Facebook triples its UK tax bill to £15.8m October 8, 2018 Facebook paid £15.8m in UK tax last year, tripling the amount it paid in 2016 as tech firms come under increased scrutiny by HMRC. Accounts filed last week on Companies House revealed the social media giant's profits for its UK office, which covers expenses on marketing, sales and engineering support, rose 6.3 per cent to [...]
When the banter stops: Viral publisher Unilad braced to enter administration October 4, 2018 The company behind Unilad, an internet news site known for its viral content, is set to go into administration – putting hundreds of jobs at risk. A judge recommended the move after a court heard that the website’s parent, Bentley Harrington, had debts running up to £6m. Alex Partridge, Unilad’s co-founder, echoed the call. Patridge [...]
London office take-up climbs as Crossrail arrival and new hotspots fuel demand October 4, 2018 Demand for office space in Central London jumped in the third quarter of 2018, with take-up in the capital’s commercial property sector showing no sign of a slowdown in the run-up to Britain leaving the EU. Office take-up in the three months to the end of September hit 3.7m square foot, marking a six per [...]
Facebook Messenger and WhatsApp are becoming increasingly important to businesses October 4, 2018 When was the last time that you voluntarily made a phone call? Some of you may pretend that you prefer the human touch of chatting over the phone, but let’s be honest – phone calls are inconvenient. A ringing phone interrupts your day and train of thought, while waiting for your call to be answered [...]
DEBATE: Can traditional small-state conservatives justify imposing a new digital tax? October 3, 2018 Debate: Can traditional small-state conservatives justify imposing a new digital tax? YES, says Waqar Riaz, head of data-driven marketing at Cheil Europe. Few can argue with the idea that big business should pay its fair share towards public services like the NHS or education. Yet, as business has become increasingly global in nature, legislation has failed to [...]
Bereft of new ideas, Jeremy Corbyn’s Labour Party is dead set on sticking its head in the sand October 3, 2018 One of the most dispiriting aspects of the Labour Party conference, which ended last week, is how deeply conservative the political left has become. Its remedies for Britain’s problems look to the past and not the future. Far from embracing new technology, the left is hostile to it. This was not always the case. Labour [...]
Irish regulator to investigate Facebook over data breach with an expected fine of up to $1.6bn October 2, 2018 The Irish Data Protection Office has opened a probe into Facebook over last week's cyber attack, which saw more than 90m accounts potentially affected. Ireland's data regulator will launch the case against Facebook under General Data Protection Regulations (GDPR), as it confirmed that less than 10 per cent of the users affected were inside the [...]
Facebook hack: 50m accounts affected by data breach September 29, 2018 Social media giant Facebook yesterday confirmed it had been hit by a hack affecting millions of its users' accounts. Attackers were able to exploit a vulnerability in its "view as" feature, leaving around 50m accounts exposed to hackers. The breach was discovered on Tuesday and the police have been informed. Facebook vice president of product management [...]
War of the words: Facebook elite hit back at Whatsapp co-founder September 27, 2018 Whatsapp co-founder Brian Acton has found himself at the centre of a public dispute with former and current Facebook executives, after his criticisms against Facebook chief Mark Zuckerberg’s leadership style caused discomfort among the social app’s top brass. Facebook deputy David Marcus labelled Acton’s comments, in which the Whatsapp founder claimed Facebook and Zuckerberg pushed [...]
Facebook hit by $11bn wipeout from its market cap after Instagram founders quit September 25, 2018 Shares in Facebook have fallen by more than two per cent as markets opened in the US this afternoon, powered by the sudden exit of the two founders of Instagram. Facebook's share price fell as much as 3.2 per cent in pre-market trading this morning, before opening 2.4 per cent down to a total market value loss [...]