Technology | The Guardian

Amazon’s virtual assistant is winding up the US far-right with her answers to questions on feminism and the Black Lives Matter movementName: Alexa.Age: Three. Continue reading...

With prices starting at £1,500, this isn’t a casual purchase – but with its detachable screen, this could be the best Windows 10 power-user laptop goingThe first generation Surface Book was a feat of engineering that took Microsoft’s Surface tablet PC and turned it on its head, making it a laptop first and a tablet second. The Surface Book 2 refines a few things, adds much more power and finally adopts USB-C.If you’re primarily a laptop user, who occasionally wants to take just the screen with you and needs some brawn for your processing duties, the Surface Book 2 is the machine for you. But getting your head around what the machine can do is the first challenge. Continue reading...

Price tag would be less than half the $1bn music identifying app was last valued at when it tapped investors in 2015Apple has bought Shazam, a London-based app that allows smartphone users to identify music, for a reported $400m (£300m).

First contract on a regulated exchange is seen as step towards legitimacy for the cryptocurrency but volume traded is tinyBitcoin has taken a step toward legitimacy with the launch of a product on a Chicago exchange that allows investors to take bets on its price in the future.The new contract on the Chicago Board Options Exchange came as the digital currency jumped another 10%, sparking fresh warnings of a speculative bubble after last week’s 40% climb in price. Continue reading...

Regretting not spending a few hundred quid on bitcoin five years ago? Get ahead of the speculators by spending thousands of dollars on a imaginary cat or the Paris Hilton-backed LydianCoinIf you are worried you’ve missed out on making millions by betting on bitcoin, don’t worry: there will be plenty more bizarre, borderline-incomprehensible digital bubbles in the future, and their value is only going to go up (until it all comes crashing down, that is). Here are five assets each competing to be the next bitcoin. Continue reading...

Vint Cerf, Tim Berners-Lee and other industry luminaries tell US lawmakers proposal to end safeguards is based on misunderstanding of internetMore than 20 internet pioneers and leaders including the “father of the internet”, Vint Cerf; the inventor of the world wide web, Tim Berners-Lee; and the Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak have urged the FCC to cancel its vote to repeal net neutrality, describing the plan as “based on a flawed and factually inaccurate” understanding of how the internet works.“The FCC’s rushed and technically incorrect proposed order to repeal net neutrality protections without any replacement is an imminent threat to the internet we worked so hard to create. It should be stopped,” said the technology luminaries in an open letter to lawmakers with oversight of the Federal Communications Commission on Monday. Continue reading...

Contracts rise from $15,460 to $16,000 in the first hours of trading on the Chicago Board Options Exchange (CBOE)The first-ever bitcoin future began trading Sunday as the increasingly popular virtual currency made its debut on a major US exchange.The futures contract that expires in January rose from $15,460 to $16,000 in its first hours of trading on the Chicago Board Options Exchange. Continue reading...

Sound-controlled vibrators, 3D-printed clitorises and ‘Michael Gove’ as a safe word: coders and inventors try to find the future of sex in south LondonTwelve years of Catholic school prepares you for a lot of weird things, but walking into a church to find 50 people testing vibrators on each other’s noses, strapping each other into inflatable hug machines and flinging around bits of deconstructed sex toys under a huge stained-glass window that reads THOU ART THE KING OF GLORY O CHRIST is not one of them.I am at Goldsmiths, University of London, in the church of what used to be St James Hatcham but was transformed, some years ago, into an arts “hub”. Hacksmiths, the student-run tech society at the university, runs “hackathons” – invention marathons – where over the course of three days, attendees of varying skills and backgrounds camp out on air beds and eat pizza while brainstorming and building machines. For this event, the theme was sex technology. Continue reading...

An immersive, interactive exploration of life on Earth and Nintendo’s resurgent flights of escapism were among the highlights of the gaming year

Renault’s fully revamped large SUV looks handsome and drives well… But the lack of seven seats could cost it dearPrice: from £27,500

Lorin LaFave wants story of her son’s death by an online predator to highlight the threat posed to young male gamersThe mother of a 14-year-old boy murdered by an online predator is working with police on a film about his killing as part of a campaign to raise awareness of the sexual exploitation of boys.Lorin LaFave, the mother of Breck Bednar, who was murdered in 2014 after being groomed online, is working with several police forces on the film. It will be modelled on Kayleigh’s Love Story, a film made by Leicestershire police about a 15-year-old schoolgirl who was killed after being groomed by a man who sent her an unsolicited Facebook message. Made with the support of the victim’s family, Kayleigh’s Love Story has been widely screened at local schools and viewed by an estimated 35 million people online. Continue reading...

Amid warnings of bubbles and infernos, currency hits new high of $16,660, crashes, then recovers to $15,350 as London closedBitcoin rounded off a week of frenzied investor speculation with a day of whipsaw trading that knocked nearly 20% off its value at one point, but still left the cryptocurrency changing hands at more than $15,000 (£11,000).The currency, which was likened to Dante’s Inferno by one senior banker this week, rocketed to a new high of $16,660 overnight before slumping to $13,482 by midday on Friday. As the London markets were closing, bitcoin had recovered some of its losses to trade at $15,350 – having started the week at $10,875 and the year at $966. Continue reading...

Facing potential Lords defeat, government announces it will back data protection bill amendment to safeguard children’s privacyWebsites and apps will be subject to a tough new code of practice to protect children’s privacy online following a cross-party campaign in the House of Lords to prevent young people’s internet activity being monitored.Facing a potential defeat by peers, the government has announced it will back a new amendment to the data protection bill, derived from one authored by the film director and cross-bench peer Beeban Kidron, which has been backed by Tories, Labour and the Lib Dems. Continue reading...

Network said Trump had received email that offered hacked WikiLeaks files – but CNN got date wrong and later admitted material was already in public sphereCNN was forced to climb down from a report Friday that an encryption key allowing access to hacked content had been emailed to Donald Trump and aides two months before the presidential election.Such a key had been emailed, the cable network said in a corrected report, but the material it gave access to was already in the public sphere, and not previously unseen as an initial CNN report suggested. Continue reading...

Security flaw in latest iPhone and iPad iOS 11.2 software meant hackers could potentially gain remote control of lights, cameras and locks in smart homesApple has been forced to fix a security hole within its HomeKit smart home system that could have allowed hackers to unlock users’ smart locks or other devices.The bug within iOS 11.2 permitted unauthorised remote control of HomeKit-enabled devices. Such devices include smart lights, plugs and other gadgets, but also includes smart locks and garage door openers. Continue reading...

Taxi-hailing firm will be allowed to continue operating while it appeals against decision which it says is down to an administrative errorSheffield city council has suspended Uber’s licence in what the company has insisted is an “administrative error”.The ride-hailing company can still operate in the city until 18 December and, if it appeals against the council’s decision, can operate after that date until the appeal is heard. Uber has said it will appeal so it can “continue to serve people in Sheffield”. Continue reading...

In these gloriously skewed shorts, comedians Ben Ashenden and Alexander Owen film unsuspecting people, imagine their conversations and add hilarious voiceoversWhat is it? A sketch comedy micro-series using secretly filmed footage of the public.Why you’ll love it: These tiny, joyful, stupid snippets of comic tapas are made by comedians Ben Ashenden and Alexander Owen, known jointly as The Pin. After three series of their highly inventive and critically admired Radio 4 show, they have moved into a new medium. But the straightforward sketch show, trotting out and repeating the same characters and situations is not for them. Continue reading...

The usual evolution of English has been accelerated online, leading to a less formal – but arguably more expressive – language than the one we use IRL. So use those emojis wisely …English has always evolved – that’s what it means to be a living language – and now the internet plays a pivotal role in driving this evolution. It’s where we talk most freely and naturally, and where we generally pay little heed to whether or not our grammar is “correct”.Should we be concerned that, as a consequence, English is deteriorating? Is it changing at such a fast pace that older generations can’t keep up? Not quite. At a talk in 2013, linguist David Crystal, author of Internet Linguistics, said: “The vast majority of English is exactly the same today as it was 20 years ago.” And his collected data indicated that even e-communication isn’t wildly different: “Ninety per cent or so of the language you use in a text is standard English, or at least your local dialect.” Continue reading...

Craig wants to buy his game-playing son a laptop for up to £500, while other readers want cheaper machinesCould you provide an update to your previous articles on the system requirements for Minecraft? I would love a recommendation on a laptop for my 10-year-old son. I have a £500 budget, and I would have no problem with a refurbished device. CraigThis is a frequently-asked question, and similar queries have come from Jo (seven-year-old son, £450 budget), Lauren (13-year-old son), Ronda (12-year-old daughter), and Natalie (11-year-old son, £200 to £250 budget). I answered much the same question in December last year (What’s the best cheap laptop for running Minecraft?), in December 2015 (What’s the best laptop for running Minecraft?) and earlier. The principles have not changed, so you may still find them useful. However, the products change, which is why the question keeps coming up. Continue reading...

The techno-sage and Silicon Valley insider sees VR as emancipatory and liberating but what does ‘shared lucid dreaming’ actually mean?I experienced virtual reality for the first time the other day, at a training workshop for university lecturers. When I donned the Oculus Rift – a sleek plastic headset with handheld controls – I was presented with a desk on which sat some cartoonishly rendered objects: a ball, a toy car, a ray gun. I picked up the gun and fired off a few shots. I rolled the ball off the table. Then the lenses in the goggles misted up and I grew bored.I couldn’t see how virtual reality was supposed to help with the teaching of literature, but the techno-apparatchiks who were our guides for the day assured me that this was the future of pedagogy (a word they liked). “Just imagine,” they said, “one day your students won’t just be able to read books: they’ll experience what it’s like to be in them.” Continue reading...

Mining marketplace NiceHash suspends operations while it co-operates with authorities over ‘professional attack’, urging users to change passwordsNearly $64m in bitcoin has been stolen by hackers who broke into Slovenian-based bitcoin mining marketplace NiceHash.The marketplace suspended operations on Thursday while it investigated the breach, saying it was working with law enforcement as “a matter of urgency” while urging users to change their passwords. Continue reading...

European commission tells Facebook, Google, YouTube, Twitter and others that legislation is being considered if self-regulation continues to failThe European Commission has warned Facebook, Google, YouTube, Twitter and other internet technology companies that they must do more to stem the spread of extremist content or face legislation.Growing pressure from European governments has meant progress has been made by companies in significantly boosting their resources dedicated to help take down extremist content as quickly as possible. Continue reading...

Google’s newest computer offering is an exquisite piece of hardware running a limited but improving operating system. Is that enough for £999?With the Pixelbook, Google is asking whether a Chromebook with high-end laptop features, which runs Android apps and can become a tablet by folding in two, can really be worth £999.

Magazine dubbed ‘serial misinformer’ becomes first explicitly partisan organization to aid in task, fueling concerns over rightwing influence at siteA conservative news organization has been approved to partner with Facebook to fact-check false news, drawing criticisms that the social media company is caving to rightwing pressures and collaborating with a publication that has previously spread propaganda.The Weekly Standard, a conservative opinion magazine, said it is joining a fact-checking initiative that Facebook launched last year aimed at debunking fake news on the site with the help of outside journalists. The Weekly Standard will be the first right-leaning news organization and explicitly partisan group to do fact-checks for Facebook, prompting backlash from progressive organizations, who have argued that the magazine has a history of publishing questionable content. Continue reading...

The Guardian’s goal on Instagram is to help people understand the world they’re in and inspire them to create a better one. We cover fake news, gender equality, the refugee crisis and threats to our planet such as climate change and air pollution, and many more topics. We work with reporters, designers and multimedia producers to visualise the news in accessible and imaginative ways. Our Instagram reporting provides context and meaning and gives you the information you need to take action and feel hopeful.Our efforts have been working; over the past 12 months, 300,000 new followers have joined us and we now have the largest Instagram audience for a UK news publication. Continue reading...

Public spat between two of world’s biggest tech companies intensifies as Google uses access to video platform as leverage to force retailer to sell its productsGoogle is using YouTube as leverage over Amazon to try and force the world’s largest retailer to sell its Home smart speakers, Chromecasts and Nest products.Google has pulled official support for YouTube from Amazon’s Echo Show and Fire TV devices, meaning that owners can no longer access the video site through a YouTube app. Continue reading...

‘I’m going to take advantage of Facebook’s option to take leave in parts,’ said the Facebook CEO, whose second daughter was born in August of this yearMark Zuckerberg is taking parental leave for the month of December, the Facebook CEO announced Saturday. Continue reading...

Twitter’s annual list of most retweeted posts features three tweets from Obama, and none from TrumpTwitter has released its annual list of the most popular tweets on the platform, and in a year when so much coverage of the US president, Donald Trump, has been dominated by his Twitter activity, it is his predecessor Barack Obama who dominates.Obama’s tweet quoting Nelson Mandela, stating “no one is born hating another person because of the color of his skin or his background or his religion ...” had more than 1.7m retweets and was the second most popular tweet of the year. It was tweeted on 13 August after the death of the anti-fascist protester Heather Heyer at Charlottesville.

Comedian Marcia Belsky’s 30 day ban for response to misogynistic abuse directed at friend prompts protest resulting in hundreds of suspensionsIn the wake of the multiple sexual harassment and abuse scandals across the globe, Facebook has been suspending women for “hate speech” against men after posting variations of the phrase “men are scum”.

With Facebook snapping at his heels, the Snap Inc founder needs to offer something more than selfies with a dog’s ears. He explains why his relaunched app could have the answer to fake news and filter bubblesIf you spend enough time in the tech industry, certain cultural touchstones become familiar. The sprawling virtual metaverse of Neal Stephenson’s Snow Crash, for instance, which was required reading for new product managers at Facebook, or the voice-activated computers of Star Trek, now referenced in a hidden “Easter egg” feature in Amazon’s Echo smart speakers.But Evan Spiegel is talking about art. As the 27-year-old founder and chief executive of Snap Inc – née Snapchat, after the company’s main product – references Damien Hirst’s latest exhibition in Venice, Treasures from the Wreck of the Unbelievable, it becomes clear that Spiegel isn’t like other founders. Continue reading...

As harmful material continues to appear on sites like YouTube and Facebook, companies rely on journalists and citizens to flag it – and the system is failingThe viral YouTube videos featured screaming children being tortured, conspiracy theorists taunting mass shooting victims and webcam footage of young girls in revealing clothing. The disturbing clips drew millions of views and, up until recently, were continuing to spread on the site.Then, hours after reporters highlighted them to YouTube, asking for comment, the videos disappeared. Continue reading...

The company, which owns YouTube, has endured a stream of negative press over violent and offensive contentGoogle is hiring thousands of new moderators after facing widespread criticism for allowing child abuse videos and other violent and offensive content to flourish on YouTube.YouTube’s owner announced on Monday that next year it would expand its total workforce to more than 10,000 people responsible for reviewing content that could violate its policies. The news from YouTube’s CEO, Susan Wojcicki, followed a steady stream of negative press surrounding the site’s role in spreading harassing videos, misinformation, hate speech and content that is harmful to children. Continue reading...

Announcement comes after the European Commission in 2016 ruled that tax benefits received by the tech company were illegal under EU rulesThe Irish government has reached an agreement with Apple to start collecting the €13bn ($15bn) owed by the tech giant.“We have now reached agreement with Apple in relation to the principles and operation of the escrow fund,” finance minister Paschal Donohoe said in Brussels in quotes confirmed by Ireland’s finance ministry. Continue reading...

Local retailers face stiffer competition as worldwide online retailer opens up its full serviceAmazon has launched in Australia, ending months of speculation around the timing of when it would finally open its full offering Down Under and setting up a sales frenzy before Christmas.The e-commerce giant has already been selling Kindle e-reader devices, audio books and content from its Australian website but it has now activated its full-service local offering, featuring its own products and items sold by small local retailers. Continue reading...

The entrepreneurs sued Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg years ago, and they invested their (supposedly) meagre payouts wiselyName: Tyler and Cameron Winklevoss.Also known as: The Winklevii. Continue reading...

With changes to the UK driving test coming into effect on Monday, see how you would do if you had to re-sit a driving theory testThe UK’s driving test changes on Monday, with candidates now being required to demonstrate that they can follow the instructions of a sat-nav, and the period of independent driving during the test being doubled to 20 minutes. The number of rare road manoeuvres, such as reversing around a corner, has been reduced, and there will be an additional question about vehicle safety asked while driving. Examiners, unhappy that the changes may mean they have to work longer for no extra money, are planning to strike.Those wishing to pass their driving test must also still have passed a theory exam. See if you could still pass: Continue reading...

The tech giant’s new building will focus on engineering, and will also house LDN–LAB, a new scheme to nurture UK tech startupsFacebook will create 800 new jobs in London over the next year, increasing its UK workforce by more than 50%, as it opens a new office in the capital on Monday.

The cryptocurrency may not be a threat to the world economy, but that should not stop regulators from protecting investors from itSifting the Yukon river for gold was a waste of time for most of the 100,000 prospectors seeking to make themselves rich in the 1890s. The same can be said of the bitcoin miners who dream of striking it rich by getting their hands on some of the extremely lucrative and painfully elusive electronic currency.Relatively few people have managed to decipher the codes needed to extract bitcoins from the 21 million locked inside the mathematical problems set by its creator, the software engineer whose true identity is unknown but who goes by the name Satoshi Nakamoto. Continue reading...

In the spreadsheet world of executive transport, the ravishing new Giulia from Alfa Romeo offers a blast of passionPrice: from £28,979

The digital attack that brought Estonia to a standstill 10 years ago was the first shot in a cyberwar that has been raging between Moscow and the west ever sinceIt began at exactly 10pm on 26 April, 2007, when a Russian-speaking mob began rioting in the streets of Tallinn, the capital city of Estonia, killing one person and wounding dozens of others. That incident resonates powerfully in some of the recent conflicts in the US. In 2007, the Estonian government had announced that a bronze statue of a heroic second world war Soviet soldier was to be removed from a central city square. For ethnic Estonians, the statue had less to do with the war than with the Soviet occupation that followed it, which lasted until independence in 1991. For the country’s Russian-speaking minority – 25% of Estonia’s 1.3 million people – the removal of the memorial was another sign of ethnic discrimination. Russia’s government warned that the statue’s removal would be “disastrous” for Estonia.That evening, Jaan Priisalu – a former risk manager for Estonia’s largest bank, Hansabank, who was working closely with the government on its cybersecurity infrastructure – was at home in Tallinn with his girlfriend when his phone rang. On the line was Hillar Aarelaid, the chief of Estonia’s cybercrime police. Continue reading...

The Kremlin uses cyberspace for ‘espionage, disruption and influence’, says Ciaran Martin in letter to government departmentsGovernment departments have been warned against using antivirus software made by technology firms with links to Russia amid concerns over national security.

Tech company’s lawyers say it should not have to provide data on how men and women are compensated, as judge appears to take firm’s side on key issuesGoogle is resisting a legal request to disclose salary records in a class-action gender discrimination lawsuit, marking the technology company’s latest efforts to prevent scrutiny of how much it pays its female employees.Google attorneys argued in court on Friday that a judge should block a suit brought by former employees alleging systematic pay disparities on behalf of all women at the company. The company is also arguing that it should not have to provide information on the salaries of men and women or disclose wage policy documents until a first ruling on the class-action status. Continue reading...

One false move, and you could be swamped by the conversation from hell. Dos and don’ts for the eight groups you’re probably avoiding right nowIt’s funny how quickly apps have become shorthand for everyday tasks: we now go on “Tinder dates”, a takeaway is “a Deliveroo”, taxis give way to “getting an Uber”. And when it comes to sharing confidences and keeping in touch, we’re all WhatsApping. The preposterously named app, which sounds like an unwelcome thumbs-up across the dance floor, has become the preferred method of communication for 1.2 billion of us – leaving emails, texts and (obviously) face-to-face conversation in the dust.WhatsApp’s main plus – and quite a big minus, if you think about it – is that anyone can use it. It’s free, and makes chatting in a group really easy – almost too easy, in fact, as you spend half your time being added to random groups and trying desperately to catch up and decipher their in-jokes. Leaving is not an option unless you want to be accused of flouncing. There are unwritten rules waiting to catch you out. Continue reading...

Voice-control devices that can play music, answer questions and buy goods are one of the hottest gifts this Christmas. Here’s what they can do – and our pick of the best buysSmart speakers are set to be the hottest Christmas gift this year. On Black Friday, Amazon dropped the price of its core Echo product to £79 (it is back up to £90 now), while Google slashed the cost of its Home device from £129 to £77.50 at most outlets (it is also back up now). Meanwhile, Apple is promising to launch its version, HomePod, although the price point is rumoured to be significantly higher.With the pre-Christmas launch of the Echo Show, which ups Alexa’s game with a built-in screen, are they the next must-have device? A simple voice command can fill your room with music – and change tunes whenever you wish. They will answer questions on a vast range of topics, set alarms, tell you the weather and what your commute holds in store. Some can order almost any goods over the internet for delivery within hours or days. Hooked up with other devices, they turn lights on and off and control the heating. But they have also been accused of making fake purchases and snooping on your conversations. Continue reading...

The new top-end Kindle is an indulgent purchase, but with added water resistance and other refinements it’s still the one to beatAmazon’s new top-end e-reader is now water resistant, but is the all aluminium Kindle Oasis still the luxury option to buy?While the original Kindle Oasis was a big step forward in e-reader design, the 2017 Oasis is more of a refinement with fewer of the compromises made last year for fit and form. Continue reading...

There are moments of hilarity in this fascinating and bleak documentary, which explored just how close humans and machines are going to getIf you’ve ever wondered what a life-sized mechanical sex toy called Harmony looks like reciting the lyrics to Thriller with all the passion of Alexa ordering the shopping, then The Sex Robots Are Coming (Channel 4) has got it covered. This fascinatingly bleak documentary explored the question of just how close humans and machines are going to get, and looks at the burgeoning sex robot industry, which one day hopes to create life-like rubber women who will talk and show pre-programmed emotions, but only if they are more obedient, passive and pliable than the irritatingly free-willed real thing.This was by turns hilarious and upsetting, as perplexing as it was educational. The Californian RealDoll company is on a quest to make a realistic sex robot. It already sells RealDolls for people to have their wicked way with, and though it has an eye-watering male model, 80% of customers want a female doll. The company’s founder, Matt McMullan, explains that he initially conceived of the project as art. Mmmhmm. And the customers only want a life-sized doll with a realistic vagina, so they can put dresses on it and do its makeup. Continue reading...

Change is one of several to snooper’s charter law proposed by ministers in attempt to comply with European court rulingSenior police officers are to lose the power to self-authorise access to personal phone and web browsing records under a series of late changes to the snooper’s charter law proposed by ministers in an attempt to comply with a European court ruling on Britain’s mass surveillance powers.Related: UK intelligence agencies face surveillance claims in European court Continue reading...

Emergency patch for bug that allowed anyone to take control of a Mac running macOS High Sierra prevented some users from sharing filesIn its haste to fix the macOS High Sierra bug that allowed anyone to take control of a Mac computer with a blank password, Apple broke file sharing for some users.