Month: December 2021

The child had asked the Echo smart speaker for a challenge, prompting her mother to post the response on Twitter Virtual assistants can set timers for people, play music, control smart home devices, respond to voice commands and set up reminders. As of Sunday, they have also proven their ability to challenge children to lethal …

Amazon’s Alexa device tells 10-year-old to touch a penny to a live plug socket Read More »

From repeated accusations of fostering misinformation to multiple whistleblowers, the company weathered some battles in 2021 It’s a now–perennial headline: Facebook has had a very bad year. Years of mounting pressure from Congress and the public culminated in repeated PR crises, blockbuster whistleblower revelations and pending regulation over the past 12 months. Continue reading… From …

Facebook’s very bad year. No, really, it might be the worst yet Read More »

New devices contain recycled materials, have longer software support and better access to repairs Two years ago, our consumer electronics reviews added a new criteria to be judged – how sustainable the latest device, laptop or tablet is. So have the tech giants made any progress? In some way, yes. But there is a long …

Guardian tech reviews: small sustainability steps but lots more to do Read More »

The $17m purchase for the Facebook founder includes the Ka Loko reservoir, considered high-risk and in need of repairs Mark Zuckerberg has added 110 acres to his controversial 1,500-acre estate in Kauai, Hawaii, dropping $17m for the purchase. The 110 acres of land that the Facebook founder and his wife recently bought includes the Ka …

Mark Zuckerberg adds 110 acres to controversial 1,500-acre Hawaii estate Read More »

Opposition leader Donald Tusk calls for inquiry after watchdog says government’s rivals were targeted by Pegasus spyware Polish opposition leader Donald Tusk said on Tuesday reports that the government spied on its opponents represented the country’s biggest “crisis for democracy” since the end of communism. A cybersecurity watchdog last week said the Pegasus spyware had …

Claims Polish government used spyware is ‘crisis for democracy’, says opposition Read More »

No one needs to dwell on 2021, so let’s scroll back and see how right – or wrong – we were about the future of tech Don’t get TechScape delivered to your inbox? Sign up here After five seasons of the groundbreaking TV drama Lost, the formula had started to get stale – to say …

Virtual reality check: looking back at our tech predictions of years past Read More »

A new book suggests that, for single people, technology has made dating a strange, isolated experience One feature of online dating that makes it a recurring pub-discussion topic among my friends is the propensity for the people involved to do strange things. A whole new spectrum of dating behaviour has evolved on “the apps”. Habits …

Apps promised a sexual revolution but they have just made dating weird | Rachel Connolly Read More »

As cryptocurrencies become mainstream and frictionless, extremists are finding new ways to fundraise Get our free news app; get our morning email briefing Follow our Australia news live blog for the latest updates There’s never been more ways to ask for money on the internet. For rightwing extremists looking to monetise hate, that can be …

How Australia’s far right uses cryptocurrencies to monetise hate online Read More »

Turning invasive plants into a force for good and powering healthcare with solar – here are three of the 2022 nominees From a solar-powered crib that treats jaundiced babies to fibre made from water hyacinth that absorbs oil spills, innovators from nine African countries have been shortlisted for the Royal Academy of Engineering’s 2022 Africa …

Engineering the future: meet the Africa prize shortlist innovators Read More »

Territory’s financial sector risks reputational damage and diplomatic sanctions if complex regulations of crypto hub fail On the southern Mediterranean coast, nestled in the shadow of the Rock’s sheer limestone cliffs and its tangle of wild olive trees, the Gibraltar Stock Exchange (GSX) is quietly preparing for a corporate takeover that could have global consequences …

‘Blockchain Rock’: Gibraltar moves to become world’s first cryptocurrency hub Read More »