Latest Stories from Jamie
Black e-scooter riders disproportionately targeted by London police
While Britain continues to hash out regulations to standardise the use of e-scooters, alarming data shows that Black riders are most likely to be stopped and penalised by police in the capital. 2020 is largely regarded as the year the world stood still. However, emerging from numerous lockdowns, e-scooters have become a big and unexpected addition to city living. Throughout the early knockings of Covid-19, there was a real lack of...
Facebook, Twitter, and WhatsApp suspended during Zambia’s election
Zambia officials threatened to suspend all broadband services on the day of its election to combat misinformation. In the end, its Ministry of Information froze traffic on WhatsApp, Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook. In the fight to stem the spread political misinformation during its presidential election, has Zambia compromised a sense of genuine democracy? When it comes to political advertising, social media sites frankly don’t know whether to stick or twist. Throughout large...
NASA trials human expeditions to Mars through 3D printed experiment
The space agency is paying volunteers to spend a year living within a 3D printed Martian habitat in Texas. Here, they will conduct VR spacewalks and simulated problems to test the feasibility of attempting the real thing. Between the chaos caused by Covid-19 and the constant flow of demoralising climate change news, life on Earth over the last year has felt pretty exhausting. If your annual holiday to Tenerife hasn’t recharged...
US politicians call on gaming companies to axe coercive spending
Building on legislation outlined by the UK, US Congress members are calling for developers to better protect young people from ‘predatory’ game mechanics like loot boxes. In 2021, gaming is all about value for money. Subscription services like Games Pass, PlayStation Now, and EA Play are popping with hundreds of AAA titles to get stuck into, yet somehow people are still coerced into forking out for microtransactions. In a bid to...
Could a new Bitcoin tax stifle blockchain’s greener future?
As lawmakers debate bringing in new tax requirements for cryptocurrency, greener forms of blockchain tech look set to suffer the most significant blow. As cryptocurrency becomes progressively more mainstream, it’s no surprise that lawmakers are lobbying for new tax systems. The White House hopes to bring in new framework to offset the rush of crypto spending with a $28 billion levy over the next 10 years. An initial bill was drafted...
Facebook accused of using ‘privacy concerns’ to avoid data transparency
Back again with yet another story concerning data privacy and Facebook. But, there’s a twist this time around – Facebook is on the offensive. General public opinion of Facebook has all but fallen off a cliff in recent years. Following the blunder of Cambridge Analytica, we’ve heard endless stories of political manipulation on the app, nefarious sales through Facebook Marketplace, and a lax approach to user privacy and misinformation...
Twitter India concedes to Modi’s problematic digital media law
Twitter joins Facebook and YouTube as the latest digital platform complicit in India’s problematic digital media law. Is it a matter of time before the whole of Silicon Valley caves to legal pressure? Digital democracy is fast dying out within India’s borders, as social media companies cave at the prospect of losing the world’s second largest market. Just three months ago, we were pleased to report that Twitter had abstained...
Jumprope integration to make LinkedIn profiles more creative
As part of its growing focus on video content and professional learning resources, LinkedIn has acquired popular ‘how-to’ app Jumprope. Creative tools on the platform are now set for a serious upgrade. In the search for ways to vary up the content of career-minded folk, LinkedIn has joined forces with a burgeoning how-to video app called Jumprope. For those unaware, Jumprope is a platform which describes itself as ‘the best...
Report shows growing ethnic gap in mortgages amid pandemic
Global economic fallout caused by Covid-19 will affect the property market for years. However, growing concerns over racial equity in mortgage applications must be addressed now. As we navigate what we hope to be the final stretch of the pandemic, those beneath the breadline are set to bear the brunt of global financial fallout. Shock. During the fever pitch of the Black Lives Matter movement in 2020, promising talk of total...
Could tobacco plants eventually end vaccine nationalism?
In a global bid to end vaccine nationalism, researchers claim tobacco plants may one day hold the key to alleviating both cost and infrastructure barriers. You wouldn’t currently associate tobacco with any kind of potential medical benefits. According to medical researchers, however, in the next few years we just might. The Covid-19 outbreak over the last 18 months has exposed glaring gaps in the world’s current vaccine production capacities....
