Month: February 2023

Two lawsuits brought by families of terrorist attack victims will consider whether companies are responsible for users’ content A pair of cases going before the US supreme court this week could drastically upend the rules of the internet, putting a powerful, decades-old statute in the crosshairs. At stake is a question that has been foundational …

What do US supreme court cases against Twitter and Google mean for the internet? Read More »

The creators and influencers on Meta’s platforms are an obvious market for verified users’ monthly fees Mark Zuckerberg’s social media empire is built on billions of users – and the advertisers who pay vast sums to grab their attention. But that business model is under pressure on several fronts. It is against this backdrop that …

Does paid-for Facebook and Instagram signal end of free-access orthodoxy? Read More »

Could artificial intelligence offer a fairer and more efficient way of policing? San Francisco’s board of supervisors recently voted to let their police deploy robots equipped with lethal explosives – before backtracking several weeks later. In America, the vote sparked a fierce debate on the militarisation of the police, but it raises fundamental questions for …

The big idea: should robots take over fighting crime? Read More »

AI-generated clues are often bizarre and sometimes flat-out wrong – but, setters agree, that may not be a bad thing. Plus: a podcast returns This week, some Things of Interest to Puzzlers That You Might Otherwise Miss. Did your school mention crossword compiling in career discussions? It was never mentioned as a career option. I …

ChatGPT: can artificial intelligence create crosswords? Read More »

Amid boarded up shops in Teesside, The Gaming Hideaway is thriving – and shows how tired retail districts can be reimagined On Bishop Auckland’s increasingly desolate high street, shops have steadily closed over the years as a retail park has lured local people away. Dozens of shopfronts lie empty, and the businesses that cling on …

Insert coin: the virtual reality arcades regenerating northern high streets Read More »

The American writer on her film of the moment, a fantastic young novelist and an animated series that’s wonderfully human The novelist Gabrielle Zevin, whose Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow appeared on many of 2022’s books of the year lists, was born in New York in 1977. She studied English at Harvard, where she met …

On my radar: Gabrielle Zevin’s cultural highlights Read More »

The UK’s would-be ‘Amazon of banking’ run by Nikolay Storonsky has raised alarm over delayed accounts, EU regulatory fines, its co-founder’s Russian ties and issues with staff Minutes after Jeremy Hunt had finished speaking, Nikolay Storonsky collared the chancellor backstage. The 38-year-old co-founder of British financial technology company Revolut, wearing a tech bro’s uniform of …

Revolut: can the chancellor’s fintech favourite fix its image problem? Read More »

Delivery of rental cars using remote driving could be outlawed after Law Commission recommendations The remote driving of vehicles from overseas, such as for the delivery of rental cars, could be banned following a government-commissioned review. The review was carried out by the Law Commission of England and Wales, which recommended ministers regulate the technology. …

Self-driving vehicles from overseas face ban in England and Wales Read More »

Mark Zuckerberg follows Elon Musk’s lead in introducing fee for blue ticks, while Twitter to restrict 2FA via SMS to paid users Follow our Australia news live blog for the latest updates Get our morning and afternoon news emails, free app or daily news podcast Facebook and Instagram users will soon need to pay to …

Facebook and Instagram to get paid verification as Twitter charges for two-factor SMS authentication Read More »

Updated chips give already great 14in model a boost but the hefty price hike stings Apple’s M2 Pro chip upgrade for the MacBook Pro boosts performance and battery life in an already extremely capable machine – but it comes with a sizable price increase, making it particularly expensive outside the US. The starting price is …

MacBook Pro M2 Pro review: Apple’s best laptop gets more power and battery life Read More »