Facebook may shared personal data of 87m people with Cambridge Analytica – not the 50m previously thought April 4, 2018 Facebook today admitted almost 30m more people than previously thought may have had their personal data handed over to Cambridge Analytica. Some 87m, most of which were from the US, may have had information improperly shared. Previously, the social media giant estimated a figure of 50m. Chief technology officer Mike Schroepfer revealed the increased numbers [...]
“Extraordinary surge” in M&A continues into 2018 April 4, 2018 The “extraordinary surge” of dealmaking which picked up at the end of 2017 has continued into the first three months of 2018, figures released today revealed. Activity hit its highest value since 2001 with pressure from shareholders and the search for innovation driving corporates towards M&A. In the first quarter, $890.7bn (£632.8bn) was recorded across [...]
A truly global Britain would not meddle with the market – Theresa May’s government must be careful how it deals with De La Rue, GKN, Melrose and Sky April 4, 2018 With the Conservatives and Labour neck-and-neck in the polls and a Brexit-shaped mountain building up in her in-tray, the last thing Theresa May needs is a trio of tricky situations emanating from the business world. Yet that is precisely the situation in which the Prime Minister finds herself. Away from the far weightier concerns of [...]
Telegram ICO: WhatsApp rival raises $1.7bn in its initial coin offering March 30, 2018 WhatsApp rival Telegram has raised a total of $1.7bn (£1.2bn) through the world’s biggest initial coin offering (ICO). After raising an initial $850m in February through the token pre-sale, the encrypted messaging app raised another $850m from 94 investors in March, according to a filing with the US Securities and Exchange Commission. Telegram said it [...]
Facebook scandal: European markets hit by Wall Street’s tech sell-off March 28, 2018 European markets are taking a hit today after US tech stocks had their worst day since February 2016 yesterday. Wall Street’s Faangs (Facebook, Apple, Amazon, Netflix and Alphabet’s Google) were battered yesterday over fears of a regulatory crackdown following Facebook’s data scandal. Shares in the social media giant have fallen about 15 per cent this [...]
The EU’s misguided tax on tech giants is doomed to fail March 27, 2018 Amid the moral panic about “tech giants”, trust the European Union to lead the way with a ham-fisted proposal to “level the playing field”. Politicians on the continent have worried for years about the tax planning of these (usually American) super-firms. Last week, they issued a proposal to deal with the perceived problem: allow individual [...]
Why brands need to make their messaging more authentic March 26, 2018 How can businesses be more “authentic”? It may sound like just another buzzword to emerge from the world of marketing, but authenticity can go a long way to help build consumer trust in a brand and it’s one of the reasons why companies keep partnering with online influencers. Put simply, authenticity marketing is about a [...]
Post-Weinstein can the legal sector change its secretive cover up culture March 25, 2018 In the less than six months since Ronan Farrow published his explosive New Yorker expose on movie mogul Harvey Weinstein, behaviour that would previously have been hushed up or talked about in whispers in the media and business world is now being exposed to the cold light of day. The legal sector is no different [...]
Former F1 boss Bernie Ecclestone is facing a fresh trial over alleged bribery March 24, 2018 Formula One's former chief executive Bernie Ecclestone is set to face a fresh trial over bribery and corruption allegations, relating to the 2006 sale of the motor racing business to private equity firm CVC Capital Partners. London's High Court announced yesterday that Ecclestone will face trial on 1 October 2019, reviving a case which Ecclestone [...]
New Homes: What’s on sale in London this weekend in Hendon, Greenwich, Bow, Acton and the Docklands March 23, 2018 New developments on the market this week North West Four, Hendon From £675,000 Get more for your money in Zone Three with only a 30 minute commute to Bank. This gated development of 18 two and three bedroom apartments near Hendon Central station are also a 45 minute drive from four international airports. Spread across [...]