Tag: Google
Online platforms failing to weed out fake reviews, claims study
Facebook, Google and Trustpilot can be easily infiltrated with fake reviews with unscrupulous brokers selling them for as little as £4 each, a Which? investigation suggests. The consumer watchdog's latest investigation involved setting up a fake business and approaching brokers to boost its pages on the three platforms using bogus five-star reviews – which revealed…
Tech Digest daily roundup: ‘Gaming has little effect on short term mental health’ – study
The short-term mental-health impact of playing video games "is probably too small" to be noticeable, according to a major study by the University of Oxford published Wednesday. "Our study finds little to no evidence of connections between gameplay and well-being," said Andrew K. Przybylski, a researcher at the university's Oxford Internet Institute. The study surveyed…
Google and UK Power Networks develop digital versions of cable maps
Google’s artificial intelligence division is hoping to revolutionise hand-drawn maps of electricity cables in a move that could benefit the global utility industry. Google’s DeepMind engineers have partnered with UK Power Networks which delivers electricity across London, the East and South East, to create digital versions of maps covering more than 180,000km of electricity cables.…
Tech Digest daily roundup: Huawei Mate Xs 2 foldable phone comes to Europe
In a livestream yesterday, Huawei announced the global availability of their newest flagship foldable smartphone and a multitude of wearables. The company first launched these devices in China earlier this year, but now they're coming to western markets, starting with Europe. The Mate Xs 2 is Huawei's first new foldable since the P50 Pocket. It packs a…
Smart speaker sales plateau in US, claims research
The smart speaker revolution is coming to an end in North America as sales numbers plateau. However, growth elsewhere in the world suggests that the revolution lives on elsewhere, says new research from Omdia. According to the latest smart speaker report from Omdia, the compound annual growth rate (CAGR) for smart speaker annual shipments in North…
Tech Digest daily roundup: Google sued for using NHS data of 1.6 million Brits ‘without consent’
Google is being sued over its use of confidential medical records belonging to 1.6 million individuals in the UK. The company's artificial intelligence arm, DeepMind, received the data in 2015 from the Royal Free NHS Trust in London for the purpose of testing a smartphone app called Streams. The claim is being brought by Andrew…
Trustpilot removed nearly 2 million fake reviews in 2021
Trustpilot claims it removed nearly 2 million fake reviews in 2021, out of around 46.7 million which were left on its platform during the period. The consumer website claims to have invested heavily in fraud and anomaly detection software which has sped up and enhanced the process of identifying and removing fake reviews. Using this…
Tech Digest daily roundup: Royal Mail wants fleet of 500 drones
Image: Royal Mail The Royal Mail wants a fleet of 500 drones to help deliver the mail to remote communities across the UK. In the next three years it hopes up to 200 drones will help carry the mail on 50 new routes with the Isles of Scilly, Shetland Islands, Orkney…
Tech Digest daily roundup: UK Government plans to rein in big tech
Large tech companies such as Google and Facebook will have to abide by new competition rules in the UK or risk facing huge fines, the government said. The new Digital Markets Unit (DMU) will be given powers to clamp down on "predatory practices" of some firms. The regulator will also have the power to fine…
Tech Digest daily roundup: TikTok leading platform for fake Ukraine videos
TikTok has emerged as one of the leading platforms for snappy false videos about the war in Ukraine which are reaching millions. With a user base of more than one billion people - more than half of whom are under 30 - TikTok is where many young people have been getting updates about the conflict,…
