Category: News
ShinyShiny snippets: TikTok raise livestreaming age to 18
TikTok is raising its minimum age for livestreaming from 16 to 18 from next month. A BBC News investigation found hundreds of accounts going live from Syrian refugee camps, with children begging for donations. Some were receiving up to $1,000 (£900) an hour - but when they withdrew the cash, TikTok had taken up to…
ShinyShiny snippets: Nearly 1 million Brits have cancelled streaming services this year
Almost 1m British households have given up on the streaming revolution so far this year, as the cost of living crisis forces increasingly budget-conscious consumers to stop taking services such as Netflix, Amazon Prime Video and Disney+. The premiere of two of the most-hyped and expensive shows of all time – the $650m (£580m) productions of Rings of…
ShinyShiny snippets: Kanye to buy social media platform Parler
Kanye West is to buy the social media platform Parler, the company's current owner has announced. Parlement Technologies said it had reached an agreement in principle to sell the "pioneering uncancelable free speech platform" to the rapper, who now goes by the name Ye. West said: "In a world where conservative opinions are considered to…
ShinyShiny: Record number want next car to be EV, claims RAC
A record number of drivers want their next car to be electric, but the cost of living crisis is forcing many to delay making the switch to a more eco-friendly vehicle. The RAC said a record 14% of drivers say their next car will be electric, up from 10% last year and just 3% in…
ShinyShiny snippets: TikTok ‘takes up to 70% of proceeds to displaced Syrian families’
Displaced families in Syrian camps are begging for donations on TikTok while the company takes up to 70% of the proceeds, a BBC investigation found. Children are livestreaming on the social media app for hours, pleading for digital gifts with a cash value. The BBC saw streams earning up to $1,000 (£900) an hour, but…
ShinyShiny snippets: Daughter of Online Safety laws MP addicted to social media
Claudia Collins, daughter of MP Damian Collins. Image: BBC The daughter of the minister drafting new online safety laws has admitted she is “addicted to social media” as she challenged tech giants to do more to protect teenagers from self-harm and suicide. Claudia Collins, 15, made her impassioned plea in…
Shiny snippets: Google releases first smartwatch, the Pixel Watch
Technology company Google has released the Google Pixel Watch which has a sleek circular face and includes a Fitbit activity tracker. The Google Pixel Watch is the latest edition to the company's Google Pixel collection of digital devices, which includes smartphones, laptops and tablets. The Google Pixel Watch is the company's first smartwatch. Comprising a bulbous dome-shaped glass watch face mounted on…
ShinyShiny snipppets: Elon Musk Twitter deal back on!
Twitter has confirmed that Elon Musk has offered to buy the company for a second time this year. The website said in a statement that it plans to agree to the offer at 54.20 dollars (£47.23) per share, the same price Mr Musk previously put forward. The total value of the deal would be 44…
ShinyShiny snippets: Fitbit devices to require Google account from 2023
Google completed its acquisition of Fitbit last year and rebranded it "Fitbit by Google," but Fitbit continued to launch wearables as it used to before getting acquired. And while customers can currently use Fitbit accounts for new devices and services, things will change from 2023 onwards. Fitbit has updated its support page to reveal that after the launch…
Bosses believe workers aren’t as productive at home, Microsoft report shows
A major new survey from Microsoft shows that bosses and workers fundamentally disagree about productivity when working from home. Bosses worry about whether working from home is as productive as being in the office. While 87% of workers felt they worked as, or more, efficiently from home, 80% of managers disagreed. The survey questioned more…
