BATTERYFORPC BLOG
German elections: Centre left take narrow lead in tight vote
Germany's centre-left Social Democrats (SPD) are edging towards election victory, as projected results look increasingly bleak for the party of outgoing Chancellor Angela Merkel. Ms Merkel's successor, Armin Laschet, is still vowing to form a government, but his conservative CDU party has seen its worst performance in history. The SPD currently leads by a small margin, but results are not yet fi ... Read more
2021-09-26 20:04:57
Fuel supply: UK suspends competition law to get petrol to forecourts
The government is to suspend competition law to allow oil firms to target fuel deliveries at petrol stations following recent panic buying. Officials said the move would make it easier for companies to share information and prioritise parts of the country most at need. It follows days of long queues at the pumps, after fears of disruption to the fuel supply sparked panic buying. Ministers are a ... Read more
2021-09-26 20:00:54
Facebook Files: 5 things leaked documents reveal
This week, Facebook has faced a series of accusations about its internal workings, based on revelations in the Wall Street Journal and elsewhere. Much of the information comes from Facebook's own internal documents, suggesting the company now has some whistle-blowers in its ranks. The documents will provide governments and regulators with plenty to pore over as they consider their next moves. H ... Read more
2021-09-24 20:30:55
China declares all crypto-currency transactions illegal
China's central bank has announced that all transactions of crypto-currencies are illegal, effectively banning digital tokens such as Bitcoin. "Virtual currency-related business activities are illegal financial activities," the People's Bank of China said, warning it "seriously endangers the safety of people's assets". China is one of the world's largest crypto-currency marke ... Read more
2021-09-24 20:30:12
EU rules to force USB-C chargers for all phones
Manufacturers will be forced to create a universal charging solution for phones and small electronic devices, under a new rule proposed by the European Commission (EC). The aim is to reduce waste by encouraging consumers to re-use existing chargers when buying a new device. All smartphones sold in the EU must have USB-C chargers, the proposal said. Apple has warned such a move would harm innova ... Read more
2021-09-23 20:23:10
Apple threatened Facebook ban over slavery posts on Instagram
Apple threatened to remove Facebook's products from its App Store, after the BBC found domestic "slaves" for sale on apps, including Instagram, in 2019. The threat was revealed in the Wall Street Journal's (WSJ) Facebook Files, a series of reports based on its viewing of internal Facebook documents. Facebook says it prohibits human exploitation "in no uncertain terms". It sa ... Read more
2021-09-23 20:22:35
Lithuania urges people to throw away Chinese phones
Consumers should throw away their Chinese phones and avoid buying new ones, Lithuania’s Defence Ministry has warned. A report by its National Cyber Security Centre tested 5G mobiles from Chinese manufacturers. It claimed that one Xiaomi phone had built-in censorship tools while another Huawei model had security flaws. Huawei said no user data is sent externally and Xiaomi said it does not censo ... Read more
2021-09-22 19:51:43
Extremists using video-game chats to spread hate
Extremists are using mainstream video games and gaming chat platforms to spread hate, BBC Click has found. Over three months, researchers found anti-Semitism, racism and homophobia on platforms, including DLive and Odysee, where users stream and chat about games such as Call of Duty and Minecraft. Campaigners say including extremist narratives among everyday conversations can be a pathway to rad ... Read more
2021-09-22 19:51:18
NFT-based fantasy football card firm raises $680m
French firm Sorare, which sells football trading cards in the form of non-fungible tokens (NFTs), has raised $680m (£498m). The NFT-based cards are used by fans to create fantasy football teams which can then "play" each other. The funding was led by tech investor Softbank, with ex-England international Rio Ferdinand also putting in money. NFTs are controversial, with concerns over fi ... Read more
2021-09-21 20:17:57
China: Children given daily time limit on Douyin - its version of TikTok
Douyin, China’s version of TikTok, will limit use of the platform for children to 40 minutes a day. The rules will apply to users under 14, who have been authenticated using their real names, and who will be able to access it between 06:00 and 22:00. Parent company Bytedance announced the app’s Youth Mode in a blog post, saying it is the first short-video company in the industry to have these li ... Read more
2021-09-21 20:17:34