Technology | The Guardian

Social media giants tell Commons watchdog they will hand over information about Russian activity in coming weeksFacebook and Twitter have agreed to hand over some information relating to the reach of Russian-backed posts during the Brexit referendum, according to the House of Commons media watchdog.Damian Collins, the chair of parliament’s digital, culture, media and sport committee, said he believed the information would give the UK a better idea of whether Russia tried to influence the vote on leaving the EU. Continue reading...

Yale University’s Privacy Lab using research to call on developers and Google ‘for increased transparency into privacy and security practice’More than three in four Android apps contain at least one third-party “tracker”, according to a new analysis of hundreds of apps.The study by French research organisation Exodus Privacy and Yale University’s Privacy Lab analysed the mobile apps for the signatures of 25 known trackers, which use various techniques to glean personal information about users to better target them for advertisements and services. Continue reading...

Users reported seeing ‘s*x with your kids’ and other variants after entering phrase ‘how to have’ on Google-owned siteYouTube is investigating reports that its autofill search features are suggesting “profoundly disturbing” child abuse terms.Users reported seeing auto-suggestions of “s*x with your kids” and other variants after entering the phrase “how to have” in the search box on the Google-owned site. Experts have speculated that the search terms – several of which use the asterisked word “s*x” – may have been deliberately aimed at embarrassing the site, avoiding YouTube’s filters for terms such as “sex”. Continue reading...

New drone bill will enforce registration for owners of drones weighing over 250g and introduce safety awareness courses for all users when published in 2018The government is planning to create a raft of new police powers as part of a crackdown on the civilian use of drones, the Department for Transport has announced.The new drone bill to be published in 2018 will allow police officers to order drone operators to ground their devices where necessary, alongside a series of new changes that will create a mandatory registry for larger unmanned aerial vehicles, such as those sold by Parrot or DJI. Continue reading...

Network’s estimated power use also exceeds that of 19 other European countries, consuming more than five times output of continent’s largest windfarmBitcoin’s “mining” network uses more electricity in a year than the whole of Ireland, according to statistics released as the currency broke $9,000 for the first time.According to Digiconomist the estimated power use of the bitcoin network, which is responsible for verifying transactions made with the cryptocurrency, is 30.14TWh a year, which exceeds that of 19 other European countries. At a continual power drain of 3.4GW, it means the network consumes five times more electricity than is produced by the largest wind farm in Europe, the London Array in the outer Thames Estuary, at 630MW. Continue reading...

A great leap forward for the virtual leather on willow, another charge around the battlefields of the second world war and a revival for a 2000AD stalwartPS4, Xbox One, Koch International, cert: 3

Readers respond to the advance in robotics, and what it means for our economy, social fabric and the planetThe difference between the robots of today and all previous forms of automation is that they are so flexible (Editorial, 25 November). Intelligent robots will be utilised in any new enterprise rather than people now because the financial returns are likely to be so much greater, given that there will be no recruitment difficulties, wage demands, overtime claims, strikes, sickness absence, pensions, transport or housing problems to take care of. Factories can be situated anywhere, and HS2 could be redundant before it becomes operational.In the past, workers displaced by automation could rely on new industries springing up to take them on, but in future these will create far more jobs for robots than people across the board. Our whole economic system, which concentrates on profitability and economics rather than the welfare of the population, can only encourage this trend. What we need is a new economic system.

Rolling back net neutrality laws is just part of Trump’s giant experiment in media deregulation with little protection for the consumer“Do you want [the internet] to be governed by engineers and entrepreneurs, or do you want it governed by lawyers and bureaucrats here in Washington?” That was the question asked to the American public by Ajit Pai, chair of the Federal Communications Commission, when he appeared on Fox News last week to talk about his intention to change the way access to the internet is regulated.The dark intonation of the words “lawyers and bureaucrats” left the viewer in no doubt that Pai’s rollback of laws governing what is known as “net neutrality” could only be a good thing. Who better to decide the communications infrastructure of a country than a group of wealthy telecoms companies in an almost competition-free environment? Continue reading...

Partially redacted documents from attorney general disclose private sector’s interest in facial verification serviceThe federal government is considering allowing private companies to use its national facial recognition database for a fee, documents released under Freedom of Information laws reveal.The partially redacted documents show that the Attorney General’s Department is in discussions with major telecommunications companies about pilot programs for private sector use of the Facial Verification Service in 2018. The documents also indicate strong interest from financial institutions in using the database. Continue reading...

East Stratcom taskforce will be funded from EU budget for first time after summit highlights threat from ‘cyber-attacks and fake news’The EU is stepping up its campaign to counter disinformation and fake news from Russia by spending more than €1m a year on its specialist anti-propaganda unit.For the first time since the team was set up in 2015, the East Stratcom taskforce will have money from the EU budget, rather than relying on contributions from EU member states or squeezing other budget lines. The unit has been granted €1.1m (£980,000) a year from the EU budget for 2018-20, according to a source familiar with the team’s work.

The Greens blame outsourcing for the breach, which has affected 8,500 current and former departmental staffThe social services minister, Christian Porter, has ordered an investigation of a data breach affecting 8,500 current and former Department of Social Services employees, whose personal information was left open for more than a year.The move comes after the Greens blamed outsourcing for the breach in the Business Information Services system which held expenses and credit-card information dating from 2004 to 2015. Continue reading...

Alternatives to glitter | Driverless cars | Insects and birdsI am pleased that nurseries are considering the impact of materials they use in creative activities (A green guide to glitter alternatives, G2, 20 November). The staff of the nursery school where I was headteacher for 10 years would be appalled at the suggestion that edible material such as cereals or pulses could be used as an alternative. We thought that allowing children to play with food that would be lifesaving for children suffering from malnutrition was a reinforcement of the superior attitudes that prevail in much of society.

Case to determine whether taxi app drivers get improved rights such as guaranteed minimum wage and holiday pay

Global brands suspend YouTube and Google advertising after it was placed alongside videos paedophiles exploitedBig brands are pulling advertising from YouTube and Google after their ads were found to be displayed against content being exploited by paedophiles.Despite YouTube promising to take an “even more aggressive stance” against predatory behaviour, the confectionery giants Mars and Cadbury, the supermarket Lidl, Deutsche Bank and Adidas have led a wave of brands removing advertising from YouTube. Continue reading...

Parents urged to turn off cameras and geo-location settings in children’s smart toys to protect against hackersParents should consider turning off cameras and geolocation settings in Christmas presents to protect their children from hackers, the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) has warned.Smart toys and wearable devices are among the most desirable children’s toys this Christmas, but the regulator has warned their internet connectivity presents safety risks from hackers. Continue reading...

Digital minister Matt Hancock says government still trying to gauge number of people affected in the UKThere is no evidence that Uber customers who had their personal details stolen are at risk of direct financial crime, a minister has insisted, despite hundreds of users complaining that their accounts have been hacked from Russia.The digital minister, Matt Hancock, told the House of Commons that the government was still trying to gauge the number of people in the UK affected by the global breach of the personal information of 57 million customers and drivers in October last year, which the company initially concealed. Continue reading...

Shot mostly on camera phones, this British drama about a group of insufferable twentysomethings has little going for it besides zeitgeist bragging rightsAfter found footage and phone footage films, here, with the inevitability of a man in belted jeans launching a new iPhone model to a crowd of saucer-eyed disciples, is the first ever selfie movie – a naive and self-indulgent piece with very little going for it other than zeitgeist bragging rights.Shot mostly on camera phones by the actors, #Starvecrow is a tiny-budget British drama about a group of insufferably privileged twentysomething mates. Ben Willens is Ben, a controlling narcissist who creepily films everything on his phone. When his on-off girlfriend (Ashlie Walker) walks out for good, he steals her friends’ mobiles – giving the film its footage of attention-seeking drunken antics and nastier behaviour never intended for Snapchat. Ben, like one of the lads from Made in Chelsea after inadvertently catching an episode of The Moral Maze on Radio 4, tells his psychotherapist that he wants to see “between the cracks” of people’s lives. Continue reading...

Tired of reaching for the remote whenever something explodes in a film? The compact Soundbox might be your saviour – but it’s pricey if you don’t have SkySky has partnered with French audio-firm Devialet to create the Soundbox, an all-in-one TV speaker that promises to squeeze full-range, powerful sound into a small box that, in theory, won’t annoy the neighbours. Continue reading...

Social network says tool will let users see if they have liked or followed accounts created by organisation that carries out misinformation operationsFacebook has promised to tell users whether they liked or followed a member of Russia’s notorious “troll army”, accused of trying to influence elections in the United States and the United Kingdom.

Taxi-hailing firm warned it may face higher fines as inquiry continues into whether UK customers’ details were compromisedUK authorities were unaware of a mass data breach at Uber that potentially put British customers’ personal details into the hands of cyber criminals.

Company confirms it receives mobile phone mast tracking data even with sim removed and privacy features active, but says it will cease to by end of NovemberGoogle has confirmed it has been able to track the location of Android users via the addresses of local mobile phone masts, even when location services were turned off and the sim cards removed to protect privacy.

The latest revelation about the ride-hailing app concealing a huge hack of personal data confirms that London mayor Sadiq Khan is right to take it onUber is one of those companies that seems to take pride in upsetting the status quo. Its cheerleaders claim the minicab app is a shining example of “disruptive innovation” – where entrepreneurs change entire industries by thinking outside the box. Critics contend that Uber’s business model is actually pretty traditional. The only major difference is scale, and the use of a high-tech booking system.And while the app booking system is certainly convenient, it’s far from unique to Uber. There are now numerous firms using similar technology. None, though, have the same sort of global coverage Uber does. What really sets the company apart is its aggressive growth strategy, enabled by billions of dollars of investments. It has been accused of attempting to become “too big to ban” by undercutting on price – even if this means losing money – in order to drive competitors out of business and capture markets. The idea is that if Uber is able to dominate the minicab industry in a given city, politicians will struggle to ban it while keeping voters on side. This makes regulating the company difficult, as the threat of prohibition is the most powerful weapon in regulators’ arsenal. Continue reading...

YouTube, social media and even Bitcoin are allowing musicians to reject major labels and go it alone – but the industry is fighting back. Can artists use technology to stay truly independent?In the 20th century, the vast majority of music you heard and bought was controlled by a small number of companies: record labels, radio stations and other dominators of the media. Artists needed them to reach the public and the public’s choice was prescribed by what these gatekeepers believed could best turn a profit. You liked it or lumped it. Now, however, a networked world is giving artists and audiences the tools to reject those companies for ever. Continue reading...

Shoppers will benefit from lower prices as the online giant starts trading this week, in a major challenge to established storesIt looks as though Black Friday will be the day when the US online behemoth Amazon opens its Australian site, sparking what is likely to be a major price war in the retail market.Amazon said 10 days ago its launch in Australia was “very close”. This week it reportedly sent emails to suppliers indicating it would have a soft launch on Thursday and formally begin trading on Friday. This coincides with the post-Thanksgiving shopping spree Black Friday, the biggest single day in the US retail calendar.

Residents of Winlock, Washington can barely stream Spotify and Netflix. Changes to Obama’s net neutrality rules are going to make things even worse

Manufacturing partner Foxconn had student interns working 11-hour days to make £999 iPhoneApple has been accused of relying on students working illegal overtime to build the iPhone X, through its contractor Foxconn, which manufactures the devices in Zhengzhou, China.According to the Financial Times, students working at the Foxconn plant, as part of a three month “work experience” placement, were routinely working 11-hour days assembling the newest phone, breaking Chinese overtime laws in the process. Continue reading...

Patent reveals system designed to stimulate self-driving car passengers to eliminate motion sickness so they can read, work or play in transitUber is working on a system to prevent travel sickness in cars, which it sees as a barrier to the adoption of self-driving vehicles, stopping people from doing other things as they are ferried to their destination.According to a patent, which describes a “sensory stimulation system for autonomous vehicles”, Uber plans to use vibrating and moving seats, the flow of air targeting the face or other part of the body, and light bars and screens to prevent passengers from feeling travel sick. Continue reading...

As video gaming tightens its grip on mainstream culture, the games and their themes are becoming broader and bolderGadgets are only as good as their content, and though 2017 has been a difficult year for the world, it’s been a great one for video games. As gaming elbows its way to the centre stage of mainstream culture, the titles and their themes are increasingly reflecting the wide variety of players and their concerns. Here are the best games and consoles, and the most exciting trends of 2017. Continue reading...

OnePlus has done it again, producing a smartphone with almost its rivals’ high-end features, including 36-hour battery life, at an affordable priceThe OnePlus 5T propels the Chinese company into the brave new era of full-screen smartphones, with a new 6in minimal bezel display squeezed into the body of a 5.5in device.

Smartphones offer an opportunity to get information into the hands of those who need it most; complaining from the sidelines is futileThe launch of the GP at Hand app-based primary care service in London has been met with accusations that it is damaging the NHS.The service is being run by a practice in Fulham, but people across central London are able to move their GP registration there. It offers video consultations 24/7 and face to face appointments at five clinics so far. It uses technology provided by Babylon Health, which bills itself as “the world’s first AI-driven healthcare service”. Continue reading...

There’s more worth discovering on the Alola islands, not to mention in soothing hard toil and a subversive teen adventure3DS, The Pokémon Company, cert: 7

Local bookshops are agents of culture not just commerce. They bring a sense of belonging to our suburbs and a passion for community Amazon can’tWhat makes the place you live in your neighbourhood your home?I’ve lived in inner-north Melbourne for most of my life. It’s home to a thriving arts scene: grass-roots theatre companies like La Mama, independent publishers like Scribe Publications and Black Inc., cultural institutions like Melbourne Museum. Continue reading...

Staunch leaver James Dyson has said Britain should walk away from talks with the EU. Here’s where other dust busters stand on the issue

A podcast has deep thoughts on the paranormal, while the BBC’s foray into interactive storytelling does a little too much askingHaunted | iTunes

From smart-speakers and virtual bikes to robot vacuums and indestructible cables, here is the year’s most covetable technologyYou can assemble one of three robots with this Lego-like kit, each fully mobile and equipped with an infra-red sensor to help it detect and interact with its environment. Best of all, it can then be programmed using the child-friendly block-programming app, opening limitless opportunities. Continue reading...

In 2017 voice recognition has gone mainstream, with the Echo, Google Home and other smart speakers all competing for space in your lifeThe most futuristic thing I have ever bought used to be a Sonos music player. I’d have people over just to show it off. “Name a song,” I’d say. “Go on, any version of any song by any act that ever lived. I dare you.” So they would, and I’d pull out my phone and – hey presto – seconds later, that song would boom out across my living room like magic. No ungainly wires. No battery-draining Bluetooth connection. When friends moved house, I’d see their stupid boxes of old CDs and laugh. “You antiquated morons,” I’d gloat. “When I move house, I’ll be able to fit every song ever recorded into a shoebox. I live in the distant future and you are a bone-throwing ape, and it’s all thanks to my Sonos.”I hate my Sonos player now. Continue reading...

It was already the world’s best hatchback. Now VW has gone and made the Golf GTI even betterPrice: £28,345

The internet giant will have a real store in London for Black Friday. In this topsy-turvy retail world, innovation is now a necessityOn London’s Oxford Street a row of glittering snowflakes guides shoppers along the golden mile of fashion and department stores. The 750,000 lights floating above Selfridges, John Lewis and Debenhams are a decades-old tradition but events like Black Friday have changed Christmas shopping for ever.The UK high street has just experienced something of a watershed, what some have called its “Tesla moment”. Online fashion website Asos overtook Marks & Spencer in market value terms for the first time despite not having a single store to its name. The comparison with the automotive industry comes because electric carmaker Tesla moved ahead of the 114-year-old Ford Motor Company in market value earlier this year. Continue reading...

The Xbox One X is sleek and significant upgrade that should edge Sony’s PlayStation 4 Pro down the wishlistIts creators claim it is one of the most powerful gaming consoles on Earth, now the newly launched Xbox One X from Microsoft is after a new accolade - to beat its rival Sony to dominate Christmas wishlists and the hearts of video game players.Microsoft’s new console, a substantial upgrade to the original Xbox One released in 2013, comes almost exactly a year after Sony delivered a similar performance boost with its PlayStation 4 Pro. Continue reading...

The algorithms Facebook and other tech companies use to boost engagement – and increase profits – have led to spectacular failures of sensitivity and worse. How can we fight back?Earlier this month, Facebook announced a new pilot programme in Australia aimed at stopping “revenge porn” – the non-consensual sharing of nude or otherwise explicit photos – on its platform. Their answer? Just send Facebook your nudes. Continue reading...

Telecoms regulator urges parents to destroy the devices, which have been used to listen in on classroom lessonsGermany’s telecoms regulator has banned ​the sale of “smart watches” that can be used by parents to check on their children, saying the devices violated Germany’s strict surveillance laws.The Federal Network Agency said it had already taken action against several firms that sell the watches online but did not name them. Continue reading...

The impressive Xbox One X hopes to beat Sony in the battle for Christmas salesIts creators claim it is one of the most powerful gaming consoles on Earth. Now the newly launched Xbox One X from Microsoft is after a new accolade – to beat its rival Sony to dominate Christmas wishlists and the hearts of video game players.Microsoft’s console, a substantial upgrade of the original Xbox One released in 2013, arrives almost exactly one year after Sony delivered a similar performance boost with its PlayStation 4 Pro. Continue reading...

New electric supercar will break records according to Elon Musk, with blistering acceleration and 630-mile range. Here’s everything we knowTesla announced a new version of its very first car, the Roadster, turning it into an electric supercar described as a “hardcore smackdown to gasoline cars” by company founder Elon Musk.The new sports car was unveiled alongside Tesla’s new electric truck, and promises to wow drivers with some extraordinary statistics that make it look like a Top Trumps card turned into an electrified reality. Continue reading...

Not content with simply walking or carrying objects, Atlas, made by the robotics firm Boston Dynamics, can now jump across gaps, jump and spin 180°, and – most impressive of all – it can backflip, even using its arms to balance after landing just like a real gymnast Continue reading...

Using diesel trucks now ‘economic suicide’, says Musk – but questions persist over company’s capacity to meet demandElon Musk unveiled Tesla’s first electric semi-truck on Thursday evening at an event in Los Angeles that also included the surprise reveal of a new Tesla sports car.The new Roadster, which has the same name as the first electric vehicle produced by Tesla from 2008 to 2012, emerged from the back of one of the trucks at the end of a presentation that focused largely on the economic and performance needs of truck drivers. Continue reading...

He was fired from Google for arguing that men may be more suited to working in tech than women. Now James Damore opens up about his regrets – and how autism may have shaped his experience of the worldJames Damore conforms to the stereotype. He’s happy to admit he fits the mould of an awkward computer nerd and the moment we meet in a Silicon Valley coffee shop, he knocks a display stand of metal flasks that fall clattering to the floor. The commotion draws curious glances at the 6ft 3in software engineer, but Damore is used to strangers identifying him; he’s the guy who was fired by Google this summer after he argued that men are more psychologically suited to working in technology than women.