Monthly Archives: June 2021

Irish police will have the power to compel people to provide passwords for electronic devices when carrying out a search warrant under new legislation. The change is part of the Garda Síochána Bill published by Irish Justice Minister Heather Humphreys on Monday. Gardaí will also be required to make a written record of a stop […]

Facebook is developing a smartwatch that will act as a controller for its forthcoming augmented-reality projects. Reports claimed the device was due for release in mid-2022 and would feature multiple cameras. But a senior Facebook executive said the smartwatch was in only its early stages – and may never be released to the public. “We’re […]

US Senate lawmakers have approved a massive spending plan to boost technology research and production. The proposed measures come in the face of growing international competition, particularly from China. A Beijing official hit back at the bill on Wednesday, saying it “exaggerated the ‘China threat’”. The bill, which must pass the House of Representatives before […]

Apple device users will now be able see when individual apps request to access features such as the microphone, camera and phone gallery, plus which third parties they have connected with in the last seven days. The new “app privacy report” feature was unveiled at the firm’s annual developers’ conference, WWDC. Apple has prioritised privacy […]

Former US President Donald Trump has told Fox Business that he sees Bitcoin as a “scam” affecting the value of the US dollar. “Bitcoin, it just seems like a scam,” Mr Trump said. “I don’t like it because it’s another currency competing against the dollar.” He added that he wanted the dollar to be “the […]

Facebook Inc has suspended former US President Donald Trump’s Facebook and Instagram accounts for two years. He was barred indefinitely from both sites in January in the wake of posts he made on the US Capitol riots, but last month Facebook’s Oversight Board criticised the open-ended penalty. Facebook said Mr Trump’s actions were “a severe […]

Facebook is being investigated by UK and European competition watchdogs over concerns it uses advertising data to gain an unfair advantage over rivals. The Competition and Markets Authority is looking into whether it uses information to benefit its own services, such as Facebook Marketplace. The European Commission is examining if Facebook violated EU rules by […]

In a surprise move, one of the world’s best-known anti-virus software makers is adding cryptocurrency mining to its products. Norton 360 customers will have access to an Ethereum mining feature in the “coming weeks”, the company said. Cryptocurrency “mining” works by using a computer’s hardware to do complex calculations in exchange for a reward. It […]

Donald Trump’s communications platform has been permanently shut down, his spokesperson told CNBC. “It was just auxiliary to the broader efforts we have and are working on,” senior aide Jason Miller said. The platform, titled From the Desk of Donald J Trump, launched last month and served as a way for the former president to […]

New terms of use for eBay have come into effect which mean the online auction house will now pay sellers directly rather than through PayPal. PayPal was acquired by eBay in its early days in 2002, and the two firms have worked in partnership ever since. The changes mean that while eBay buyers can still […]