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Google Street View cleared of privacy charges in UK

Google has been cleared of privacy breach charges in the UK after its Street View cars were accused of surreptitiously collecting personal data on Britain’s streets. The Information Commissioner Office (ICO) ruled that Google had not gathered “significant” personal details from unsecured Wi-Fi networks, but did say that Google was “wrong” to collect such information in the first place. In a statement, the ICO explained: “On the basis of the samples we saw, we are satisfied so far that it is unlikely that Google will have captured significant amounts of personal data. “There is also no evidence - as yet - that the data captured by Google has caused or could cause any individual detriment.” Google has apologised for gathering the data from Wi-Fi networks, which were accessed in order to boost its location-based services. According to the BBC, Google has said its Street View cars will no longer access open networks

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Google Street View cleared of privacy charges in UK

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Increased petrol prices fuel online retail spend

2010 has been a momentous year so far - with Spain winning the prestigious FIFA World Cup, knowing that we will never need to watch Channel 4’s Big Brother ever again and petrol prices reaching an all time high of 120p a litre. In cash-strapped Britain - now being labelled as the “sick man of Europe” - petrol prices have hit consumers hard in the pocket. Ten years ago in 2000, the average price per litre (p) was 76.9 compared to 111.9 - which is a 68 per cent increase. Rather than jumping in a car and driving to the high street, local shops or retail parks for their weekly grocery shopping, online spending growth could reveal that consumers are instead jumping on the internet super highway. Comparing petrol prices and online spends, we can see a correlation between the rise in petrol prices to how much consumers are spending online. Looking at the figures, we can understand why: for example, if you’re driving a Ford Focus with a fuel consumption of 56.5 mpg and you have to drive 10 miles to the shops every week, that works out at

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UK broadband roll-out pushed back to 2015

In a revelation that runs slightly affront to recent news that the government is eager to get people online, the ConLib coalition has pushed back initiatives to provide remote places throughout the UK with broadband by 2012. The new deadline will be 2015. Tory culture secretary Jeremy Hunt laid the blame on lack of funding for the roll out. “I have looked at the provision the government had made to achieve this by 2012, and I’m afraid that I am not convinced that there is sufficient funding in place,” Hunt said at a conference meant to assess Britain’s broadband access problems. “While we will keep working towards that date, we have set ourselves a more realistic target of achieving universal 2Mbps access within the lifetime of this parliament,” he said. The plans were originally enacted by the now-sacked Labour government, and promise to have broadband rolled out to all of Britain at a minimum speed of 2Mb per second.

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UK broadband roll-out pushed back to 2015

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Over 50s dominate new web audience

As ever more Brits connect to the World Wide Web, one of the growing age groups is the over 50s - causing a surge in demand for net services catering to older users. A new study by the UK Online Measurement Company (UKOM) found that Britain’s internet audience rose from 36.9 million last year to 38.8 million in May, with more than half of these newcomers being aged 50 or older. The new arrivals also consisted of more men than women, with men over 50 accounting for 38 per cent of the 1.9 million new users. “The internet is getting older in more ways than one,” Alex Burmaster told BBC News on behalf of UKOM. “Not only is the medium itself maturing, but the audience is shifting towards older age groups.” Over-50s now account for 31 per cent of the UK’s total online audience. The largest user base is those aged 35 to 49 - exceeding 25 per cent of the total audience - and the findings also revealed a marked difference between men and women, as seen below. “There is a still a perception that the net is youth-centric but this is clearly not the reality,” Mr Burmaster explained. The research company identified a wide range of sites of particular appeal to the older generation, including community, fashion, genealogy, travel and video sites

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Over 50s dominate new web audience

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UK government details superfast broadband plans

The UK government’s plans to roll out high speed broadband across the nation received a boost this week, with the first major speech from culture secretary Jeremy Hunt clarifying some of the details of how Britain could achieve the “best superfast broadband network in Europe.” Mr Hunt criticised the Labour government’s previous commitments of 2MBps broadband speeds as being “pitifullly unambitious,” and he considered it “a scandal” that almost three million households are still unable to access this speed. The culture secretary did not divulge specific details of how the national roll-out would be carried out, but BBC News reports that it could involve the passing of legislation to force water, gas and electricity companies to open their ducts as a more cost-effective means of installing fibre-optic cables throughout the country. He also welcomed a proposal by Ofcom that BT open up its ducts for the new service. “The biggest cost involved in rolling out new fibre optic networks is digging up the roads,” Mr Hunt explained. “Cut these costs and, straight away, investing in superfast broadband becomes a substantially more attractive proposition.” With many countries enjoying speeds in excess of 100MBps, the UK government has long promised a superfast network , which Mr Hunt stated could create at least 60,000 new jobs and generate

britain

UK government details superfast broadband plans

The UK government’s plans to roll out high speed broadband across the nation received a boost this week, with the first major speech from culture secretary Jeremy Hunt clarifying some of the details of how Britain could achieve the “best superfast broadband network in Europe.” Mr Hunt criticised the Labour government’s previous commitments of 2MBps broadband speeds as being “pitifullly unambitious,” and he considered it “a scandal” that almost three million households are still unable to access this speed. The culture secretary did not divulge specific details of how the national roll-out would be carried out, but BBC News reports that it could involve the passing of legislation to force water, gas and electricity companies to open their ducts as a more cost-effective means of installing fibre-optic cables throughout the country. He also welcomed a proposal by Ofcom that BT open up its ducts for the new service. “The biggest cost involved in rolling out new fibre optic networks is digging up the roads,” Mr Hunt explained. “Cut these costs and, straight away, investing in superfast broadband becomes a substantially more attractive proposition.” With many countries enjoying speeds in excess of 100MBps, the UK government has long promised a superfast network , which Mr Hunt stated could create at least 60,000 new jobs and generate

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Apple market share beats Microsoft

Apple’s market share has beaten that of rival Microsoft for the first time in more than 20 years, according to Nasdaq share values at the close of business on Wednesday. Times Online reports that Apple’s shares approached $222 billion (

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Google leads mobile web in USA

Search seraph Google rules the mobile web in the United States, according to a new report from browser maker Opera Software. The study found that Google searches accounted for over nine per cent of total online page views from mobile web users in the USA last month.

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Google leads mobile web in USA

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Regional news publisher begins charging for content

The Johnston Press has become the first regional publisher in the UK to begin charging users for online news content. The publisher, which owns more than 300 papers across Britain, is trialing payment services for six of its local titles. These include the Northumberland Gazette, the Ripley & Heanor News, the Whitby Gazette and the Worksop Guardian in England, as well as the Carrick Gazette and Southern Reporter in Scotland.

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Regional news publisher begins charging for content

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Wii Fit Plus: Recommended by The NHS

The NHS is said to be giving the Nintendo Wii Fit Plus the NHS’s Change4Life logo making the Wii the first gaming device to ever be recommended by the health department. While the government and various health agencies have often attacked video games as being a major factor in the health and obesity problems they are trying to tackle, it seems that the the Wii Fit Plus has elicited a change in opinion. They believe will encourage a healthier lifestyle among Britain’s armchair critics - video gamers.

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Wii Fit Plus: Recommended by The NHS