BATTERYFORPC BLOG
Facebook and Google 'failed to remove scam adverts'
Facebook and Google failed to remove online scam adverts after fraud victims reported them, according to consumer watchdog Which? Google had failed to remove 34% of the scam adverts reported to it, compared with 26% at Facebook, the study indicated. Both companies said they removed fraudulent adverts, which are banned on their platforms. But Which? said a more proactive approach was needed. Th ... Read more
2021-04-26 20:22:05
Facebook v Apple: The ad tracking row heats up
A new feature is being introduced to iPhones and iPads this week which is causing a huge rift between Apple and Facebook. It will allow device users to say no to having their data collected by any app. Facebook has been put in a spin by this because user data - and the advertising it can generate - is what makes the company so profitable. This update could deal a severe blow to its business mode ... Read more
2021-04-25 20:05:41
Tesla's Autopilot 'tricked' to operate without driver
The Autopilot feature in Tesla vehicles can be tricked into operating without a driver, an influential consumer magazine in the US has found. Consumer Reports engineers looked into claims that Autopilot can operate without a driver present. They tested the Model Y on a closed track and concluded the system could be "easily tricked". It comes days after a fatal Tesla crash in Texas. Po ... Read more
2021-04-24 20:17:17
Tesla's Autopilot 'tricked' to operate without driver
The Autopilot feature in Tesla vehicles can be tricked into operating without a driver, an influential consumer magazine in the US has found. Consumer Reports engineers looked into claims that Autopilot can operate without a driver present. They tested the Model Y on a closed track and concluded the system could be "easily tricked". It comes days after a fatal Tesla crash in Texas. Po ... Read more
2021-04-22 20:41:19
Google and Apple attacked on app store 'monopoly'
Senators have grilled Apple and Google in Washington over "anti-competitive" behaviour related to their app stores. Representatives from Tile, Spotify and Match also gave evidence, accusing the two tech firms of charging exorbitant fees and copying their ideas. Both Apple and Google's app stores charge fees of up to 30% for in-app purchases. The two companies said the fees were justif ... Read more
2021-04-21 20:22:45
Apple event: AirTag, iPad and iMac lead line-up
Apple has shown off its latest product line-up in its first big event of 2021. The firm is increasing the number of products which will contain its own in-house developed M1 chip, as the sector struggles with a global semiconductor shortage. It finally unveiled its much-anticipated tracker tile, the AirTag, which will launch at the end of April. And it announced its first significant update to ... Read more
2021-04-20 20:33:35
Are Apple and others' tech launches a better watch because of Covid?
"Developers, developers, developers, developers, developers." In 2000, footage of a sweaty, high energy Steve Ballmer, the then chief executive of Microsoft, became a viral hit after he walked on stage and shouted the same word over and over again. It was one of many moments over the last 30 years of a live tech event throwing up a must-see moment. But recently, tech fans have been st ... Read more
2021-04-19 20:41:15
Priti Patel: Facebook encryption plan ‘must not not hamper child protection’
Facebook's plans to roll out encryption across its messaging services could jeopardise ongoing work to combat child abuse, the Home Secretary is to warn. Such encryption means only the sender and recipient can read messages. "We cannot allow a situation where law enforcement's ability to tackle abhorrent criminal acts and protect victims is severely hampered," Priti Patel will tell a c ... Read more
2021-04-18 20:46:58
Facebook board delays decision about Trump's possible return
Facebook's Oversight Board has delayed its decision regarding former US President Donald Trump's possible return to Facebook and Instagram. Mr Trump was banned from Facebook in January after the Capitol Hill riots. The Board said the delay was due to the time it has taken to review over 9,000 public responses to cases. A decision was originally due by 21 April. In a statement on Twitter, the Bo ... Read more
2021-04-16 20:47:04
Google Earth time-lapse feature winds clock back 37 years
Google Earth has launched a time-lapse feature that lets users wind back the clock and see how the world has changed over several decades. The feature uses millions of satellite images from the past 37 years to let people scroll through time. It allows people to see, for example, the retreat of glaciers alongside global warming, or the deforestation of the Amazon over time. The company says it ... Read more
2021-04-15 20:12:24