It’s time to take back control – of our data February 14, 2019 Cambridge Analytica. Mark Zuckerberg in front of the US Congress. The first data breach of 2019 occurring less than 24 hours into New Year’s Day. The use and abuse of data is no longer something that we can afford to ignore. Consumers are coming to understand that their data is an economic asset for media companies, [...]
Resident Evil 2 Remake review: A brilliant, pant-soiling reimagining of the classic survival horror February 13, 2019 The best pop-culture horror holds a mirror to our deepest psychological fears. And while Resident Evil 2 hit consoles in the relative peace and prosperity of 1998, its shuffling brand of OG zombies, jerking towards an unspecified apocalypse, driven not by a grand unified plan but a mindless, instinctual desire to see the world burn [...]
Blockchain oil firm taps former JP Morgan director as new chief February 13, 2019 A firm that wants to reinvent commodities trading by using blockchain technology has hired a former energy trader from JP Morgan and Mercuria as its next chief executive. Vakt, which aims to eliminate paper-based trading and secure audit processes by putting it on the blockchain, has been backed by major oil firms such as Shell, Chevron [...]
Twitter boss Jack Dorsey admits ‘huge fail’ in not preventing online abuse February 13, 2019 Twitter chief executive Jack Dorsey has said that tech firms such as his own have not done enough to protect victims of online abuse. In a conversation with Recode, Dorsey awarded Twitter a 'C' grade for its past efforts, and labelled the current climate a "huge fail" on the part of Silicon Valley. Myself? C. We’ve made [...]
Starling banks £75m funding round from Merian Global Investors February 13, 2019 Starling Bank, one of fintech's Big Three digital banking stalwarts, has closed a £75m funding round led by Merian Global Investors. The challenger bank said £60m was provided by Merian, formerly known as Old Mutual, which included a £19m injection from Merian's equity investment firm Chrysalis. The round was closed out with £15m from Starling's sole existing investor [...]
Clash of Clans maker Supercell reports second consecutive year of falling profits February 12, 2019 Mobile gaming firm Supercell has posted falling sales and profits for a second year running, reporting a 26 per cent drop in income as its bestselling titles fail to age gracefully. The Finnish firm, which was the brains behind viral iPhone games Clash of Clans and Clash Royale, was last valued at $10bn (£7.8bn) in 2016 [...]
Blockchain startup Chainalysis targets London with $30m raise from Accel February 12, 2019 Crypto compliance startup Chainalysis has raised $30m (£23.3m) from venture capital giant Accel to open an office in London's Soho. The US firm's series B round was supported by existing investor Benchmark, which upped its stake in the company after funding Chainalysis' $16m series A last year. Chainalysis said it will use the proceeds from the round to open [...]
The UK’s fintech sector hits record level of investment as startups turn into scale-ups February 12, 2019 Investment into the UK's blossoming fintech sector broke records last year, as the country's startups reached a new stage in their growth journey. Venture capital and private equity investment in British fintech rose to an all-time high of $3.3bn (£2.6bn), up 18 per cent compared to 2017's levels, according to data published today by Innovate Finance. [...]
Ebay’s acquisition of Motors.co.uk gets the green light from UK competition watchdog February 12, 2019 Ebay's acquisition of car search business Motors.co.uk has been given the all-clear by the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA). The deal, first announced in October, last year, will see Ebay merge Motors.co.uk with its other consumer-facing car sales business Gumtree Motors. The CMA said at the time of launching its probe in December that it [...]
DEBATE: Should GCSEs be scrapped and replaced with a broader, more holistic curriculum? February 12, 2019 Should GCSEs be scrapped and replaced with a broader, more holistic curriculum? Robert Halfon, MP for Harlow and chair of the House of Commons Education Select Committee, says YES. Skills shortages cost our economy £6.3bn annually, while hundreds of thousands of young people are faced with the despair of unemployment and unfulfilled job-seeking. Brexit and the rise [...]
