Whatsapp delays controversial update following privacy backlash January 15, 2021 Whatsapp has delayed changes to its privacy policy following a backlash that saw scores of users flocking to rival apps Telegram and Signal. The messaging app today said it was pushing back the date by which users would have to accept the new terms, adding that no one would have their account suspended or deleted [...]
Dating app Bumble files for US stock market float January 15, 2021 Dating app Bumble has filed for a US initial public offering, joining a host of major tech companies expected to go public this year. The app, which is backed by private equity giant Blackstone, registered for a float of up to $100m (£74m), though this is a placeholder amount and is expected to change. Previous [...]
ITV taps headhunter Stuart Spencer to pick new chairman January 15, 2021 ITV is said to have hired executive search firm Stuart Spencer as it kicks off the hunt for a replacement to outgoing chairman Sir Peter Bazalgette. The broadcaster’s nominations committee, led by former Jupiter Fund Management boss Edward Bonham Carter, has tapped the US headhunter to scout out potential applicants, Sky News reported. Bazalgette, who [...]
Hi-de-hi, hi-de-buy? Blackstone in for Butlin’s owner January 15, 2021 US private equity firm Blackstone is closing in on a stake in the owner of Butlin’s holiday resorts as it looks to cash in on higher demand for staycations after the pandemic. The investment giant is in advanced talks with Bourne Leisure over acquiring a significant holding in a deal that values the company at [...]
Signal down: Messaging app stops working after surge in new users January 15, 2021 Messaging app Signal has stopped working in the wake of a huge surge in new users. The social media platform, which bills itself as a more privacy-focused alternative to the incumbent tech giants, suffered glitches this afternoon that prevented messages from sending. There was a spike in users reporting problems with connection and logging in [...]
Satellite firm Oneweb secures $400m in fresh Softbank-led funding January 15, 2021 Oneweb, the satellite broadband firm bailed out by the UK government last year, has raised a further $400m (£294m) in a fresh funding round led by Softbank. The Japanese conglomerate will also take a seat on the board of Oneweb, which was rescued from bankruptcy in November by the government and Indian billionaire Sunil Bharti [...]
Amazon hit with class-action lawsuit over ebook price-fixing January 15, 2021 Amazon has been slapped with a class-action lawsuit over accusations it colluded with publishers to fix ebook prices. The lawsuit, filed in a New York district court, alleges that Amazon and the so-called Big Five publishers — Penguin Random House, Hachette, Harper Collins, Macmillan and Simon & Schuster — agreed to price restraints that cause [...]
Blackrock sells $200m China Telecom stake after US ban January 15, 2021 Blackrock has offloaded almost all of its stake in China Telecom at a significant discount following a new ban on US investment. China Telecom is one of a number of tech firms subject to a Trump administration executive order blocking American investors from owning companies deemed to have links with the Chinese military. The move [...]
Screenshot: Is social media heading for a new era of privacy? January 15, 2021 A weekly column from City A.M. bringing you all the biggest stories and trends in technology, media and telecoms This week **Media Moment of the Week: CNN’s crowbar correction **Whatsapp’s privacy exodus **Music touring: A victim of Brexit? Media Moment of the Week Given the extent of the carnage at the Capitol last week, reporters [...]
Pubs and restaurants suffer festive flop as Christmas sales slump January 15, 2021 Pubs and restaurants were plunged into festive misery as tough Covid-19 lockdown restrictions prompted a slump in sales in Christmas. UK boozers and eateries saw total sales drop by almost three-quarters during what should have been the sector’s busiest trading period of the year. Drink-led pubs and bars were worst hit, with sales down 83.7 [...]
