Category: Tech
ShinyShiny snippets: TikTok fined £12.7m by UK’s data watchdog
TikTok has been fined £12.7m for failing to protect the privacy of children, the UK's data watchdog has said. An investigation conducted by the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) found the video-sharing app breached data protection law. It says the breaches happened between May 2018 and July 2020. TikTok says it disagrees with the ICO's decision.…
Six tips on protecting the personal information stored on your mobile phone
For millions of people, smartphones act as a lifeline, helping us manage our day-to-day activities, keeping us connected to friends, family and colleagues no matter where we are in the world. However, thanks to modern technology smartphones allow us to store everything on our phones from online banking details and medical information to pictures and…
Searches for ‘Tik Tok banned’ up 488%, according to Google Trends
TikTok has come under serious scrutiny in recent weeks, being banned from UK and US government devices, among others. Domains and hosting provider Fasthosts used Google Trends to investigate how current events have affected search trends in the past month. From researching why these bans have taken place, to deleting the app themselves, the way the public…
ShinyShiny snippets: Elon Musk among those calling for halt in AI training
Key figures in artificial intelligence want training of powerful AI systems to be suspended amid fears of a threat to humanity. They have signed an open letter warning of potential risks, and say the race to develop AI systems is out of control. Twitter chief Elon Musk is among those who want training of AIs…
ShinyShiny snippets: Pope Francis in puffer jacket was (not surprisingly) a deep fake
On March 25, 2023, a photo that appeared to show 86-year-old Pope Francis out and about in a fashionable white puffer jacket went viral on social media. As many who saw it suspected, it was actually a deepfake image created via artificial intelligence (AI). It originally appeared on Reddit in the r/midjourney subreddit. Midjourney is an app that generates images from natural-language…
ShinyShiny: TikTok boss faces grilling at US congressional hearing
Bruising, damaging, relentless. TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew faced four-and-a-half hours of questioning at a US congressional hearing on Thursday. As one congressman pointed out, some people run marathons quicker than that. Mr Chew will certainly be feeling it, after a torrid time giving evidence. Many tech execs have stood before Congress, and they often…
ShinyShiny snippets: TikTok facing complete US ban
TikTok is facing a complete ban in the US over fears that China is using the app as a covert tool for spying and spreading propaganda. CEO Shou Chew will testify before Congress on Thursday, with members of the House Energy and Commerce Committee set to raise their concerns about how much access the Chinese…
3 in 4 women play mobile games daily, report claims
Mobile gaming is soaring in popularity as the 'go-to' for women of all ages for relaxation, stress relief and mental stimulation, according to a new global research report commissioned by GameHouse. In celebration of Women's History Month, GameHouse commissioned Pollfish to survey over 800 US and UK consumers aged 18 years+ through 65 years+ about…
ShinyShiny snippets: Oppo Find X6 and X6 Pro launch with cameras galore
We were left impressed with Oppo's Find X5 Pro last year, so naturally, we have high expectations for its successor. As announced earlier, the upcoming Oppo Find X6 Pro meets the basic requirements you'd expect from a 2023 flagship: Qualcomm's Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 processor, Sony's IMX989 "1-inch" sensor for the main camera, a bright 6.82-inch 3,168 x…
World Sleep Day: 10 tips for a better night’s rest
A top sleep expert has given 10 top tips on how to curate your bedroom space for the perfect night of slumber – including banishing the floordrobe, putting bed socks on and keeping anything work-related away from the bed. Ahead of World Sleep Day (Friday 17th March), expert Hannah Shore has also revealed that watching…
