BATTERYFORPC BLOG
Wikipedia in Chinese editing war of words
Wikipedia's ability to retain balance on Chinese issues has been called into question following the global platform's ban preventing several mainland Chinese "editors" writing and updating pages. Against the backdrop of tensions between Hong Kong and mainland China, the quelled demonstrations of 2019 and 2020 have turned into a war of words between Wikipedia editors who are pro-democrac ... Read more
2021-10-31 20:01:08
Facebook's metamorphosis - will it work?
The corporation formerly known as Facebook has a new name Meta. There will still be a Facebook, and an Instagram and all the familiar platforms, as this is simply a renaming of the parent company alone. The new name also invites people to participate on its "next chapter" - a 3D journey into the metaverse, which it sees as the future of the internet. But some analysts wonder if the pu ... Read more
2021-10-31 20:00:17
Tech Tent: Looking both back and forward
This week's Tech Tent has a nostalgic feel. It was recorded in the dim, distant past when Meta was called Facebook and was facing huge reputational problems. We hear from Damian Collins, a long-term critic of Facebook who chaired the UK parliamentary committee which heard from whistleblower Frances Haugen this week. And we talk to Saurabh Shukla, founder and editor-in-chief of NewsMobile, a thir ... Read more
2021-10-29 19:19:05
Facebook changes its name to Meta in major rebrand
Facebook has changed its corporate name to Meta as part of a major rebrand. The company said it would better "encompass" what it does, as it broadens its reach beyond social media into areas like virtual reality (VR). The change does not apply to its individual platforms, such as Facebook, Instagram and Whatsapp, only the parent company that owns them. The move follows a series of neg ... Read more
2021-10-29 19:18:30
Chinese payment-terminal company searched by FBI
The FBI and other US agencies have searched Florida premises used by Chinese payment-terminal provider Pax Technology. The search had been "in furtherance of a federal investigation", the FBI said. US media reports suggest it was prompted by concerns about the security of Pax Technology products. The company said no allegation of wrongdoing had been made. "Pax Technology takes se ... Read more
2021-10-28 19:24:40
Facebook changes its name to Meta in major rebrand
Facebook has changed its corporate name to Meta as part of a major rebrand. The company said it would better "encompass" what it does, as it broadens its reach beyond social media into areas like virtual reality (VR). The change does not apply to its individual platforms, such as Facebook, Instagram and Whatsapp, only the parent company that owns them. The move follows a series of neg ... Read more
2021-10-28 19:24:07
Tech giants try distancing themselves from Facebook
TikTok, Snapchat, and YouTube are the latest technology giants to have been quizzed by US senators over concerns about their youngest users' safety. During nearly four hours of questioning, on Monday, they tried to differentiate themselves from Facebook, which has faced increasing scrutiny from politicians in recent months. But they were told: "Being different from Facebook is not a defence ... Read more
2021-10-27 19:31:45
Start-up launches £495,000 hoverbike in Japan
A Japanese start-up is hoping to convince motorists to swap their cars for a $680,000 (£495,000) hoverbike. ALI Technologies' XTurismo Limited Edition went on sale in Japan, earlier on Wednesday. Electronics giant Mitsubishi and footballer Keisuke Honda are two backers of the Tokyo-based company. ALI Technologies says the hoverbike can fly for 40 minutes at up to 100km/h (62mph) on a single cha ... Read more
2021-10-27 19:31:15
Facebook earns $9bn despite whistleblower scandal
Facebook has posted better-than-expected profits for the third quarter, as it continues to face bad press over leaked internal documents. The social media giant made $9bn (£6.5bn) of profit in the three months to September, up from $7.8bn last year. However, it was hit by a new privacy update to Apple's iOS 14 operating system, which made it harder for brands to target ads at specific users. It ... Read more
2021-10-26 19:42:00
Cyber-attack hits UK internet phone providers
An "unprecedented" and co-ordinated cyber-attack has struck multiple UK-based providers of voice over internet protocol (VoIP) services, according to an industry body. Industry body Comms Council UK said several of its members had been targeted by distributed denial of service (DDoS) attacks in recent weeks. "An overall threat has been made to the entire industry," a spokesma ... Read more
2021-10-26 19:41:27