Author Archives: angel

A new documentary about Anthony Bourdain has ignited a debate, after film-makers revealed they had used an AI simulation of the late chef’s voice. Roadrunner: A Film About Anthony Bourdain was narrated using archive material supplemented by a synthetic voice reading short extracts of writing by Mr Bourdain, who died in 2018. Director Morgan Neville […]

New data shows Bitcoin mining in China was already in sharp decline before the latest crackdown by the government. The research by the Cambridge Centre for Alternative Finance (CCAF) found China’s share of mining fell from 75.5% in September 2019 to 46% in April 2021. It also revealed Kazakhstan was now the third most significant […]

There is a battle over the future of the NHS Test and Trace app. Over the next few days it could either be effectively ditched as a key weapon in the battle against Covid-19, or become even more important as cases of the virus multiply. A new poll suggests one in five people have deleted […]

Google has been hit with a €500m (£427m) fine by France’s competition authority for failing to negotiate “in good faith” with news organisations over the use of their content. The authority accused Google of not taking an order to do so seriously. Google told the BBC the decision “ignores our efforts to reach an agreement”. […]

Once again, social-media companies are facing criticism as their platforms are used to racially abuse football players, following the dramatic conclusion of the Euro 2020 men’s tournament on Sunday night. And make no mistake, it is becoming increasingly difficult for the technology giants to defend these incidents. How can they not be held more responsible […]

The free and open internet is under attack in countries around the world, Google boss Sundar Pichai has warned. He says many countries are restricting the flow of information, and the model is often taken for granted. In an in-depth interview with the BBC, Pichai also addresses controversies around tax, privacy and data. And he […]

At the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic, governments around the world decided the smartphone could be a key weapon in their battle to stop the spread of Covid-19. On this week’s Tech Tent, we ask whether their various approaches, from Bluetooth contact-tracing apps to smartphone surveillance, have made a difference. Listen to the latest Tech […]

A recent crackdown on LGBT accounts on Tencent’s popular WeChat platform has divided Chinese social media. Dozens of such accounts, mostly run by university students, had been deleted on Tuesday night – sparking fears of a tightening control over gay content. The closures have garnered a wave of online support for the LGBT community, with […]

Microsoft has issued a fix for a critical bug dubbed PrintNightmare. It says, hackers are using the bug, accidentally disclosed by researchers. It can help them “install programs; view, change, or delete data; or create new accounts with full user rights” remotely on all versions of Windows. It affects the Windows Print Spooler, software that […]

British Airways has settled a legal claim by some of the 420,000 people affected by a major 2018 data breach. The breach affected both customers and BA staff and included names, addresses, and payment-card details. The Information Commissioner’s Office handed BA its largest fine to date, of £20m, over the “unacceptable” failure to protect customers. […]