A huge number of popular websites have been knocked offline this morning due to a massive outage. Sites like Reddit, Twitch, PayPal, Spotify, BBC and others have been impacted due to a CDN fault. Fastly, a Content Delivery Network service that manages traffic for some of the most visited sites …
Read More »Twitch expands its anti-harassment measures; includes off site offences
The invention of the internet has allowed for many great things. Unfortunately, the anonymity afforded to users thanks to the internet can also be used for less than positive purposes. Twitch has taken measures in the past to prevent harassment on its platform, but the live streaming site has now …
Read More »Researchers hit 44.2 terabits per second over standard fibre
The Internet is growing at an exponential rate, and with such growth comes the need for faster speeds. To meet that need, researchers work hard on finding faster ways of transmitting data from one point to another. Now, a team based in Australia report that they have reached a speed of …
Read More »Netflix to reduce streaming quality in Europe to reduce strain on ISPs
The coronavirus outbreak has disrupted the daily lives of pretty much everyone, with a lot of people now self-isolating and spending more time inside at home. As a result, online services have seen big spikes in users, causing additional strain on ISPs. As a result, the EU is calling on …
Read More »The new Microsoft Edge browser is out of preview and available to download now
Just over a year ago, Microsoft announced that it would be rebuilding its Edge web browser based on the Chromium open source project. The goal of this project was to improve compatibility and to create a partnership with the Chromium community to improve the Chromium engine itself. Microsoft has stuck …
Read More »Playing Stadia for one minute at 1080p uses over 100MB
Google’s new streaming platform ‘Stadia’ finally arrived yesterday, after having suffered many controversies on the path to its release. The streaming-only service was criticised due to its lackluster launch line-up, its overpromising of features, only to delay some of them until an indeterminate period, and Google’s inability to fulfil its …
Read More »Internet Trouble? Here’s How to Find the Source of the Problem
In most places in the world, ISPs are the gatekeepers to the wider internet. If their systems are having issues, users suffer. If they choose to restrict or block access to certain sites and services, there's little choice but to accept it without a VPN. When they have disagreements over …
Read More »EFF’s full page ad begs tech firms to secure before Trump
The Electronic Frontier Foundation is worried about the state of privacy and net neutrality online, but it's really worried about it once Donald Trump comes to power in January next year. To try and get the jump on that, it's taken out a full page advert in Wired magazine to …
Read More »BT internet outage hits customers and PlusNet users
An outage somewhere in BT's monstrous network has seen thousands of people unable to make it online this morning, also delivering the knock-on effect of having a similar problem with PlusNet users, who also reside on BT's network. Although the ISP has been attempting to fix the problem since early …
Read More »Local churches could bolster wireless internet speeds
Considering everyone from professional sportsmen and women, to TV fraudsters call upon the lord to help them with their task at hand, perhaps asking for aid with rural internet speeds isn't such a bad thing. Churches around the UK could soon begin bolstering local wireless performance by utilising their spires …
Read More »Sky to introduce internet watershed for all new customers
Taking the initiative following the British government's interest in bringing forward the Investigatory Powers Bill, Sky has announced that it will be introducing its filtering system automatically for all new customers (it won't even ask first) and will even go so far as to instigate a watershed-like system. Before 9PM, …
Read More »Mozilla releases A-Frame making VR web developing easy
As much as the idea of walking around websites, rather than interacting with them on a 2D display might seem like a relic from a '90s future-tech story (anyone remember Net Force?) it's actually something that some are already experimenting with. It's hard though, so Mozilla has developed a technique …
Read More »Online racists shamed with billboard screengrabs
We're not blowing anyone's minds when we say that some people can be dicks online. Racism, sexism, homophobia – often the internet feels like it brings out the worst in people, even if there are many pieces of evidence to counter that point. Still, Brazil is looking to change people's …
Read More »5Gbps broadband is landing in the UK- for a price
The UK isn't exactly known for its blazing fast internet speeds, with average household broadband speeds sitting at 10.7Mbps. However, one company is planning on blowing the UK away with its own 5Gbps broadband service, though it will cost you quite a bit to get it. Right now, the 5Gbps …
Read More »Virgin puts Wi-Fi in Buckinghamshire pavement
Although rural areas are gradually getting access to 3G and 4G services, coverage outside of cities and large townships still isn't great. One solution that Virgin is trying out in the small market-town of Chesham, Buckinghamshire, is what it's calling “smart pavements.” It involves the creation of public Wi-Fi stations …
Read More »EU legislation could cripple UK porn filters
British porn filtering on an opt-out basis has been a bit of a bugbear for us here at KitGuru and many of you have voiced similar sentiment in our comment threads. Fortunately then there is a chance that their very existence could be put in jeopardy by a new piece …
Read More »China’s new digital security laws could increase censorship
A new draft law being considered by Chinese parliament could increase the censorship of its internet even more, making information harder for average citizens – without the knowledge of proxies – to access. It's raising concerns among international businesses operating in the region too, as they would need to comply …
Read More »Pirate Bay was worth prison time, claims founder
Since they haven't had any real involvement with the site for many years, it's no surprise that most of the founders of the torrent search site, The Pirate Bay, don't feel as if they have much of a tie to it anymore. However, recently released from his 10 month stint …
Read More »Your internet is probably slower than it should be
Does your broadband operate at anything close to the speed stated by your ISP? According to a new report, as many as three quarters of households in the UK are faced with internet download rates that are slower than the one advertised by their provider for their particular package. Worse yet, …
Read More »Virgin America to add surround sound to in-flight movies
It wasn't that long ago that a long haul flight with a built in headrest TV was quite the luxury. Being able to choose your own film watching schedule during those many hours in a fart filled tube was a real treat, but today with smartphones and tablets with HD …
Read More »Kim Dotcom wants to crowd fund a new ‘MegaNet’ internet
Kim Dotcom is a doer rather than a talker, having launched a new file locker, music service and political party since having his fortunes confiscated and his freedom threatened in a raid on his home in January 2012. However one project that he has merely talked about to date, is …
Read More »Space X set to launch thousands of satellites to offer internet access
Elon Musk and his space faring company, Space X, have announced many different plans and projects over the past couple of years, but one of the most intriguing was the idea to put several hundred miniature satellites into orbit, to create a global, wireless internet network. While often dismissed it …
Read More »UK Mobile internet could speed up after Qualcomm sale
Semiconducter manufacturer, Qualcomm, is set to put a portion of the radio spectrum up for sale in the UK, with mobile operators expected to compete for it in a bidding war. The “L-Band,” as it's termed by the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, is part of the 1-2Ghz radio …
Read More »Facebook expands Internet.org to all developers amid concerns
Although the Facebook backed project, Internet.org, was initially slated as a method for those in under-developed technological areas to access ‘the internet,' it drew a lot of criticism for limiting those people's access to certain websites. This prompted many people to suggest that Facebook was hampering the push for net …
Read More »Obama critical over Chinese net security terrorism laws
US President Barack Obama has criticised Chinese plans to implement new anti-terror laws which would see all tech firms doing business in the country forced to hand over encryption keys and to provide back doors in software to allow the military to gain digital access to whatever they want. While …
Read More »The Internet as we know it does not exist in Cuba. Yet.
U.S. trade embargoes have meant that, as the internet as we know it began to take shape, Cuba was left behind. With no access to the Internet at all until 1996 and only very limited, slow and censored access at present, things are about to change in a big way for the …
Read More »Alleged Expendables 3 leakers arrested
Earlier this year saw a massive leak hit the internet. No, it wasn't a pre-release game, or another Edward Snowden revelation, but the latest Sylvester Stallone movie, The Expendables 3. The reason this was such a big deal however, wasn't just because a movie leaked, that happens all the time, but …
Read More »10,000 Hungarians protest internet tax
We reported last week that the Hungarian government had announced a new tax set to be brought into effect in 2015, that would see individuals and corporations taxed by the gigabyte they used. No measly sum either, but around £0.40 per GB. Due to public upheaval it later added a …
Read More »Update: Hungary may start taxing the internet by the GB
Update: And just like that, the government has relented. After pressure from the press and public, it's now announced that while the tax will still be implemented, there will be a cap on it. For individuals, no one will have to pay more than 700 forints (£1.8), while businesses will …
Read More »South Korea is getting 10Gbps fibre soon
Since I don't live in any of the recently upgraded areas, I'm still drumming my fingers on a regular basis while we wait for fibre to the cabinet to be implemented here, but even I know I'm lucky compared to some with my 16Mbps connection. Over in South Korea though, …
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