Arguments around the family Christmas table may make up for the lack of social media bashingIt’s the most wonderful time of the year to stop tweeting.People all around the world are coming together to vow they will not be on social media over the holidays. Continue reading...
The fight is on to be 2018 online champion as Bhushan Kumar’s T-Series vies for the top spotOne is a 29-year-old Swedish YouTube star who considers himself the most famous person on the internet. The other is an Indian entertainment company founded by a former fruit-juice seller who worked the streets of Delhi.Quite how and why PewDiePie and T-Series became locked in a “war†might seem a mystery to those used to the analogue age. Online, however, the race to become YouTube’s No 1 channel of 2018 has been an intensely fought battle – and one with bizarre offline consequences. Continue reading...
Taking inspiration from the top flight of motorsport, the Hummingbird e-bike is ready to take off (just don’t leave it unlocked anywhere)Hummingbird electric folding bike
After months of revelations about the firm, the executive is being talked of as a sacrifice, not founder Mark ZuckerbergFacebook’s already terrible year is ending on a new low, as Mark Zuckerberg and his beleaguered executive team battle another share price slide, this time triggered by new revelations about the company’s relaxed attitude to the privacy of its 2.2 billion customers’ data.Shares dropped more than 7% on Tuesday after it was revealed that the company had bent its own data rules for clients including Netflix, Spotify, Amazon, Microsoft and Sony. Continue reading...
The app wants to distance itself from its rivals’ troubles, but needs more of their revenuesDon’t suggest to executives at Snap, parent of the Snapchat app, that they work for a social network, or that they’re in the social media space. “It’s a communications platform, not a social network,†says Claire Valoti, international vice-president of Snap.You might think that an app where you create media – photos with captions and effects – and then send that to a selection of friends and acquaintances (where it self-deletes) sounds like social media. But Snapchat wants to distance itself from rivals such as Facebook, Instagram or Twitter, which this year were the focus of so much negative attention for their effects on democracies, cyberbullying, or invasion of privacy. Continue reading...
Revolut customers are protected by the Bank of Lithuania – but it’s not certain it will pay upIt is almost exactly 10 years since the 300,000 British customers lured into Icesave by high interest rates woke up to find that their £4bn in deposits had disappeared when parent company Landsbanki collapsed and the country’s entire financial system went into meltdown.Iceland’s deposit protection scheme instantly fell over. How could it not? A tiny country with a population about the same as Brighton found itself as the guarantor for savers across Europe, with Dutch as well as British savers heavily invested in the Landsbanki accounts. Today, we’re told, it’s all different. Banks have been forced to raise more capital, supervision and solvency testing is much more robust, and the EU has set a €100,000 (£90,000) minimum deposit protection level for member states. Continue reading...
by Erin Durkin in New York and agencies on (#45HAT)
Smart speaker’s remarks, apparently quoted from Reddit, come as Amazon tries to boost speaker’s conversational capacityAn Amazon customer got a grim message last year from Alexa, the virtual assistant in the company’s smart speaker device: “Kill your foster parents.â€The user who heard the message from his Echo device wrote a harsh review on Amazon’s website, Reuters reported - calling Alexa’s utterance “a whole new level of creepyâ€. Continue reading...
From outlaws in turn-of-the-century America to a young woman falling tenderly in love and Norse gods going to war in spectacular style: our critics pick the best video games of the yearThis turn-of-the-century tale of the American Old West is extraordinarily ambitious and luxuriously slow-paced, taking in many hours of riding around a breathtaking recreation of untouched nature as well as gun-slinging shootouts. A game so bewilderingly detailed that it is sometimes difficult to believe. Continue reading...
From Apple AirPods to Amazon tablets, here are suggestions for all budgetsStuck for a gift for Christmas with the clock steadily ticking on? Here are some tech suggestions for all range of budgets. Continue reading...
by Presented by Jordan Erica Webber and produced by D on (#45F1J)
In this Christmas special, Jordan Erica Webber learns how to track Santa using satellites and jet fighters as he journeys around the world bringing presents to millions of childrenChips with Everything is interested in finding the best technological solutions to help catch a glimpse of Santa on his busiest night of the year. On Christmas Eve, the North American Aerospace Defence Command will be tracking Santa’s whereabouts so that no matter where you are in the world and what time it is for you, you can know exactly when to expect him … and his presents.We chat to Capt Cameron Hillier, of Norad, who tells us how his team uses radars, satellites and jet fighters to track Santa on his travels. Continue reading...
Dispute between subcontracting firm and workers demanding better conditions has prompted protest inside FacebookAfter 20 Facebook subcontractors demanded better working conditions, they were told to accept a counter-offer from their company by Friday afternoon – or lose their jobs.The labor dispute has prompted internal protest by some full-time Facebook employees (FTEs), who have been sharing updates on the situation on the company’s internal version of Facebook, known as Workplace, according to posts seen by the Guardian. Continue reading...
‘The tentacles of the campaign are vast,’ UK official says, as two Chinese nationals charged in USThe US and UK have taken the unprecedented step of accusing hackers linked to the Chinese government of waging a sustained cyber-campaign focused on large-scale theft of commercial intellectual property.Two Chinese nationals were charged in the US in relation to a campaign across Europe, Asia and the US that breached Chinese bilateral and international commitments, American prosecutors said. Continue reading...
US indictment accuses two Chinese nationals of global, state-backed campaign targeting dozens of agencies, including in AustraliaAustralia has called on China to respect international commitments on cybercrime after the US and UK revealed an alleged plot by a hacking group backed by state intelligence to steal intellectual property from the west on an industrial scale.On Friday Australia’s national cyber security adviser and the head of the Australian Cyber Security Centre, Alastair MacGibbon, described the hacking as “an audacious, global campaign†which had affected “several†Australian companies. Continue reading...
Authorities scramble to find ways to tackle drones as Gatwick shutdown highlights lack of progressFrom computer programming and guns that fire giant nets to well-trained birds of prey, previous attempts to stop the rogue use of consumer drones have been nothing if not original.But for all that creativity, the authorities have been left behind. And on Thursday, as an unknown operator succeeded in shutting down Gatwick airport for at least 18 hours by flying drones around the airport’s protected airspace, the slow pace of progress was highlighted again. Continue reading...
The creator of the year’s biggest game is facing a slew of lawsuits over its alleged use of famous dance moves. But will courts tap to the same tune?Imagine it is 2014 and you are the rapper 2 Milly. You have just created a new dance for your music video Milly Rock, and it has proved wildly popular. Four years later, an extremely similar dance crops up in a globally successful video game with more than 200 million players. What do you do? What can you do?The answer, of course, is sue. And that’s exactly what 2 Milly, real name Terrence Ferguson, has done, alleging copyright infringement, having swiftly registered the Milly Rock dance with the US Copyright Office. Continue reading...
Treasury presses for FCA to regulate cryptocurrencies to protect consumersThe UK government has said it stands ready to empower Britain’s financial regulator to oversee all cryptocurrency assets, after a warning from MPs that bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies were “wild west†assets that exposed consumers to a host of risks.While some crypto-assets are regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), many others, such as bitcoin, are not, the Treasury noted in its response to a report from the Treasury select committee published in September, which called for regulation to protect investors and prevent money laundering. Continue reading...
Nintendo’s ingenious combination of video game and construction kit is one of the most interesting family games around. Should you buy it for your kids?Released in April, Nintendo Labo was one of the more unusual games of this year – or any year. The box contains cardboard sheets, rubber bands and string along with a game cartridge, inviting players to build ingenious little cardboard models that, when combined with the Nintendo Switch console and its controllers, become working interactive toys. It’s rather like cardboard Lego, presented in a way that gently introduces the basics of engineering.Labo is not as playground-popular as Minecraft or Fortnite, but it’s a rare video game that provides educational value as well as fun, and does so without forcing it down kids’ throats. Continue reading...
Cost of out-of-warranty battery replacements is due to jump to as much as £65Owners of iPhones with failing batteries have 12 days to take advantage of Apple’s out-of-warranty £25 battery swap offer before the price rises to as much as £65.The discounted battery replacement scheme, which applies to the iPhone 6 and newer models, was launched following revelations last year that Apple was intentionally slowing iPhones because of worn batteries. Continue reading...
We knew that being connected had a price – our data. But we didn’t care. Then it turned out that Google’s main clients included the military and intelligence agencies. By Yasha LevineThe internet surrounds us. It mediates modern life, like a giant, unseen blob that engulfs the modern world. There is no escape, and, as Larry Page and Sergey Brin so astutely understood when they launched Google in 1998, everything that people do online leaves a trail of data. If saved and used correctly, these traces make up a goldmine of information full of insights into people on a personal level as well as a valuable read on larger cultural, economic and political trends.Google was the first internet company to fully leverage this insight and build a business on the data that people leave behind. But it wasn’t alone for long. It happened just about everywhere, from the smallest app to the most sprawling platform. Continue reading...
Drivers should be classed as workers with access to paid holidays and minimum wageJudges have dismissed Uber’s appeal against a landmark employment tribunal ruling that its drivers should be classed as workers with access to the minimum wage and paid holidays.Master of the rolls, Sir Terence Etherton, along with Lord Justice Bean, backed an October 2016 employment tribunal ruling that could affect tens of thousands of workers in the gig economy. A third judge, Lord Justice Underhill, dissented, leading to a 2-1 majority decision. Continue reading...
If you’re a gamer after something more in-depth than coffee table books, here are some of the most thought-provoking reads about gamingPrima Games, £19.99 Continue reading...
Creator of the first word processor and designer of a 1960s online air passenger reservation systemEvelyn Berezin, who has died aged 93, invented the Data Secretary, the first electronic word processor for secretarial use, and in 1969 founded a company in Hauppauge, Long Island, to manufacture and sell it. She had bumped into the glass ceiling and it was the only way she could get a senior position running a company.The choice of product was tactical. As one of the few women developing computer hardware at the time, she was a two-finger typist and said she had to stay as far away as possible from looking like a secretary. However, she needed something that a small team could create at a price low enough to sell. In the 1960s, most computers were so expensive that companies rented them. While this benefited the supplier in the long run, it required a large initial investment, and Berezin did not have the capital. Continue reading...
No combination of settings can stop location data being used by advertisers, says reportFacebook targets users with location-based adverts even if they block the company from accessing GPS on their phones, turn off location history in the app, hide their work location on their profile and never use the company’s “check in†feature, according to an investigation published this week.There is no combination of settings that users can enable to prevent their location data from being used by advertisers to target them, according to the privacy researcher Aleksandra Korolova. “Taken together,†Korolova says, “Facebook creates an illusion of control rather than giving actual control over location-related ad targeting, which can lead to real harm.†Continue reading...
by Leah Green, Nicole Jackson, Joseph Pierce and Kati on (#45B5W)
What a year it's been for the Facebook founder. There was that unforgettable Senate hearing, that huge data scandal and, oh yes, those 2 million Europeans who left the site. One to remember. Merry Christmas, Mark Continue reading...
Firm bent its own data rules for major clients such as Amazon, Microsoft and Sony, report saysFacebook gave Netflix and Spotify the ability to read and even delete users’ private messages, a new investigation has revealed.The social media giant granted major companies far more exceptions to its privacy policies than previously known, making user data available through loopholes to companies including Amazon, Microsoft and Sony. Continue reading...
Diplomatic messages describe annexed area of Ukraine as ‘hot zone’ and Trump as ‘bully’Brussels has launched an investigation into the apparent hacking of the EU’s diplomatic communications network after thousands of sensitive cables were made public, including descriptions of Donald Trump as a “bully†and Crimea as a “hot zone†where nuclear weapons may be present.The dump of confidential cables on a public site laid bare the concerns of EU diplomats and officials over the Trump administration and its dealings with Russia and China. Continue reading...
The Tesla founder unveils his latest visionary project – a tunnel beneath LA that his Boring Company says will revolutionise urban transport.Musk described the development as 'incredibly profound' as he showcased his tunnel-boring technology and driverless vehicle to assembled media
by Andrew Gumbel in Hawthorne, California on (#459PQ)
As thousands gather for the first public viewing of Musk’s ‘loop track’, skeptics wonder whether it will live up to its promisesElon Musk enthused that this was no ordinary tunnel opening, but something epic and “incredibly profoundâ€. Skeptics wondered whether it was just a hyped-up coming-out party for a hole in the ground.In the end, the first public viewing of Musk’s latest visionary project – an underground “loop†track that promises to revolutionize transport in the 21st-century city – turned out to be a grand mixture of imaginative futurism and showbiz razzmatazz, not to mention a showcase for a novel tunnel-boring technology that may be the most significant development of all. Continue reading...
The app was ‘perhaps the most effective platform’ for the Russian online propaganda campaign by the Internet Research AgencyThis January, as Mark Zuckerberg was embarking on his quest to “fix†Facebook, one writer proposed a bold idea: make Facebook more like Instagram, “the Facebook-owned app that isn’t destabilizing societyâ€. Instagram was no panacea, according to the New York Times tech columnist, but the downsides of the largely visual network – making “some of its users feel ugly and unpopular†– were insignificant compared with those of a highly politicized Facebook that could “undermine democracies and promote misinformation around the worldâ€.The idea that Instagram was a safe harbor for social media users in a sea of propaganda and political divisiveness caught on, both among users who didn’t realize the app was owned by scandal-ridden Facebook and with the tech press. An April Bloomberg Businessweek cover story framed Instagram as “Facebook’s best hope†and “Mark Zuckerberg’s way out of the latest data scandalâ€. Continue reading...
Company says it is ‘committed’ to strengthening and advancing civil rights on service after groups demand restructuring of boardDozens of civil rights groups are calling for Mark Zuckerberg and Sheryl Sandberg to step down from Facebook’s board of directors following what they described as years of the company’s role in “generating bigotry and hatred towards vulnerable communitiesâ€.In a letter sent to Zuckerberg, the company’s CEO, on Monday night, the Southern Poverty Law Center, Muslim Advocates, Equality Labs and MoveOn.org were among more than 30 groups demanding a restructuring of the board to improve accountability of senior leadership in the wake of recent scandals. Continue reading...
Just unwrapped a gift of an internet-connected device? Don’t just turn it on and plug it in – you might be giving the manufacturer all sorts of information you don’t need toJeff Bezos knows when you’ve been sleeping, he knows when you’re awake, he knows when you’ve been bad or good, because you didn’t change the default privacy settings on the Amazon smart speaker you set up in your bedroom, for goodness’ sake.This Christmas, families will be unwrapping various internet-connected devices, and, knowingly or not, wiring up their homes for levels of surveillance rarely seen outside the Soviet bloc. But you still have a bit of control. Here are the best tips to protect your digital privacy, without resorting to Christmas gifts whittled from wood. Continue reading...
A new Guardian documentary shows young Geovany filming his last day in a temporary home. Plus, read about other interesting documentary releasesIn the shadow of Silicon Valley a hidden community thrives despite difficult circumstances. For one resident, eight-year-old Geovany Cesario, impending change is bittersweet. When the time comes to leave Crisanto Avenue, which he affectionately calls Crisanto Street, he uses his camera to document the day.Crisanto Street is a film by Paloma Martinez, an award-winning director interested in the intimate moments that humanise complex social and political structures. She began her storytelling career as a labour organiser in her native Texas. Her films have been screened at festivals around the world. With her work she hopes to empower communities and spark a dialogue about difficult subjects. Continue reading...
by Paloma Martinez , Charlie Phillips and Jacqueline on (#457YG)
In the shadow of Silicon Valley, a hidden community thrives despite difficult circumstances. For one resident, eight-year-old Geovany Cesario, impending change is bittersweet. When the time comes to leave Crisanto Avenue, which Geovany affectionately calls Crisanto Street, he uses his camera to document the day Continue reading...
Alfonso Ribeiro wants to stop the makers of Fortnite and NBA 2K from using the dance he first performed on the 1990s sitcomThe Fresh Prince of Bel-Air star Alfonso Ribeiro is suing the creators of Fortnite and NBA 2K for using his famous dance on the popular video games.In separate lawsuits filed on Monday in federal court, Ribeiro alleges that Epic Games, the maker of Fortnite, and 2K Sports-creator Take-Two Interactive used his dance, dubbed The Carlton Dance, without permission or credit. Continue reading...
For children facing life-limiting illnesses, adaptive technology allows them to feel independent and express themselvesWith his spiky hair and Adidas sweatshirt, Shay Murray looks like a typical 11-year-old. He’s cute, he’s boisterous, he’s into everything. But he also has Pearson syndrome, an incredibly rare mitochondrial disease that affects multiple body organs. His eyesight, hearing and memory are deteriorating, his kidneys are operating at barely 60%. There is no cure. Most children with the condition die by the age of five.I’m watching Shay play video games in a big, bright social area at the Keech children’s hospice in Luton, where he is a regular and very enthusiastic visitor. “Whenever he comes here, I know the staff need a rest when he leaves,†says his father, Alan. “He’s a character. In a way, the disability has made him who he is – with the family sarcasm added on.†Continue reading...
Company will spend more than $1bn to build a new complex in New York City, in the tech industry’s latest major expansion eastSilicon Valley is becoming Silicon Nation.Google has announced will spend more than $1bn to build a new office complex in New York City that will allow it to double the number of people it employs there. Continue reading...
Company discovered suspicious traffic to a customer-support forum while investigating a security bug that exposed dataTwitter shares fell almost 7% after the company said it was investigating unusual traffic that might be from state-sponsored hackers and, in what appeared to be an unrelated issue, a security firm said hackers used the platform to try to steal user data.Related: After a year from hell, Facebook parties like it's 2017 Continue reading...
Tax will come into effect from 1 January, but plans for an EU-wide levy have falteredFrance is to press ahead alone with a new tax on big technology companies after struggling to secure agreement for a EU-wide levy.The French finance minister, Bruno Le Maire, said he believed the tax, which will take effect from 1 January, would raise €500m (£450m) in its first year. Continue reading...
A growing number of customers are fed up with the company, from its working conditions at warehouses to anti-tax lobbyingThe holiday season is all about spending the time with your loved ones and, judging by most office mailrooms, shopping on Amazon. Last year, 76% of Americans who shopped online for Christmas presents said that they planned to do most of that shopping on Amazon.Amazon now accounts for just shy of half of all online sales in the US and Santa’s not so little helper is expected to have another bumper Christmas this year. But there are a growing number of people whose front steps won’t be graced by Amazon packages this festive season – consumers boycotting the online retailer. Continue reading...
Why libraries, parks and other endangered public spaces are essential to good city livingFor the sociologist Eric Klinenberg, a vision of the good city begins in the local library. It’s a place where a huge amount of knowledge is available permanently, free of charge. It’s a computer centre; it’s a place where everyone goes, including the marginalised young and elderly. Security is light-touch – “you rarely see a police officer in the libraryâ€. It is adaptable in a crisis. During Hurricane Sandy, a branch library in Staten Island became the place where local people sheltered and where relief was coordinated. In north-west Bangladesh, libraries float on moored boats in flood-prone areas. All this passes almost unnoticed. Libraries are closing across the UK and the US at a scarily rapid rate (nearly 130 have closed in the past year, it was recently revealed). The public library is not, and inherently never can be, a market, and so, Klinenberg writes, “If it didn’t already exist, it’s hard to imagine our society’s leaders inventing it.â€Klinenberg, who comes from a similar Chicago community milieu as his friend Barack Obama, has written a paean to libraries, parks, playgrounds and other public spaces, but he is unable to keep the bleaker realities of urban (and, unusually, suburban) life out of his would-be-inspiring “Aren’t Cities great?†narrative. What are clearly meant to be instructive just-so stories and heartwarming anecdotes are often much more grim and upsetting than he seems to think they are. Continue reading...
Ambassador meets Michael Spavor who was arrested last week; he and Michael Kovrig were held following Huawei boss’s arrest in CanadaCanada’s ambassador to Beijing has met the second Canadian detained in China on suspicion of threatening national security.The Canadian foreign ministry said ambassador John McCallum met Michael Spavor, a business consultant, two days after visiting another detained Canadian, Michael Kovrig, a thinktank employee. Continue reading...
Ro Khanna, a California Democrat, pushes initiative in the state amid questions over his own political aspirationsRo Khanna is not running for president.Unlike many of his colleagues in Congress, the Silicon Valley congressman was not in Iowa to test the waters for a White House run. His visit was decidedly more ambitious: to bridge the deepening economic divide between urban and rural America. Continue reading...
Solutions for the ‘last mile’ of your commute vary from the weird to the boring, but this nifty and lightweight scooter will certainly put a smile on your faceMicro Falcon X3
For years, the hard-working Ford has been a favourite of Middle England – and it still has all the virtues we need in these turbulent daysFord Mondeo
After complaints about a project called Zen Blanket, we look at the pros and cons of crowdfundingIt is described as a hi-tech blanket that will give you “the best sleep ever†and reduce your stress levels, though at about £195 ($249) a pop it is certainly not cheap. The Zen Blanket was promoted on the crowdfunding websites Kickstarter and Indiegogo, prompting thousands of people to sink money into the venture – but some are now crying foul, demanding their money back and discussing class action lawsuits.One of those who is definitely not feeling zen is Don Dennis from Scotland. He pledged £118 to the project, in return for which he would be sent one of the blankets (£195 is the usual price, but early-bird backers received a discount). Continue reading...
Bug let developers access pictures people had uploaded but chosen not to postA Facebook bug let app developers see photos users had uploaded but never posted, the social network has disclosed.For two weeks in September, an error in the way Facebook shares photos with third parties meant that apps could see not only photos users had posted on their newsfeed, but also pictures in other parts of the site – on Facebook Stories or Facebook’s Marketplace, for instance. Continue reading...
Technology | The Guardian