Technology | The Guardian

The commission’s crackdown on multinational corporations extended to tech giant in investigation that revealed potentially illegal use of Ireland tax sheltersApple may owe $8bn in back taxes from its use of potentially illegal tax shelters in Ireland.The European commission’s recent ruling against tax breaks for multinational corporations in Belgium strongly suggests that the tech behemoth could be subject to a hefty bill when the open investigation against its activities in Ireland concludes. Continue reading...

Nine Entertainment joint venture ends as Mail Online’s global chief executive says 100% ownership is best business modelThe Daily Mail has ended its joint venture with Nine Entertainment and taken full control of its Australian news and entertainment website.The two companies, which described the decision as mutual, announced the joint venture in 2013 with the newsroom opening in Sydney on 1 January 2014. Continue reading...

The place to talk about games and other things that matterIt’s Friday! Continue reading...

Company says it is making progress towards offering all content universally, but viewers should be able to access only the library from their own countryNetflix has cracked down on people using proxy servers to get around regional restrictions on content, a move that is likely to affect thousands of Australians and users in other countries and prompt renewed calls for universal access.The television shows and movies offered by Netflix differ by territory because of licensing restrictions, which some members bypass with proxies, virtual private networks (VPNs) or “unblockers” that make it appear as though they are in a different country. Continue reading...

Tamara Fields, whose husband Lloyd died in 9 November 2015 attack, accused Twitter of letting Islamic State use its network to spread propagandaThe widow of an American killed in a shooting attack at a Jordanian police training center has sued Twitter, blaming the social media company for making it easier for Islamic State to spread its message.Tamara Fields, a Florida woman whose husband Lloyd died in the 9 November attack, accused Twitter of having knowingly let the militant Islamist group use its network to spread propaganda, raise money and attract recruits. She said the San Francisco-based company had until recently given Isis an “unfettered” ability to maintain official Twitter accounts. Continue reading...

Across the sector shares – including Apple, Alphabet, Twitter and Facebook – have tumbled and smaller companies such as GoPro have not recoveredAs 2016 ushers in one of the worst stock market routs in years, cracks in the tech sector have suddenly widened from mild to serious – and in some cases, potentially fatal. Shares of tech giants from Apple to Alphabet to Netflix took immediate hits when the market opened, and smaller companies like GoPro – down more than 24% in one day – have not recovered. Continue reading...

While privacy debates will be dominated by issues such as surveillance, we must also find ways to make people care enough about their personal data

The Pew research shows most citizens are willing to trade some amount of privacy for useful tech services – but not without some suspicionAmericans have walked a fine line on privacy in the internet age.Taking constant pictures with iPhones is considered normal, while wearing Google Glass creeps people out. Facebook’s data analysis is OK; the National Security Agency’s isn’t. Continue reading...

British vlogger catches on camera moment of self-balancing board’s explosion, showing just how volatile they can beA British vlogger has shown just how dangerous hoverboards can be, capturing on video a device exploding in flames on its first run.

Profound and sometimes exhausting, That Dragon, Cancer has much to say about fear and death. And it will speak to those who have experienced lossHuman beings do not effectively process tragedy. Much of what we do in life is automated. Our days are made up of mindless routines - both physical and emotional - processes that allows us to function without being constantly bombarded with decisions.

John runs Microsoft Windows 7 and Firefox, but pop-ups are driving him crazy – fortunately there are some free things he can do to make things clearMy question, tongue deep in cheek, is this: will I ever be able to buy a Windows system with no pop-up ads of any kind whatsoever? (What I call pop-ups may include other intrusive ads.) I’d be willing to pay extra! What I have is Windows 7 Ultimate with Firefox as my browser, and I am being driven crazy.Most likely I have add-ons of which I have lost track. I spend hours web surfing, which can, I suppose, lead to inadvertent nefarious acquisitions. Is there a catch-all list of my add-ons? JohnR.I was just going to say that there are no pop-up ads in Windows 7 – which is true unless you include the ones promoting Windows 10. Otherwise, ads and various pop-ups may come directly from websites or from “nefarious acquisitions”. These include “potentially unwanted programs” (PUPs) and the malware that sometimes infects browsers. Continue reading...

CyberSquirrel1 aims to show that it’s not hackers we should be afraid of – it’s squirrelsAcross the world blackouts are happening and power grids are being shut down. From Europe to America, and across Asia and Africa, we’re losing the cyberwar. But the enemy is not who you might think: it is squirrels.While we’re busy worrying about hackers and rogue states, squirrels scamper into electricity substations and chew through power cables. They’re the kamikaze troops in nature’s war against national infrastructure. Continue reading...

In the face of chaos on the streets of the Indonesian capital, citizens respond with solidarity, declaring: ‘We are not afraid’

The place to talk about games an other thing that matterIt’s Thursday! Continue reading...

There are currently more phone-holding monopods on the market than you can shake a stick at. But not all are created equally, so we put them to the testSelfie sticks are either the epitome of what is wrong with society or the best thing since camera phones, depending on your point of view. But as you start to use them, you realise that they aren’t all created equally, even if many of them are produced in the same factory in China.

Theresa May gives first hint costs may far exceed £240m estimate as it emerges even small-scale providers could be targetedCoffee shops running Wi-Fi networks may have to store internet data under new snooping laws, Theresa May has said.Small-scale networks such as those in cafes, libraries and universities could find themselves targeted under the legislation and forced to hand over customers’ confidential personal data tracking their web use. Continue reading...

US libraries are doing something even the most security-conscious private firm would never dream of: deleting sensitive information in order to protect users

Muhammad Khan’s name appeared on a US government list of people subject to economic sanctions, which saw him barred from signing up for Paragon

Autonomous ambulance that took its first untethered flight in Israel is capable of landing in spaces that helicopters can’t, and will be able to airlift two peopleA drone ambulance designed to airlift two people has taken autonomously to the air for the first time.

White House tech summit reportedly saw Apple’s CEO call for a ‘no backdoors’ policy when it comes to communications encryptionApple chief executive Tim Cook has challenged the US government to adopt a policy of “no backdoors” in its approach to the encryption technology used by his company and other technology firms.Cook made his comments at a recent meeting between US administration officials and technology companies including Facebook, Google, Microsoft, LinkedIn, Twitter, Dropbox and Cloudflare as well as Apple. Continue reading...

Dozens of listings on occupied Palestinian land on the accommodation bookings site raise questions about its legal position in profiting from the rentalsAirbnb is listing dozens of properties located in Jewish settlements on occupied Palestinian land as being inside the state of Israel, raising questions about the technology platform’s legal position in profiting from rentals on the land.The global accommodation bookings website boasts listings in over 190 countries, including Israel and the “Palestinian Territories”, as the West Bank and Gaza are described on the company’s website. But while a search for Airbnb properties in the Palestinian Territories turns up rentals in the Palestinian cities of Ramallah and Nablus, properties in settlements such as Efrat, Ma’ale Rehavam and Tekoa are listed as being in Israel. Continue reading...

The place to talk about games and other things that matterIt’s Wednesday! Continue reading...

Parliamentary committee to question home secretary on all aspects of her draft investigatory powers billMPs and peers are to challenge the home secretary, Theresa May, on the privacy implications and detailed operation of her snooper’s charter legislation when she appears before the bill’s parliamentary scrutiny committee.May’s appearance on Wednesday follows a strong warning from major US internet companies including Facebook, Google and Twitter, that unilateral British demands to access their customer’s confidential data and weaken their encryption could undermine trust in their services. Continue reading...

Privacy concerns dismissed by European court of human rights after Romanian engineer fired for using Yahoo Messenger to communicate with fianceeEmployees in Europe might want to think carefully about using the internet to send private messages during office hours after Europe’s top rights court ruled on Tuesday that companies could monitor workers’ online communications.

Perpetrator, who claims to be a teenage boy, has also broken into the personal accounts of John Brennan, the director of the CIA, according to reportsPersonal online accounts linked to James Clapper, director of national intelligence, have been hacked, only months after reports that someone was hacking the personal email of John Brennan, the director of the Central Intelligence Agency.

Dylon sponsored article titled ‘14 Laundry Fails’ did not make clear content was piece of marketing, advertising watchdog rulesBuzzFeed has broken the UK advertising rules for failing to make it clear that an article on “14 laundry fails” that promoted Dylon was an online advertorial paid for by the dye brand.It is the first time BuzzFeed, which has built an international business out of so-called native advertising that creates paid-for articles for brands, has fallen foul of the UK advertising watchdog. Continue reading...

California regulators require self-driving car firms to report when humans had to take over from robot drivers for safety, though Google is giving only select dataGoogle’s self-driving cars might not yet have caused a single accident on public roads, but it’s not for want of trying.

First influx of outside capital values dating app for gay and bisexual men at $155m and will pay for new features and servicesGrindr, the dating and social networking app for gay and bisexual men, has hooked up with a Chinese partner for its first ever outside investment.The gaming company Beijing Kunlun Tech paid $98.4m (£68.4m) for a 60% controlling stake in Grindr, valuing the California-based business at $155m. It is expected to use the app’s popularity as a way of boosting income from outside China by directing users towards its games. Continue reading...

Latest software update, iOS 9.3, allows users to auto-switch between smartwatches, meaning you never have to be without a working one again

Trapped in their self-referential Twitter bubble, journalists often fail to realise that social media doesn’t represent the whole worldOver the past few years, Twitter’s status as a platform for public debate is a dog-whistle platitude that has become the gilded shield of First-Amendment-waving journalists everywhere, like our very own #NotAllMen hashtag, to justify the mishandling – and, in some cases, even endangerment – of our sources for digital stories (and, yes, tweets should be considered sources).Theoretically, anyone can stumble upon your unprotected tweet; therefore, we can embed your tweet in our news story without informing you or asking your permission. But just because journalists can exercise that power, does that mean we ought to? Continue reading...

Information commissioner warns encryption ‘is vital’ for personal security, and attempts to weaken it should not be in new investigatory powers billThe information commissioner’s office has heavily criticised the draft Investigatory Powers bill for attacking individuals’ privacy, particularly in relation to the apparent requirement on communication providers to weaken or break their data encryption at the government’s request.The privacy watchdog also told the parliamentary committee responsible for scrutinising the bill that “little justification” was given for one of the most controversial aspects of the proposed legislation: a new requirement on communications providers to store comms data for 12 months. Continue reading...

As many as 30% of retailers are reportedly using facial recognition to track shoppers, but some are exploring less invasive tech – including shoe profilingThere are eyes on you, behind the bright lights and mirrored panels. Pick up a boot and a camera will make sure you don’t slip it into your bag. Cross the threshold into a department store and there is a tacit understanding that you will be watched, but new technology is leading retailers to grow a different set of peepers – eyes less focused on shoplifting and more interested in your age, sex, size, head, shoulders, knees and toes. Knees and toes.A few months ago, IT firm Computer Sciences Corporation (CSC) put out a report that claimed around 30% of retailers use facial recognition technology to track customers in-store. What is facial recognition? It is technology that can identify people by analysing and comparing facial features from a database. You may be familiar with it from Facebook’s photo tagging, but similar techniques are now making their way into the physical world with devices such as Intel’s RealSense cameras, which are able to analyse everything from particular expressions to the clothing brands someone is wearing. Continue reading...

21 tips, tricks and shortcuts to help you take control of Netflix, Roku, iPlayer and other streaming services and devices. Continue reading...

Electronics company says agreements simply need to be put into practice, but a victims’ advocacy group counters that key issues are unresolvedSamsung Electronics announced on Tuesday that it had signed “a final settlement” for workers who contracted cancer in its semiconductor plants, but a victims’ advocacy group said key issues remained unresolved.The deal, signed by the South Korean electronics company and two groups representing the victims and their families, aims to improve health and safety conditions at all Samsung’s plants. Continue reading...

Non-profit’s new boss says replacing government funding is a priority which will ensure its survival and restore credibilityAt a secret location on New Year’s Eve 2015, a core team of Tor Project employees mingled with the Berlin cypherpunk underground. One person was missing: their new executive director, Shari Steele, who had been introduced publicly a few days earlier to much fanfare at the world’s oldest gathering of hackers: the annual Chaos Communications Congress in Hamburg.Steele says it’s accurate to describe her as avoiding the spotlight. “That is the way I work, and how I will continue to work at Tor,” Steele told the Guardian. Former co-workers confirmed: she likes to work behind the scenes, and is extremely effective doing so. Continue reading...

It’s easy to be distracted by drones and 3D printing, but the real news from Las Vegas is how rich and immersive video is the new canvas for advertisingThis is the most exciting time to work in advertising. Technology is making amazing things possible, but that means we must focus on what matters. Here are the trends to ignore and the three simple things marketers should take from this year’s Consumer Electronics Show (CES).It’s appropriate that CES is held in the cathedral to excess that is Las Vegas. The show is a celebration of abundance; a sensory overload of ever-bigger TVs, cavernous exhibition stands, endless lines, pointless products, pumping audio and drones wafting around your eyes. It’s a celebration of distractions, especially if you work in marketing. Continue reading...

In the heart of the most tech-obsessed corner of the planet, Steve Hilton hasn’t had a phone in years. He’s relaxed, carefree, happier. His wife on the other hand ...Before you read on, I want to make one thing clear: I’m not trying to convert you. I’m not trying to lecture you or judge you. Honestly, I’m not. It may come over like that here and there, but believe me, that’s not my intent. In this piece, I’m just trying to ... explain.People who knew me in a previous life as a policy adviser to the British prime minister are mildly surprised that I’m now the co-founder and CEO of a tech startup . And those who know that I’ve barely read a book since school are surprised that I have now actually written one. Continue reading...

A growing range of video games take us into an imagined rural past that poets, painters and playwrights have explored for centuriesStory of Seasons is a video game in which you spend hundreds of hours very slowly growing an agricultural empire while attempting to convince a villager to marry you by giving them an egg every day. It is a game about hard work and settling down. The only thing you can fight in Story of Seasons is the natural rhythm of rural life – and it is a fight you will lose.

It’s the new social network from Vine’s co-founder where you can post a gif with just one letter, and it’s currently iOS-only. But is it just another Ello?Over Ello? Periscoped-out? Sick of Snapchat? Good news, then: there’s yet another social network on the scene, trying to eat up your life.Peach is a new, lighthearted app seeking to slide in to the space in our digital lives somewhere between Twitter and Facebook. Continue reading...

Model S software update allows owners to ‘summon’ car, which can drive off and park itself, but also curbs AutoPilot features for safetyTesla’s chief executive and serial technology entrepreneur, Elon Musk, has said his company’s cars will be able to be summoned and drive autonomously across the US to pick up their owners within the next two years.

Video for Ili, a wearable translation device, features British man attempting to seduce women on streets of TokyoIt could be just what every tourist needs – an unobtrusive gadget that offers instant, accurate translations in three languages.

Until now, the idea of flying your own jetpack has been largely fantasy. But 2016 could be the year when it takes off commerciallyWho hasn’t wished at one time or another for a jetpack? Ever since James Bond used one in Thunderball in 1965, they have been a talisman of the hi-tech future. In every decade since, jetpacks have threatened to lift off. The world watched during the opening ceremony of the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics, when a pilot used a jetpack to zip from one side of the stadium to the other.But limited flight durations and the sheer danger has stalled progress. Now times are changing – and not just because Iron Man is the latest cinematic character to wear one. Several companies are racing to bring a practical jetpack to the market. “The technology is improving all the time, engines are getting smaller and becoming more powerful,” says Yves Rossy, aka Jet Man, who has spent 20 years developing a personal jetpack. Continue reading...

Naomi Alderman imagines a future where we have created full artificial intelligence for video games. It may not be as entertaining as you thinkOh, users: they say the darnedest things. I co-created the smartphone fitness game Zombies, Run! with Six to Start and most of our users are fantastic: perceptive, encouraging, creative, tireless cheerleaders for what we do. And then there are … well. People who don’t quite understand how technology works.Related: Zombies, Run! goes freemium after 1m sales to attract hordes of new players Continue reading...

Sound designer John Broomhall describes his work, which embraces everything from field recording to complex mathsWhat is your role in audio?

Can upstarts flip the order of things, or do they become the new status quo? Like most buzzwords, it is little more than chest-thumpingAn experienced, well-educated friend of mine has been looking for a job for close to six months, and I’ve been helping her with feedback on her CV. Throughout her early 20s she worked for a succession of tech startups and app development incubators that came out of the gate roaring, only to dribble out – and cut staff – in a matter of months, leaving her in the frustrating experience of less than a year’s experience with a single firm. Each new position becomes harder for her to land than the last one.We’re brainstorming her applications, and the plan is to call her “agile”. She can work in upstart environments, she’s eager to learn and can adapt to change. She wants to be part of something that’s growing even if there’s risk involved, she says, trying to find a positive narrative for herself in her employers’ successive failures.

Confirmed last week as the tech giant’s highest-paid executive, the ex Burberry chief is charged with making the Apple ‘experience’ even sleeker. It might also mean larger profitsIn Danny Boyle’s gripping Steve Jobs film, the talkie action is set before a series of product launches. The issue that’s repeatedly revisited by the Jobs character is the prime importance of technical development. In a tech company such as Apple, that’s hardly a surprising position, but there’s a sense in which that emphasis now seems a tiny bit old hat.Jobs was also a stickler for design and in recent years a great deal of attention has been focused on Jonathan Ive, the British designer responsible for the style of the MacBook , iPad and iPhone, among other products. What sets Apple apart from its competitors, runs the consensus opinion, is the elegance and simplicity of the way its products look. But perhaps in Apple’s natural history, the design phase too has been replaced by a new stage of corporate evolution: the marketing stage. Continue reading...

Campaign aims to restore its Free Basics plan for ‘unconnected billion’The green light on Pushpa Kaushik’s modem hasn’t come on for the past three months. When she first got internet access in her home a year ago, all the people of Lalpur, a small village in Uttar Pradesh, northern India, used to come to her house to use her computer. Some needed to check their bank accounts, others wanted to learn English, and some even wanted to look for solutions to their medical problems.Village girls studying at the local university used to come to her house to look for reading material online. Now that Kaushik’s green light has gone dark, they have to walk an hour to the nearest town just to pick up a book. Continue reading...

A wireless charging feature that gives phones with less than 20% power a slight boost when hurled against a wall – perfect for those with anger issues!This week, rumors that Apple, in its neverending quest for a sleeker phone, is ditching the standard 3.5mm headphone jack in the upcoming iPhone 7 have sent some users into a frenzy. Lost in the white noise of the headphones buzz, however, are a number of other equally brilliant rumored revisions and improvements to the iPhone. Continue reading...

While Chinese factories pump out copies, Shane Chen – who patented the original hoverboard – is sanguine. It’s ‘just a toy’, he saysShortly before Christmas, with sales of hoverboards surging as the must-have gadget of 2015, Shane Chen flew to China to confront his tormentors.Chen is the man who developed and patented the hoverboard design in his lab on the US west coast four years ago. With its two wheels, the “hoverboard” doesn’t quite match up to the promise of its namesake in Back to the Future – but that has not put a dent in its popularity. Continue reading...