The Information Commissioners’ Office (ICO) is to talk to Meta about how its virtual reality (VR) business Oculus complies with the regulator’s “children’s code”. The code aims to ensure that online services likely to be accessed by children are appropriate for their use. A campaign group recently found evidence of harassment of under-18s in a […]
Category Archives: Uncategorized
Crisis-hit Sri Lanka asks China to restructure its debt
The president of crisis-hit Sri Lanka has asked China to restructure its debt repayments as part of efforts to help the South Asian country navigate its worsening financial situation. Gotabaya Rajapaksa made the request during a meeting with Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi on Sunday. In the last decade China has lent Sri Lanka over […]
France fines Google and Facebook over cookies
French regulators have hit Google and Facebook with fines totalling 210m euros (£175m) over use of cookies. Data privacy watchdog the CNIL said both sites were making it difficult for internet users to refuse the online trackers. Consent for the use of cookies is key to the EU’s data-privacy regulation and a major priority for […]
Drone helps save cardiac arrest patient in Sweden
An autonomous drone has helped to save the life of a 71-year-old man who was suffering a cardiac arrest. The drone delivered a defibrillator to a doctor helping the man, who became ill while shovelling snow outside his house in Trollhattan, Sweden. The man, who didn’t wish to be named, told the BBC it was […]
Vodafone and EE delay EU roaming charges return
Vodafone is delaying the reintroduction of roaming charges in Europe by three weeks. The phone network had planned to bring in post-Brexit roaming fees on 6 January, matching other networks who plan to do so in 2022. But it said more time was needed for testing, and the change will now come in at the […]
China Mobile shares rise in Shanghai debut after US exit
China Mobile shares have risen as they started trading in Shanghai after raising $7.7bn (£5.7bn) in China’s biggest public offering in a decade. The shares opened 9.4% higher before easing back in morning trade. China Mobile’s smaller rivals, China Telecom and China Unicom, have already made the move to their home country. The three firms […]
Top US phone firms reject call to delay 5G rollout
Two of the biggest US phone firms have rejected a government request to delay the rollout of 5G services this week. The US Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) made the request over concerns about aviation safety. However, AT&T and Verizon did say they will implement temporary safeguards. Plane makers have […]
Tesla to recall 475,000 cars in the US
Tesla is to recall more than 475,000 cars in the US, according to documents filed with the US safety regulator. The electric vehicle firm announced it was recalling 356,309 vehicles because of potential rear-view camera issues affecting 2017-2020 Model 3 Teslas. A further 119,009 Model S vehicles will also be recalled because of potential problems […]
Elon Musk rejects claims that his satellites are hogging space
Elon Musk has rejected claims that his Starlink satellite internet project is taking up too much room in space. “Tens of billions” of satellites can be accommodated in orbits close to Earth, he told the Financial Times. His comments come after a claim by the head of the European Space Agency (ESA) that Mr Musk […]
Riot Games to pay $100m in discrimination case
Riot Games, the studio best known for League of Legends, has agreed to pay $100m (£74.3m) to settle a 2018 class-action gender discrimination case. The settlement will “remedy violations against approximately 1,065 women employees and 1,300 women contract workers”, California’s Department of Fair Employment & Housing (DFEH) wrote. DFEH said the firm engaged in “systemic […]