This article is more than 1 year oldThis article is more than 1 year oldGroup behind REvil ransomware claims stolen files include plans for two laptops and a new Apple Watch Last modified on Sat 1 May 2021 16.05 EDTApple is facing a ransomware demand after a group of cybercriminals stole confidential plans for the company’s upcoming products from a supplier.The “Sodin” group, which makes and runs a piece of called REvil, says it stole the plans from Quanta Computer, a Taiwanese company that assembles a number of Apple laptops.Like normal ransomware, REvil encrypts victims’ files and demands...…This article is more than 1 year oldThis article is more than 1 year oldGroup behind REvil ransomware claims stolen files include plans for two laptops and a new Apple Watch Last modified on Sat 1 May 2021 16.05 EDTApple is facing a ransomware demand after a group of cybercriminals stole confidential plans for the company’s upcoming products from a supplier.The “Sodin” group, which makes and runs a piece of called REvil, says it stole the plans from Quanta Computer, a Taiwanese company that assembles a number of Apple laptops.Like normal ransomware, REvil encrypts victims’ files and demands...WW…

This article is more than 1 year oldThis article is more than 1 year oldFirm takes action after criticism by UK competitions regulator for failing to clamp down on illegal tradeLast modified on Fri 9 Apr 2021 15.16 EDTFacebook has removed more than 16,000 groups trading fake reviews after the UK’s competition regulator criticised the company for failing to make good on a previous promise to clamp down on the practice.In January 2020, the secured an agreement from Facebook to “better identify, investigate and remove groups and other pages where fake and misleading reviews were being traded,...…This article is more than 1 year oldThis article is more than 1 year oldFirm takes action after criticism by UK competitions regulator for failing to clamp down on illegal tradeLast modified on Fri 9 Apr 2021 15.16 EDTFacebook has removed more than 16,000 groups trading fake reviews after the UK’s competition regulator criticised the company for failing to make good on a previous promise to clamp down on the practice.In January 2020, the secured an agreement from Facebook to “better identify, investigate and remove groups and other pages where fake and misleading reviews were being traded,...WW…

This article is more than 1 year oldThis article is more than 1 year oldExclusive: users are allowed to praise mass killers and ‘violent non-state actors’ in certain situationsLast modified on Tue 23 Mar 2021 17.02 EDTFacebook users are permitted to praise mass murderers and “violent non-state actors” in certain situations, according to internal guidelines that underline how the tech corporation is striving to operate in repressive regimes.The leak also reveals that Facebook maintains a list of “recognised crimes” and instructs its moderators to distinguish between those and “crimes not...…This article is more than 1 year oldThis article is more than 1 year oldExclusive: users are allowed to praise mass killers and ‘violent non-state actors’ in certain situationsLast modified on Tue 23 Mar 2021 17.02 EDTFacebook users are permitted to praise mass murderers and “violent non-state actors” in certain situations, according to internal guidelines that underline how the tech corporation is striving to operate in repressive regimes.The leak also reveals that Facebook maintains a list of “recognised crimes” and instructs its moderators to distinguish between those and “crimes not...WW…

This article is more than 1 year oldThis article is more than 1 year oldIn a letter to mark 32 years of the web, its founder says getting 2.2 billion fully online must be a priorityLast modified on Fri 12 Mar 2021 03.07 ESTToo many young people around the world are excluded from accessing the web, and getting them online should be a priority for the post-Covid era, has said.In a letter published to mark the 32nd birthday of the web, its founder says the opportunity “to reimagine our world and create something better” in the aftermath of Covid-19 must be channelled to getting internet access...…This article is more than 1 year oldThis article is more than 1 year oldIn a letter to mark 32 years of the web, its founder says getting 2.2 billion fully online must be a priorityLast modified on Fri 12 Mar 2021 03.07 ESTToo many young people around the world are excluded from accessing the web, and getting them online should be a priority for the post-Covid era, has said.In a letter published to mark the 32nd birthday of the web, its founder says the opportunity “to reimagine our world and create something better” in the aftermath of Covid-19 must be channelled to getting internet access...WW…

This article is more than 1 year oldThis article is more than 1 year oldRecommendations feature also pushed anti-vaccination and antisemitic material, watchdog saysLast modified on Thu 11 Mar 2021 06.16 ESTInstagram’s recommendations were pushing users toward , anti-vaccination content and antisemitic material during the peak of the pandemic, according to a report from a social media watchdog.The Center for Countering Digital Hate (CCDH) and youth-led charity Restless Development found that new accounts were shown substantial quantities of misinformation through the platform’s algorithmic...…This article is more than 1 year oldThis article is more than 1 year oldRecommendations feature also pushed anti-vaccination and antisemitic material, watchdog saysLast modified on Thu 11 Mar 2021 06.16 ESTInstagram’s recommendations were pushing users toward , anti-vaccination content and antisemitic material during the peak of the pandemic, according to a report from a social media watchdog.The Center for Countering Digital Hate (CCDH) and youth-led charity Restless Development found that new accounts were shown substantial quantities of misinformation through the platform’s algorithmic...WW…

This article is more than 1 year oldThis article is more than 1 year oldUK watchdog opens inquiry over claims US firm is imposing ‘anti-competitive’ terms on app developersLast modified on Thu 4 Mar 2021 08.01 ESTBritain’s competition regulator has opened an investigation into over claims the company is using its control over the App Store to impose “unfair and anti-competitive” terms on app developers.The announced the investigation on Thursday morning. It says it decided to investigate based on its own work in the digital sector, “as well as several developers reporting that Apple’s terms...…This article is more than 1 year oldThis article is more than 1 year oldUK watchdog opens inquiry over claims US firm is imposing ‘anti-competitive’ terms on app developersLast modified on Thu 4 Mar 2021 08.01 ESTBritain’s competition regulator has opened an investigation into over claims the company is using its control over the App Store to impose “unfair and anti-competitive” terms on app developers.The announced the investigation on Thursday morning. It says it decided to investigate based on its own work in the digital sector, “as well as several developers reporting that Apple’s terms...WW…

This article is more than 1 year oldThis article is more than 1 year oldRegulator concludes news network CGTN is ultimately controlled by Chinese Communist partyFirst published on Thu 4 Feb 2021 07.46 ESTThe Chinese has lost its broadcast licence in the UK after Ofcom concluded that the news network, formerly known as CCTV, was ultimately controlled by the Chinese Communist party.The decision will come as a serious blow for the organisation, which was hoping to use an expanded presence in London as the foothold for a substantial international operation.UK broadcasting laws require the body...…This article is more than 1 year oldThis article is more than 1 year oldRegulator concludes news network CGTN is ultimately controlled by Chinese Communist partyFirst published on Thu 4 Feb 2021 07.46 ESTThe Chinese has lost its broadcast licence in the UK after Ofcom concluded that the news network, formerly known as CCTV, was ultimately controlled by the Chinese Communist party.The decision will come as a serious blow for the organisation, which was hoping to use an expanded presence in London as the foothold for a substantial international operation.UK broadcasting laws require the body...WW…

This article is more than 1 year oldThis article is more than 1 year oldCases included content on Covid misinformation and hate speech, and panel will rule soon on the decision to suspend TrumpLast modified on Thu 28 Jan 2021 12.40 ESTFacebook’s oversight board, the “supreme court” set up by the company to relieve Mark Zuckerberg of having the final say over moderation, has issued its first decisions, overturning the social network’s choices on four of the five first cases it has heard.The cases, all of which were appeals to reinstate content taken down by Facebook, covered a wide range of...…This article is more than 1 year oldThis article is more than 1 year oldCases included content on Covid misinformation and hate speech, and panel will rule soon on the decision to suspend TrumpLast modified on Thu 28 Jan 2021 12.40 ESTFacebook’s oversight board, the “supreme court” set up by the company to relieve Mark Zuckerberg of having the final say over moderation, has issued its first decisions, overturning the social network’s choices on four of the five first cases it has heard.The cases, all of which were appeals to reinstate content taken down by Facebook, covered a wide range of...WW…

This article is more than 1 year oldThis article is more than 1 year oldPoorly-executed change to terms of service sends messaging app’s subscribers flocking to competitors Last modified on Sun 24 Jan 2021 15.40 ESTA poorly explained update to its terms of service has pushed users to adopt alternative services such as and in their millions.The exodus was so large that has been forced to delay the implementation of the new terms, which had been slated for 8 February, and run a damage limitation campaign to explain to users the changes they were making.Over the first three weeks of January,...…This article is more than 1 year oldThis article is more than 1 year oldPoorly-executed change to terms of service sends messaging app’s subscribers flocking to competitors Last modified on Sun 24 Jan 2021 15.40 ESTA poorly explained update to its terms of service has pushed users to adopt alternative services such as and in their millions.The exodus was so large that has been forced to delay the implementation of the new terms, which had been slated for 8 February, and run a damage limitation campaign to explain to users the changes they were making.Over the first three weeks of January,...WW…

Tech chief says the development of chatbots is a more worthwhile use of processing power than crypto mining. The US chip-maker Nvidia has said cryptocurrencies do not “bring anything useful for society” despite the company’s powerful processors selling in huge quantities to the sector. Michael Kagan, its chief technology officer, said other uses of processing power such as the artificial intelligence chatbot ChatGPT were more worthwhile than mining crypto. Nvidia never embraced the crypto community with open arms. In 2021, the company even released software that artificially constrained the...…Tech chief says the development of chatbots is a more worthwhile use of processing power than crypto mining. The US chip-maker Nvidia has said cryptocurrencies do not “bring anything useful for society” despite the company’s powerful processors selling in huge quantities to the sector. Michael Kagan, its chief technology officer, said other uses of processing power such as the artificial intelligence chatbot ChatGPT were more worthwhile than mining crypto. Nvidia never embraced the crypto community with open arms. In 2021, the company even released software that artificially constrained the...WW…