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NASA and Lockheed Martin partner to send astronauts to the Moon

A partnership between NASA and Lockheed Martin could see astronauts land on the Moon for the first time in more than 40 years as part of the Orion programme. NASA has placed an order for six Orion spacecraft missions with Lockheed Martin, and according to the aerospace and defence company has the option of ordering up to 12 in total.

99% of misconfigured cloud servers go undetected says McAfee

A staggering 99% of misconfigured cloud servers in public cloud environments go undetected, according to cybersecurity firm McAfee, putting organisations at risk of a data breach.

The factory where robots build robots

In what may be the start of a Terminator-style uprising, artificial intelligence (AI) and robotics company Geek+ has launched the world’s first smart factory where robots are working to create an endless supply of more robots.

EU’s right to be forgotten ruling leaves questions unanswered

The EU’s top court has ruled in favour of tech giant Google in a landmark case about the ‘right to be forgotten’, but privacy and legal experts have warned the issue has not been fully resolved. The European Court of Justice’s decision means that Google does not need to remove links from search results outside of Europe when carrying out an individual’s right to be forgotten.

Google goes green to win hearts and minds of future core customers

In what has been recognised as arguably the largest and most important renewable energy deal in modern history, US tech giant Google has signed off on 18 separate solar and wind power contracts. The key goal behind this move is to retain a carbon-neutral profile, in a bid to win recognition and appreciation from youth climate strike activists, or the Fridays for Future generation.

Rivian could displace Tesla as leading manufacturer of EV thanks to Amazon, but obstacles remain

US automaker Rivian could eventually outperform Tesla as a manufacturer of electric vehicles after Amazon placed an order for 100,000 electric vans to deliver goods to consumers. Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos, has previously invested in electric vehicle manufacture, in February 2019, when Rivian received $700m in a Bezos-led funding round, and in April when Ford pumped in $500m. Amazon’s EV order will also help the online retailer become a carbon-free company by 2040.

Thomas Cook collapse blamed on failure to invest in disruptive technology

Travel company Thomas Cook’s collapse has been blamed on its failure to invest in technology disrupting the travel industry such as e-commerce, big data and artificial intelligence. Commenting on the news of Thomas Cook’s demise, GlobalData head of thematic research Cyrus Mewawalla said: “Thomas Cook’s management failed to comprehend the impact the key themes of accommodation sharing and online travel would have on it. Had it invested early in these disruptive technology themes, it could have been a very different story.”

Facebook expands Accelerator programme for tech with a “positive impact”

Facebook has announced that it is expanding its startup accelerator programme to support businesses developing technologies that have a “positive impact on the world.” The third edition of Facebook’s London Accelerator programme will be open to startups across Europe, the Middle East and Africa for the first time.

This AI app can help African farmers deal with climate change

A team of researchers from Penn State University have developed a new tool that uses artificial intelligence (AI) to predict crop productivity for farmers in Africa, in a bid to protect crops from climate change.

Why the Internet of Things isn’t growing as rapidly as predicted

arly forecasts for the IoT suggested that there would be 50 billion global devices connected by 2020, but in reality we have only reached about 2 billion. Let’s look at why the Internet of Things isn’t growing as rapidly as predicted.

Data privacy is the biggest regulatory threat to Big Tech, says GlobalData

Data privacy is one of the biggest issues facing Big Tech companies in recent months. Big Tech corporations such as Google, Amazon, and Facebook are losing public trust rapidly due to failures in keeping sensitive data safe. Where once, these tech giants would be seemingly immune to scrutiny over data laws, now the tide is changing and accountability is key.

WeWork’s poor data security could “devalue it” ahead of planned IPO

An investigation into WeWork’s shared WiFi networks has unearthed serious security vulnerabilities, as well as a lack of urgency from the short-term office rental company to address the concerns. The investigation, published by CNET, found that more than 650 devices – everything from computers, to servers, to coffee machines – were exposed on the network in one WeWork building, and were leaving “astronomical” amounts of data vulnerable to exploitation.

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