Bitcoin: Is it starting to feel like 2017 all over again? June 27, 2019 | City Talk By Gary McFarlane from interactive investor. Bitcoin’s decisive break above the psychologically important $10,000 mark – with $11,000 breached over the weekend and in sight again – is being driven by institutional investors and the afterglow from Facebook’s Libra news, despite the regulatory and political pushback against Mark Zuckerberg’s global money plans. Also, the recommendations, as expected, from [...]
‘No evidence’ of Russian interference in Brexit vote, says Facebook exec Nick Clegg June 24, 2019 Facebook’s vice-president Sir Nick Clegg has insisted there was “absolutely no evidence” Russia used the social media platform to influence the Brexit referendum. The former deputy prime minister said his firm had carried out analyses on its data and found no “significant attempt” by outside forces to influence the vote, arguing British politics had been [...]
Competition watchdog urges Facebook and Ebay to crack down on fake review market June 21, 2019 The competition watchdog has called on Facebook and Ebay to step up their efforts to prevent the sale of fake reviews through their sites. The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) today wrote to the two platforms asking them to conduct a review amid concerns there is a “thriving” marketplace for fake and misleading online reviews. [...]
Internet regulation poses ‘serious threat’ to free speech and innovation June 20, 2019 Government plans to tighten regulations against internet companies pose a serious threat to free speech and will damage the economy, according to a new report. The Adam Smith Institute (ASI) warned that making platforms such as Google and Facebook accountable for material posted by their users could lead to widespread censorship. Read more: Online harms [...]
Facebook cryptocurrency libra could pose regulatory problems, Bank of England deputy governor warns June 20, 2019 Facebook’s plans to launch a new global cryptocurrency called Libra could raise regulatory issues, Bank of England deputy governor Sam Woods warned. “It does seem clear that something like this could be very important from a regulatory point of view,” Woods told a financial conference in Brussels. Read more: Is Facebook’s libra a step towards [...]
Facebook confirms launch of own cryptocurrency June 19, 2019 | City Talk By Gary McFarlane from interactive investor. The social media giant announces its own cryptocurrency, called ‘Libra’ that aims to be ‘global money’. Facebook (NASDAQ:FB) has announced Libra coin, a cryptocurrency that aims to be global money and is set to launch in early 2020. A new app is joining the Facebook family called Calibra (https://calibra.com/), which will act as [...]
Social media firms team up with advertisers to fight online harms June 18, 2019 Social media giants including Facebook and Google have formed a new alliance with brands and ad agencies in a bid to crack down on harmful material online. A total of 16 brands, including Unilever, Diageo and Procter & Gamble, have signed up to a new working group that will lobby publishers and platforms to remove [...]
Facebook poaches Standard Chartered executive ahead of cryptocurrency launch June 14, 2019 Facebook has hired a senior Standard Chartered executive as it gears up to launch a cryptocurrency and financial services business, according to reports. Standard Chartered’s European head of corporate and public affairs Ed Bowles is set to join the social media giant in September as director of public policy, the Financial Times reported. The role [...]
G20 vows to crack down on tech giant tax havens by 2020 June 9, 2019 Tech giants such as Facebook and Google will face a crackdown to ensure they pay their corporate taxes in full, after G20 finance ministers vowed to wrap up new laws by the end of the year. In a communique issued after a meeting in Japan, the finance ministers said they would compile new rules to [...]
Facebook rips apps off new Huawei smartphones June 7, 2019 Facebook has suspended pre-installation of its apps on new Huawei phones, dealing the latest blow against the beleaguered Chinese telecoms giant. The apps affected by the suspension will include Facebook, Instagram and Whatsapp. Customers who already have Huawei phones will still be able to access and update their apps. But the company’s new phones will [...]