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 [...]
DEBATE: With Nick Clegg joining Facebook, can we expect a new revolving door between politics and Silicon Valley? October 23, 2018 With Nick Clegg joining Facebook, can we expect a new revolving door between politics and Silicon Valley? YES, says Leon Emirali, an entrepreneur and investor. Stifling regulation, immense political upheaval, and very deep pockets have created the perfect environment for a politics/tech merry-go-round. For the Silicon Valley giants, it makes perfect sense to use their [...]
What the Clegg? Facebook taps former Lib Dem leader as its next head of global affairs October 19, 2018 Facebook has hired former Liberal Democrats leader Nick Clegg to be its next head of global affairs and communications, with the ex-politician set to move to Silicon Valley in January. Clegg will take over from the role's former occupant Elliot Schrage, who personally led the search for his replacement after announcing he would be leaving Facebook following [...]
Facebook shareholders call on Zuckerberg to step down as chairman October 17, 2018 Facebook chief executive Mark Zuckerberg is facing pressure to resign his post as chairman following a series of scandals. Several US public funds who own shares in the company have called for Zuckerberg to step down from the role after the social media giant “mishandled” a series of controversies. Facebook was at the centre of [...]
It’s Google versus Facebook in the fight for video dominance October 15, 2018 There’s a battle brewing online. In search of more views, users, and lucrative ad money, Facebook wants to take on Google and steal YouTube’s crown as the dominant video platform. The social media giant is fighting on two fronts. It launched its first assault last year with Facebook Watch, a platform effectively identical to [...]
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 [...]
Instagram’s co-founders quit their social media app September 25, 2018 Instagram’s co-founders are leaving the firm. Kevin Systrom and Mike Krieger are stepping down six years after Facebook bought their social media app for $1bn (£760m). The photo-sharing behemoth today boasts more than 1bn users, up from 30m at the time Facebook bought it, but the co-founders’ departure follows rumours of tensions between them [...]
DEBATE: Does the increasingly global reach of the tech giants require a regulatory watchdog? September 13, 2018 Does the increasingly global reach of the tech giants require a regulatory watchdog? Ruth Manielevitch, director of business development EMEA at Taptica, says YES. Even Mark Zuckerberg himself has admitted that some regulation of his industry is necessary. A regulatory watchdog would ensure that the activity of Facebook and other tech titans is scrutinised, to [...]