Business news

Consumer & Gadgets

Exploring the hidden costs of free apps

Procrastination, sleep deprivation and reduced focus are part of the price we pay for free mobile apps. This is according to researchers at Linköping University and RISE, who have investigated the costs hidden behind the ...

Business

Legal system fails to protect people from malicious copyright cases at the cost of sexual privacy, study warns

Changes need to be made to the UK legal system to protect people from exploitative litigation designed to prey on vulnerabilities, a new study warns.

Business

US weighs Google breakup in landmark trial

The US Department of Justice said on Tuesday it would demand that Google make profound changes to how it does business and even consider the possibility of a breakup, after the tech juggernaut was found to be running an illegal ...

Business

Canadian urban mobility is woefully lacking, but building a better future is still possible

Canadian cities are falling behind globally when it comes to efficiently moving people. Long commute times, high congestion rates and infrastructure that is vulnerable to climate change are symptoms of a mobility crisis.

Business

Samsung third-quarter forecast misses expectations

Samsung Electronics said Tuesday it expected third-quarter profits to jump almost three-fold, but fell short of market expectations as it struggled to leverage robust demand for chips used in artificial intelligence servers.

Business

US industrial policy may strengthen EV battery supply chain

Vehicle electrification is an important pathway to reducing global greenhouse gas emissions. The supply chain for electric vehicle battery materials relies heavily on China, a dependency that can leave the US vulnerable to ...

Business

EU states greenlight extra tariffs on EVs from China

EU countries gave a definitive green light on Friday to hefty additional tariffs on electric cars made in China, despite strong German opposition and fears it will trigger a trade war with Beijing.

Business

What next for OpenAI after $157 billion bonanza?

ChatGPT-maker OpenAI has become an AI powerhouse after securing Silicon Valley's largest-ever funding round. The company now faces the challenge of delivering on its promise to become the next Apple or Google.

Business

Meta must limit data use for targeted ads: EU court

Social media platforms such as Meta's Facebook must limit the use of personal data including someone's sexual orientation for targeted advertising, the European Union's top court ruled Friday.

Business

Irish regulator to probe Ryanair use of facial recognition

Ireland's data watchdog said Friday it will probe whether budget airline Ryanair's use of facial recognition to check the identity of customers booking through third-party websites violates EU privacy laws.

Business

Boards for Meta, Twitter face backlash from NY pension fund

A major New York pension fund that has invested in both Facebook's corporate parent and Twitter believes it's time to shake up the companies' boards of directors because of their inability to keep violent content off their ...

Business

Cyber attacks could jeopardize global food supplies

Wide-ranging use of smart technologies is raising global agricultural production but international researchers warn this digital-age phenomenon could reap a crop of another kind—cybersecurity attacks.

Business

Blockchains uphold data platform cooperation

Researchers at Aalto University have studied how the market for data could be made to function technically, especially in the world of the Internet of Things (IoT).

Business

Facebook's Zuckerberg targeted in US privacy lawsuit

Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg was named personally in a Washington lawsuit Monday alleging he played a direct role in decisions that set the stage for the Cambridge Analytica privacy scandal.

Business

'Enormously risky': How NFTs lost their lustre

A slew of celebrity endorsements helped inflate a multi-billion dollar bubble around digital tokens over the past year, but cryptocurrencies are crashing and some fear NFTs could be next.

Business

Upscale hotels benefit from EV charging stations, study shows

Electric vehicles (EVs) are becoming increasingly important in the global effort to reduce reliance on fossil fuels, driving massive growth in consumer demand. This demand has wide-reaching impacts, particularly on tourism.

Consumer & Gadgets

As Musk tweets, advisers labor to keep Twitter deal on track

In public, Elon Musk's erratic tweets have sent Twitter Inc.'s shares flailing, as traders bet that the billionaire is preparing to walk away from or re-negotiate his $44 billion takeover of the social-media company. Behind ...

Business

WhatsApp adds messaging tools to attract businesses

WhatsApp parent Meta is moving forward with its push to attract businesses to its popular chat app, part its effort to find new ways to make money beyond targeted advertisements on its other platforms, Facebook and Instagram.

Business

New Twitter policy aims to pierce fog of war misinformation

Twitter is stepping up its fight against misinformation with a new policy cracking down on posts that spread potentially dangerous false stories. The change is part of a broader effort to promote accurate information during ...

Business

Google's Russian subsidiary to file for bankruptcy

The Russian subsidiary of US tech giant Google said Thursday it will file for bankruptcy after authorities seized its bank account following a series of spats with Moscow.

Internet

The 'bots' at heart of Twitter buyout row

Elon Musk's pausing of his bid to buy Twitter due to questions over "bots" has put the artificially-operated accounts at the heart of the proposed deal's latest controversy.