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Google researchers report major breakthrough in quantum computing
Google has announced an unprecedented breakthrough in quantum computing, with a quantum processor performing a complex calculation in a fraction of the time they say it would have taken the world’s most powerful conventional supercomputers, according to Reuters. Google’s 54-qubit Sycamore processor performed the calculation in 200 seconds, compared to the 10,000 years they say it […]
UK lawmaker questions Facebook on its move to allow misinformation in political ads
A UK lawmaker is challenging Facebook on its decision to exclude political ads from its fact-checking requirements, effectively allowing politicians to lie in Facebook ads, according to The Guardian. The House of Commons’ media committee chair, Damian Collins, pressed Facebook vice president and former deputy prime minister Nick Clegg over the company’s policy change, dropping a ban […]
Researchers spied on users of Amazon and Google’s smart speakers, exposing privacy risks
Security researchers designed apps to spy on users of Amazon Echo and Google Home smart speakers, uncovering vulnerabilities that they say could be exploited by other app developers, according to BBC News. Berlin-based Security Research Labs (SRL) designed eight apps, billed as offering horoscopes and random number generators. Once those apps were approved by Amazon and […]
EU antitrust authorities issue rare interim order against Broadcom, in ongoing probe
Europe’s antitrust authorities have ordered the US chipmaker Broadcom to halt potentially anticompetitive practices while they’re under investigation, in an unusual step that could suggest swifter action against tech giants in the future, according to Reuters. The probe by the Competition Commission, led by antitrust chief Margrethe Vestager, is investigating exclusivity clauses in contracts with six […]
Network crash leaves millions of Three’s UK customers without phone service
A network crash left millions of UK users without phone service on Wednesday, according to The Guardian. UK telecom provider Three said that a “significant majority” of its ten million users had been affected, and many customers were reportedly still without service on Thursday. The outage began late Wednesday night during maintenance on Three’s network infrastructure. UK […]
De La Rue’s Bid to Return to Circulation
De La Rue, the British firm which has printed roughly a third of all banknotes currently in circulation, has recently come to be better known for its long list of scandals. Last year, the company was left red-faced after it was drastically underbid by European competitor Gemalto to produce UK passports; just months ago, the […]
Germany won’t exclude Huawei from its 5G networks, rejecting calls from US
Germany is set to publish new 5G security guidelines that would not exclude Huawei from providing equipment for networks, rejecting calls by US officials to shut out the Chinese tech firm, according to Reuters. Huawei is the world’s leading vendor for telecoms equipment, with 28 percent of global market share, supplying all German operators. They’ve warned […]
UK medtech startup Mogrify raises $20 million to develop innovative cell therapies
The Cambridge-based medtech startup Mogrify has raised $20 million to develop cutting-edge, life-saving cell therapies to treat cancer, autoimmune, respiratory, and musculoskeletal diseases, according to TechCrunch. After raising $4 million in seed funding earlier this year, they’ve now raised another $16 million in Series A funding, from investors including Ahren Innovation Capital, Parkwalk Advisors, 24Haymarket, and the University […]
Visa, Mastercard, and eBay abandon Facebook’s Libra cryptocurrency project
Facebook’s Libra cryptocurrency project suffered a major setback on Friday with the withdrawal of Visa, MasterCard, eBay, and other payment firms, according to BBC News and Ars Technica. PayPal had already announced plans to withdraw from the project last week. The companies were slated to join the Libra Association, a Geneva-based organization that would develop and manage the […]
German startup Lilium reportedly seeks over €450m in funding for air taxis
The German “flying car” startup Lilium is talking to investors in an effort to raise up to $500 million (€453 million) in a new funding round, sources told TechCrunch. Fundraising on that scale would mark the most capital yet raised by an air taxi startup, and could move the prospect closer to becoming a reality. Lilium […]