Archive for January 2021
Electric Cars Allowed in Bus Lanes (Pilot)
Cambridgeshire County Council’s pilot scheme to allow electric vehicles to use bus lanes from December 2020 has caused safety concerns among cyclists, who also use the bus lanes. December Decision Under an Experimental Traffic Regulation Order (ETRO), a pilot scheme running from 14 December 2020 until 13 June 2021 (with the option to extend up…
Read MoreFeatured Article – Data About You Held By UK Government
In this article, we look at not just the story of how a staggering 400,000 police records were accidentally deleted but also at the wider picture of what information is held about us UK citizens by the authorities, and what powers we have over that data. Deleted After first being reported in the Times newspaper,…
Read MoreSignal Crashes Due To Millions of Sign-Ups
With more than 30 million people joining the non-profit, end-to-end encrypted communications app ‘Signal’ in just a few days, users of the app have (understandably) been experiencing a few technical issues. Mass Sign-Ups The announcement that WhatsApp would be changing its privacy policy and terms to force users (outside Europe) to share their data with WhatsApp’s…
Read MorePC Sales Get Biggest Boost in 10 Years From Remote Working
Global tech market analysts Canalys have reported that the worldwide PC market has received its biggest sales boost in 10 years as remote working fuels the ongoing digital transformation. Highest Full-Year Growth Since 2010 Canalys reported on 11 January that the global PC market ended 2020 on a high with 25 per cent sales growth…
Read MoreTech Tip – Stop Skype From Opening Automatically
If you would like to stop Skype from opening and appearing automatically, every time you log into or start-up Windows 10, here’s how: – Go to ‘Settings’ (type ‘Settings’ in the taskbar and select it). – Click on ‘Apps’. – On the ‘Apps and Features’ page, left-hand side, click on ‘Startup’. – Switch the Skype…
Read MoreWhatsApp To Share Users’ Personal Info
In a change to WhatsApp’s privacy policy from next month, users outside of Europe will have to agree to share their personal information with WhatsApp’s owner Facebook or leave the app. Outside Europe From February 8, 2021, a compulsory aspect of continuing to use WhatsApp outside the EU and EEA will be to agree to…
Read MoreTrump Banned on Social Media
Last week, following the storming of Washington DC’s Capitol building, US President Donald Trump’s ban from Twitter, Facebook and Instagram have led to some questions about the legal status and regulation of social media companies. Twitter – Permanently Suspended Twitter has been US President Trump’s chosen means of regular and instant, direct communication with the…
Read MoreFeatured Article – Rules & Regs: Social Media
In this article, we look at the rules, policies and guidance around what types of content is – and isn’t – allowed on social media websites. Social Media Platforms Social media platforms reflect many different views and motivations and can be used for harm (as well as good) e.g., cyberbullying, hate speech, grooming and more. …
Read MoreBrexit – Temporary Data Adequacy Granted to the UK
Worries about the disruption of the flow of data and the effect of this on trade between the UK and EU countries with Brexit have been addressed by the granting of controversial, short-term data adequacy status to the UK. What Is Data Adequacy? For third countries, i.e. those outside the European Economic Area (EEA) of the…
Read MoreTech Tip – Optimising Storage
You can make sure that you are making the best use of the space on your computer by using the Storage Sense feature in Windows 10. Here’s how: When enabled, Storage Sense will automatically work in the background when your PC is getting low on space to free-up space by ridding your system of unwanted,…
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