Tech Digest daily roundup: Amazon could have to pay UK shoppers £900m compensation
Amazon shoppers in the UK could receive a share of £900m in compensation, once a legal claim is submitted against the technology giant. The proposed claim alleges the company breached competition law and caused customers to pay higher prices. It is being led by consumer-rights champion Julie Hunter, who alleges independent sellers are excluded from the “buy box”, even when they offer the same product cheaper or on better terms – thus breaching UK and EU competition law. More than 80% of purchases on the site are made via featured offers in the “buy box”. BBC
Instagram has announced a new safety tool that will allow high-profile figures to fend off abuse, days after a Premier League footballer revealed he was racially harassed on the platform. Striker Ivan Toney received a racist and abusive message after his 100th match for Brentford last weekend. Following the incident, Instagram’s parent company Meta said they had reached out to Toney to offer support and arrange a briefing on their safety features. New protective features announced on Thursday include blocking multiple accounts owned by the same person and a notification nudging people to be respectful before commenting on a post. Sky News
BMW is set to introduce hydrogen-powered models before the end of the decade. That’s according to chairman Oliver Zipse, who said that all future models will be designed with adaptability in mind, allowing them to be driven by a number of different powertrains. FCEVs (Fuel Cell Electric Vehicles) convert the hydrogen – traditionally stored in tanks – into electricity which is used to drive electric motors. The only by-product from this process is water. However, there are currently only a few hydrogen filling stations in the world, with the UK having just 11. Yahoo!
Apple is said to have slow production of its new iPhone 14 Plus ‘by 40 percent’ just two weeks after the September launch due to a lack of demand among consumers. The report from the Information states the Cupertino company told one of its producers in China to stop production altogether, while two others lowered it by 70 percent and 90 percent. The news comes less than one month since Apple halted manufacturing of its iPhone 14 for the same reason, Bloomberg reported in September. Daily Mail
In July, Netflix announced that it had lost approximately 1 million subscribers in just three months. It was a remarkable reversal of fortunes for a company that, just a year ago, seemed to be on an unstoppable path to global domination – and although it has regained some subscribers this month, the company is still struggling to retain viewers in the long term. That’s because with the price of everything rising, many people are hoping to save cash. In a 2021 survey conducted by Financebuzz, 46% of respondents said they spent over $50 a month on streaming and a new survey found that one in four of Netflix’s remaining customers are considering dropping the service by the end of the year. Guardian
A Facebook search for the words “election fraud” first delivers an article claiming that workers at a Pennsylvania children’s museum are brainwashing children so they’ll accept stolen elections. Facebook’s second suggestion? A link to an article from a site called MAGA Underground that says Democrats are plotting to rig next month’s midterms. “You should still be mad as hell about the fraud that happened in 2020,” the article insists. With less than three weeks before the polls close, misinformation about voting and elections abounds on social media despite promises by tech companies to address a problem blamed for increasing polarization and distrust. AP News
