Businesses fear political threats and cyber attacks in uncertain risk environment March 14, 2019 More than three quarters of general counsels and board members view the risk landscape as having become significantly more complex in the last three years, with political risk cited as the number one risk facing businesses and technological risk a close second. A survey by law firm Clyde & Co and professional network organisation Winmark [...]
Global outages cripple Facebook, Whatsapp and Instagram March 13, 2019 Several of Facebook’s most popular social media platforms are suffering partial outages around the world, largely affecting users across the Americas and Europe. Service continues to be disrupted on Facebook’s main app, Messsenger, Instagram and Whatsapp. Users began reporting issues at around 4pm GMT, with full access to the platforms still ongoing. Third-party outage tracker Down Detector said [...]
Hammond calls for competition probe into digital advertising market March 13, 2019 The government will call on the competition regulator to launch an inquiry into the digital advertising sector amid concerns about the dominance of tech giants. Presenting his Spring Statement this afternoon, Chancellor Philip Hammond said he will ask the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) to review the market and ensure Google and Facebook “pay their [...]
Get Your Guide to achieve unicorn status thanks to $50m Temasek backing March 13, 2019 Online travel firm Get Your Guide is set to achieve coveted unicorn status thanks to a $300m (£228m) cash injection from a group of investors, Sky News reported. The Berlin-based travel company is said to be in advanced talks with Singaporean sovereign wealth fund Temasek Holdings over a $50m investment that will be announced in [...]
Spotify reports Apple to EU commission over rules which ‘disadvantage’ app developers March 13, 2019 Spotify fired a broadside at Apple today as it reported its rival to the EU competition authorities over the way that the tech giant's App Store works. Chief executive Daniel Ek blasted what he called an "Apple tax" which forces his company to pay a 30 per cent commission for sales made via Apple's payment system. [...]
One in four women has been sexually harassed at a tech conference, study finds March 13, 2019 One in four women has experienced sexual harassment at a tech conference and women are woefully underrepresented at industry events, a new study has found. Only a quarter of keynote speakers at tech conferences in the last three years were women, according to research by IT services provider Ensono. Read more: City firms can't afford [...]
ECSC revenues jump as it grows client base amid cyber security concerns March 13, 2019 Cyber security firm ECSC has posted a huge increase in revenues as it cashes in on new regulation and growing concerns about cyber attacks. Read more: Avast secures strong results as chief executive steps down The figures Revenue surged 35 per cent to £5.4m. Gross profit increased 67 per cent to £2.7m. Adjusted earnings before interest, [...]
Avast shares drop as CEO prepares to step down despite cyber fears pushing profits up March 13, 2019 Cyber security firm Avast saw its shares fall more than five per cent this morning after it announced chief executive Vince Steckler will step down later this year. Read more: Avast sets sail on substantial maiden results The figures Avast’s revenue rose 24 per cent from $652.9m (£498m) to $808.3m. Operating profit doubled from $124.3m [...]
Consumers hurt by lack of tech giant regulation, independent review finds March 13, 2019 Tech giants do not face enough competition and new laws are required to increase consumer choice in the digital sector, an independent review has found. The report, which was commissioned by chancellor Philip Hammond, states tech firms have become increasingly dominant in the market, limiting the control consumers have over their personal data. Read more: [...]
How the arrival of the World Wide Web has changed the mortgage market March 12, 2019 In 1989, the Swiss physics laboratory, CERN, was buzzing with information but it had one big problem: ideas, data and knowledge held by the lab was stored across incompatible computers. A young scientist, Tim Berners-Lee, envisioned creating a unifying structure for sharing information across its computer systems. He wrote a proposal for a linked information [...]