Non classé

From Sudan to Syria, Jordan to Jaipur, the trend towards digital authoritarianism is deepening How to shut down the internet – and how to fight back When shutdowns spill over borders On 1 February 2021, reporter Ko Zin Lin Htet received a panicked phone call from a source in the Burmese capital, Yangon. The caller …

Flicking the kill switch: governments embrace internet shutdowns as a form of control Read More »

The mechanics of the internet mean that blocks on access imposed by one country can be felt half a world away Governments embrace internet shutdowns as a form of control How to shut down the internet – and how to fight back When Myanmar’s military ordered telecom companies to shut down access to Twitter in …

When internet shutdowns spill over borders Read More »

Dramatic move shows Mark Zuckerberg ‘desperate to avoid being questioned over cover-up’, says Observer journalist who exposed scandal Facebook has dramatically agreed to settle a lawsuit seeking damages for allowing Cambridge Analytica access to the private data of tens of millions of users, four years after the Observer exposed the scandal that mired the tech …

Facebook-Cambridge Analytica data breach lawsuit ends in 11th hour settlement Read More »

A long and detailed complaint about lax practices by the social media firm’s former security chief must be music to Elon Musk’s ears “Ex-Twitter exec blows the whistle, alleging reckless and negligent cybersecurity policies,” said the CNN headline. My initial reaction? Yawn… so what’s new: a social media company playing fast and loose with its …

Twitter’s whistleblower has pitched up at a very inconvenient moment | John Naughton Read More »

The Iranian photojournalist on a woman he spotted in northern Afghanistan In 2015, Ako Salemi was on a photography trip to northern Afghanistan with fellow Iranian photojournalist Majid Saeedi. One day, the pair were exploring near the tomb of Hazrat Ali ibn Abi Talib, known locally as the Blue Mosque for its intricately detailed blue …

‘The flash of red by her ankles is reminiscent of defiance’: Ako Salemi’s best phone picture Read More »

Digital parking has spread rapidly across Britain, but campaigners say it is stressful or inaccessible for many All summer, exasperated motorists have been jabbing at their phones, trying to download and install yet another parking app. Then follows the interminable chore of entering card details and number plate, which may ultimately be derailed by poor …

Rise of the parking app makes the rich richer as motorists struggle Read More »

Ducky toast tongs, candle sharpeners and an apple tree … our writers name one gadget, gizmo or thing they didn’t know they couldn’t live without “Have nothing in your houses that you do not know to be useful, or believe to be beautiful,” William Morris said. I’m fussier. Have nothing in your wardrobe that you …

The best £6 I ever spent! 31 small items that could make your life a tiny bit better Read More »

The four-year-old case alleged that the company had violated consumer privacy laws by sharing users’ personal data with third parties Meta’s Facebook has in-principle agreed to settle a lawsuit in the San Francisco federal court seeking damages for letting third parties, including Cambridge Analytica, access the private data of users, a court filing showed. The …

Facebook agrees to settle Cambridge Analytica data privacy lawsuit Read More »

New technology meant to detect cheating by students taking tests at home could invade privacy, raise anxiety and be discriminatory In 2020, a Canadian university employee named Ian Linkletter became increasingly alarmed by a new kind of technology that was exploding in use with the pandemic. It was meant to detect cheating by college and …

‘I’m afraid’: critics of anti-cheating technology for students hit by lawsuits Read More »

Investors see ‘existential threats’ to fitness company that saw popularity during early months of Covid pandemic Peloton recorded losses of more than $1.2bn in the past three months, the company announced on Thursday, frustrating investors looking for progress in the company’s efforts to revive sagging sales of its fitness equipment. The news sparked another selloff …

Peloton shares plummet after quarterly losses top $1.2bn Read More »