technology
-
How can we stop algorithms telling lies?Algorithms can dictate whether you get a mortgage or how much you pay for insurance. But sometimes they’re wrong – and sometimes they are designed to deceive
-
Genius or hubris? Why turning down Facebook may be Snapchat's big mistakeTurning down a $3bn offer made Snapchat famous for its bold vision. But now Facebook is catching up, leading some to predict a ‘long and painful death’
-
Our electric car is driving on sunshineLetters: Solar-powered vehicles are here – but are they really the answer? -
Woman's selfie causes '$200,000 of damage' to artworks – but was it a stunt?Leaning back into a pedestal to try to get the perfect angle took out a whole row of sculptures at an LA gallery – at least that’s the way it looks
-
Thousands sign up to clean sewage because they didn't read the small printThose who fell for the gag clause inserted into wifi terms and conditions committed to more than a month of community service
privacy
-
Hospitals to receive £21m to increase cybersecurity at major trauma centresJeremy Hunt pledges funding for 27 hospitals across England after the WannaCry ransomware attack disabled NHS IT systems
-
Local radio station keeps getting hijacked by song about masturbationOfcom hunting pirate who persistently overrides frequency of Mansfield 103.2 to play The Winker’s Song by Ivor Biggun
-
opinion & analysis
-
Ajit Pai: the man who could destroy the open internetThe FCC chairman leading net neutrality rollback is a former Verizon employee and whose views on regulation echo those of broadband companies
-
Why the net neutrality protest mattersCompanies such as Facebook, Google and Amazon will band together for a day of action against a threat to the open internet. So what’s the big deal?
-
Inside the darknet: where Australians buy and sell illegal goodsA vendor was offering Medicare details of any Australian. Could this be real, or was it just a scam? The only way to know was to request some data
-
Google's fine is big news but the company faces a far bigger threatThe Canadian supreme court ruled that Google can be forced to pull results worldwide, not just the Canadian version of its search engine
-
Sports Direct buys 26% stake in Game DigitalMike Ashley swoops on video games retailer after profit warning forced by shortage of Nintendo Switch consoles
-
30 years of Final Fantasy: a cult of devotion, and the music still soarsThe Distant World philharmonic orchestra is celebrating three decades of the classic game with a rousing and nostalgic world tour
-
Big in Albania … countries that gave film flops a second lifeThe superheroes saved by Mexico, the video-game spinoff that became China’s 12th biggest movie ever, and the British comedian worshipped by a secretive communist nation. We remember the films somebody else loved
-
The 11 greatest video game objects – in picturesFrom Sonic’s rings to Portal’s Companion Cube, here are the most memorable items we’ve collected, shot or hit someone with. Add your favourites below
inside Silicon Valley
-
Facebook village? Social media giant to build 'social housing'The tech giant aims to build 1,500 apartments at Menlo Park after being criticised for helping to deepen the Silicon Valley housing crisis
-
Sexual harassment in Silicon Valley: have we reached a tipping point?In an industry where money rules and male investors are treated like demigods, more and more women are speaking up. But will it work?
-
Tech has become another way for men to oppress womenWe act as if technology were neutral but it’s not. The challenge now is to remove the gender bias, says human rights lawyer and writer Lizzie O’Shea
-
She took on Tesla for discrimination. Now others are speaking up. 'It's too big to deny'A female engineer who came forward with claims of harassment says she was fired in retaliation. But now other women have voiced similar concerns
reviews
-
The City Is Ours review – will vertical forests and smart street lights really save the planet?Museum of London
By 2050, some 70% of the world’s population will be living in cities. How will we cope? This maddeningly random show weighs up some inspired solutions -
Radical Technologies by Adam Greenfield review – luxury communism, anyone?A tremendously intelligent and stylish book on the ‘colonisation of everyday life by information processing’ calls for resistance to rule by the tech elite
-
devices
in depth
-
Are Spotify's 'fake artists' any good?The streaming giant has been accused of commissioning generic instrumental music to go on its hugely popular playlists – and save it millions in royalties. We take a listen
-
spotlight
-
The 11 greatest video game objects – in picturesFrom Sonic’s rings to Portal’s Companion Cube, here are the most memorable items we’ve collected, shot or hit someone with. Add your favourites below
Ten tips that will make you a master of Instagram