Tech chiefs to appear before US Congress in July antitrust hearing July 2, 2020 The chief executives of Google, Apple, Amazon and Facebook will all testify before a US Congress panel later this month, as scrutiny of competition in the tech sector ramps up. An approximate date of 27 July has now been set for the group to appear, sources told Reuters, with all four chiefs having been made [...]
Cracked encryption app leads to hundreds of arrests July 2, 2020 Efforts by police to crack an encrypted messaging app used by criminals has led to the arrests of “iconic” figures of the British underworld. The National Crime Agency (NCA) today said it had “successfully penetrated” Encrochat, a secure smartphone instant messaging app that was used by criminals to coordinate their activities. The move has allowed [...]
Facebook reveals flaw that shared data with 5,000 developers July 2, 2020 Facebook has said it mistakenly allowed 5,000 app developers to access information about its users after a time limit system failed to expire properly. The system, introduced in 2018 to block a loophole used in the Cambridge Analytica scandal, was designed to shut off data access to third-party developers if a Facebook user hadn’t opened [...]
Business groups challenge Google’s $2.1bn Fitbit deal over antitrust concerns July 2, 2020 Twenty advocacy groups from the US, Europe and elsewhere have signed a statement urging regulators to look into Google’s $2.1bn bid for Fitbit, citing privacy and competition concerns. The organisations argued regulators should be concerned about allowing Google to gain access to Fitbit’s data, which tracks personal information about its users such as the number [...]
Zuckerberg: Advertisers will be back on Facebook ‘soon enough’ July 2, 2020 Mark Zuckerberg has brushed off staff concerns of an ongoing advertising boycott at Facebook, saying it will have very little impact on the business. The Facebook chief executive told employees at an internal meeting last week that the move only affects a “small” chunk of its revenue, adding: “My guess is that all these advertisers [...]
Prezzo taps advisers to oversee sale process July 2, 2020 Italian restaurant chain Prezzo has appointed an advisory firm to explore a sale, as it seeks new funding in order to survive the coronavirus crisis. FRP Advisory has been brought on board to oversee the process and lead an auction of the business, Sky News reported. Prezzo is currently preparing to reopen a number of [...]
Boohoo defends workplace practices after report of sick staff in Leicester July 2, 2020 Boohoo has been forced to issue a statement in defence of its supply chain practices, after a labour group alleged the firm was forcing staff sick with coronavirus to turn up to work. Labour Behind the Label, a campaign group for workers’ rights, said it had received reports of “workers being forced to come into [...]
Twitter removes image tweeted by Trump over copyright complaint July 2, 2020 Twitter took down an image in a tweet posted by US President Donald Trump, in the latest of a slew of content complaints against the president on the platform. Trump tweeted an image yesterday that featured a picture of himself, overlaid with the text: “In reality they’re not after me they’re after you I’m just [...]
Tesla surpasses Toyota to become world’s most valuable carmaker July 1, 2020 Electric carmaker Tesla today became the world’s most valuable automobile manufacturer, eclipsing Toyota to take the crown. Tesla’s market value is now at $208bn, as shares rose more than five per cent to reach record highs of $1,132 earlier today. In comparison, Toyota was worth approximately $202bn following a small drop in its Japan-listed shares [...]
OECD insists US remains part of global talks on digital tax July 1, 2020 The OECD has said the US is still taking part in discussions around a global digital tax solution, despite statements to the contrary from Washington. US treasury secretary Steven Mnuchin said earlier this month the US would leave the talks if several European countries did not halt their plans for independent digital taxes, including the [...]