End of jailbreaking? Apple amends lawsuit to allege copyright infringement in an effort to quash jailbreaking
TECHNOLOGY POWERING BUSINESS
December 2019
2019: Highlights and lowlights for the tech sector
2019 has seen technology and big name tech firms dominate news headlines, amid privacy concerns, digital tax and national security issues
Freeview Disruption Blamed On Atmospherics
Disruption of Freeview television services across the United Kingdom this week blamed on high pressure weather conditions
TSB Staff Fired Over Compensation Claims For IT Meltdown
Five TSB workers fired for allegedly gaming the compensation system set up after the bank's epic IT meltdown in early 2018
Microsoft Takes Control Of ‘Thallium’ Hacking Domains
Cyber win. Web domains used by North Korean hacking group Thallium have been seized by Microsoft
Apple ‘Working On Secret Satellite Data Project’
iPhone maker hiring engineers to develop satellite data tech, potentially allowing it to link iPhones direclty to satellite data services
Amazon Hit By Regulatory Probe Over Deliveroo Stake
UK regulators say Amazon's propoposed purchase of a minority stake in Deliveroo could harm competition in food and grocery deliveries
Swiss President Says Facebook’s Libra Has ‘Failed’ In Current Form
Facebook's Libra cryptocurrency cannot be approved without changes, says president of Switzerland, where Libra Association has headquarters
Amazon Hit By Potential Class-Action Lawsuit Over Ring Security Issues
Lawsuit accuses Amazon and Ring of failing to provide adequate protection against cyber-attacks amidst rash of security incidents
Travis Kalanick To Sever Ties With Uber
Controversial Uber co-founder Travis Kalanick is to step down from the company's board of directors after selling off most of his shares
Sharon White, Kim Mears Honoured In New Year’s List
Former Ofcom chief executive Sharon White and Openreach fibre boss Kim Mears recognised for services to public and telecoms industry
Motorola Delays Arrival Of Razr Folding Phone
Too much demand? Lenovo-owned Motorola delays launch of Razr folding flip smartphone, citing “high demand” as the main reason
Chat App ToTok Is Spy Tool For UAE – Report
ToTok chat and messaging app that is popular in UAE, is allegedly a spy tool for the government, it is claimed in a report
Russia ‘Successfully Tests’ Sovereign Internet – Report
Russian pursuit of “sovereign internet” sees the country test its Internet unplugged from rest of the world
F5 Networks Buys Shape Security For $1bn
Acquisition gives F5 access to Shape's AI-powered, enterprise-grade anti-fraud technologies, including protection against credential stuffing attacks
Twitter Fixes Serious Security Glitch In Android App
Company urges Android users to update to latest version of app after finding bug that could allow account takeovers and information leaks
Reporters Use Leaked Location Data To Track President Trump
New York Times follows Donald Trump's movements in real time as part of exposé into lack of regulation around smartphone tracking industry
Hacker Who Tried To Blackmail Apple Receives No Jail Time
Londoner Kerem Albayrak threatened to factory reset 319 million iCloud accounts in 2017 – but authorities say he was only seeking 'fame and fortune'
Airbnb Wins Top EU Court Ruling Over Regulatory Status
European Court of Justice decides Airbnb is an 'information society service' and not a real estate agent, defeating challenge by Paris city authorities
Facebook Investigating Report Of 267m User Records Posted Online
Data including names and phone numbers could be used by criminals to carry out phishing attacks, in latest Facebook privacy lapse
France Fines Google 150m Euros For Anti-Competitive Behaviour
Anti-competitive behaviour and advertising rule breaches. France hits Google with hefty 150m euros penalty over its online advertising domination
Queen’s Speech Focuses On Gigabit Broadband, Skills, Internet Safety
Broadband pledge. The Queen's speech shows that for tech, the new government will accelerate gigabit broadband, focus on Internet safety, and drive skills growth
Google Offline After Multiple Fibre Cables Cut At Same Time
Simultaneous cutting of fibre optic cables disrupts Internet access across Eastern Europe, Iran and Turkey
Mind Reading Marketing: Predictive Analytics Today
Being able to predict consumer behaviour has been the holy grail of marketing for decades. As businesses now collect masses of data about their customers and their behaviour and, with new AI tools currently available, is predictive ana ...
UK Regulator Turns Attention To Tech Giant Competition Regulation
The UK Competition and Markets Authority says it may consider implementing tougher rules on tech giants over competition concerns
Uber Banned In Germany After Court Ruling
Uber's ride-hailing services in Germany have been banned in seven cities after a court found it lacks appropriate licence
Facebook Wins Data Transfer Opinion Against Max Schrems
ECJ advisor says that personal data transfers from tech companies in the EU into the United States are “valid”, in a victory for Facebook
Amazon, Apple, Google Partner For Smart Home Device Compatibility
Smart home connectivity standard sees Amazon, Apple and Google partner up with Zigbee Alliance to develop new open source protocol
IBM’s New Battery Design Utilises Seawater
No heavy metals. New battery design from IBM boffins does not use cobalt and instead uses minerals extracted from sea water
Silicon in Focus: CES 2020
As CES 2020 approaches, Silicon spoke with leading technology specialists and asked what they think are the highlights of the forthcoming event.
Google Removes Avast, AVG Extensions From Chrome Web Store
Google takes action over data collection concerns about browser extensions from Avast, AVG, joining similar action by Mozilla and Opera
Google Staffer Claims She Was Fired Over Worker Rights
Security engineer claims she was fired for Chrome popup about the protection of worker rights at the search engine giant
Google Chat Arrives For US Android Users
Android users in the United States can now access 'Chat', but a number of major US carriers have yet to allow RCS to connect to other users
Germany Delays Huawei 5G Decision
German government delays Huawei 5G decision until 2020, despite pressure from local operators against ban
The Promise of the Blockchain
The blockchain could become one of the most disruptive technologies ever created. However, with sluggish uptake, what is preventing the blockchain from fulfilling its promise, and how can enterprises leverage the blockchain to deliver ...
WhatsApp Bug Can Wipe Out Group Chats, Warns Check Point
Devastating bug found by Check Point that can permanently destroy group chats within WhatsApp with just one text
Ofcom Mulls Ban On Selling ‘Locked’ Phones
Easier switching to other providers. UK regulator begins consultation on ban on smartphones locked to particular mobile networks
Facebook Payroll Data Stolen After Theft From Car – Report
Personal banking information for tens of thousands of Facebook staff compromised after hard drive theft from a car in the United States
Intel Pays $2 Billion For AI Firm Habana Labs
Chipmaker continues to open the cheque book to fund growth of its AI expertise and portfolio, with $2 billion Habana Labs purchase
Tech Giants Sued Over Cobalt Mining Deaths
Apple, Google, Dell, Tesla and Microsoft sued for deaths and injuries of child miners of cobalt in the Democratic Republic of Congo
Where is Your Threat Perimeter?
As business transform into agile organizations, the traditional perimeters a company could defend against attack have expanded and become less well-defined. In an age where mobile devices, the cloud and the burgeoning IoT revolution, h ...
German Union Calls For Amazon Strike Before Christmas
Amazon could be facing possible strike action in Germany, after Verdi trade union calls for walkout at key distribution hub
Safra Catz Confirmed As Oracle CEO After Mark Hurd Death
Larry Ellison confirms Safra Catz as the sole CEO of Oracle going forward, after the tragic death of fellow CEO Mark Hurd in October
Ransomware Forces New Orleans To Declare State Of Emergency
Another ransomware victim. Staff told to switch off computers as government of New Orleans declares state of emergency
Tesla To Be Investigated After Police Car Crash
US government agency confirms it will investigate crash last week that saw a Tesla on autopilot rear end a stationary police car
Iran Defeats ‘Second Cyber-Attack’, Minister Claims
Telecoms minister of Iran says his country has foiled a second cyber-attack targetting government systems in less than a week
Hacked Ring Camera Found In Child’s Bedroom
Parental nightmare. Video of young girl being shared online, shows her talking to stranger in her bedroom via hacked camera
Huawei Sidelined In Norway After Telenor Opts For Ericsson
Norway's largest telecom provider Telenor is to phase out Huawei equipment as it opts for 5G kit from Ericsson
Boris Johnson Victory: What It Means For Tech Sector
What does the general election victory of Boris Johnson and the Conservatives mean for the technology sector? Silicon UK takes a quick look
Post Office Settles Horizon IT System Dispute
Post Office to pay nearly £58m after years of fraud disputes with sub postmasters over the Horizon accounting system
YouTube Tightens Harassment Rules With Policy Update
Harassment clampdown. Videos that “maliciously insult someone” or threaten violence will be banned
DoJ To Investigate Google’s Fitbit Acquisition – Report
What you going to do with that data? US Justice Depart will include acquisition probe into its existing Google investigation
Blue Origin Launches Space Tourism Test Rocket
Space firm of Jeff Bezos launches its 12th test flight of its rocket designed to carry tourists into space
Unified Silicon Architecture Touted With Cisco Silicon One
First-ever single, unified silicon architecture launched with Cisco Silicon One, as foundation for all routers going forward
Government Departments Admit Rise In Lost Laptops
FoI requests from Apricorn reveals soaring levels of missing laptops from government departments, with the Ministry Of Justice the chief culprit
Microsoft Pulls The Plug On Windows 10 Mobile
The day that Windows Mobile died. No more support or bug fixes, as Microsoft finally calls time on mobile OS ambitions
Telefonica Deutschland Opts For Nokia, Huawei 5G Kit
Unlike its counterpart in the UK, O2 in Germany opts to use 5G equipment from Huawei, despite ongoing US pressure on its allies
Patch Tuesday Fixes Zero-Day Flaw, As Windows 7 Cut Off Looms
Only one more Patch Tuesday update for Windows 7 users in January 2020, as Microsoft delivers its final security update of 2019
US Senators Threaten Tech Firms With Encryption Regulation
Give law enforcement access to encryption or we will regulate the technology, US Senators threaten tech firms Facebook and Apple
Microsoft Confirms 2020 Closure Of Wunderlist
Costly purchase? Popular to do app receives its final marching orders and will be closed down for good on 6 May 2020
Xerox Approaches HP Shareholders With Hostile Takeover
Xerox has approached HP's shareholders directly with its proposal that includes redundancies and asset sales, to tempt them with cash returns
Apple ‘Deeply Concerned’ Former Staff May Flee To China – Report
Former Apple staff who allegedly stole data concerning its self-driving cars, present a flight risk US prosecutors have told a US court
Autopilot Tesla Crashes Into Police Car
Tesla Model 3 in autopilot self-driving mode crashes into stationary police car in the US, as driver was occupied checking his dog
Amazon’s Pentagon JEDI Complaint Blames President Trump
US President Donald Trump has been named in official AWS complaint over Pentagon JEDI cloud contract award to Microsoft Azure
Intel Chip Aims To Make Quantum Computers Scalable
'Horse Ridge' chip simplifies qubit control systems, paving the way toward practical, commercially viable quantum computers
Nokia Halts Legal Action Against Daimler To Boost Mediation Efforts
Nokia changes tactics as it seeks to negotiate with car makers over technology royalties while avoiding a European Commission competition probe
EU Queries News Publishers On Google Data Practices
European Commission asks news publishers for details on how Google collects user data from their sites as it launches online ad competition probe
EU Approves 3.2bn Euro Subsidy For Battery Research
European Commission gives go-ahead to massive investment aimed at building an EU battery industry to support electric vehicles
Huawei To Expand Harmony OS To More Devices Next Year
Huawei plans to use its Android alternative operating system in more gadgets next year, as it produces its first smartphones without US-made parts
Ericsson To Pay $1bn To Settle US Corruption Charges
Ericsson promises to improve ethics after admitting to carrying out corrupt activities over more than a decade, including bribes of goverment officials
Facebook Sues Firm For ‘Celeb Bait’ Adverts That Installed Malware
Social networking giant takes action against advertising fraud with a lawsuit against Hong Kong firm
Google Accused By US Union Of Illegally Firing Staff
Staff issues. Communications Workers of America union files federal labour charge against Google over its firing of four members of staff
Tech Trends and Challenges for CIOs and CTOs in 2020
As 2020 approaches, Silicon asks CIOs and CTOs what the tech landscape will look like and, what challenges they expect to face.
Apple iPhone Collects Location Data Even If Turned Off, Warns Krebs
Flagship iPhone 11 Pro will track a user's location, even when location settings are turned off, researcher warns. Apple promises change
Wi-Fi 6 Standard Delivers 700Mbps Download, Says WBA
Need for speed? Wireless Broadband Alliance carries out challenging wireless test (across a factory floor) of the Wi-Fi 6 standard
AWS Boss Points To ‘Political Interference’ Over Pentagon’s JEDI Decision
Amazon cloud boss cites 'significant political interference' over Pentagon decision to award JEDI contract to Microsoft Azure
Huawei Launches Fresh Legal Challenge Against US Ban
Chinese networking giant launches second legal challenge to US exclusion order for rural mobile operators buying Huawei equipment
John McAfee Launches Second Presidential Bid
President McAfee? Bid to become president of the United States launched by colourful former security tycoon John McAfee
Elon Musk Concludes Court Appearance
Tesla boss insists his “pedo guy” comments were meant as an off-the-cuff insult, and not to be taken seriously, Unsworth disagrees
Boris Johnson Warns Huawei Could Still Be Excluded From 5G
Not so fast. Prime Minister Boris Johnson hints Huawei role in 5G might harm UK security after President Trump warning about Chinese firm
Instagram Implements Date Of Birth Requirement For New Users
New users of Instagram will be required to submit their date of birth in an effort to safeguard youngsters and deliver more age-appropriate experiences
Mozilla Removes Avast, AVG Extensions From Firefox Store
Add-ons from security vendor Avast pulled from Firefox online store, after they are accused of spying on user's web surfing habits
NATO Calls For Secure 5G, As Trump Warn Of Huawei Security Risk
NATO says it is “committed to ensuring the security of our communications, including 5G”, as US President continues to warn about Huawei risk
Boris Johnson Backs Digital Tax, Despite US Opposition
Prime Minister defies US President Trump and insists British digital tax on US tech giants will proceed
Elon Musk Says Sorry To British Diver For ‘Pedo Guy’ Tweet
Tesla boss in court apologises directly to Vernon Unsworth, but also admits to hiring private detective to investigate British diver
Google Founders Larry Page, Sergey Brin Step Down
End of an era as Google co-founders step down from leadership roles, with Sundar Pichai taking over the Alphabet CEO position
Twitter’s CEO Jack Dorsey To Live In Africa
CEO of micro-blogging platform says he will move to Africa for three to six months next year
Facebook Tool To Upload Images, Video To Google Photos
Data portability. Facebook users can now transfer their photos and videos on the social networking platform to Google Photos
US Embassy Files Extradition Request For Mike Lynch
US presses ahead despite ongoing court case in the UK, and files extradition request for Dr Mike Lynch
Elon Musk Heads To Court Over ‘Pedo’ Tweet
Tesla boss Elon Musk to face the British diving specialist he accused of being a paedophile, in Los Angeles courtroom today
FBI Warns Of FaceApp ‘Counterintelligence Threat’
Russian connection over app that ages people’s faces, results in FBI issuing an official warning of its 'counterintelligence threat'
Digital Tax Payback As US Vows Tax On Champagne, Cheese
Cheese, champagne, and handbags may be hit with punitive duties of up to 100% by the United States in response to France's digital tax
Intel Says Qualcomm Forced It Out Of Smartphone Modem Market
'Brazen' licensing practices allowed Qualcomm to skew market in its own favour, Intel alleges ahead of antitrust appeal set for early next year
Transport For London Locks Oyster, Contactless Accounts As ‘Precaution’
Users must reset online passwords after Oyster accounts maliciously accessed over the summer, but in the meantime cards can still be used for travel
Internet Activists Call For Halt To .Org Sale
Internet campaign groups say the sale of the .org registry to a private equity group could mean 'significant harm' for non-profits
European Commission Launches New Google Data Probe
Commission taking a new look into Google's collection and use of data in wake of multiple antitrust decisions and 8 billion euros in fines
Free Broadband? The Politics of Tech
With news that if the Labour Party were to win power, they would nationalise BT’s fixed-line network, effectively delivering free high-speed broadband to all, Silicon assesses the practicality of the policy and asks industry experts if ...
China Law Requires Face Scans For Mobile Services
New law requires biometric identification for SIM card purchases, but detractors call the move 'dystopian' and say it could aid scammers
Unpatched Android Flaw Exploited To Steal Banking Logins
Unpatched 'StrandHogg' vulnerability found to be targeting at least 60 financial institutions, but could also be used to carry out range of other attacks