BATTERYFORPC BLOG
Instagram: Presenter Rachel Riley received series of porn messages
A television presenter was sent 31 videos of a penis by a single man on Instagram direct messages (DMs). Rachel Riley, who co-presents Countdown, said knowing that people have sent her these "turns my stomach". The DMs were uncovered by disinformation researchers the Center for Countering Digital Hate (CCDH). Instagram, owned by Meta, said the platform offers a way to filter abusive m ... Read more
2022-04-06 20:09:09
Amazon secures rockets for broadband project
Over the next five years, three new heavy-lift rockets will put thousands of satellites into low earth orbit as part of Amazon's Project Kuiper. The project aims to provide broadband connections using a constellation of 3,236 satellites. Rival Starlink is said to have more than 2,300 satellites in orbit already. The rockets will be made by Arianespace, Blue Origin - which was founded by Amazon ... Read more
2022-04-06 20:08:32
Cryptocurrency: UK Treasury to regulate some stablecoins
The Treasury has announced that it will regulate some cryptocurrencies as part of a wider plan to make the UK a hub for digital payment companies. So-called "stablecoins" will become recognised forms of payment to give people confidence in using digital currencies, it said. Stablecoins are designed to have a stable value linked to traditional currencies or assets like gold. They are c ... Read more
2022-04-05 20:14:51
Twitter moves to limit Russian government accounts
Twitter has limited content from more than 300 official Russian government accounts, including that of Russian President Vladimir Putin. The accounts will no longer be recommended in timelines, notifications or elsewhere on the site, Twitter said. The company said it would take action against any country which "restricts access to the open internet while they're engaged in armed conflict&qu ... Read more
2022-04-05 20:14:34
Broadband firms 'must do more to promote social tariffs'
As the cost of living rises it is "vital" that broadband firms do more to promote discounted broadband for low-income households, the government says. In a letter to broadband suppliers, Culture Secretary Nadine Dorries noted only 1-2% of Universal Credit claimants take up social tariffs. Ofcom has previously said that 84% of benefit recipients were unaware of social tariff packages. ... Read more
2022-04-05 20:14:08
Twitter confirms it is working on an edit button
Twitter has confirmed that it is working on an edit button that would allow users to change tweets after they have been posted. It comes after new board member, Tesla boss Elon Musk, asked his followers in a Twitter poll whether they wanted the feature. Many users have long called for an edit button but there are concerns about how to execute it. Twitter said it would start testing the idea in ... Read more
2022-04-05 20:13:49
Elon Musk becomes Twitter's biggest shareholder
Elon Musk has taken a 9.2% stake in Twitter, according to a US securities filing. The announcement sent Twitter shares soaring by more than 27% in New York trading on Monday. Tesla's chief executive owned 73,486,938 shares in the social media platform as of 14 March, according to the Securities and Exchange Commission. The stake is worth $2.89bn (£2.2bn), based on Twitter's closing price on Fri ... Read more
2022-04-05 20:11:35
Facebook users angry after accounts locked for no reason
Facebook users around the world have been waking up to find themselves locked out of their accounts for no apparent reason. The message many received reads: "Your Facebook account was disabled because it did not follow our Community Standards. This decision can't be reversed." One user told the BBC there was no warning or explanation given. Parent firm Meta said it was investigating. ... Read more
2022-04-01 19:56:23
China's WeChat suspends some accounts linked to NFTs
China's popular WeChat messaging app has suspended some accounts linked to non-fungible tokens (NFTs), to prevent speculation in the digital assets. The platform says it has "rectified" accounts which it found to be promoting NFT market speculation, that can help to drive up prices. There are no regulations against NFTs in China, although the trading of cryptocurrencies was banned last ... Read more
2022-04-01 19:56:02
Lapsus$: Two UK teenagers charged with hacking for gang
Two teenagers from the UK have appeared in court charged with hacking for a major cyber-crime gang. A 16- and 17-year-old appeared at Highbury Corner youth court, in London, on Friday charged with a number of cyber-offences. The two boys have been released on bail, subject to certain conditions. They were arrested as part of an international police investigation into the Lapsus$ gang, which has ... Read more
2022-04-01 19:55:38