Tag: amazon
Tech Digest daily round up: 15% use pet names as passwords
Millions of British people are using their pet's name as their online password, despite it being an easy target for hackers, a survey has found. The National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) said 15% of the population used pets' names, 14% use a family member's name, and 13% pick a notable date. And 6% of people…
Online marketplaces grow 28% in 2020 to $4.28 trillion
According to the research data analyzed and published by ComprarAcciones.com, the top 100 online marketplaces globally posted sales worth $2.67 trillion in 2020. Compared to 2019, that marked a 29% increase in gross merchandise volume (GMV) against 25% for non-marketplace sites. Based on data from eMarketer, total eCommerce sales worldwide surged 27.6% in 2020 to $4.28…
Tech Digest daily round up: Former policeman loses £3K in Royal Mail scam
A retired police officer was left "devastated and embarrassed" when scammers posing as the Royal Mail conned him out of £3,000. The man said he thought the con-artists were "legitimate and credible" when he spoke to them on the phone. He had fallen prey to a scam text message that claimed a parcel was awaiting…
New UK regulator to take on tech giants
A new regulator to help make sure tech giants such as Facebook and Google cannot exploit their market dominance to crowd out competition and stifle innovation online has launched in the UK. Called the Digital Markets Unit (DMU) and based in the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA), the regulator aims to give consumers more choice…
Microsoft and Zoom most impersonated brands for phishing attacks
According to data from Atlas VPN, Microsoft and Zoom were the most commonly impersonated companies used for phishing attacks last year. In total, 80% of all last year’s brand email phishing campaigns imitated Microsoft or Zoom to scam victims. Multinational technology company Microsoft was a definite leader over the other brand impersonators. The brand was used in…
Tech Digest daily round up: Over 500m Facebook accounts hacked
The personal details of more than 500 million Facebook users, including phone numbers, Facebook IDs, full names, locations, birthdates and email addresses, have reportedly been posted on a website for hackers. According to Business Insider, which first reported the availability of the data, information of some 533 million people from 106 countries was online on Saturday.…
Tech Digest daily round up: Facebook to allow you to turn off algorithm
Facebook is to allow users to turn off the algorithm powering its News Feed and control the order in which items appear amid growing calls for algorithmic transparency. The company will also provide more context on suggested content by expanding the "Why am I seeing this?" tab, as well as letting users control who can…
First till-free Amazon Go store to launch in the UK
Amazon is to open its first High Street store in the UK - selling groceries and technology without the need for tills. Called Amazon Go, the new store will open this week in Ealing, West London, reports The Mirror. There will be no checkouts, in line with how the shops operate in the US, with…
Today’s Tech Digest: Pigs play video games, TikTok sale shelved
Pigs are highly intelligent animals capable of playing video games, scientists have found, after putting four fun-loving swine to the test. Four pigs - Hamlet, Omelette, Ebony and Ivory - were trained to use an arcade-style joystick to steer an on-screen cursor into walls. Researchers said the fact that the pigs understood the connection between…
1 in 5 US adults now own Amazon Echo
Smart home technology industry has grown incredibly in the last decade with homes becoming more and more interconnected than ever before. The most popular smart home device by far is the smart speaker, with the Amazon Echo dominating its competitors. According to data presented by Trading Platforms, 20% of Americans surveyed now own an Amazon…