Friday, August 30, 2019

London gets 10m more landline phone numbers to meet demand

Ofcom said a new (020) 4 code will be introduced as there are fewer than half a million numbers left to hand out.

YouTube restores far-right channels after appeal

The video-sharing site said it had been wrong to cut off access to the white nationalist channels.

Eight men facing charges over illegal streaming sites

Jetflicks and iStreamItAll claimed to offer more content than Netflix and Amazon.

Thursday, August 29, 2019

Google finds 'indiscriminate iPhone attack lasting years'

Criminals used previously unknown vulnerabilities to implant monitoring software, research shows.

How playing video games could you get a better job

Gaming has long been stigmatised as the preserve of the socially inadequate, but this is changing.

Half of parents 'want mobile phones banned in schools'

A new survey suggests that 49% of parents think the devices should be banned outright in UK schools.

Heathrow drone protest: Airport says plans 'criminal and counterproductive'

Climate campaigners plan to fly toy drones at Heathrow to stop flights but the airport calls it illegal.

Anti-groping stamp lets victims mark assailants

The Japanese device is paired with a special lamp that lets its otherwise invisible ink be seen.

Elon Musk and Jack Ma disagree about AI's threat

The two tech entrepreneurs debated the risks posed by artificial intelligence at an event in Shanghai.

Huddersfield woman jailed for abusing children for money online

Jodie Little was living in Northern Cyprus when she committed the crimes but was prosecuted in the UK.

Samsung heir faces South Korea bribery retrial

The Supreme Court also orders a retrial for Samsung's Lee Jae-yong for bribery in the same scandal.

Huawei's next phone won't have Google apps

Huawei's next flagship phone will not come with Google's popular apps including Maps and YouTube.

Wednesday, August 28, 2019

Pinterest to direct vaccine searches to health sites

The firm will direct vaccine-related searches to public health organisations to combat misinformation.

Dementia app aims to spark chats about the disease

Virtual reality app Dementia First Hand aims to educate and raise awareness of dementia.

Facebook tightens rules amid 2020 US election fears

Facebook has toughened up its political ad rules in a bid to halt exploitation in the US elections.

US still to grant any Huawei trade licences

More than 130 requests have been made by companies to trade with the blacklisted Chinese firm.

Apple 'sorry' that workers listened to Siri voice recordings

Workers were paid to check how well Siri transcribed speech - but many users didn't realise this.

Gaming faces its #MeToo moment

Several game developers accuse colleagues and peers of assault.

Android CamScanner PDF app 'sent malware to phones'

The app, that takes scan-like photographs of documents, has been downloaded more than 100 million times.

French 'cybercops' dismantle pirate computer network

A team of French police destroys a virus that infected 850,000 computers, officials say.

Instagram criticised by judge over schoolgirl grooming chat logs

Dominic Nielen-Groen called himself Papa Bear on an Instagram hashtag used by paedophiles.

Q&A: Why give free iPads to 50,000 pupils?

Scotland's schools are changing and at the forefront of that change is a project which will see 50,000 pupils given their own iPad.

'Rosalind Franklin' Mars rover assembly completed

Engineers in Stevenage, UK, finish building a robot that will search for life on the Red Planet.

Tuesday, August 27, 2019

Can broadband stop depopulation in the Outer Hebrides?

Grimsay in the Outer Hebrides now has superfast broadband, and there's hope it will help business and the population.

Ex-Google and Uber engineer charged with theft

Anthony Levandowski is accused by the US Department of Justice of stealing car technology secrets.

Google faces EU investigation over job-search tool

Google is under investigation by the EU, a year after being hit with a record fine

Facial recognition: School ID checks lead to GDPR fine

Sweden has fined a local authority £17,000 for using facial recognition on school students.

Nato: Cyber-attack on one nation is attack on all

The military alliance says a serious hack attack would trigger a defence from all 29 members.

iPhone faces sales ban threat due to computer chip patent battle

Apple and Google are among the companies at risk over a US chipmaker's lawsuit.

RBS and NatWest websites hit by problems

The banks are advising customers to use other methods to access their accounts.

Muckamore Abbey: CCTV reveals 1,500 crimes at hospital

The PSNI is examining 300,000 hours of CCTV footage in relation to lapse of care at the home.

BBC to launch digital voice assistant next year

It will work on smart speakers, TVs and mobiles but will Beeb be a good wake-up word?

5G: Rural areas could see bigger and taller masts

A balance has to be struck between the landscape and better connectivity, the digital secretary says.

Huawei: UK to make 5G decision 'by the autumn'

Nicky Morgan told the BBC that the UK would make a decision over Huawei before the end of the year.

Monday, August 26, 2019

'Dangerous' AI offers to write fake news

An AI that allows anyone to write fake news or rewrite old jokes such as "a man walked into a bar".

The robo racing cars accelerating driverless tech

What's the point of racing autonomous supercars against each other?

Facial recognition specialist Megvii plans share sale

The creator of the Face++ system has filed papers to prepare for a Hong Kong flotation.

Dota 2 win makes N0tail the top-awarded e-sports star

The Danish professional gamer has now won nearly $7m across his career.

Prolific Sheerness hacker ordered to pay back £922k

Grant West was jailed for cyber attacks on companies including Sainsbury's and Uber.

The new mobile phone scam delivering a problem

Why are fraudsters arranging for a brand new phone to unexpectedly be delivered to your door?

Sunday, August 25, 2019

World of Warcraft Classic: Hit game goes back to basics

The hit video game is now offering players a "classic" version - with some modern enhancements.

Inside the selfie factory for influencers

A pop-up shop in west London lets people fill their social media pages with colourful selfies.

Saturday, August 24, 2019

Friday, August 23, 2019

Nintendo Switch: Exchange deal is fake news

Rumours online that gamers could swap their Switch for an updated version turns out to be untrue

Tesla and Walmart address solar panel fire issues

The supermarket chain had issued a lawsuit against Tesla over a series of solar panel fires.

Thursday, August 22, 2019

Facial recognition technology aims to cut passport queue times

The UK Home Office is considering a system which would let you walk through immigration without showing your passport.

Pigs' emotions could be read by new farming technology

New technology has been developed to detect how happy the animals are.

Bionic seagull takes flight in Beijing

A robot bird is one of the innovations on show at the World Robot Conference in Beijing.

Android ditches desserts as Q becomes 10

The next version of the Android operating system (OS) will not be named after a dessert.

Spotify sued over 'billions of Eminem streams'

Eight Mile Style is seeking £30m from the music streaming service.

Microsoft halts listening in to Xbox gamers

The firm said it would no longer listen in to players using the console.

Fake news 'reinforced by false memories'

Research during Ireland's abortion referendum highlights risks for social networks.

GCSEs: StudyTube revision videos got me through exams

How a community of online students on YouTube helped people studying for their exams.

Apple Card can be damaged by wallets and jeans

Apple advises owners of its new credit card to keep it away from leather and denim.

Wednesday, August 21, 2019

Contactless cards could get fingerprint upgrade

The technology could give a further layer of security when paying with your card in shops.

Robot battles wrongly banned for 'animal cruelty'

YouTube restores some videos of robots fighting after wrongly removing hundreds.

England Cricketer stumped by Fortnite conundrum

England bowler Jofra Archer calls for help on Twitter ahead of Ashes third Test against Australia - so he can play Fortnite.

The Cold War spy technology which we all use

Radio-frequency identification, famously used to bug the US embassy in Moscow, is a cheap way to track objects and data.

Google and Mozilla move to stop Kazakhstan 'snooping'

The browsers will prevent government-issued certificates from decrypting net traffic.

Australia using drones to spot crocodiles near swimmers

Little Ripper Group has provided AI technology that detects crocodiles in aerial footage.

Biostar 2: Suprema plays down fingerprint leak reports

Suprema says a probe found the scope of a fingerprint data leak was "significantly" less than reported.

Tesla sued by Walmart over solar panel fires

The supermarket chain alleges that Tesla was negligent in the way the solar panels were installed.

Ready to upgrade? What to do about your old phone

Unwanted devices can contain elements that the world is running out of - so how can you help?

Barclays tops list of banks with most IT shutdowns

British banks experienced more than 10 outages a month in the past year, BBC analysis of new data reveals.

Racist abuse: footballers should boycott social media, says Phil Neville

England women's manager Phil Neville said footballers should "boycott" social media to send a "powerful message" that abuse is not acceptable.

Tuesday, August 20, 2019

Millions of old gadgets 'stockpiled in drawers'

Public urged to "recycle their tech" as rare, valuable materials in millions of old devices languish in UK homes.

'I bought a house thanks to my bullet journal'

Millions of people have shared #bulletjournal or #bujo hashtags on Instagram, so how do they work?

#BulletJournal: Seven million beautiful ways to save money

#BulletJournal: The new trend that is helping people to save money.

Google sign language AI turns hand gestures into speech

The tech giant is sharing its hand-tracking software to allow others to develop translation apps.

PewDiePie and Marzia Bisognin marry at Kew Gardens

The couple have been together for eight years and wed at the famous London attraction.

Reddit plans short video-streaming trial

The streams will be moderated by humans and only a handful will be available, said the social news site.

'World's oldest webcam' to be switched off

Set up in 1994, the weather-watching webcam in San Francisco will be shut off at the end of August.

TalkTalk hacker Elliott Gunton took cryptocurrency for stolen data

Elliott Gunton supplied mobile numbers for others to use in criminal activity.

Twitter 'adopts' a Berkshire grandad following viral video

82-year-old Keith melted millions of hearts when a video of him painting his granddaughter's nails went viral.

The International 2019: What does it take to become a gaming millionaire?

Gaming is a near billion-dollar industry, but what kind of pressures do young e-sports stars face?

Lightning strike 'partly to blame' for power cut

Regulator Ofgem publishes National Grid report into outage that hit homes and transport in England and Wales.

Monday, August 19, 2019

The people policing the internet's most horrific content

Website content moderators have to see some very disturbing material. How do they cope?

Cerebras reveals world's 'largest computer chip' for AI tasks

The chip, which is larger than an iPad, is designed for complex artificial intelligence systems.

Texas government organisations hit by ransomware attack

Hackers target 23 organisations in what local officials say was a co-ordinated attack.

US delays Huawei trade ban for another 90 days

The reprieve allows US companies to do business with Huawei for a further 90 days

King's Cross investor seeks facial recognition answers

The BT Pension Scheme, which funded the area's redevelopment, asks about use of facial recognition.

BBC News tries out Three's 5G for the home

The service launches in London.

Minecraft graphics to be more 'realistic'

However, the update will only be available to those with expensive Nvidia RTX graphics cards

How online extremists are shaping the minds of white teens

How can parents intervene when boys seem drawn into extremist internet culture - and should they?

Call Of Duty World League Championship: eUnited crowned winners

The finals of the e-sports championship took place in Los Angeles this weekend.

E-Scooters: Should they be legal on public roads?

Some riders are calling for regulation rather than an outright ban.

Friday, August 16, 2019

The Fortnite coach who helped create teenage millionaires

Hugh Gilmour failed to qualify for the Fortnite World Cup, so has turned to coaching instead.

'Fake' Amazon ambassadors baited on Twitter

Amazon says its warehouse ambassadors are authentic, but critics accuse them of being "paid to lie".

Meadowhall shoppers scanned in facial recognition trial

The owner of Sheffield's Meadowhall centre says data was "immediately deleted" after the trial.

Google Play app store accused of anti-gay bias

Social app Hornet says Google moderators in Malaysia targeted its app several times.

Huawei allegations: Uganda denies spying on Bobi Wine

Chinese telecoms firm Huawei and the Ugandan government deny hacking into Bobi Wine's WhatsApp chat group.

Home Office role in 'Woke' Muslim social network revealed

The network on Facebook and Instagram helps combat online radicalisation, says Home Office.

Robotic Buddhist priest joins temple and other news

BBC Click’s LJ Rich looks at some of the week’s best technology stories.

Eurofins Scientific: Cyber-attack leads to backlog of 20,000 forensic samples

Police warn of delays to investigations and court cases after the attack led to a backlog of 20,000 samples.

Jimmy Kimmel show fined $395,000 over alert joke

ABC’s Jimmy Kimmel Live! mocked an emergency presidential alert issued to warn of major threats.

Thursday, August 15, 2019

Wednesday, August 14, 2019

London mayor quizzes King's Cross developer on facial recognition

Sadiq Khan asks the King's Cross Central development whether its use of facial recognition is legal.

Tweeting from your fridge: The smart tech getting smarter

You don't need a phone or computer to get online as devices around the home get "smarter".

Social-media use 'disrupting teen sleep and exercise'

Checking sites multiple times a day means less time is spent on healthy activities, a UK study suggests.

Biostar security software 'leaked a million fingerprints'

Biometric security software Biostar 2 was found to have exposed sensitive user data online.

Facebook workers listened to Messenger conversations

People were paid to transcribe voice recordings - but Facebook says the work has now stopped.

Tuesday, August 13, 2019

Facial recognition in King's Cross prompts call for new laws

The use of the tech at King's Cross in London has raised privacy concerns.

Online shopping anti-fraud scheme delayed

The new verification system was supposed to introduce a new layer of security from mid-September.

Writers use AI to clone voices for audiobooks

A Chinese e-reader will feature two novels read by AI-avatars of their authors.

Facebook letter fails to satisfy DCMS chair Damian Collins

The social network is accused of providing a "disingenuous" response to MPs' latest questions.

Minecraft ditches Super Duper graphics plan

It's just blocks from now on says Minecraft developer Mojang as it ends development on the update.

Celtic FC join Call of Duty World League e-sports championship

It's the first time a British club has seriously invested in e-sports outside of football title Fifa.

Amazon quizzed over 'Choice' ratings

US politicians want to know how Amazon picks the products that get the coveted Choice label.

Monday, August 12, 2019

Hands-free phone ban for drivers 'should be considered'

A committee of MPs says there is a "misleading impression" the devices are completely safe.

Libra: Could Facebook’s new currency be stopped in its tracks?

How Facebook’s Libra could be stopped in its tracks

Kyle 'Bugha' Giersdorf: Fortnite world champion 'swatted' mid-game

Teenager Kyle 'Bugha' Giersdorf was in the middle of a game when he was interrupted by armed police.

King's Cross developer defends use of facial recognition

The tech is one of "a number of detection and tracking methods" used at the London site, the firm said.

US Navy to ditch touch screen ship controls

Familiar wheels and throttle controls will replace "overly complex" touch screens, says US Navy.

Electronic tongue puts fiery foods to the test

Human taste buds tire very quickly, but the machine can maintain accuracy regardless of the heat.

Twitch CEO apologises for pornography on Ninja's channel

Streaming platform Twitch's boss apologises after pornography is hosted on Ninja's former channel.

Tech firms face fines for harmful videos from regulator Ofcom

The UK plans to give new powers to the media regulator in order to comply with EU law.

Sunday, August 11, 2019

Saturday, August 10, 2019

Friday, August 9, 2019

Amazon Alexa devices made by Chinese teens 'working through night' - reports

Chinese students are being paid low wages and pressured into illegal work hours, activists say.

Facebook faces legal fight over facial recognition

A US court decision means Facebook could face a big damages claim over its use of facial recognition data.

Huawei announces its new Harmony operating system

It will power smart gadgets but will not immediately replace Android in Huawei's phones.

Hong Kong protesters turn to Uber and Pokemon

Demonstrators make use of high-tech services to keep their struggle alive and evade being tracked.

Locals ‘kicked out of their homes for holiday lets'

Valencia is one of the cities in Europe fighting back against holiday rental websites.

Women in labour given virtual reality to ease pain of childbirth

Virtual reality headsets, aimed at reducing the pain of women in labour, are being trialled.

Thursday, August 8, 2019

Tesla motors make classic Ferraris go faster

Electric cars have to be as cool as petrol ones to really take off, and these engineers think they can be

Uber shares tumble as profit figures disappoint Wall Street

Investors take flight as the taxi-hailing company reports its biggest quarterly loss.

Oyster card accounts hacked, confirms Transport for London

Some 1,200 customer accounts are affected and TfL have temporarily suspended online access.

Lorry stuck on notoriously steep Tower Hill

The area was blocked off while the lorry was moved.

Black Hat: GDPR privacy law exploited to reveal personal data

One in four firms holding a test subject's data released it to her partner without her permission.

Instagram removes ad company after 'data grab'

Instagram tells a US marketing company to stop building profiles of its users.

TikTok videos spread climate change awareness

The play-on-words hashtag #Globalwarning has been viewed more than 24 million times by users of the app.

Three Ireland wrongly bills customers for data roaming fees

Subscribers complain of being charged large sums and in some cases of having their service cut off.

Gay dating apps still leaking location data

Some of the most popular gay apps, including Grindr and Recon, expose their users' locations.

NHS to set up national artificial intelligence lab

Ministers pledge £250m for AI, saying it has enormous power to improve England's health service.

South Wales Police to use facial recognition app on phones

About 50 officers will use the app to track down suspects as part of a three-month trial.

Wednesday, August 7, 2019

New cars can be broken into in 10 seconds

What Car? magazine's experts prove latest car models with keyless entry systems can easily be hijacked.

Galaxy Note 10: Hands on with Samsung's two new smartphones

The new handsets can blur video backgrounds and decipher messy handwriting.

Can tech create a more planet friendly burger?

Plant-based alternatives and lab-grown meat are aiming to remove the need for animal husbandry.

Microsoft workers 'listen' to some translated Skype calls

Workers occasionally listen to calls that have been translated to check the quality of translations.

Facebook briefly removes Area 51 event 'by accident'

A page encouraging people to "storm" the US Air Force base has now been reinstated.

Anti-Polish hate crimes to be tackled by AI

The technology will be used to monitor aggressive social media content, its creators say.

Traditional TV viewing holds off streaming, Ofcom reveals

The majority of UK viewers still watch programmes on their TV set - but streaming is catching up.

British Airways passengers facing delays after IT failures

Holidaymakers at some UK airports are facing long queues and issues with the online check-in system.

Tuesday, August 6, 2019

8chan founder: I regret my creation

The founder of 8chan, Fredrick Brennan, says he regrets creating the website.

Where are 8chan users going now?

The site's owner says a million people are now "looking for a home" after 8chan was driven offline.

Amazon Alexa: Luxembourg watchdog in discussions about recordings

Luxembourg's privacy regulator says it is in discussions with Amazon about the audio clips.

Hyundai releases car with solar panel roof

The solar power system is available on the hybrid versions of the Korean car maker's Sonata vehicle.

Monday, August 5, 2019

If one drone isn't enough, try a drone swarm

Co-operating flying drones could survey crops very quickly, but at what cost?

Facebook urged to shut groups seeking fake Amazon reviews

Which? claimed to have uncovered several active groups that recruited people to write fake testimonies.

Facebook: UK privacy chief joins warning about cryptocurrency

The Information Commissioner's Office joins chorus of criticism over Facebook's digital currency.

Why young Indians are live streaming on social media

Hoping to be social media stars, young Indians are joining a live streaming app called Bigo Live.

Juul trials 'lockable' C1 e-cigarette for UK vapers

An e-cigarette that can be locked so only its owner can use it has been launched by Juul.

HTC smartphones pulled from sale in UK during patent row

The Taiwanese handset-maker has been in a long-running dispute with a German company.

UK coastguard plans drone rescue trial in south-west England

Officials seek bids to provide unmanned aircraft that could help rescue lives and track pollution.

Texas Walmart shooting: What is extreme message board 8chan?

A website has been linked to terrorist attacks in New Zealand and Texas. But what exactly is it?

OneWeb says Russia did not block its plans

The satellite internet firm challenges reports that officials denied it use of radio frequencies.

Sunday, August 4, 2019

8chan far-right forum set to be pushed offline

The hate-filled site used by mass shooting suspects may be rendered inaccessible, if only temporarily.

How designing your own clothes could become easier

A system which allows designers to make one-off patterns has been developed.

Video games studios 'do not need to be in big cities'

Companies and academics say Wales has everything required to succeed in the video games industry.

E-sports club Cardiff Saints looks for female members

Women and girls make up 42% of competitive gamers in the UK, a figure one club wants to change.

Ninja makes Mixer debut after 'shock' move from Twitch

The biggest name on Fortnite left the streaming site, and 14m followers, to join Microsoft's rival platform.

Flyboarding Frenchman crosses Channel

Flyboarding Frenchman Franky Zapata makes first successful Channel crossing on his jet-powered craft.

Saturday, August 3, 2019

Friday, August 2, 2019

Orkney 5G trials could soon be reality

The Orkney Islands could benefit from new rules opening up 5G spectrum to local businesses.

Broadband chiefs fire back at PM's full-fibre internet pledge

Leaders say a 2025 full-fibre deadline can only be met if four problems are resolved in 12 months.

Google to let rival search firms bid to be Android's default in EEA

Android users in most of Europe will have a choice of default search providers based on highest bids.

Tech Tent: Robot rules for any Tom, Dick or Harry

This week Jane Wakefield looks at rules for robots, and renewed pressure on Facebook from British MPs.

Pentagon-Amazon or Microsoft Jedi deal held up

The Department of Defense had been expected to award the contract to Amazon or Microsoft this month.

Apple and Google stop workers playing back voice recordings

The tech giants say they will temporarily stop using humans to monitor smart speaker recordings.

Yogscast: Mark Turpin advances 'caused woman breakdowns'

The chief executive of the successful gaming video organisation resigned after allegations against him.

Device hunts mosquitoes in your room and other news

BBC Click's Paul Carter looks at some of the week's best technology stories.

Would you take time out to watch someone eat on YouTube?

American 'Meokbang' YouTuber Blove became a millionaire by having people watch her eat.

Thursday, August 1, 2019

Who are the 'microworkers' behind your digital life?

The internet wouldn't work without people doing small tasks behind the scenes, so who are they?

Facebook bans 'Saudi Arabia-linked propaganda accounts'

The company makes a rare statement that alleges fake accounts were linked to government authorities.

Nature's language is being hijacked by technology

A new study across three generations shows words from nature are now used more commonly for technology

Amazon Ring: Police tie-up criticised by anti-surveillance campaigners

Privacy campaigners want to halt US police having easy access to recordings made by the gadgets.

AI system 'should be recognised as inventor'

Two patent filings seek to set a precedent by naming an AI as their inventor.

BBC iPlayer gets Ofcom green light to make shows available for a year

Ofcom gives permission for the BBC to keep programmes up for one year, instead of just 30 days.

Facebook's evidence to MPs under scrutiny

Facebook evidence appears to contradict what it told MPs about when it had known about Cambridge Analytica.

AI-based app detects killer kidney condition

Staff who have used the technology for acute kidney injury describe it as a "potential lifesaver".