Who (or what) is behind the wheel? The regulatory challenges of driverless cars

Mar 07, 2016 01:28 am UTC| Technology Law

A legal opinion by the US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) set the internet alight in February. The US road safety federal regulator informed Google that the artificial intelligence (AI) software...

Facebook looks set to pay more UK tax but it might not be as much as you think

Mar 04, 2016 17:55 pm UTC| Law Technology

Facebook has said it will pay more in UK taxes from 2017. The news comes hot on the heels of the much-derided settlement of Googles decade-long tax dispute with the UK tax authority. It also comes a day after it emerged...

The fight for encryption gets new allies as tech companies join Apple against the FBI

Mar 04, 2016 17:10 pm UTC| Technology Law

Apples defiance to the FBIs request to unlock the work phone of one of the San Bernadino shooters has become an all out PR and legal battle being waged on all fronts. Although the case is ostensibly about unlocking a...

A digital beehive could warn beekeepers when their hives are under attack

Mar 04, 2016 00:48 am UTC| Technology

Honey bees are responsible for pollinating crops worth more than US$19 billion and for producing about US$385 million in honey a year in the United States. In Australia, honey bee production is a A$92-million...

US Election Series

Will the next U.S. president close the digital divide for Americans without broadband access?

Mar 03, 2016 16:19 pm UTC| Insights & Views Technology

Most of the 2016 presidential candidates policy platforms recognize the strategic importance of high-speed Internet (HSI), or broadband, in transforming the economy and spurring innovation. The candidates appear...

Google car crash: who's to blame when a driverless car has an accident?

Mar 03, 2016 13:58 pm UTC| Technology Law

Luckily no one was injured when one of Googles self-driving cars recently crashed itself into a bus as it pulled out at a junction. The car was only travelling at 2mph, after all. The company has admitted it bore some...

Oil in Global Economy Series

Oil rigs are built to withstand decades at sea – taking them apart is as tough as they are

Mar 03, 2016 13:31 pm UTC| Insights & Views Technology

More than 40 years since oil first flowed from the Forties oil field, many North Sea fields are coming to the end of their productive lives. This means that platforms must be decommissioned and dismantled, the wells...