UK security services fail in legal bid to get hacker Lauri Love to hand over passwords for encrypted device via “back door” May 10, 2016 The UK's security services have failed in their bid to force a hacker to hand over passwords which would give them access to encrypted information held on his computer, in what's been called a landmark case. A judge has ruled today against the National Crime Agency (NCA), which was seeking the passwords as part of a civil case brought by [...]
Facebook denies bias against this type of politics May 10, 2016 Ever felt like Facebook is a little bit lefty? Well, now it's defended itself against claims that it does favour one side of the political spectrum over the other by manipulating what appears on the site. Staff at the social network suppressed coverage of conservative politics in the US, according to a report, choosing not to include them in its [...]
Watch: How Hyperloop’s crazy next generation maglev tech will actually work May 10, 2016 One of the firms working on Hyperloop has revealed how the technology will work to transport people at hundreds of miles an hour in levitating pods. It uses a passive magnetic levitation, a step forward from the maglev technology used by high speed trains such as Japan's bullet train, to carry passengers at up to 760 mph [...]
Nokia misses forecast, ups saving target May 10, 2016 Nokia missed analysts targets and has upped its cost saving targets in a difficult mobile infrastructure market. The figures Sales fell nine per cent in the first quarter of the year to €5.6bn (£4.4bn), missing analysts expectation of around €5.76bn. In the Finnish firm's largest market, the US, sales fell 17 per cent , while in the [...]
A Decentralised Autonomous Organisation – “DAO” – has already raised a staggering $33m. What does that mean? May 9, 2016 The first Decentralised Autonomous Organisation (DAO) fund has now raised over $33m, making it the second-largest crowdfunding project of all time. DAOs enable people to buy tokens in Ether, the cryptocurrency of Ethereum. Token-holders (who are a bit like shareholders) are then able to invest in smart-contract projects that run on the Ethereum blockchain – operating [...]
Facebook wins copyright case against Chinese drinks company Zhongshan Pearl River Drinks May 9, 2016 If you'd been looking forward to sampling a refreshing "face book" beverage on your next visit to Beijing, you're about to be sorely disappointed. The US social networking behemoth Facebook has won a rare copyright victory in China, after the Beijing Municipal High People's Court ruled that Zhongshan Pearl River Drinks could no longer use [...]
James Dyson donates £8m to University of Cambridge to fund new engineering facilities complete with a house that can almost think for itself May 9, 2016 British entrepreneur James Dyson has today opened a range of new engineering facilities at the University of Cambridge, including a slightly scary-sounding new smart building that’s more like a “living creature”, according to Dyson’s statement. The new facilities were funded with an £8m donation from Dyson's eponymous foundation. The cash injection is the largest gift [...]
UK set for take off in “drones for business” industry worth billions May 9, 2016 The market for drones in business – from transporting goods to servicing ships and filming TV shows – could be worth $127.3bn (£88bn) and the UK is destined to play a major part in that, new research reveals. Infrastructure, agriculture and transport are the areas where drone technology will have the greatest application, in terms of both labour and services, [...]
Calling all startups: The FCA’s fintech accelerator is open for business May 9, 2016 Fintech startups will now be able to test out their ideas without fear of getting on the wrong side of regulators. A so-called sandbox has been launched by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) today offering a tech accelerator environment for young firms looking to disrupt finance. "Supporting innovation is an essential part of our role in promoting competition [...]
Oil major Total makes near €1bn wager on renewable energy with bid for battery maker Saft May 9, 2016 French oil major Total made a €950m (£750m) bid for battery maker Saft, effectively increasing its wager on the renewable energy sector. It said that the €36.5 per share offer represents a 38.3 per cent premium to Saft's closing price as of Friday. The friendly offer has already received unanimous approval from Saft's board, but it's still subject to a review [...]