Tech News : EE and Plusnet Customers To Get Refund From BT
After an Ofcom investigation that found BT didn’t give clear and simple information to customers who signed up to deal with its subsidiaries EE and Plusnet, BT has been told it must refund early exit fees and let existing affected customers walk away penalty-free. What Happened? Under new consumer protection rules, known as ‘General Conditions’ […]
Tech News : Ebay : Fees Scrapped For UK Private Sellers
Online marketplace eBay has announced that starting Tuesday 1 October 2024, private sellers will not pay transaction fees when they sell items on eBay.co.uk. Like Germany In its online announcement of the change, eBay highlighted how it recently launched a similar free-to-sell programme in Germany, with the result reportedly being that many new customers joined […]
Tech News : €345m Children’s Data Privacy Fine For TikTok
Video-focused social media platform TikTok has been fined €345m by Ireland’s Data Protection Commission (DPC) over the privacy of child users. The Processing of Personal Data The fine, as well as a reprimand (and an order requiring them to bring its data processing into compliance within three months) were issued in relation to how the […]
Tech News : Dumbphone Revival
A report by SEO software firm SEMrush has shown that so-called ‘Dumbphones’ are experiencing a revival, but why? What Is A ‘Dumbphone’? Dumbphones are mobile handsets that lack the advanced functionality characteristics of a smartphone and typically have press-button based inputs, a small non-touch display, and can just make and receive calls and SMS text messages. […]
Tech News : Dublin Says No To New Google Data-Centre
South Dublin County Council has refused Google Ireland planning permission for a new data-centre at Grange Castle Business Park in South Dublin. Why? The reason given for the refusal was “the existing insufficient capacity in the electricity network (grid) and the lack of significant on-site renewable energy to power the data centre”. What Data Centre? Google […]
Tech News : Driverless Cars On UK Roads By 2026?
UK Transport Secretary, Mark Harper, said in a recent radio interview that driverless cars could be on some UK roads by the end of 2026. 2026 Following the November announcement of the new Automated Vehicles (AV) Bill, in an interview on BBC Radio 4’s Today programme, Mr Harper said: “Probably by as early as 2026 people […]
Tech News : Dramatic Decrease in Crypto Consumption of Power
Rising electricity prices, energy-hungry crypto mining operations and falling cryptocurrency prices are thought to be behind a significant decrease in the amount of electricity being used for crypto mining. What Is Crypto Mining? Crypto mining, such as Bitcoin mining, uses specialised computers that are constantly powered-on and connected to the cryptocurrency network to verify transactions […]
Tech News : Don’t Get Sued For Using ChatGPT
One recent example of how ChatGPT may be the subject of a defamation lawsuit after it reportedly created completely incorrect (and highly damaging) content is in the case of Brian Hood, the mayor of Hepburn Shire, 120km northwest of Melbourne, Australia. Mr Hood reported being told by members of the public that ChatGPT had (falsely) […]
Tech News : Disinformation or Misinformation?
The new Online Media Literacy Strategy from the Department for Digital, Culture, Media, and Sport (DCMS) is aimed at supporting 170+ organisations to improve media literacy rates in the UK, and thereby help young people to spot disinformation. As an aside, misinformation is information that is simply wrong, inaccurate or misleading (without necessarily having any intention to propagate […]
Tech News : Dept. Of Health Spent More On iPhones Than Defibrillators
The UK government Department of Health (DOH) is facing criticism over a report that says it spent more on new Apple iPhones than it did on defibrillators last year. £1.5 Million Spent On iPhones For Whitehall Staff The report from the Mirror newspaper highlighted how, in 2022, the DOH spent £1.5 million buying iPhones for […]