TECHNOLOGY

The UK’s telecom regulator has said Three is the only major UK mobile network to have “refused” to automatically cut its customers’ monthly charge at the end of their contract’s lock-in period. As a result, Ofcom said, the firm’s subscribers would “overpay” unless they took action to change to another deal. The watchdog said it had challenged the industry to ...

Uber passengers in the US have complained on Twitter after a “glitch” meant they were charged 100 times more than advertised fares. One journey that should have cost $96.72 (£77.60) was reportedly charged at $9,672, while some charges were so high they triggered fraud alerts. The payment problem reportedly hit riders in San Diego and Washington. Uber said the issue ...

Kazakhstan’s drive to obtain government access to everyone’s internet activity has raised concerns among privacy advocates. Last week, telecoms operators in the former Soviet republic started informing users of the “need” to install a new security certificate. Doing so opens up the risk that supposedly secure web traffic could be decrypted and analysed. Some users say the move has significant ...

Credit score agency Equifax has agreed to pay up to $700m (£561m) as part of a settlement with a US regulator following a data breach in 2017. The Federal Trade Commission had alleged the Atlanta-based firm failed to take reasonable steps to secure its network. The records of at least 147 million people were exposed in the incident. At least ...

It is here at the State Library of Queensland in Australia that these young migrants have acquired technical skills. Today, they are participating in a competition to rebuild a computer. The library set up the program to make the most of electronic waste, reusing the pile of old government computers that are supposed to be good for scrap. “They’re taking ...

On today’s episode of SciTech, we explore how tech is powering democracy in South Africa, plus the latests breakthroughs in wildlife photography and explain why the Android system will no longer be available for Huawei smartphones. Tackling voter apathy using WhatsApp The Sizwe Mpofu-Walsh Xperience or simply #SMWX, the team produces a live-stream show on WhatsApp that focuses on the ...

So how do Apple Pay, Samsung Pay and Google Pay compare, and which one is more widely accepted right now? Mobile payments could soon make your wallet obsolete by allowing you to pay with just the tap of your phone or smartwatch. But they’ve had a slow roll-out and not all options are made equal. The three most established systems are from Apple, Samsung and Google, although ...

Instagram is testing a new way for people to recover their accounts if they get locked out or hacked. Currently locked-out account holders have to email specific verification to Instagram’s security team before access can be restored. The trial is an in-app function where users submit contact information associated with the account, and then receive an access code. This will ...

It is a hugely ambitious – some might say megalomaniacal – project to create a new global currency. Facebook’s David Marcus tells me it is about giving billions of people more freedom with money and “righting the many wrongs of the present system”. The message is this is not some little side project a small team at the Facebook’s Menlo ...

Samsung has advised owners of its latest TVs to run regular virus scans. A how-to video on the Samsung Support USA Twitter account demonstrates the more than a dozen remote-control button presses required to access the sub-menu needed to activate the check. It suggested users should carry out the process “every few weeks” to “prevent malicious software attacks”. The suggestion ...