Twitter says the UK’s Conservative Party altered its account to pose as an independent fact-checker
Twitter says that the Conservative Party altered an official account to give the impression of an impartial fact-checking service, in an attempt to mislead the public ahead of the UK’s general elections, according to The Guardian. During a debate Tuesday night between Boris Johnson and Jeremy Corbyn, the party changed the name of its campaign headquarters press office […]
With its political ad ban, Twitter will also limit microtargeting for ‘issue’ ads
Twitter says it will place limits on microtargeting for issue-based ads, as part of its wider ban on political advertising, according to The Telegraph. The move could put additional pressure on Facebook to make similar changes. The debate over political ads on digital platforms has heated up in recent months, driven in part by Facebook’s decision to […]
EU competition chief says she won’t yet call for breaking up tech giants
European competition chief Margrethe Vestager has said that despite problems with large technology companies, she’s not yet ready to take the step of breaking them up, according to VentureBeat and Business Insider. During an interview at the Web Summit in Lisbon, Portugal on Thursday, Vestager said: “From a competition point of view, you would have to do something […]
Facebook and Google may limit micro-targeting for political ads
Facebook and Google are considering plans to limit micro-targeting for political advertisements, according to The Guardian, following widespread criticism over ad policies and their effect on the democratic process. Micro-targeting allows advertisers to precisely target small segments of users, tailoring ads for each one. In political advertising, critics are concerned that politicians can use micro-targeting to promote […]
Google is set to acquire FitBit for $2.1 billion
Google is planning to purchase the wearable fitness tracker company FitBit for $2.1 billion, according to BBC News. With the acquisition, Google will now compete directly with Apple and other wearable technology companies, and will gain access to detailed health data from millions of FitBit users. “With Google’s resources and global platform, Fitbit will be able […]
Facebook agrees to pay a £500k fine to the UK over the Cambridge Analytica data scandal
Facebook has agreed to pay a £500,000 fine to the UK’s Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) over the Cambridge Analytica scandal, in which nearly 90 million users had their personal data shared with the political consulting firm without their knowledge or consent. The social media company has now withdrawn its appeal after a year of litigation, agreeing […]
British chipmaker ARM says it will continue to supply Huawei
UK-based chip manufacturer ARM says it will continue to provide its chip designs to Huawei, after their legal team found that the technology is “of UK origin” and not subject to a US trade ban against the Chinese tech company, according to Reuters. It’s a reversal from earlier this year when ARM told staff to suspend their […]
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 […]
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 […]
EU report outlines new cybersecurity risks with 5G
5G mobile networks could bring new cybersecurity vulnerabilities to European infrastructure, according to a joint risk assessment report published by EU member states. The European Commission and Finland, which currently holds the rotating EU presidency, warned in a joint statement: “In this context of increased exposure to attacks facilitated by suppliers, the risk profile of […]