Month: March 2022
Big Tech dominance in Europe
Under the Digital Markets Act , giants such as Google and Apple will be forced to open up their services and platforms to other businesses. European lawmakers have agreed on new rules which they hope will curb the dominance of Big Tech companies. Major technology firms have long faced criticism that they use their market
Bitcoin for oil and gas
Russia is considering accepting Bitcoin as payment for its oil and gas exports. The move is understood to be aimed at boosting the Russian currency, which has lost over 20% in value this year. Sanctions imposed by the UK, US and the European Union, following the invasion of Ukraine, have put a strain on Russia’s
United Urope
Ever since the invasion of Ukraine by Russia on February 24th, the 27 member states of the eu have acted as one. Cohesive in its aims and co-ordinated in its actions, Europe has basked in its novel role as a first-rate power. Yet the unifying effects of the original jolt are starting to wear off.
Use of Biologicals and Chemical Weapons
Chemical weapons, as the name suggests, involve the use of toxic chemicals to harm an enemy. Biological weapons specifically involve the use of living organisms, although some expand the definition to include the toxins such organisms can produce. Using living things as a weapon has a long history. America has warned that Mr Putin may
Energy insecurity
Energy and commodities lie at the dark heart of Vladimir Putin’s regime and the threat it poses to the world. As Russia supplies 10-25% of the world’s oil, gas and coal exports, many countries, especially in Europe, are vulnerable to coercion by it. For them, the war in Ukraine has been a shock that adds
Okta hack
Hundreds of organisations that rely on Okta to provide access to their networks may have been affected by a cyber-attack on the company. Cyber-gang Lapsus$ is behind the hack. The group has previously claimed to have broken into some high-profile companies, including Microsoft. The cyber-gang is known for extortion, threatening the release of sensitive information,
Bitcoin mining for the environment
Bitcoin has risen from a fringe technology popular with cryptographers, to the world’s ninth most valuable asset by market cap. Concerns about Bitcoin’s energy demands have been around since the very beginning, with crypto pioneer Hal Finney tweeting about potential future CO2 emissions on 27 January 2009 – just two weeks after receiving the first
Russian Embassy in the UK Hospital tweet removed from Tweeter
The Russian Embassy UK account is verified with a blue tick and has more than 150,000 followers. Twitter has removed a tweet by the Russian Embassy in the UK which was branded “fake news” by the Culture Secretary. The tweet suggested the hospital attacked in the port city of Mariupol was ‘long non-operational’. The tweet
Facebook and Instagram Banned from Doing Businesses in Russia
A Moscow court has banned Facebook and Instagram for what it deemed extremist activity in a case against their parent company Meta. Prosecutors have accused the social media platforms of ignoring government requests to remove what they described as fake news about the Russian military action in Ukraine and calls for protests in Russia. The
remove Russian state hoax videos of Defence Secretary
YouTube is facing demands from the Ministry of Defence to remove hoax videos featuring Defence Secretary Ben Wallace or risk helping the Russian invasion of Ukraine. The footage has remained on the video sharing giant owned by Google since Monday when the first video extract emerged, despite the attempts of officials to get them blocked