DNA firm 23andMe files for bankruptcy protection, design overhaul for Apple Watch SE3
Popular DNA testing firm 23andMe has filed for bankruptcy protection and announced that its co-founder and CEO, Anne Wojcicki, has resigned with immediate effect. The company will now attempt to sell itself under the supervision of a court. 23andMe said in a press release, external that it plans to continue operating throughout the sale process and that there “are no changes to the way the company stores, manages, or protects customer data.” On Friday, the Attorney General in 23andMe’s home state of California issued a consumer alert advising customers to delete their data from the site given the company’s “reported financial distress.” BBC
The owner of Facebook and Instagram has agreed to stop targeting a UK citizen with personalised adverts after agreeing a settlement in a landmark privacy case that could set a precedent for millions of social media users. Mark Zuckerberg’s Meta also said it was considering charging UK users for an advert-free version of its platforms after the legal agreement that avoided a trial in the high court in London. The Guardian
Apple is expected to unveil three new Apple Watches in September 2025, but a new report says all three are facing design and development challenges ahead of launch. The headlines for the company’s next three best Apple Watch contenders include a new blood-pressure monitoring system for the Apple Watch Ultra 3 and Apple Watch Series 11, and a significant design overhaul for the budget Apple Watch SE 3. Tech Radar
BYD is the carmaker on everyone’s lips at the moment and the chatter may be about to get even louder. China’s best-selling automaker is due to report its full-year earnings on Monday and revenue could top $100 billion — a first for BYD that would also put it ahead of Tesla, whose 2024 sales were $97.7 billion. BYD has had an amazing run. Since it stopped selling internal-combustion-engine cars in March 2022 — making it the first major automaker in the world to fully transition away from gasoline-powered vehicles — sales have registered hockey-stick growth. Bloomberg
The driver of the car beside me realises, too late, that he is in the wrong lane. As the lights change he darts forward, directly into our path. With a whirl of the steering wheel, my Uber swerves, just in time to avoid collision. It’s lucky, as it turns out, that there wasn’t anyone in the driver’s seat – I’m not sure human reflexes would have been fast enough. I’m in downtown Austin, Texas, where I’ve spent the day trialling the latest revolution from taxi company Uber: self-driving cars. While they’ve been seen on the streets of San Francisco prior to this, Austin marks the start of a major roll-out of autonomous vehicles. Telegraph
The Crown Prosecution Service is to update its guidance on so-called “revenge porn” crimes to stop perpetrators being allowed to keep explicit photos of their victims. The Observer revealed last month that magistrates courts were routinely failing to make orders for the deletion of content linked to intimate-image abuse cases – and that prosecutors were failing to request them. An analysis of court records found that, of 98 cases, just three resulted in a deprivation order requiring the offender to give up their devices and delete private photos and videos. The Guardian
BT is planning to revive its historic name in a reversal of previous plans to make EE its flagship brand for consumers. Chief executive Allison Kirkby, who took over in February last year, is understood to oppose the decision to sideline the brand by Marc Allera, the outgoing head of BT’s consumer division. One industry expert described the shift to EE – previously called Everything Everywhere – as a ‘vanity project’ by Allera. ThisIsMoney
