Facebook, Cambridge Analytica, and your data – a look back one year after the personal data scandal March 21, 2019 Last Sunday marked the first anniversary of newspapers breaking the story of Cambridge Analytica. The Guardian and the New York Times revealed that the British political consulting firm had been able to harvest the personal data of millions of Facebook users without permission. Cambridge Analytica had to file for insolvency just a few months after [...]
Record label income grows amid rise in streaming subscriptions March 21, 2019 UK recorded music revenues rose more than three per cent last year as the popularity of streaming services shows no signs of slowing. New figures from trade body BPI revealed record label revenues hit £865.5m in 2018, the highest level in almost a decade. Read more: Music streaming revenues overtake ownership for the first time [...]
Apple reveals UK pricing for new Airpods ahead of TV streaming service launch March 20, 2019 Apple has updated its wireless Airpods headphones before a likely launch of its very own streaming service. Read more: Netflix will not partner with Apple’s streaming service The tech giant’s new set of Airpods will boast a better battery life, Apple’s new, more powerful chip, as well as the option of a wireless charging case. [...]
Netflix will not partner with Apple’s streaming service, says boss March 19, 2019 Streaming giant Netflix has said it will not make its films and TV shows available on Apple’s on-demand video platform, as competition in the sector begins to heat up. Chief executive Reed Hastings told reporters in Hollywood the firm will not cooperate with Apple, which is expected to unveil a new video platform at an [...]
Chick-fix: Glencore offices raided over chickpea price conspiracy March 18, 2019 More than 25 Indian officials descended on the Mumbai office of Glencore at the weekend as authorities investigate alleged price fixing of one of the country’s vital commodities – chickpeas. The Competition Commission of India (CCI) is looking into claims that commodities traders at Glencore Agriculture, which is half owned by the Anglo-Swiss miner, conspired [...]
Contactless card payments rise by a third with transaction limit set to increase March 15, 2019 Every two in five card payments are made with contactless technology according to new data. Contactless transactions rose 31 per cent year-on-year in 2018, data from banking trade body UK Finance revealed, demonstrating a growing confidence in paying without use of a Pin. A wider adoption of the technology on public transport and in more [...]
Opinion: Post-Brexit Britain should be open to the world and a foreign buyer tax sends exactly the opposite message March 15, 2019 House price growth is at its lowest rate in five years, according to the latest ONS statistics. While Brexit is clearly a contributing factor, stamp duty is the main culprit in the London market. It is therefore highly alarming that the government has decided to press ahead with divvying out yet another stamp duty burden. [...]
Don’t hit snooze: Eve Sleep calls on Apple to scrap ‘detrimental’ snooze function in iOS update March 15, 2019 Mattress maker Eve Sleep has published an open letter asking that Apple delete the snooze function from its alarm clock app in iOS 12.2. Read more: Britain is sleepwalking into the clutches of the exhaustion industry The letter sent to Apple's London headquarters and addressed to chief executive Tim Cook asks Apple to “single-handedly improve the nation's sleep [...]
Apple slams Spotify for wanting ‘benefits of a free app without being free’ March 15, 2019 Apple has hit back at Spotify’s EU competition complaint, saying the streaming service wants “all the benefits of a free app without being free”. Earlier this week Spotify filed a complaint with EU competition authorities over the way the tech giant’s App Store works. Read more: Spotify reports Apple to EU commission over antitrust concerns [...]
Facebook hit with US criminal investigation over data-sharing deals March 14, 2019 US prosecutors have launched a criminal investigation into Facebook over a number of data deals it struck with other major tech firms. A grand jury in New York has ordered two smartphone manufacturers to hand over records, the New York Times reported, citing people familiar with the matter. Read more: Facebook to encrypt more messages [...]