Experts say company’s efforts may not be illegal since Australia’s workplace surveillance laws have not kept up with technologyTech giant Amazon appears to be trying to prevent its workers from unionising in the company’s new Western Sydney warehouse – but it may not be against the law. New South Wales Labor’s industrial relations spokesperson, Adam Serle, said NSW workplace surveillance laws are outdated and have not kept up with advances in technology.This week it was reported Amazon had published ads for two jobs in its global security operations team for intelligence analysts that would monitor “labour organising threats against the company”. Continue reading...

Classics from across the decades will be remastered for Switch console as well as real-life Mario Kart Home CircuitTo mark 35 years since the original Super Mario Bros was released in Japan on the Nintendo Entertainment System, Nintendo will debut a raft of Mario games – some remastered versions of old classics and some entirely new.Super Mario Bros 35 is a new multiplayer game in which 35 players compete to be the last Mario standing (or jumping). It will be available from 1 October on the Nintendo Switch console. A new version of Nintendo’s classic 80s Game & Watch will be available from 13 November, which will play both the original Mario game and an updated version of the Game & Watch classic Ball. Continue reading...

PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PC, Mac; inXile Entertainment

Online retailer also plans for 20,000 seasonal workers to cope with Christmas demandAmazon is taking on 7,000 permanent staff in the UK and recruiting 20,000 seasonal workers as it gears up for a busy festive season.The new recruits, including engineers, IT specialists, warehouse workers and health and safety experts, will work across more than 50 sites, including Amazon’s corporate offices and two new delivery warehouses which will open in the autumn in Durham and Sutton-in-Ashfield, Nottinghamshire. Continue reading...

Electric carmaker seeking to take advantage of almost 1,000% surge in share priceTesla is aiming to raise up to $5bn (£3.7bn) in its biggest issue of new stock in a decade, as the electric carmaker takes advantage of an almost 1,000% surge in its share price over the past year.The move comes a day after the company completed a 5-for-1 stock split, which sparked a share price rise that propelled co-founder Elon Musk past Facebook’s Mark Zuckerberg to become the world’s third-richest person. Continue reading...

Social media site denies any bias towards ruling Hindu nationalist BJP partyFacebook’s alleged political bias and its role in spreading anti-Muslim hate speech in India is to come under scrutiny when senior executives are summoned before a parliamentary committee.The committee hearing on Wednesday follows allegations in the Wall Street Journal that the company’s top policy official in India, Ankhi Das, had prevented the removal of hate speech and anti-Muslim posts by politicians from the ruling Bharatiya Janata party (BJP) in order to maintain a good relationship with the government, a claim the company denied. Continue reading...

Company sees explosive growth in 2020, fueled by the increase of remote work during the pandemicZoom shares hit a record high on Monday as the company announced blowout earnings for the second quarter of 2020.The video conferencing platform has seen explosive growth in 2020, fueled by the increase of remote work during the Covid-19 pandemic. It made as much money in the past three months as it did in the entirety of 2019, beating the already-optimistic predictions of analysts. Continue reading...

Dutch smartphone maker launches camera upgrade for older handsets, also available as new deviceThe ethical smartphone maker Fairphone has released two camera upgrades for its Fairphone 3 that are available separately or as a whole new device: the Fairphone 3+.The Fairphone 3+ costs £425 and marks a new approach for the eponymous Dutch company. Continue reading...

Beijing says some exports will now need government approval in move believed to be linked to Trump sale orderNew Chinese government restrictions could complicate ByteDance plans to sell TikTok to a US company and avoid a ban threatened by Donald Trump.Late on Friday, Beijing issued new restrictions or bans on tech exports, requiring companies to seek government approval – a process that can take up to 30 days. In mid-August, Trump gave the company 90 days to sell up or face a shutdown. Continue reading...

Billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk's neuroscience startup Neuralink has unveiled a pig with a small computer chip implanted in its brain. Describing the implant as 'a Fitbit in your skull with tiny wires', Musk said the pig was 'happy and healthy' two months after initially having it fitted. He presented a demo displaying the pig's neurons firing 'in real time'.

Having the right equipment is more important than ever this year. Here’s how to choose

Billionare entrepreneur presented animal during a live-stream event to recruit workers for his neuroscience startupThe tech entrepreneur Elon Musk on Friday showed off a pig whose brain he says has been implanted with a small computer.“We have a healthy and happy pig, initially shy but obviously high energy and, you know, kind of loving life, and she’s had the implant for two months,” Musk said of Gertrude, the pig. Continue reading...

Vintage fashion sells well between March and June in trend shared by other retailers

One fundraiser for Kyle Rittenhouse, 17, was shared more than 17,700 times by groups with more than 3.9m aggregate followersFundraisers, messages of support and celebratory memes for the alleged Kenosha, Wisconsin, mass shooter are being shared widely on Facebook and Instagram, despite the company’s assurance on Wednesday that it was working to enforce its policy banning content that “praises, supports, or represents” mass shooters.One fundraiser for Kyle Rittenhouse, 17, was shared more than 17,700 times on Facebook, including by 291 public groups and pages with more than 3.9m aggregate followers, according to data from CrowdTangle, a Facebook-owned data analytics tool. A second fundraiser garnered 1,698 shares on the platform, including by an additional 17 pages and groups with nearly 400,000 followers. Continue reading...

Retailer hopes deal could help target younger consumers and boost its nascent ad businessWalmart has partnered with Microsoft to bid for the US operations of hugely popular video-sharing app TikTok, as the world’s largest retailer looks to become a force in the fast-growing digital media sector.Walmart, which is looking beyond bricks and mortar to rival to Amazon in online retail, said that it is confident the joint bid will pass muster with the Donald Trump administration. Continue reading...

Mayer cites ‘sharply changed’ political environment after Donald Trump ordered ByteDance to sell up within 90 daysTikTok’s chief executive, Kevin Mayer, has quit less than three months after he joined from Disney to lead the next stage of its expansion, amid a “sharply changed” political environment and with Donald Trump accusing the Chinese-owned video app of threatening national security.Mayer was hired after overseeing the successful launch of the Disney+ streaming service – and after being overlooked to replace Disney chief executive Bob Iger – as part of TikTok’s drive to become a more US-centric business. That strategy now lies in tatters. Continue reading...

A new trend has emerged across the app where users role-play as Holocaust victimsThe Auschwitz museum has called a new trend, where users of video-sharing app TikTok role-play as Holocaust victims, “hurtful and offensive,” but added that it did not want to shame young people involved.The museum at the site of the former Nazi death camp was responding to the point of view videos. Continue reading...

Stunning royal blue convertible machine with hidden S-pen stylus marks re-entry into UK PC marketSamsung has returned to the consumer laptop market in the UK with a series of new machines led by the Galaxy Book Flex.Unlike most of the PC market, the Book Flex is refreshingly only available in one version in the UK with a choice of silver or blue, costing £1,349. Continue reading...

Trading halted again, one day after overseas DDoS bombardment that forced stock market to shut downNew Zealand’s stock market has been interrupted by an apparent overseas cyber attack for the second day running.The Wellington-based NZX exchange went offline at 11.24am on Wednesday and although some connectivity was restored for investors, some trading was halted. Continue reading...

We are starting to see technology’s effect on child development and adult reading skills – and the research isn’t optimistic

The tech giant has used a blog post to attack the watchdog’s proposal, but also admitted that it was unlikely to escape the code’s effectsGoogle has claimed the Australian government’s proposed code for digital platforms to pay news media companies for their content is “unworkable” and would force the tech company to “pay unreasonable and exorbitant amounts”.As the deadline nears for public comment on the federal government’s proposed code, Google used a new blog post on its search site to attack the idea while admitting it would be unlikely to be able to escape its effects. Continue reading...

AI-generated game treats users to alternate reality that puts soaring spire in suburbia and turns Buckingham Palace into an office blockA typo is to blame for a mysterious, monolithic 212-storey tower in Melbourne’s northern suburbs appearing in Microsoft Flight Simulator 2020.The massive flight simulator game launched this week allows users to explore most of the world, including Australia, at a time when people cannot do much travelling. Continue reading...

Her monstrous firepower and powerful defences could reshape the flow of the game, while a refreshed map and an ever-changing crafting menu offer up some fun surprisesEighteen months after its surprise launch, Apex Legends remains a swaggering contender in the densely crowded battle royale market, its fifth season attracting the most daily users since its debut month. The game started its sixth season a little late thanks to Covid-19, with most of the team working from home. According to developer Respawn, one of the game’s animators had to set up a motion capture studio in his back garden. Considering the development environment, then, it’s impressive how much is packed into the latest update.The main addition is, of course, a new legend, Rampart, a British-Indian gun store owner and entrepreneur who’s big on self-deprecating quips and regularly refers to enemies as “plonkers”. Her tactical ability is a defensive wall, which she can slam down anywhere, giving her and her teammates handy, portable cover. Shooting through its upper energy shield area amps up bullets, giving them extra damage. Meanwhile, her ultimate ability is a mini-gun emplacement which, like Bastion in Overwatch, provides absolutely monstrous firepower. Unlike Bastion, however, anyone can use it, including enemies if they get close enough. Continue reading...

Updated version promises ‘more vibrant’ representation of natural features and built environmentGoogle Maps is getting a visual overhaul worldwide, finally letting users distinguish forest from floodplain, and desert from snowfield, at a glance.Alongside the changes to natural environments, a new set of maps will be rolling out in major cities, beginning with London, New York City and San Francisco, aiming to more accurately represent the built-up environment to help pedestrians and cyclists navigate. Continue reading...

Research findings undermine firm’s claims it is cracking down on inaccurate news

Industry welcomes consultation for use of technology in slow lane, but risk concerns someMotorists could be allowed to let their cars drive themselves on motorways, using automated technology, as early as next year, under proposals being considered by the government.Manufacturers are expected to roll out the next generation of collision-avoidance and lane-keeping technology in new car models in 2021. They will progress from providing alerts and driver assistance to taking control – and potentially responsibility – for speed and steering once under way. Continue reading...

Software multinational is latest to enter race to buy US operations of Chinese social media appThe multinational software company Oracle is in talks that could see it gatecrash Microsoft’s bid for part of the popular Chinese-owned video app TikTok, whose US operations have been valued at more than $20bn.Microsoft has been working on a partial takeover of TikTok, which lets users post short video clips, after President Trump ordered the firm to sell its US operations within 90 days or face being shut down, citing concerns over national security. Continue reading...

Huge flagship phone is powerful and has impressive camera but does anyone want a £1,179 phone now?The Galaxy Note 20 Ultra is Samsung’s latest superphone for 2020, packed to the gills with tech – but it lands at a time when budgets are stretched, and asking more than £1,000 for a smartphone seems a little out of touch.This big beast costs £1,179 and is the top of the South Korean firm’s smartphone line for 2020, packing in everything plus the kitchen sink. Continue reading...

Apple threatens to cut off access to development tools if Epic does not back down within 14 daysApple has given the Fortnite developer Epic Games less than two weeks to stop breaking its payment rules or it will cut off Epic’s access to development tools on Mac and iOS.The ultimatum puts Epic’s wider business at risk if it continues the standoff it started on Friday when it unilaterally introduced its own payment mechanism to Fortnite, bypassing Apple’s requirement to pay a 30% cut of earnings to the App Store. Apple removed Fortnite from the store in response. Continue reading...

Streaming is big business on game platforms such as Twitch, so how do you start? Five experts reveal the knowledge, the kit and the attitude gamers need to find their audienceBeing a “gamer” used to mean actually playing video games, but now watching other people play is almost as important. Last year, more than 740m of us watched gaming streams on Twitch, YouTube and other platforms, with superstar streamers such as Ninja, Tfue and Pokimane attracting many millions of adoring fans. But it’s not just about the big names making big bucks. Every month, almost four million people use Twitch to broadcast themselves playing video games and most of them don’t expect to become millionaires as a result. If you or your children are thinking of joining them, here’s a quick guide to getting started.To help out, I spoke to several highly experienced streamers: Clare Siobhan is a YouTuber with 1.75m subscribers who also streams on Twitch; Nina Freeman is a game developer and Twitch streamer; ex-professional Call of Duty player Ben Perkin presents Xbox On on YouTube and streams as BennyCentral; Gav Murphy is a video editor and presenter with RKG; Mollie plays The Sims on YouTube and Twitch as The EnglishSimmer; and Mary Kish is a streamer and head of community marketing at Twitch. Continue reading...

Exclusive: in some cases Google did not necessarily ban users who were often threatening violence or expressing extremist viewsA little-known investigative unit inside search giant Google regularly forwarded detailed personal information on the company’s users to members of a counter-terrorist fusion center in California’s Bay Area, according to leaked documents reviewed by the Guardian.But checking the documents against Google’s platforms reveals that in some cases Google did not necessarily ban the users they reported to the authorities, and some still have accounts on YouTube, Gmail and other services. Continue reading...

Tech giant is campaigning against watchdog over code that would force it to share ad revenue with media outletsGoogle has started targeting Australians with pop-up ads that link to an open letter that contains “misinformation”, according to the consumer watchdog, as the tech company campaigns against a proposed code that would force it to share advertising money with media companies.The international tech giant is waging a campaign against the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission, which at the request of the treasurer, Josh Frydenberg, has developed a mandatory code that would require Google to share a portion of its multi-million dollar advertising revenue with Australian media organisations and newspapers. Continue reading...

An everyday smart sports watch that goes anywhere and tracks everything while lasting a week and charging from the sunGarmin’s latest go-anywhere, do-anything Fenix 6 Pro Solar multi-sport watch recharges from the sun, marking an important step towards the smartwatch you never need to charge.The £739.99 Garmin Fenix 6 Pro Solar is one of the US firm’s top-of-the-line devices, capable of lasting weeks on a charge and tracking practically any stat you’d want, plus it’s able to guide you out of forests when you’re lost. Continue reading...

Any last-minute reversal could lead to further deterioration in UK-China relationsA last-ditch attempt to prevent the UK government from endorsing TikTok’s plans to locate its headquarters in London is being mounted by China hawks who accuse the app’s parent company of cooperating with authorities in Xinjiang province.Downing Street is keen to encourage TikTok to move from Beijing to London, but faces a rearguard action led by the trade secretary, Liz Truss, who is anxious about some of the demands being made by the business. Continue reading...

Peter B Scott-Morgan told me how harnessing technology will help him – and other people with extreme disabilities – live an enhanced lifeIn November 2017, Peter B Scott-Morgan received the news that almost nothing can prepare you for – he was told he had just two years to live. Peter had been diagnosed with motor neurone disease (MND). It kills a third of those who have it within a year, rising to a half by the end of year two, with no known cure. Devastated as Peter was, he’d already decided this was negotiable. Fortunately, long before his own diagnosis, he had been fascinated by the idea of harnessing the power of modern technology to prolong human life.Already a year had passed since his first symptoms had started appearing. After stepping out of the bath while on a trip to the Arctic Circle, he’d noticed that shaking the water from his feet as he emerged was suddenly and inexplicably out of his grasp. This was the earliest stage of the near-total paralysis that the condition would soon inflict on him. As the disease develops, messages sent from his brain and spinal cord would eventually stop reaching his muscles entirely – his body was failing him one piece at a time. Continue reading...

Games firm launches perfectly stage-managed attack just as tech giants’ detente is fracturingIn Fortnite, the astronomically successful video game from Epic Games, 100 players skydive on to an island and enter into one-on-one combat until only the winner is left standing.The formula has bestowed the game with once-in-a-generation success: it has more players than Twitter has users, it has minted its own millionaire celebrities, and it has turned Epic, formerly an also-ran provider of development tools, into one of the most successful companies in gaming. Continue reading...

Social network attempting to combat election-related misinformation on its platform with new voter information hubBeginning Thursday, US Facebook users who post about voting may start seeing an addendum to their messages – labels directing readers to authoritative information about the upcoming presidential election.It’s the social network’s latest step to combat election-related misinformation on its platform as the presidential election nears, one in which many voters may be submitting ballots by mail for the first time. Facebook began adding similar links to posts about in-person and mail-in balloting by federal politicians, including Donald Trump, in July. Continue reading...

Tech will tell users who spend 15 minutes within 2 metres of another app user who has tested positive to self-isolate

More retail investors are expected to jump in now shares suddenly look relatively affordableElon Musk got nearly $4bn richer on Wednesday morning, probably before he even got out of bed. Why? Because on Tuesday evening Tesla (one-fifth owned by Musk) announced a “stock split” that in pre-market speculation early on Wednesday drove up the already stratospheric valuation of the company by another 7%.Yet a stock-split is merely a housekeeping arrangement. It’s when a company divides the existing shares of its stock into multiple new shares, usually because the share price has reached such high levels that even buying one share looks too pricey for small investors. Continue reading...

Fewer pieces of suicide, child nudity and exploitation content were removed after staff were sent home

Trump has threatened to ban the app amid privacy concerns. But young people say they’re used to being trackedMauren Sparrow downloaded TikTok in March to pass the time during lockdown. Since then she’s posted tutorials on crafting and videos of her two cats, Calcifer and Jiji, some of which have accrued millions of views and likes.

Superphones unveiled with new Z Fold 2, Tab S7 tablet, Buds Live earbuds and Watch 3Samsung has launched its latest attempt to woo premium smartphone buyers with its Galaxy Note20 series of stylus-equipped phablets with Xbox gaming.The South Korean manufacturer will hope that the revamped Note, which aims to be more than just a phone with “PC power” aided by its partnership with Microsoft, will propel it out of a Covid-19-related dip in which it was beaten into second place by Huawei for the first time. Continue reading...

The legislation comes as a federal panel is investigating the market power of Facebook, Amazon, Apple and GoogleNew York state is introducing a bill that would make it easier to sue big tech companies for alleged abuses of their monopoly powers.New York is America’s financial center and one of its most important tech hubs. If successfully passed, the law could serve as a model for future legislation across the country. It also comes as a federal committee is conducting an anti-trust investigation into tech giants amid concerns that their unmatched market power is suppressing competition. Continue reading...

Acoustic remix of Miel Pops Russian cereal jingle becomes a strange anthem for a stranger timeThere are only two types of people in this world. Those who are obsessed with a CGI llama dancing to an acoustic remix of a 2010 Russian cereal commercial jingle, and those over the age of 23. Continue reading...

Opposition MPs and former civilian servants demand to know exactly how UK-US trade dossier appeared onlineLiam Fox is facing questions from opposition politicians, former civil servants and campaigners about how Russian hackers were apparently able to obtain government documents marked “official sensitive [UK eyes only]” from his personal email last year.The former minister’s account is believed to have been accessed repeatedly between July and October, and 451 pages of emails and policy documents were subsequently posted on Reddit, prompting questions as to whether the dossier had come directly from Fox’s personal email. Continue reading...

Users will be able to check truthfulness of messages that have come via five or more peopleWhatsApp has introduced a feature allowing users to check the contents of viral messages in the latest move to root out disinformation and fake news being spread on the Facebook-owned service.The feature, which is being piloted in six countries including the UK from Tuesday, allows users to perform a Google search on content they have been forwarded to factcheck claims and information. Continue reading...

Nintendo Switch; Nintendo

It was all there on Saturday and gone by Monday without any warningIn late April my @virgin.net email account, which has been my main one for 20-plus years, disappeared. I used it on a Saturday but on Monday I could no longer log in and have been unable to do so ever since. Imagine all the links and contacts I have lost.Despite spending, in total, a whole day on the phone to Virgin Media, and talking to a large number of people, no one has been able to resolve the matter. Can it really be that in 2020, an email account can just be “disappeared” by a provider without warning? Continue reading...

Cut-price Google phone has great camera, screen, performance and battery life, in small and light bodyThe Pixel 4a is a return to form for Google’s smartphone efforts: a lower-cost, mid-range phone that is high quality, long-lasting and fairly small, with a great camera.The £349 Pixel 4a is very much an attempt to boil down a smartphone to only the essentials and then make them all work really well. Continue reading...