Skip to main content

Posts

Showing posts from January, 2021

Home working increases cyber-security fears

IT experts say that with people working from home the risk of hacking has increased. https://bbc.in/3appFMZ

Google halts Play Store 'review bombing' by GameStop traders

A deluge of one-star reviews from aggrieved online traders has been deleted by Google. https://bbc.in/3coaeai

GameStop: Confused investors inundate Robin Hood society

Thousands mistake the group for a US trading platform that curbed the buying of shares in GameStop. https://bbc.in/3r8vK7f

Facebook's Oversight Board orders takedowns restored

The panel set up to hear appeals rules four out of five posts referred to it had been wrongly removed. https://bbc.in/3osFjfw

Spotify wants to suggest songs based on your emotions

The streaming giant patents a method of suggesting songs based on a scan of your emotional state. https://bbc.in/3cktqpy

Navalny protests: Russia threatens TikTok with fines over protest posts

Russia says TikTok and other social media giants are refusing to remove posts about recent protests. https://bbc.in/3cj56UT

Facebook apologises for Plymouth Hoe 'error'

The social media platform removed posts after wrongly identifying the place name as offensive. https://bbc.in/39mJaq4

Apple watch call saves cyclist swept into River Wye

The man clung on to a tree on the banks of the fast-flowing River Wye as he alerted fire crews. https://bbc.in/3a9hLHd

Brexit: Amazon prepares to stop selling some products to NI

It would take effect on 1 April when the "grace period" for GB-NI parcels expires. https://bbc.in/3a6ho05

Insurers defend covering ransomware payments

Insurers reject claims that by covering ransomware bills they are funding organised crime. https://bbc.in/3qTbExn

Grindr faces £8.5m fine for selling user data

The information could lead to users being targeted for their sexuality, say officials in Norway. https://bbc.in/3a4opi7

Sky ramps up film and TV plans to compete with streaming giants

The company plans to release a new film every week by 2022 with more investment in original content. https://bbc.in/39fAxh0

Credit and cyber-fraud at 'epidemic' levels in UK

From credit card fraud to benefit fraud, the problem costs the UK up to £190bn a year, a report says. https://bbc.in/3oeeewd

Satellites beat balloons in race for flying internet

Google's Loon bows out - but thousands of satellites are taking to the skies to beam down the internet. https://bbc.in/3qMd2lB

Zuckerberg's Biden problem

President Biden's open dislike of Facebook could spell problems for the social network. https://bbc.in/39ejiwA

Why your face could be set to replace your bank card

Already widely used in China, facial recognition payment is now expanding in other countries. https://bbc.in/3iFXkpk

The great graphics card shortage of 2020 (and 2021)

Gamers have been facing inflated prices for months - and it's set to stretch into 2021. https://bbc.in/3sOMDVX

Iran's supreme leader makes online threats to attack golfing Trump

A photomontage seems to show the ex-president playing in the shadow of a warplane or large drone. https://bbc.in/3qDYzrI

Could Google really leave Australia?

After threatening to cut off Australia, could Google survive without it? https://bbc.in/3p9fLoE

Google says goodbye to giant internet balloons idea

Parent company Alphabet is scrapping Loon, a project set up to beam the internet to rural areas. https://bbc.in/3a1gF0m

Covid-19: Amazon offers to help with US vaccine delivery

The retail giant makes the offer in a letter to the new US president Joe Biden. https://bbc.in/3sP0ueO

Uber: London cabbies plan to sue for damages

Thousands of the capital's taxi drivers have already signed up to the planned group legal action. https://bbc.in/3o5jQJd

Malware found on laptops given out by government

Suspicious files contacting Russian servers are thought to have been found on devices given to schools. https://bbc.in/2LKb7iJ

Social media giants grilled on hate content

Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and TikTok asked about their role in the recent violent events in Washington. https://bbc.in/2NrG8IJ

PS5: Restock of new PlayStations causes chaos online

Experts say automated bots are buying up the stock for resale. https://bbc.in/3p7FaiK

Netflix: Four things which have driven its success

The streaming firm, which has been boosted by Covid, now has more than 200 million subscribers. https://bbc.in/3iBtVMT

Mobile networks to make Oak lessons site data-free

The Oak National Academy provides educational resources for pupils in England learning from home. https://bbc.in/3qyH38i

Covid in Wales: No grant despite NHS app isolation request

Taxi driver David Miller was told to isolate through the NHS Covid-19 app, but received no financial help. https://bbc.in/3sE3iLW

'We got a lot of grief when our photo became a meme'

These four lads had no idea their picture would still be trending two years later. https://bbc.in/3nSx3VP

Home Office 'working to restore' lost police records

Hundreds of thousands of DNA and arrest records were deleted after a human error, the Home Office says. https://bbc.in/3irsJLX

Lee Jae Yong: Samsung heir gets prison term for bribery scandal

A South Korean court sentenced Lee Jae Yong to two and a half years in prison. https://bbc.in/2LY4yJ5

BT faces £600m lawsuit over 'historic overcharging'

A group of pensioners is accusing BT of "historic" excessive pricing of landlines. https://bbc.in/3p75p93

Are women let down by period trackers?

Millions of women use apps to track their menstrual cycle, but many say they do not work well enough. https://bbc.in/3iwAK2t

WhatsApp changes: Signal messaging platform stops working as downloads surge

Signal has been downloaded millions of times since WhatsApp unveiled new privacy terms last week. https://bbc.in/35LyVcO

Poland proposes social media 'free speech' law

The law would see social networks fined if they ban a Polish user who has not broken local laws. https://bbc.in/3nX3p1L

Biden Twitter account 'starts from zero' with no Trump followers

Joe Biden's presidential Twitter account launches with no followers transferred from President Trump. https://bbc.in/39yHR6c

Trump blacklists smartphone giant Xiaomi

With just days left, the US president continues crackdown on Chinese firms with more sanctions and bans. https://bbc.in/3sCMSUa

TikTok level crossing stunt 'staggeringly stupid'

Police and rail bosses condemn a social media post featuring a car parked on a level crossing. https://bbc.in/2LViDGQ

Super Nintendo World opening delayed by Japan's virus outbreak

Nintendo's first theme park, modelled on levels of its Mario games, was due to open on 4 February. https://bbc.in/3ictPLv

Bullets sent to Huawei executive Meng Wanzhou

Under house arrest in Canada on bank fraud charges, Ms Meng has reportedly received death threats. https://bbc.in/3ietYOk

Uncle Roger comedian deletes video with China critic

Nigel Ng, who is known for his food videos, said he had not known his colleague's political views. https://bbc.in/39tbqWM

Covid-19: Bedworth Pokemon player fined for lockdown breach

The man told police he had travelled 14 miles from his home to search for the fictional characters. https://bbc.in/3nIMjV3

Battery lodged in baby's throat for four months

Doctors believed 11-month-old Sofia-Grace Hill was rejecting food because she had tonsillitis. https://bbc.in/3sj1VlD

Twitter suspends 70,000 accounts linked to QAnon

The accounts were permanently deleted for sharing “harmful” content “at scale”. https://bbc.in/3sl0ByQ

WhatsApp users flock to rival message platforms

Millions have signed up to Signal and Telegram after WhatsApp announced an update to its terms. https://bbc.in/35xUSfh

Etsy sorry as 'Camp Auschwitz' T-shirt sparks fury

The online marketplace removes "disrespectful" T-shirt after a complaint from the Auschwitz Memorial. https://bbc.in/2LD2V3b

Smart locks: Convenience comes with security doubts

More people are using digital locks for their houses, but how secure are they? https://bbc.in/2MVlCzQ

BBC Bitesize to be free for BT and EE customers

The content will not count in a mobile data allowance to help keep costs of online learning down. https://bbc.in/2Xsc80L

UK leading the way in use of language-learning apps

As the pandemic has given us time to fill, more of us are learning a new language. https://bbc.in/38x5gWw

Trump Twitter ban 'raises regulation questions' - Hancock

Health Secretary Matt Hancock says social media giants are "taking editorial decisions". https://bbc.in/3hYsNTj