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The UK buys a 45 percent stake in broke satellite startup OneWeb
It's part of the government's post-Brexit plan to replace the EU's sat-nav system.
UK won't implement EU's contentious digital copyright law
The UK may borrow some aspects of European Union law after Brexit, but the approach to digital copyright won't one of them. Universities and Science Minister Chris Skidmore has indicated that the UK won't implement the EU's Copyright Directive once it's out of the Union on January 31st. This will let British internet companies and users avoid contentious aspects like Article 13 (renamed Article 17), which requires that sites check all uploaded content for copyrighted material. The EU had softened the requirement to allow memes and other content that offers "quotation, criticism, review, caricature, parody and pastiche," but this would eliminate the requirement entirely in the UK.
iPhone-owning EU citizens are still waiting for Brexit residency app
The Brexit situation in Britain isn't only causing chaos in the areas of politics and business, but is causing its share of technology woes too. The latest issue is with the government app which allows EU nationals residing in Britain to apply to stay in the country, which is only available for Android and not iPhone.
Anti-Brexit RPG ‘Not Tonight’ is coming to Switch
The anti-Brexit game Not Tonight may be a year old, but it's still just as relevant. With the Brexit deadline pushed back to October and heightened political tension in the US, the game's digs at the gig economy, right-wing extremism and nationalism are timely. Soon, you'll be able to take all of that on the go. No More Robots and developer PanicBarn are bringing the RPG game to Nintendo Switch with new content.
Many of the Brexit Party's Twitter followers appear to be bots
It's not shocking to see Twitter bots latch on to a political campaign, but it's not often they do so soon after a campaign starts -- let alone on a large scale. That appears to be the case with the UK's Brexit Party, however. The no-deal EU withdrawal party is only a few months old, but researchers talking to BuzzFeed News found that many of its Twitter accounts are networks of bots and other inauthentic users. The exact amount isn't clear, but F-Secure's Andy Patel noted that over 8,800 users -- roughly 7 percent of the party's Twitter base -- were both recently recreated and disproportionately responsible for retweeting party material.
Mueller subpoenas Cambridge Analytica director in Russia probe
Cambridge Analytica may be no more, but those connected to it are facing an increasing amount of scrutiny. Former business development director Brittany Kaiser has confirmed to The Guardian through a spokesman that US special counsel Robert Mueller subpoenaed her as part of a broader investigation into potential links between President Trump's election campaign and the Russian government. While the exact nature of the questioning hasn't been made public, Kaiser said it came soon after she'd acknowledged meeting WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange in February 2017.
UK parliament report will call for 'sweeping' regulation of Facebook
The UK Parliament's Facebook document dump is close to creating serious legal trouble for the social network. According to The Guardian, the Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Committee plans to release a report on February 18th calling on the UK government to enact "sweeping" legislation regulating Facebook's activities. The findings will assert that Facebook can't be trusted to police its own data handling, and that CEO Mark Zuckerberg has been "duplicitous."
UK wants tech giants to pay two percent tax on digital revenues
The British government announced a new "digital services" tax that would take two percent of revenues generated by tech giants, according to Sky News. The tax would skim cash off of what the companies make from services like online advertising and streaming content. The government believes such a tax could raise more than more than £400 million ($512 million) each year.
Facebook carried ads from mysterious pro-Brexit group for months
While Facebook might be making strides in clamping down on fake news and shady political ads, there appear to have been holes in its strategy. The UK's Digital, Culture, Media and Sport committee has published data showing that Facebook carried ads for a "hard Brexit" (that is, a UK exit from the European Union with few if any deals) from a mysterious organization, Mainstream Network, for 10 months. There's no clear indication as to who's behind the group, but it had a wide reach -- the £257,000 it spent (about $336,000) helped it reach up to 11 million people across the country.
Facebook will show who paid for political ads in the UK
Facebook is pushing its transparency agenda again, this time with the introduction of a tool that reveals information about political ads in the UK. From today, all advertisers that run ads in the UK referencing political figures and parties, elections and legislation before parliament will have to verify their location and identity, and the adverts will have to carry a "paid for by" disclaimer.
UK reportedly plans its own satellite navigation system
Now that the UK likely won't be involved in the EU's Galileo positioning satellites, it's in a tough spot. How does it get the most accurate navigation technology it can once Brexit is official? By building its own satellite network, apparently. Sources talking to The Telegraph claim that Prime Minister Theresa May has ordered the creation of a UK-built satellite positioning system, with up to £100 million (about $128.5 million) set aside for "mapping out" how it would work.
UK won't be involved in Europe's Galileo satellite navigation program
Among the many projects being shaken up by Brexit is the European Union's Galileo program, a satellite-based navigation system along the lines of the US' GPS. It's scheduled to be operational in 2020 and will be used by citizens, military and governments. Though the UK has already put £1 billion toward the project, the country's decision to leave the EU has put its involvement with the Galileo program up in the air -- the EU has been clear that the UK might be shut out from the project since fully including a non-member state would threaten the security of the system as a whole. Now EU members have voted to do just that.
UK may want a refund if it's cut out of Galileo GPS project
Earlier this year, the European Commission revealed that Brexit might jeopardize the UK's involvement in the Galileo project, which is Europe's endeavor to build a their own version of America's GPS system. Now, Reuters reports that Britain may demand its money back if it is indeed cut out of the Galileo project.
A look at the ad-targeting tools AggregateIQ left exposed online
Throughout discussions about Cambridge Analytica, parent company Strategic Communication Laboratories (SCL) and how they came to obtain information on some 87 million Facebook users, you've probably also heard the name AggregateIQ. The Canada-based data firm has now been connected to Cambridge Analytica operations as well as US election campaigns and the Brexit referendum. Now, cybersecurity firm UpGuard has discovered a large code repository that AggregateIQ left exposed online, and through that we're getting a better look at the company, what it does and how it does it.
Cambridge Analytica tries to shoot down Facebook data sharing claims
Cambridge Analytica is facing incredible pressure over the Facebook data sharing scandal -- and not surprisingly, it's determined to share its version of events before Mark Zuckerberg testifies in congressional hearings. The company has posted a "series of facts" that challenge some of the allegations made against the company. Not surprisingly, it started by insisting that it didn't do anything illegal: GSR "legally obtained" the data about Facebook users, and "did not illegally or inappropriately" scoop up and share data. Later on, it maintained that it "only collects data with informed consent."
Facebook suspends another data firm: AggregateIQ
Late Friday the Cambridge Analytica data scandal spread wider, as Facebook announced it has also suspended Canadian data firm AggregateIQ. In a statement to The Guardian, Facebook said "In light of recent reports that AggregateIQ may be affiliated with (CA parent company) SCL and may, as a result, have improperly received FB user data, we have added them to the list of entities we have suspended from our platform while we investigate." Former CA employee Christopher Wylie claimed that he helped set up the company and his lawyers have said it received a payment from the Vote Leave campaign in a way that exceeded spending limits. On Aggregate IQ's website, the following statement is posted: AggregateIQ is a digital advertising, web and software development company based in Canada. It is and has always been 100% Canadian owned and operated. AggregateIQ has never been and is not a part of Cambridge Analytica or SCL. Aggregate IQ has never entered into a contract with Cambridge Analytica. Chris Wylie has never been employed by AggregateIQ. AggregateIQ works in full compliance within all legal and regulatory requirements in all jurisdictions where it operates. It has never knowingly been involved in any illegal activity. All work AggregateIQ does for each client is kept separate from every other client. AggregateIQ has never managed, nor did we ever have access to, any Facebook data or database allegedly obtained improperly by Cambridge Analytica. Facebook previously suspended CA, its parent company Strategic Communication Laboratories (SCL), Kogan and the whistleblower Wylie's access, pending its investigation into the use of data snagged by Kogan's app. Since then Facebook has said the company's data could have come from as many as 87 million people. Former Vote Leave volunteer Shahmir Sanni (pictured above, with Wylie) provided documents that he says prove the campaign not only spent some 2.7 million pounds with AIQ, but that it funneled an additional 625k as a "donation" through the BeLeave youth group. A separate report by The Guardian breaks down Wylie's claim of links between AIQ and SCL/CA, which have become notable for their work on Donald Trump's campaign, although they claim none of the disputed Facebook data was involved. According to Wylie, until 2016 AIQ's only client was CA, it was referred to as SCL Canada for a time and he says that the Canadian company managed the Cambridge Analytica tech platform. Until earlier this week, AIQ's website proudly showed a quote from the Vote Leave campaign director saying "we couldn't have done it without them."
European travelers can now watch Netflix like they're at home
If you live in the European Union, your holidays just became a little more enjoyable. The EU's long-promised digital media portability rules have taken effect as of April 1st, letting residents access Netflix, Amazon Prime Video and other paid digital media services in other member countries as if they were still at home. You shouldn't have to worry about region blocks or browsing libraries in an unfamiliar language. The approach works by cross-checking your account details with your current internet address, so you don't need to toggle a setting or run special software as long as a service honors the new rules.
'Not Tonight' makes you a bouncer in post-Brexit Britain
In exactly 12 months, Britain will leave the European Union. It's a troubling time for the island state as politicians squabble over exit conditions and citizens grapple with a deep divide in their economic, societal and cultural values. For many, the future seems bleak, but it shouldn't compare to the one found in Not Tonight, an upcoming video game by Tiki Taka Soccer developer Panic Barn. In this alternate version of Britain, one ruled by an extreme right-wing government, you're forced to work as a bouncer that gets paid for identifying and turning away European citizens. It's a horrific job, but one that's necessary to pay the bills and keep your British citizenship.
EU confirms UK will lose Netflix 'portability' following Brexit
Thanks to Brexit, UK residents won't be able to access Amazon Video or native Netflix programming when traveling around the EU. Rules just passed to let customers "carry" their copyrights with them while traveling, but that will end next year, as spotted by Politico. Currently, if you live in the UK and visit France, you can only access the French version of Netflix. New EU legislation, however, will allow you to access the library that you would normally find in your home market. Brexit, though, means Brits will lose out on these benefits starting March 29th, 2019.
Brexit may exclude UK from the EU's GPS satellite program
Europe plans to exclude the UK from its GPS-like Galileo satellite program because of Brexit, and Britain isn't happy about it. In a letter to the UK government, Europe said that UK businesses may no longer be able to bid on the project and the UK military might not be able to use the system. That's because the UK will no longer be part of the EU on March 29th, 2019, so Galileo's security would be "irretrievably compromised" if it continues to participate, the EU said.
