In an attempt to be more transparent and give more control to its users, Facebook is about to roll-out a new “Why am I seeing this post?” tool, which will give users insights into their newsfeed algorithm. Algorithm Explained The new tool essentially goes some way to explaining how the algorithm that decides what appears where in a user’s Facebook newsfeed works.  The tool will give a view of the inputs used by the social network to rank stories, photos and video, and in doing so will enable users to access the actions that they may want to take if [...]

Next week will see the introduction of automatic compensation, without having to ask, for customers of BT, Sky, TalkTalk, Virgin Media and Zen Internet who experience delayed repairs, installations or missed engineer appointments. More To Follow PlusNet has also committed to the scheme but hasn’t provided a timescale while Hyperopic and Vodafone will begin automatic compensation later this year, and EE is likely to start paying compensation automatically in 2020. Finally Agreed Last December Initially announced by Ofcom back in November 2017 following a review and intervention in the broadband market, the voluntary agreement, which will only apply if a [...]

The ‘Noted’ app is a fully-integrated audio recording and note-taking app that can help you to keep track of meetings, interviews, lectures and more.  The app records audio, while also allowing you to type out notes which have rich text and image support.  These notes are automatically time-stamped with easily searchable "time tags", and the recordings + accompanying notes can be synced through iCloud, organized into notebooks, and quickly searched through. The basic Noted app free tier has core functionality and allows you to save five recordings. Premium plans e.g. Noted+ allow for more recordings + offer other features such [...]

Facebook is reported to be developing its own blockchain-based cryptocurrency that will enable its users to have a PayPal-like experience when purchasing advertised products, as well as providing authentication and an audit trail. What Is Blockchain? Blockchain’s Co-Founder Nic Carey describes blockchain as being like “a big spreadsheet in the cloud that anyone can use, but no one can erase or modify”.  Blockchain is the open-source, free technology behind crypto-currencies (like Bitcoin) and is an incorruptible peer-to-peer network / a kind of ledger that allows multiple parties to transfer value in a secure and transparent way. Facebook’s Cryptocurrency Exact details of [...]

The European Parliament has given its backing to new copyright rules, including the controversial Article 13, (opposed by many big tech companies) which could now change the way that Europe's creative and digital industries work. European Parliament Vote The new copyright rules are encapsulated in the EU Copyright Directive which, having gone through many revisions was finally backed by 348 MEPs, with 278 voting against it.  It will now be up to EU member states (likely to soon exclude the UK) to approve the EP’s decision and if so, member states will still have two years to implement it. Article [...]

A Freedom of Information request has revealed that with a little under a week to go to the deadline for registration, more than 1 million UK VAT-Registered Companies have still not signed up to HMRC’s Making Tax Digital (MTD) programme. MTD HMRC’s MTD was announced back in 2015 and requires VAT registered UK companies to keep digital records and file quarterly reports with the taxman. The first phase of the programme, MTD for VAT, is rolling out on 1st April, with the first digital quarterly VAT returns due to be submitted by 7th August. MTD offers businesses the chance to move [...]

Google has launched ‘AMP For Email’ which will make emails more dynamic and more like web page experiences as interaction can take place within the email itself rather than including links that send recipients to a web page for the interaction. Announced For Gmail Last Year Accelerated Mobile Pages are something that Google has been testing over many years, firstly with a view to helping publishers, and then with a view to including it in its Gmail platform. Google first announced in February 2018 that it would be bringing AMP to Gmail. At the time, companies like Booking.com and Doodle were [...]

Microsoft and Adobe are teaming up to make it easier for users of Adobe’s marketing software to find and target potential customers for business goods on Microsoft’s LinkedIn, thereby fighting their common competitor Salesforce.com Inc. What Is Salesforce? Salesforce is a market leading American cloud-based CRM platform. The company’s 2018 revenue was $10.5 billion, most of which came from sales of the CRM platform itself although the company also makes a lot of its revenue from selling other applications that work with the platform. Adobe California-based multinational Adobe Inc. became most widely known for products like Photoshop, but the company [...]

If you’d like to see what data your phone has been collecting about your movements here’s how: For iPhone: You can see what Apple refers to as your ‘Significant Locations’ by going to: Settings > Privacy > Location Services > Scroll down and select System Services > Significant Locations. You will need to prove it’s you before being given this info e.g. by fingerprint scan, Face ID or typing in your passcode. For Android: You can see what is referred to as ‘Your Timeline’ by: Opening the Google Maps app. Clicking on the menu (3 horizontal bars, top left) Selecting [...]

The recent £35 billion takeover of Worldpay by US company FIS has boosted the share value of other European payments technology companies including Worldline, Ingenico and Wirecard. Worldpay Worldpay, formerly known as Streamline, was set up as a subsidiary of NatWest bank back in 1989.  It was then bought by RBS in 2002 and re-christened ‘RBS Worldpay’.  Unfortunately for RBS, EU state aid rules meant that Worldpay had to be sold for £2 billion back in 2010 to Advent International and Bain Capital, although RBS Group still retained a 20% stake in the newly independent business. Worldpay was able to become a [...]