Tech

Remote court hearings – a tool for the justice system amid the pandemic

Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, court hearings all over the world have been postponed. Yet, others are now taking place remotely. The Federal courts were the first to install courtroom technology according to the American Bar Association. UK Supreme Court as well as courts in Brazil, China, and India are conducted remotely. This technology is […]

Is 2020 the year of next generation television with high-speed internet?

US TV broadcasters and vendors as well as the FCC are now getting behind the latest US ‘Advanced Television Systems Committee’ (ATSC) standard, ATSC 3. This defines the way digital television can be transmitted over terrestrial, cable and satellite. The FCC is promising to remove any regulatory issues which might stymie developments. It views the resulting […]

Robots help fight COVID-19

Robots are one group of workers on the frontline that have managed well though the pandemic. They are now recognised as an extremely valuable technology in the attempt to keep COVID-19 under control and look after those infected with the virus. These include things like the decontamination of hospitals and public spaces or delivering goods […]

Why trust is important in the digital world

As our lives become more dominated by digital services with many aspects of our day-to-day activities fully controllable by our phones and tablets, the question of trust in our technology providers has become more important. Whether you’re buying groceries, dealing in real estate, seeking health advice, finding life partners or even the security of the […]

Google's smart-city plan is no more

Sidewalk Labs, a part of Google’s Alphabet company, has suddenly cancelled an ambitious (or, as many critics had it, “overweening”) plan to transform a largely derelict section of Toronto’s waterfront some 1.5 kilometres east of the Downtown district into a “super-smart city”. They have now used the ‘unpredictability of COVID-19’ excuse, they have now abandoned […]

Dutch authority to investigate TikTok privacy for children's data

TikTok privacy settings and security have been called into question by a Dutch data protection authority. Amid the growing popularity of TikTok – ByteDance Ltd’s social media app – the increasing number of younger users has raised concerns about data privacy. As such, the clarity, user friendliness, and navigation features for children will be investigated. […]

Can drones help in the fight against COVID-19?

Imagine that the next time the world faces another pandemic like COVID-19, drones are ready to take to the skies to provide help. Some are able to quickly release necessary supplies, notify medical professionals to attend to those at risk, and safely disinfect hard-hit areas, while others employ cutting-edge technology such as thermal sensors, which […]

The rise of conversational AI

Facebook has released a new chatbot named Blender, which the company claims is designed to handle conversation on any topic and also to show empathy when interacting with humans. The name ‘Blender’ has been aptly used to define its capabilities of merging several conversational skills at once. The chatbot is developed from what Facebook calls […]