A group of thirty European tech start-ups have warned that the European Union’s “inconsistent and often punitive rules” employee ownership rules are hindering their businesses. The entrepreneurs, which include the founders and chief executives of iZettle, TransferWise and Delivery Hero, stated that laws across the continent make it costly for employers to give out stock options to employees. The result is “a brain drain of Europe’s best and brightest”, they said. The warning to EU policymakers, in an open letter, comes as research by venture capitalists Index Ventures finds that employees own only 10 per cent of late-stage start-ups in Europe, because of limitations brought about by regulations. However in the US it is 20 per cent. The letter by the tech founders claims the regulations makes it hard for talented workers to give up their current careers, usually at big tech companies, to join new start-ups. In … [Read more...] about ‘Inconsistent and punitive’ employee ownership rules are damaging Europe’s start-ups, say tech bosses
Shared ownership rules uk
Mind the GDPR gaps: the biggest risks that remain for UK companies
In August, up to 34,000 Butlins customers were affected by a data breach, with information stolen including names, home addresses and holiday arrival dates. The company reported the breach within 72 hours, as required by GDPR guidelines, but the event led security analysts to speculate about the ‘gaping holes’ that still exist in the security strategies of businesses more than three months on from the GDPR enforcement deadline.Research carried out by Apricorn just ahead of the deadline found that more than two-thirds of UK companies were not confident they would be fully compliant by the cut-off date in May. Over 80 per cent cited at least one area they believed could cause them to fail to meet requirements – including a lack of encryption and gaps in employee training. In light of this, it’s very likely that many organisations are still not operating completely within the GDPR guidelines.There is nowhere to hide, even for those that manage to avoid a breach. … [Read more...] about Mind the GDPR gaps: the biggest risks that remain for UK companies
Guns are already on UK streets. 3D printing could make things far worse.
3D printed guns are not new, but it is not an area which is generally well-known or understood -- nor the possible effects that being able to print weapons at home will have on the criminal underground.It was back in 2013 that the first blueprints of handguns appeared online for public consumption. The gun in question was the Liberator, a gun which cost only $25 to print and was able to fire eight rounds in a single barrel.The CAD files for the weapon were released by Defense Distributed, ran by Cody Wilson, which was the first organization to make 3D printed gun blueprints open-source.This led to a modified design called the "Lulz Liberator" being released by a third-party which could be printed through a commercially-available printer.As with any kind of technology, time causes evolution. Countless CAD and design files are now freely available for download which can include concept gun designs and components, adapters, cylinders, bullets, barrels, molds, and rails which all … [Read more...] about Guns are already on UK streets. 3D printing could make things far worse.
This chart shows how dominant Google is in Europe and the UK: About 9 out of every 10 consumers there use Google’s search engine (GOOGL)
Prachi Bhardwaj, provided by Published 12:22 pm PDT, Wednesday, July 18, 2018 Europe's competition watchdog sent a message to Google in the form of a record $5 billion antitrust fine for abusing its power in one market to strengthen its role in a few others. As this chart from Statista shows, Google clearly dominates a few European and UK consumer markets. Even in areas where Android smartphone ownership dips, Google's search engine is used by at least 9 out of every 10 consumers, and its browser is used by four times as many users worldwide as the next leading browser, according to StatCounter data. But in a 2016 investigation, the European Commission concluded that the way it went about that was illegal. Unlike Apple's iOS, Google's Android platform is utilized by multiple smartphone manufacturers — one of the traits that's helped it become the global leader in mobile software by a long shot. The commission accused Google of using this to its advantage by … [Read more...] about This chart shows how dominant Google is in Europe and the UK: About 9 out of every 10 consumers there use Google’s search engine (GOOGL)
O2 and Vodafone win big in UK’s £1.4 billion 5G spectrum auction
Ofcom announces results of U.K.’s 5G spectrum bidding war. Vodafone wins largest share of 3.4GHz band, but O2 emerges on top with 5G and 4G gains. Telefónica-owned carrier jumps from 14% overall spectrum ownership to 20%, just ahead of Three. The biggest players in the U.K. mobile industry have collectively shelled out a whopping £1.4 billion to the government in a bidding war that will shape the future of 5G connectivity in the region.Carriers O2, Vodafone, Three, and EE all participated in the U.K.’s latest spectrum auction for mobile airwaves in the 3.4GHz band for 5G services, as well as an additional 40MHz of the 2.3GHz 4G spectrum. Editor's PickPicking the best UK mobile carrierThe U.K.'s 4G market is nice and mature now. All of the biggest UK mobile networks offer increasingly-fast data speeds and coverage reaching the vast majority of the population. That's made picking the best deal a … Telecomms regulatory body Ofcom … [Read more...] about O2 and Vodafone win big in UK’s £1.4 billion 5G spectrum auction