissals, first reported by CNBC, come after Apple hired a former veteran of the firm Doug Field and Tesla's ex-vice president of engineering to lead the project alongside Bob Mansfield last [...]
Big tech firms like Google, Amazon and Facebook spent a record amount on political lobbying last year January 24, 2019 Google, Amazon and Facebook's bill for lobbying the US government hit record highs last year, as life under the Trump administration put big tech firms in the spotlight. Google parent firm Alphabet said it spent $21.2m (£16.3m) on political lobbying costs in the US last year, topping its previous all-time high of $18.2m achieved in 2012. It [...]