BATTERYFORPC BLOG
Lina Khan: The 32-year-old taking on Big Tech
On Tuesday, 32-year-old Lina Khan was sworn in as chair of the US Federal Trade Commission (FTC). The role is a hugely powerful one, which protects consumers from bad business practices and companies from unfair competition. And when it comes to unfair competition, there is one sector that has been singled out by Democrats and Republicans alike: Big Tech. Worryingly for technology giants, Ms Kh ... Read more
2021-06-16 21:36:16
Web founder Berners-Lee to auction source code as NFT
The creator of the world wide web, Sir Tim Berners-Lee, is selling off the original code used to create the modern internet as an NFT. NFTs are a form of unique ownership for digital-only items and do not necessarily include copyright control. They have also been widely criticised as a money-making scheme and bad for the environment. Some have expressed surprise at the news given that Sir Tim f ... Read more
2021-06-15 21:51:58
E3 2021: Nintendo shows off more Zelda Breath of the Wild 2
Nintendo showed off more of the hotly-anticipated sequel to its Zelda: Breath of the Wild in its E3 show. New game footage revealed that the game will involve floating islands, skydiving, and new powers in the same world as its predecessor. But it will not release this year, and is currently pencilled in for a 2022 release date. There was also no reveal of a widely-rumoured "Switch Pro&quo ... Read more
2021-06-15 21:51:18
E3 2021: Microsoft shows off Halo Infinite, Starfield and Forza Horizon 5
A Christmas release date for Halo: Infinite was among dozens of announcements at Microsoft's E3 show. It was scheduled for release last year alongside the new Xbox, but was delayed due to the pandemic and amid outcry from players over its graphics. A new Forza racing game and the Xbox release of Flight Simulator were also among the 30 titles revealed. It was the first E3 since Microsoft acquire ... Read more
2021-06-14 23:40:13
Irish police to be given powers over passwords
Irish police will have the power to compel people to provide passwords for electronic devices when carrying out a search warrant under new legislation. The change is part of the Garda Síochána Bill published by Irish Justice Minister Heather Humphreys on Monday. Gardaí will also be required to make a written record of a stop and search. This will enable data to be collected so the effectiveness ... Read more
2021-06-14 23:39:23
Facebook remote working plan extended to all staff for long term
Facebook will let all employees who can work away from the office do so after the Covid pandemic is over. The company has told employees "anyone whose role can be done remotely can request remote work". Rival big tech firms Apple and Google have recently reversed pandemic working conditions, telling staff to return to the office in the coming months. Facebook chief executive Mark Zuck ... Read more
2021-06-10 20:14:01
EA: Gaming giant hacked and source code stolen
Hackers have stolen valuable information from major game publisher Electronic Arts (EA), the company said. The attackers claimed to have downloaded source code for games such as FIFA 21 and for the proprietary Frostbite game engine used as the base for many other high-profile games. News of the hack was first reported by news site Vice, which said some 780GB of data was stolen. EA said no playe ... Read more
2021-06-10 20:13:39
Donald Trump-era ban on TikTok dropped by Joe Biden
President Joe Biden has revoked an executive order from his predecessor Donald Trump banning Chinese apps TikTok and WeChat in the US. The ban faced a series of legal challenges and never came into force. Instead, the US Department of Commerce will now review apps designed and developed by those in "the jurisdiction of a foreign adversary", such as China. It should use an "eviden ... Read more
2021-06-09 20:18:50
One Fastly customer triggered internet meltdown
A major internet blackout that hit many high-profile websites on Tuesday has been blamed on a software bug. Fastly, the cloud-computing company responsible for the issues, said the bug had been triggered when one of its customers had changed their settings. The outage has raised questions about relying on a handful of companies to run the vast infrastructure that underpins the internet. Fastly ... Read more
2021-06-09 20:18:33
Apple pays millions in iPhone-repair explicit photo case
Apple has paid a multi-million dollar settlement to a woman whose photos and videos were shared online by technicians repairing her iPhone. Explicit images and videos were uploaded to Facebook and other places, and made to look as if they had been posted by her. Apple was not named in the lawsuit but its involvement came to light in an unrelated case. It has now confirmed the incident and apolo ... Read more
2021-06-08 20:36:06