The Met Police will start using live facial recognition across London
By: Wired January 24, 2020 The Met Police has announced that it will start using controversial live facial recognition systems as part of its regular policing in London. The service has been trialling face matching technology on the streets of the capital since 2016 but will now significantly increase its use. “The use of live […]
Ferrero CEO’s £542m dividend under fire over firm’s tax liability
By: The Guardian January 14, 2020 Giovanni Ferrero, scion of the Italian chocolate empire that makes Kinder Surprise, Nutella and Ferrero Rocher, is paying himself and his family a €642m (£542m) dividend in one of Europe’s biggest-ever paydays. The huge annual dividend payment comes as the company paid just £110,000 tax in the UK last […]
The World’s Most-Profitable Hedge Fund Is Now a Climate Radical
By: Bloomberg January 22, 2019 The hedge fund industry has no shortage of aggressive, in-your-face players, but few are as tough as Chris Hohn. The British billionaire takes the typical playbook to new levels—scuttling deals, pushing to remove bosses, and battering companies with litigation and threats. One opponent was so peeved after losing a boardroom […]
Richer Sounds founder bankrolls push to end zero-hours contracts
By: The Guardian Jan 19, 2020 The millionaire businessman Julian Richer is bankrolling a campaign that aims to stamp out the use of controversial zero-hours contracts in Britain. Zero Hours Justice, which launches today, plans to hold free legal advice clinics around the country for zero-hours workers to identify people whose experiences in the workplace […]
EU Mulls Temporary Ban on Facial Recognition Technology
By: Tech Jan 18, 2020 Facial recognition is on the cusp of its biggest ban yet, as the EU is reportedly mulling over the idea of enacting a temporary ban on the technology until the risks can be appropriately managed. In 2020, it’s safe to say that facial recognition technology is a bit controversial. Activists […]
Study: Tinder, Grindr And Other Apps Share Sensitive Personal Data With Advertisers
By: National Public Radio Jan 14, 2020 A group of civil rights and consumer groups is urging federal and state regulators to examine a number of mobile apps, including popular dating apps Grindr, Tinder and OKCupid for allegedly sharing personal information with advertising companies. The push by the privacy rights coalition follows a report published on Tuesday by the […]
The power-hungry internet
By: BBC Business Daily January 14, 2020 Why our growing use of technology is a threat to the planet. Ed Butler speaks to Ian Bitterlin, a visiting professor at the University of Leeds in the UK and an expert in the data centres that underpin the internet and use vast amounts of energy. Ruiqi Ye, […]
Alphabet on the brink of joining the $1tn club
By: IrishTimes Jan 13, 2020 The stock market value of Google parent Alphabet is on the brink of hitting $1 trillion for the first time, making it the fourth of the Big Tech to reach the milestone. The internet search company came within 1 per cent of the $1 trillion (€899 billion) threshold on Friday, after a […]
Privacy in an Age of Surveillance, with James Bennet and Jamie Bartlett
By: Intelligence Squared January 10, 2020 In this episode we were joined by The New York Times’ editorial page editor James Bennet, to discuss the The New York Times’ fascinating new editorial project, The Privacy Project. James was interviewed on the project by tech journalist Jamie Bartlett. Listen To full Podcast