BATTERYFORPC BLOG
Apple boss Tim Cook faces backlash to £73m pay package
Investors are being urged to vote against a $99m (£73m) pay package awarded to Apple boss Tim Cook last year. Institutional Shareholder Services (ISS) said it has "significant concerns" over the size of the award, up from $14.8m the year before. Mr Cook, whose net worth is reportedly more than £1bn, received the pay in shares, salary, and for other costs. The BBC has contacted Apple f ... Read more
2022-02-17 18:36:54
Amazon workers in Alabama vote again on joining union
Amazon warehouse workers in Bessemer, Alabama, are voting again on whether to join a union. It follows a ruling from the US National Labour Relations Board (NLRB), that Amazon had interfered with the previous election. More than 6,000 workers are eligible to vote to join the Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union (RWDSU). Workers have until March 25 to vote, and results will be counted at ... Read more
2022-02-16 20:25:47
Google moves to make Android apps more private
Google's plan to limit data tracking on its Chrome browser has been extended to cover apps on its Android-based smartphones. Its so-called Privacy Sandbox project aims to curb the amount of user data that advertisers can gather. Rival Apple now forces app developers to ask permission from users before tracking them. The news will be a blow to firms like Meta, which rely on putting their code on ... Read more
2022-02-16 20:25:29
Twitter expands its crackdown on trolling and hate
Twitter is to expand its Safety Mode feature, which lets users temporarily block accounts that send harmful or abusive tweets. The system will flag accounts using hateful remarks, or those bombarding people with uninvited comments, and block them for seven days. Half of the platform's users in the UK, US, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and Ireland will now have access. And they can also now use ... Read more
2022-02-16 20:25:02
Elon Musk's brain chip firm denies animal cruelty claims
Neuralink, the firm set up by Tesla boss Elon Musk to develop a device which connects our brains to computers, has denied animal cruelty claims. A complaint filed last week to the US Department of Agriculture alleged cruel treatment of macaque monkeys which are being used to test the technology. In a blog, Neuralink said it worked with animals in the "most humane and ethical way possible&qu ... Read more
2022-02-15 18:47:22
Norfolk County Council sues Apple in class action
A case led by Norfolk County Council against Apple has been granted class-action status by a judge in California. The Council claims a pension fund it runs lost money after Apple allegedly misled shareholders in 2018 about the performance of its business in China. Judge Yvonne Gonzalez-Rogers' decision means Apple could face significantly larger damages if it loses. The BBC has approached Apple ... Read more
2022-02-15 18:46:54
74% of ransomware revenue goes to Russia-linked hackers
New analysis suggests that 74% of all money made through ransomware attacks in 2021 went to Russia-linked hackers. Researchers say more than $400 million worth of crypto-currency payments went to groups "highly likely to be affiliated with Russia". Russia has denied accusations that it is harbouring cyber-criminals. Researchers also claim "a huge amount of crypto-currency-based m ... Read more
2022-02-14 18:54:13
Fusion race kicked into high gear by smart tech
A US company is speeding up the path to practical fusion energy by using Google's vast computing power. By applying software that can improve on its own, TAE Technologies has cut down tasks that once took two months to just a few hours. Google has lent the firm its expertise in "machine learning" in order to help accelerate the timeline for fusion. Nuclear fusion promises a plentiful ... Read more
2022-02-13 19:13:24
Crypto exchange Binance to take $200m stake in Forbes
Binance, one of the world's biggest cryptocurrency firms, will take a $200m (£147.6m) stake in Forbes in the latest twist for the 105-year-old media brand. Forbes, known for its ranking of billionaires, said the deal would help make it a leader supplying information about digital assets, like Bitcoin. But news of the investment sparked questions among media watchers about potential conflicts of ... Read more
2022-02-13 19:12:31
Arm boss: We can do it by ourselves
After years of major regulatory struggle in the UK, US and EU, what would have been the biggest computer-chip deal in history is now dead in the water. But the new boss of Arm, the Cambridge-based company often described as one of the UK's biggest technology success stories, is upbeat. And although he blames the failure of Arm's planned sale to Nvidia on a "challenging regulatory environmen ... Read more
2022-02-11 18:25:31