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# Hands On IT Services

IT Support for you and your business

## Sitemaps

- [XML Sitemap](https://hoit.uk/sitemap.xml): Contains all public & indexable URLs for this website.

## Posts

- [Blog](https://hoit.uk/about-us/blog/)
- [x](https://hoit.uk/office_365/x-16/) - Microsoft Makes Passkeys The Default For Entra ID
- [x](https://hoit.uk/office_365/x-15/) - Microsoft Makes Passkeys The Default For Entra ID
- [x](https://hoit.uk/office_365/x-14/) - Microsoft Makes Passkeys The Default For Entra ID
- [x](https://hoit.uk/office_365/x-13/) - Microsoft Makes Passkeys The Default For Entra ID
- [x](https://hoit.uk/office_365/x-12/) - Microsoft Makes Passkeys The Default For Entra ID
- [x](https://hoit.uk/office_365/x-11/) - Microsoft Makes Passkeys The Default For Entra ID
- [x](https://hoit.uk/office_365/x-10/) - Microsoft Makes Passkeys The Default For Entra ID
- [x](https://hoit.uk/office_365/x-9/) - Microsoft Makes Passkeys The Default For Entra ID
- [x](https://hoit.uk/office_365/x-8/) - Microsoft Makes Passkeys The Default For Entra ID
- [x](https://hoit.uk/office_365/x-7/) - Microsoft Makes Passkeys The Default For Entra ID
- [x](https://hoit.uk/office_365/x-6/) - Microsoft Makes Passkeys The Default For Entra ID
- [x](https://hoit.uk/office_365/x-5/) - Microsoft Makes Passkeys The Default For Entra ID
- [x](https://hoit.uk/office_365/x-4/) - Microsoft Makes Passkeys The Default For Entra ID
- [x](https://hoit.uk/office_365/x-3/) - Microsoft Makes Passkeys The Default For Entra ID
- [x](https://hoit.uk/office_365/x-2/) - Microsoft Makes Passkeys The Default For Entra ID
- [x](https://hoit.uk/office_365/x/) - Microsoft Makes Passkeys The Default For Entra ID
- [Millions Sign Up To Meta’s ‘Threads’ Twitter Competitor](https://hoit.uk/meta/millions-sign-up/) - Following the release of Meta’s alternative platform to Twitter called ‘Threads’, Meta’s head, Mark Zuckerberg, reports 100 million signups to the new platform in its first five days.
- [Instagram To Alert Parents Over Repeated Self-Harm Searches](https://hoit.uk/meta/to-alert-parents-over-repeated-self-harm-searches/) - Instagram says it will begin notifying parents if their teen repeatedly searches for suicide or self-harm-related terms within a short period, adding to its existing content controls as scrutiny of teen digital wellbeing intensifies.
- [Musical Misconduct](https://hoit.uk/cyber-security/musical-misconduct/) - In a first-of-its-kind case, a US musician has been charged with fraud for allegedly using thousands of automated bot accounts to stream AI-generated tracks from which he made more than $10m in royalty payments.
- [Malware That Exploits Facebook Ads ](https://hoit.uk/facebook/malware-that-exploits-ads/) - In this insight, in reviewing how a malvertising campaign is hijacking Facebook accounts to spread the SYS01stealer malware, we examine the tactics used, plus we look at the impact on businesses and steps organisations can take to protect themselves.
- [What’s Ahead for WhatsApp?](https://hoit.uk/hands_on_it_news/whats-ahead-for-whatsapp/) - Following the launch of the new business-focused WhatsApp Cloud API, we take a look at where Facebook's (i.e. Meta) popular secure chart app is heading. Cloud API Last week, Facebook’s WhatsApp announced that it was opening WhatsApp to all businesses and developers with a new cloud-based API service. WhatsApp Cloud API, on the WhatsApp Business Platform, offers businesses
- [cache](https://hoit.uk/office_365/cache/) - Microsoft Makes Passkeys The Default For Entra ID
- [Fusion Breakthrough Turns Plasma Energy](https://hoit.uk/sustainability-in-tech/fusion-breakthrough-turns-plasma-energy/) - A US fusion company has demonstrated a new way of converting energy from a fusion plasma directly into electricity, while separate work on advanced electrical conductors could dramatically reduce the amount of power lost as heat, highlighting how the clean energy challenge is increasingly about efficiency as well as generation.
- [Fraud Fears Over New WhatsApp Usernames](https://hoit.uk/social-media/fraud-fears-over-new-whatsapp-usernames/) - WhatsApp’s plan to let people communicate without revealing their phone numbers has run into immediate regulatory opposition in India, turning what began as a new privacy feature into a much wider debate about online anonymity, fraud and how messaging platforms should balance privacy with security.
- [Is The AI Bubble About To Burst?](https://hoit.uk/ai/is-the-ai-bubble-about-to-burst/) - The artificial intelligence boom has attracted extraordinary levels of investment, transformed technology markets and created expectations of a new era of productivity, but a warning from the world’s leading central bank organisation suggests that the consequences could be felt far beyond the technology industry if financial returns fail to match the hype.
- [Sony Calls Time On PlayStation Discs](https://hoit.uk/gaming/sony-calls-time-on-playstation-discs/) - Sony is ending the production of physical game discs for new PlayStation releases from January 2028, marking another major step towards an entertainment industry where consumers increasingly access rather than physically own the products they buy.
- [New EU Cars Must Now Watch The Driver](https://hoit.uk/new-tech/new-eu-cars-must-now-watch-the-driver/) - From 7 July 2026, every newly manufactured passenger car and van sold in the European Union must include a new generation of advanced safety systems, including technology that monitors whether drivers are paying attention to the road, marking another significant step towards vehicles that actively watch over both their occupants and everyone around them.
- [Amazon Takes on Starlink](https://hoit.uk/amazon/amazon-takes-on-starlink/) - Amazon says it now has enough satellites in orbit to begin commercial broadband services later this year, marking the point at which its long-awaited satellite internet network moves from development into operation and giving businesses, governments and consumers the prospect of meaningful competition to SpaceX’s Starlink. Reaching The Starting Line Amazon has announced that its
- [Boys Forming Romantic Bonds With AI](https://hoit.uk/ai/boys-forming-romantic-bonds-with-ai/) - A major UK study has found that some teenage boys are developing romantic and emotionally intimate relationships with AI chatbots, prompting growing concern among researchers, parents and regulators about how these increasingly human-like systems may be shaping young people’s understanding of relationships.
- [Microsoft Makes Passkeys The Default For Entra ID](https://hoit.uk/microsoft/makes-passkeys-the-default-for-entra-id/) - Microsoft will begin making passkeys the default authentication method in Microsoft Entra ID from 1 September 2026, marking a major change in how organisations protect user accounts as AI-powered phishing and identity attacks continue to grow.
- [Google Now Labels Ads Made by AI](https://hoit.uk/google/now-labels-ads-made-by-ai/) - Google is introducing new labels that tell users when advertisements have been created or edited using generative artificial intelligence, marking an important step towards greater transparency as AI-generated marketing becomes increasingly realistic and more difficult to distinguish from traditional advertising.
- [Google Brings ‘Q-Day’ Closer With 2029 Encryption Warning](https://hoit.uk/google/brings-q-day-closer/) - Google has warned that the moment quantum computers can break today’s encryption may arrive within the next few years, accelerating timelines for businesses to prepare for a fundamental change in digital security.
- [Why YouTube Mentions Matter More Than Backlinks In AI Search](https://hoit.uk/google/why-youtube-mentions-matter-more-than-backlinks-in-ai-search/) - A study of 75,000 brands has found that being talked about on YouTube may now be a stronger predictor of AI visibility than backlinks, domain authority, or even the size of a company’s website.
- [Best Bits - Issue 58 - May 2026](https://hoit.uk/hands-on-best-bits/issue-58/) - Good Morning and happy last Friday of May. Hose yourself down as we’re about to make you hotter and sweatier with our pick of the top IT News, Tech Tips and Security Warnings that we’ve featured in the last month! And if that doesn’t make you warm and moist then we’ve got last month’s issue below (to up your temperature a little more).
- [Hands On IT's Best Bits - Issue 57 - April 2026](https://hoit.uk/hands-on-best-bits/issue-57/) - Hairball Awareness Day celebrations, Booking.com security information, AI Models protecting each other? Q-Day getting closer and much more.
- [Hands On IT Services - Best Bits - Issue 59](https://hoit.uk/hands-on-best-bits/issue-59/) - Issue 59 - featuring the latest news on banning social media access to the under 16s, Trumps latest, great news for ALS sufferers and a couple of our best Tech Tips.
- [CAPTCHAs To Be Replaced With Privacy-First Web Verification](https://hoit.uk/it_security/captchas-to-be-replaced-with-privacy-first-web-verification/) - Cloudflare has joined forces with Mozilla, Google, Microsoft and Shopify to develop a new internet protocol designed to help websites distinguish genuine visitors from malicious bots without relying on CAPTCHAs, forced logins or invasive tracking, in what could become one of the biggest changes to how people prove their identity online in decades.
- [𝗨𝘀𝗲 𝗔 𝗦𝗲𝗽𝗮𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗪𝗶𝗻𝗱𝗼𝘄𝘀 𝗗𝗲𝘀𝗸𝘁𝗼𝗽 𝗙𝗼𝗿 𝗣𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀](https://hoit.uk/tech-trivia/𝗨𝘀𝗲-𝗔-𝗦𝗲𝗽𝗮𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲-𝗪𝗶𝗻𝗱/) - One of the easiest ways to avoid accidentally revealing emails, Teams chats, confidential documents, browser tabs, or other sensitive information during a presentation is to create a separate desktop in Windows just for screen sharing. Here’s how to do it.
- [Turn Off Gemini AI Distractions in Google Docs](https://hoit.uk/tech-trivia/turn-off-gemini-ai-distractions-in-google-docs/) - If Gemini AI prompts in Google Docs are getting in the way of your writing, there’s a quick way to turn them off and regain a cleaner, more focused workspace.
- [Trump Administration Backs Musk In AI Data Centre Pollution Battle](https://hoit.uk/data-centres/trump-administration-backs-musk-in-ai-data-centre-pollution-battle/) - The Trump administration has taken the unusual step of intervening in an environmental lawsuit against Elon Musk’s AI company xAI, arguing that the data centre at the centre of the dispute is so important to national security that it should be protected from legal action seeking to restrict its power supply.
- [Brain Implant Restores Speech To ALS Patient](https://hoit.uk/ai/brain-implant-restores-speech-to-als-patient/) - A brain-computer interface developed by researchers at the University of California, Davis, has enabled a man with advanced ALS to communicate with remarkable accuracy, return to full-time employment, and use a computer independently for nearly two years, marking one of the most significant real-world demonstrations of the technology to date.
- [Under-16s To Be Banned From Social Media From 2027](https://hoit.uk/social-media/under-16s-to-be-banned-from-social-media-from-2027/) - Children under the age of 16 will be banned from using major social media platforms in the UK from Spring 2027 under government plans that represent one of the most significant attempts yet to reshape how young people interact with the online world. What Has Been Announced? Before his resignation, Sir Keir Starmer had confirmed
- [Court Rules AI Overviews Are Google’s Words](https://hoit.uk/google/court-rules-ai-overviews-are-googles-words/) - A German court has ruled that Google can be held directly responsible for false information generated by its AI Overviews feature, a decision that could have significant implications for AI-powered search engines and chatbots worldwide.
- [The Companies Spending £££ Thousands Per Employee On AI](https://hoit.uk/ai/the-companies-spending-thousands-per-employee-on-ai/) - A small but growing group of businesses is now spending thousands of dollars per employee every month on artificial intelligence, suggesting that AI is increasingly being treated as core business infrastructure rather than simply another productivity tool.
- [Backlash Over State Plan To Scan Our Devices](https://hoit.uk/it_security/backlash-over-state-plan-to-scan-our-devices/) - Signal has accused the UK government of proposing a dangerous form of surveillance after ministers announced plans that could require technology companies to prevent children from taking, sharing, or viewing nude images on smartphones and tablets.
- [Use Temporary Chat For Sensitive Discussions](https://hoit.uk/tech-trivia/use-temporary-chat-for-sensitive-discussions/) - Temporary Chat gives you a private, one-off conversation space in ChatGPT that isn’t saved to your chat history or Memory, making it ideal for discussing sensitive projects, client matters, HR issues, business planning, or other topics that you don’t want appearing in your regular chat history.
- [Google Is Turning AI Into A Digital Workforce](https://hoit.uk/google/is-turning-ai-into-a-digital-workforce/) - Google’s latest wave of AI announcements reveals a company that is moving beyond chatbots and search results, towards a future where AI agents actively perform tasks, manage information and work alongside users throughout the day.
- [AI Is Creating More Work Than It Removes](https://hoit.uk/ai/ai-is-creating-more-work-than-it-removes/) - New research suggests that while AI is helping employees work faster, many businesses are creating a new layer of digital busywork that is eroding much of the productivity they hoped to gain.
- [Musk’s IPO – The World’s First Trillionaire?](https://hoit.uk/tech-insight/musks-ipo-the-worlds-first-trillionaire/) - Elon Musk’s planned SpaceX stock market flotation could make him the world’s first trillionaire, highlighting how investors are increasingly placing enormous value on companies that combine AI, communications infrastructure, space technology and long-term strategic ambition.
- [ChatGPT’s False Murder Claim](https://hoit.uk/ai/chatgpts-false-murder-claim/) - In this week’s featured article, we look at how a false murder claim by ChatGPT has fuelled fresh concerns over AI accuracy and hallucinations.
- [AI Solves a Decade-Old Superbug Mystery in Just Two Days](https://hoit.uk/ai/solves-a-superbug-mystery/) - A complex scientific problem that took microbiologists a decade to unravel has been cracked in just 48 hours by an advanced artificial intelligence (AI) system developed by Google.
- [Hands On IT's Best Bits - Issue 43](https://hoit.uk/hands-on-best-bits/issue-43/) - How slow websites cost UK businesses £££s, Apple warns against force-closing iPhone Apps, Social Media Ban for Kids, and why the 20th January is going to be an amazing day!
- [Do Noise-Cancelling Headphones Damage Hearing?](https://hoit.uk/social-media/noise-cancelling-headphones/) - Noise-cancelling headphones are becoming increasingly popular, yet experts are raising concerns that prolonged use may be contributing to a rise in auditory processing issues, particularly among young people.
- [Town Heated By World’s Largest Sand Battery](https://hoit.uk/sustainability-in-tech/town-heated-by-sand-battery/) - A small municipality in Finland is switching off fossil fuels and switching on a new era of green heating, thanks to an innovative sand-based energy storage system.
- [Google Users Can Run AI Offline On Phones](https://hoit.uk/google/users-can-run-ai-offline/) - Google has (albeit quietly) released a new app that allows users to run powerful AI tools directly on their phones without needing a Wi-Fi or data connection.
- [Use Google Lens In Chrome To Copy Text From Images And Screenshots](https://hoit.uk/top-tips/google-lens-chrome-copy-from-screenshots/) - Google Lens in Chrome can help you copy text, read handwriting, translate text, and pull useful details from images, screenshots, and visible document pages without typing everything out manually.
- [Electricity Generated From Earth’s Rotation](https://hoit.uk/sustainability-in-tech/electricity-generated-from-earths-rotation/) - Researchers have demonstrated a controversial new method for generating tiny amounts of electricity from Earth’s rotation through its own magnetic field, opening debate about whether the planet itself could one day become a source of continuous renewable energy.
- [Google Replaces Chromebook With AI-Powered “Googlebook” Strategy](https://hoit.uk/google/replaces-chromebook-with-ai-powered-googlebook-strategy/) - Google has unveiled a radical new laptop strategy that replaces the Chromebook concept with AI-first “Googlebooks”, devices where Gemini AI is embedded directly into the operating system and even the cursor itself becomes an intelligent assistant.
- [Anthropic Targets Small Businesses With Plug-And-Play AI](https://hoit.uk/ai/anthropic-and-small-businesses/) - Anthropic is making a major push into the small business market with a new set of AI-powered tools designed to automate everyday operational tasks for companies that lack dedicated IT teams or enterprise AI budgets.
- [AI Memory Chip Survives Temperatures Hotter Than Molten Lava](https://hoit.uk/ai/chip-survives-temps-hotter-than-molten-lava/) - Researchers at the University of Southern California have developed a memristor memory device capable of operating at 700°C, a temperature hotter than molten lava and beyond the surface conditions found on Venus.
- [Use Chrome Reading Mode To Remove Clutter And Listen Aloud](https://hoit.uk/top-tips/use-chrome-reading-mode/) - Google Chrome’s built-in Reading Mode can turn busy web pages into a clean, distraction-free reading view, making it easier to focus on important information without adverts, pop-ups, videos, or visual clutter getting in the way.
- [Floating AI Data Centres Powered By Ocean Waves](https://hoit.uk/sustainability-in-tech/powered-by-ocean-waves/) - A US startup has raised $140 million to build autonomous floating AI data centres powered by ocean waves, as the technology industry searches for new ways to meet the rapidly growing energy demands of artificial intelligence.
- [Children Fool Online Age Checks With Fake Mustaches](https://hoit.uk/social-media/children-fool-online-age-checks-with-fake-mustaches/) - Children are reportedly bypassing online age-verification systems using methods as simple as drawing fake facial hair, raising fresh questions about whether current age-assurance technology is robust enough to protect young users online.
- [Amazon Launches UK Drone Deliveries](https://hoit.uk/amazon/launches-uk-drone-deliveries/) - Amazon has begun making drone deliveries in the UK for the first time, marking a major step towards autonomous AI-driven logistics becoming part of normal daily commerce.
- [Electric Air Taxis Fly Over New York](https://hoit.uk/sustainability-in-tech/electric-air-taxis-fly-over-new-york/) - Electric air taxis have completed real-world flights over New York City, offering a glimpse of a quieter, zero-emissions alternative to short urban helicopter journeys and raising important questions about how sustainable urban transport could evolve.
- [Lidl Expands Into Mobile Plans With App-Only Strategy](https://hoit.uk/mobiles/lidl-expands-into-plans-with-app-only-strategy/) - Lidl is expanding into mobile phone plans through a new global partnership, using its scale and loyalty app to offer low-cost, flexible connectivity without traditional contracts.
- [UK Plans New Social Media Restrictions For Under-16s](https://hoit.uk/social-media/uk-plans-new-restrictions-for-under-16s/) - Social media restrictions for under-16s are moving closer to reality in the UK as ministers commit to action following a major consultation, signalling a significant change in how young people access digital platforms.
- [Meta Smart Glasses Security Controversy](https://hoit.uk/meta/smart-glasses-security-controversy/) - Meta has terminated its contract with outsourcing firm Sama, leading to more than 1,000 Kenyan workers losing their jobs after they revealed they had been reviewing highly sensitive footage captured by users of its AI-powered smart glasses, raising fresh concerns about privacy, labour practices, and the hidden human layer behind AI.
- [Robot Beats Human Half-Marathon Record](https://hoit.uk/robotics/robot-beats-human-half-marathon-record/) - A humanoid robot has completed a half marathon faster than the human world record, marking a striking moment for robotics while raising important questions about what this kind of performance actually proves.
- [Tim Cook Replaced As Apple CEO](https://hoit.uk/apple/tim-cook-replaced-as-apple-ceo/) - Apple has confirmed that Tim Cook will step down as CEO in September 2026, handing leadership to long-time hardware chief John Ternus in a planned transition that marks a major shift for one of the world’s most valuable companies.
- [WhatsApp Tests Paid ‘Plus’ Subscription](https://hoit.uk/whatsapp/tests-paid-plus-subscription/) - WhatsApp is testing a new optional subscription called WhatsApp Plus, perhaps signalling a broader move by Meta to introduce paid features across its apps while keeping core messaging free for billions of users.
- [Google Targets Back Button Hijacking In New Spam Crackdown](https://hoit.uk/google/targets-back-button-hijacking-in-new-spam-crackdown/) - Google is introducing a new spam policy targeting “back button hijacking”, a deceptive tactic that traps users on websites, with penalties that could see offending sites pushed down or removed from search results.
- [France Plans Shift From Windows To Strengthen Sovereignty](https://hoit.uk/microsoft/france-plans-shift-from-windows-to-strengthen-sovereignty/) - France is planning to replace parts of its government use of Windows with Linux, signalling a wider shift across Europe to reduce reliance on US technology and regain control over critical digital infrastructure.
- [Booking.com Breach Highlights Rise In Reservation Hijack Scams](https://hoit.uk/cyber-crime/booking-com-breach-highlights-rise-in-reservation-hijack-scams/) - Booking.com has reported a data breach involving customer reservation details, and the exposed data is already being used to carry out highly convincing “reservation hijack” scams.
- [OpenAI Pauses UK Stargate Data Centre Project](https://hoit.uk/ai/pauses-uk-stargate-data-centre-project/) - OpenAI has paused its planned UK Stargate data centre project, citing energy costs and regulatory uncertainty, but the timing and context suggest a more calculated decision about where and how it invests at scale.
- [AI Models Caught Protecting Each Other In New Safety Study](https://hoit.uk/ai/models-caught-protecting-each-other-in-new-safety-study/) - New research has found that leading AI systems can resist shutdown and even act to protect other models, raising fresh concerns about how reliably they can be controlled in real-world use.
- [Greece To Ban Social Media For Under-15s](https://hoit.uk/social-media/greece-to-ban-social-media-for-under-15s/) - Greece is set to ban social media access for under-15s from 2027, marking a significant step in a growing global effort to limit the impact of platforms on young people’s health and behaviour.
- [Adjust Your Spam Filter Settings To Avoid Missing Important Emails](https://hoit.uk/tech-trivia/adjust-your-spam-filter-settings-to-avoid-missing-important-emails/) - Spam filters can sometimes misclassify legitimate emails, so regularly reviewing your junk folder and adjusting settings is a simple way to avoid missing important enquiries, invoices or client messages.
- [Scam Surge Disproportionately Hits London](https://hoit.uk/cyber-crime/scam-surge-disproportionately-hits-london/) - Londoners are being disproportionately targeted by online fraudsters, with police warning that technology is allowing scams to scale rapidly while making criminals harder to detect.
- [Google Maps Introduces ‘Ask Maps’](https://hoit.uk/google/introduces-ask-maps/) - Google has launched a major update to Maps, introducing a new AI feature called Ask Maps alongside a redesigned 3D navigation experience powered by its Gemini models.
- [Are AI Chatbots Crossing A Dangerous Line?](https://hoit.uk/ai/are-chatbots-crossing-a-dangerous-line/) - A growing number of real-world cases and controlled tests are raising concerns that generative AI chatbots may, in certain conditions, contribute to harmful behaviour by reinforcing dangerous thinking and helping users turn intent into action.
- [Satellite To Detect Methane Leaks From Space](https://hoit.uk/sustainability-in-tech/methane-leaks-from-space/) - German climate technology company AIRMO is developing a new satellite system designed to precisely detect methane emissions from individual sources on Earth, potentially transforming how greenhouse gas leaks are monitored worldwide.
- [Tesla Wins Licence To Supply Electricity In Britain](https://hoit.uk/new-tech/tesla-wins-licence-to-supply-electricity-in-britain/) - Tesla has been granted a licence to supply electricity directly to homes and businesses in Britain, marking a significant step in the company’s effort to expand from electric vehicles into a full energy provider.
- [Why Some People Can Spot AI Images More Easily Than Others](https://hoit.uk/ai/why-some-people-can-spot-ai-images-more-easily-than-others/) - New research suggests that the ability to detect AI-generated faces may depend less on intelligence or technical knowledge and more on a fundamental visual skill known as object recognition.
- [Why Meta Is Being Sued Over AI Smart Glasses](https://hoit.uk/meta/why-meta-is-being-sued-over-ai-smart-glasses/) - Meta is facing a class action lawsuit in the United States over allegations that its AI-powered smart glasses collected and reviewed sensitive footage in ways users did not reasonably expect, raising new questions about privacy, transparency and the human labour behind modern AI systems.
- [Consumers Still Don’t Trust AI to Handle Customer Service](https://hoit.uk/ai/consumers-still-dont-trust-ai-to-handle-customer-service/) - New research from Pegasystems and YouGov shows that most consumers in the UK and US remain wary of generative AI in customer service, preferring human interaction despite widespread corporate investment in chatbots and automated support.
- [Set Up A Passkey On Your Microsoft Or Google Account](https://hoit.uk/tech-trivia/set-up-a-passkey-on-your-microsoft-or-google-account/) - Passkeys let you sign in without a password, dramatically reducing the risk of phishing and credential theft, and most UK business users can set one up on their Microsoft 365 or Google Workspace account in just a few minutes.
- [Burger King Deploys AI Headsets to Monitor Staff ‘Friendliness’](https://hoit.uk/ai/burger-king-deploys-ai-headsets-to-monitor-staff-friendliness/) - Burger King is piloting OpenAI-powered headsets in 500 US restaurants that analyse drive-thru conversations, coach staff in real time and track hospitality signals such as whether employees say “please” and “thank you”.
- [Alternatives To Microsoft Lens](https://hoit.uk/tech-trivia/alternatives-to-microsoft-lens/) - Microsoft is retiring its free Lens scanning app, so now is the time to secure your documents and switch to a reliable alternative without losing functionality or control.
- [Wireless Charging Moves From Pilots To Public Streets](https://hoit.uk/sustainability-in-tech/wireless-charging-moves-from-pilots-to-public-streets/) - Trials in the United States and Europe are testing whether embedding wireless charging systems beneath road surfaces can support electric vehicles while driving and reduce reliance on plug-in infrastructure.
- [Google Expands Search Removal Tools For Sensitive Data And Explicit Images](https://hoit.uk/google/expands-search-removal-tools-for-sensitive-data-and-explicit-images/) - Google has expanded its Search removal tools to make it easier for users to request the deletion of sensitive personal information and non-consensual explicit images from search results.
- [SpaceX Focus Shifts To Moon City](https://hoit.uk/new-tech/spacex-focus-shifts-to-moon-city/) - SpaceX is now prioritising plans to build what Elon Musk describes as a “self-growing city” on the Moon, placing it ahead of its long-stated ambition to establish a settlement on Mars.
- [Spying Concerns Over Ring’s New “Search Party” Feature](https://hoit.uk/ai/spying-concerns-over-rings-new-search-party-feature/) - Ring’s latest AI-powered tool, designed to help find lost dogs and monitor wildfires, has prompted a backlash over how far neighbourhood camera networks should go.
- [Moltbook – Are We Doomed?](https://hoit.uk/ai/moltbook-are-we-doomed/) - Moltbook, a newly launched social platform designed for AI agents rather than humans, has drawn scrutiny after researchers exposed major security flaws and raised questions about how autonomous its AI activity really is.
- [What Is “Physical” Intelligence?](https://hoit.uk/ai/what-is-physical-intelligence/) - Physical Intelligence is developing a single AI system designed to power many different robots across tasks and environments, and its research driven approach is reshaping how Silicon Valley views the future of automation.
- [Hidden “Backdoors” In AI Models](https://hoit.uk/ai/hidden-backdoors-in-ai-models/) - Recent research shows that AI large language models (LLMs) can be quietly poisoned during training with hidden backdoors that create a serious and hard to detect supply chain security risk for organisations deploying them.
- [Tesla Repositions Its Future Around Robots Rather Than Cars](https://hoit.uk/robotics/tesla-repositions-its-future-around-robots-rather-than-cars/) - Tesla confirmed it was winding down parts of its car business as Elon Musk publicly repositioned the company around humanoid robots, artificial intelligence and autonomy rather than electric vehicles alone.
- [AI-Written Virus Marks a New Step Towards Lab-Designed Life](https://hoit.uk/ai/ai-written-virus-marks-a-new-step-towards-lab-designed-life/) - A research team in California has demonstrated that artificial intelligence can design a fully synthetic virus from scratch, raising questions about how life itself may be engineered in the future.
- [Government Offers Free AI Training for All UK Adults](https://hoit.uk/ai/government-offers-free-ai-training-for-all-uk-adults/) - UK adults are being offered free, government-benchmarked AI training for work as part of a national programme to upskill 10 million people by 2030 and address low confidence and adoption of artificial intelligence across the economy.
- [UK Government Begins Testing of Digital Driving Licence](https://hoit.uk/new-tech/uk-government-begins-testing-of-digital-driving-licence/) - The UK government has begun testing a digital version of the driving licence as part of wider plans to modernise how people prove their identity and access public services through their smartphones.
- [OpenAI Brings Age Prediction To ChatGPT Consumer Accounts](https://hoit.uk/chatgpt/openai-brings-age-prediction-to-chatgpt-consumer-accounts/) - OpenAI has started rolling out an age prediction system on ChatGPT consumer plans as it tries to better identify under-18 users and automatically apply stronger safety protections amid rising regulatory pressure and concern about AI’s impact on young people.
- [Lords Back Under-16 Social Media Ban](https://hoit.uk/social-media/lords-back-under-16-social-media-ban/) - The House of Lords has voted to add a legal requirement to block under-16s from social media platforms, intensifying pressure on the government as it runs a parallel consultation on children’s online safety.
- [Google Brings Gemini AI To Gmail With A Personalised Inbox](https://hoit.uk/google/brings-gemini-ai-with-a-personalised-inbox/) - Google is reshaping Gmail around its Gemini AI models, introducing a personalised AI Inbox, natural-language AI Overviews in email search, and a wider rollout of writing and summarisation tools designed to help users manage rising email volumes more efficiently.
- [Spotify Introduces Real-Time Listening Activity And Jam Requests](https://hoit.uk/social-media/spotify-introduces-real-time-listening-activity/) - Spotify has introduced two new Messages features that let users see what friends are listening to in real time and invite them into shared listening sessions, signalling a deeper shift towards in-app social interaction.
- [Grok Sparks Global Scrutiny Over AI Sexualised Deepfakes](https://hoit.uk/ai/grok-sparks-scrutiny-over-ai-sexualised-deepfakes/) - Elon Musk’s AI chatbot Grok has become the focus of political, regulatory, and international scrutiny after users exploited it to generate non-consensual sexualised images, including material involving children, triggering urgent action from regulators and reopening a heated debate over online safety and free speech.
- [Want A Data Centre In The Shed ?](https://hoit.uk/sustainability-in-tech/want-a-data-centre-in-the-shed/) - An Essex couple have become the first in the UK to heat their home using a mini data centre in their garden shed, in a trial designed to cut energy bills and support low income households through the transition to net zero.
- [AI Assistants Can Write Your Prompts And Do Your Shopping For You](https://hoit.uk/ai/can-write-your-prompts-and-do-your-shopping/) - Two new launches from Hero and Google show how everyday digital tasks are moving towards full automation, with prompt writing and online shopping now handled largely by AI rather than users.
- [Rightmove Shares Slide Over Major AI Investment](https://hoit.uk/ai/rightmove-shares-slide-over-major-ai-investment/) - Rightmove’s share price has fallen by more than a quarter after the UK’s biggest property portal told investors it will slow near-term profit growth in order to fund a major new programme of artificial intelligence investment.
- [Clippy Returns To Life As ‘Mico’](https://hoit.uk/microsoft/clippy-returns-to-life-as-mico/) - Microsoft has introduced “Mico”, a new animated avatar for its Copilot assistant that can be transformed into the classic Clippy paper clip, a light-hearted feature that sits within a much wider update focused on making AI more personal, expressive, and easier to use across Microsoft’s ecosystem.
- [77% of Security Leaders Would Sack Phishing Victims](https://hoit.uk/phishing/77-of-security-leaders-would-sack-phishing-victims/) - New research from Arctic Wolf shows that most security leaders say they would sack staff who fall for phishing scams, even as incidents rise and leaders themselves admit to clicking malicious links.
- [Waymo’s Driverless Rides Shortly in London](https://hoit.uk/electricvehical/driverless-rides-shortly-in-london/) - Waymo has confirmed plans to bring its fully autonomous, driverless ride-hailing service to London in 2026, beginning supervised testing on public roads in the coming weeks.
- [Google's New 'Recovery Contacts': Unlock Lost Accounts](https://hoit.uk/google/new-recovery-contacts-unlock-lost-accounts/) - Google has introduced Recovery Contacts, a new way for users to regain access to a locked Google Account by asking trusted friends or family members to confirm their identity.
- [Support Ends But Hundreds of Millions Still on Windows 10](https://hoit.uk/microsoft/windows-10-support-ends/) - Hundreds of millions of computers are still running Windows 10 as Microsoft ends support on 14 October 2025, raising major concerns about cost, security, and the scale of the global upgrade still to come.
- [Microsoft Launches AI & Cloud Apps Marketplace](https://hoit.uk/microsoft/launches-ai-amp-cloud-apps-marketplace/) - Microsoft has launched a single unified Marketplace bringing together Azure Marketplace and AppSource, offering a central location for cloud services and AI applications integrated directly into the Microsoft ecosystem.
- [UK Digital ID Mandatory By 2029](https://hoit.uk/politics/uk-digital-id-mandatory-by-2029/) - UK Prime Minister, Keir Starmer, has announced that digital ID will become mandatory to prove the right to work in the UK by 2029, triggering both ministerial praise and civil liberties concerns. Interestingly, a petition on the UK Government’s site : https://petition.parliament.uk/ had attracted approaching three million signatures of people opposed to the bill, within a week of the announcement being made.
- [OpenAI Claims It Detects “AI Scheming”](https://hoit.uk/ai/openai-claims-it-detects-ai-scheming/) - OpenAI says it has developed new tools to uncover and limit deceptive “AI Scheming” behaviour in its most advanced AI models, before the risks become real.
- [EU Data Act : New Rules For UK Companies](https://hoit.uk/law/eu-data-act-new-rules-for-uk-companies/) - New EU rules on who can access and share data from connected products and cloud services are now live, with major implications for UK firms selling into the bloc.
- [Sainsbury’s Facial Recognition Combats Shoplifting](https://hoit.uk/facial-recognition/sainsburys-combats-shoplifting/) - Sainsbury’s has begun testing facial recognition technology in selected stores to identify repeat offenders and reduce shoplifting, triggering a wave of privacy concerns from civil liberties groups.
- [300,000 + Grok Chats Exposed Online](https://hoit.uk/ai/grok-chats-exposed-online/) - How the Grok Leak Happened The exposure of Grok transcripts was first reported by Forbes, which identified more than 370,000 indexed conversations, and later confirmed by the BBC, which counted nearly 300,000 visible through Google Search. The numbers differ slightly depending on how the search engine indexes the material, but both point to a vast
- [When the Boss Is Away… Don’t Let the Security Slip](https://hoit.uk/it_security/dont-let-the-security-slip-in-the-summer/) - With managers away, risks like poor passwords, unlocked screens and slow reporting can quietly escalate, and this article explains why it happens and how to stop it.
- [Robots Cut Pesticide in Strawberry Farming](https://hoit.uk/sustainability-in-tech/robots-and-strawberries/) - A new wave of farm automation is aiming to cut chemical use in food production, led by California-based TRIC Robotics, whose UV-powered robots are helping strawberry growers tackle pests and disease without pesticides.
- [Out of Office, Not Out of Mind: Cyber-Secure Holidays](https://hoit.uk/cyber-security/out-of-office/) - In this article, we look at various ways staff can stay cyber-secure while away, from setting safer out-of-office replies to avoiding phishing on the move and protecting devices abroad.
- [Summer Phishing Surge: Why Scammers Love Holidays](https://hoit.uk/phishing/why-scammers-love-holidays/) - Here we look at how phishing scams spike in summer, including fake travel bookings, delivery text traps and urgent invoice fraud, and why UK businesses and individuals are especially vulnerable during the summer holiday season.
- [Spotify AI ‘Band’ Sparks Labelling Debate](https://hoit.uk/ai/spotify-ai-band-sparks-labelling-debate/) - In this Tech Insight, we look at how the sudden rise of a (possibly AI-generated) band on Spotify has reignited the debate over whether music streaming platforms should clearly label artificially created songs.
- [MPs Concern : ‘Predictive Policing’ in UK](https://hoit.uk/finance/mps-concern-predictive-policing-in-uk/) - A cross-party group of MPs is calling for the UK government to outlaw predictive policing technologies through an amendment to the forthcoming Crime and Policing Bill, citing concerns over racial profiling, surveillance, and algorithmic bias.
- [First Artificial Eclipse Made Using Satellites](https://hoit.uk/sustainability-in-tech/first-artificial-eclipse/) - A pioneering European mission has successfully engineered an artificial total eclipse in orbit, unlocking new insights into the Sun’s outer atmosphere and showcasing precision spaceflight powered by sustainable innovation.
- [New High-Speed Hybrid AI Law Firm](https://hoit.uk/ai/new-high-speed-hybrid-ai-law-firm/) - A new AI-powered legal startup backed by Sequoia Capital is rewriting how contracts are reviewed, by building a law firm around the software itself.
- [Study Finds AI Dulls Brain Activity](https://hoit.uk/ai/dulls-brain-activity/) - A new study from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) has found that using generative AI tools like ChatGPT can significantly reduce brain activity during writing tasks, and may impair users’ ability to retain information and think critically.
- [Why Clicking Unsubscribe Can Be Risky](https://hoit.uk/it_security/why-clicking-unsubscribe-can-be-risky/) - In this Tech Insight, we look at why clicking the ‘unsubscribe’ link in an email might not be as safe as it seems, and how cybercriminals are using this tactic to profile victims, deploy phishing attacks, and gather intelligence for future scams.
- [WhatsApp To Show Ads](https://hoit.uk/whatsapp/to-show-ads/) - WhatsApp has announced it will begin showing adverts on its platform for the first time, with new features designed to monetise its Updates tab while keeping personal messages private.
- [Over Half Of Windows Users Yet To Upgrade To Version 11](https://hoit.uk/windows-11/over-half-of-windows-users-yet-to-upgrade-to-version-11/) - A new survey has revealed that a majority of Windows users still haven’t moved to Windows 11, despite Microsoft’s looming deadline and growing security concerns.
- [Tech Firms Leaving London Stock Exchange for the US](https://hoit.uk/finance/tech-firms-leaving-london-stock-exchange-for-the-us/) - A growing number of major tech companies are turning away from the London Stock Exchange in favour of listings in the US, citing better valuations, deeper capital markets, and greater investor appetite for growth.
- [Tesla’s Robotaxi Rollout](https://hoit.uk/robotics/teslas-robotaxi-rollout/) - Tesla will tentatively begin offering public rides in driverless robotaxis in Austin, Texas on 22 June, according to Elon Musk, marking the long-delayed debut of a service he first promised back in 2019.
- [US & UK Public Sectors Running Insecure IT](https://hoit.uk/cyber-security/us-uk-public-sectors-running-insecure-it/) - A major new study has revealed that 78 per cent of (US) public sector organisations are still operating with serious, unresolved software security flaws, some of which have persisted for over five years.
- [New Apple Tech Unleashed At WWDC 2025](https://hoit.uk/apple/latest-tech-unleashed/) - In this Tech Insight, we look at how Apple used its annual WWDC event to unveil some major software updates, a striking new Liquid Glass design, and expanded AI tools for developers across its platforms. Focus on New Website Features and Developer Tools Held at Apple Park in Cupertino, California, WWDC 2025 brought developers and
- [New ‘Meat’ From Fermented Fungi & Oats](https://hoit.uk/sustainability-in-tech/new-meat/) - Swedish startup Millow is using dry fermentation to create scalable, low-impact meat substitutes that could reshape the future of food production.
- [Autofocus Glasses Now – Printed Kidneys Soon?](https://hoit.uk/new-tech/autofocus-glasses-and-printed-kidneys/) - Two European startups have developed groundbreaking tools, including real-time autofocus glasses that adjust to where you look and a bioprinted wound patch for pets that could lead to printable human organs.
- [Legal Aid : Data Exposed](https://hoit.uk/it_security/legal-aid-data-exposed/) - Hundreds of thousands of criminal, financial and personal records have been compromised in a major cyber attack on the UK’s Legal Aid Agency, raising serious questions about digital security in one of the country’s most sensitive justice systems. What Is the Legal Aid Agency And Why Was It Targeted? The Legal Aid Agency (LAA), part
- [Microsoft Teams vs Zoom – Which Is Best?](https://hoit.uk/zoom/teams-vs-zoom/) - If you've ever wondered whether Microsoft Teams or Zoom is the smarter choice for meetings, messaging, and collaboration at work, you're not alone – and in this guide, we’ll clearly explain how they compare so you can choose the right platform for your business needs.
- [New UAE 'Super Campus' Could Could Be Bigger Than Monaco](https://hoit.uk/office_365/new-uae-super-campus/) - The AI giant is reportedly backing a 5-gigawatt data centre in Abu Dhabi, a facility so vast, it would dwarf Monaco and could reshape global AI infrastructure.
- [Flying Cars and Hypersonic Jets](https://hoit.uk/new-tech/flying-cars-and-hypersonic-jets/) - Two startups on opposite sides of the Atlantic have just unveiled breakthrough prototypes that could bring flying cars and hypersonic jets into everyday travel.
- [Prove You’re Human – Have Your Eyes Scanned](https://hoit.uk/ai/prove-you-are-human-with-your-eyes/) - OpenAI CEO Sam Altman’s identity startup ‘World’ has begun its rollout in the United States, introducing 20,000 biometric devices known as Orbs that scan users’ irises to confirm they are human.
- [Italian Spyware Firm Accused of Distributing Malicious Apps](https://hoit.uk/mobile-malware/spyware-firm-accused-of-malicious-apps/) - According to TechCrunch, it’s alleged that Italian spyware maker SIO has been distributing malicious Android apps designed to masquerade as WhatsApp and other widely used applications while covertly harvesting sensitive data from targeted devices.
- [Almost Half of Young People Have Been Scammed Online](https://hoit.uk/social-media/young-people-scammed-online/) - A new study in Wales has shown that nearly half (46 per cent) of young people aged 8 to 17 have fallen victim to online scams, with 9 per cent (including children as young as eight) having lost money to fraudulent schemes.
- [AI Isn’t Slashing Jobs or Wages (Yet)](https://hoit.uk/ai/not-lashing-jobs-or-wages-yet/) - Despite the whirlwind of hype, new research suggests that generative AI chatbots like ChatGPT and Claude have, so far, made barely a ripple in the labour market, leaving jobs and wages largely untouched.
- [How Marks & Spencer Was Brought To A Standstill](https://hoit.uk/ransomware/marks-and-spencer-brought-to-a-standstill/) - In this Tech Insight, we look at how a major ransomware attack on M&S could happen, who was behind it, how it caused such widespread disruption, and what it means for the company, its customers, and the wider UK retail sector.
- [Spain & Portugal Blackout : UK Next?](https://hoit.uk/tech-insight/spain-portugal-blackout/) - The recent mass blackout in Spain and Portugal has raised concerns over whether something similar could hit the UK, and what the fallout would be for British businesses.
- [Tesla Profits Crash 71% Amid Growing Backlash](https://hoit.uk/electricvehical/tesla-profits-crash-amid-backlash/) - Tesla’s profits have plummeted by 71 per cent in the first quarter of 2025, a collapse driven by weakening vehicle sales, political controversy and rising competition, thereby marking one of the toughest periods the electric vehicle pioneer has faced in years.
- [Ultra-Secure Quantum Communications Get Closer](https://hoit.uk/hardware/ultra-secure-quantum-communications-get-closer/) - Toshiba Europe has successfully sent quantum-encrypted messages across a record 254km of standard commercial fibre optic cable, marking a major step towards achieving real-world quantum-secure communications without relying on highly specialised hardware.
- [OpenAI Wants To Buy Chrome](https://hoit.uk/google/openai-wants-to-buy-chrome/) - OpenAI has declared its interest in buying Google Chrome (if Alphabet is forced to sell it following an antitrust ruling against the tech giant), raising major questions about the future of internet browsing, AI, and search.
- [Solar Panels Made From Molten Moon Dust](https://hoit.uk/sustainability-in-tech/solar-panels-made-from-molten-moon-dust/) - In a move towards sustainable space colonisation, scientists at the University of Potsdam (Germany) have created working solar panels from molten Moon dust, hopefully paving the way for lunar bases powered by materials already found on the Moon.
- [New UK Law Could Hit IT Firms With £100K-a-Day Fines](https://hoit.uk/hands_on_it_news/new-uk-law-could-hit-it-firms-with-100k-a-day-fines/) - The UK government has unveiled sweeping new cyber legislation that could see organisations hit with fines of up to £100,000 (per day!) if they fail to respond to threats in time – a move that dramatically raises the stakes for IT providers, critical service operators, plus their supply chains.
- [Microsoft and Amazon Agentic Agents](https://hoit.uk/ai/microsoft-and-amazon-agentic-agents/) - Microsoft has upgraded its Copilot assistant into a fully agentic AI tool that can browse the web, complete real-world tasks, and remember personal details — marking a major leap in the AI arms race.
- [Robot Dog Parcel Delivery Trialled](https://hoit.uk/robotics/dog-parcel-delivery/) - UK parcel delivery firm, Evri, has teamed up with a US robotics company to test four-legged autonomous deliveries in real neighbourhoods, starting in Barnsley.
- [Mass Resignations From Office-Only Jobs](https://hoit.uk/working-from-home/mass-resignations-from-office-only-jobs/) - Nearly half of UK professionals would rather leave their jobs than return to the office five days a week, according to new research from recruitment giant Hays.
- [Screens, Sleep & A Decade of Mental Health](https://hoit.uk/mobiles/screens-sleep-a-decade-of-mental-health/) - New research has revealed a sharp link between using screens in bed and disrupted sleep, while a separate study suggests that switching off mobile internet on smartphones may significantly boost focus and mental health, delivering cognitive benefits equivalent to turning back the clock by a decade!
- [NHS Supplier Fined £3m For Ransomware Failures](https://hoit.uk/ransomware/nhs-supplier-fined-3m-for-ransomware-failures/) - A software provider to the NHS has been fined £3.07 million after serious security lapses allowed hackers to steal sensitive personal data in a 2022 ransomware attack.
- [Croydon First Place To Get Permanent Facial Recognition Cameras](https://hoit.uk/hands_on_it_news/croydon-to-get-facial-recognition-cameras/) - It’s been reported that Croydon is set to become the first place in the UK (and possibly the democratic world) to host permanent live facial recognition (LFR) cameras on its streets.
- [Google Unveils AI-Powered Holiday Planning Features](https://hoit.uk/ai/google-unveils-ai-powered-holiday-planning-features/) - Google is rolling out a suite of new features (many powered by generative AI) across its core platforms to help users plan their summer holidays with greater ease and personalisation.
- [Electric Vehicles Charged in 5 Mins](https://hoit.uk/sustainability-in-tech/electric-vehicles-charged-in-5-mins/) - Chinese automaker BYD says its new megawatt charging platform could eliminate range anxiety and double Tesla’s speed, but how does it work, and what could this mean for UK drivers?
- [Cable-Cutting : Cat And Mouse](https://hoit.uk/cyber-crime/cable-cutting-cat-and-mouse/) - New fibre optic sensing technology is being deployed under the Baltic Sea to detect and deter sabotage attempts on Europe’s critical subsea data cables.
- [Is Geothermal Energy The Future For Data Centres?](https://hoit.uk/sustainability-in-tech/is-geothermal-energy-the-future-for-data-centres/) - With the exponential rise in artificial intelligence (AI) and cloud computing driving unprecedented demand for electricity, the energy consumption of data centres is a growing concern. However, the report suggests that tapping into the Earth’s heat could provide a stable, renewable solution to this looming energy crisis. The Data Centre Energy Problem Data centres are
- [Alexa Voice Recordings Being Sent To Amazon](https://hoit.uk/amazon/alexa-voice-recordings/) - From March 28, a change to a long-standing Amazon Echo privacy feature will mean that every Alexa request will be transmitted to Amazon’s cloud by default, rather than being processed locally on the device.
- [Public Hearing Demanded For Apple’s UK Encryption](https://hoit.uk/apple/public-hearing-demanded/) - Privacy advocates are calling for Apple’s legal challenge against a secret UK government order to be heard in public, arguing that millions of users’ privacy rights are at stake.
- [Banks to Pay Millions After IT Failures Leave Customers Stranded](https://hoit.uk/hands_on_it_news/banks-to-pay-millions/) - UK banking customers who have faced repeated IT failures are set to receive millions in compensation, following a damning Treasury Committee investigation into the scale and impact of these outages.
- [What To Do If Your Mobile Is Stolen?](https://hoit.uk/mobiles/what-to-do-if-your-mobile-is-stolen/) - In this article, we look at the key actions to take if your mobile phone is stolen, how to protect your data, and ways to reduce the risk of theft in the first place.
- [May 2025 : Skype Retiring](https://hoit.uk/software/may-2025-skype-retiring/) - Microsoft has confirmed that it will retire Skype in May 2025, marking the end of an era for the once-revolutionary internet calling service.
- [OpenAI Launches Sora (in the UK) and GPT-4.5](https://hoit.uk/ai/launches-sora-in-the-uk/) - OpenAI has launched Sora, its AI-powered video generation tool, and GPT-4.5, its latest and most advanced language model, in the UK, marking a major leap in artificial intelligence technology and sparking debate across creative and technological industries.
- [Apple Stops Advanced Data Protection Feature in the UK](https://hoit.uk/apple/stops-advanced-data-protection/) - Apple has announced the removal of its Advanced Data Protection (ADP) tool from customers in the United Kingdom, following a contentious dispute with the UK government over user data access.
- [Hands On IT's Best Bits - Issue 44](https://hoit.uk/hands-on-best-bits/issue-44/) - Robot Pollinators? How to maximise your laptop battery life. 3 x tech tips & when to steer clear of Carshalton on National Working Naked Day!
- [First Video Call via Satellite in No-Signal Zone](https://hoit.uk/5g/first-video-call-via-satellite-in-no-signal-zone/) - Vodafone has successfully conducted the world’s first satellite-enabled video call using a standard 4G/5G smartphone from a location devoid of terrestrial mobile coverage.
- [UK Government Demands Apple Reveal Your Data](https://hoit.uk/apple/uk-government-demands-apple-reveal-your-data/) - The UK government has reportedly ordered Apple to grant it access to encrypted data stored in iCloud by users worldwide, a move that has sparked fierce debate over privacy, security, and government surveillance.
- [UK’s New Cyber Severity Scale](https://hoit.uk/cyber-security/uks-new-severity-scale/) - The UK’s Cyber Monitoring Centre (CMC) has now started categorising cyber events using a scale designed to assess the impact and severity of attacks (similar to the Richter scale for earthquakes).
- [Google Lifts AI Ban on Weapons and Surveillance](https://hoit.uk/google/lifts-ai-ban-on-weapons-and-surveillance/) - Google has revised its AI principles, lifting its ban on using artificial intelligence (AI) for the development of weapons and surveillance tools.
- [Banning Mobiles : Impact On School Children](https://hoit.uk/mobiles/banning-mobiles-impact-on-school-children/) - A recent study by the University of Birmingham has revealed that banning smartphones during school hours does not necessarily lead to improved mental health or academic performance among students.
- [Microsoft 365 Users Must Opt Out to Avoid Price Hike for Copilot AI](https://hoit.uk/microsoft/avoid-price-hike-for-copilot-ai/) - Microsoft 365 subscribers are facing a price increase unless they actively opt out of Microsoft’s Copilot AI.
- [Google’s New ‘Ask for Me’ AI Feature Calls Businesses For You](https://hoit.uk/ai/googles-new-ask-for-me-ai-feature-calls-businesses-for-you/) - Google has unveiled ‘Ask for Me’, an innovative feature that employs AI to phone local businesses for you, to get information such as service pricing and availability.
- [UK Employers Ramp Up Workplace Surveillance](https://hoit.uk/hands_on_it_news/uk-employers-ramp-up-workplace-surveillance/) - Workplace surveillance is becoming an inescapable reality for employees across the UK, with new research showing that 85 per cent of employers now monitor their staff’s online activity.
- [Is DeepSeek Safe?](https://hoit.uk/ai/is-deepseek-safe/) - Following the surprise introduction of Chinese AI chatbot DeepSeek, here we look at what makes it different, and why concerns are growing over its safety and privacy implications.
- [Google Combats Fake Reviews](https://hoit.uk/google/google-combats-fake-reviews/) - Following an extensive investigation by the UK’s Competition and Markets Authority (CMA), Google has agreed to implement significant changes to its processes for detecting and addressing fake reviews.
- [John Lewis Introduces New AI Verification For Online Knife Sales](https://hoit.uk/ai/john-lewis-introduces-new-ai-verification-for-online-knife-sales/) - John Lewis has unveiled a groundbreaking AI tool to verify the age of customers purchasing knives online, marking a shift in how retailers address legal requirements for the sale of bladed items.
- [Tiny Flying Robot Pollinators](https://hoit.uk/sustainability-in-tech/tiny-flying-robot-pollinators/) - Scientists at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) have unveiled a new generation of tiny insect-inspired flying robots that could revolutionise agriculture by offering a mechanical alternative to natural pollinators.
- [GoDaddy Complaint Over Years of Poor Cybersecurity](https://hoit.uk/cyber-security/godaddy-complaint-over-years-of-poor-cybersecurity/) - The US International Trade Commission (ITC) has issued a scathing complaint against web-hosting giant GoDaddy, accusing the company of failing to implement basic cybersecurity tools and practices since 2018.
- [PM’s Plans To Boost AI Across The UK](https://hoit.uk/ai/pms-plans-to-boost-ai-across-the-uk/) - Following UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s speech promising that the government plans to use AI across the UK to boost growth and deliver services more efficiently, we look at what this actually means and how it could be done.
- [UK To Get Digital Driving Licences In 2025](https://hoit.uk/new-tech/uk-to-get-digital-driving-licences-in-2025/) - According to a recent report from The Times, the UK is set to roll out digital driving licences in 2025, as a voluntary initiative, accessible via a government smartphone app.
- [Maximise Your Laptop Battery Life with Windows 11 Energy Saver](https://hoit.uk/windows-11/maximise-your-laptop-battery-life/) - Discover how to use Windows 11 Energy Saver to extend your laptop’s battery life and reduce energy consumption, with straightforward steps to customise it to your needs.
- [Plumbers Are Safe … For Now](https://hoit.uk/ai/plumbers-are-safe-for-now/) - The findings of the World Economic Forum’s (WEF) Future of Jobs Report 2025 show that although the rapid rise of AI is reshaping the future of work, hands-on professions like plumbing look likely to remain largely untouched by the digital revolution.
- [Rollable Laptops Being Rolled Out](https://hoit.uk/new-tech/rollable-laptops-being-rolled-out/) - With rollable laptops (featuring extendable screens) set to become the latest breakthrough in portable computing, we look at what they are and the unique benefits they offer.
- [Meta Trials eBay Listings on Facebook Marketplace](https://hoit.uk/meta/trials-ebay-listings-on-facebook-marketplace/) - Meta has begun testing a new feature in Germany, France, and the US that allows users of Facebook Marketplace to browse eBay listings directly on the platform, while completing their transactions on eBay.
- [Microsoft’s Bundling Bungling?](https://hoit.uk/microsoft/microsofts-bundling-bungling/) - Following a recent Wall Street Journal article highlighting how Microsoft has made Copilot part of its 365 subscription service in several markets and raised prices, we now look at Microsoft’s strategies for deploying its AI assistant, and the broader implications of its AI initiatives.
- [Apple to pay $95m To Settle Siri ‘Listening’ Lawsuit](https://hoit.uk/apple/to-pay-95m-to-settle-siri-listening-lawsuit/) - Apple has agreed to pay $95m (£77m) to settle a lawsuit claiming its Siri virtual assistant recorded users without their consent and shared voice data with advertisers.
- [Starlink’s Direct-to-Cell Satellite Connectivity](https://hoit.uk/tech-insight/starlinks-direct-to-cell-satellite-connectivity/) - Kyivstar (Ukraine’s largest telecom operator) has announced an agreement with Starlink (a division of Elon Musk’s SpaceX) to introduce direct-to-cell satellite connectivity to the whole country.
- [Vodafone and Three Merge (With Conditions) ](https://hoit.uk/mobiles/vodafone-and-three-merge-with-conditions/) - The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has approved Vodafone’s £15 billion merger with Three UK, subject to strict legally binding conditions.
- [Apple Facing (Alleged) Employee Spying Lawsuit](https://hoit.uk/apple/facing-alleged-employee-spying-lawsuit/) - Apple Inc. is reportedly facing a lawsuit from employee Amar Bhakta, who alleges the company unlawfully monitors employees’ personal devices and iCloud accounts.
- [GenCast : Ultra-Advanced Weather Forecasting](https://hoit.uk/ai/gencast-ultra-advanced-weather-forecasting/) - Google DeepMind has introduced GenCast, an advanced AI model designed to revolutionise weather forecasting by delivering faster, more accurate predictions of weather uncertainties and risks up to 15 days ahead.
- [Apple Warns Against Force-Closing iPhone Apps](https://hoit.uk/apple/warns-against-force-closing-apps/) - It’s been reported that Apple has advised on its discussion forum that force-closing apps on an iPhone can negatively impact device performance and battery life.
- [Slow Websites Costing UK Businesses £££](https://hoit.uk/tech-insight/slow-websites-costing-uk-businesses/) - A recent study by US-based hosting provider Liquid Web has revealed that slow website performance is costing businesses thousands of pounds per year in revenue and draining resources at an alarming rate.
- [Social Media Ban For Kids](https://hoit.uk/social-media/ban-for-kids/) - Australia’s government has enacted legislation prohibiting children under 16 from accessing social media platforms to protect them from the harmful effects of online content, such as cyberbullying, exploitation, and exposure to inappropriate material.
- [Apple Faces £3 Billion UK Lawsuit](https://hoit.uk/apple/faces-3-billion-uk-lawsuit/) - Apple is facing a £3 billion legal claim in the UK, accused of anti-competitive practices and overcharging iCloud customers.
- [ “Amazon Haul” Budget Shop](https://hoit.uk/amazon/haul-budget-shop/) - Amazon has announced the launch of a U.S. beta of its new Haul Store, an online shopping experience designed to rival low-cost e-commerce giants Temu and Shein.
- [Trump's Tech Transitions](https://hoit.uk/tech-insight/trumps-tech-transitions/) - Following Trump’s dramatic election for a second term, we look at what this means for the tech industry, examining the potential impacts on major companies, regulation, cryptocurrency, autonomous vehicles, AI, social media, markets, and the influence of key players like Elon Musk.
- [Microsoft Data Centres Made Of … Wood!](https://hoit.uk/sustainability-in-tech/wood-data-centres/) - Microsoft has announced that it is building its first data-centres made with super strong ultra-lightweight wood in a bid to slash the use of steel and concrete, which are among the most significant sources of carbon emissions.
- [Snapchat No.1 Grooming Platform, Says NSPCC](https://hoit.uk/social-media/grooming-social-media-platform/) - With alarming figures showing an 89 per cent increase in grooming cases in the last six years, the NSPCC has reported that data shows Snapchat tops the list of common platforms that perpetrators have been using to target children online.
- [Flexible Working Drives Financial Gains](https://hoit.uk/working-from-home/flexible-working-drives-financial-gains/) - Following a recent University of Melbourne report revealing that companies offering strong flexible work options (such as remote working) experience enhanced market value, this article explores the factors driving these gains, examines supporting studies, and considers opposing views from firms that favour in-office mandates.
- [New Social Cross-Posting Abilities](https://hoit.uk/social-media/new-social-cross-posting-abilities/) - Openvibe, the cross-posting app that unites various social networks in one feed, has announced support for Threads, Meta’s decentralised Twitter alternative, allowing users to post and interact seamlessly across multiple platforms, including Mastodon, Bluesky, and Nostr, all from a single app.
- [Google Fined All The Money In The World!](https://hoit.uk/google/google-fined-all-the-money-in-the-world/) - A Russian court has fined Google over two undecillion rubles (a 36-digit figure, i.e. a sum that’s greater than the world’s total GDP) for removing Russia’s state media channels from YouTube.
- [Will WhatsApp Stay Free?](https://hoit.uk/whatsapp/will-it-stay-free/) - In this tech insight, we look at how WhatsApp currently makes money, explore potential reasons why it might introduce charges in the future, compare its revenue model with competing messaging apps, and analyse the possible impact the introduction of any changes could have.
- [Manky Mobile Menace](https://hoit.uk/mobiles/manky-mobile-menace/) - With recent research showing that Smartphones harbour 10 times more bacteria than a toilet seat and that 74% of us admit to bringing it to bed, scientists are warning that bringing a phone to bed can be hazardous to your health.
- [World: Prove You're Human](https://hoit.uk/ai/world-prove-youre-human/) - Following OpenAI’s Sam Altman recently renaming his Worldcoin project simply ‘World,’ we take a look at World’s iris-scanning technology, what it’s for, its potential benefits, and its possible drawbacks.
- [Microsoft Office 2024 For Macs (Subs-Free!)](https://hoit.uk/apple/and-microsoft-office/) - Microsoft is now offering a no-subscription, standalone version of Microsoft Office 2024, available as a “one-time purchase for 1 PC or Mac.”
- [Ebay : Fees Scrapped For UK Private Sellers](https://hoit.uk/ecommerce/ebay-fees-scrapped/) - Online marketplace eBay has announced that starting Tuesday 1 October 2024, private sellers will not pay transaction fees when they sell items on eBay.co.uk.
- [New Ways To Search](https://hoit.uk/google/new-ways-to-search/) - Search technology has transformed significantly from text-based queries back in the nineties to now, where there’s a wide range of interactive methods like voice, visual, and AI-driven tools. Here, we look at how these advancements are reshaping the way we search, with a focus on the latest innovations and trends in the search landscape.
- [Hands On IT's Best Bits - Issue 39](https://hoit.uk/hands-on-best-bits/issue-39/) - Using Windows Key Shortcuts, SpaceX Planning to Destroy the International Space Station? a 900% Increase in Travel Scams and Robots Getting Living Skin, to name but a few articles we're featuring this month.
- [Hands On IT's Best Bits - Issue 40](https://hoit.uk/hands-on-best-bits/issue-40/) - The FORTIETH edition of our Best Bits. ?? Packed full of the latest top IT News, Tech Tips and Security Warnings we’ve featured on our socials within the last two months.
- [WordPress At War !](https://hoit.uk/social-media/wordpress-at-war/) - Following a (very public) recent spat between WordPress founder and Automattic CEO Matt Mullenweg, and WP Engine, we look at what’s happened and why, and what the effects have been WordPress users.
- [Meta’s Smarter Specs](https://hoit.uk/meta/smarter-specs/) - Following Mark Zuckerberg’s recent announcement of new AI features for the company’s (Ray-Ban) Meta glasses, we look at where we’re at and where things are heading with Meta’s VR/AR glasses.
- [Sending WhatsApp Messages To Other Messaging Apps](https://hoit.uk/whatsapp/sending-whatsapp-messages-to-other-messaging-apps/) - In response to changes in the European Union’s Digital Markets Act (which came into force in March), WhatsApp users will soon be able to send messages from WhatsApp to people using other messaging apps, e.g. Messenger, Telegram, and Signal.
- [10 More iPhone Tips](https://hoit.uk/apple/10-more-iphone-tips/) - Following in from last week, here are 10 more top iPhone tips / tricks you may not know about that could make your life easier and help you to be more productive...
- [Brazilian Ban For X](https://hoit.uk/social-media/brazilian-ban-for-x/) - Following Elon Musk’s X (Twitter) platform having failed to meet the deadline imposed by a Supreme Court Judge to suspend dozens of X accounts for allegedly spreading disinformation, the judge has now ruled that the X platform will be suspended in Brazil.
- [What's All The Fuss About Telegram](https://hoit.uk/hands_on_it_news/whats-all-the-fuss-about-telegram/) - CEO and founder of messaging app Telegram, Pavel Durov, was recently arrested in France over allegations that Telegram facilitates illegal activities, including money laundering, drug trafficking, and the distribution of child sexual abuse material.
- [300% Canva Price Hike Backlash](https://hoit.uk/social-media/300-canva-price-hike-backlash/) - Popular online graphic design platform Canva is facing a backlash from customers following a price hike of up to 300% for its Teams subscription.
- [Personal Activities … On Work Laptops](https://hoit.uk/hardware/personal-activities-on-work-laptops/) - Following a new ESET study which highlighted how workers using company-provided laptops for personal activities could be putting work hardware at risk, we’ll explore the issues surrounding this practice and the potential consequences for businesses and employees, in two parts.
- [Windows 11 vs Windows 10](https://hoit.uk/microsoft/windows-11-vs-windows-10/) - In this insight, we compare and contrast the Windows 10 and 11 operating systems, focusing on how they perform in key areas like user interface, performance, security, compatibility, and cost.
- [Google In Monumental Monopoly Ruling](https://hoit.uk/google/in-monumental-monopoly-ruling/) - Four years on from Google being sued by the US Department of Justice over its control of about 90% of the online search market, a US judge has ruled that Google acted illegally to maintain a monopoly on its online search and the associated advertising.
- [Top 10 iPhone Tricks](https://hoit.uk/apple/top-10-iphone-tricks/) - Here are 10 top iPhone tips / tricks you may not know about that could make your life easier and help you to be more productive.
- [Robot Dentists?](https://hoit.uk/ai/robot-dentists/) - AI-driven automated dental technology company Perceptive has announced the completion of the world’s first fully automated dental procedure on a human using its robotic dentistry system.
- [WhatsApp Voice Transcriptions](https://hoit.uk/whatsapp/voice-transcriptions/) - It’s been reported that WhatsApp may soon be introducing voice-note transcriptions, which should save time, make it easier for users in noisy environments, and improve the efficiency of communications.
- [Paper Packaging! Vodka Be Better?](https://hoit.uk/sustainability-in-tech/paper-packaging-vodka/) - Vodka in a paper bottle? Absolut Vodka has begun a 3-month trial of its first commercially available single-mould, paper-based bottle.
- [Hands On IT's Best Bits - Issue 38](https://hoit.uk/hands-on-best-bits/issue-38/) - Our latest Best Bits edition, packed full of security updates, IT News, Tech IT Tips and a few diary dates you won’t want to miss.
- [‘Pay or Consent’ Model Breaches Rules](https://hoit.uk/meta/pay-or-consent-model-breaches-rules/) - Following an investigation into whether the big tech companies are complying with the new Digital Markets Act (DMA) rules, the European Commission’s preliminary findings say that Meta’s ‘Pay or Consent’ model for data-sharing is in breach of its new rules. So what does this mean for us and our businesses?
- [Costly Cloud Licensing & Public Sector Skills](https://hoit.uk/politics/costly-cloud-licensing-public-sector-skills/) - We've taken a look at how recent reports have revealed how the UK’s public sector is facing the dual challenges of potentially losing £300 million through restrictive cloud licensing and the limitations of an open-source software skills gap.
- [Robots Get Living Skin](https://hoit.uk/new-tech/robots-get-living-skin/) - A team of Researchers at Tokyo University have found a way to bind engineered living skin tissue to robots with the hope of benefitting the cosmetics industry and helping to train plastic surgeons. Why though?
- [SpaceX To Destroy International Space Station](https://hoit.uk/hands_on_it_news/spacex-to-destroy-international-space-station/) - NASA has given Elon Musk’s SpaceX the contract to ‘deorbit’ (and destroy) the International Space Station at the end of its operation as NASA transitions to commercially owned space destinations closer to home.
- [New Bioplastic Straw Degrades Faster Than Paper](https://hoit.uk/sustainability-in-tech/new-bioplastic-straws/) - Massachusetts-based Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute (WHOI) research scientists, in partnership with bioplastic manufacturing company Eastman, have reported developing a new a prototype bioplastic straw that degrades even faster than paper.
- [AI Test For Parkinson’s](https://hoit.uk/ai/test-for-parkinsons/) - Researchers, led by scientists at UCL and University Medical Center Goettingen, Germany, have developed an AI-enhanced blood test that can predict Parkinson’s in at-risk patients up to seven years before the onset of symptoms.
- [Jobs Threatened By ChatGPT](https://hoit.uk/chatgpt/jobs-threatened/) - In this insight, we look at the kinds of industries and jobs that research has identified as being most exposed to the disruptive threat of generative AI, but we also look at how AI has created some new job roles.
- [Why Microsoft 365 Backup is Essential ](https://hoit.uk/microsoft/why-microsoft-365-backup-is-essential/) - In this article, we look at why, as reliance on cloud services like Microsoft 365 grows, ensuring robust data backup has become a critical component of business security and continuity, then we look at some best practices for your 365 backups.
- [Protect Your Business During Staff Holidays](https://hoit.uk/it_security/protect-your-business-during-staff-holidays/) - In this next summer security article, and with the summer holiday season upon us, we take a look at the various aspects of protecting your business when your staff are on holiday, offering practical advice and solutions to help you stay secure and efficient while staff are physically away.
- [Hands On IT's Best Bits - Issue 36](https://hoit.uk/hands-on-best-bits/issue-36/) - Check out our latest Best Bits issue featuring the best (in our opinion) tech tips, some really odd dates for your diary and the latest technical news that affects you and your business.
- [Hands On IT's Best Bits - Issue 37](https://hoit.uk/hands-on-best-bits/issue-37/) - Group your files for better organisation, what's happening to Booking.com? iPhone gets it's own 'circle to search' and we take a look at Deadbots.
- [Apple & OpenAI Partnership : Musk Reacts](https://hoit.uk/ai/apple-openai-partnership-musk-reacts/) - Following Apple’s recent announcement that it is partnering with OpenAI for its new AI system (which will see ChatGPT on Apple’s new phones), Elon Musk has threatened to ban Apple devices from his businesses.
- [NHS Cyber Attack Means Blood Donors Needed Urgently](https://hoit.uk/it_security/nhs-cyber-attack-means-blood-donors-needed-urgently/) - A recent ransomware cyber-attack on a provider of lab services to the NHS led to so much disruption in several major hospitals that an urgent appeal for donations of O-type blood was issued.
- [Apple Avalanche!](https://hoit.uk/apple/product-avalanche/) - Following Apple’s 5-day Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC24) last week at Apple Park in Cupertino, California, we take a look at the many new products announced and their key features.
- [ChatGPT Says Labour Has Already Won](https://hoit.uk/chatgpt/chatgpt-says-labour-has-already-won/) - A recent Sky News report said that when ChatGPT was recently asked by a journalist “who won the UK general election 2024?”, the chatbot replied that Labour had won a “significant victory”, even though the general election hasn’t happened yet.
- [Google Maps Alternatives](https://hoit.uk/google/google-maps-alternatives/) - In this insight, we look at what’s good about Google Maps, what may be less ideal about it, plus we provide 10 examples of alternative mapping and navigation apps.
- [Ex-Employees : Offboarding Checklist](https://hoit.uk/it_security/ex-employees-offboarding-checklist/) - Here we look at why organisations need to have an effective employee offboarding procedure in place and suggest a checklist for you that could form the basis of this procedure.
- [Underwater Data Centres Vulnerable to Soundwaves](https://hoit.uk/sustainability-in-tech/underwater-data-centres-vulnerable-to-soundwaves/) - A study by cybersecurity and robotics researchers at the University of Florida and the University of Electro-Communications has revealed how powerful sound waves could disrupt the operation of underwater data-centres.
- [Microsoft Asks Hundreds Of Employees In China To Re-Locate](https://hoit.uk/microsoft/asks-hundreds-of-employees-in-china-to-re-locate/) - Why is the Chinese state media reporting that Microsoft has asked at least 100 employees to consider relocating to other countries?
- [Tasty Offering : Raspberry Pi](https://hoit.uk/hardware/tasty-offering-raspberry-pi/) - With Raspberry Pi Ltd considering an Initial Public Offering, we look at what this kind of computer is, its value in promoting computer literacy, and what similar alternatives there are.
- [Booking.com Becomes “Gatekeeper”](https://hoit.uk/tech-insight/booking-com-becomes-gatekeeper/) - Online travel marketplace, Booking.com, has been designated a ‘gatekeeper’ company by the EU under its new Digital Markets Act (DMA) competition law, meaning that Booking.com now has six months to comply.
- [What Are ‘Deadbots’?](https://hoit.uk/tech-insight/what-are-deadbots/) - Following warnings by ethicists at Cambridge University that AI chatbots made to simulate the personalities of deceased loved ones could be used to spam family and friends, we take a look at the subject of so-called “deadbots”.
- [Wales Has Put A SOC In It!](https://hoit.uk/it_security/wales-has-put-a-soc-in-it/) - The UK’s first national security operations centre (SOC) known as CymruSOC, has launched in Wales to protect the country’s local authorities and fire and rescue services from cyber-attacks.
- [The World's Largest Carbon Vacuuming Plant Opens](https://hoit.uk/sustainability-in-tech/the-worlds-largest-carbon-vacuuming-plant-opens/) - The World's largest direct air capture (DAC) plant, dubbed 'Mammoth' (which can suck polluting carbon from the air to help tackle global warming) has started operating in Iceland.
- [New UK Law To Eradicate Weak Passwords](https://hoit.uk/cyber-security/new-uk-law-to-eradicate-weak-passwords/) - There's a new UK cybersecurity law coming that will ban device manufacturers from having weak, easily guessable default passwords, thereby providing extra protection against hacking and cyber-attacks.
- [Millions Defy WhatsApp Bans](https://hoit.uk/whatsapp/millions-defy-whatsapp-bans/) - In a recent BBC World Service interview, Head of WhatsApp, Will Cathcart, claimed that tens of millions of people in countries where WhatsApp has been banned continue to use it.
- [Why Are Apostrophes Being Dropped From Street Signs?](https://hoit.uk/did-you-know/apostrophes-dropped-from-street-signs/) - North Yorkshire council has said it’s having to drop apostrophes from its street signs to avoid problems with its computer database!
- [World’s Largest (House-Sized) 3D Printer](https://hoit.uk/new-tech/worlds-largest-house-sized-3d-printer/) - Maine University in the US has announced that its new 3D printer has smashed the former Guinness World Record to become the largest 3D printer in the world, making it a significant step forward in the next generation of advanced manufacturing.
- [Police : Don’t Try Hiding Money in Crypto](https://hoit.uk/cryptocurrency/police-dont-try-hiding-money-in-crypto/) - The Home Office has announced that in an attempt to tackle the issue of drug dealers, fraudsters and terrorists using crypto to hide and raise money, it’s giving new powers to the police.
- [Realtime Deepfake Dating Scams](https://hoit.uk/it_security/realtime-deepfake-dating-scams/) - Here we look at how scammers are now reportedly using face-swapping technology to change their appearance in real-time to conduct video-based romance scams.
- [Microsoft Deepfakes Too Dangerous For Release](https://hoit.uk/microsoft/deepfakes-too-dangerous-for-release/) - Microsoft says its new VASA-1 AI framework for generating lifelike talking faces of virtual characters is so good that it could easily be misused for impersonating humans and, therefore, Microsoft says it has “no plans” to release any aspect of it until it can be sure it can be used responsibly.
- [Amazon Launches Amazon Live FAST Shopping Channel](https://hoit.uk/amazon/launches-amazon-live-fast-shopping-channel/) - Previously available on desktop, mobile and Fire TV, Amazon has now extended the reach of its “Amazon Live” FAST free ad-supported, interactive TV “shoppable” channel by launching it on Prime Video and Freevee, for US customers.
- [Ultra-Fast Charging Sodium Battery Developed](https://hoit.uk/sustainability-in-tech/ultra-fast-sodium-battery/) - Research by a team of doctoral candidates, supported by the National Research Foundation of Korea, has resulted in the development of an ultrahigh-energy density and fast-rechargeable hybrid sodium-ion battery.
- [Headaches For MSPs As Microsoft Unbundles Teams](https://hoit.uk/microsoft/unbundling-teams/) - Microsoft’s announcement that it will sell its chat and video app Teams separately from its Office product globally is likely to cause considerable headaches for IT departments and managed service providers.
- [Could ‘Digital Mindfulness’ Reduce Your Tech Stress? ](https://hoit.uk/tech-insight/reduce-your-tech-stress/) - In this insight, we look at what ‘digital mindfulness’ is, how it could help you and your business, and what challenges there are to introducing it.
- [Tesla Robotaxi In August](https://hoit.uk/new-tech/tesla-robotaxi-in-august/) - Following a fall in Tesla EV sales and profits, Tesla boss Elon Musk has announced that he’ll be unveiling a ‘Robotaxi’ on August 8 this year.
- [Amazon Fined Over “Dark Patterns”](https://hoit.uk/amazon/fined-over-dark-patterns/) - Amazon’s (Luxembourg-based) Polish e-commerce site, Amazon.pl (Amazon EU SARL) has been fined by Poland’s competition and consumer protection watchdog following customer complaints that their orders were being mysteriously cancelled.
- [Google Deleting Millions Of Users’ Incognito Search Data](https://hoit.uk/google/deleting-users-incognito-search-data/) - As part of a deal to resolve a class action lawsuit in the US dating back to 2020, Google has said it will delete the incognito mode search data of millions of users.
- [A Dozen Handy Google Maps Tricks](https://hoit.uk/google/a-dozen-handy-google-maps-tricks/) - With Google Maps now one of the most popular mapping services globally, used by millions of people every day, plus having new features regularly being added, here we look at a dozen top Google Maps (Android) tricks to help you on your way.
- [Hands On IT's Best Bits - Issue 34](https://hoit.uk/hands-on-best-bits/issue-34/) - Why do we have to be nice to AI? The new stolen device protection for apple phones / iPhones. How to use ChatGPT to create an on-brand voice for your business and what is Apple Tax?
- [Hands On IT's Best Bits - Issue 35](https://hoit.uk/hands-on-best-bits/issue-35/) - Is TikTok about to be terminated? What is AI Washing? Why are they lowering the minimum age for WhatsApp and Bitcoin value has reached an all new high.
- [Your AI Twin Might Save Your Life](https://hoit.uk/ai/your-ai-twin-might-save-your-life/) - A new study published in The Lancet shows how an AI tool called Foresight (which fully analyses patient health records and makes digital twins of patients) could be used to predict the future of your health.
- [What Is ‘Customer Journey Mapping’ Software?](https://hoit.uk/tech-insight/what-is-customer-journey-mapping-software/) - In this tech insight, we look at what customer journey mapping is, its benefits, the challenges of using it, and also we look at some of the popular customer journey mapping software solutions available.
- [‘AI Washing’ – Crackdown](https://hoit.uk/ai/washing-crackdown/) - The US investment regulator, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), has dished out penalties totalling $400,000 to two investment companies who made misleading claims about how they used AI, a practice dubbed ‘AI Washing’.
- [Chrome’s Real-Time Safe Browsing Change](https://hoit.uk/google/chromes-real-time-safe-browsing-change/) - Google has announced the introduction of real-time, privacy-preserving URL protection to Google Safe Browsing for those using Chrome on desktop or iOS (and Android later this month).
- [DMARC Diligence: Implementing and Optimising DMARC for Maximum Security](https://hoit.uk/domains/implementing-and-optimising-dmarc-for-maximum-security/) - In this third and final part of our series of ‘DMARC Diligence’ insights, we explore the detailed process of DMARC deployment, its monitoring, optimisation, and preparing businesses for future email security challenges.
- [Bogus Bitcoin Boffin](https://hoit.uk/cryptocurrency/bogus-bitcoin-boffin/) - A High Court judge has ruled that Australian computer scientist Dr Craig Wright is not the inventor of the Bitcoin cryptocurrency, despite him claiming to be so since 2016.
- [Bitcoin Value Hits New High](https://hoit.uk/cryptocurrency/bitcoin-value-hits-new-high/) - With the famously volatile Bitcoin cryptocurrency briefly hitting a new all-time high value of $69,000 recently, we look at the reasons why this happened and what could happen next.
- [DMARC Diligence: The Forgotten Domains : A Hidden Vulnerability](https://hoit.uk/domains/dmarc-diligence-the-forgotten-domains-a-hidden-vulnerability/) - In this second article of the “DMARC Diligence” series, we shift our focus towards securing non-sending or “forgotten” domains and outline a strategy for their protection through DMARC implementation.
- [TikTok Termination?](https://hoit.uk/social-media/tiktok-termination/) - A recent US congressional vote means that TikTok and its parent company’s alleged ties with the Chinese Communist Party must be severed within six months or the popular TikTok app must be sold, thereby banning it in the US.
- [DMARC Diligence: The Basics of Email Authentication](https://hoit.uk/domains/dmarc-diligence-the-basics-of-email-authentication/) - In this, the first of a series of three articles explaining DMARC and email authentication, we look at why SPF, DKIM, and DMARC are the key pillars of email authentication.
- [Brave Android Browser Gets 'Leo' Assistant](https://hoit.uk/android/brave-browser-gets-leo-assistant/) - Brave, the privacy-focused browser, has announced the introduction of Leo, its privacy-preserving AI assistant built into the browser on all Android devices.
- [WhatsApp Updates](https://hoit.uk/whatsapp/updates/) - Here we look at some of the latest WhatsApp updates and the value and benefits they deliver to users.
- [New Yahoo & Google Guidelines For Bulk Emails](https://hoit.uk/google/and-yahoo-guidelines-for-bulk-emails/) - With newly expanded Google and Yahoo guidelines for high-volume emailers coming into force from the 1st of February, we look at what needs to be done to comply.
- [Google Pauses Gemini AI Over ‘Historical Inaccuracies’](https://hoit.uk/google/pauses-gemini-ai-over-historical-inaccuracies/) - Only a month after its launch, Google has paused its text-to-image AI tool following “inaccuracies” in some of the historical depictions of people produced by the model.
- [Exploring E-Signatures](https://hoit.uk/tech-insight/exploring-e-signatures/) - In this tech-insight, we look at what e-signatures are, their benefits plus some of the main e-signature providers, as well as what to consider when choosing an e-signature service.
- [Try Being Nice To Your AI](https://hoit.uk/ai/try-being-nice-to-your-ai/) - With some research indicating that ‘emotive prompts’ to generative AI chatbots can deliver better outputs, we look at whether ‘being nice’ to a chatbot really does improve its performance.
- [OpenAI Videos Gamechanger](https://hoit.uk/ai/openai-videos-gamechanger/) - OpenAI’s new ‘Sora’ AI-powered text-to-video tool is so good that its outputs could easily be mistaken for real videos, prompting deepfake fears in a year of important global elections.
- [Google Waits On Hold For You Until A Human Answers](https://hoit.uk/google/holds-until-a-human-answers/) - Google’s new “Talk to a Live Representative” feature will call a business for you, wait on hold for you, and call you when a human representative is available.
- [What Are ‘Virtual’ Credit Cards? ](https://hoit.uk/tech-insight/virtual-credit-cards/) - In this tech-insight, we take a look at the world of virtual cards, who offers them, their benefits, and other secure payment alternatives.
- [Robo-Calls Now Illegal In The US](https://hoit.uk/ai/robo-calls-now-illegal-in-the-us/) - The US The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has announced that robocalls using AI-generated voices are now illegal.
- [Promising Lithium Breakthrough For EV Market](https://hoit.uk/sustainability-in-tech/lithium-breakthrough-for-ev-cars/) - Stanford researchers have discovered a simple way to boost the range of lithium metal batteries to twice the range of conventional lithium-ion batteries which could provide a massive boost to the EV market.
- [Google’s AI Saves Your Conversations For 3 Years](https://hoit.uk/google/ai-saves-your-conversations-for-3-years/) - If you’ve ever been concerned about the privacy aspects of AI, you may be very surprised to learn that conversations you have with Google’s new Gemini AI apps are “retained for up to 3 years” by default.
- [First 3D Metal Printer In Space](https://hoit.uk/sustainability-in-tech/first-3d-metal-printer-in-space/) - With the world’s first metal 3D printer being sent to the International Space Station (ISS), we look at what impact being able to print metal parts in space could have on space-travel plus potential environmental considerations and more.
- [UK Cars Now Using Rear HD-Screens Instead of Windows](https://hoit.uk/new-tech/uk-cars-with-rear-hd-screens/) - The new Swedish-made Polestar 4 will be the first car on UK roads to replace a rear window (and traditional rear-view mirror) with a high-definition screen showing a real-time roof-mounted camera feed.
- [AI Can Learn To Be Bad. And Stay Bad.](https://hoit.uk/ai/can-learn-to-be-bad-and-stay-bad/) - In a recent experiment where AI was taught to behave maliciously and then taught to stop, the bad behaviour continued despite efforts to stop it, giving a chilling reminder of the potential threats of AI.
- [Hands On Our Best Bits – Issue 32](https://hoit.uk/hands-on-best-bits/issue-32/) - Hi and welcome to the December issue of our Best Bits - we’ve been busy gathering the latest IT news, tech tips and security updates that we think you’ll be interested - check it out!
- [Hands On Our Best Bits - Issue 33](https://hoit.uk/hands-on-best-bits/issue-33/) - What does Incognito Mode actually do? We take a look through 2023's most notable cyber attacks and what has been learnt since. What's the recent issue with verifying your LinkedIn profile and how do you bring someone easily into your Outlook conversation?
- [New Feature To Declutter Your Gmail Inbox](https://hoit.uk/google/declutter-your-gmail-inbox/) - Included in a recent major update to Google’s Gmail on Android (for now), a new feature can help users to declutter and remove annoying spam from their inbox.
- [Cyborgs One Step Closer](https://hoit.uk/robotics/cyborgs-one-step-closer/) - Researchers at the University of Tokyo have reported making a two-legged “biohybrid robot” after combining an artificial skeleton with biological muscle, which can walk and pivot underwater.
- [Copilot Product Update - Some Pros And Cons](https://hoit.uk/microsoft/copilot-product-update-pros-and-cons/) - Following Microsoft’s recent announcement that it is expanding its Copilot product line-up to appeal to a larger range of businesses, we take a look at what this means and some of the stand-out pros and cons.
- [‘Only’ Double IT Spending Growth (To $5 Trillion)](https://hoit.uk/tech-insight/double-spending-growth-to-5-trillion/) - New research from Gartner has predicted that global IT spending this year will reach $5 trillion and IT spending growth will be more than double that of 2023.
- [Work Starts On £790m UK Google Data Centre](https://hoit.uk/google/work-starts-on-uk-data-centre/) - Work has started on Google’s first UK data centre which will cost $1 billion (£790m), will add to Google’s 27 data centres worldwide, and will support its move into AI.
- [Hearing Loss And Tinnitus Warning To Gamers](https://hoit.uk/gaming/hearing-loss-and-tinnitus-warning/) - A new review of existing research, published in the British Medical Journal (BMJ), warns that video gamers who are listening to high-intensity sound levels for long periods of time may be risking permanent hearing loss and tinnitus.
- [What’s Fun At CES? ](https://hoit.uk/new-tech/whats-fun-at-ces/) - Following the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas last week, we take a look at some of the more novel and fun gadgets (and claims from the show) and what lessons businesses can take away from this year’s event.
- [Green BT Street Cabinets To Become EV Charging Points](https://hoit.uk/sustainability-in-tech/green-bt-cabinets/) - In line with the government’s aim to increase the number of electric vehicle (EV) charging points from 50,000 to 300,000 by 2030, the BT Group has announced that it will be repurposing its old, green street cabinets to EV charging points.
- [Microsoft Now More Valuable Than Apple](https://hoit.uk/apple/microsoft-more-valuable-than-apple/) - Worries about smartphone demand have been blamed for Microsoft’s stock market value ending a trading session higher than Apple’s last week for the first time since 2021.
- [‘Public Domain’ – What Does It Mean?](https://hoit.uk/domains/what-are-public-domains/) - With January 1 being ‘Public Domain Day’, we look at what ‘public domain’ actually means in relation to works of literature, music, art, and science.
- [UK ‘Passportless’ eGates](https://hoit.uk/new-tech/uk-passportless-egates/) - A recent Times report highlighted how Phil Douglas, director-general of the UK Border Force, aims to replace the UK’s physical passport-based entry system with an upgraded, frictionless, facial recognition-based e-Gates system.
- [ChatGPT Inside Vehicles Opens Possibilities](https://hoit.uk/chatgpt/inside-vehicles/) - Following the news that Volkswagen (VW) is to add ChatGPT to the IDA voice assistant in its cars and SUVs, we look at what this could mean for the direction of technology for cars.
- [What Does Incognito Mode Actually Do?](https://hoit.uk/google/what-does-incognito-mode-actually-do/) - Following news that Google may need to pay $5 billion over tracking millions of people who thought they were browsing privately through incognito mode, we look at what incognito mode actually does.
- [News Channel With Virtual Newsreaders](https://hoit.uk/ai/virtual-newsreaders/) - A Los Angeles-based startup has said the news channel it’s about to launch will feature virtual newsreaders delivering news content generated by AI.
- [Tech Trivia: $4 Jobs Cheque Sells For $46,063](https://hoit.uk/tech-trivia/jobs-cheque-sells-for-thousands/) - A single 1976 $4.01 cheque from (and signed by) Apple co-founder Steve Jobs has been sold at auction for a whopping $46,063.
- [New Privacy Features For Facebook & Instagram](https://hoit.uk/meta/new-privacy-features/) - Meta has announced the start of a roll-out of default end-to-end encryption for all personal chats and calls via Messenger and Facebook, with a view to making them more private and secure.
- [Google’s Ultra-Powerful Gemini AI](https://hoit.uk/google/ultra-powerful-gemini-ai/) - Google has announced the phased rollout of its new ‘Gemini’ family of large language models with the Ultra version said to rival the abilities of OpenAI’s GPT-4.
- [Tree Planting Gen-AI Search/Chatbot Released](https://hoit.uk/sustainability-in-tech/ai-and-tree-planting/) - Berlin-based green search engine company Ecosia has released a chatbot with a “green answers” option and ploughs all its advertising profits into tree-planting.
- [Security Alert: Police Warnings Over iOS 17’s NameDrop](https://hoit.uk/apple/warnings-over-namedrop/) - It’s been reported that iOS 17’s new NameDrop feature has prompted the Police to issue warnings to parents on social media (in the US) about its potential to be abused, possibly posing a risk to their children.
- [Cameras In Airbnb Properties - What Are The Rules?](https://hoit.uk/tech-insight/cameras-in-airbnb/) - Following the Metro recently highlighting the issue of undisclosed cameras being used by a small number of Airbnb hosts, we take a look at what the rules say, reports in the news of this happening, and what you can do to protect yourself.
- [Google Files Fiasco](https://hoit.uk/google/files-fiasco/) - An issue with Google’s cloud that locked some Google Drive for desktop users out of some of their files from the last six months has led to some angry comments being left on Google’s community support site.
- [Amazon Launching ‘Q’ Chatbot](https://hoit.uk/amazon/launching-q-chatbot/) - Following on from the launch of OpenAI’s ChatGPT, Google’s Bard (and Duet), Microsoft’s Copilot, and X’s Grok, now Amazon has announced that it will soon be launching its own ‘Q’ generative AI chatbot (for business).
- [Security Alert: Snapchat Photo Scam Targeting Teen Boys](https://hoit.uk/it_security/snapchat-photo-scam/) - Police and the US Charity National Center for Missing and Exploited Children have warned of a nude photo Snapchat scam targeting teen boys that could cause emotional trauma.
- [3000% Increase in Deepfake Frauds!](https://hoit.uk/ai/massive-increase-in-deepfake-frauds/) - A new report from ID Verification Company Onfido shows that the availability of cheap generative AI tools has led to Deepfake fraud attempts increasing by 3,000% (specifically, a factor of 31) in 2023.
- [ICO Cookie Warning To Top Websites](https://hoit.uk/it_security/ico-cookie-warning-to-top-websites/) - The UK Information Commissioner has warned some of the UK’s top websites that if they don’t offer users fair choices over cookie use, as required by data protection law, they will face enforcement action.
- [Autumn Statement Suggests IT Spending Boost](https://hoit.uk/hands_on_it_news/autumn-statement-spending-boost/) - The announcement of measures intended to boost investment in innovation and technology in UK Chancellor Jeremy Hunt’s Autumn Statement could mean increased spending on IT and AI.
- [Hands On Our Best Bits – Issue 31](https://hoit.uk/hands-on-best-bits/issue-31/) - The latest IT news, tech tips and dates for your diary including using How To Avoid Huge Data Roaming Charges When On Holiday, Booking.com Customers Targeted By Phishing Emails, How To Block Third-Party Cookies in Google Chrome and Why The UK Is Proceeding With The iPhone 'Batterygate' Case
- [Apple Gets 36% of Google's Ad Revenue](https://hoit.uk/apple/gets-36-of-googles-ad-revenue/) - During a recent court hearing where Google was trying to defend itself from monopoly claims, it was revealed that Google sends 36% of the advertising revenue it makes on Apple's Safari web browser to Apple.
- [Amazon’s Satellite Broadband : 100% Success](https://hoit.uk/broadband/amazons-satellite-success/) - Amazon’s ‘Project Kuiper’ satellite broadband moved one step closer following a reported 100 per cent success rate for its first two prototype satellites.
- [Warning Over Lessening Of AI Facial Recognition Supervision](https://hoit.uk/ai/warning-over-facial-recognition-supervision/) - Computer Weekly recently reported that in an interview with the outgoing England and Wales biometrics and surveillance camera commissioner, Professor Fraser Sampson, he warned of the declining state of oversight in AI facial recognition surveillance deployment by UK police.
- [Avoid Getting Stung With Roaming Charges](https://hoit.uk/tech-insight/avoid-roaming-charges/) - In the wake of the recent news that Scotland's Health Secretary, Michael Matheson, received an £11,000 roaming charges bill from his holiday, here we look at some of main ways you can keep data roaming charges down.
- [New Wearable Smartphone AND Virtual Assistant ](https://hoit.uk/ai/wearable-smartphone-and-virtual-assistant/) - Humane has announced the release of its Apple-style AI-powered badge/pin wearable that combines a smartphone with virtual assistant capabilities for when you’re on the move.
- [Major Upgrades To ChatGPT For Paid Subscribers](https://hoit.uk/chatgpt/major-upgrades/) - One year on from its general introduction, OpenAI has announced some major upgrades to ChatGPT for its Plus and Enterprise subscribers.
- [London Data Centres To Heat Homes](https://hoit.uk/sustainability-in-tech/london-data-centres-to-heat-homes/) - A new £36 million UK government project is to use data centre waste heat to provide heating and hot water to 10,000 new homes and 250,000 square metres of commercial space in London.
- [Tech Trivia: Firefox - What's In A Name?](https://hoit.uk/tech-trivia/firefox-whats-in-a-name/) - On November 9th 2004, the well-known web-browser ‘Firefox’ was released, although it had earlier been called something entirely different altogether.
- [New AI Model Classifies Energy-Wasteful Homes](https://hoit.uk/sustainability-in-tech/classify-energy-wasteful-homes/) - A new deep-learning AI algorithm, developed as part of a study by the University of Cambridge, can identify and classify ‘Hard to Decarbonise’ houses (energy-wasting homes) with 90% accuracy.
- [UK’s AI Safety Summit : Some Key Takeaways](https://hoit.uk/ai/safety-summit/) - Following the UK government hosting the first major global summit on AI safety at historic Bletchley Park, we look at some of the key outcomes and comments.
- [UK Proceeds With iPhone ‘Batterygate’ Case](https://hoit.uk/apple/uk-proceeds-with-iphone-tribunal/) - The so-called ‘Batterygate’ iPhone throttling case has been given the go-ahead by UK’s Competition Appeal Tribunal which could mean a near $1 billion (£853 million) damages payout to affected Apple customers.
- [Google Tests Tool Against IP-Based Tracking](https://hoit.uk/google/tests-tool-against-ip-based-tracking/) - Google is testing ‘IP Protection’, a feature for Chrome that sends third-party traffic for a set of domains through proxies to mask their IP addresses, thereby boosting privacy by fighting IP-based covert tracking.
- [Fossil Fuels Peak As Solar & Wind Rise](https://hoit.uk/sustainability-in-tech/fossil-fuels-peak-as-solar-wind-rise/) - Independent energy thinktank Ember’s Global Electricity Review 2023 reports that fossil fuel power generation has peaked for the half the world and that clean energy sources now account for nearly 40 per cent of the world’s electricity supply.
- [UK Joins Amazon’s Fast Drone Delivery Expansion](https://hoit.uk/amazon/uk-joins-fast-drone-delivery-expansion/) - Amazon has announced that it will be expanding its ultra-fast Prime Air drone delivery operations to the UK, Italy and also to an as yet unnamed US city by the end of 2024.
- [Hands On Our Best Bits - Issue 30](https://hoit.uk/hands-on-best-bits/issue-30/) - A Halloween inspired update of the latest IT news, tech tips and security warnings you need to know about.
- [21-Fold Increase In AI-Assisted Jobs](https://hoit.uk/ai/21-fold-increase-in-ai-assisted-jobs/) - Human content writers have surged in demand recently, as part of a broader effect, where ‘prompt engineers’ have seen salaries of $300,000.
- [Ways To Use ‘WhatsApp Business’ To Help Your Business](https://hoit.uk/whatsapp/business/) - In this insight, we look at some of the many ways you can use ‘WhatsApp Business’ to boost your marketing and connect with customers to provide a more personalised service.
- [Tech Trivia: A Thousand-Year Name Extension](https://hoit.uk/tech-trivia/a-thousand-year-name-extension/) - Around a thousand years before electronics, a monk called Poppo was asked to prove his faith, because Sweyn Forkbeard was having doubts about his baptism.
- [Giant Solar Space Farm By 2035](https://hoit.uk/sustainability-in-tech/giant-solar-space-farm-by-2035/) - Oxfordshire based Technology firm, Space Solar, says that giant solar panel farms could be in orbit and operational above the Earth by 2035.
- [Tech Trivia: “A Thousand Songs In Your Pocket”](https://hoit.uk/tech-trivia/music-in-your-pocket/) - Around this time 22 years ago on October 23 2001, Steve Jobs promised to give people “A Thousand Songs In Their Pocket”. His timing couldn’t have been better because at the time, Apple was primarily known for its computers and was struggling financially.
- [What’s In The New iOS 17 iPhone Update?](https://hoit.uk/apple/whats-new-iphone-17/) - With the recent release of the latest update of Apple’s iPhone software, iOS 17, we look at many of the useful new features and their benefits.
- [How A Norwegian Company Is Tackling ‘AI Hallucinations’](https://hoit.uk/ai/tackling-ai-hallucinations/) - Oslo-based startup Iris.ai has developed an AI Chat feature for its Researcher Workspace platform which it says can reduce ‘AI hallucinations’ to single-figure percentages.
- [Bots To Bots : Google Offers Protection From AI-Related Lawsuits](https://hoit.uk/google/offers-bot-to-bot-protection-from-ai-lawsuits/) - Google Cloud has announced in a blog post that if customers are challenged on copyright grounds through using its generative AI products (Duet AI), Google will offer limited indemnity and assume responsibility for the potential legal risks involved.
- [Tech Trivia: Halloween, Early AI and Ghosts...?](https://hoit.uk/tech-trivia/early-ai-and-ghosts/) - AI isn't something that's just emerged in the last couple of years. Blinky, Pinky, Inky and Clyde had distinct personalities and if these names sound familiar it's because they were the four ghosts that chased Pac-Man around his maze, each with different styles of trying to catch him, a kind of 'AI'.
- [Microsoft’s Green Concrete In Data Centres](https://hoit.uk/sustainability-in-tech/microsofts-green-concrete/) - As part of its commitment to be carbon negative by 2030, Microsoft is trialling cement containing microalgae-based limestone in its data centre builds.
- [iPhone 15 Overheating Problems](https://hoit.uk/apple/iphone-15-overheating-problems/) - Following complaints from customers about an overheating issue with the Apple iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max, Apple is reported to have issued a statement explaining the causes, with a promise that it'll be fixed with an update.
- [Safety Considerations Around ChatGPT Image Uploads](https://hoit.uk/chatgpt/image-upload-concerns/) - With one of ChatGPT’s latest features being the ability to upload images to help get answers to queries, here we look at why there have been security concerns about releasing the feature.
- [Cyber Security Warning](https://hoit.uk/cyber-security/warning/) - Cyber Threats are evolving
- [Tech Trivia: 'Stooky Bill'](https://hoit.uk/tech-trivia/stooky-bill/) - In days gone by, a Scottish person with a broken appendage might well have said their arm or leg was held in a ‘stooky’ (or ‘stookie’) which meant a plaster-cast. But what on earth has that got to do with tech?
- [How To Make A QR Code](https://hoit.uk/tech-insight/how-to-make-a-qr-code/) - Do you know how to generate a QR code and more importantly, why you'd want to? We take a look at the future of QR codes as the successor to barcodes.
- [Smart 5G Street Lamps Trial](https://hoit.uk/5g/smart-street-lamps-trial/) - Six areas across the UK will receive funding to trial a new multi-purpose smart street lamps that house EV charging hubs and boost wireless coverage including 5G.
- [Adobe Photoshop On The Web Arrives... With AI Features](https://hoit.uk/ai/photoshop-with-ai-features/) - The release of Photoshop on the web offers the convenience of being accessible from anywhere with the power of Adobe Firefly's generative AI features.
- [Hands On Our Best Bits – Issue 29](https://hoit.uk/hands-on-best-bits/issue-29/) - Our latest offering of IT news, tech tips and dates for your diary including using Google Flights to show you the cheapest times to book, how Fitbit has been violating people's privacy, the latest phishing campaign targeting users of Teams and an easy way to organise your bookmarks in Chrome.
- [Volunteer To Be A Cyborg, Anyone?](https://hoit.uk/ai/wanna-be-a-cyborg/) - Elon Musk’s neurotechnology company Neuralink has announced that it’s looking for recruits for its first in-human clinical trial of a brain implant.
- ['Cobots' To Restore Reefs](https://hoit.uk/sustainability-in-tech/cobots-to-restore-reefs/) - With many of the world’s coral reefs being damaged by heat and acidification, one startup has developed a system to restore reefs at scale with the help of trained AI robots.
- [Copyrights Conundrum: OpenAI Sued](https://hoit.uk/ai/copyrights-conundrum/) - It’s been reported that a trade group for U.S. authors (including John Grisham) has sued OpenAI, accusing it of unlawfully training its chatbot ChatGPT on their work.
- [Why Is There Only One Monopoly Commission?](https://hoit.uk/tech-insight/why-only-one-monopoly-commission/) - Have you ever wondered why there's only one Monopolies Commission? It sounds like a joke but it's been no laughing matter for some of the tech brands that have been fined for anti-competitive practices
- [€345m Children’s Data Privacy Fine For TikTok](https://hoit.uk/tiktok/fined-for-childrens-data-privacy/) - The fine, as well as a reprimand (and an order requiring them to bring its data processing into compliance within three months) were issued in relation to how the company processed personal data relating to child users in terms of...
- [iPhone Radiation : What’s It All About?](https://hoit.uk/apple/what-iphone-radiation/) - Would you worry about putting a lightbulb next to your ear? Would you worry about standing next to a mobile-phone mast? In our Featured Article this week, we look at why Apple has been in the news due to concerns about excessive radiation and also explain a few of the various terms and phrases used.
- [Tech Trivia: 25 Years of Google](https://hoit.uk/tech-trivia/tech-trivia-25-years-of-google/) - You probably know that Google was incorporated 25 years ago, in September 1998. But do you know some of the notable acquisitions that they've made since then? You may be surprised!
- [Offshore Wind Makes Green Renewable Hydrogen](https://hoit.uk/sustainability-in-tech/offshore-wind-makes-hydrogen/) - The challenges of producing green hydrogen can be met by using offshore floating wind-to-hydrogen turbines and electrolysers.
- [Fitbit Data Transfer Complaints](https://hoit.uk/google/fitbit-data-transfer-complaints/) - How is Fitbit violating your privacy? We've taken a look into why complaints have been recently filed against Google.
- [Laundering Money Via Spotify](https://hoit.uk/tech-insight/laundering-money-via-spotify/) - Money-launderers are allegedly using Spotify as a means to rinse their cash. We explain how it's supposedly being done.
- [Tech Trivia: Ancient Data-Disasters](https://hoit.uk/tech-trivia/data-disasters/) - It's hard to believe that this tech trivia article can start with the recent Canadian wildfires and move onto Julius Caesar fancying Cleopatra, but the author has managed it.
- [Watermark Trial To Spot AI Images](https://hoit.uk/ai/watermark-images/) - The AI Image Challenger Misuse of AI-generated imagery (synthetic imagery) is becoming more common. So can a tool for watermarking them really help?
- [Firefox Helps You Hide (Your Emails)](https://hoit.uk/it_security/hide-your-emails/) - Inbox stuffed full of spam? Firefox can make your email address less visible, thereby (hopefully) reducing the bloat within your inbox from spammers.
- [How To Check Your Web Usage](https://hoit.uk/tech-insight/check-your-web-usage/) - Avoid exceeding your data caps! We've taken a look into the ways you can check how much bandwidth you're using.
- [Opting Out Of AI-Targeting](https://hoit.uk/ai/opting-out-of-targeting/) - The EU’s new Digital Services Act allows social media users to opt out of AI personalised content feeds based on relevance.
- [Zoom Data Concerns](https://hoit.uk/zoom/data-concerns/) - Why has Zoom found itself as the subject of a backlash over an online update to its terms related to AI, what its response has been, plus what this says about how businesses feel about AI.
- [Google Flights Can Show Cheapest Times To Book](https://hoit.uk/google/cheapest-flight-booking-times/) - With last-minute holidays on people's minds (as well as current delays and disruption) Google has announced a new money-saving feature for Google Flights which shows users the cheapest time to book.
- [Hands On Our Best Bits – Issue 28](https://hoit.uk/hands-on-best-bits/issue-28/) - Our latest offering of IT news, tech tips and dates for your diary including how AI captured 300 motorists in the first 3 days of operation, the best ways to protect your staff and business during the holidays, what trainers made from gold has got anything to do with IT, how to check if your passwords have been leaked and the exact date of National Iguana Awareness Day (because we know you've been asking)!
- [iPhone Battery Risk Warning](https://hoit.uk/apple/iphone-battery-risk-warning/) - Apple has issued a warning to iPhone users about the dangers of practices like charging a phone under a blanket or pillow at night, risking overheating and posing a fire risk.
- [Subscription Sales Scrutiny](https://hoit.uk/amazon/sub-sales-scrutiny/) - If you've ever bought something online from a company like Amazon and wondered how you've ended up with a subscription for services that you're unsure about, our Featured Article this week may shed some light for you.
- [AI Road Safety Camera - Capturing 100s of Motorists](https://hoit.uk/ai/captures-motorists/) - A free-standing AI road safety camera system deployed in Cornwall caught 300 drivers in the first three days.
- [From Twitter to ? - What Happened?](https://hoit.uk/twitter/name-change/) - Rebranding for Twitter, given its high profile and what’s at stake, could be seen as a high-risk move, or an opportunity to move forward in a new and better direction. But rebranding can have both positive and negative outcomes for companies. Here are some of the main strengths and weaknesses of rebranding...
- [Zoom-Bosses Order Staff Return To Office](https://hoit.uk/zoom/staff-return-to-office/) - Following its growth during the pandemic, video communications company Zoom, which made remote working possible for many, has now ordered staff back to the office for two days a week.
- [New Chatbot Attack: "Unstoppable"](https://hoit.uk/chatbot/new-attack-unstoppable/) - Researchers have reported finding a simple way to exploit a weakness and disrupt major chatbots such as ChatGPT and Bard.
- [$50,000 Apple Trainers … Made of Gold?](https://hoit.uk/apple/trainers-made-of-gold/) - Renowned auction house and brokers of art, collectibles, jewellery, and real estate Sotheby’s is selling a super-rare pair of Apple-branded trainers for a guide price of $50,000 (circa £39K).
- [Tech Trivia:  Microsoft & Apple Cooperate](https://hoit.uk/tech-trivia/microsoft-apple-cooperate/) - Why was the Microsoft & Apple cooperation announcement met with a mixture of boos and applause from the audience?
- [$900,000 (£705,114) For Netflix AI Product Manager](https://hoit.uk/ai/huge-salary-for-netflix-ai-product-manager/) - Leading Streamer Netflix has added more fuel to the fire in the actors and writers' union strike by advertising for an AI product manager with a salary up to $900,000.
- [UK Gov Pushing To Spy On WhatsApp (& Others)](https://hoit.uk/cyber-security/uk-gov-to-spy-on-socials/) - All about the rather controversial bill to bypass security in apps and give the government (and therefore any number of people) more access to sensitive and personal information.
- [What Are 'Deepfake Testers'?](https://hoit.uk/social-engineering/what-are-deepfake-testers/) - Here we look at what deepfake videos are, why they’re made, how they (might) be quickly and easily detected using a variety of deepfake detection and testing tools.
- [Hands On Our Best Bits – Issue 27](https://hoit.uk/hands-on-best-bits/issue-27/) - This last month we've been chock-full of news and tech tips ranging from why millions of people are signing up to Meta's Threads, How you can force your mobile screen to stay bright (even if you have a low battery), Why customers will ditch brands hit by ransomware, The best ways to speed up your phone charging, Why Hollywood actors are striking because of AI and why you shouldn't be too surprised if everyone's singing in your workplace on the 1st August!
- [Tech Trivia: How Bright Is Your Toothpaste?](https://hoit.uk/tech-trivia/radioactive-toothpaste/) - Did know Marie Curie's notebooks are still too contaminated to be considered safe to handle even now?
- [What’s Involved In a ‘Pen-Test’ ?](https://hoit.uk/it_security/pen-testing/) - Put simply, pen testing is short for “penetration testing” and in acts like a security health check for computer systems and networks.
- [Tech Travel Trends](https://hoit.uk/tech-insight/travel-trends/) - With so many innovative technologically advanced (and green) transport, travel and delivery products and systems now being used in the real world, we've taken a look at what's happening and what travel in the near future could soon look like.
- [Hydropanels Produce Pure Drinking Water From The Air](https://hoit.uk/sustainability-in-tech/hydropanels/) - How hydropanels are an innovative and sustainable way to extract clean, reliable drinking water from the air, off-grid whilst eliminating the need for 54,000 single-use plastic water bottles over its 15-year lifespan!
- [AI Fears Prompt Hollywood Actors To Strike ](https://hoit.uk/ai/hollywood-actors-striking/) - Why AI is responsible for a halt on the production of your favourite programmes.
- [What Are ‘Zero-Day’ Attacks?](https://hoit.uk/it_security/zero-day-attacks/) - Zero-Day attacks. What exactly are they and we can your business do to protect yourself from them?
- [Art Solar Panels, Practical and Beautiful](https://hoit.uk/sustainability-in-tech/art-solar-panels/) - A group of solar panel startups is producing panels that enhance the look of buildings by combing them with art or making them as coloured cladding, facades, or roof tiles.
- [1.5 Million NHS IT Support Deal](https://hoit.uk/microsoft/and-the-nhs-deal/) - Microsoft and NHS England have announced the signing of new five-year contract whereby Microsoft (via a major reseller) will roll out the Microsoft 365 cloud-based online productivity suite to 1.5 million NHS staff.
- [Sustainable Seafood... Cultivated Codswallop?](https://hoit.uk/sustainability-in-tech/cultivated-seafood/) - According to German-startup ‘Bluu Seafood’, its range of cultivated seafood is a way to protect oceans and animals as well as ensuring a high-quality, sustainable supply of nutritious food.
- [Our top tips on safely working from home](https://hoit.uk/working-from-home/our-top-tips-on-safely-working-from-home/) - 1. Log onto your office computer and only use your home computer as the host for the virtual session. 2. Use a Virtual Private Network connection where possible to your office machine or office server. 3. If you are using cloud-based systems such as Office 365, online banking, CRM etc, then make sure you have
- [Voice Changers ](https://hoit.uk/software/voice-changers/) - In this insight, we look at ‘voice changers’, technology that lets users change and disguise their voices in real time and in playback.
- [Why Is Apple The First $3 Trillion Company?](https://hoit.uk/apple/the-first-3-trillion-company/) - Following Apple recently becoming the first publicly traded company to close a trading day with a $3 trillion market value, we look at some of the main reasons for the company’s incredible popularity and growth.
- [Android Update Glitch Causing Silent 999 Calls](https://hoit.uk/android/glitch-and-silent-999-calls/) - We look at why the emergency services are having so many nuisance-calls from Android phones thanks to a glitch.
- [Hands On Our Best Bits - Issue 26](https://hoit.uk/hands-on-best-bits/issue-26/) - If the possibility of Drone Wars, Deepfake Sex Scams, Brain Chips Ready For Humans, Drinking Vodka From A Paper Bottle or How Many Guinea Pigs You Could Fit On An Aeroplane gives you a little thrill, then this is the issue for you!
- [What's All The Fuss About A National Alarm?](https://hoit.uk/mobiles/national-alarm/) - With the UK government’s new ‘Emergency Alerts’ system now live, we take a look at what it is and how it will work.
- [Email : Terminating Trackers](https://hoit.uk/tech-insight/email-terminating-trackers/) - We look at what email trackers are, how they work, what the main concerns about them are, plus how you can protect yourself from email trackers.
- [Considering A Refurbished Mobile?](https://hoit.uk/mobiles/considering-a-refurbished-mobile/) - We take a look at what refurbished phones are, their pros and cons, things buyers may wish to consider when purchasing one, examples of where they can be purchased, and how refurbished phone retailers could help customers to choose their ideal refurbished phone.
- [Google Deletes Dormant Data](https://hoit.uk/google/google-deletes-dormant-data/) - We look at Google’s updated inactive account policy whereby Google accounts not used for 2 years could be deleted, meaning the loss of important emails, photos, data and more.
- [Meta’s New ‘Human-Like’ AI Image Generator ](https://hoit.uk/ai/metas-new-human-like-ai-image-generator/) - Meta has announced the introduction of I-JEPA, an AI model that generate images that can create the most human-like images so far and is “a step closer to human-level intelligence in AI”.
- [AI Could Drive Us To Drink Says New Research](https://hoit.uk/ai/driving-us-to-drink/) - An American Psychological Association research paper predicts that that as workers interact with AI systems (and rely more on them), this could lead to social disconnection at work, feelings of loneliness, and even insomnia and alcohol consumption.
- [Green skills shortage threatens sustainable low carbon economy ambitions](https://hoit.uk/sustainability-in-tech/threatened-by-green-skills-shortage/) - Research has highlighted a shortage within the kind of green skills that are needed to help develop green industries and help it achieve it climate ambitions.
- [TikTok Tops News Source For Young Adults](https://hoit.uk/tiktok/top-news-source-for-young-adults/) - Trust in traditional news sites is declining and more and more people are using sites like TikTok to get their news, we look at the reasons why.
- [Reddit’s ‘Blackout’ User Protest ](https://hoit.uk/social-media/reddits-blackout-user-protest/) - Following thousands of moderators making their subreddit communities private for 48 hours as a protest, we look at the reasons why, together with the implications for Reddit, its users, and other stakeholders.
- [UK Will Host World’s First AI Summit ](https://hoit.uk/ai/uk-to-host-first-summit/) - During his recent visit to Washington in the US, UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak announced that the UK will hosts the world’s first global summit on artificial intelligence (AI) later this year.
- [20 NHS Trusts Shared Personal Data With Facebook](https://hoit.uk/social-media/20-nhs-trusts-shared-personal-data-with-facebook/) - The news that a number of NHS trusts unwittingly shared personal data might not sound much of a surprise. However, the fact that it was the result of simple ignorance about Facebook's (Meta's) tracking pixels should be worthy of note.
- [Are Drone Wars Getting Closer?](https://hoit.uk/ai/are-drone-wars-getting-closer/) - This Tech-Insight takes a look at the possibility of 'drone-wars' and how this is becoming a chilling possibility.
- [Police Facial Recognition - The Latest](https://hoit.uk/it_security/police-facial-recognition/) - Facelifts might be the order of the day if you really want to avoid being spied on by the police (and other organisations) as our Featured Article this week takes a review of where we're at with the current situation for facial recognition technology.
- [View Deleted WhatsApp Messages ](https://hoit.uk/whatsapp/view-deleted-messages/) - In this Insight, we look at how it is possible to uncover and read deleted messages on WhatsApp, and what a number of privacy features on the app mean for business users.
- [Two Key Cyber Security Insights](https://hoit.uk/phishing/two-key-cyber-security-insights/) - With phishing attacks being favoured for their effectiveness by attackers and most ransomware attacks now targeting backup storage, we look at what businesses can do to protect themselves.
- [Musk’s Brain Chips Ready For Humans](https://hoit.uk/ai/musks-brain-chips-ready-for-humans/) - Neuralink, Elon Musk’s brain-machine interface device company has been given the green light from the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to begin a clinical study with humans as subjects.
- [Hands On Our Best Bits - Issue 25](https://hoit.uk/hands-on-best-bits/issue-25/) - Issue 25 brings you the latest Top Tech Tips on Automatic Email Replies, How to Recall an Outlook email and the best way to support your posture at work. Plus we ask the questions Do we need to make an e-will? What if AI goes bad and when is National Ballpoint Pen Day?
- [Low-Cost Underground Heating For 4,000 Homes](https://hoit.uk/sustainability-in-tech/low-cost-underground-heating/) - £22 million of the UK government’s £91 million Green Heat Network Fund will be used to build a geothermal heating network that could provide low-cost heating for nearly 4,000 homes in Cornwall.
- [ChatGPT Banned At Apple](https://hoit.uk/ai/chatgpt-banned-at-apple/) - Apple has reportedly banned the internal use of ChatGPT and other chatbots plus AI writers like Bard, Copilot and GitHub to prevent the sharing of sensitive company information.
- [Want A .Dad Domain For Father's Day?](https://hoit.uk/domains/want-a-dad-domain-for-fathers-day/) - Here we look at most of the modern top-level domains and their uses, along with the advantages and disadvantages of choosing a newer, lesser known, or more specific TLD for your website domain name.
- [Site-Speed : Sorted!](https://hoit.uk/tech-insight/site-speed-sorted/) - Here we look at what website speed means, how important it is for businesses (and why), plus how businesses can test their website speed and keep it up to scratch.
- [Erasing Yourself From Google](https://hoit.uk/google/erasing-yourself/) - We look at the steps you can take to erase any details about yourself from Google so you can protect your privacy.
- [Handy AI Resources For Your Business](https://hoit.uk/ai/resources-for-your-business/) - We look at the 20 most handy AI sites that could help you save time, make life much easier and boost your business.
- [Passwordless Future : Google 'Passkeys'](https://hoit.uk/google/passwordless-future/) - Google has announced the rollout of ‘Passkeys,’ which it describes as “the easiest and most secure way to sign-in to apps and websites” and a major step toward a “passwordless future.”
- [What If AI Goes Bad?](https://hoit.uk/ai/what-if-it-goes-bad/) - With the advent of AI progressing at an alarming rate, our featured article takes a high-level view of where it may be headed - for better or worse.
- [The Online Rip-Off Tip-Off](https://hoit.uk/cyber-security/rip-off-tip-off/) - We take a look at the new online form where customers can report online rip-offs that’s been developed as part of the new government campaign “The Online Rip-Off Tip-Off” to help shoppers spot and avoid misleading online practices.
- [Should You Make An ‘E-Will’ ?](https://hoit.uk/tech-insight/e-will/) - In the past, people have primarily focused on their physical belongings and financial assets when planning for the future. However, as more and more of our lives move online, digital assets have become just as important to consider. So, do you need to make an 'e-will'?
- [WhatsApp Wows: One Account Accessible On Multiple Mobiles](https://hoit.uk/whatsapp/one-account-accessible/) - WhatsApp has announced that it is introducing the ability to use the same WhatsApp account on multiple phones.
- [Microsoft Miffed: Monumental Gaming Merger Muzzled by UK’s CMA](https://hoit.uk/office_365/miffed-by-uks-cma/) - The UK's Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has blocked Microsoft's proposed acquisition of US-based video game holding company Activision Blizzard over fears of stifled competition in the cloud gaming market.
- [Hands On Our Best Bits - Issue 24](https://hoit.uk/hands-on-best-bits/issue-24/) - A bumper issue bringing you an easy way to change your WhatsApp Background, what "Juice Jacking" is and why we need to stay alert, how to use Google Maps to travel back in time, the importance of Quantum Computing and what to do when you receive a suspicious text message. Plus our latest dates for the diary including why we can't wait until the 5th May.
- [Want To Be A 'Prompt Engineer'?](https://hoit.uk/ai/prompt-engineers/) - We explore the role of prompt engineers in the AI industry, why the job is necessary, why it's suddenly a sought-after role and what the future prospects are for prompt engineers.
- [Microsoft Drops Twitter From Advertising Platform](https://hoit.uk/twitter/microsoft-drops-twitter/) - Following Twitter's announcement two months ago that it will be charging a minimum of $42,000 per month to enterprise users of its API, Microsoft is dropping Twitter from its advertising platform.
- [What Is Universal Basic Income?](https://hoit.uk/tech-insight/universal-basic-income/) - We look at what ‘Universal Basic Income’ is, how it relates to the tech industry, its potential benefits and pitfalls, plus what similar ideas are being discussed and explored.
- [Amazon Launches AI App-Building Platform](https://hoit.uk/amazon/launches-ai-app-building-platform/) - There's no let-up in the rapid-advance of AI and now Amazon is jumping into the fray with their offering of 'Bedrock' - a platform to help their customers build and scale generative AI apps.
- [What Is ‘Jailbreaking’ ChatGPT?](https://hoit.uk/chatgpt/what-is-jailbreaking-chatgpt/) - Out tech-insight explores 'Jailbreaking' in terms of ChatGPT and other AI models... a very quick development that could prove problematic.
- [Quantum Threat Growing](https://hoit.uk/it_security/quantum-threat-growing/) - Just because AI has been grabbing all the headlines, it doesn't mean we can forget about other threats which are growing, such as the advent of quantum computing shortly being able to bypass security now that it's getting more powerful.
- [Reduce OneDrive Cloud Storage](https://hoit.uk/office_365/reduce-onedrive-cloud-storage/) - Changes to Microsoft 365 could mean less OneDrive cloud storage and could lead to Outlook being disrupted.
- [How To Spot Fake Images](https://hoit.uk/social-engineering/how-to-spot-fake-images/) - With deepfake images recently making the news by fooling many people, we look at the issues around fake images and how to spot them.
- [Don't Get Sued For Using ChatGPT](https://hoit.uk/chatgpt/dont-get-sued/) - Even though ChatGPT can produce some convincing looking outputs, as shown in this case, it is still capable making things up or getting things wrong, so here are some ways to check the facts quickly for yourself.
- [Beware Increasing Deepfake Voice Scams](https://hoit.uk/social-engineering/beware-increasing-deepfake-voice-scams/) - There have been reports of scammers are using the latest AI deepfake voice clones to sound like family members in distress to swindle relatives out of money.
- [TikTok Fined £12.7m By UK Data Watchdog](https://hoit.uk/tiktok/fined-by-uk-data-watchdog/) - Embattled Chinese owned short-video-sharing platform TikTok has received a £12.7m fine from the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) for breaching UK data protection law by failing to protect children’s privacy when using the TikTok platform.
- [Hands On Our Best Bits - Issue 22](https://hoit.uk/hands-on-best-bits/issue-22/) - A bumper issue bringing you such treats as our best Phishing video, why Google lost $100 Billion with a public error, 2 brilliant top tips that will totally change your life (possibly), what key trends in 2023 to look out for plus why we are excited for Quirky Country Music Song Titles Day in March. ?
- [Hands On Our Best Bits - Issue 23](https://hoit.uk/hands-on-best-bits/issue-23/) - Issue 23 brings you the latest security warnings regarding Phishing Emails and the ever changing ways to try to steal your personal data. Filter results easily in Google Search after watching our video, Backup your critical data and check whether your website has 'green hosting'!
- [Google Easter Eggs To Waste Time On](https://hoit.uk/google/easter-eggs/) - When you think of Google, its probably because you are looking for more information on something, but do you know of the many hidden Easter Eggs they've created?
- [ChatGPT Freed To Access The Web Via Plugins](https://hoit.uk/chatgpt/accessing-web-via-plugins/) - Conversational chatbot ChatGPT’s creators OpenAI have announced that ChatGPT will now be able to use plugins to improve its capabilities and outputs.
- [Working Trends And The Effects Of AI](https://hoit.uk/ai/working-trends/) - We look at how generative AI could change work and jobs going forwards, plus how it could help businesses adopt new work trends such as a 4-day week.
- [World Backup Day Is An Important Reminder](https://hoit.uk/it_security/world-backup-day/) - An astonishing 30% of people say they have never backed up their data! We remind you of the importance of protecting your critical data.
- [Dept. Of Health Spent More On iPhones Than Defibrillators](https://hoit.uk/apple/doh-criticised-for-buying-iphones/) - The UK government Department of Health (DOH) is facing criticism over a report that says it spent more on new Apple iPhones than it did on defibrillators last year.
- [What Is GPL And How Does IT Affect Businesses?](https://hoit.uk/software/what-is-gpl/) - What is GPL and how will it affect your business? Check out our latest tech insight.
- [Microsoft 365 Gets ChatGPT Technology Called 'Copilot'](https://hoit.uk/chatbot/microsoft-365-copilot/) - Could Microsoft Copilot be the next game-changing step in the AI chatbot revolution?
- [How Businesses Are Cutting Their Website's Carbon Footprint](https://hoit.uk/sustainability-in-tech/cutting-website-carbon-footprint/) - See how slimming-down and optimising websites is yet another way that businesses are helping to cut their carbon emissions.
- [HSBC Buys Collapsed Tech Bank](https://hoit.uk/it_security/hsbc-buys-collapsed-tech-bank/) - There was some relief from UK businesses hoping for government help following the collapse of Silicon Valley Bank (SVB) after HSBC rescued the UK arm of the bank by buying it for £1.
- [Nightmare At Netflix?](https://hoit.uk/it_security/nightmare-at-netflix/) - In its Q1 results, the world’s biggest global streaming service, Netflix, revealed that it had lost a massive 200,000 subscribers in the first 3 months of the year.
- [Netflix Plans To Tackle Password Sharing](https://hoit.uk/netflix/tackle-password-sharing/) - Netflix is facing a user backlash on social media after it accidentally posted what appears to be some unpopular plans to tackle password sharing on its platform.
- [Phishing Emails Are Changing](https://hoit.uk/phishing/emails-are-changing/) - We take a look at the recent worrying development where phishing emails are now prompting users to also add their One Time Passwords, and how to protect yourself and your business.
- [What Is OLED?](https://hoit.uk/tech-insight/what-is-oled/) - In this article, we look at what OLED is and its advantages and we take a brief look at the other types of LED displays available.
- [Dealing With Social Media Addiction](https://hoit.uk/social-media/social-media-addiction/) - With TikTok announcing new features for teens and families, including a 60-minute daily screen time limit, we look at the issue of social media addiction and ideas for tackling it.
- [How Edible Food Packaging Could Reduce Plastic Waste](https://hoit.uk/sustainability-in-tech/edible-food-packaging/) - With eco-friendly packaging being considered as part of the green product decision-making process of today’s customers, here we look at food packaging that could save on plastic waste because it is edible!
- [New Meta Verified Blue Badge Subscription Service](https://hoit.uk/meta/blue-badge-subscription-service/) - Meta has announced it’s launching its own version of Twitter’s Blue Tick called ‘Meta Verified’ for Facebook and Instagram where users pay a monthly subscription to be verified on the platforms.
- [Throttling And The "Big Switchoff"](https://hoit.uk/broadband/throttling-and-the-big-switchoff/) - Our featured article concerns the looming "Big Switchoff" and how BT will be "throttling" the download speeds of their legacy customers.
- [TikTok Trouble?](https://hoit.uk/tiktok/trouble/) - Following the banning of Chinese short video sharing app TikTok from EU and US government devices, plus more trouble on the way in Canada, we look at some of the reasons why.
- [Want Free Hot Water? Have A Server In Your House!](https://hoit.uk/sustainability-in-tech/free-hot-water/) - Whilst it's true the days are getting longer, it's also true it's still cold outside and the price of heating is astronomical so one company now lets users have free hot water in exchange for having their server kept at their property.
- [What Are SPF, DKIM And DMARC Records?](https://hoit.uk/tech-insight/spf-dkim-and-dmarc-records/) - Verification is the subject of this week's tech-insight as we delve into the murky waters of SPF records (and others) in an attempt to shed-light on why this is important for business owners.
- [2FA Storm At Twitter](https://hoit.uk/twitter/2fa-storm/) - Twitter-owner Elon Musk's latest decision to turn off SMS 2FA after 20th March unless you pay for Blue Tick has caused another storm of criticism.
- [Will Warm Wallpaper Really Replace Radiators?](https://hoit.uk/sustainability-in-tech/wallpaper-replacing-radiators/) - Hull-based company iHelios has developed a system of using temperature controlled, energy-efficient electric infrared ‘wallpaper’ to heat homes and businesses which may have the potential to replace traditional central heating systems.
- [Do Hackers Get Pensions & Sick Pay?](https://hoit.uk/cryptocurrency/hackers-sick-pay/) - Kaspersky research has shown that hackers are now being recruited with dark web job ads offering huge salaries and benefits!
- [Google Bard's $100 Billion Bungle](https://hoit.uk/google/bards-bungle/) - $100 billion/£82.7bn is reported to have been wiped off the value shares in Google’s parent company Alphabet following a rather public error made by Bard, Google’s new answer to ChatGPT.
- [Hydrogen Hybrids](https://hoit.uk/sustainability-in-tech/hydrogen-hybrids/) - Engineers at the University of New South Wales (UNSW) say they have modified a conventional diesel engine to run (mostly) on hydrogen which could lead to CO2 emissions being cut by up to 85 per cent.
- [Two Factor Authentication/Multi Factor Authentication](https://hoit.uk/multi-factor-authentication/2fa-mfa/) - As the number of online threats rise, we too have to raise our level of protection and so we advise all our customers that they MUST have 2FA/MFA enabled for Office 365 if they want to remain protected from all potential online dangers...
- [What’s All the Fuss About LastPass?](https://hoit.uk/two-factor-authentication/about-lastpass/) - Our featured article about the recent hack of 'LastPass' outlines what password managers are all about.
- [Google Launching ChatGTP Rival 'Bard'](https://hoit.uk/office_365/google-rival-bard/) - Google is hot on ChatGTP's heels and is launching their own version called Bard, imminently. Read all about it!
- [Social Media Giants Sued For Mental Health Damage](https://hoit.uk/meta/social-media-giants-sued/) - Facebook, Instagram, and other social media sites may soon face lawsuits alleging that the way their algorithms work may be a factor in causing mental illness in some users.
- [Tech Recession?](https://hoit.uk/tech-insight/tech-recession/) - In this article, we look at how significant job cuts and other factors are evidence of a tech recession, what the causes are, plus what tech businesses can do to survive and move forward.
- [What's All The Fuss About ChatGPT?](https://hoit.uk/chatgpt/what-is-chatgpt/) - In this article, we look at what ChatGPT is, what it can do, and what type of businesses could get the most out of it.
- [Novel Ways To Use ChatGPT](https://hoit.uk/chatgpt/novel-ways-to-use/) - With OpenAI’s ChatGPT making the headlines and quickly becoming a useful tool for many businesses, here we look at some of the more novel ways to use this innovative technology.
- [Fewer Victims Pay Ransomware, Yet More Victims](https://hoit.uk/ransomware/fewer-pay-yet-more-victims/) - Blockchain data platform Chainanalysis has reported that cybercriminals have seen a 40 per cent fall in their earnings as more people have refused to pay the ransom following ransomware attacks.
- [Autonomous Buses Now On UK Roads](https://hoit.uk/new-tech/autonomous-buses/) - 22 passengers experienced the UK’s first full-size autonomous bus for the first time as part of a testing process by Stagecoach, the UK’s largest bus and coach operator. ?
- [What Is ‘Job Boomeranging’ ?](https://hoit.uk/tech-insight/what-is-job-boomeranging/) - Here we look at the trend of ‘job boomeranging’, the reasons why the trend occurred, and why businesses may choose to re-hire boomerangers.
- [Smart Products Have Just 2 Years Of Life](https://hoit.uk/tech-insight/smart-products-life/) - Consumer champion Which? says that high-end smart products may lose features and functionality, or become a hacking risk, after as little as two years because manufacturers may stop tech updates.
- [Fined For 'Time Theft'](https://hoit.uk/working-from-home/fined-for-time-theft/) - Following a recent case where a remote worker was fined for ‘time theft’, we look at what it is, the legal and ethical aspects, and how it relates to employee monitoring software.
- [Top Questions To Ask An IT Support Company](https://hoit.uk/tech-insight/what-to-ask-it-support/) - This second part of ‘Why Use Outsourced IT Support?’ focuses on what kind of questions to ask when looking for your ideal outsourced IT support company.
- [Age Check Face Scan For Instagram](https://hoit.uk/instagram/age-check-face-scan-for-instagram/) - Social media app Instagram has announced that it is testing new methods for age verification of users, including the use of a video selfie. But what are the issues?
- [Tech Trends For 2023](https://hoit.uk/new-tech/trends-for-2023/) - In this feature, we look at some of the most prominent tech trends for 2023 and how businesses could benefit from them.
- [No Bank Robberies For First Time Ever (in Denmark)](https://hoit.uk/it_security/no-bank-robberies/) - Although figures show no bank robberies last year in Denmark, it appears online banking fraud and other forms of digital crime are now replacing the traditional 'hold-up'.
- [Why Use Outsourced IT Support?](https://hoit.uk/it_security/why-use-outsourced-it-support/) - We look at the benefits and the possible drawbacks of opting for outsourced IT support.
- [Microsoft Tops List Of Best-Run Companies](https://hoit.uk/microsoft/microsoft-tops-list-of-best-run/) - Microsoft has retained the No.1 spot in Drucker Institute’s annual Management Top 250 ranking for the best-run companies in the U.S. for the third year in a row, while rankings for some other tech companies have slipped.
- [Hydrogen Aircraft Fuel & 2050 Net Zero](https://hoit.uk/new-tech/hydrogen-2050-net-zero/) - FlyZero’s and UK Aerospace Technology Institute’s (ATI) study has concluded that green liquid hydrogen powered aircraft could deliver the net-zero 2050 target for aviation.
- [Hands On Our Best Bits! - Issue 21](https://hoit.uk/hands-on-best-bits/issue-21/) - Our Christmas issues brings you an article on whether Santa has had a hand in taking super-fast broadband to the countryside, how to find images with a transparent background, how to save your blushes if you are prone to a little tipsy texting, how to report any Christmas email scams you may receive and how to send your location on WhatsApp plus more dates for your diary and how to share any web page with a QR code. Who needs presents under the tree when you can look at our Xmas Best Bits? ??
- [Fuss Over Fusion](https://hoit.uk/new-tech/fuss-over-fusion/) - US scientists have announced a major breakthrough in their efforts to create nuclear fusion energy after they were able to produce more energy from a fusion experiment than was put in, for the first time, ever.
- [Rent-a-Robot](https://hoit.uk/new-tech/rent-a-robot/) - With AI doing the thinking for us and robots doing the lifting, we seem to really be entering a new era. However, if you find you can't afford your own robot, then perhaps the business-model of 'rent-a-robot' may be more fit for your purpose.
- ['Merry' Messages: Don't Do It!](https://hoit.uk/tech-insight/tipsy-texting/) - It's that time of year again when a few drinks too many at the office party or night out can be the cause of much embarrassment, especially as modern communications make forwarding messages all too easy. With this in mind, our tech insight takes a look at ways of helping prevent potential problems.
- [Hands On Our Best Bits! - Issue 20](https://hoit.uk/hands-on-best-bits/issue-20/) - This month we bring you the latest features Google have added to Maps, Search and Shopping that will benefit both you and your business. How to report a scam website, the usual but very important Black Friday warnings. Our 10 Ways To Help Stop Spoofing video. The secret way to advertise on google for FREE if you are a charity or non-profit organisation, the latest on what is going on at Twitter, how to save time using Gmail PLUS some important* dates for your diary. * not important at all (unless you're totally interested in socks).
- [Are there holes in your home IT Security?](https://hoit.uk/it_security/are-there-holes-in-your-home-it-security/) - How can you protect your team and your business if there are holes in their home IT security? Working from home should be business as usual, albeit from a different location. However, working from home on your own equipment presents a whole new level of security risks for your employees and ultimately, your business! So
- [How mobile is your company?](https://hoit.uk/working-from-home/how-mobile-is-your-company/) - Are your staff ready and able to work from home should they have to?
- [Cyber Essentials](https://hoit.uk/cyber_essentials/cyber-essentials/) - In the past, the security of your systems has been an Ad Hoc and evolving job which has become increasingly difficult over the past few years with the dramatic increase in cybercrime.
- [Friday Afternoon Fraud](https://hoit.uk/it_security/friday-afternoon-fraud/) - One of the most recent forms of cyber attack is on the rise and is rapidly making it's way into small to medium businesses.
- [Ransomware](https://hoit.uk/ransomware/ransomwarenews/) - In the world of IT, ransomware such as CryptoLocker is a major issue in what seems like an impossible task of keeping it at bay along with the cost and business interruptions it causes.
- [Typosquatting](https://hoit.uk/it_security/typosquatting/) - A term that sounds incredibly painful - but can also be potentially painful to you and your business. Also known as URL hijacking, typosquatting is a form of cyber squatting and/or brandjacking that relies on the internet user inputting the wrong web address suffix. For example, facebook.cm instead of facebook.com (please take our word for
- [Microsoft Teams](https://hoit.uk/office_365/microsoft-teams/) - Microsoft Teams is a communication platform enabling companies and staff to hold team chats, easily share documents, host online meetings/webinars plus many more useful features for business communication.
- [What is Scalping?](https://hoit.uk/it_security/what-is-scalping/) - In this insight, we look at what scalping is and why some people are looking to introduce legislation to stop it.
- [Mobile malware surges by 500%](https://hoit.uk/two-factor-authentication/mobile-malware-surges-by-500/) - Proofpoint researchers have reported that, starting in early February, there has been a 500 per cent jump in mobile malware delivery attempts in Europe.
- [<strong>3% of users responsible for 92% of breaches</strong>](https://hoit.uk/two-factor-authentication/3-of-users-responsible-for-92-of-breaches/) - A report by Security Company 'Elevate' has revealed that 3% of users are responsible for 92% of malware events for businesses, indicating that a small number of users create the most risk.
- [What’s all the fuss about Wordle?](https://hoit.uk/hands_on_it_news/whats-all-the-fuss-about-wordle/) - In this article, we look at what Wordle is, and how a change of ownership has led to some online criticism.
- [Stop Your Smart Devices From Being Used To Spy On You](https://hoit.uk/two-factor-authentication/stop-your-smart-devices-from-being-used-to-spy-on-you/) - With so many smart devices now all around us in homes and offices, we look at ways to minimise the risk of having your privacy invaded.
- [Germany Warns Against Use Of Kaspersky Anti-Virus](https://hoit.uk/it_security/germany-warns-against-use-of-kaspersky-anti-virus/) - Germany’s Federal Office for Information Security (BSI) has warned that Russia-based Kaspersky’s anti-virus software could be used for spying or launching cyber-attacks.
- [Deepfakes About War](https://hoit.uk/it_security/deepfakes-about-war/) - Deepfake videos of both Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymr Zelensky have appeared online this week, both with quite different messages.
- [CEOs Could Go To Jail Quicker](https://hoit.uk/it_security/ceos-could-go-to-jail-quicker/) - A recent revision to the (draft) Online Safety Bill could mean that executives who don’t comply with the regulator’s information request could start facing penalties such as jail just two months after the bill becomes law.
- [What is Lapsus$?](https://hoit.uk/it_security/what-is-lapsus/) - In this article, we look at the cyber-crime gang Lapsus$, how they operate and the details of some of their recent high-profile attacks.
- [GIF Creator Died. Just What Did He Invent?](https://hoit.uk/hands_on_it_news/gif-creator-died-just-what-did-he-invent/) - In this insight, we look at how Stephen Wilhite invented the GIF file, and how his invention has endured while the Internet has undergone vast changes.
- [Warning: Scam Aid to Ukraine Emails Circulating](https://hoit.uk/it_security/warning-scam-aid-to-ukraine-emails-circulating/) - The UK’s national fraud reporting centre, Action Fraud, says that it has received 196 reports of scam emails claiming to be raising funds for victims of the war in Ukraine.
- [Dumbphone Revival](https://hoit.uk/cyber-security/dumbphone-revival/) - A report by SEO software firm SEMrush has shown that so-called ‘Dumbphones’ are experiencing a revival, but why?
- [Do Mobiles Cause Cancer?](https://hoit.uk/hands_on_it_news/do-mobiles-cause-cancer/) - In this insight, we look at the history of fears about a possible link between mobile phone usage and cancer, then we look at the latest studies, conclusions, and expert opinions.
- [WhatsApp's New Features To Improve Voice Messaging](https://hoit.uk/hands_on_it_news/whatsapps-new-features-to-improve-voice-messaging/) - WhatsApp has announced that it will soon be introducing some new features to improve its voice messaging.
- [Microsoft’s Outlook’s Self-Updating Emails](https://hoit.uk/office_365/microsofts-outlooks-self-updating-emails/) - As part of its roll-out of the collaborative working ‘Loop’ app, Microsoft has announced that as part of its ‘365 Roadmap’, self-updating Loop elements can now be included in Outlook emails.
- [What’s All the Fuss About : Musk & Twitter?](https://hoit.uk/hands_on_it_news/whats-all-the-fuss-about-musk-twitter/) - Following SpaceX and Tesla boss Elon Musk becoming Twitter’s largest shareholder after recently acquiring a 9.2 per cent stake in the social media company, we look at the news, issues, and implications relating to this move.
- [How To Stay Focused Among The Chaos](https://hoit.uk/office_365/how-to-stay-focused-among-the-chaos/) - In this insight, we look at some of the Microsoft Windows features that can be used to minimise distractions and help you to stay focused. Minimise Interruptions, Stay Focused Being able to stay focused during work can help productivity, keep a flow, and can help improve the quality of your output. Finding ways to minimise
- [1000+ ‘Deepfakes’ On LinkedIn](https://hoit.uk/it_security/1000-deepfakes-on-linkedin/) - Researchers from the Stanford Internet Observatory have reported finding more than one thousand ‘virtual’ employees on the LinkedIn platform.
- [‘Hostile’ Twitter Takeover](https://hoit.uk/hands_on_it_news/hostile-twitter-takeover/) - In this article, we look at the next phase of Elon Musk’s attempt to control Twitter – a so-called ‘hostile’ takeover.
- [What is Web 3.0?](https://hoit.uk/hands_on_it_news/what-is-web-3-0/) - In this tech-insight, we look at what Web 3.0 is, together with its main benefits plus some concerns about it.
- [Pegasus Spyware Discovered In Downing Street](https://hoit.uk/it_security/pegasus-spyware-discovered-in-downing-street/) - The University of Toronto’s Citizen Lab has reported finding evidence that Pegasus spyware was being used to listen-in on UK government networks for 10 Downing Street and the Foreign and Commonwealth Offices (FCO) in 2020 and 2021. Pegasus Pegasus spyware is sold by Israeli-based NSO Group to governments to carry out surveillance by infecting phones
- [What Are ‘Toxic’ Backlinks?](https://hoit.uk/it_security/what-are-toxic-backlinks/) - In this tech insight, we look at what ‘toxic’ backlinks are, how to identify them, and how to remove them.
- [Time to move on from Wordle?](https://hoit.uk/hands_on_it_news/time-to-move-on-from-wordle/) - Have you started to tire of Wordle yet? Or do you feel the need to add more similar games to your daily play? If the answer is yes to either of these questions then read on as we've found a load of alternatives from the obvious to the ridiculous. Check them out... Wordle Unlimited Created
- [Recording Phone Calls On Your Mobile](https://hoit.uk/it_security/recording-phone-calls-on-your-mobile/) - In this article, we look at the legal issues around recording calls on your mobile, and the different methods for doing so. Is It Legal To Record Phone Calls On Your Mobile? In the UK, as an individual mobile phone user, generally speaking, secretly recording a conversation is not a criminal offence and is not
- [More Control To Remove Personal Data From Google Searches](https://hoit.uk/it_security/more-control-to-remove-personal-data-from-google-searches/) - Google has announced that it is changing its policies to allow more types of personally identifiable information removal requests. Personal Information Showing Up In Google Search Google acknowledges that personally identifiable information of some users can and does show up in Google search queries. This can make users concerned, e.g. about how it could be
- [Switch Off 'Vampire' Devices And Save An Average of £147 Per Year](https://hoit.uk/hands_on_it_news/switch-off-vampire-devices-and-save-an-average-of-147-per-year/) - New research by British Gas (Centrica) has revealed that UK households could save an average of £147 per year on their electricity bills by switching off their ‘vampire electronics’. What Are Vampire Devices? So-called ‘vampire devices’ are those household electronic devices, plugged into the mains, that continue to drain power even when left on standby.
- [Where Are We At With VR These Days?](https://hoit.uk/hands_on_it_news/where-are-we-at-with-vr-these-days/) - In this insight, we look at where Virtual Reality (VR) is now, plus what predictions there are for its future. Potted History Virtual Reality (VR) is a simulated and fully immersive experience that obscures the natural world, which is used for entertainment, education and business. The very first VR headset / head-mounted display (HMD) dates
- [Tracking What Happens To Attachments After They’re Sent](https://hoit.uk/it_security/tracking-what-happens-to-attachments-after-theyre-sent/) - In this article, we look at how there are several risks and challenges associated with sending email attachments, how businesses can track emails, and about a new product that could allow greater visibility and control of what happens to email attachments after they’ve been sent. What Happens When Emails With Attachments Are Sent? Modern email
- [Digital Dosh](https://hoit.uk/cryptocurrency/digital-dosh/) - With the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) launching India’s first pilot for a retail digital rupee (e₹-R/eINR/E-Rupee) this month, we look at what this means and what the benefits could be.
- [Twitter Roundup](https://hoit.uk/twitter/roundup/) - We look at more of the rapid changes at Twitter, what the reaction has been, how this has affected the platform plus the wider implications.
- [Starlink Broadband Trial In Cumbria](https://hoit.uk/tech-insight/starlink-broadband-trial-in-cumbria/) - As part of Project Gigabit, the UK government has announced a trial of Starlink satellite broadband in the Lake District as part of wider plans to connect highly remote areas.
- [Apple, Google and Microsoft In Password Collaboration](https://hoit.uk/two-factor-authentication/apple-google-and-microsoft-in-password-collaboration/) - Apple, Google and Microsoft have announced that they are joining forces to support a common passwordless sign-in standard that will allow websites and apps to offer consistent, secure and easy sign-ins across devices and platforms.
- [Who Accepts CryptoCoins Now?](https://hoit.uk/hands_on_it_news/who-accepts-cryptocoins-now/) - With its volatile past and with a recent survey showing that almost one-third of small business in the US now accept them as payment, we look at who accepts CryptoCoins in payment for goods and services. Cryptocurrencies CryptoCoins / cryptocurrencies are digital/virtual currencies, secured by cryptography with no central issuing or regulating authority and don't
- [Ereaders? Amazon, Kobo … And The Others](https://hoit.uk/hands_on_it_news/ereaders-amazon-kobo-and-the-others/) - In this insight, we look at what ereaders are, their strengths and weaknesses, and popular makes and models. Ereaders Ereaders / e-book readers / e-book devices are mobile electronic devices that look similar to tablets and are designed primarily for the purpose of reading digital e-books, newspapers and magazines which the user downloads to the
- [New Spy-Spotting App From MI5](https://hoit.uk/hands_on_it_news/new-spy-spotting-app-from-mi5/) - The UK government’s MI5-run ‘Centre for the Protection of National Infrastructure’ has launched a new app to help people spot approaches from foreign spies and organised criminals seeking sensitive information. Really? How Big Is The Problem? According to MI5, it spotted 10,000 UK nationals across society being approached last year via fake social media profiles,
- [WhatsApp Rolls-Out Emojis and Sharing Of Files Over 2GB](https://hoit.uk/hands_on_it_news/whatsapp-rolls-out-emojis-and-sharing-of-files-over-2gb/) - The new features are being added as part of WhatsApp’s “vision for Communities” where the idea is to “help people have the next best thing to an in-person conversation when they want to talk to an individual or a group of friends or family”. Communities The Communities vision is also being introduced to cater for organisations like schools,
- [Augmented Vision From ‘Smart’ Contact Lenses?](https://hoit.uk/hands_on_it_news/augmented-vision-from-smart-contact-lenses/) - In this insight, we look at the development, applications and issues relating to new 'smart eye' wearables such as smart glasses and contact lenses. Smart Contact Lenses Smart contact lenses, such as those in development by health and technology company Mojo, use a tiny micro-LED display the size of a grain of sand to display
- [Sustainability-In-Tech: Swappable Batteries](https://hoit.uk/hands_on_it_news/sustainability-in-tech-swappable-batteries/) - Rather than EV drivers waiting for 40 minutes to re-charge the car battery at a charging station, could the solution be stations where drivers can quickly swap their battery for a fully charged one?
- [Mobile Phone Call Reliability](https://hoit.uk/hands_on_it_news/mobile-phone-call-reliability/) - A recent ‘Mobile Phone Trends’ report has highlighted how the quality and reliability of mobile phone calls in the UK are improving. So, what’s helping to bring about this change and why is it so important now? The Figures Some of the key figures highlighted in the report (by testing company RootMetrics) that show an improvement
- [Zoom Updates For Collaboration (And Fun)](https://hoit.uk/hands_on_it_news/zoom-updates-for-collaboration-and-fun/) - Zoom has announced that its new apps, updates, and features will improve collaboration and creativity, thereby increasing engagement and interaction among attendees of hybrid-working meetings.
- [What Is A Blockchain Domain?](https://hoit.uk/it_security/what-is-a-blockchain-domain/) - In this tech-insight, we look at what a blockchain domain is, what it is used for, how to buy one, and what may bring them more into mainstream usage.
- [US Supercomputer Breaks The 'Exascale' Barrier](https://hoit.uk/hands_on_it_news/us-supercomputer-breaks-the-exascale-barrier/) - The world’s first ‘exascale’ computer, called the ‘Frontier’ computing system (i.e. a supercomputer) from Oak Ridge National Laboratory in Tennessee, has smashed the exascale computing speed barrier.
- [Free Translation Via Firefox - Even Offline](https://hoit.uk/hands_on_it_news/free_translation_via_firefox/) - The new, free Firefox Translations browser extension translates websites in the browser without using the cloud, using machine learning.
- [UK Not Adopting EU’s Universal Charger](https://hoit.uk/hands_on_it_news/uk-not-adopting-eus-universal-charger/) - Following the recent news that the EU plans to introduce a single, universal charger for all devices, it has been reported that the UK has said that it is not currently considering copying the idea.
- [What Is Shopify?](https://hoit.uk/hands_on_it_news/what-is-shopify/) - In this insight, we take a look at Shopify, what it offers, and how it has grown to become a major e-commerce platform.
- [Russia Cautions Cyber Attacks May Start Military Confrontation](https://hoit.uk/it_security/russia-cautions-cyber-attacks-may-start-military-confrontation/) - The growing number of cyber-attacks since the start of Russia’s war against Ukraine have led The Russian Foreign Ministry to warn that more western cyber-attacks on its infrastructure could lead to a direct military confrontation.
- [First Off-Grid, Self-Powering Mast Switched-On](https://hoit.uk/hands_on_it_news/first-off-grid-self-powering-phone-mast-switched-on/) - Vodafone has announced the switch-on of the UK’s first wind and solar-powered mobile phone mast in Pembrokeshire, Wales.
- [Millions Of iPhone Users Could Receive ‘Batterygate’ Payouts](https://hoit.uk/hands_on_it_news/millions-of-iphone-users-could-receive-batterygate-payouts/) - Following a claim made by a consumer champion against Apple over the ‘Batterygate’ alleged throttling of older iPhones, millions of people could receive compensation if the claim is successful.
- [How Good Are Chatbots Now?](https://hoit.uk/it_security/how-good-are-chatbots-now/) - Following the recent story about how a Google Bot was reported to have said things that a sentient being may say, we take a brief look at how good chatbots are now. What Happened? Google engineer, Blake Lemoine, recently reported that The Language Model for Dialogue Applications (LaMDA ) AI system bot may have feelings
- [Internet Explorer is Dead. Long Live The King?](https://hoit.uk/hands_on_it_news/internet-explorer-is-dead-long-live-the-king/) - Microsoft’s Internet Explorer browser has been retired after 27 years and here we take a brief look back over its history and why it fell behind competitors before being succeeded by Microsoft Edge. It Came From ‘Mosaic’ Microsoft first launched its Internet Explorer (IE) browser in 1995. The browser was built under license to Microsoft
- [Fewer Cookie Pop-Ups – But At What Cost?](https://hoit.uk/it_security/fewer-cookie-pop-ups-but-at-what-cost/) - A government Bill has laid out a new UK data protection regime (which diverges from EU regulations) and which the government says will ease the burden of compliance on businesses. Data Reform Bill The government says that the ‘Data Reform Bill’, announced in this year’s Queen’s Speech, and outlined as part of London Tech Week,
- [What Is ‘Data Gravity’ ?](https://hoit.uk/hands_on_it_news/what-is-data-gravity/) - In this insight, we look at what ‘data gravity’ is, what challenges it creates, and some ways in which businesses can tackle data gravity challenges.
- [What Are Wi-Fi 5 And 6 … And What’s The Difference?](https://hoit.uk/hands_on_it_news/what-are-wi-fi-5-and-6-and-whats-the-difference/) - In this tech-insight, we look at what Wi-Fi 5 And 6 are including their differences plus the improvements that Wi-Fi 6 offers. Wi-Fi Standards Wi-Fi 5 and Wi-Fi 6 are the names of the most recent Wi-Fi standards. Wi-Fi standards are sets of services and protocols that dictate how a Wi-Fi network (and other data
- [New Windows Feature Displays Which Apps Have Been Listening-In](https://hoit.uk/it_security/new-windows-feature/) - The new Privacy Auditing feature in Windows 11 allows users to see a list of which apps have accessed their microphone or camera recently, plus details of any other suspicious activity. See Which Apps Have Accessed Your Microphone And Camera David Weston, Microsoft’s VP for Enterprise and OS Security, highlighted the new privacy feature in
- [Google Workspace vs Microsoft 365](https://hoit.uk/office_365/google-workspace-vs-microsoft-365/) - In this article, we take a brief look at the relative merits of Office 365 compared to Google Workspace and how Google’s recent introduction of features and greater integration have been aimed at challenging Microsoft 365’s dominant position. Google Workspace Many of us are likely to have started with a Gmail account and witnessed how,
- [Dramatic Decrease in Crypto Consumption of Power](https://hoit.uk/hands_on_it_news/decrease-in-crypto-power/) - Rising electricity prices, energy-hungry crypto mining operations and falling cryptocurrency prices are thought to be behind a significant decrease in the amount of electricity being used for crypto mining. What Is Crypto Mining? Crypto mining, such as Bitcoin mining, uses specialised computers that are constantly powered-on and connected to the cryptocurrency network to verify transactions
- [How To Fake Someone’s Voice](https://hoit.uk/cyber-security/how-to-fake-someones-voice/) - Following recent security concerns about Amazon’s plans to enable Alexa to mimic voices, we look at how easy it is to do, what the benefits are, and what risks it poses. Alexa The Mimic Recently, Amazon announced that it was working on technology to enable its Alexa digital assistant to take on the voice of
- [Avoid Eyestrain](https://hoit.uk/hands_on_it_news/avoid-eyestrain/) - In this article, we look at what eyestrain is, what causes it, and the many measures you can take to prevent it. What Is Eyestrain? Eyestrain is eye fatigue, caused by intensely focusing the eyes during a task, such as staring at a computer screen (or phone screen) for extended periods, driving, reading, or engaging
- [Hot Weather & Hardware](https://hoit.uk/hardware/hot-weather-hardware/) - In this tech-insight, we look how extreme heat can affect IT hardware and what measures you can take to keep the equipment cool and prevent damage. High Temperatures Hot weather UK-style is not normally a problem. With an average temperature here of about 14 °C, temperatures over 30 °C are a fairly rare occurrence – although becoming more
- [Where Do People Get Their News From?](https://hoit.uk/hands_on_it_news/where-do-people-get-their-news-from/) - With young people now unlikely to read newspapers or watch the TV news and following the latest Ofcom report, we look at which channels people get their news from. Decline Of Printed Newspapers Newspaper readership has been declining for many years but the drop in readership during the pandemic years has been much more pronounced,
- [Windows Overflow Added To Taskbar](https://hoit.uk/office_365/windows-overflow/) - For those who have so many apps open that they run out of space on the taskbar, Microsoft is adding an overflow button where the excess ones can be access. Overflow - Button With Three Dots For those who need it (i.e. those who are in the habit of having many apps open at once),
- [How Many People Are Homeworking Now?](https://hoit.uk/hands_on_it_news/how-many-people-are-homeworking-now/) - With an ONS survey showing that from October to December 2019 and January to March 2022, homeworking in the UK more than doubled from 4.7 million to 9.9 million people, we take a closer look at the figures and what's behind them. COVID 19 Pandemic Triggered Huge Rise In Homeworking With the UK government first
- [Playing Video Games For Long Periods Isn’t Bad For You](https://hoit.uk/hands_on_it_news/playing-video-games-for-long-periods-isnt-bad-for-you/) - Why do we believe spending time playing video / online games is bad for us when a new study has concluded that there is little to no evidence for a causal connection between game play and well-being.
- [1976 Apple Expected To Fetch Around $500,000 (£400,000)](https://hoit.uk/hands_on_it_news/1976-apple-expected-to-fetch-around/) - A 1976 Apple-1 prototype, believed to have been owned by Steve Jobs and hand-soldered by Steve Wozniack is being auctioned and is expected to fetch around $500,000 (£400,000).
- [Spotting Fake Reviews And Dubious Ratings On Amazon](https://hoit.uk/it_security/spotting-fake-reviews-and-dubious-ratings-on-amazon/) - Following Amazon suing the admins of more than 10,000 Facebook groups over an alleged co-ordinated fake reviews campaign, we look at how to spot fake reviews and dubious ratings on Amazon.
- [What Is GitHub, GitLab etc?](https://hoit.uk/hands_on_it_news/what-is-github-gitlab-etc/) - In this insight, we take a look at what GitHub and GitLab are and why they are important in the world of software development. GitHub, from GitHub Inc., is a not-for-profit website and cloud-based hosting service for open-source development projects - it is the largest open-source host. It helps developers, working on software projects, to
- [Most People To Have Digital Wallets By 2026](https://hoit.uk/it_security/most-people-to-have-digital-wallets-by-2026/) - While some people are busy asking whether we're seeing the death of cryptocurrencies, a new report says 60% of us will be using digital wallets by 2026. Digital Wallet Usage Driven By 'Superapps' A Juniper Research study says that the presence of ‘superapps’ will drive digital wallet use in developing countries that are currently considered
- [Google Improves 'Quoted Search'](https://hoit.uk/hands_on_it_news/google-improves-quoted-search/) - Google has made it easier to make quoted searches by adding snippets to search results to help users save time in locating a phrase in a web page. Quoted Searches Quoted Searches are searches where the search term is placed within quotation marks to find an exact match in the search engine results. However, although
- [Macs in Business](https://hoit.uk/hands_on_it_news/macs-in-business/) - h Macs getting a huge boost in popularity over the pandemic and a new report showing Mac shipments growing almost twice as fast as the PC market as a whole in 2021, we look at why more businesses are embracing Macs, and also what challenges Macs can bring.
- [Trials Running Broadband Cables Through Water Pipes](https://hoit.uk/hands_on_it_news/trials-running-broadband-cables-through-water-pipes/) - The UK government’s Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport has launched a £4 million trial project in South Yorkshire to run fibre optic broadband cables through drinking water pipes to connect-up rural locations.
- [Pros and Cons of Weakening Encryption](https://hoit.uk/it_security/pros-and-cons-of-weakening-encryption/) - With the Online Safety Bill threatening to undermine end-to-end encryption, we look at the strengths and weaknesses of this security trade-off.
- [Climate Change Affecting Data Centres](https://hoit.uk/cyber-security/climate-change-affecting-data-centres/) - A Google data centre going offline in July due to a cooling related failure is just one of a slew of challenges posed by climate change that the big tech companies are facing. Heatwave Knocks London Data Centre Offline The heatwave in July caused outages due to cooling problems at a London data centre used
- [Excel Collaboration Now Easier](https://hoit.uk/hands_on_it_news/excel-collaboration-now-easier/) - Microsoft Excel’s new @mentions feature allows users to create, assign, and track tasks in a workbook, thereby making collaboration in Excel easier. Added To Roadmap 2020 The @mentions feature, which was added to Excel for the web in 2020 and added to the Microsoft 365 roadmap in January 2021, has been made popular through its
- [Protect Yourself From Job Phishing Scams](https://hoit.uk/it_security/job-phishing-scams/) - In this article, we look at what ‘job phishing’ is, how it works, and how you can protect yourself from this type of fraud. What Is Job Phishing? Job phishing refers to recruitment/employment scams where fraudsters pose as recruitment agents or reputable companies. The fraudsters post fake job descriptions and information about their businesses on
- [What Are The Reasons For The Chip Shortage?](https://hoit.uk/hands_on_it_news/what-are-the-reasons-for-the-chip-shortage/) - With the world facing a considerable semiconductor microchip shortage, we take a look at the causes and effects of the shortage plus some potential solutions.
- [Data Centres To Use Raw Water](https://hoit.uk/hands_on_it_news/data-centres-to-use-raw-water/) - Thames Water has said that it wants to work with data centres in its jurisdiction to enable them to use raw water rather than drinking quality water for cooling.
- [The True Cost Of Using Pirated Software](https://hoit.uk/it_security/the-true-cost-of-using-pirated-software/) - In this article, we look at how the risks to businesses posed by pirated software can far outweigh the benefits of using it, and how you can protect your business from the true costs of pirated software.
- [UK Broadband And Mobile Carriers Face Tough New Security Rules](https://hoit.uk/cyber-security/broadband-face-new-rules/) - The UK government says that new regulations and code of practice, developed with the NCSC and Ofcom, will be among the strongest in the world.
- [Softaculous: What Is It And Why Is It Used?](https://hoit.uk/hands_on_it_news/softaculous/) - What is Softaculous and why is it used?
- [Digital Marketing: TikTok Vs YouTube](https://hoit.uk/hands_on_it_news/tiktok-vs-youtube/) - In this article, we compare TikTok and YouTube platforms and take a look at some of the pros and cons of each.
- [Sharing Files That Self-Destruct](https://hoit.uk/hands_on_it_news/sharing-files-that-self-destruct/) - In this insight, we take a look at some of the many options available for sharing files that self-destruct, plus why this is important in the first place.
- [Android 13: More For Work, But Still Enough For Play](https://hoit.uk/hands_on_it_news/android-13/) - We take a look at the new ways that businesses can get more out of Android 13 and Android Enterprise.
- [The Queen And iPad](https://hoit.uk/hands_on_it_news/the-queen-and-ipad/) - The Queen's reign of 70 years meant that she was able to witness, use and enjoy technology as we would understand it right from its earliest development. So, what kinds of tech did the late monarch famously use and enjoy most of all?
- [Record €4 Billion Fine For Google Upheld](https://hoit.uk/hands_on_it_news/fine-for-google/) - ? Google has been give the largest ever antitrust fine of 4.125 billion euros from the EU, following an unsuccessful appeal. But what was the 'antitrust' issue? ?
- [Environmental Ethereum?](https://hoit.uk/hands_on_it_news/environmental-ethereum/) - ₿ The most popular altcoin and second-largest cryptocurrency by volume, Ethereum, has switched to a new operating model which uses 99.95% less energy. ₿
- [Fracking Up](https://hoit.uk/hands_on_it_news/fracking-up/) - With the UK's ban on fracking for shale gas in England - that has been in place since 2019 - now formally lifted, we look at the technology involved and how fracking fits in with the idea of sustainability.
- [Nearly Half of Employees Use Risky Login Practices](https://hoit.uk/it_security/risky-login-practices/) - ? A new study has revealed that almost half of employees put their companies at risk by using risky online habits to avoid difficulties logging in and out of apps at work. ?
- [WhatsApp Fights Iran Ban](https://hoit.uk/hands_on_it_news/whatsapp-fights-iran-ban/) - Following a move by the Iranian government to restrict access to Meta's WhatsApp, the company has said in a tweet that it "will do anything" within its technical ability to keep its service up and running for Iranian users. What Happened? After protests which followed the death of a woman, 22-year old Mahsa Amini, in
- [First Update for Windows 11 : What Does It Include?](https://hoit.uk/hands_on_it_news/update-windows-11/) - With the news that as of the 20th September 2022, the new Windows 11 update started its rollout in 190+ countries, we look at what it includes and how these elements could benefit your business. The Focus Microsoft says that the new Windows 11 22H2 update takes account of the move to flexible work and
- [Musk Presents Humanoid Robot](https://hoit.uk/hands_on_it_news/musk-presents-humanoid-robot/) - Tesla and SpaceX boss Elon Musk has introduced a prototype humanoid named Optimus to attendees and the cameras at Tesla's recent AI Day 2022 event. ?
- [EU Makes It Easier To Sue Over AI Accidents](https://hoit.uk/hands_on_it_news/sue-over-ai-accidents/) - Read all about the new set of European Commission rules, called the AI Liability Directive, could make it easier for people injured in AI accidents to sue. ??
- [A Dozen Microsoft Products You May Not Know About](https://hoit.uk/office_365/new-microsoft-products/) - In this insight, we look at a dozen Microsoft products / apps that you may not know much about but could be helpful to your business.
- [What Are 'BEC Campaigns'?](https://hoit.uk/two-factor-authentication/bec-campaigns/) - Highlighting what exactly is a BEC campaign, the different types around, how it could affect your business and how to guard against them.
- [AI Scan Predicts Your Heart Disease Risk](https://hoit.uk/hands_on_it_news/ai-predicts-heart-risk/) - A new AI-based 60-second retina scanning tool can predict a person’s risk of heart disease by looking at the veins and arteries in their eye. ❤
- [Report Questions Benefits Of Electric Cars](https://hoit.uk/hands_on_it_news/questioning-benefits-of-evs/) - A report which shows huge sales of EVs in the US only resulted in only a 0.54 per cent fall in gasoline consumption in 2021 has led to disappointment and questions about the beneficial impact of EVs so far.
- [‘Quiet Quitting’ …?](https://hoit.uk/tech-insight/quiet-quitting/) - 'Quiet Quitting' has been used a lot in everyday language recently so this tech-insight seeks to outline what it actually means.
- [Robots Now Legally Lethal](https://hoit.uk/ai/robots-now-legally-lethal/) - 'Killer Robots' have been authorised for use by San Francisco's Board of Supervisors ... what could possibly go wrong?
- [Worlds's First 3D-Printed, 100% Bio-Based House](https://hoit.uk/new-tech/first-3d-printed-house/) - The University of Maine Advanced Structures and Composites Center (ASCC) in the US has unveiled the first 3D-printed house made entirely with bio-based materials.
- [Ultra-Accurate GPS (10 cm)](https://hoit.uk/tech-insight/ultra-accurate-gps/) - In this insight, we take a closer look at the new alternative positioning system to GPS that is accurate to within an incredible 10 centimetres.
- [Personalised (Printed) Pills](https://hoit.uk/new-tech/personalised-printed-pills/) - A Helsinki startup has developed a ‘Medicine-as-a-Service’ system where drugs can be 3D printed to exactly match the needs of the patient in terms of their size, physiology, species, plus any allergies.
- [What Is Twitter’s ‘Blue Tick’ All About?](https://hoit.uk/twitter/blue-tick/) - With pandemonium reigning at Twitter HQ, we thought it'd be helpful to outline what exactly the Blue Tick thing is all about, which we've done in our tech insight this week.
- [Zoom Hopes New Features Make It “One Stop Shop”](https://hoit.uk/zoom/new-features/) - Communications company Zoom is making aggressive strides into other areas of corporate-communications in an attempt to gain market-share and offer more value, with bundled-email and other offerings as bait.
- [Meta Cuts 13% Of Its Workforce](https://hoit.uk/meta/cuts-workforce/) - Is Meta cutting a drastic 13% of its workforce further evidence of industry-wide reactions to a slowdown in online ad-spend as a whole?
- ['PimEyes' Search-By-Photo Stalker Scare](https://hoit.uk/it_security/pimeyes-search-by-photo-stalker-scare/) - Privacy campaign group Big Brother Watch has filed a complaint to the ICO that the face recognition search engine PimEyes may be unlawful, plus it could be enabling surveillance and stalking.
- [Speech Recognition And Voice Commands](https://hoit.uk/new-tech/speech-recognition-and-voice-commands/) - In this insight, we look at how you can use voice commands to carry out tasks in Windows, plus how speech recognition technology can be used for voice control of different systems and devices.
- [Microplastic-Eating Robot Fish Takes To The Water](https://hoit.uk/hands_on_it_news/robot-fish/) - A prototype of an award-winning robotic fish design that filters water to trap microplastics has now been tested in lakes as well as the lab.
- [New Features To Tackle Fake LinkedIn Accounts](https://hoit.uk/hands_on_it_news/tackle-fake-linkedin-accounts/) - Microsoft’s Social media platform LinkedIn has announced the introduction of new security features to help verify, identity, detect, and remove fake accounts, all aimed at boosting authenticity.
- [What Is A Discord Server?](https://hoit.uk/hands_on_it_news/what-is-a-discord-server/) - What is a Discord Server? We look at what it, how to set one up and the pros and cons of Discord servers.
- [Overhyped And A Long Wait For 5G Benefits](https://hoit.uk/hands_on_it_news/waiting-for-5g-benefits/) - A recent Uswitch.com study has concluded that 5G connectivity has been overhyped, with many users yet to experience any real improvements in mobile speed or reliability.
- [Companies To Increase IT Spend To Beat Recession](https://hoit.uk/cyber-security/companies-increase-spend/) - New research reports businesses are projected to increase IT spending by 5.1% next year to try and beat the worst effects of the recession.
- [A Lack Of Cyber Professionals](https://hoit.uk/cyber-security/lack-of-cyber-professionals/) - A Cybersecurity Workforce Study has highlighted how the workplace skills gap, particularly the gap in the number of cyber security professionals has grown in the last year. But why is the demand increasing?
- [TikTok Tragedies](https://hoit.uk/hands_on_it_news/tiktok-tragedies/) - Following a BBC report which suggested that TikTok was making money from families in Syrian camps begging for donations on its platform, we take a closer look at what’s happened and what’s being done about it.
- [”Sentient” Human/Mouse Brain Plays Video Pong](https://hoit.uk/hands_on_it_news/sentient-human-mouse-brain-plays-video-pong/) - Say that again? "Sentient" Human/Mouse, lab-grown, mini-brain Plays Video Pong? What?
- [Politicised PayPal Problems](https://hoit.uk/hands_on_it_news/politicised-paypal-problems/) - Fines for misinformation and backlash - what's going on with PayPal?
- [WhatsApp For Business?](https://hoit.uk/hands_on_it_news/whatsapp-for-business/) - WhatsApp Business was launched back in January 2018, but what are the pros and cons of the business-focused version of WhatsApp and what does it mean for your business?
- [Forget Hacking, What About Tracking?](https://hoit.uk/it_security/forget-hacking-what-about-tracking/) - Why are we being tracked and what measures can we take to avoid it?
- [Data Centres In Space?](https://hoit.uk/sustainability-in-tech/data-centres-in-space/) - A feasibility study is to be carried out into whether solar powered data centres could be put into orbit to reduce their carbon footprint.
- [Google’s New Features For Maps, Search And Shopping](https://hoit.uk/google/new-map-shopping-features/) - Following the roll-out of a range of new features for Google’s Maps, Search and shopping, we take a look at what they are and what benefits they could bring to users.
- [UK Could Be Like Silicon Valley](https://hoit.uk/hands_on_it_news/uk-could-be-like-silicon-valley/) - Speaking in the House of Commons, UK chancellor of the exchequer, Jeremy Hunt said that Brexit "freedoms" could be leveraged to "turn Britain into the world's next Silicon Valley".
- [Hands On Our Best Bits! - Issue 19](https://hoit.uk/hands-on-best-bits/issue-19/) - Another spooky issue of Best Bits! to celebrate Halloween ?. We have warnings about WhatsApp lookalike Apps and Google Security issues. Advice on what Phishing Attacks are, how to spot them and what to do if you see one plus some dates for your diary.
- [Hands On Our Best Bits! - Issue 18](https://hoit.uk/hands-on-best-bits/issue-18/) - The latest from our social medias including Ofgem's warning on energy bill scams, how to identify objects in your photos using Google Lens, What does the first update for Windows 11 include and how to deal with suspicious emails.
- [Hands On Our Best Bits! - Issue 17](https://hoit.uk/hands-on-best-bits/issue-17/) - All the top picks from our social medias including our article on how many people are still homeworking, our brilliant new YouTube video on how to print a document to PDF, a warning that online scams are not just email-based, how to keep your hardware cool in the hot weather and what to do on National Lazy Day. ?
- [Hands On Our Best Bits! - Issue 16](https://hoit.uk/hands-on-best-bits/issue-16/) - All the top picks from our social media features including, How good are Chatbots now, a Father's Day IT bamboozle, What is Shopify and the Clipboard History tips that will blow your mind!
- [Hands On Our Best Bits! - Issue 14](https://hoit.uk/hands-on-best-bits/issue-14/) - The latest from our social medias including Nightmare at Netflix, how to magnify the text on your screen, password best practice, Excel 'styles' and why are 'dumbphones' makeing a revival?
- [Hands On Our Best Bits! – Issue 15](https://hoit.uk/hands-on-best-bits/issue-15/) - All the top picks from our social media features including all the latest news on Smart contact lenses, 11 really useful internet browser shortcuts, what new emoji's WhatsApp have just rolled out, how Windows 11 'Voice Typing' can save you time and how many dunks a Rich Tea biscuit can take before it falls apart!
- [Hands On Our Best Bits! - Issue 13](https://hoit.uk/hands-on-best-bits/issue-13/) - Issue 13 of our Best Bits! Our selection of the best features on our social media platforms including deepfake video about the Ukraine war, how we can help you secure your IT, asking what all the fuss is about Wordle plus tips on formatting your Excel data!
- [Hands On Our Best Bits! - Issue 4](https://hoit.uk/hands-on-best-bits/issue-4/) - All the top picks from our social media features including the security issues faced when accepting connection requests within LinkedIn, how to change your Teams Background, how by reducing your PC monitor brightness you can save energy, an easy but really helpful desktop shortcut plus a great vegetable recipe!
- [Hands On Our Best Bits! - Issue 5](https://hoit.uk/hands-on-best-bits/issue-5/) - This month our Best Bits feature some great safety tips and advice to keep in mind when using any of the social apps, how to quickly find a particular word when scrolling though the web, why ignoring conversations in Outlook can work out quite well, an article that you should definitely read if you are selling or donating any of your old tech devices and what the word Tequila actually means in Spanish!
- [Hands On Our Best Bits! - Issue 6](https://hoit.uk/hands-on-best-bits/issue-6/) - All the Best Bits! from our social media platforms - this month we look into how to deal with suspicious emails, what to do if you receive a suspicious delivery text, THE laziest keyboard shortcut ever, @Mentions in Outlook and a google review that topped them all!
- [Hands On Our Best Bits! - Issue 7](https://hoit.uk/hands-on-best-bits/issue-7/) - Our Best Bits! featuring an article focussing on how to get your Facebook account back if it gets hacked, Flashback Friday with a quiz to celebrate our 25th year in business, how to add an animated GIF in your Outlook messages and how an Octopus ? once cost a friend 10 squid! ?
- [Hands On Our Best Bits! - Issue 8](https://hoit.uk/hands-on-best-bits/issue-8/) - A spooky issue of Best Bits! to celebrate Halloween ?. We talk about Ghost Broking ?, WhatsApp on your desktop and keeping an eye out for fake antivirus emails in your inbox ?.
- [Cyber Security Influencer](https://hoit.uk/cyber-security/cyber-security-influencer/) - As the volume of cyber security incidents are on the rise and misconceptions continue to persist, The Platinum Publisher gathered together a team of influencers (including our MD, Martin) to discuss and advise what we can do to protect ourselves from cyber attacks. Influencer-ForumDownload
- [Raising a support ticket](https://hoit.uk/hands_on_it_news/raising-a-support-ticket/) - If you are an existing customers you can easily raise a support ticket by following the guide below.
- [Hands On Our Best Bits! - Issue 9](https://hoit.uk/hands-on-best-bits/issue-9/) - In this month's Best Bits! we look at how to spot whether an email confirmation is fake or legit, our MD becomes an influencer, the importance of disaster prevention, the number of Word document themes you can play around with and how Guy Fawkes became 1 better than Eric Morecambe in a poll!
- [Hands On Our Best Bits! - Issue 10](https://hoit.uk/hands-on-best-bits/issue-10/) - ? Our Christmas issue of Best Bits! - in which we warn you about getting smished at Christmas, how our National Christmas Jumper Day went, how to easily add a table of contents in Word and tips on how to change incoming message alert sounds from your individual contacts on WhatsApp.
- [Hands On Our Best Bits! - Issue 12](https://hoit.uk/hands-on-best-bits/issue-12/) - Take a look at our Best Bits! - Send a disappearing image in WhatsApp, how we can help you protect yourself about Ransomware, Phishing attacks and how to protect your business, guidance on backing up your data and HOIT's shocking poem attempt for World Poetry Day!
- [Hands On Our Best Bits! - Issue 11](https://hoit.uk/hands-on-best-bits/issue-11/) - ll the top picks from our social media features including how to keep you and your staff safe online, sending your location to a contact using WhatsApp, how not to fall for Instagram phishbait, CEO fraud and freezing your Excel columns.
- [Hands On Our Best Bits! - Issue 1](https://hoit.uk/hands-on-best-bits/issue-1/) - Our very first Best Bits! Our pick of all our favourite stories and posts from our social medias. Celebrating our Office Manager's 20th year at HOIT (virtually), our cheeky valentine's lonely hearts ad searching for business! One of the best video call fails you'll ever see and how to insert emojis into almost anything ?.
- [Hands On Our Best Bits! - Issue 2](https://hoit.uk/hands-on-best-bits/issue-2/) - Best Bits! Issue 2 featuring the best keyboard shortcut you'll definitely want to know, why a little boy should have asked for more than 2 biscuits, a little refresher on Microsoft Teams and our advice for April Fool's Day!
- [Hands On Our Best Bits! - Issue 3](https://hoit.uk/hands-on-best-bits/issue-3/) - This month we talk all about Multi Factor Authentication (MFA) and why it is so important for individuals as well as businesses, a Microsoft Teams video on the benefits of using Shifts, a stark warning for all mice thinking of making a home inside a computer tower and how pressing Windows Key + V could save you so much time!

## Pages

- [Hands On IT Services](https://hoit.uk/) - IT Support for you and your business
- [Support](https://hoit.uk/support/) - Please click the following linked URL. Our support team is ready to help you with any questions or concerns you have. Support
- [HOIT Services](https://hoit.uk/hoit-services/)
- [Pdf Ebook view](https://hoit.uk/pdf-ebook-view/)
- [Pdf Newsletter view](https://hoit.uk/pdf-newsletter-view/)
- [Pdf Grid view](https://hoit.uk/pdf-grid-view/)
- [Pdf List view](https://hoit.uk/pdf-list-view/)
- [Oliver Tite](https://hoit.uk/oliver-tite/) - Job Title Systems Engineer Year Joined 2022 Typical Day Answering the phone and raising tickets, then speaking with customers to resolve issues. Best Software/App YouTube, always available with plenty of options. I enjoy watching football highlights and gaming videos. My First Computer I built my own custom gaming PC when I started college. Helpful for
- [Meet The Team](https://hoit.uk/meet-the-team/) - Back To About Us
- [Archived Articles](https://hoit.uk/archived-articles/) - Back to Latest News Back To Knowledge Zone
- [Latest News](https://hoit.uk/latest-news/) - Archived Articles Back To Knowledge Zone
- [Clients](https://hoit.uk/clients/) - Back To About Us
- [Ad Hoc Service](https://hoit.uk/ad-hoc-support/) - Suitable for those looking for help with a one-off support issue As our Ad Hoc support does not include our Service Level Agreement, the initial response you receive and on-going attention will completely depend on whether or not an engineer is available and doesn’t get called onto another job for a customer that has a
- [Break Fix Plan](https://hoit.uk/break-fix-plan/) - Professional IT Support whenever you need it Break Fix Support Contract This service is designed to provide a single point of contact for any IT related problems or IT project work so that in effect we can either become your complete IT department or a resource to use as and when required. In most situations
- [Fixed Fee Plan](https://hoit.uk/fixed-fee-plan/) - Complete peace of mind - your IT becomes our responsibility What the plan covers With a fixed fee service, you can outsource your IT support and maintenance knowing that whatever happens you are not going to be faced with any labour charges regardless of the problem you encounter, as all support is included. To make
- [Alison Smythe](https://hoit.uk/alison-smythe/) - Job Title Office Manager Year Joined 2015 Typical Day My day is extremely varied from invoicing customers, keeping track of orders, stock control and making sure that the day to day running of the office is kept smooth. Best Software/App Google still amazes me in the fact that you can search for absolutely everything. My
- [Artur Kielkiewicz](https://hoit.uk/artur-kielkiewicz/) - Job Title Systems Engineer Year Joined 2017 Typical Day Resolving issues over the phone, dealing with clients on-site and completing small IT deployments. Best Software/App A particular favourite of mine is e-books. I love the idea that I can access so many books with such ease and even read several pages before deciding whether to
- [Thank you...](https://hoit.uk/thanks/) - ... we will be in touch shortly. If your enquiry is urgent please call us on 020 8649 9911 or email us at sales@hoc.co.uk. If you are an existing customer and need support, you can open a ticket or start a remote support session from the list below: Raise a support ticket Start a remote
- [About Us](https://hoit.uk/about-us/) - Formed in 1995, we have over 25 year's experience supporting small and medium businesses, with their IT needs, in and around Carshalton and across South London and Surrey.
- [](https://hoit.uk/carshalton/) - Looking for local IT Support in Carshalton? Hands On have over 25 year’s experience supporting small to medium businesses with their IT needs, across South London and Surrey.
- [Security Solutions](https://hoit.uk/security-solutions/) - We provide antivirus and security solutions to our customers to protect their entire network We have thoroughly tested and recommend a number of different software providers. These include Webroot, TheEmailLaundry, Heimdal, Trend Micro and many more. Cyber Security Essentials and Plus The Government has worked with the Information Assurance for Small and Medium Enterprises (IASME) consortium and the Information Security
- [Disaster Prevention](https://hoit.uk/disaster-prevention/) - Don't lose your network Where to start? The starting point is to back up your data. The more robust your disaster prevention solution, the more quickly you can get back up and running. Without a disaster prevention plan to protect your server and other key PC’s within your business, you will be looking at 1
- [Thank you for submitting your IT details...](https://hoit.uk/thank-you-quote/) - ... we will review and send you an estimated quote asap. If your enquiry is urgent please call us on 020 8649 9911 or email us at sales@hoc.co.uk. If you are an existing customer and need support, you can open a ticket or start a remote support session from the list below: Raise a support
- [Ransomware](https://hoit.uk/ransomware/) - Also known as cryptoware, ransomware is a form of malware. The aim is to encrypt all your documents so that the only way you can regain access to them is by paying a ransom to get the passkey to decrypt your files. Ransomware and Cryptoware According to industry insiders; in the last year, 54% of
- [Heimdal Security](https://hoit.uk/heimdal-security/) - A unique traffic-based PC protection combined with an Enterprise scale patching system Antivirus looks or files and actions, whereas Heimdal looks at traffic. Therefore, Heimdal and antivirus work independently, but in tandem to protect your systems. Heimdal prevents hackers from taking data from your PC and moving it out of your network. Part of the
- [Microsoft Office 365](https://hoit.uk/office-365/) - The core business software for the majority of businesses Microsoft Office 365 provides document storage and management, a complete enterprise grade email solution (Microsoft Exchange) and the Office apps, both desktop and online versions. Cloud-based, Office 365 offers a number of different subscription packages for businesses of all sizes, with the higher levels including numerous
- [Company Register Details](https://hoit.uk/company-register-details/) - Registered Office Address Hands On Computers Limited, 73 Park Lane, Croydon, Surrey, CR0 1JG Registered Number 03019046 Registered In England And Wales Back To Home Page
- [Pioneer Computers Ltd <br>is now owned by Hands On IT Services](https://hoit.uk/pioneer/) - You can either call us on 020 8649 9911 or email info@hoc.co.uk or take a look at some of the services we offer below ⬇
- [A Mix Of Both Plans - Get Your Free Quote](https://hoit.uk/both-plans-quote/) - For those who are not quite sure what plan would suit them. Fill out our quick questionnaire and we'll create a quote for you.
- [Case Studies](https://hoit.uk/case-studies/) - Back To About Us
- [Knowledge Zone](https://hoit.uk/knowledge-zone/) - News articles, videos, Newsletters and FAQs We have a huge range of articles - updated weekly - giving the latest IT developments and advice PLUS our monthly newsletters as well as our 'how-to" videos.
- [FAQs](https://hoit.uk/faqs/) - Back To Knowledge Zone
- [Testimonials](https://hoit.uk/testimonials/) - Back To About Us
- [Videos](https://hoit.uk/videos/) - How-to videos Check out our very own Top Tech Tips or these Microsoft's how-to videos on Microsoft Excel, Microsoft Word, Microsoft Outlook and Microsoft Teams showing you time-saving tips and helpful hints . Or watch our celebratory video made to commemorate or 25th anniversary in business. Hands On IT's Top Tech Tips Microsoft Excel Microsoft
- [Rapid Action Packaging](https://hoit.uk/rapid-action-packaging/) - Our client Rapid Action Packaging (RAP) designs and manufactures packaging for the food and retail industry, providing solutions for high street names such as McDonald’s, KFC, Pret a Manger and Starbucks to name a few. With a head office in Wimbledon and a state of the art 24/7 manufacturing facility in Ireland there is a
- [Cyber Essentials Plus Certification](https://hoit.uk/cyber-essentials-plus-certification/) - Our client Our client is a public limited company established in 1996, with over 50 staff and a published turnover of £24.5 million. They have designed, built, financed and maintained the Lewisham extension to the DLR line. Currently, they operate this extension under a concession agreement with Transport for London. They operate a 24/7 office
- [Multi Factor Authentication / Two Factor Authentication](https://hoit.uk/multi-factor-authentication-two-factor-authentication/) - Our Client Our client is a privately owned, independent financial advisor who has built an excellent reputation over the last 9 years. The Clients' Challenge Our client received emails from one of their suppliers with an un-expected invoice. Everything looked legitimate and even the email address that it came from was correct. Being a financial
- [Get in touch](https://hoit.uk/get-in-touch/) - Choose your preferred way to contact us and we'll get in touch Send us a message Socials FacebookInstagramLinkedin Find us in Carshalton, Surrey Back To Contact Us
- [Existing Customer Support](https://hoit.uk/existing-customer-support/) - Back To Contact Us
- [Website Terms Of Use](https://hoit.uk/website-terms-of-use/) - Terms of use Access to and use of this site (‘domain’) is provided by Hands On Computers Limited, (t/a Hands On IT Services), subject to the following terms: By using www.hoit.uk you agree to be legally bound by these terms, which shall take effect immediately on your first use of www.hoit.uk. If you do not
- [Privacy Policy](https://hoit.uk/privacy-policy/) - Commitment to user privacy Hands On Computers Limited, (t/a Hands On IT Services) is committed to the online privacy of all of its users. This privacy policy statement is designed to give a clear explanation of Hands On Computers Limited, (t/a Hands On IT Services)data processing practices. If you have any questions or concerns relating
- [Cookies Policy](https://hoit.uk/cookies-policy/) - A cookie is a small file which asks permission to be placed onto your computer’s hard drive. Once you agree, the file is added and the cookie helps examine web traffic or lets you know when you visit a particular site. Essentially, cookies allow web applications to respond to you as an individual. The web
- [GDPR](https://hoit.uk/gdpr/) - Privacy Notice What is the purpose of this notice? To describe how we collect and use personal data about you in accordance with the General Data Protection Regulation. What we need Hands On Computers Ltd (t/a Hands On IT Services) will be what’s known as the “Controller” of the personal data you provide to us.
- [Tony Goodson](https://hoit.uk/tony-goodson/) - Job Title Operations Manager Year Joined 2000 Typical Day I am always trying to make sure Hands-On is running as well as it possibly can, with a smooth, efficient service that meets the expectations and needs of our customers. Best Software/App It would have been Spotify for ease of use, but I just cannot fault
- [Martin Briggs](https://hoit.uk/martin-briggs/) - Job Title Managing Director Year Joined Started company in 1995 Typical Day Working on the business: sales, looking after our customers and making sure that everyone at work is doing ok. Best Software/App Ableton Live which I use for writing and producing music plus Songbook by LinkeSoft which stores songs, chords and lyrics and allows
- [Hayley Goodson](https://hoit.uk/hayley-goodson/) - Job Title Marketing Year Joined 2016 Typical Day Keeping the website and our social media channels up to date. Best Software/App The Fitbit! I thought I was fairly active until it told me that I really wasn’t. It tells me when I’ve sat down for too long and encourages me to do a lot more
- [David Ssenyonjo](https://hoit.uk/david-ssenyonjo/) - Job Title Systems Engineer Year Joined 2014 Typical Day As a roving engineer, my days are rarely the same, I'm always ready to take on whatever the day has in store for me, planned or emergencies; be it on the road from client to client, or in the office with any issues at hand. Best
- [Andrew Cook](https://hoit.uk/andrew-cook/) - Job Title Engineering Manager Year Joined 2004 Typical Day Getting involved in the daily tickets and offering assistance to engineers where jobs/customers need to be handled in a particular way. Due to the range of different jobs that can arise, everyday does feel different. Best Software/App MSN Messenger – for me this is my first
- [IT Relocation](https://hoit.uk/it-relocation/) - Using experts to make sure your move is in safe hands, makes good business sense 4 great reasons to subcontract the IT relocation to Hands On IT 1. We know how to handle IT When you subcontract your IT relocation to us, we will create a project plan so you know what is to be
- [Wireless Connectivity](https://hoit.uk/wireless-connectivity/) - If, for whatever reason, installing traditional structured cabling is not possible, there are other alternatives to keep you connected WiFi WiFi has evolved over the years and the stated connection speeds have increased and will continue to increase going forwards. The main thing to consider here is that the stated connection speed is not necessarily
- [VoIP Telephony](https://hoit.uk/voip-telephony/) - There's a great number of advantages of using VoIP telephony over a standard phone system Benefits of using VoIP telephony Lower cost than a standard PBXPackages that include the majority of callsFlexibility - staff can take their number with them if they are working off-site and still be contactable in exactly the same way (including
- [Network Cabling](https://hoit.uk/network-cabling/) - We have the experience in installing and commissioning all sizes of network cabling projects Structured cabling Structured cabling provides a dedicated high data bandwidth cable for each individual network device. The main types of business cabling are Category 5e, CAT 6 and fibre. The main difference between the levels of structured cabling is the bandwidth
- [Computer Sales](https://hoit.uk/computer-sales/) - We can purchase and set up hardware for your network, servers, desktops, laptops and tablets On price alone, we won't even try to compete with online retailers. But, if you buy from us, we will set the machine up for you and offer a much higher level of service, as well as the protection and
- [Offsite Backup](https://hoit.uk/offsite-backup/) - One of the easiest ways to protect your data This is where you transfer a copy of your data over the internet to a storage server held at an other location. You data will not need any user intervention and can be easily managed and monitored. The cost of offsite back up has reduced over
- [Internet Continuity](https://hoit.uk/internet-continuity/) - Any loss of internet connectivity can be disastrous to a business There are very few companies that don't rely on their internet connection and for many it is their life blood, so any loss of connectivity is a disaster. A single internet connection means a single point of failure, and with most internet connections such
- [Disaster Prevention Plans](https://hoit.uk/disaster-prevention-plans/) - We are able to offer a range of managed disaster prevention and backup products to fit with the differing recovery time frames and budgets that our customers have. Hands On IT has invested a great deal of time and money into researching and testing various products on the market that can be used to decrease
- [VPN](https://hoit.uk/vpn/) - A Virtual Private Network is a secure tunnel between your device and the internet that protects youronline traffic from snooping, interference or censorship. When you connect to a VPN service, you are assigned a new IP address and your true IP address is hidden, keeping you anonymous online. Browsing and working from Wi-Fi hotspots such
- [PEN Testing](https://hoit.uk/pen-testing/) - Penetration Testing If you have a business where the loss of access to your network, or a particular software platform, would place your business in jeopardy, this test will be beneficial to you. Network vulnerability If you’ve read our sections on ransomware/cryptoware or anti-virus security, you may be feeling a little vulnerable about your network,
- [Security](https://hoit.uk/security-home/) - All the possible security solutions including antivirus, ransomware, malware, PEN-testing, VPNs and Heimdal Security
- [Thank You For Signing Up...](https://hoit.uk/thank-you-for-signing-up/)
- [Sign Up To Our Newsletters](https://hoit.uk/sign-up-to-our-newsletters/)
- [Hands On IT's Best Bits](https://hoit.uk/newsletters/)
- [What type of service do you need?](https://hoit.uk/what-type-of-service-do-you-need/)
- [The Break Fix Plan - Get Your Free Quote](https://hoit.uk/break-fix-quote/)
- [The Fixed Fee Plan - Get Your Free Quote](https://hoit.uk/fixed-fee-quote/)
- [Contact Us](https://hoit.uk/contact-us/)
- [Networking & Hardware](https://hoit.uk/networking-hardware/)
- [Disaster Prevention](https://hoit.uk/disaster-prevention-home/)
- [Our Services](https://hoit.uk/our-services/) - IT can be complex and time consuming, so we offer a wide range of services and solutions for companies of all sizes, covering most (if not all) eventualities.
- [IT Support Plans](https://hoit.uk/it-support-plans/) - Which one of our IT Support Plans is the right one for you?

## PDF Embed Viewer

- [ServiceCatalogue](https://hoit.uk/pdf-embed-viewer/servicecatalogue/)

## Slideshow

- [Half](https://hoit.uk/slider/half/)
- [Low](https://hoit.uk/slider/low/)
- [Empty](https://hoit.uk/slider/empty/)
- [Brim](https://hoit.uk/slider/brim/)

## Portfolio Items

- [Multi Factor Authentication / Two Factor Authentication](https://hoit.uk/project/multi-factor-authentication-two-factor-authentication/) - Our client Our client is a privately owned, independent financial advisor who has built an excellent reputation over the last 9 years. The Clients' Challenge Our client received emails from one of their suppliers with an un-expected invoice. Everything looked legitimate and even the email address that it came from was correct. Being a financial

## Categories

- [Office 365](https://hoit.uk/category/office_365/)
- [Two Factor Authentication](https://hoit.uk/category/two-factor-authentication/)
- [Multi Factor Authentication](https://hoit.uk/category/multi-factor-authentication/)
- [IT Security](https://hoit.uk/category/it_security/)
- [Cyber Security](https://hoit.uk/category/cyber-security/)
- [Cyber Essentials](https://hoit.uk/category/cyber_essentials/)
- [Hands On IT News](https://hoit.uk/category/hands_on_it_news/)
- [Hardware](https://hoit.uk/category/hardware/)
- [Software](https://hoit.uk/category/software/)
- [Disaster Prevention](https://hoit.uk/category/disaster_prevention/)
- [Working From Home](https://hoit.uk/category/working-from-home/)
- [Ransomware](https://hoit.uk/category/ransomware/)
- [Mobile Malware](https://hoit.uk/category/mobile-malware/)
- [Social Engineering](https://hoit.uk/category/social-engineering/)
- [Top Tips](https://hoit.uk/category/top-tips/)
- [GDPR](https://hoit.uk/category/gdpr/)
- [Hands On Best Bits](https://hoit.uk/category/hands-on-best-bits/)
- [WhatsApp](https://hoit.uk/category/whatsapp/)
- [Cryptocurrency](https://hoit.uk/category/cryptocurrency/)
- [Facebook](https://hoit.uk/category/facebook/)
- [Zoom](https://hoit.uk/category/zoom/)
- [Mobiles](https://hoit.uk/category/mobiles/)
- [WiFi](https://hoit.uk/category/wifi/)
- [Amazon](https://hoit.uk/category/amazon/)
- [Google Workspace](https://hoit.uk/category/google-workspace/)
- [New Tech](https://hoit.uk/category/new-tech/)
- [Apple](https://hoit.uk/category/apple/)
- [Gaming](https://hoit.uk/category/gaming/)
- [Google](https://hoit.uk/category/google/)
- [Tech Insight](https://hoit.uk/category/tech-insight/)
- [Excel](https://hoit.uk/category/excel/)
- [YouTube](https://hoit.uk/category/youtube/)
- [TikTok](https://hoit.uk/category/tiktok/)
- [Broadband](https://hoit.uk/category/broadband/)
- [Windows 11](https://hoit.uk/category/windows-11/)
- [Sustainability In Tech](https://hoit.uk/category/sustainability-in-tech/)
- [AI](https://hoit.uk/category/ai/)
- [PayPal](https://hoit.uk/category/paypal/)
- [LinkedIn](https://hoit.uk/category/linkedin/)
- [Discord](https://hoit.uk/category/discord/)
- [5G](https://hoit.uk/category/5g/)
- [Android](https://hoit.uk/category/android/)
- [Twitter](https://hoit.uk/category/twitter/)
- [Meta](https://hoit.uk/category/meta/)
- [Microsoft](https://hoit.uk/category/microsoft/)
- [Instagram](https://hoit.uk/category/instagram/)
- [ChatGPT](https://hoit.uk/category/chatgpt/)
- [Social Media](https://hoit.uk/category/social-media/)
- [Phishing](https://hoit.uk/category/phishing/)
- [Netflix](https://hoit.uk/category/netflix/)
- [Chatbot](https://hoit.uk/category/chatbot/)
- [Domains](https://hoit.uk/category/domains/)
- [Threads](https://hoit.uk/category/threads/)
- [Did You Know?](https://hoit.uk/category/did-you-know/)
- [Tech Trivia](https://hoit.uk/category/tech-trivia/)
- [Robotics](https://hoit.uk/category/robotics/)
- [Politics](https://hoit.uk/category/politics/)
- [fraud](https://hoit.uk/category/fraud/)
- [ecommerce](https://hoit.uk/category/ecommerce/)
- [Cyber Crime](https://hoit.uk/category/cyber-crime/)
- [ElectricVehical](https://hoit.uk/category/electricvehical/)
- [Finance](https://hoit.uk/category/finance/)
- [Facial Recognition](https://hoit.uk/category/facial-recognition/)
- [law](https://hoit.uk/category/law/)
- [Data Centres](https://hoit.uk/category/data-centres/)