This week streaming service Spotify announced it had signed podcaster Joe Rogan on a multi-year licensing deal thought to be worth $100 million. Rogan’s self-titled show—downloaded 190m times last month—is one of…
UK “Urgently” Needs New Tech Watchdog – Report
A leading British think tank believes the country needs a new watchdog to keep tech companies in check, as it claims Britons are “recalibrating” their relationship with technology. Doteveryone, led by Last…
Taiwan is Beating the Virus – and Tech is on its Frontline
Taiwan is an nation of almost 24 million people, squeezed onto an island the size of Maryland. It’s barely a hundred miles from China with regular flights to Wuhan, the generally-accepted epicenter…
Coronavirus Stretches Germany’s Culture of Data Privacy
Like many states, Germany is currently on lockdown. Bars, restaurants and stores are shuttered. The border is closed. Groups of more than two people are verboten. Capital city Berlin, known for its…
Can Big Tech Quell Disinformation Ahead of America’s Vote?
The United States’ 2020 Presidential election will come at a pivotal moment for its tech industry. A report released by the Pew Research Study yesterday found that almost three quarters of US…
So Long, MoviePass – We Won’t Learn our Lesson From You
Last night MoviePass powered down its servers, slapped a ‘Gone Fishin” sign on its homepage, and died. Few mourned its passing. Since 2011 the New York-based movie theater subscription platform (movie-theater-tickets-as-a-service?) had…
Just How Disastrous will WeWork’s IPO Be?
WeWork, the global real estate company that has dressed itself as a tech startup, might not be worth $47 billion after all. Actually, it might not even be worth half. The New…
In 2019, Tech Must Win Back Public Trust – Or Sink
From revelations that Twitter, Facebook and YouTube helped Russian intelligence manipulate western elections, to Google’s record $5 billion antitrust fine for misusing Android, 2018 has been a year of scandal for tech’s…
Definers is a Wake Up Call for Facebook’s Media Fans
Was anybody truly surprised when TechCrunch revealed that Sheryl Sandberg, Facebook’s COO, knew more about the company’s work with opposition research group Definers that she originally let on? At first Sandberg, a phlegmatic character…
Blockchain Won’t Save the World – But it Might Help Us Be Better
Ever noticed how everybody telling us how blockchain is going to save the world, is the head of a blockchain company? It’s almost as if they’ve got something to gain personally by…