It is science, not lockdowns, that will save the world November 18, 2020 The various new vaccines announced over the past two weeks give real hope of a return to normal life. Of course, many practical questions remain. How will these vaccines be delivered? Do they stop the transmission or simply the symptoms of the virus? Exactly how effective will they be outside a controlled trial environment? But [...]
European tech industry calls for delay to new regulation November 18, 2020 A group representing Europe’s thriving tech industry has called for a moratorium on looming new regulation until a review has been carried out into the impact of the changes. The EU will next month table new laws designed to prevent tech companies from unfairly promoting their own products and services and holding firms more accountable [...]
Mudge: Why has Twitter just hired a world-famous hacker? November 17, 2020 Twitter may have been awash with excitement about its new disappearing Fleets service, but behind the scenes there were other clandestine matters underway today. The social media platform said it had hired Mudge, one of the world’s best-regarded hackers, to the new position of head of security. The appointment comes at a crucial time for [...]
Anti-vaxxers may lose travel insurance over Covid vaccine refusal November 17, 2020 Anti-vaxxers may risk invalidating their travel insurance if they are medically able but decline to have the coronavirus vaccine, an insurance expert has warned. Medical underwriting specialist and travel insurance expert Tricia Tietema told City A.M she would expect that those who are medically able to have the coronavirus vaccine, should one become available, but [...]
Huawei sells Honor smartphone brand as US sanctions bite November 17, 2020 Huawei is selling its budget smartphone brand Honor to a newly-formed consortium of Chinese buyers after US sanctions pushed the division to the brink of collapse. The Chinese tech giant said it will offload Honor’s business assets to Shenzhen Zhixin New Information Technology Co, a group of over 30 agents and dealers, including several state-owned [...]
Airbnb reveals deeper loss ahead of stock market float November 17, 2020 Airbnb today revealed it has suffered deeper losses this year as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic, as it unveiled the prospectus for its eagerly-awaited stock market listing. The holiday rental company posted a loss of $697m (£527m) on revenue of $2.5bn in the nine months to the end of September, a widening of the [...]
Google boss apologises to EU chief over plans to dodge antitrust laws November 13, 2020 Google chief executive Sundar Pichai has apologised to EU industry chief Thierry Breton after leaked documents revealed plans to attack the commissioner over new antitrust laws. In a video conference last night, Pichai insisted he had not seen or signed off on the document and apologised for the way it had come out. The internal [...]
Screenshot: Is this the end for impartial TV news? November 13, 2020 A weekly column from City PM bringing you all the biggest stories and trends in technology, media and telecoms This week **Media Moment of the Week: How not the book the Four Seasons **Is this the end for impartial TV news? **UK protectionism: A tech takeover balancing act Media Moment of the Week This one’s [...]
Trump administration to delay enforcement of Tiktok ban November 13, 2020 The US government has said it will delay enforcement of a ban on Tiktok as the Chinese-owned viral video app fights back against the measures. The Trump administration in August filed a divestiture order that would have forced Tiktok to sell its US operations by Thursday this week. But the US Commerce Department said it [...]
Tencent profit surges on smartphone gaming boom November 12, 2020 Tencent almost doubled its profit in the third quarter as the Chinese tech conglomerate continued to cash in on booming demand for its online games. The tech giant, which is the world’s largest gaming firm by revenue, reported a 38.5bn yuan (£4.4bn) profit in the three months to the end of September, up 89 per [...]
