Technology | The Guardian

Chrystia Freeland said move would set a dangerous precedent while Meng Wanzhou will challenge extradition requestCanada’s foreign minister, Chrystia Freeland, has dismissed a suggestion that Ottawa block the extradition of a top executive from China’s Huawei to the US, saying it would set a dangerous precedent.Huawei’s chief financial officer, Meng Wanzhou, who was arrested on US fraud charges in Vancouver last December, will challenge Washington’s extradition request at hearings that are set to begin next January. Continue reading...

Hacker accessed passwords and list of purported clients, including Australian government agencies – but company says these were only demonstration accountsThe American cybersecurity giant Symantec has downplayed a data breach that allowed a hacker to access passwords and a purported list of its clients, including large Australian companies and government agencies.The list extracted in the February incident, seen by Guardian Australia, suggests that all major federal government departments were among the targets of a hacker who also claimed to be responsible for Medicare data being available for sale on the dark web. Continue reading...

Rightwing academic enlists failed Ukip MEP candidate Carl Benjamin to test subscription-only platformJordan Peterson, the controversial academic, has launched a new anti-censorship website that will only take down offensive content if specifically ordered to by a US court.The psychology professor from Toronto said that Carl Benjamin, the failed Ukip MEP candidate who speculated about raping the Labour MP Jess Phillips, had agreed to test the subscription-only site, named Thinkspot. Continue reading...

The end of consoles, the dawn of streaming subscriptions and a lack of clarity. E3 might not be changing but the way we play isDespite the absence of Sony PlayStation, this year’s annual Electronic Entertainment Expo in Los Angeles delivered the usual whirlwind of new game announcements, trailers, marketing bluster and performative fandom. For years the entire thing has been streamed on YouTube, Twitch and half the world’s gaming websites, everything from showy press conferences to long demonstrations, transforming the event from a games industry conference to a kind of mid-year Christmas for both game marketers and enthused players watching at home (or paying around $1,000 to attend in person).So far, so expected. This is what E3 is now, and though the sense of mystery and anticipation has dimmed significantly in this age of instant streaming, Twitter hot-takes, online leaks and teaser trailers for teaser trailers, there’s still a thrill to it. Continue reading...

PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PC; Big Ant Studios/Maximum Games

FlintyMcQwerty asked for tips to fix or avoid problems with the operating systemPlease share all your favourite tips, tricks and techniques for harnessing the power, panache and pulchritude of Windows 10. (Apologies, Jack, for my ineluctable tendency to alliterate.) FlintyMcQwertyLast week’s answer provoked a lot of discussion about Windows 10. I can’t do anything about the more hysterical complaints but many issues can be resolved by spending a few minutes in the settings app. I’m therefore accepting FlintyMcQwerty’s invitation to explain a few of them. Continue reading...

Firm has uncovered emails that appear to show chief executive’s connection to potentially problematic practices, WSJ reportsFacebook has uncovered emails that appear to show Mark Zuckerberg’s connection to potentially damaging privacy practices at the company, the Wall Street Journal reported on Wednesday.The emails were uncovered as part of a Federal Trade Commission (FTC) investigation that began after the Guardian reported that the personal data of 50 million Facebook users had been improperly harvested by Cambridge Analytica, a data firm that worked on Donald Trump’s election team and the winning Brexit campaign. Continue reading...

Green party peer Jenny Jones on the shocking lack of regulation around the technologyThe Guardian is right to oppose automated facial recognition (Editorial, 10 June), but in spite of concerns from MPs and peers, parliament has hardly discussed the issue. As the person who organised the only debate on the subject in the House of Lords, I have started legal action against the police for failing to have a regulatory framework for its use. It’s shocking that we are allowing the police and companies to set the rules as we abolish privacy in public spaces, because ministers are failing to act.The difference between ourselves and the likes of China and Russia is that we have a fairly open democracy, but this is no defence against state oppression and commercial exploitation if politicians fail to recognise that when our face becomes an identity card, all the rules change.

As day three of the E3 video game conference begins, here are the biggest stories from Xbox, Bethesda, Ubisoft, Square Enix and NintendoWe are in a transitional period for video games: new console technology is right around the corner, but most of the industry’s big players aren’t quite ready to show their cards. Sony has removed itself and the PlayStation from this year’s E3 conference, leaving Microsoft to take centre stage on the first day of this year’s event.Microsoft announced the next Xbox console, Project Scarlett, albeit with maddeningly few details beyond rather abstract technical specifications. It will be on sale towards the end of 2020, and forms one half of Microsoft’s video game strategy – the other half being a cloud-powered service that lets you play Xbox games anywhere, on any screen. Halo Infinite will be a Project Scarlett launch game – but will also be playable on Xbox One. Continue reading...

Last month Facebook declined to remove a manipulated video of Nancy Pelosi even after it was viewed millions of times

New app comes months after Apple cracked down on Facebook for similar apps that paid users for extensive data on phone usageA new Facebook app will allow users to sell the company data on how they use competitors’ apps.Facebook announced on Tuesday that it is recruiting participants to download its new app Study from the Google Play store. Once it is downloaded, it will transmit data with Facebook on what other apps the users have, what features they use, and how much time is spent on them. Continue reading...

Ridesharing company says test flights of Uber Air’s helicopter-like ‘flying car’ will begin next yearMelbourne will be the first city outside the US to host trials of Uber Air, a service the company describes as “aerial ridesharing” that will shuttle people from rooftop to rooftop for the price of an UberX.The company has flagged test flights will begin next year, with commercial operations to start in 2023. Continue reading...

Residents ‘in disbelief’ at alleged lack of consultation over installation of facial recognition technology in East Perth camerasPerth City council is pressing ahead with a trial of facial recognition technology to be installed in cameras across East Perth, despite concerns from privacy experts and local residents.The network of 30 cameras is set to go live within weeks, amid complaints there has been no proper local consultation since the plans were revealed last year. Continue reading...

The Japanese video game giant leans heavily on its established hits for the Nintendo Switch’s 2019-20 lineupIn a Nintendo Direct broadcast today, the Japanese video game giant laid out the lineup for its Switch console for the rest of 2019 and early 2020. Introduced by newly installed Nintendo of America executive Doug Bowser – no, not that Bowser – it was light on surprises, but the highlights were a new Animal Crossing game, New Horizons, and a teaser for the sequel to the phenomenally accomplished The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild.Related: E3 2019: all the video game news so far, from Final Fantasy VII to Watch Dogs Legion Continue reading...

Foxconn senior executive says company has more than enough capacity to make all iPhones bound for the US outside of ChinaApple’s iPhone could escape Donald Trump’s escalating trade war with China.Foxconn, one of Apple’s largest suppliers, has moved to reassure consumers and investors that prices and supplies of the Apple’s iPhone will not be affected by the ongoing US-China tariff war. Continue reading...

Thom Yorke describes hours of recordings from OK Computer sessions as ‘not v interesting’, while climate activists thank the band for ‘unprecedented support’Radiohead have released a vast collection of unreleased tracks made during the sessions for 1997 album OK Computer, after a MiniDisc archive owned by frontman Thom Yorke was hacked last week by an unnamed person, who reportedly asked for a $150,000 ransom to return the recordings.The band have now made the 18 MiniDisc recordings, most of them around an hour in length, available on Bandcamp for £18. Proceeds will go to climate activists Extinction Rebellion. Continue reading...

Cybersecurity company says keeping older versions of software online can pose risksThe average FTSE 250 company exposes 35 different avenues of attack for would-be hackers, according to a report, despite the vast majority having “serious issues” with keeping business-critical systems up to date.According to the cybersecurity company Rapid7’s report, created by scanning for systems and devices used by FTSE 250 corporations that are visible on the public internet, the 35 different “attack surfaces … [are] neither good nor bad, but each exposed node … potentially boosts the opportunity for attackers to gain a foothold. Continue reading...

From accidental clicks to mistaken keystrokes, we would like to hear how you have suffered or benefited from a typo

UK tax authority spent £11m to use online giant’s web-hosting services in 2018, says reportHM Revenue & Customs spent £11m to use Amazon’s web-hosting service last year, more than six times the £1.7m it received in corporation tax from Amazon’s main UK business, according to a new report.The UK tax authority was the second-biggest spender on Amazon services among central government departments, falling just behind the Home Office which spent nearly £16m last year, according to a report published by the GMB trade union. Continue reading...

Ubisoft has announced a new Watch Dogs game set in London in a packed conference, while Square Enix showed off Avengers and Final Fantasy VII – with 2020 release dates for both.3.19am BSTAnd that’s it for us! E3 proper begins tomorrow, but it feels a lot of the biggest announcements have already been made. Final Fantasy VII Remake, Watch Dogs: Brexit Edition and Marvel’s Avengers. A big day for gaming.3.17am BSTSurprise! It’s a live game, a la Destiny or The Division. Avengers delivers “a narrative over multiple years, with exciting new content released on a regular basis.”“You’ll assemble into teams of up to four players online, where you can master exciting abilities and muster a roster of exciting heroes. Every new hero, every new region will be delivered at no cost” And there won’t be random lootboxes or pay to win either. Continue reading...

News Media Alliance says revenue was almost as much as that of entire online news industry, although some question methodologyGoogle made $4.7bn in advertising from news content last year, almost as much as the revenue of the entire online news industry, according to a study released on Monday.According to the News Media Alliance, between 16% and 40% of Google search results are news content. Google’s revenue from its distribution of news content is only $400m less than the $5.1bn brought in by the United States news industry as a whole from digital advertising last year. Continue reading...

John Suffolk says Chinese requirement to cooperate with spy agencies does not applyHuawei is not obliged to compromise its products in order to comply with China’s intelligence law, a senior executive at the company has told MPs at a UK parliamentary hearing.John Suffolk, the telecoms firm’s global cybersecurity and privacy officer, said its understanding was that China’s 2017 requirement on companies to cooperate with its intelligence agencies when requested did not apply in its case. Continue reading...

Cybersecurity report warns Chinese tech firm’s breadth exposes customers to riskHuawei’s threat to national security is inextricably linked to the company’s sheer scale, according to an analysis of the Chinese tech company from threat intelligence firm Recorded Future.Rather than focusing attention on any one area of the company’s business, analyst Priscilla Moriuchi argues corporations, consumers and organisations should instead be wary of the pure variety of products and services offered by the company, which “generates a nearly unimaginable amount of data for one company to possess”. Continue reading...

Two intriguing new games and fresh trailers for Doom Eternal and Wolfenstein: Youngblood make up for a lacklustre eveningThose hoping for a glimpse of Elder Scrolls VI or the highly anticipated sci-fi adventure Starfield were left disappointed at Bethesda’s E3 conference in Los Angeles on Sunday. But the publisher did make a couple of intriguing announcements, with new games from Dishonored creator Arkane Lyon and from the studio of Resident Evil legend Shinji Mikami.There were also new trailers for shooters Doom Eternal (out on 22 November) and Wolfenstein Youngblood, both of which look to be carrying on the explosively gory and adrenaline-fuelled legacies of their forebears. A massive update for beleaguered multiplayer role-playing game Fallout 76 was also announced, adding a battle royale mode called Nuclear Winter and human characters for players to meet. Continue reading...

Jordan Erica Webber chats to Addie Wagenknecht, who is using the YouTube algorithm to her advantage by teaching cybersecurity tips while reviewing beauty products Continue reading...

Government research suggests British tech ‘unicorns’ are only surpassed by US and ChinaBritain is creating more technology companies worth at least $1bn (£786m) than any other company in Europe, according to government research.It found that UK-based entrepreneurs have built 72 such businesses in the past 20 years, including 13 in the past year, with only the US and China surpassing that number. Germany has 29 and India has 26. Continue reading...

The next-generation Xbox video game console will debut late next year, as announced at Microsoft’s E3 2019 press conference.At a press conference at E3 2019 in LA on Sunday, Microsoft announced the first details of a next-generation Xbox, the follow-up to its Xbox One console. Still known by its codename Project Scarlett, the new machine will be released in late 2020, with Halo Infinite as its leading launch title.Promising to “set a new bar for console power, speed and performance”, the new machine will feature custom hardware designed by chip manufacturer AMD, which supplied the technology for both the Xbox One and PlayStation 4, and is also behind the architecture of Sony’s as-yet-unnamed next PlayStation. Continue reading...

At its E3 2019 press conference, Microsoft showed a raft of new games and announced a release date for its next-generation console, Project Scarlett. Here’s all the news.11.06pm BSTAlright, that’s me signing off for now. Here’s a quick schedule for the rest of the E3 press conferences and what to expect from them:10.50pm BSTNow that it’s over, here’s the most important news from the night:

Some hackers use malicious code, but most just hide in plain sight. It can be devastatingly effective

As the 87th edition of Le Mans prepares to get under way next weekend, all eyes will be on the last of the factory Ford GTsFord GT

From mobile phone chargers to HDMI for TVs, here’s how to save on leads for your gadgetsCables are a necessary evil in our modern world. Whether it’s the power cord for your phone, the cables jammed in the back of your TV or the wires connecting you to the internet, they’re everywhere.And when you need a new one the options are almost limitless, with some costing as much as hundreds of pounds. But do you need to spend all that for a cable? Absolutely not. So here’s a quick guide to cables to help you avoid the overpriced. Continue reading...

Site’s waffling over harassment during Pride month was ‘not surprising’, YouTuber saysYouTube’s haphazard response to an anti-gay harassment controversy this week underscores the company’s continuing failure to protect creators from hate speech, queer users say.The platform’s initial refusal to discipline Steven Crowder for years of sustained anti-gay and racist harassment of Carlos Maza, a video journalist for the US news site Vox, drew widespread criticism. Continue reading...

Longtime employee who helped organize global protest alleges Google’s response was designed to ‘have a chilling effect’ on growing workplace activismA prominent internal organizer against Google’s handling of sexual harassment cases has resigned from the company, alleging she was the target of a campaign of retaliation designed to intimidate and dissuade other employees from speaking out about workplace issues.Claire Stapleton, a longtime marketing manager at Google and its subsidiary YouTube, said she decided to leave the company after 12 years when it became clear that her trajectory at the company was “effectively over”. Continue reading...

Human rights group calls on England and Wales to ban police use of AFR in public spacesAutomated facial recognition poses one of the greatest threats to individual freedom and should be banned from use in public spaces, according to the director of the campaign group Liberty.Martha Spurrier, a human rights lawyer, said the technology had such fundamental problems that, despite police enthusiasm for the equipment, its use on the streets should not be permitted. Continue reading...

Idan Ofer allegedly hired Black Cube in 2014 but firm denies meeting and is suing TV showAn Israeli investigative TV show has claimed that one of the country’s richest men hired the Israeli intelligence firm Black Cube to dig up dirt on a cabinet minister. Black Cube denied the allegations.

Transport Workers Union says the decision will be devastating for workers in the gig economyThe ridehailing company Uber does not directly employ its drivers, the Fair Work Ombudsman has said, because drivers have control over “whether, when, and for how long they perform work”.The decision comes after an investigation into whether Uber’s “driver-partners” are lawfully classified as independent contractors or are effectively employees, as argued by unions and a lobby group, Ride Share Drivers United. Continue reading...

GCHQ technical director says he hasn’t seen anything that reassures him company is taking necessary security stepsChina’s Huawei Technologies needs to raise its “shoddy” security standards which fall below rivals, a senior British cyber security official said on Thursday, as the company came under increasing pressure internationally.The US has led allegations that Huawei’s equipment can be used by Beijing for espionage operations, with Washington urging allies to bar the company from 5G networks. Continue reading...

Long-awaited ‘Netflix for games’ will be available in 14 countries including UK and US but not AustraliaGoogle will launch its long-awaited “Netflix for games” service, Stadia, in November, the company has announced. It will be available in 14 countries including the UK, US and Ireland, but not Australia or New Zealand.Related: Apple Arcade v Google Stadia: which is the future for video games? Continue reading...

Teachers trying to educate about fascism hit by service’s new policy on hate speechYouTube has blocked some British history teachers from its service for uploading archive material related to Adolf Hitler, saying they are breaching new guidelines banning the promotion of hate speech.The video-sharing website announced on Wednesday that it would remove material glorifying the Nazis from its platform in an attempt to stop people being radicalised. In the process however, it also deleted videos uploaded to help educate future generations about the risks of fascism. Continue reading...

Elizabeth’s new laptop has Windows 10 but she prefers Windows 7. What are her options?I now have a Lenovo laptop which has Windows 10 installed, but to be honest with you, I preferred Windows 7, which was on my last two computers. What would you suggest? ElizabethAs most Windows 7 users know – and if they don’t yet, Microsoft will nag them about it soon – Windows 7’s support stops in January 2020. After that, there will be no more security updates, except for companies that pay an annual fee that doubles every year. This is a powerful incentive to migrate from Windows 7 to Windows 10. Continue reading...

Top-end smartphone balances a big screen with smaller body, good performance and triple cameraThe Galaxy S10 is Samsung’s middle-of-the-road top-end phone, featuring a large screen in a pretty compact body for those who don’t like the current breed of massive flagship superphones.The regular, non-plus versions of Samsung’s Galaxy S line have always been the sweet spot between size, price and performance. They offer big, beautiful screens in bodies that are practically tiny by today’s giant-phone standards. Continue reading...

Huawei welcomes agreement in area ‘of strategic importance’ after meeting between Xi Jinping and Vladimir PutinHuawei, the Chinese technology company considered a security threat by the US, has signed a deal with Russian telecoms company MTS to develop a 5G network in the country over the next year.The agreement was signed on the sidelines of a meeting between Chinese leader Xi Jinping and Russian president Vladimir Putin in Moscow. Continue reading...

Officials fear data breach may be used to recruit students or university alumni as informantsIntelligence officials believe China may have been behind a massive data breach which compromised the personal details of thousands of Australian National University students and staff.The Sydney Morning Herald reports that senior intelligence officials have pointed the finger at China as one of only a few countries capable of pulling off the hack, which compromised up to 19 years’ worth of personal data from students and staff. Continue reading...

Companies such as JetBlue began utilizing the technology after Trump issued an executive order pushing for its use in US airportsA new tool launched by privacy activists offers to help travelers avoid increasingly invasive facial recognition technologies in airports.Activist groups Fight for the Future, Demand Progress and Credo on Wednesday unveiled a new website called AirlinePrivacy.com, which shows users what airlines use facial recognition to verify the identity of passengers before boarding. The site also helps customers to directly book flights with airlines that don’t use facial recognition technologies. Continue reading...

Video-sharing site demonetises Steven Crowder after initially finding him innocent of cyberbullyingYouTube has removed advertising from material by a user who subjected a journalist to repeated homophobic abuse in videos, after the platform faced criticism over its failure to act.Carlos Maza, a video journalist for the US news site Vox, went public last week with a complaint that the rightwing YouTube personality Steven Crowder was engaged in a long-term homophobic harassment campaign. In a compilation video Maza created of some of his mentions on Crowder’s show, the host attacks Maza as a “gay Mexican”, a “lispy queer” and a “token Vox gay atheist sprite”. Continue reading...

Content promoting fascism, supremacism or Holocaust denial will no longer be hosted

Capcom’s veteran game director reveals how one of the year’s best games was made – and why successful game design need not be a crunch momentIn 2002, veteran Capcom game director Hideaki Itsuno – then working on a pitch for an original action-RPG that later turned into Dragon’s Dogma – was called upon to get an ailing Devil May Cry 2 out of the door. It sold decently, in the end, but was widely regarded as a critical flop. “When it finished up, they all realised they could have done better,” explains Devil May Cry producer Matt Walker (and Itsuno’s translator for this interview). “So he and others at Capcom said, we’re going to take all of our collective knowledge on how to make a good fighting game, a good action game, and put everything we can into making Devil May Cry 3.“And if this isn’t received well, if this doesn’t sell well, that’s it. We’ll just have to quit Capcom, and do something else.” Continue reading...

Richard Snape says drivers should be able to exchange a depleted battery for a fully charged one at a service station. Plus Adrian Townsend questions the wisdom of recommending a new Oxford-to-Cambridge motorwayI think the National Infrastructure Commission is on the wrong track (Letters, 1 June). The disadvantage of current electrically powered vehicles is the integral battery system, leading to vehicle down time, decreasing effectiveness, replacement costs and recharging practicalities. Far better to use a battery replacement system whereby a standard size and configuration is adopted and vehicles are designed to allow exchange. You buy the vehicle, not the battery. Standardising would bring benefits of scale to battery manufacturers, leading to reduced cost and better competition, and passes on the long-term ownership issues from the individual to organisations better equipped to manage them. Fossil fuel suppliers should view themselves as energy suppliers and use their capabilities and resources to rapidly redevelop service stations to support such systems.The customer would call into a service station when required and select the grade of battery they want. The depleted battery would be automatically exchanged for a fully charged one and the customer would pay for the difference in charged states plus a rental charge to cover the outlay, maintenance and replacement costs for the supplier. The first step is to standardise the battery configuration. Come on, guys, get on with it!