Darktrace risks being dragged into US probe into billionaire Mike Lynch February 17, 2019 UK cybersecurity darling Darktrace is at risk of being pulled into the US fraud case against tech billionaire Mike Lynch and his former Autonomy colleague Sushovan Hussain. US court documents show that Federal Bureau of Investigation agents held a voluntary interview with Darktrace’s co-chief executive Nicole Eagan, as first reported by the Sunday Telegraph. Read [...]
Sir Richard Branson looking for additional investment in Virgin space ventures February 16, 2019 Sir Richard Branson has hired corporate finance firm LionTree Advisors to help raise hundreds of millions of pounds to invest in Virgin Galactic and Virgin Orbit, according to Sky News. It comes months after Branson halted a $1bn (£775m) Saudi-funded deal amid the political tension over Jamal Khashoggi's murder. Discussions are already under way with a number of potential investors, including [...]
Facebook faces paying billions of dollars in data breach penalty February 15, 2019 Facebook faces a record multi-billion dollar fine from the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) for privacy violations, according to reports. The penalty would surpass the $22.5m (£17.5m) fine the FTC issued to Google for failing to protect user data as the largest ever financial punishment imposed by the US government's privacy and security watchdog. Read more: [...]
Mobile network industry calls for security scrutiny amid Huawei spying claims February 15, 2019 Europe needs a security testing programme to oversee the rollout of 5G in order to combat distrust of providers, according to the mobile network industry. Industry body the GSMA, which represents 800 operators, has called on governments and the private sector to collaborate on setting up such a scheme. Read more: Huawei boss: US has [...]
The heating revolution is firing up February 15, 2019 There is a revolution happening. The way in which we own assets and pay for goods – unchanged for centuries – is being turned on its head. Ownership is waning and the heyday of pay-as-you-go services is coming to an end. We now overwhelmingly lease cars instead of buying them, pay for communications as a [...]
Data regulator pushes for a wider remit in tech giant audits February 14, 2019 Future regulation on the world’s biggest tech companies must include the UK’s data watchdog, information commissioner Elizabeth Denham said today. Speaking at the Institute for Government, Denham described MPs’ calls for regulation of tech giants as a “knee-jerk reaction” that, if excessive, could impinge on freedom of expression. Her comments came as platforms such as [...]
Amazon scraps plans for second headquarters in New York February 14, 2019 Amazon has abandoned plans to build its second headquarters in New York City, after facing strict opposition from both state and local politicians. The world's third-most valuable company had announced plans to split its second US headquarters, known as HQ2, across New York and Virginia in November last year. The move was expected to create [...]
UK software firm Micro Focus ‘back on track’ as revenue tops expectations February 14, 2019 London-listed software firm Micro Focus said sales had fallen less than expected last year, causing its share price to jump as much as 15 per cent. It reported a fall of 5.3 per cent revenue for the 18 months to the end of October, compared to earlier expectations of between six and nine per cent. [...]
Apple to resume selling older iPhone models in Germany after Qualcomm dispute February 14, 2019 Apple is to resume sales of its older iPhone models in Germany, but only with chips from Qualcomm as part of a long-running patent dispute. The tech giant had to pull some iPhone models out of the country last year in order to comply with a lawsuit won by Qualcomm, which argued Apple had infringed [...]
Angry Birds maker Rovio predicts bumper 2019 despite halved profits February 14, 2019 The maker of the mobile game Angry Birds said its profit halved over the most recent quarter, but expected a brighter future as the year goes on. Rovio reported adjusted profit of €5.3m (£4.7m) for the three months to the end of December, down from €10.5m in the same quarter a year earlier. This was despite [...]