Netflix comes under fire for removing comedy episode critical of Saudi prince January 2, 2019 Netflix has pulled an episode of a comedy show that criticised Saudi Arabia after complaints from the country’s regime, sparking fears over freedom of expression in the kingdom. The online streaming service removed an episode of the standup show Patriot Act in which host Hasan Minhaj criticised Saudi Arabia over the murder of journalist Jamal [...]
Why cryptocurrencies are here to stay December 21, 2018 If common perception is to be believed, we’re currently watching the death of cryptocurrencies. Without doubt, there is cause for some concern. This year has been terrible for speculators, with a deeply entrenched bear market taking hold, and the price of bitcoin falling by around 80 per cent. The year also hasn’t resulted in the envisaged uptake [...]
Twitter shares slide as company dubbed ‘Harvey Weinstein of Social Media’ December 20, 2018 Shares in Twitter are down 12.6 per cent as the social media giant heads towards for its biggest one-day fall in nearly five months. It comes after a report from Citron Research said the technology company “has become the Harvey Weinstein of Social Media”, following a damning Amnesty International study. The human rights charity said on [...]
For Facebook, Apple, Amazon, Netflix and Google, 2018 was the year when trust in the tech giants evaporated December 20, 2018 The Faangs (Facebook, Amazon, Apple, Netflix, and Google-owner Alphabet) have been the darlings of the stock market for years. These tech giants have helped to change how we shop, communicate, work – even how we watch movies. But as they have grown in size, fears have also grown, especially about what they may do with so [...]
France will tax Amazon and Facebook as tech tax talks with the EU falter December 18, 2018 France expects to pull in around €500m (£450m) each year as it introduces a new tax on major technology companies such as Amazon and Apple. Speaking in Paris, finance minister Bruno Le Maire said he would push ahead with the tax plans after talks to establish an EU-wide version collapsed earlier this month, AFP reported. [...]
Why voice assistants are set to make their ‘presents’ known this Christmas December 18, 2018 Christmas is now only a week away, and unsurprisingly gadgets will be taking up a lot of space under the tree, as people want to get their hands on the latest tech. Voice assistants are set to be an affordable, useful gift for many this year, and have become one of the hottest presents on [...]
From tech to Trump – here’s what prompted the big market moves of 2018 December 18, 2018 From Brexit to trade wars, nothing has been plain-sailing about 2018. It’s been a year of peaks and troughs across all major markets, so let’s have a look at the big moves of the past 12 months. Tech in turmoil This was the year when the tech giants raced to become the first ever $1 [...]
Google to fork out $1bn on new NYC campus, one week on from Apple’s splurge in Texas December 17, 2018 Alphabet's Google will invest more than $1bn (£793.6m) on building a new campus in New York, following in the footsteps of fellow tech giant Amazon in picking the US financial capital for expansion. Named Google Hudson Square, the new 1.7m square foot campus will consist of leased properties on New York’s technology corridor. The company said [...]
The unstoppable rise of podcasts: How an industry was reborn December 16, 2018 It seems nothing can stop the rise of podcasts. On-demand listening has become the sine qua non of the commuter; the lifeblood of dinner party conversation. Popular podcasters attract millions of listeners, and advertisers are starting to reap the rewards. And yet podcasts are not a new phenomenon. They predate Facebook, Youtube and Twitter, and [...]
Could the UK be on the brink of a US-style class action explosion? December 16, 2018 The Royal Bank of Scotland, Lloyds Banking Group, Tesco, Google and Mastercard. These are just a handful of the household names that have been targeted in group action lawsuits in the UK with billions of pounds at stake. The UK, unlike the US or Australia, does not have a long history of class action-style lawsuits, [...]