Plymouth shooting: Suspect’s hate-filled Youtube account taken offline August 13, 2021 A hate-filled Youtube account belonging to the suspect in a mass shooting that killed five people in Plymouth yesterday has been taken offline. The account, named Professor Waffle, included a number of videos by 23-year-old Jake Davison, who has been named locally as the gunman. It has now been removed and the page shows a [...]
Google employees could face pay cuts under remote working scheme August 10, 2021 Google employees could experience pay cuts if they choose to work remotely on a permanent basis, with those who commute hit hardest. In June, Google gave US employees access to a new Work Location Tool which allows them to see how moving would impact pay as part of plans to pay remote workers based on [...]
Screenshot: Will the digital advertising boom ever end? July 30, 2021 This week **Media Moment of the Week: You are what you tweet **Will the digital advertising boom ever end? **Esports: Britain’s next big thing? Media Moment of the Week: You are what you tweet You know the scenario: someone says something you don’t like on Twitter and you have an overwhelming urge to rise to [...]
Netflix, Google and Facebook to require jabs for return to office July 29, 2021 Netflix, Google and Facebook will require all US employees to be vaccinated against Covid-19 before they can return to work. In an email to staff Google boss Sundar Pichai said the tech giant was pushing back its return to the office from September to mid-October. He added that vaccinations will be compulsory for US staff, [...]
MPs and peers launch ‘super committee’ to scrutinise online harms laws July 29, 2021 A joint committee of MPs and lords has been launched today to scrutinise controversial government plans to tackle online harms. The new super committee will be tasked with seeking views on the online safety bill, which was published in draft form in May. The bill is designed to hold tech giants such as Facebook and [...]
Google hit with £920m UK lawsuit over ‘unlawful’ app store charges July 29, 2021 Google has been slapped with a £920m class action lawsuit in the UK over claims charges on its Google Play Store are “excessive and unlawful”. The claim, filed in the Competition Appeal Tribunal in London, alleges that the tech giant shuts down competition in its Play store and hits out at its 30 per cent [...]
Google owner Alphabet smashes earnings estimates on digital advertising boom July 27, 2021 Google parent company Alphabet sprinted past revenue expectations for the second quarter, as the pandemic-induced surge in online shopping powered companies’ digital advertising spend. The tech giant posted revenue of $61.88bn in the three months to 30 June, up 62 per cent from the same period last year, and miles in front of Wall Street estimates [...]
Big Tech earnings: What to expect this week as tech titans report July 27, 2021 Wall Street is gearing up for a slew of Big Tech earnings this week with Apple, Amazon, Facebook, Google and Microsoft all set to deliver figures for their latest quarter. Twitter and Snap kicked off proceedings by smashing expectations last week, raising hopes that a post-pandemic advertising rebound will boost other platforms. Tesla also shrugged [...]
Online harms laws pose threat to free speech, Lords committee warns July 22, 2021 The government’s plans to crack down on harmful online content pose a threat to freedom of speech and would be ineffective, peers have warned. In a report published today, the House of Lords communications and digital committee slammed plans to address “legal but harmful” material, saying the issue should instead be addressed through tougher law [...]
Fake reviews could be outlawed in consumer protection overhaul July 20, 2021 Paying for someone to write or host fake reviews online could be made illegal under new plans to ramp up protection for consumers. The government has unveiled proposals to crack down on fake reviews as part of a wider package of measures targeting “consumer catfishers” who use dodgy tactics to dupe online shoppers. It has [...]