Tech Digest daily roundup: Donald Trump allowed back onto Facebook
Donald Trump’s Facebook and Instagram accounts will be reinstated after a two-year suspension following the 6 January insurrection. Facebook parent Meta said in a blog post on Wednesday it would be adding “new guardrails” to ensure there are no “repeat offenders” who violate its rules….Nick Clegg, Meta’s president of global affairs, said Mr Trump is now free to use Facebook and Instagram again “if he wishes to”, adding that the “guardrails” are there to “ensure he plays by the rules”. Sky News
Iranian and Russian hackers are targeting British politicians and journalists with espionage attacks, officials have warned. The National Cyber Security Centre has issued a fresh alert about increasing attempts to steal information from specific groups and individuals. NCSC said the hackers usually target those doing research and work about Iran and Russia. It described the hacking groups as “ruthless” in pursuing their targets. The NCSC – which is part of UK cyber and intelligence agency GCHQ and gives cyber-security advice – explained the attacks were not targeting the public, but specific individuals and groups, including politicians, officials, journalists, activists and think tanks. BBC
It’s no secret that Apple and Google aren’t exactly on the friendliest of terms. But it seems the rivalry is even colder than it appears as Apple works to separate its mobile operating system from the features Google’s parent company, Alphabet, offers. According to a report from the Financial Times, former Apple engineers claim that the company still holds a grudge against Google over Android. They also claim the industry behemoth is engaged in a “silent war” with Google, hoping to separate its products from Google’s services. Android Authority
The battery startup Britishvolt owed as much as £120m to creditors when it collapsed last week in a major blow to hopes of sustaining the British car industry, it can be revealed. Creditors are expected to recover a very small proportion of the debts, according to a source with knowledge of the matter, although there are understood to be several bids for the company and its assets. EY, a professional services firm, is handling the administration. EY is hoping to find a buyer for the remainder of the business – which has 26 staff remaining on its payroll – and the ownership of the site in Northumberland. Guardian
Another update on the recent LastPass data breach has revealed even more potentially bad news for users of the password manager. Paddy Srinivasan, CEO of LastPass parent company GoTo revealed in a blog post(opens in new tab) that the attackers who targeted third-party cloud storage service shared by both firms managed to exfiltrate encrypted backups related to a number of products. These products include Central, Pro, join.me, Hamachi, and RemotelyAnywhere. Tech Radar
Researchers have created humanoid, miniature robots that can shapeshift and turn into liquid. The breakthrough could allow for the creation of more robots that can shift between liquid and solid, allowing them to be used in a variety of situations. Researchers demonstrated the capability by having one of the robots turn liquid so that it could escape from a small prison that had been held in. In other demonstrations, the robots were able to jump over moats, climb walls, and split in half so that the two pieces could work together to move objects – before coalescing together again. Guardian
