The UK risks missing out on the benefits of driverless cars without government action March 15, 2017 The economic gains from driverless cars could bypass the UK entirely without rapid ministerial action, a House of Lords committee has warned. The UK has sought to be at the forefront of trials for autonomous vehicles, but peers have today said ministers must engage in a more cross-governmental approach. The House of Lords science and technology [...]
Google, Facebook and Twitter won’t tell MPs how many staff moderate content in a major grilling by the Home Affairs Select Committee March 14, 2017 Several of the world's biggest tech companies faced a major grilling from MPs over their efforts to tackle online abuse and hate crime as German authorities pushed further, threatening them with multimillion pound fines over failures. Top executives from Google, Facebook and Twitter faced a lashing from MPs on the Home Affairs Select Committee for failing to do enough [...]
Now fintech startup Revolut is getting into loans March 14, 2017 Fintech startup Revolut has partnered with a peer-to-peer lender to offer loans to users, its newest product in addition to a current account and money transfers. With Lending Works, it will offer loans of up to £5,000 at a rate of 9.9 per cent APR over 12 months. The credit facility is instant, if approved, with [...]
WPP chief executive Martin Sorrell urges advertisers to show faith in newspapers as spending drifts to Google and Facebook March 14, 2017 Advertising grandee Sir Martin Sorrell has urged his industry to show faith in newspapers as more and more money drifts towards online giants. Sorrell, the founder and chief executive of WPP, said that at a time when Google, Facebook and Twitter stand accused of “giving a platform to hatred and fake news” there ought to [...]
Facebook, Twitter and Google could face €50m fines for fake news and hate speech under German law proposals March 14, 2017 German lawmakers have slammed Facebook and Twitter for their failure to tackle content which breaks the law, hate speech posted on the sites, and so-called fake news that's defamatory, warning of financial penalties for companies which do not tackle the problem. Draft laws proposed today would bring in fines of up to €50m (£44m) for the companies failing [...]
Innovation never stops: What’s next for the tech startups in Bird & Bird’s Digital Innovators showcase pushing boundaries? March 14, 2017 When Bird & Bird and City A.M. sought to unearth, and then celebrate, the most innovative digital companies shaking up the worlds of finance, health, education, media and security, we knew the collective 20 companies we found were an outstanding demonstration of the UK’s leadership in cutting edge technology. Now, just four months on, the visionary founders [...]
Yahoo’s Marissa Mayer would receive a $23m golden parachute if terminated “without cause” March 13, 2017 Marissa Mayer, the boss of Yahoo, is set to receive a $23m (£18.8m) golden parachute if she loses her job after Verizon completes its $4.83bn purchase. Yahoo said in a filing Mayer will receive the severance pay if she lost her job "without cause". Verizon hasn't yet specified whether Mayer will continue to lead Yahoo after the [...]
Businesses must put more cash into commercialising top tech R&D from universities, say MPs March 13, 2017 Businesses have been told to increase their investment in the world-class research and development which goes on in UK universities by MPs, to bring innovations to market and bring it in line with other countries. Members of the science and technology committee have called for a greater focus on the demands of business rather than the supply of [...]
Computacenter promises jam tomorrow as UK was “disappointing” this year March 13, 2017 IT infrastructure company Computacenter today said its UK performance for 2016 was disappointing but says next year will be “a year of progress overall” for the group. The figures Adjusted profit before tax fell by £0.5m to £86.4m, as adjusted revenues rose to £3.2bn from £3bn in 2015. The company declared a dividend of 22.2p per share, [...]
Mobileye share price soars as Intel’s $15.3bn acquisition confirmed March 13, 2017 Intel has snapped up an Isreali technology firm specialising in driverless car tech in a multi-billion dollar deal to accelerate its automotive plans. Shares of Mobileye shot up more than 30 per cent in pre-market trading on the New York Stock Exchange after reports of the deal initially serviced. Mobileye, which works on technology for driverless cars, has [...]