Technology
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The world’s most advanced surveillance state
Will our governments soon know everything about us? In China, facial recognition is driving the government’s social credit system to rate the trustworthiness of its 1.4 billion citizens.
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‘Disinformation, manipulation and propaganda’
Is Facebook evil? Today the world’s largest social media company stands accused of undermining democracy, spreading fake news, inciting hatred, and violating the privacy of millions.
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Uber self-driving car kills US pedestrian
Would you use a self-driving car? The first fatality involving a pedestrian and an autonomous car has put Uber in the firing line. Some call the crash a “wake-up call” for the whole industry.
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‘Broken’ Facebook under fire over data breach
Should you quit Facebook? Over the weekend, the media reported a whistleblower’s account of serious misuse of user data. The social network is now under more pressure than ever…
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‘Blackout threat’ sparks fears of cyber attack
Is the Russia debate becoming hysterical? As tensions with the UK escalate, water, power and finance companies have been warned of cyber attacks from the newly re-elected President Putin…
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The true courage of science’s brightest star
What can we learn from Stephen Hawking? Superstar physicist, renowned writer and inspiring teacher — Hawking achieved all this despite huge adversity. Some see a life lesson for us all.
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Flying cars lift off in fight for the future
Would you rather zoom through a vacuum at the speed of sound or soar through the air in your own car? The world’s most powerful entrepreneurs are battling to invent the future of transport.
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Fake news spreads ‘faster, deeper’ than truth
Is human nature to blame? A new study tracked the spread of falsehoods on Twitter and found that they are 70% more likely to be retweeted than truth. Why? Because lies are more surprising…
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Amazon promises to fix Alexa’s ‘creepy’ laugh
Would you want Alexa in your home? The AI assistant can answer questions, play music and switch off your lights. But recently it has begun “randomly” laughing at users for no reason…
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UK mourns death of ‘classic British inventor’
Is the age of the maverick inventor over? Trevor Baylis: circus performer, stuntman and inventor of the wind-up radio has died. Some say eccentric engineers like him are facing extinction.
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Anti-gun activists take aim at Amazon
Is Amazon evil? A huge backlash has hit the business for supporting the National Rifle Association. But some say Amazon represents far deeper dangers which put our very democracy at risk.
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Politics, KFC and the new ‘culture of apology’
What do apologies mean in today’s world? Damian Green, Oxfam’s boss, Fergie, KFC and Blenheim Palace have all recently said sorry. That word is becoming more common — and more controversial…
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TB, AIDS and polio on the verge of extinction
Is a world free from disease really possible? The news may be about superbugs and cancer but the deeper trends show that many of the great killer diseases are in long-term dramatic retreat
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Shakespeare exposed by plagiarism detector
Is the world's greatest writer a cheat? Software normally used to outwit exam fraud has disclosed an obscure manuscript that was the source of many of the Bard's most famous lines.
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‘World’s most powerful rocket’ set for lift-off
Are we about to witness a giant leap or a silly stunt? Today SpaceX will launch a huge rocket which could pave the way for future Mars missions. But some people do not believe the hype.