Tag: Google
Tech Digest daily round up: NHS Covid app update blocked
An update to England and Wales's contact tracing app has been blocked for breaking the terms of an agreement made with Apple and Google. The plan had been to ask users to upload logs of venue check-ins - carried out via poster barcode scans - if they tested positive for the virus. This could be…
Tech Digest daily round up: 15% use pet names as passwords
Millions of British people are using their pet's name as their online password, despite it being an easy target for hackers, a survey has found. The National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) said 15% of the population used pets' names, 14% use a family member's name, and 13% pick a notable date. And 6% of people…
New UK regulator to take on tech giants
A new regulator to help make sure tech giants such as Facebook and Google cannot exploit their market dominance to crowd out competition and stifle innovation online has launched in the UK. Called the Digital Markets Unit (DMU) and based in the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA), the regulator aims to give consumers more choice…
Tech Digest daily round up: Google wins legal battle with Oracle
A decade-long battle over copied code in Google's Android operating system has ended in the US Supreme Court. Oracle, another tech titan, had sued Google in 2010 for copyright infringement over what it said was copied computer code. Android is now used in an estimated 70% of global smartphones, and damages could have run into…
Tech Digest daily round up: Google Maps to direct drivers to ‘eco-friendly’ routes
Google Maps will start directing drivers along routes estimated to generate the lowest carbon emissions based on traffic, slopes and other factors, the company announced on Tuesday. Google said the feature would launch later this year in the U.S. and eventually reach other countries as part of its commitment to help combat climate change through…
Tech Digest daily round up: Instagram to crack down on teen messages
Instagram is adding safety measures designed to protect teenagers from unwanted direct messages from adults. Older users will only be able to privately message teenagers who follow them. And messages will be overlaid with a notice reminding teenagers telling them they don't need to respond to anything that makes them uncomfortable. Of course, the measures…
Volvo extends Android-powered infotainment to new models
Volvo is continuing the roll-out of its new Android-powered infotainment system to its XC60, S90 and V90 models, as part of a broader update of its model portfolio. The fully electric XC40 Recharge was the first Volvo car to carry the system. Offering Google apps and services built-in, Volvo claims the system provides the same…
Fake Google reviews used to boost UK businesses, claims Which?
Businesses across the UK are artificially boosting their online ratings by paying firms for fake Google reviews, as a booming industry in misleading information avoids detection by the tech giant, a Which? investigation has revealed. The consumer watchdog's latest research involved setting up and buying fake reviews for its own fake business listing on Google.…
Tech Digest daily round up: WhatsApp introduces video/voice calling for desktop
Facebook Inc’s WhatsApp has introduced voice and video calling on its desktop version, the company said on Thursday. The company said users will be able to use desktop screens for calls in both portrait and landscape mode, and the calls will be end-to-end encrypted. The move to facilitate calls over large screens would put WhatsApp…
Tech Digest daily round up: NHS faces legal action over data deal
The NHS is facing a legal challenge over its data deal with controversial Silicon Valley firm Palantir, Sky News can reveal. Palantir, which has become notorious for its close ties to security services and immigration agencies in the United States, secured its first ever deal to handle NHS data in March last year for the…
