Facebook data requests: The UK government is requesting more information than ever before November 5, 2014 The UK government is making more requests than ever before for Facebook to hand over user data. In the first half of the year there were 2,110 requests made by UK authorities, compared to 1,975 in the same period in 2013, a rise of seven per cent. Facebook handed over some data in 70 per [...]
GCHQ director: WhatsApp, Twitter and Facebook “facilitate” Isis terrorism November 4, 2014 GCHQ’s newly appointed director has suggested that Twitter, Facebook, WhatsApp and other large US tech brands “facilitate” terrorism. In an opinion piece published in the Financial Times, Robert Hannigan writes that “the largest US tech companies…are the routes for the facilitation of crime and terrorism.” Hannigan’s article is published on the same day [...]
Facebook has shown the way with its move to mobile – now everyone else must follow October 29, 2014 Facebook has made mobile pay. That much was made clear after the site revealed mobile adverts now account for 66 per cent of its advertising revenue. And when that mobile ad revenue amounts to $1.95bn, it pays to seek to understand how it got there – and quite possibly how to copy it. “Our strong [...]
Facebook beats expectations as mobile grows October 28, 2014 Facebook has posted impressive third-quarter results with growth in both revenue and users. Yet despite beating analysts’ expectations, markets had expected a stronger performance and shares in Facebook dropped eight per cent in after-hours trading last night. The firm also warned of higher costs next year. The multi-billion dollar company grew its daily active users [...]
Facebook earnings boom with huge growth in mobile ad revenue after Twitter disappoints October 28, 2014 Facebook has posted impressive third quarter results with growth in both revenue and users. The multi-billion dollar company grew its daily active users by 19 per cent from a year ago, with the number of monthly active users growing by 14 per cent. Wall Street had expected the social media firm to post revenue for [...]
10 things we learned this week: From Tesco’s share price and Facebook’s tax bill to cures for Ebola and the EU budget October 24, 2014 What a week. From troubles at Tesco (not least its share price) to Facebook's UK tax bill, we've had a busy front on company news. And when it came to international goings-on, the EU really kept us on our toes, while Ebola continued to dominate the news. Here we digest the top 10 stories [...]
Facebook’s £3,169 UK corporate tax bill in 2013 was less than a zone 1-9 yearly London travelcard October 22, 2014 Facebook’s corporate tax bill for 2013 came in at just £3,169 last year, according to its latest accounts. It paid less than London commuters pay for a yearly zone one to nine travelcard (£3,256) by basing its European headquarters in tax-favourable Ireland, and using a tax loophole known as the “Double-Irish”. The social network paid the [...]
New Facebook feature “Safety Check” lets you tell loved ones you’re safe during an emergency October 16, 2014 Facebook knows the first thing you do in a crisis is turn to social media. A psychological quirk of the modern age, it means Faceboook is not necessarily just a narcissistic echo chamber full of selfies, but also the first port of call to check on loved ones during an emergency. That’s why Facebook is [...]
Facebook and Apple offer free egg freezing to female employees in the US October 15, 2014 Famous Silicon Valley firms Facebook and Apple are offering an unusual perk to its female employees – and it's slightly controversial. Both companies are offering women working at the company based in the US free egg freezing for non-medical reasons as part of their healthcare benefits package. Facebook already offers the perk, having introduced it [...]
“Double-Irish” tax loophole to close by 2020 for Apple, Google and Facebook, making way for “Knowledge Development Box” October 14, 2014 The Irish government has revealed plans to close a much criticised tax loophole nicknamed the “Double-Irish”, which lets major international corporations such as Apple, Google and Facebook pay surprisingly low rates of corporation tax. The plans, announced by Ireland’s finance minister Michael Noonan in the government's budget today, come amid mounting pressure from Europe and [...]