Breaking News, Business, Financial and Economic News, World News from EconoTimes

Become a contributor

Bookmark Econotimes

Fri, Mar 21, 2025 05:44 PM All times are UTC

Follow Series

©Econometrics LLC . All Rights Reserved.

David Tuffley

Senior Lecturer in Applied Ethics and Socio-Technical Studies, School of ICT., Griffith University

Dr. David Tuffley is a Senior Lecturer in Applied Ethics and Socio-Technical Studies at Griffith University in Australia. A regular contributor to mainstream media on the social impact of technology, David is a recognized expert in his field. Before academia David worked as an IT Consultant in Australia and the United Kingdom, a role he continues to perform when not educating the next generation of IT professionals.

David is an engaging science communicator of many years’ experience, He was a guest panelist in the 2017 World Science Festival and a variety of other science focused public events. David's academic background includes fields as diverse as Psychology, Anthropology, Classical Rhetoric and English literature at the University of Queensland.

David's formal qualifications include PhD (Software Engineering), Master of Philosophy (Information Systems), Grad Cert in Higher Education (all from Griffith University), Bachelor of Arts majoring in Psychology, English Literature, Anthropology (University of Queensland).

Why prices are so high – 8 ways retail pricing algorithms gouge consumers

Feb 16, 2024 07:06 am UTC| Insights & Views Economy

The just-released report of the inquiry into price gouging and unfair pricing conducted by Allan Fels for the Australian Council of Trades Unions does more than identify the likely offenders. It finds the biggest are...

Twitter is refusing to pay Google for cloud services. Here’s why it matters, and what the fallout could be for users

Jun 16, 2023 06:06 am UTC| Technology

Amid an ongoing cost-cutting effort, Twitter has now refused to pay the bills to renew its multi-year contract with Google Cloud, Platformer has reported. Weve all heard of the cloud but what does it have to do with...

The FDA finally approved Elon Musk's Neuralink chip for human trials. Have all the concerns been addressed?

Jun 01, 2023 11:42 am UTC| Health Law

Since its founding in 2016, Elon Musks neurotechnology company Neuralink has had the ambitious mission to build a next-generation brain implant with at least 100 times more brain connections than devices currently approved...

Why was TikTok banned on government devices? An expert on why the security concerns make sense

Apr 05, 2023 13:24 pm UTC| Technology

Australia has joined a raft of other countries in banning the popular video sharing app TikTok from government devices, as several outlets have today reported. The move comes after a seven month-long review instigated...

AI Revolution Series

Spotify's response to Rogan-gate falls short of its ethical and editorial obligations

Feb 02, 2022 08:41 am UTC| Insights & Views Technology

Audio streaming giant Spotify is getting a crash course in the tension between free speech and the need to protect the public from harmful misinformation. The Swedish-founded platform, which has 400 million active...

How 2021 was the year governments really started to wise up against big tech

Jan 03, 2022 12:13 pm UTC| Politics Technology

After all the bad press tech companies have received, would anyone still be surprised to learn the outwardly smiling face of social media conceals a sophisticated data-collection industry? This years headlines delivered...

How an app to decrypt criminal messages was born 'over a few beers' with the FBI

Jun 08, 2021 12:11 pm UTC| Technology

Australian and US law enforcement officials on Tuesday announced theyd sprung a trap three years in the making, catching major international crime figures using an encrypted app. More than 200 underworld figures in...

1 2

Economy

China’s Copper Smelters Slash Output Amid Severe Concentrate Shortage and Record Losses

Chinas major copper smelters have begun widespread maintenance shutdowns in Marchan unusual move during peak demand seasondue to an escalating copper concentrate shortage and plunging treatment fees. The maintenance,...

Dollar Strengthens as Fed Holds Rates and Market Eyes Trump Tariff Moves

The U.S. dollar stayed firm on Friday, extending gains after its strongest daily performance in three weeks. Markets reacted to the Federal Reserves steady interest rate stance and cautious outlook on future cuts. Fed...

Ireland’s Economy Faces 1.8% Decline by 2032 Amid U.S.-EU Trade Tensions

Irelands domestic economy could shrink by up to 1.8% by 2032 if the United States and European Union impose lasting tit-for-tat tariffs, according to a study co-authored by Irelands finance ministry and the Economic and...

Aussie Supermarkets Under Fire as Prices Soar and Profits Rise

Australias top supermarket chainsWoolworths, Coles, and ALDIhave expanded profit margins amid soaring grocery prices, according to a new report by the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC). The watchdog...

Japan Inflation Stays Sticky in February, Boosting BOJ Rate Hike Bets

Japans consumer inflation remained elevated in February, fueling expectations that the Bank of Japan (BOJ) will continue tightening monetary policy in 2024. Government data released Friday showed the national Consumer...

Politics

Judge Halts SSA Data Sharing with Musk’s DOGE Over Privacy Breach

A U.S. federal judge has ruled that the Social Security Administration (SSA) likely violated privacy laws by granting Elon Musks Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) unrestricted access to sensitive data of millions...

Elon Musk to Receive Pentagon Briefing on U.S.-China War Plans Amid Rising Influence

Elon Musk is set to receive a classified briefing at the Pentagon this Friday on the U.S. militarys potential war strategies involving China, according to a New York Times report citing informed officials. The session will...

Europe Eyes Defense Shift from U.S. as Trump Factor Looms

Europes top military powers are quietly crafting plans to assume greater responsibility for the continents defense, aiming to ease reliance on the United States amid concerns over a potential Trump return to the White...

North Korea Tests New Anti-Aircraft Missile Amid Rising Tensions

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un oversaw the test-firing of the countrys latest anti-aircraft missile system on Thursday, according to state media KCNA. The test confirmed the systems reliability and combat efficiency, with...

U.S. Judge Cleared of Ethics Violations After CNN Interview on Trump’s Attacks

Senior U.S. District Judge Reggie Walton has been cleared of judicial misconduct after speaking out on CNN against threats made towards the judiciary. The 3rd Circuit Judicial Council dismissed two ethics complaints...

Science

What’s the shape of the universe? Mathematicians use topology to study the shape of the world and everything in it

When you look at your surrounding environment, it might seem like youre living on a flat plane. After all, this is why you can navigate a new city using a map: a flat piece of paper that represents all the places around...

Asteroid has a very small chance of hitting Earth in 2032, but a collision could devastate a city

In December 2024, astronomers in Chile spotted a new asteroid streaking through the sky, which they named 2024 YR4. Whats significant about this 100m-wide space rock is that it has a small chance of hitting Earth in 2023....

Leonardo da Vinci’s incredible studies of human anatomy still don’t get the recognition they deserve

Wikimedia, CC BY-SA The mere mention of Leonardo da Vinci evokes genius. We know him as a polymath whose interests spanned astronomy, geology, hydrology, engineering and physics. As a painter, his Mona Lisa and Last Supper...

One of the largest searches for alien life started 30 years ago. Its legacy lives on today

In February 1995, a small research organisation known as the SETI Institute launched what was then the most comprehensive search for an answer to a centuries-old question: are we alone in the universe? This Sunday marks...

South African telescope discovers a giant galaxy that’s 32 times bigger than Earth’s

Inkathazos glowing plasma jets are shown in red and yellow. The starlight from other surrounding galaxies can be seen in the background. K.K.L Charlton (UCT), MeerKAT, HSC, CARTA, IDIA, CC BY You may not know it, but right...

Technology

Tesla to Produce 5,000 Optimus Robots in 2024 Amid EV Market Challenges

Tesla (NASDAQ:TSLA) plans to manufacture 5,000 units of its Optimus humanoid robot this year, CEO Elon Musk revealed during a recent all-hands meeting. Despite Tesla shares plunging 41.5% year-to-date, Musk encouraged...

Instagram Experiences Widespread Outage, Thousands Affected in the U.S.

Instagram, owned by Meta Platforms (NASDAQ: META), suffered a major outage on Thursday evening, leaving thousands of users in the U.S. unable to access the platform. According to Downdetector, a site that tracks service...

NVIDIA CEO Jensen Huang Reconsiders Quantum Computing at GTC 2025

At NVIDIAs GTC 2025 conference, CEO Jensen Huang took a surprising turn on his earlier skepticism toward quantum computing. Hosting two panels with leaders from 12 top quantum companies, including IonQ and D-Wave Quantum...

Nvidia to Invest Hundreds of Billions in U.S. Chip Supply Chain

Nvidia (NASDAQ:NVDA) plans to spend hundreds of billions of dollars on U.S.-made chips and electronics over the next four years, CEO Jensen Huang revealed in an interview with the Financial Times. The company expects to...

SoftBank Acquires AI-Focused Chipmaker Ampere in $6.5B Deal

SoftBank Group (TYO:9984) is acquiring U.S. chip startup Ampere Computing in a $6.5 billion all-cash deal, strengthening its AI-driven semiconductor portfolio. Ampere, founded in 2018 by former Intel (NASDAQ:INTC)...