Concern over drivers on social media

By Ben Mundy Newsbeat reporter

22 May 2014 Last updated at 05:42

Police have told Newsbeat they are increasingly concerned about people using social media when driving.

The head of roads policing in England and Wales, Chief Constable Suzette Davenport, says people are increasingly posting updates, taking photos and video calling behind the wheel.

More than 6,000 16 to 24-year-olds were killed or seriously injured in 2012.

A recent RAC survey also found that 20% of 17 to 19-year-olds admitted using Facebook or Twitter while driving.

"I'm increasingly concerned because young people are absolutely glued to their mobile technology," said Chief Constable Suzette Davenport.

"Whether that's social networking or texting, people cannot afford to be doing that when they are driving."

Witnesses say that Imogen was hit by a driver who was distracted by a mobile phone

Imogen Cauthery, 27, sustained serious injuries after being hit by a car as a child.

Witnesses say the driver was distracted by a mobile phone.

Imogen has epilepsy, learning difficulties and memory impairment as a result of the accident.

She agreed to tell Newsbeat her story and help with our report on the issue of driver distractions.

"I was on my way to the swimming pool with my mum, sister and best friend Jeannette," she said.

"A car came round the corner, on his phone, and I was hit.

"A passing doctor gave me CPR at the scene and I was taken to hospital where they froze my brain.

"I was in a coma for 10 days and much to everyone's surprise I woke.

"It's really upsetting being back here at the scene of the crash.

"This is the place my world turned upside down.

"Some guy fancied taking his licence for granted and he ruined my life."

As part of Imogen's report, she spoke with drivers who admitted using social media while driving.

James Dawson, 28, drives for a living

"If I'm completely honest I would say most people probably do it and I have done in the past - used my smartphone when driving," revealed one man who didn't want to give his name.

When Imogen asked him why, he replied: "The thirst for knowledge which has been created by all these forms of media and devices."

James Dawson, 28, also spoke to Imogen.

"I have never done it, but I think a lot of people do," he explained.

"You see people looking down at their phone and it's really annoying because it is quite dangerous."

Imogen revisited the park she used to play in with friends as a child.

"I have been unable to do that ever since though because of all my conditions," she said.

"My brain is seriously scarred, I take three medications and I had brain surgery again last year.

"I've got really bad memory and that's probably what affects my lifestyle the most - not recognising people can be so humiliating.

"From doing this report for Newsbeat I've been appalled, while I've been here I've seen three drivers on their phone.

"I've met someone who has admitted doing it and it makes me feel so angry."

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Blizzard sues Starcraft cheat-makers

22 May 2014 Last updated at 09:32 By Leo Kelion Technology desk editor

Activision Blizzard is trying to sue hackers who have created cheats for its Starcraft II video game.

The publisher says the software undermines online multiplayer battles and could cause players to lose interest in the title.

It has filed papers with a California court calling for the unidentified programmers to be made to compensate it for copyright infringement.

One industry watcher described the move as "aggressive".

"The only reason that cheats like this exist is because there is demand for them," said Ed Barton, a video games analyst at the consultancy Ovum.

"But the competitive scene for Starcraft is very important, especially in Korea, and Blizzard needs to preserve the fantasy of the core experience."

News of the legal action was first reported by the Torrentfreak news site, which noted that the ValiantChaos MapHack cheats at the centre of the case remained available online if gamers paid a "donation" of $62.50 (£37).

The creators have promoted the hack on Blizzard's own forums as well as other sites.

Professional players

The science fiction real-time strategy game Starcraft II was released on 27 July 2010, and has subsequently been followed up with expansion packs,

Blizzard's last annual report noted that the Heart of the Swarm add-on was 2013's best-selling PC game at US stores, and the company is still working on a final extension called Legacy of the Void.

Its court filing talks of wanting "to protect the sanctity of the Starcraft II gaming experience" and notes that its terms and conditions explicitly prohibit the use of "hacks, mods or any other unauthorised third-party software" designed to allow a player to boost their ranking and access new weapons and abilities.

"The competitive aspect of Starcraft II's multiplayer environment is one of the driving forces behind sales of the game," it states.

"In fact, the Starcraft game are played as a competitive sport around the world, with professional or semi-professional players competing for national and international titles.

"Additionally, the ability to play the game against skilled human opponents keeps the player experience fresh and interesting, thus ensuring that players return to the game frequently."

The firm adds that it wishes the court to shut down the hacks and make their creators hand over the profits they had made.

Legal precedents

The case has echoes of Nintendo's court battles against the Games Genie - a cartridge that allowed players to enter codes to cheat at Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES) titles in the early 1990s.

Nintendo also alleged copyright infringement but lost the case after the judge ruled that consumers had the right to "experiment with the product" after paying a fair price for a game. Nintendo's rival Sega later gave its backing to the product and helped fund its marketing campaign.

However, Blizzard has been more successful in this area following 1998's introduction of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act, which criminalised software designed to bypass digital locks.

In 2010 the firm won a copyright infringement case against MDY Industries, which had sold a software "bot" that automatically played the early levels of World of Warcraft for players.

"The law in this area is relatively new as these forms of online games are only a decade old," Jas Purewal, editor of the Gamer Law news site told the BBC.

"Nonetheless, there have been a number of victories in this area and overall the odds are stacked against hackers and against cheaters once a games company is determined to take legal action."

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Vodafone raises UK call charges

22 May 2014 Last updated at 18:13

Mobile operator Vodafone has announced price increases that could add 10% to monthly bills.

The amount charged on usage beyond a customer's allowance will rise, but contracts themselves will not change.

Vodafone will estimate how much bills will rise based on a three month profile of each customer's bill.

It will then warn customers if their bills are to rise above 10% and give them the right to leave the contract without charge.

But the company says if they wish to do so, they must write to Vodafone before prices are raised on 28 June.

The move comes as Vodafone announced reduced European roaming prices.

Vodafone said to affected customers in a statement on its website:"We really hope you decide to stay with us, but as these changes have increased your monthly bill by more than 10%, you can end your agreement without charge,"

A standard UK call outside a contract allowance will increase by 5p per minute to 45p, but the cost of a European call will fall by just under 6p per minute to 18.7p.

Calls to certain 118 directory enquiry numbers will rise to £5 from current call charges of £2.25 to £3.75.

The affected numbers are: 118 500, 118 404, 118 247, and 118 212.

"The vast majority of our contract customers without an unlimited call and text plan already stay within their agreed bundles and won't see any difference from the changes we're making to the out of bundle charges," the company said.

"For those who do use more than their agreed monthly allowance, we already have a number of 'extras' available to them to help keep their costs down," it added.

However Ernest Doku from the price comparison website Uswitch said that its research showed that "almost a quarter of Brits regularly exceed their data allowances, paying an extra £91.20 per year on extra mobile data alone."

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'Pet replacement' app criticised

21 May 2014 Last updated at 18:17 By Kevin Rawlinson Technology Reporter

Battersea Dogs and Cats Home has warned that an app allowing people to find a new pet based entirely on looks risks reducing animals to disposable items.

PetMatch runs image-recognition technology to match pictures of animals, selected by prospective owners, to an "adoption database".

It has been suggested the app can help owners find replacements for dead pets.

The London rescue centre stressed that people should also research the animal's temperament before adopting.

The centre's head of dog rehoming, Rob Young, told the BBC: "We would not approve of using this as a method of choosing a new pet, largely because you should not be looking to rehome an animal on looks alone."

The developers of the app pointed out that users were still able to carry out further checks before they took an animal home.

'Disposable items'

Users either upload pictures of their ideal pet to the app or use a pre-loaded image. The app then uses image recognition technology to find matches among a database of animals that are up for adoption.

Mr Young said that it would be possible to find identical matches but warned prospective pet owners to be careful.

He said: "There is a good chance they will behave very differently. They all have their own needs. We work to make sure that each animal gets sent to a home that suits their needs."

Mr Young added: "[Use of the app] points towards dogs and cats becoming disposable items. Getting a direct replacement is not the way we would want people to look at it."

The developers, California-based Superfish, said their algorithms allowed the app to analyse pictures with "no human involvement".

The company, which has been backed by five different venture capital firms to the tune of $19.3m (£11.4m), said PetMatch was a "faster, more intuitive way to bring you closer to finding exactly what you're looking for".

Continue reading the main story

You should not be looking to rehome and animal on looks alone"

End Quote Rob Young Battersea Dogs and Cats Home

It added that the app helped users get in contact with pet-adoption agencies, once they had found the pet they are looking for.

But Mr Young said that, while he understood why some people would find the app useful, he would advise people using it to "find a dog or cat that looks identical to their old one" to proceed with caution.

"[Owners] become incredibly attached to their pets. I own two terriers and I would probably look to get another if one passed away," he said.

Superfish's head of communications Alisa MacDonnell said that using the app was "just the beginning of the conversation" and said users needed to meet an animal before adopting it.

She added: We just helping animals find homes, that's our main mission."

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Google 'making 3D-imaging tablet'

23 May 2014 Last updated at 11:31

A tablet computer capable of taking 3D images is set to be put into production by Google, according to reports.

The Wall Street Journal quoted sources close to the company as saying a run of 4,000 devices will be manufactured next month.

The tablet will have two rear-facing cameras and advanced imaging software - and will be shown off at the firm's forthcoming developers' conference.

Google has said it will not comment on "rumour and speculation".

But in March, Google showed off Project Tango, an effort to bring 3D technology to its handheld devices. A prototype smartphone had been given out to 200 developers to try out.

The technology makes use of infrared sensors to measure depth of surroundings.

While the ability to create 3D images with small devices is by no means a new technological feat, Google's strategy will be to harness the hardware to contribute to, among other things, its mapping effort.

For instance, the devices could be used to create quickly a 3D map of indoor environments.

Virtual reality race

According to the Wall Street Journal, the 3D tablet will be shown off at Google's annual developers' conference at the end of June.

As it did with the Google Glass eyewear product, it is expected the firm will allow a select number of developers and engineers to experiment with the technology before a consumer launch is planned.

Although still a relatively minor industry, the race to create the "killer app" for building and viewing virtual reality environments is building apace.

In March, Facebook swooped in on a $2bn (£1.2bn) deal for Oculus VR, a company making a virtual reality headset.

A mini-site for Project Tango has highlighted a few of the firm's plans in the area.

"Project Tango is an attempt to create a mobile device unlike like any other," the site explains.

"A mobile device that shares our sense of space and movement, that understands and perceives the world the same way we do."

In the past few years, devices able to view and create 3D images have made it to market, but suffered heavily from a lack of consumer interest, said Jack Kent, an analyst at IHS.

"If Google really pushes it, that might change the dynamics of the market," he told the BBC.

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Facebook announces listening feature

22 May 2014 Last updated at 12:22

Facebook is to release a new feature on its mobile app that "listens" to your music and TV shows.

If the song or show is recognised by the app, users can publish the information on their profile or to selected friends.

The service hopes to take advantage of the "second screen" trend, which sees fans of TV shows in particular sharing their experiences on social networks.

However, some users have privacy concerns.

The feature, which will be available in a few weeks' time, uses the microphones inside users' smartphones to detect nearby music or TV shows.

As the user begins writing a status update, a small animated icon will appear at the top of the app.

If the app detects the appropriate audio signals and finds a match from its database, the user can then share what he or she is watching or listening to.

Facebook says the feature can be turned off at any time, the audio recording is not stored anywhere and the device cannot identify background noise or conversations.

"If you share music, your friends can see a 30-second preview of the song. For TV shows, the story in News Feed will highlight the specific season and episode you're watching," Facebook said in a statement.

The company hopes this new method of sharing user listening and watching habits will take advantage of the five billion status updates related to TV and music experiences that the social networking giant sees on a yearly basis.

However, automating part of the sharing process has left some users suspicious, with Nicole Simon commenting on TechCrunch that: "While the idea is nice and technology really interesting, I have no interest in Facebook 'observing' my audio and surrounding. Yes, it starts currently as opt-in, and only on occasion, but there is no trust from my side for even that."

Advertising and Shazam

The BBC understands that this new feature was not specifically designed to enhance Facebook's advertising. However, the company could push an advert to a user's phone based on their tracked listening habits.

This is in keeping with Facebook's current approach to advertising, which uses publicly provided information on users' profiles to push advertisements that are more relevant to each individual user.

The basic idea behind Facebook's feature is not a new one - since 2002 Shazam, which has recently seen a $3m investment from Sony Music Entertainment, has been providing a similar audio recognition service, with its website describing itself as "a mobile app that recognises music and TV around you".

Users of Shazam - all 450 million of them - can not only share their listening habits with other users of the app, but they can also push their updates to Facebook and Twitter.

The app also provides artist biographies, lyrics, videos, recommended tracks and concert tickets.

Facebook's much larger user base could pose a future threat to the comparatively smaller company.

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Angry cabbies attack taxi app office

22 May 2014 Last updated at 16:27

The London office owned by taxi app firm Hailo has been vandalised as tensions mount in the capital over alternative cab services.

Black-cab drivers are angry that Hailo is opening up its service to private hire vehicles.

The word "Scabs" was scrawled on the wall of its London office and police were called after a fight broke out.

Discontent is growing across Europe between licensed taxi drivers and alternative private hire vehicles.

The app firm, co-founded by three London cabbies, had been exclusively for black cabs and allows people to hail a cab through their smartphone.

In an open letter to London taxi drivers, chairman Ron Zeghibe explained why the firm had applied for a private hire licence.

"There is no point burying our heads in the sand - people want a choice," he said.

"When we started, it was a straight fight between taxis and private hire. Now, it's not so simple. These are tough times that call for tough decisions - and that means doing what's right, not what's popular."

He was referring to services such as Uber, a San Francisco-based start-up that describes itself as a "pick-up" service.

It connects those needing a ride with a background-checked private driver, and takes a cut - typically 20% - of the fee.

It now operates in more than 100 cities across 30 countries.

Steve McNamara, head of the London Taxi Drivers' Association said that "feelings were running high".

Of the incident at the Hailo office he said: "Things turned a little bit nasty, punches were thrown and the police were called."

Beyond that, he said, drivers were deleting the app and "queuing up" to have the Hailo stickers removed from their cabs.

Tensions mount

Licensed taxi drivers around Europe are getting increasingly frustrated by the proliferation of new services such as Uber, which they say are not subject to the same regulation and licensing regime as them.

In the Italian city of Milan, taxis have been sitting idle for the past five days in protest at what they say is "unfair competition" from Uber. In Paris, the government is considering banning Uber drivers from using GPS-enabled apps and in Spain the National Taxi Federation has called for it to be banned saying it is putting 100,000 jobs at risk.

In London too, black-cab drivers are planning a protest on 11 June over the way Transport for London has handled Uber's arrival in the capital.

"Our beef is not with Uber but with the regulator which is not enforcing the law and kowtowing in the face of Uber's money," said Mr McNamara.

"The reason for the complete collapse of a normally strong and vigilant regulator can only be put down to the fact that TfL are intimidated by the money, power and influence being brought to bear by the enormous presence of Uber's backers Google and Goldman Sachs."

He said that the protest, likely to cause gridlock in central London had "united the taxi and minicab trades in London".

At the heart of the dispute is why Uber is classified as a minicab service when it uses a smartphone app to calculate fares. Black-cab drivers argue that the app is akin to a taximeter and it is illegal for such vehicles to be fitted with these.

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Spotify has 10m paying subscribers

By Emma Brant Newsbeat reporter

22 May 2014 Last updated at 16:52

Eminem is the most streamed artist on the digital music service

Spotify has announced that it has reached 10 million premium subscribers.

The music streaming company, now the world's largest, also has 40 million monthly active users in 56 countries.

Three-quarters use the free service rather than a premium or paid-for subscription, which costs £9.99 a month and gives ad-free music.

"We've had an amazing year, growing from 20 markets to 56 as people from around the world embrace streaming," said founder and CEO, Daniel Ek.

"10 million subscribers is an important milestone for both Spotify and the entire music industry.

The majority of subscribers use the free service which comes with advert breaks

"We're widening our lead in the digital music space and will continue to focus on getting everyone in the world to listen to more music."

Eminem is the most streamed artist on the platform, while Avicii's Wake Me Up is the most played track with more than 235 million streams.

Spotify claims that it has handed more than $1 billion (£593m) to music rights holders since its launch six years ago.

Earlier this year, the company had to reach an agreement in a legal case over playlists.

Dance music label, Ministry of Sound, claimed playlists compiled by Spotify users based on its compilation albums were a breach of copyright.

Ministry of Sound attempted to force Spotify to delete the playlists but in the end the two companies reached an "amicable agreement".

The Swedish company launched in 2007.

Follow @BBCNewsbeat on Twitter and Radio1Newsbeat on YouTube

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eBay faces investigation over breach

23 May 2014 Last updated at 12:17 By Jane Wakefield Technology reporter

The UK's information commissioner is working with European data authorities with a view to taking action against eBay over its recent data breach.

Three US states are also investigating the theft of names, email addresses and other personal data, which affected up to 145 million eBay customers.

The online marketplace has begun the process of notifying its customers about the need to reset passwords.

However some customers reported problems when attempting to do so.

EBay told the BBC that it was not aware of any technical problems with the password reset function on the site.

"The site is busy, but our secure password reset tool is working," a spokesman said.

The firm has been criticised for its slow reaction in informing customers about the theft of personal data.

"We are sending out millions of emails, and it will take some time. The process is certainly well under way," the firm told the BBC.

It warned though that its official password reset email contained no links and that customers should be wary of messages that did.

"Any email with links is a phishing attempt," it said.

Serious breach

Meanwhile the fallout from the data breach was beginning to kick in.

In the US, Connecticut, Florida and Illinois said they were conducting a joint investigation.

Speaking on BBC Radio 5 live, the UK's information commissioner said that the eBay breach was "very serious" but that outdated and complex data protection laws meant the ICO could not begin an immediate investigation.

He said the watchdog would have to first liaise with the Luxembourg data protection, where eBay has its European headquarters.

"There's millions of UK citizens affected by this, and we've been clear that we're monitoring it, but by taking the wrong action under the law now we risk invalidating any investigation," an ICO spokesman told the BBC when pressed on why the watchdog had not yet launched any action.

Identity theft

Questions are starting to be asked about how well eBay safeguarded its customers' data.

Hugh Boyes from the Institution of Engineering and Technology questioned why eBay stored so much data in the first place.

"The Information Commissioner makes the point that organisations should keep the minimum information necessary so why do eBay need to hold and store dates of birth and addresses?"

"As an occasional eBay user, I am concerned that not only have they lost my email, username and password, but according to their website the loss includes home address, phone number and date of birth.

"This is serious from an identity theft perspective. The only item they are missing is the mother's maiden name and they have sufficient information to impersonate an individual when dealing with many financial organisations."

Reports that large numbers of eBay customer details have begun appearing for sale in Pastebin - a site where hackers publicise their attacks - have been denied by eBay.

Lysa Myers, a security research at ESET agreed that the data was unlikely to have originated from the auction site.

"The users that are shown in the sample would represent an odd subset of users for an international company like eBay. And the price asked (1.45 Bitcoin) would seem to be astonishingly low for the data of 145 million users," she said.

"Even if the sample is not in fact from the eBay breach, it could potentially be data from another company's leak."

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IT fault hits Sainsbury's deliveries

23 May 2014 Last updated at 16:13

Some home deliveries of groceries from Sainsbury's have been delayed after the supermarket giant suffered from computer problems.

Some online shoppers have reported their order failing to arrive in their allotted time slots, followed by long waits on the phone for information.

A computer problem caused the delays and some customers have been offered compensation.

Sainsbury's has apologised and says the problem has been rectified.

"A small number of online orders were not delivered to customers today. Naturally, we are apologising to the individuals concerned," a spokesman for the supermarket said.

"Everything is now back to normal so customers can place orders as usual."

The glitch, which affected customers in the South East of England, comes ahead of a bank holiday weekend in the UK, when many will be hosting family and friends.

Earlier this month, Sainsbury's reported a rose in pre-tax profit for the year to 15 March by 16.3% to £898m.

However, it warned of "challenging" times ahead in the food retail sector.

The latest supermarket industry figures from market analysts Kantar Worldpanel, for the 12 weeks to 27 April showed that Sainsbury's market share fell 0.3% to 16.6% compared with a year earlier.

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