Hydrogen power offers jobs boost, says government

Thousands of new jobs could be created by investing in low-carbon hydrogen fuel to power vehicles and heat homes, the government says. Ministers have unveiled a strategy for kick-starting a hydrogen industry, which they say could attract billions of pounds in investment. Business Secretary Kwasi Kwarteng said the fuel was also essential for UK efforts […]

Parcel delivery texts now the most common con-trick

The majority of “smishing” fraud attempts have come through the blitz of parcel delivery texts sent out during the Covid crisis. Millions of mobile users have received the texts that claim a small payment is needed for a package delivery to be completed. But the texts are a front for fraudsters attempting to steal personal […]

Competition watchdog says Facebook could have to sell Giphy

Facebook could have to sell Giphy, a search engine for Gifs, which it bought for a reported $400m (£289m) last year. The Competition and Markets Authority provisionally found Facebook owning Giphy “could lead it to deny other platforms access to its Gifs”. The CMA will now consult before making a final conclusion. And if its […]

The fiendish new trick cyber-criminals are using to evade capture

“Follow the money” – for generations it’s been the mantra of investigators looking for criminals. In the cyber-realm, this battle between criminals and the authorities has been raging for years. Despite the anonymous nature of cryptocurrencies, dozens of cyber-criminals have been caught in the last two years thanks to new techniques able to track their […]

Activision Blizzard: Diablo 4 director and two others leave company

Three more high-profile leaders have left gaming giant Activision Blizzard, including some from new game Diablo 4. Diablo director Luis Barriga and designer Jesse McCree have both departed, as has Jonathan LeCraft, a designer on World of Warcraft. It follows the resignation of president J Allen Brack and other executives in the wake of allegations […]

China sues Tencent over WeChat Youth Mode

Beijing prosecutors have filed a civil legal action against Tencent over claims its messaging-app WeChat’s Youth Mode does not comply with laws protecting minors. Youth Mode prevents younger users from accessing payments, playing certain games and finding nearby friends. However, prosecutors have not specified exactly how the app is allegedly violating Chinese law. Tencent said […]

Covid: Virus ‘still with us’ as Scotland exits level zero

Scotland has left the final level of coronavirus restrictions. Level zero ended at midnight with almost all of the remaining anti-Covid measures now removed. The legal requirement for physical distancing has stopped in most places and hospitality venues are now allowed to open at full capacity. Large outdoor gatherings can now go ahead. But the […]

Apple criticised for system that detects child abuse

Apple is facing criticism over a new system that finds child sexual abuse material (CSAM) on US users’ devices. The technology will search for matches of known CSAM before the image is stored onto iCloud Photos. But there are concerns that the technology could be expanded and used by authoritarian governments to spy on its […]

TikTok tests Snapchat style vanishing video stories feature

Video-sharing platform TikTok is trialling a new vanishing clips feature similar to functions on Snapchat, Facebook and Instagram. TikTok Stories will allow users to see content posted by accounts they follow for 24 hours before they are deleted. It comes as WhatsApp rolls out a feature for users to post photos or videos that vanish […]