RewardStyle founder Amber Venz Box talks influencer marketing and fashion November 26, 2018 Fashion retail is a risky business. Like many sectors, it has been disrupted by the rise of the internet, as consumers increasingly shop on their phones rather than on the high street. So with fewer people browsing in shops, there’s a question of how best to advertise a new dress or a trendy handbag. Traditional [...]
Google and DeepMind are playing fast and loose with society’s trust November 20, 2018 Last week, we were greeted by the disturbing news that DeepMind, an artificial intelligence subsidiary owned by Google’ s parent company Alphabet, is moving some of its healthcare activities into the newly formed Google Health. This isn’t the first time that one of the tech giants has been accused of making misrepresentations to consumers, using [...]
DEBATE: Is Tim Berners-Lee right that we need to save the web from abuse? November 7, 2018 Is Tim Berners-Lee right that we need to save the web from abuse? Sven Hughes, chief executive and founder of Verbalisation and Global Influence, says YES. When info.cern.ch went live in 1991, it was the address of the world’s first ever website and web server. Sir Tim Berners-Lee was the man to create that website, and [...]
Politicians should be wary of regulating the internet November 7, 2018 The internet is under scrutiny like never before. On Monday, Sir Tim Berners-Lee, architect of the world wide web, warned of his invention’s detrimental effect on society and democracy, and launched a “Magna Carta” so people can use it “freely, safely and without fear”. Then yesterday, the UK information commissioner, Elizabeth Denham, gave evidence to [...]
This Halloween, businesses must tackle their demons and embrace the AI boogeyman October 31, 2018 Business leaders are an easily spooked bunch. Economic turbulence, new competitors, and workplace skill deficits are just a few of the things that can give us a fright at any time of year, without the added frisson of All Hallows’ Eve. But a new fear has emerged this year: customer data – namely how it’s [...]
The value of the average data breach fine in the UK doubles in one year October 29, 2018 The average value of fines issued by the UK’s data watchdog doubled over the last year to reach £146,000, according to new figures released today by City law firm RPC. Additionally, the total value of fines imposed by the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) in the twelve months to 30 September 2018 rose to just under £5m. [...]
European Parliament calls for a full audit of Facebook over its data breach track record October 25, 2018 The European Parliament has today called for a full audit to be carried out on Facebook to assess the security of its users' personal data and the firm's data protection policies, in light of this year's string of data breaches. MEPs have today adopted a resolution which urged Facebook to allow EU bodies to carry out [...]
Apple chief Tim Cook calls for GDPR-style privacy in the US October 24, 2018 Apple chief executive Tim Cook praised EU privacy laws in a rare speech in Brussels today, and demanded that the US follow its lead. Appearing at an international data protection conference, Cook said it was "time for the rest of the world" to get up to speed on data privacy with the EU's General Data Protection [...]
Google preparing to appeal EU’s €4.3bn Android fine October 9, 2018 Google is expected to challenge European competition authorities tomorrow, as the deadline to appeal the EU's record-breaking €4.3bn fine against its parent firm Alphabet comes to pass. The tech giant was charged by regulators over "serious illegal behaviour" with its Android operating system in July. Brussels ruled that Google had forced smartphone makers to favour its own [...]
Irish regulator to probe Alphabet’s Google+ data leak October 9, 2018 Ireland's Data Protection Office today said it will seek answers from Google over the data leak from its failed social media platform Google+, which could have exposed the profile information of at least 500,000 users. Google said last night it was shutting down Google+ for consumers, after it discovered and patched the bug back in [...]