Here are all the predictions I got wrong in 2018 December 21, 2018 I should have given up making predictions in June 2017. Three months earlier, I had spoken at a conference on Brexit and suggested that the best way forward for Theresa May would be to call a snap election and strengthen her negotiating hand. I don’t know how the Prime Minister got word of my advice, [...]
Facebook documents: Four things we learned from 250 pages of confidential emails December 5, 2018 Parliament today published a tranche of confidential Facebook documents it seized as part of an inquiry into fake news. The release of nearly 250 pages of internal documents, seized from a tech firm suing the tech giant, includes emails sent between chief executive Mark Zuckerberg and COO Sheryl Sandberg. Damian Collins, chair of the Digital, [...]
US judge seizes laptop of app boss who leaked Facebook info to British MPs December 2, 2018 The software company co-founder who released a trove of sensitive documents about Facebook to a parliamentary committee has been ordered by a US judge to turn in his electronic devices for inspection. San Mateo County judge V. Raymond Swope ordered Ted Kramer, the founder of Six4three – a now-defunct bikini-related app company – to pass [...]
MPs and international ministers blast Facebook’s Zuckerberg over non-appearance November 27, 2018 Lawmakers have criticised Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg for not appearing in a hearing today, which accused the social media platform of undermining international parliaments and regulators. A grand committee consisting of representatives from several countries including the UK, Canada, France and Belgium met in Westminster today, convened by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport Select Committee, to [...]
We want the organ grinder not the monkey, Facebook November 27, 2018 Another day, another scandal. Today, Facebook executive Richard Allan is to appear at a crucial hearing about disinformation and fake news. You know, Richard Allan? The bloke who… isn’t Mark Zuckerberg. Lined up in front of the parliamentary firing squad, Not Zuckerberg is facing a grilling by 22 Members of the International Grand Committee on [...]
DEBATE: Was it right for MPs to use obscure parliamentary powers to seize Facebook documents? November 27, 2018 Was it right for MPs to use obscure parliamentary powers to seize Facebook documents? Kevin Craig, chief executive and founder of communications agency PLMR, says YES. There is something poetic about British politicians using one of the most archaic parliamentary powers to tackle a very modern policy challenge. Since the Cambridge Analytica story broke, Facebook has [...]
Mark Zuckerberg is a modern wartime chief executive November 26, 2018 Facebook was meant to revolutionise and make everything better wasn’t it? It was a friendly social networking platform that would allow us to share photos and videos, and stay in touch with those we needed to: friends, family, and the loved ones we were separated from by distances in time and geography. But the revelations [...]
DEBATE: As shares continue to tumble, could this be the beginning of the end for Apple? November 22, 2018 As shares continue to tumble, could this be the beginning of the end for Apple? Fiona Cincotta, senior market analyst at City Index, says YES. The easy money momentum trade on Apple looks to be well and truly over. As Apple heads into bear market territory and innovations are lacking, the future is looking less rosy for [...]
Facebook’s Zuckerberg brushes off resignation calls over Definers scandal November 21, 2018 Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg has fought back against calls for the social media giant to change up its leadership, as requests for resignation letters mount against both him and Facebook operations chief Sheryl Sandberg. Zuckerberg rejected renewed criticism against the company in an interview with CNN late last night, where he took it upon himself to defend [...]
Facebook shares hit near 20-month low as Sandberg defends its reputation November 17, 2018 Shares in social media giant Facebook dropped to their lowest point in 19 months last night, as its operations chief Sheryl Sandberg stepped in to defend the company's position on fake news and Russian interference. In an interview with CBS, Sandberg denied claims from a New York Times investigation that Facebook hired a Republican opposition research [...]