Technology | The Guardian

Trend of biting into soap tabs for bragging rights elicits warnings from watchdogs, poison control centres and Procter & GambleGoogle has started clamping down on YouTube videos displaying the “Tide Pod challenge”, in which people record themselves intentionally biting into laundry detergent tabs to gain bragging rights.The trend, which reportedly started as a joke, has gone viral, eliciting warnings from watchdogs, poison control centres and Tide manufacturer Procter & Gamble. Now Google has stepped up its efforts, saying that it is actively removing videos portraying the potentially dangerous action. Continue reading...

Hogwarts Mystery, the first JK Rowling-inspired game since 2012, to be released this springHarry Potter: Hogwarts Mystery, a mobile game for iOS and Android from developer Jam City, will be released this spring.It will be the first Harry Potter video game since 2012’s Wonderbook: Book of Spells, for Sony’s PlayStation 3. It will also be the first game released under Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment’s new Portkey Games label, which the company set up last year. Announced via JK Rowling’s Pottermore site in November, Portkey Games will “work with talented creators to build games that focus on player-generated stories, which will live alongside the magical universe created by JK Rowling”. Continue reading...

Nintendo’s ingenious upcoming release for its Switch console uses augmented reality to make working cars, pianos and full-body robot suits – teaching coding and engineering principles through playNintendo has introduced a new product for its Switch games console: Nintendo Labo, an innovative augmented-reality game that turns cardboard models into fully functioning toys.Inside the Nintendo Labo box are 25 sheets of thick, brown, branded cardboard, and a little cartridge that pops into a Nintendo Switch console. Following Lego-like instructions on the Switch screen, you punch out the cardboard pieces and assemble them into contraptions of varying complexity. The first project, which takes maybe 15 minutes, is a simple little bug-like radio-controlled car; slot the Joy-Con controllers into its cardboard sides, pull up the controls on the Switch’s screen, and the vibrations send it juddering across a flat surface with surprising speed. Continue reading...

Apple chief Tim Cook says update for iOS will provide new option, but urges against using it for risk of sudden shutdown problemsApple will give users the option to turn off a feature that temporarily slows down older iPhones in order to prevent unexpected shutdowns, chief executive Tim Cook has said.The new option is likely to arrive in March, as part of the next update to iOS 11. “If you don’t want it, you can turn it off,” Cook told ABC News. The CEO maintains, however, that Apple “don’t recommend” users take advantage of the ability to disable the slowdown. Continue reading...

Despite losing 40% in a matter of weeks the cryptocurrency still has further to drop according to experts at Capital EconomicsBitcoin has all the hallmarks of a classic speculative bubble and even after almost halving in value in a matter of weeks it still has further to fall, according to a leading team of economists.As regulators in South Korea again signalled on Thursday that they were considering a ban on cryptocurrency exchanges, Capital Economics also dismissed claims that bitcoin and its imitators could replace established currencies as “rubbish”. Continue reading...

Facebook, YouTube and Twitter, as well as lawmakers, urged to prepare for foreign actors using US citizens to carry out violenceSocial media companies and lawmakers have been urged to prepare for a looming type of extremism born from foreign actors mobilising US citizens to carry out violent acts in their homeland.Speaking during a Senate committee hearing on extremist propaganda and social media, Clint Watts, a fellow at the Foreign Policy Research Institute, warned of foreign countries using the kinds of persuasive techniques previously used to recruit Islamist terrorists to manipulate political discourse and mobilise unwitting Americans to attack specific targets. Continue reading...

Users of Natural Cycles, first app certified as contraceptive method in Europe, identified among people seeking abortions at hospitalA much-hyped birth control app has been reported to Swedish authorities after a hospital found 37 cases of unwanted pregnancies among women relying on the app for contraception.Natural Cycles, a smartphone application that marries hi-tech algorithms with the old-fashioned rhythm method, last year became the first app to be certified as a contraceptive method in Europe. The app requires women to input their temperature every morning, then calculates the users’ menstrual cycle and informs them when they can have sex without protection. Continue reading...

Tech giant looks into spreading of disinformation after MPs criticised scope of first investigationFacebook has bowed to pressure from MPs and said it will deepen its investigation into whether Russian agents used the platform to spread fake news in the hope of influencing the Brexit vote.The social media giant told the digital, culture, media and sport committee that it would examine whether there were further clusters of accounts spreading disinformation, having previously been criticised for only conducting a limited investigation. Continue reading...

The cryptocurrency uses as much CO2 a year as 1m transatlantic flights. We need to take it seriously as a climate threatBitcoin’s electricity usage is enormous. In November, the power consumed by the entire bitcoin network was estimated to be higher than that of the Republic of Ireland. Since then, its demands have only grown. It’s now on pace to use just over 42TWh of electricity in a year, placing it ahead of New Zealand and Hungary and just behind Peru, according to estimates from Digiconomist. That’s commensurate with CO2 emissions of 20 megatonnes – or roughly 1m transatlantic flights.That fact should be a grave notion to anyone who hopes for the cryptocurrency to grow further in stature and enter widespread usage. But even more alarming is that things could get much, much worse, helping to increase climate change in the process. Continue reading...

Chrissy Chambers proposes to her new partner after winning civil claim against ex who posted videos online‘Revenge pornography’: follow Chrissy Chambers’ search for justiceA YouTube celebrity has won unprecedented damages against a man who uploaded “revenge pornography” videos of her to the internet.Chrissy Chambers, 26, celebrated her landmark victory on the steps of the High Court by proposing to her partner - who immediately said yes and called Chambers “the bravest, most incredible human being that I’ve ever met”. Continue reading...

The firm’s chief executive says his hands-on approach has paid off so far, but he’s not ready for a victory lap just yetThe secret to rekindling Sony’s return to form, according to the company’s chief executive, is personalisation – achieved not by the mass collection of customer data in the way some big tech firms do, but by eliciting an emotional response to its products.“Getting in close is the only way,” says Kaz Hirai, who took the helm of Sony five-and-half-years ago charged with turning the company around; he has succeeded, with Sony projecting its largest-ever annual operating profit of £4.2bn this year. Hirai is a passionate believer in the Japanese concept of Kando, which is about establishing an emotional connection across what Sony calls “the last one inch” to the consumer – the wow factor that creates enthusiasm and loyalty. Continue reading...

Platform to ensure top content meets ‘ad-friendly guidelines’ following unease at scandals, but some vloggers may lose incomeVideos from YouTube’s most popular channels are to be subject to human review, as the Google platform attempts to use advertising money to reign in content producers following a series of scandals.For the first time, the company will be pre-emptively reviewing large swaths of its content to ensure it meets “ad-friendly guidelines”, raising the bar for video creators who wish to run adverts on their content, while hoping to allay advertiser unease about the video-sharing website following scandals such as Logal Paul’s video of a dead body. Continue reading...

Bitcoin hits a four-week low before rebounding on Tuesday as South Korean statements send cryptocurrency markets yo-yoingThe price of bitcoin was sent plummeting 18% as it and other cryptocurrencies yo-yo in value over fears of a wider trading crackdown spurred by renewed potential of South Korean regulatory action.

Firm hopes to extend its market dominance further as Alexa-powered, 2.5in-screened smart speaker comes to UKAmazon is launching its small clock-like Echo Spot in the UK, as it continues to cement its market dominance.

Enrichment Commission for the French Language also prefers ‘fibronique’ for fiber opticsSmartphones may have become ubiquitous in France but the country’s language mavens hope there’s still time to keep the word from becoming ensconced in everyday speech.

The two French studio heads behind supernatural adventure Beyond: Two Souls face accusations of inappropriate behaviour towards staffFrench video game studio Quantic Dream has been accused of propagating a toxic working environment, according to reports in three French news publications.

Not only do they have tennis, pinball, a cinema, a gym and a Lego room at their disposal – employees in the Swiss city’s office also have their own nicknameName: Zooglers.Origin: 75 different countries. Continue reading...

The Hold app – already used by 40% of students in Norway – allows users to earn rewards such as cinema tickets for not using their phone. We put it to the testIt’s March 2012, the middle of exam term and my friend is in despair. Why? She can’t access her Facebook.Nordic app Hold is hoping to combat such examples of student smartphone addiction. It rewards users for not looking at their phones on campus – a task so difficult for my zombified-friend that she resorted to using a website that locks her out of all social media accounts. Continue reading...

A collective insanity has sprouted around the new field of ‘cryptocurrencies’, causing an irrational gold rush. I know you’re tempted, but don’t be a foolI’ve been watching this bitcoin situation for a few years, assuming it would just blow over.

Alert occurred after employer pressed button labelled ‘missile alert’, instead of the one next to it marked ‘test missile alert’A false alarm warning Hawaiians of an incoming ballistic missile on Saturday, was reportedly issued because of a “terribly designed” user interface.The computer system that allows the Hawaiian Emergency Management Agency (HEMA) to send emergency alerts asks employees to select the type of alert that they are sending from a drop-down menu. Continue reading...

These days, if we’re not staring at our smartphones, we’re sitting in front of computers. And more than half of office workers have reported the symptoms of eyestrain. How do you protect yourself?The rapid advance of technology over the past two decades has meant that many of us spend a considerable portion of the day staring at screens, whether that’s our smartphone or our office computer. As a result, studies have shown that between 50% and 90% of office workers have eye strain or associated health issues such as eye-twitching, red eyes, headaches and fatigue. So, how can you make things easier on your eyes? Continue reading...

The latest version of Spain’s best-selling car has raised its game – and it’s now ready to tackle the big playersPrice: from £13,410

Loss of the deal with the giant mobile carrier has put a huge obstacle in the way of the Chinese firm’s ambition of conquering the American marketAmid the glitz and glamour of the CES consumer electronics show in Las Vegas last week, one piece of news struck a particularly sour note for Chinese phone-maker Huawei. Despite months of preparation, the giant US mobile carrier AT&T announced last Monday that it was pulling out of a deal to sell Huawei’s smartphones.The decision was taken as a result of political pressure on AT&T by American politicians, who had written to the telecoms regulator the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) – which must approve the sale of phones and other devices in the US – saying they had “long been concerned about Chinese espionage in general, and Huawei’s role in that espionage in particular”. Richard Yu, chief executive of Huawei’s consumer division, was obliged to go through the motions at CES of introducing his new Mate 10 phone, having seen planned marketing spending of $100m and assurances of no government interference turn to ashes. Continue reading...

Facebook is a big part of my portfolio, and I fear the dangers of tech addiction. While investors’ recent open letter to Apple is significant, more need to speak upI am a tech investor, and Facebook is by far my largest investment. Still, for the past 15 months I have been pushing Facebook to sacrifice near term profits. The reason? I want them to address the harm the platform has caused through addiction and exploitation by bad actors. Government watchdogs barely regulate the technology sector in the United States, so investors like myself have a big role to play.

Stuck on your screen? We asked six very busy people to attempt a digital detox – here’s how you can, tooWhat’s the first thing you do when you wake up? Read the news? Check your emails? Scroll through social media? Now, imagine your phone’s not in the room. If that makes you feel aimless or uncomfortable, it may be time for a digital detox.This doesn’t have to be about giving up the digital world altogether, says Tanya Goodin, founder of digital detox specialists Time To Log Off and author of Off. “It’s about becoming aware of your own personal challenges around screens, gaining an understanding of what will help you overcome them, and learning to live with technology in a way that’s healthy. People are always amazed by how different they feel after not being on their phones and that motivates them to want to keep going.” Continue reading...

Settlement with teenager over naked images of her posted online on networking site has ‘moved goalposts’, say lawyersFacebook is facing a number of lawsuits from victims of “revenge porn”, a leading libel lawyer has warned, after a teenager reached a settlement with the social networking site over naked images of her that were posted online.The Belfast-based libel and privacy expert Paul Tweed has also told the Guardian his office was being “deluged” by inquiries from people who claim naked and compromising pictures had been posted on Facebook, Twitter and other sites. Continue reading...

Google’s ‘immediate action’ over AI labelling of black people as gorillas was simply to block the word, along with chimpanzee and monkey, reports suggestAfter Google was criticised in 2015 for an image-recognition algorithm that auto-tagged pictures of black people as “gorillas”, the company promised “immediate action” to prevent any repetition of the error.That action was simply to prevent Google Photos from ever labelling any image as a gorilla, chimpanzee, or monkey – even pictures of the primates themselves. Continue reading...

Voice assistants were in everything at the trade show, suggesting the future is smart – but does anyone actually want to talk to their toilet?The annual trend-setting tech extravaganza that is CES International in Las Vegas is drawing to a close, having suffered through torrential rain, blackouts and a few uncooperative robots. And it’s clear that your voice is more important than ever.

The social media site wants its users to ‘have more meaningful interactions’, but what does that mean in practice?The company is altering the algorithm that runs the news feed, which displays a computer-curated selection of posts from other users and Facebook pages. No longer will it prioritise “helping you find relevant content”, says the site’s founder, Mark Zuckerberg. The new goal is to help you “have more meaningful interactions”. Continue reading...

Parents fret about harmful content, but reducing device use to 90 minutes a day would be good for mental healthWe’ve all seen it – teenagers glued to their phones, not even glancing up when their parents talk to them; kids immersed in tablets at airports; young friends around restaurant tables staring at their phones instead of each other.As children and young people spend an increasing amount of time with screens – more than six hours a day according to one US survey – parents have begun to wonder if spending this much time with screens is safe. Continue reading...

Refresh of the News Feed algorithm will de-prioritize content shared by media and businesses in favor of that produced by friends and family, Zuckerberg saysMark Zuckerberg announced a major overhaul of Facebook’s News Feed algorithm that would prioritize “meaningful social interactions” over “relevant content” on Thursday, one week after he pledged to spend 2018 “making sure that time spent on Facebook is time well spent”.The social media platform will de-prioritize videos, photos, and posts shared by businesses and media outlets, which Zuckerberg dubbed “public content”, in favor of content produced by a user’s friends and family. Continue reading...

Venture capitalist faces legal hurdles by bidding for site, which has been shut down for more than a year following Hulk Hogan lawsuit he bankrolledVenture capitalist Peter Thiel has made an offer for Gawker, hoping to overcome legal hurdles and rival bidders for the site whose collapse the billionaire helped precipitate last year, people familiar with the matter said on Thursday.Gawker’s news site has been inactive for more than a year, after it was shut down following a massive lawsuit against it by wrestling star Hulk Hogan, which Thiel bankrolled. In 2007, Gawker revealed Thiel was gay. Continue reading...

System called Ripley was reportedly used at least two dozen times in 2015 and 2016, including once to prevent tax investigators from collecting evidenceUber developed a secret system called Ripley that would lock down staff computers in the event of a police raid, preventing officials from accessing company data.The ride-sharing company used Ripley at least two dozen times in 2015 and 2016 in countries including Canada, the Netherlands, Belgium, France and Hong Kong, according to Bloomberg. Continue reading...

New version of acclaimed dark fantasy adventure coming to Nintendo Switch in MayLandmark action-adventure game Dark Souls is being remastered for Nintendo’s Switch console, the company announced today. The game was shown alongside a number of other new versions of older games for Switch, including cult hit The World Ends With You, Super Nintendo classic Donkey Kong: Tropical Freeze and Hyrule Warriors.Dark Souls, an intricate and arcane work of dark fantasy, pits players against a world of demonic creatures, is widely regarded as one of the best video games of all time. Continue reading...

Modified Ford Fusion test car containing four occupants hit by van jumping red light in Pittsburgh, less than mile from startup Argo AI’s headquartersA self-driving test car from Ford-backed startup Argo was involved in an accident on Wednesday that sent two people to hospital.

Ludo wonders if he should keep paying for commercial clean-up program to run in Windows 10. Fortunately there are free alternative suitesDo I still need paid-for software like ParetoLogic’s PC Health Advisor with Windows 10 Pro? Ludo

News follows nation’s clampdown on cryptocurrencies as exchanges are raided over alleged tax evasion and fears of gambling addictionThe value of bitcoin plunged 13.5% in the early hours of Thursday after news hit that South Korea is planning to ban cryptocurrency trading.News of the ban follows the raiding of local cryptocurrency exchanges by police and tax authorities over alleged tax evasion, as one of the key nations driving the demand for bitcoin and other virtual currencies attempts a clampdown. Continue reading...

Logan Paul’s channel, which has over 15.6 million subscribers, will be removed from YouTube’s premium ad lineup as company apologizes for delayed responseYouTube is enacting a series of sanctions against Logan Paul, the popular vlogger who was forced to apologize after he uploaded a video on 31 December showing the body of an apparent suicide victim in Japan.Paul’s personal channel, which boasts more than 15.6 million subscribers, will be removed from YouTube’s premium advertisement lineup, Google Preferred, a YouTube spokesperson confirmed. Google Preferred packages YouTube’s most popular channels for blue chip advertisers. Continue reading...

Lack of skilled staff, slowness of institutional change exposes UK and US capabilities, warns Chatham HouseUS, British and other nuclear weapons systems are increasingly vulnerable to cyber attacks, according to a new study by the international relations thinktank Chatham House.The threat has received scant attention so far from those involved in nuclear military planning and the procurement of weapons, the report said. Continue reading...

Firms to give evidence in Senate on combating spread of extremist propaganda, while Twitter misses Russian election interference information deadlineTwitter, Facebook and Google are to be hauled in front of the US Congress again, to give testimony to the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation for extremist content.On 17 January, the three companies are required to give evidence on the steps they are taking to combat the spread of extremist propaganda over the internet, the committee has announced, in a hearing titled “Terrorism and Social Media: Is Big Tech Doing Enough?”. Continue reading...

‘Corporate income tax adjustment’ made as settlement after multi-year audit by tax authorities into iPhone-maker’s UK operationsApple Europe has agreed to pay more than £100m of extra taxes following an “extensive audit” by HMRC, the firm revealed in accounts filed on Monday.The company said the payment of £137m, including interest on the unpaid tax, was a “corporate income tax adjustment” covering the years until September 2015 that “reflects the company’s increased activity”. It also notes that its income tax payments “will increase going forward” as the adjustment is incorporated into future tax bills. Continue reading...

From finicky robots to a not-so-smart suitcase, this year’s Consumer Electronics Show found an industry out of touch with the problems it really needs to solve

Apple now under pressure from both sides of Atlantic over admission it slows phones with older batteries, after French government opened investigationApple is facing questions from the US Senate over its practice of deliberately slowing down iPhones with older batteries, as the firm finds itself under pressure from both sides of the Atlantic.Chair of the Senate commerce committee, Senator John Thune, has written to Apple’s chief executive, Tim Cook, questioning the company’s handling of iPhone slowdown and consumers. Continue reading...

The data protection bill must be amended so independent organisations acting in the public interest can help consumers to get proper redress

Ad-tech firm Criteo likely to cut its 2018 revenue by more than a fifth after Apple blocked ‘pervasive’ tracking on web browser SafariInternet advertising firms are losing hundreds of millions of dollars following the introduction of a new privacy feature from Apple that prevents users from being tracked around the web.Advertising technology firm Criteo, one of the largest in the industry, says that the Intelligent Tracking Prevention (ITP) feature for Safari, which holds 15% of the global browser market, is likely to cut its 2018 revenue by more than a fifth compared to projections made before ITP was announced. Continue reading...

Company says it has ‘always looked out for kids’ after open letter from investors said it should do more to tackle children’s overuse of smartphonesApple says that it plans to make parental control tools more robust, following investor calls that it must take action against smartphone addiction in children.Two investors, collectively controlling $2bn (£1.48bn) in Apple stock, called out the company on Monday for not doing enough to help mitigate the growing concerns around the negative effects of smartphones and social media on the young, urging it to “play a defining role” in the health and development of children. Continue reading...

Class-action lawsuit led by fired engineer includes 100 pages of internal documents and claims conservatives are ‘ostracized, belittled, and punished’Google is facing renewed controversy over its alleged intolerance toward conservatives at the company, after a class action lawsuit filed by former engineer James Damore disclosed almost 100 pages of screen shots of internal communications in which employees discuss sensitive political issues.

Open letter highlights growing concern that Silicon Valley is damaging youth and urges new parental controls, child protection committee and release of dataTwo of the largest investors in Apple are urging the iPhone maker to take action against smartphone addiction among children over growing concerns about the effects of technology and social media on the youth.