Technology | Westminster World

Dec92019 by Stephanie Valdivia No Comments

Public counter terrorism training course suffers a delayed launch

Breaking News, crime, London, Technology

A free online counter terrorism training course has been made available by the counter terrorism (CT) police after suffering a delayed launch. While the online course was meant to be released before the London Bridge terrorist attack, Christopher Terris Taylor, media manager for the National Police Chiefs' Council, claimed: “The Friday attack was a reminder of the current threat and need to be vigilant. However sadly the timing of the program’s release was unfortunate.” The course was devised by counter terrorism officers and security experts that aim to prepare citizens in how to spot the signs of suspicious behaviour and how to react under major incidents. Citizens would be considered (CT) citizens. The 45-minute session, according to the National Police Chiefs' Council, is the res

Online dating related crime reaches an all-time high

crime, dating, LifeStyle, London, Media, News, Social media, Technology, youth

Source: Sergey Zolkin on Unsplash A rise in crime related to online dating is reaching alarming proportions with figures high as 2,054 offences in the past five years according to UK police. Despite figures, young Londoners believe first and foremost to be their responsibility to keep themselves safe from online predators. Amelia Le Brun, a former user of dating apps said: “if you’re using the apps you’re sort of aware of that risk and it’s up to you to speak to someone long enough before you exchange numbers and that sort of thing” Online dating sites are the mediums in which people seeking to connect either romantically or sexually, or both, find a platform to reach out to other individuals without having to disclose much information about themselves. Young Lond

Apr162019 by Anweshak TejendraNo Comments

Why are online creators against EU’s new Article 17 (formerly 13)?

News, Technology

You may have come across numerous artists using online platforms to voice their concern regarding the Article 17 drafted by EU to protect copyright. The controversial laws were first approved in September 2018 by European Parliament members, with the final version receiving approval in February after three days of talks in France. It was officially passed on April 15 by the EU after 19 countries voted in its favour with only six opposing it. Three countries abstained from voting. Article 17 explained The Article 17 was formerly Article 13 till it was renamed on April 15. It is a component of EU’s new directive on copyright. It has been devised to better protect the rights of creators. The aim of the Article 17 to encourage cooperation between the right holders and online conte

Apr112019 by Bowei FengNo Comments

Do you feel happy to live in the digital age？

Media, Social media, Tech, Technology

The World Happiness report released on 20th March. The Rank of the UK has increased to 15th place since 2013. （Data from the World Happiness report; Graph: Bowei) The measurement involves many factors such as GDP, social support, healthy life expectancy, freedom and corruption levels. The top three happiest countries are Finland, Denmark, Norway. Among them, Finland was a second year to be the happiest countries in the world. In the digital era, people spend more time on social media. Based on the recent UK social media statistic, there are 45 million social media users, which is equal to 67% of the entire population. Of these, there are 39 million mobile social media users. On average, people in the UK spend about 1 hour 50 minutes on social media sites

Dec102018 by Cristina EscobarNo Comments

Charity Depaul uses Spotify playlists to get attention on youth homelessness

London, Media, News, ReportingWeek2, Social media, Technology

The campaign called “Unheard” raises awareness of the number of young people without a home in the UK. The event was streamed live from Facebook’s London headquarters in an effort to reach younger generations of donors The youth homelessness charity Depaul UK launched a campaign on Friday to denounce the growing number of people on the streets who are not older than 25. The non-profit organization gathered the help of Spotify, Sony Music and the singer Tom Grennan, who performed in the launch at Facebook’s headquarters in London. The stories of four former homeless young people are told through four playlists in Spotify. The song titles tell the experience of George, Kristina, Fatos and Jecoliah, while they were living on the streets. In a final audio track each of them tell thei

Want a blind chat on the tube for free?

London, News, Social media, Technology, Transport, Tube

If you want to have a chat with someone you don’t know on the tube, it is much easier now. Tubechat searching for other users outside the underground station © Zhenyi Lu A new app called TubeChat will free you from "no service" underground. Turning on the Bluetooth, you can break the ice with fellow commuters within 200 metres right away. Other functions like a group chat up to 10 people and playing I Spy are also accessible. The screenshot of TubeChat But does everyone want to participate? Several people gave us their opinions. It turned out that especially for young Londoners, they seem to be very open to the app. They find it interesting to chat with strangers and socialise. But the app’s price would be a main factor for t

Sluggish job market: Where do media graduates stand?

Breaking News, economy, International, London, Media, News, Opinion, ReportingWeek1, Social media, Student, Technology, trends

Education has become of utmost importance globally and continues to grow. This is evident in the UK as the number of recent graduates have increased from 22% in 2002 to 40% in 2017. However, the number of entry level jobs is not rising at the same pace. As of March 2018, information and communication jobs are less than half in comparison to wholesale and retail trade jobs. Considering London’s significance as a media hub, it is startling that half of its population is comprised of graduates yet it has the highest unemployment rate in the UK. Abby and Holly, employees of a talent agency in advertising, shed some light on the matter. We asked them if they would prefer much younger and fresher faces in media instead of the older, accomplished presenters, Holly said: “I would pro

Privacy concerns as TFL and O2 track commuters’ movements

Breaking News, Bus, DontUse, London, News, Technology, Transport, Travel, Tube

In an attempt to reduce rush hour traffic, Transport for London (TFL) and O2 are tracking the ‘mass movement of the population’ via smartphones. Using anonymised phone signals provided by the telecom giant, transport chiefs are working with engineering firm Aecom and Jacobs to “better understand transport patterns across London” as the capital’s population is forecast to grow by two million to 10.8 million by 2041. A representative from Aecom and Jacobs said: “The use of big data represents a significant step change” as the firm attempts to improve urban mobility. O2 says it scans 100 million aggregated and anonymous journeys nationwide each day. TFL has previously tracked commuters using in-station wi-fi networks to reduce crowding during busy hours and on busier routes. They

Dec112017 by Mumbi Ng'onaNo Comments

Cryptocurrency: Dawn of a new economy?

economy, Explainers, Technology

The rise of cryptocurrency has become a popular method of payment as it’s growingly accepted across London. Imagine a time where carrying a wallet of cash is rendered useless, where figuring out what to do with all that change the cashier gave you isn't an annoyance. Transferring funds worldwide instantly becomes as easy as a tap of the screen. There is a new age on the horizon ‘a cashless society’ and its increasingly becoming popular capturing the imagination of some, striking fear among others, and confusing the rest of us. Today, London is a recent addition to the ever-growing list of destinations where retailers and traders have began accepting bitcoin. The enthusiasm and fascination of cryptocurrency provoked a massive increase in users. until recently users were quite limited to

Dec112017 by Vanouhy KonjienNo Comments

AI: Our Best Friend or Filthiest Enemy?

News, Technology

The algorithm hype of deep learning and machine learning is invading countries and dominating major tech companies. Robots are making fake videos, vacuuming 'smart' homes, identifying Uber drivers’ selfies, and monitoring the sound of dolphins. NASA is trying to communicate with space using software-defined cognitive radios to employ under-utilized portions of the electromagnetic spectrum without human intervention. So with robots getting a lot of jobs, what jobs will survive their invasion? Fields of arts, maybe? Countries are opening their 'digital' eyes A report published by New York-based research consultancy Eurasia Group and Beijing-based VC firm Sinovation Ventures outlines the rapid advances of China in AI over the past few years. One major advantage this global pow