Social media technology
Social media websites such as Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn have proved enormously popular, and while they are consumer focused, the principles of collaboration and information sharing that they embody are highly relevant for corporate IT. We analyse the latest trends in social media technology, social networking and explain how they can be applied to enterprise IT strategy.
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News
13 Dec 2022
Crime Stoppers Tasmania debuts new reporting portal
Reporting tool will enable the public to share crime-related information with law enforcement agencies to support policing in Tasmania Continue Reading
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News
22 Jan 2021
Google threatens to cut off Australia
Google’s threat to end its Australian Search operation comes in the face of new legislation that would force it to pay media publishers for news content Continue Reading
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News
17 Sep 2020
Swedish bank cuts branches and jobs, increases IT spend
Swedish bank is increasing investment IT to improve digital banking as it reduces its branch network Continue Reading
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Opinion
15 Sep 2020
The harsh reality for newspapers in the fight against Facebook, is that people won’t pay for news
The Australian media is the latest to try to get Facebook and Google to pay for using their news stories. That only exposes the fact that not enough readers want to do so Continue Reading
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News
15 Sep 2020
TikTok-Oracle partnership moves forward for consideration
Joint venture proposal could create thousands of jobs and secure TikTok’s future outside China Continue Reading
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News
14 Sep 2020
Microsoft drops out of TikTok talks, paves way for Oracle partnership
Microsoft confirms it is dropping out of the running to acquire the US operations of TikTok, leaving the way clear for an imminent partnership deal with Oracle Continue Reading
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News
11 Sep 2020
Facebook takes legal action against Irish privacy watchdog
Facebook’s legal action against the Data Protection Commission will attempt to preserve the company’s ability to transfer European citizens’ data to the US despite its lower privacy protections Continue Reading
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News
10 Sep 2020
Irish privacy watchdog orders Facebook to stop sending user data to the US
Irish privacy watchdog orders Facebook to suspend transfers of European citizens’ data to the US after Schrems II ruling that Europeans have no effective way to challenge American government surveillance Continue Reading
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News
03 Sep 2020
M&S and Ocado enter first week of online delivery partnership
Customers can now order M&S food through online supermarket Ocado’s website as part of an ongoing partnership between the two retailers Continue Reading
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News
02 Sep 2020
Asos launches TikTok brand campaign
Fashion brand Asos has launched a campaign on TikTok to bring awareness of its products to a wider audience Continue Reading
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News
27 Aug 2020
Tour de France 2020 fans to get virtual experience delivered by NTT
This year’s Tour de France was delayed because of the Covid-19 pandemic. IT services company NTT has teamed up with event organiser ASO to offer a virtual experience to fans who cannot be at the roadside Continue Reading
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News
27 Aug 2020
TikTok CEO clocks off
TikTok CEO Kevin Mayer has resigned from the firm after just three months Continue Reading
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News
27 Aug 2020
Tech and telecoms advisory group set up to help trade negotiations
Department of International Trade launches new Trade Advisory Groups to guide trade negotiations with other countries Continue Reading
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News
25 Aug 2020
TikTok takes Trump to court
Under-fire video app TikTok files a formal complaint in the federal courts challenging the Trump administration’s attempt to ban it in the US Continue Reading
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News
21 Aug 2020
TikTok’s GDPR compliance probed amid accusations of data misuse
Dutch privacy organisation SOMI claims TikTok falls short in protecting young users, and that it is likely violating GDPR Continue Reading
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News
20 Aug 2020
Social media data leak highlights murky world of data scraping
A data brokerage left its database of 235 million Instagram, TikTok and YouTube profiles exposed to anybody who cared to access it Continue Reading
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News
20 Aug 2020
Pandemic behaviour shift will continue for many consumers, research finds
A large number of customers say the way they have been forced to shop during the pandemic will have a lasting impact on their shopping behaviours Continue Reading
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Feature
20 Aug 2020
Hangar 51 supports startups taking off in travel tech
International Airlines Group’s accelerator programme aims to give travel technology companies a flying start in the sector Continue Reading
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Podcast
18 Aug 2020
TikTok in peril, A-level and Scottish Highers algo fiascos – Computer Weekly Downtime Upload podcast
In this week’s episode of the Computer Weekly Downtime Upload podcast, Caroline Donnelly, Clare McDonald and Brian McKenna discuss the fortunes of TikTok, the A-level results, and the algorithm controversies in which they and Scottish Highers have been mired Continue Reading
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News
18 Aug 2020
Reports Oracle to enter TikTok bidding war
Oracle may be about to make a bid to acquire the US operations of TikTok from its Chinese parent ByteDance, according to the FT Continue Reading
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News
14 Aug 2020
US decision to file new charges against Julian Assange ‘astonishing and potentially abusive’
Lawyer for WikiLeaks founder slams US decision to serve a second indictment at the 11th hour alleging that Assange conspired with hackers, as a potential abuse of process Continue Reading
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Blog Post
13 Aug 2020
Niall Ferguson is inane
Historian Niall Ferguson’s article about TikTok claims the app plays a pivotal role in China’s imperial ambitions, an argument rendered instantly moot by his declaration that he, like us, doesn’t ... Continue Reading
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News
11 Aug 2020
French data protection authorities to probe TikTok as suitors circle
France’s CNIL has confirmed a new investigation into TikTok’s data protection practices Continue Reading
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News
07 Aug 2020
Virgin Media customers targeted in Twitter phish
Customers seeking help from the ISP are being targeted by a scam Twitter account Continue Reading
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News
07 Aug 2020
TikTok to be banned in US in 45 days
Trump says his Executive Orders against Chinese mobile apps are in the interests of dealing with a national emergency Continue Reading
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News
06 Aug 2020
TikTok to open first European datacentre in Ireland during early 2022
The CISO of TikTok has confirmed the social video company's plans to open its first European datacentre in early 2022, as its data security processes come under increased scrutiny from the US government Continue Reading
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News
06 Aug 2020
GCHQ seeks researchers to tackle deep fakes and misinformation
A GCHQ research fellowship based at its Manchester office will explore various national security priorities such as deep fakes, fake news and the impact of AI Continue Reading
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Blog Post
05 Aug 2020
Like a chief in broad daylight
The CEOs of Amazon, Apple, Facebook and Google have all spoken to US Congress in a joint video call to face some stern questions, one of which being: “Do you believe that the Chinese government ... Continue Reading
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News
03 Aug 2020
Microsoft offers way out of TikTok impasse
Microsoft offers to buy TikTok from its Chinese parent to ease security fears in the US Continue Reading
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News
31 Jul 2020
US lawmakers grill big tech chiefs over market power
Sixth antitrust hearing sees CEOs of major technology companies face combative questioning from members of Congress over their market power and dominance Continue Reading
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News
31 Jul 2020
Twitter confirms it was hit by targeted spearphishing attack
Investigation into 15 July 2020 hack of a number of high-profile accounts by cryptocurrency scammers has found evidence of a targeted spearphishing incident Continue Reading
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News
23 Jul 2020
Twitter announces crackdown on QAnon accounts
In a bid to stem the spread of disinformation and prevent real-world harm, Twitter is taking action against QAnon conspiracists Continue Reading
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News
21 Jul 2020
Why now could be the right time to launch a digital bank
Launching a bank during a global crisis is fraught with risk, but an established customer base, experience, agility and diversification could help Zopa do just that Continue Reading
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News
21 Jul 2020
Coronavirus: Government drags its feet on online misinformation
Online misinformation about Covid-19 continues to spread unchecked, according to a DCMS committee report which has accused the government of dragging its feet over online harms Continue Reading
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News
17 Jul 2020
Twitter hack fallout: Investigators on trail of cyber criminals
Investigators are hunting the cyber criminals who broke into Twitter’s systems to hijack prominent accounts, amid concerns that more attacks may come Continue Reading
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News
16 Jul 2020
Schrems v Facebook: European court strikes down EU-US Privacy Shield agreement
The European Court of Justice has struck down Privacy Shield, the EU-US data-sharing agreement, creating uncertainty for European countries that share data with the US and pressuring the US to reform surveillance laws Continue Reading
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News
16 Jul 2020
Room for improvement in Dutch digital skills
The Netherlands has good telecommunications and IT networks that can be used safely and reliably, but there is room for improvement in digital skills among the Dutch Continue Reading
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News
16 Jul 2020
Cryptocurrency scammers attack Twitter in insider breach
Apparent insider breach at Twitter saw so-called “blue tick” accounts of business people, politicians and celebrities hijacked to promote a Bitcoin scam Continue Reading
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News
15 Jul 2020
Video providers slammed by credential stuffing attacks
Attacks on the media sector are spiking as cyber criminals try to gain access to valuable consumer accounts Continue Reading
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Opinion
15 Jul 2020
11 obscure questions, Facebook, Max Schrems and the European Court of Justice
Eleven obscure questions will be the first step towards explaining why we in the UK and Europe have experienced 13 years of what has been described as ‘mass and indiscriminate surveillance’ by the US Continue Reading
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News
14 Jul 2020
European court to decide legality of EU-US data sharing in dispute between Schrems and Facebook
A ruling by the European Court of Justice will have ramifications for hundreds of thousands of companies that share data with the US. The case aims to balance US surveillance laws with the rights of EU citizens to keep their data private Continue Reading
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News
08 Jul 2020
Use of spyware apps linked to domestic abuse soars in lockdown
The rise in domestic violence during the pandemic has been linked to increase use of stalkerware apps by abusers Continue Reading
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News
08 Jul 2020
Over 15 billion credentials for sale on dark web
Research by Digital Shadows reveals the scale of the security threat facing consumers as it uncovers 15 billion usernames and passwords stolen in more than 100,000 different data breaches Continue Reading
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Blog Post
01 Jul 2020
Doubling down with Nick Clegg
As the Stop Hate for Profit campaign inspires over 150 major companies and counting to pull their advertising from Facebook, its appeaser-in-chief has slid open his webcam cover and got back to ... Continue Reading
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Feature
01 Jul 2020
Black Lives Matter, but do bots know that?
The volume of content generated each day necessitates automated moderation to curate everything as it is published, ensuring offensive and objectionable material is blocked. But this only works if systems are adequately configured and reviewed Continue Reading
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News
25 Jun 2020
Peer-to-peer lender Zopa gets full banking licence
Peer-to-peer lending pioneer works towards creating the ‘Netflix of banking’ Continue Reading
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News
23 Jun 2020
Advertisers revolt over Facebook’s inaction on hate speech
Several companies plan to pull their adverts from Facebook in protest at its unwillingness to deal with hateful content on its platforms Continue Reading
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News
19 Jun 2020
Online shopping fraud hits £16m during lockdown
A quarter of victims were aged between 18 and 26, says Action Fraud Continue Reading
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News
19 Jun 2020
Facebook allows US users to disable political ads
Users of the social media platform will soon be able to opt out of seeing politically motivated posts Continue Reading
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News
12 Jun 2020
Twitter kills thousands of misinformation accounts
The accounts were linked to the governments of China, Russia and Turkey, and engaged in systematic operations against pro-democracy activists, political opponents and dissidents Continue Reading
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News
10 Jun 2020
Berlin breaks the national mould to become a global hub
German capital is attracting tech startups from across the world as it cements its position as a leading European hub Continue Reading
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News
09 Jun 2020
Netherlands digital sector yearns for government recognition
The sector building and supporting the Netherlands’ digital infrastructure wants to be valued as highly as Schiphol airport and the port of Rotterdam are for the Dutch economy Continue Reading
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News
05 Jun 2020
Coronavirus: Digital bank Monzo cuts 120 staff
Digital challenger Monzo has announced 120 job cuts as it navigates the current economic slowdown Continue Reading
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News
05 Jun 2020
London Tech Week to go ahead through Zoom
London Tech week will go ahead next week, with the tech industry attending through Zoom Continue Reading
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News
04 Jun 2020
Government evades being pinned to a date for online harms legislation
MPs challenge government on online harms bill timetable, but have to settle for “clear assurances” that it will brought to parliament before the end of the session Continue Reading
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News
04 Jun 2020
Black Lives Matter activists targeted by cyber attacks
Civil liberties organisations are being targeted by far-right trolls as protests over the murder of George Floyd spread worldwide Continue Reading
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News
26 May 2020
Max Schrems accuses Ireland of ‘Kafkaesque’ delay in Facebook GDPR investigation
Privacy campaigner Max Schrems has urged the European Commission to intervene after the Irish Data Protection Commission allegedly used ‘Kafkaesque’ tactics to delay investigations into Facebook’s compliance with GDPR Continue Reading
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News
20 May 2020
Coronavirus: Bahrain sees fintech take-up surge amid Covid-19 crisis
Covid-19 has spurred the use of financial technology in Bahrain, which could boost the industry in the country and wider Gulf region Continue Reading
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News
15 May 2020
Coronavirus: Digital bank’s valuation falls as it seeks funds to ride Covid-19 storm
Monzo is seeking new investment to help it through the coronavirus pandemic Continue Reading
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News
14 May 2020
Coronavirus: Nearly £2bn of UK fintech investment lost so far
Investment into UK fintechs falls dramatically during Covid-19 pandemic as venture capitalists hold back Continue Reading
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Feature
13 May 2020
Surveillance capitalism in the age of Covid-19
Could the Covid-19 coronavirus pandemic further consolidate surveillance capitalist practices and enterprises? Author Shoshana Zuboff warns Computer Weekly it is possible Continue Reading
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News
13 May 2020
Government tells social media companies they must go further to address disinformation
House of Lords committee hears about government collaboration with social media firms to combat pandemic-related disinformation and online harms Continue Reading
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Feature
12 May 2020
Coronavirus: Retailers reach for tech to keep staff connected in the crisis
From fast-tracking home-working strategy, to conducting training and board meetings virtually, read about how retailers are keeping staff connected during the Covid-19 coronavirus crisis Continue Reading
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News
12 May 2020
Opportunity in times of crisis for Nordic tech startups
Nordic tech startups face some major challenges during the Covid-19 pandemic, but this could be the making of some of them Continue Reading
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News
07 May 2020
Zoom buys secure messaging service Keybase
Unified comms platform Zoom says the acquisition of Keybase will finally let it bring end-to-end encryption to the table Continue Reading
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News
07 May 2020
Facebook announces oversight board members
New board will rule on freedom of expression issues and make policy recommendations to social media giant. Continue Reading
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News
07 May 2020
FBI search warrants reveal Trump aide’s messages to WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange
FBI search warrants reveal Trump campaigner Roger Stone sent private messages to WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange after the site published thousands of documents that damaged Hillary Clinton’s election campaign Continue Reading
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News
07 May 2020
Next round of Zoom updates targets consumer security
Casual consumer users of Zoom will get additional protections in an update to be released over the long weekend Continue Reading
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Feature
05 May 2020
Contact tracing: The privacy vs protection debate
The Covid-19 pandemic has necessitated extreme measures not seen in peacetime for over 100 years. Contact-tracing apps are being developed as a tool for managing the pandemic, but are they a step too far? Continue Reading
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Podcast
05 May 2020
Podcast: The Computer Weekly Downtime Upload – Episode 56
In this week’s episode of the Computer Weekly Downtime Upload podcast, Caroline Donnelly and Brian McKenna are joined by Sebastian Klovig Skelton to discuss the 20th anniversary of the Love Bug virus, Shoshana Zuboff on surveillance capitalism, the rise of virtual events in the wake of Covid-19 and Amazon’s difficulties with striking warehouse workers, concerning the virus Continue Reading
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News
04 May 2020
Nordic real estate sector becoming increasingly digital
The Nordic real estate and construction industry is modernising through digital technology, with an injection of urgency amid global pandemic Continue Reading
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News
28 Apr 2020
Under the spotlight, video apps rush to strengthen security
Most popular videoconferencing applications now meet Mozilla’s minimum security standards, with fierce competition and public pressure driving rapid improvement Continue Reading
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News
28 Apr 2020
Covid-19 will decimate fintechs, but those that survive will prosper
The coronavirus will wipe out some fintechs, but those that get through it will share in the next growth phase of the industry's development Continue Reading
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News
27 Apr 2020
UK tech companies launch online safety body
Online Safety Tech Industry Association unites 14 technology companies to drive conversation and policy around online safeguarding Continue Reading
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News
23 Apr 2020
Zoom to roll out fresh cyber security updates
New features include support for advanced AES 256-bit encryption Continue Reading
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News
22 Apr 2020
Traditional banks need to do more than gloss over back-end systems with fintech paint
Banks need to work with fintechs if they are to prosper in the new world, but first they must update their back-end systems Continue Reading
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News
20 Apr 2020
NCSC launches coronavirus cyber security campaign
The National Cyber Security Centre has launched a reporting service for scam emails as part of a campaign to help people protect themselves from cyber criminals exploiting the pandemic Continue Reading
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News
20 Apr 2020
Zoom and WebEx users targeted by credential stealing attempts
Videoconferencing apps such as Zoom and Cisco’s WebEx are being targeted by cyber criminals trying to steal users’ personal data Continue Reading
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News
17 Apr 2020
Coronavirus: How Nominet fights back against malicious domains
Domain name registry has thwarted hundreds of attempts to register malicious .uk domain names during the coronavirus pandemic Continue Reading
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News
15 Apr 2020
Government urged to delay digital services tax amid coronavirus outbreak
Delaying liabilities for a year could help technology companies already stretched thin by the outbreak of the Covid-19 coronavirus pandemic, according to TechUK Continue Reading
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News
15 Apr 2020
Coronavirus: Standard Chartered bans employees from Zoom
Standard Chartered is the first bank to have instructed its staff to refrain from using Zoom Continue Reading
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News
15 Apr 2020
Coronavirus: Lloyds Bank to give thousands of tablet devices to over-70s
Banking group is giving away tablets and basic digital training to help vulnerable customers stay connected during the UK’s Covid-19 lockdown Continue Reading
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News
15 Apr 2020
Coronavirus: Researcher finds security vulnerability in Slack
Some common assumptions about the security of cloud-based messaging platform Slack may not be entirely accurate, says an Alien Labs researcher Continue Reading
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News
14 Apr 2020
Apple and Netflix most imitated brands in phishing attacks
A new report highlights the brands which are being most frequently spoofed by cyber criminals in phishing attacks Continue Reading
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News
14 Apr 2020
Coronavirus: Zoom user credentials for sale on dark web
IntSight researchers say they have found a database containing thousands of Zoom usernames and passwords being sold on the dark web Continue Reading
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News
10 Apr 2020
Coronavirus: Warning over surge in Zoom security incidents
Check Point researchers have observed a surge in suspicious Zoom domains as cyber criminals target popular remote working and collaboration tools Continue Reading
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News
09 Apr 2020
Coronavirus: Zoom restricted or banned at multiple organisations
Use of videoconferencing tool has been banned at Google and in parts of the German and US governments Continue Reading
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News
07 Apr 2020
Coronavirus: Criminals using Zoom installer to spread cryptominer
Videoconferencing application targeted to deliver cryptomining malware to unsuspecting victims Continue Reading
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News
07 Apr 2020
Coronavirus: Microsoft Azure suffers datacentre capacity shortages in Europe
Microsoft is working to “expedite” additional datacentre capacity after reports of users struggling to access resources due to coronavirus demand surge. But how easy will that be amid a global pandemic? Continue Reading
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News
06 Apr 2020
Coronavirus: Nordic tech startups face job cuts amid falling sales and a lack of funding
Tech startups based in the Nordic region face difficult decisions as the Covid-19 pandemic leads to falling sales and investment Continue Reading
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News
05 Apr 2020
Google data shows high interest in security and remote working
An analysis of the most Googled technology terms during the Covid-19 coronavirus pandemic has highlighted the scale of the cyber security challenge presented by the crisis Continue Reading
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Opinion
03 Apr 2020
Coronavirus: What does the ‘new normal’ mean for how we work?
Examining the long-term impact of the Covid-19 coronavirus pandemic on the world of work, security, privacy and networks Continue Reading
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News
02 Apr 2020
Coronavirus: Is Zoom safe and should security teams ban it?
Zoom’s rapid rise to prominence has highlighted a score of security problems with the service. Should CISOs try to steer their organisations away from it, or ban it outright? Continue Reading
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News
01 Apr 2020
Coronavirus: Use of fintech apps in Europe accelerates
Fintech apps are being increasingly used by consumers as restrictions on their movements are put in place Continue Reading
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News
01 Apr 2020
Coronavirus: WHO, Rakuten collaborate on anti-disinformation chatbot
The World Health Organisation and Rakuten Viber have built an interactive, multi-language chatbot to try to get on top of the growing problem of disinformation during the coronavirus pandemic Continue Reading
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News
31 Mar 2020
Too late to protect online privacy, say Brits
Most UK consumers are concerned about data privacy, but think it’s too late to do much about it, according to a report Continue Reading
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News
31 Mar 2020
Houseparty denies hack as credential stuffing attacks spread
Social media service denies its service has been hacked, and is offering a million-dollar bounty to anybody who can prove otherwise Continue Reading
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News
30 Mar 2020
Coronavirus: Viability of half of London’s tech startups threatened
Technology startups in London are fighting for their existence, with business plans for the next three months geared towards survival Continue Reading
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News
30 Mar 2020
Coronavirus: Don’t fall for fake cures, warns UK government
Government urges people to be more vigilant about what they read and share online as it relaunches its Don’t Feed the Beast campaign to counter coronavirus disinformation Continue Reading
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Blog Post
26 Mar 2020
The Disney resort
“There’s nothing more unpleasant than watching grown-ups joining in with TikTok.” The words of Downtime less than two months ago. But as the government furthers its restrictions on UK life, the ... Continue Reading
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News
26 Mar 2020
Nordic fintechs urge financial literacy to be taken seriously before it’s too late
Fintechs in the Nordic region hope to prevent more adults getting into financial difficulty through apps that educate people about managing their finances at an early age Continue Reading
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News
26 Mar 2020
Coronavirus: Be alert to rogue mobile apps exploiting outbreak
Well-meaning developers are beginning to offer medical apps to monitor coronavirus symptoms and provide information on the pandemic. Opportunists and cyber criminals are not far behind them Continue Reading