Reuters - Technology Report

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Monday, February 18, 2019

Facebook broke rules, should be regulated: UK lawmakers

Facebook intentionally breached data privacy and competition law and should, along with other big tech companies, be subject to a new regulator to protect democracy and citizens' rights, British lawmakers said on Monday.

Facebook says it is 'open to meaningful regulation'

Facebook is "open to meaningful regulation", it said on Monday after British lawmakers said that big technology companies should be subject to a compulsory code of ethics to tackle the spread of fake news and abuse of users' data.

Britain's 5G network security review ongoing: PM May's spokesman

Britain's review of its 5G network resilience is still ongoing, a spokesman for Prime Minister Theresa May said on Monday after the Financial Times reported that security chiefs had concluded they could manage any risks arising from Huawei's involvement.

Alibaba is the force behind hit Chinese Communist Party app: sources

A Chinese government propaganda app that recently became a huge hit was developed by Alibaba, two people at the company told Reuters, at a time when the nation's tech firms are under global scrutiny over their ties to Beijing.

Germany's Bafin bans Wirecard short positions after negative reports

Germany's financial watchdog has taken the unprecedented step of banning short selling in shares of payments firm Wirecard, a member of the blue-chip DAX index, after reports in the Financial Times sparked high volatility in the stock over recent weeks.

German prosecutor probing FT journalist over Wirecard: report

German authorities have opened an investigation into a Financial Times journalist over reports about German payments firm Wirecard, Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung said.

SoftBank invests in Mubadala's new $400 million European tech fund: source

Japan's SoftBank Group has provided nearly half of the cash for Abu Dhabi's state investor Mubadala Investment Co's new $400 million fund investing in European start-ups, a source familiar with the matter said.

New Zealand will conduct own assessment of Huawei equipment risk: PM

New Zealand will independently assess the risk of using China's Huawei Technologies in 5G networks, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said on Monday after a report suggested that British precautions could be used by other nations.

UK concludes it can mitigate risk from Huawei equipment use in 5G: FT

The British government has decided it can mitigate the risks arising from the use of Huawei Technologies Co Ltd in 5G networks, the Financial Times reported on Sunday, citing two sources familiar with the conclusion of Britain's National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC).

Germany to extend electric company car tax incentives: paper

German Finance Minister Olaf Scholz plans to extend tax incentives for electric company cars, he told a newspaper on Saturday, the government's latest attempt to boost demand for clean vehicles.