UK consumer group Which? finds some everyday items including watches and speakers are ‘stuffed with trackers’ Air fryers that gather your personal data and audio speakers “stuffed with trackers” are among examples of smart devices engaged in “excessive” surveillance, according to the consumer group Which? The organisation tested three air fryers, increasingly a staple of British kitchens, each of which requested permission to record audio on the user’s phone through a connected app. Continue reading...

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Amazon has told staff they must return five days a week – but experts don’t all agree that flexible working cuts output Four years ago when the world of work was upended by the Covid pandemic, confident predictions were made that a permanent shift in remote working would follow the removal of lockdown restrictions. Much has clearly changed since. Some of the earliest preachers of the brave new teleworking world – including the US tech companies Google and Microsoft – are among the most vocal to repent. Continue reading...

When I got a confirmation email addressed to the wrong name. I suspected an error and cancelled. Then £500 was taken from my account Eight months ago, I booked an Airbnb on my new iPhone. The confirmation congratulated someone called Rachel on the booking. I realised Airbnb tech had somehow logged me in to a stranger’s account using my new work phone number and my Face ID. Airbnb later told me the phone number had been recycled and was previously owned by “Rachel”. No payment had been taken and I immediately cancelled the reservation and booked a different property. Continue reading...

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Company says fungal chitosan, made from cell walls of oyster mushrooms, is active ingredient in new hair products Mushrooms are the wellness trend du jour, turning up in coffee, supplements and even beer. Now, we are being told to slather them on our heads after Dyson revealed they could be a secret weapon in the age-old battle with frizzy hair. Dyson researchers have discovered that fungal chitosan – which is found in the cell walls of oyster mushrooms and commonly used in skincare products – can be used to tame unruly hair. Continue reading...

Gig economy workers for Deliveroo and Uber Eats in the city are living in appalling conditions, while putting in long hours, earning low pay and facing mental health problems Two lines of dirt-encrusted, ramshackle caravans stretch along both sides of a road close to the motorway that winds its way into the heart of Bristol. Rats dart between water-filled concrete sluices to rubbish-flecked mounds of vegetation. Drug users stumble out of the nearby underpass while lorries thunder overhead. This is the grim encampment where about 30 Brazilian delivery riders working for large companies such as Deliveroo and Uber Eats are forced to live to make ends meet. Continue reading...

It mistakenly entered all my business details in the search results for ‘How to contact Google in the UK’ Four years ago, Google mistakenly published my restaurant business’s details, including the phone number and address, in the search results for “how to contact Google in the UK”. At first I got just a few calls from people trying to get through to it but now I receive up to 300 a week, including on my personal mobile, as well as messages and letters. I have more than 130 voice messages. Continue reading...

Company after company is swallowing the hype, only to be forced into embarrassing walkbacks by anti-AI backlash Earlier this month, a popular lifestyle magazine introduced a new “fashion and lifestyle editor” to its huge social media following. “Reem”, who on first glance looked like a twentysomething woman who understood both fashion and lifestyle, was proudly announced as an “AI enhanced team member”. That is, a fake person, generated by artificial intelligence. Reem would be making product recommendations to SheerLuxe’s followers – or, to put it another way, doing what SheerLuxe would otherwise pay a person to do. The reaction was entirely predictable: outrage, followed by a hastily issued apology. One suspects Reem may not become a staple of its editorial team. This is just the latest in a long line of walkbacks of “exciting AI projects” that have been met with fury by the people they’re meant to excite. The Prince Charles Cinema in Soho, London, cancelled a screening of an AI-written film in June, because its regulars vehemently objected. Lego was pressured to take down a series of AI-generated images it published on its website. Doctor Who started experimenting with generative AI, but quickly stopped after a wave of complaints. A company swallows the AI hype, thinks jumping on board will paint it as innovative, and entirely fails to understand the growing anti-AI sentiment taking hold among many of its customers. Continue reading...