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Showing posts from October, 2020

Coronavirus: Is virtual reality tourism about to take off?

Tourism boards, hotels and destinations are turning to virtual reality to woo potential visitors. https://bbc.in/3kNGCEO

Marriott Hotels fined £18.4m for data breach that hit millions

Up to 339 million people may have been hit in a cyber-attack on a chain later bought by Marriott. https://bbc.in/2HQ9DRT

Biden campaign fury at blocked Facebook ads

Both Biden and Trump campaigns say political ads have been wrongly blocked from the social network. https://bbc.in/3ejE4M3

Spotify and Joe Rogan under fire over Alex Jones role

After Spotify paid $100m for Joe Rogan's podcast, some staff object to the appearance of Alex Jones. https://bbc.in/2JjTODs

NHS Covid-19 app to issue more self-isolate alerts

Officials have decided to lower the threshold at which stay-at-home notifications are served to users. https://bbc.in/34EmVJK

Trump campaign website hacked in 'cryptocurrency scam'

The US president's re-election campaign insists there was "no exposure to sensitive data". https://bbc.in/3jBsuwH

Senior police voice concern over failed IT systems

In a leaked letter, senior police officers blame government for over-budget delayed projects. https://bbc.in/2TBUZ2Z

Ankhi Das: Facebook India's policy head quits amid hate speech row

Ankhi Das was at the centre of allegations that Facebook allowed anti-Muslim posts by BJP supporters. https://bbc.in/3e4cQJk

Experian: Credit agency told to stop sharing data without consent

The millions of people whose data it is selling on must now be informed, says the UK watchdog. https://bbc.in/3ozAnGY

Woolworths High Street 'relaunch' proves a hoax

The Twitter account @UKWoolworths, which now has more than 4,000 followers, misspelled the shop's name. https://bbc.in/2HLzUjG

Tinder offers face-to-face video chats for potential matches

If someone swipes on a potential match, they can now have a video chat with them. https://bbc.in/3e5N4nL

Social media: Is it really biased against US Republicans?

Many conservative Americans believe Facebook and Twitter are biased against them, despite denials. https://bbc.in/35G6En1

Uber sued by drivers over ‘automated robo-firing'

Uber drivers claim they were wrongly dismissed by an algorithm without a right to appeal. https://bbc.in/2HD2qoa

Facebook, Google and Microsoft 'avoiding $3bn in tax in poorer nations'

Facebook, Google and Microsoft should pay a global minimum rate of corporate tax, an aid charity says. https://bbc.in/37QgNQR

The explosive problem of 'zombie' batteries

Batteries that power mobile phones and other devices are causing fires because they are not disposed of properly. https://bbc.in/3dV9gkH

Covid: Laptop allocation for deprived pupils cut at some schools

One head teacher says he was "flattened" when the 61 laptops he was expecting was cut to 13. https://bbc.in/3mmXeU1

Climate change: Technology no silver bullet, experts tell PM

Boris Johnson's techno-optimism ignores the need for big societal changes, experts warn. https://bbc.in/35p2Hmk

iPhone 12 launch causes NHS Covid-19 app confusion

Some owners of Apple's new phones get an error message when trying to run the contact-tracing app. https://bbc.in/2J3hBHD

The man who taught Uber how to say sorry

Economist John List had a bad ride with Uber and never got an apology, so he showed them the best way to do it. https://bbc.in/3kpznTi

Covid: 'Zoom boom' sees rise in cosmetic treatment calls

There has been a rise in enquiries since March for cosmetic work on the face and neck. https://bbc.in/3dZIhV1

Dangerous products: 'I heard a loud crackle and bang'

Worries over dangerous products sold via online marketplaces prompt a call for changes in the law. https://bbc.in/3kpF17J

The apps promising to improve your sex life

There are a growing number of apps that promise to help with sexual wellbeing, but are they effective? https://bbc.in/2Tg4qF8

Huawei Mate 40 phones launch despite chip freeze

Chinese firm says its new phones are powered by the world's fastest mobile processor. https://bbc.in/3jkSVXC

Dr Reddy's: Covid vaccine-maker suffers cyber-attack

The India-based company says it has isolated all of its data centre services to contain the attack. https://bbc.in/37vlX4o

FBI says Iran and Russia have US voter information

Intelligence officials say Iran was behind threatening emails sent to Democrats earlier this week. https://bbc.in/31vJIW2

PayPal allows Bitcoin and crypto spending

Cryptocurrencies are being added to one of the world's biggest online payment networks. https://bbc.in/34lySEd

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez Among Us game watched by 400,000

More than 400,000 watch Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez play Among Us - one of the most-watched streams ever. https://bbc.in/37rVMLX

Five ways the virus has changed Netflix

Subscriber growth slows for the streaming giant, despite hits such as The Old Guard with Charlize Theron. https://bbc.in/35dT7Tq

Covid Symptom Study regrets Samantha Cameron mask ad

Users of the Zoe app received an email promoting face coverings designed by Samantha Cameron. https://bbc.in/2TdSuUc

Fake naked photos of thousands of women shared online

Fake naked images of thousands of women are being made from social media photos. https://bbc.in/35i1FJ2

Edmund O'Leary: 'I am not OK' tweet sparks global response

Edmund O'Leary's post has been retweeted more than 14,000 times and received more than 300,000 likes. https://bbc.in/3dFVu58

Tokyo Olympics: Russian hackers targeted Games, UK says

UK officials say Russian intelligence took aim at the 2020 Olympics before they were delayed. https://bbc.in/3dG1YB7

Anti-Trump TikTokkers not declaring paid content

TikTok creators have been making anti-Trump videos without disclosing they were paid for. https://bbc.in/3m0h8nQ

EU investigates Instagram over handling of children's data

Facebook could face a large fine if Instagram is found to have broken European Union privacy laws. https://bbc.in/2T65U4B

How smart devices are exploited for domestic abuse

Two women explain how their partners turned internet-connected gadgets into a means of control. https://bbc.in/3dzkmf1

Drivers to be banned from picking up mobile phones

The change to UK law ends a loophole allowing drivers to use phones to take photos or play games. https://bbc.in/2SZQi2A

Twitter changes policy after Biden article block

Twitter said links to content containing hacked material would now be labelled, rather than removed. https://bbc.in/3dB3ggL

British Airways fined £20m over data breach

The fine is the largest ever issued by the Information Commissioner's Office. https://bbc.in/2HbnAcx

Photographer 'devastated' by government-backed 'Fatima' dancer advert

The ad was criticised for encouraging "Fatima" to give up on dancing and "reskill" in cyber security. https://bbc.in/3436Yg4

New jets promise to revive supersonic travel

Almost 20 years after Concorde was retired, new supersonic passenger aircraft are finally emerging. https://bbc.in/2IzVN6e

Zoom launches paid-for live events with OnZoom

OnZoom, a live-events platform, will sell tickets for "online experiences". https://bbc.in/2SUrkll

Alphabet Mineral reveals crop-inspecting robots

The project will analyse every leaf on every crop, helping farmers tend the fields. https://bbc.in/34Z3NoD

Privacy watchdog to probe Klarna after email backlash

The Information Commissioner's Office has been contacted by people over how the payments firm got their details. https://bbc.in/2GV3Gmc

NHS app updated to 'fix' phantom messages

People will still see alerts but will now get a follow-up message telling them to ignore it. https://bbc.in/34Rfy0C

BTS in trouble in China over Korean War comments

Chinese social media users vent anger over a speech singer RM made while accepting an award. https://bbc.in/3lF2L8b

Creating fuel from thin air with artificial leaves

Plants derive energy from carbon dioxide in the air and scientists are trying to mimic that process. https://bbc.in/34R4ws7

Yelp to label businesses accused of racist behaviour

An on-screen alert will be generated and new reviews temporarily disabled. https://bbc.in/34SFCbu

Culture secretary disowns 'crass' dancer advert

Oliver Dowden says an advert suggesting that a ballerina retrain to work in "cyber" did not come from him. https://bbc.in/31eUzUz

Xbox game streaming 'heading to iPhones'

Microsoft is reportedly working on a browser-based version of its game-streaming service. https://bbc.in/30QXXVg

Driverless taxis to be available in Phoenix 'in weeks'

People in the Arizona city will soon be able to download the Waymo app and order a driver-free car. https://bbc.in/34LBfiz