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We reported just over a week ago that fake ads promoting cryptocurrency scams were using the names of leading UK business figures.

Now one of those whose names has been featured, consumer advice expert Martin Lewis, is suing Facebook for defamation over the use of his face and name.

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I began writing the print version of this rag in September, 1987. Ronald Reagan was President, almost nobody carried a mobile phone, Bill Gates was worth $1.25 billion, and there was no Internet in the sense we know it today because Al Gore had yet to "invent" it. My point here is that a lot can change in 30+ years and one such change that is my main topic is that, thanks to the GDPR, the Internet is no longer American. We’ve lost control. It’s permanent and probably for the best.

Before readers start attacking, let’s first deal with the issue of Al Gore and the Internet. What Gore actually said to Wolf Blitzer on CNN in March, 1999 was "During my service in the United States Congress, I took the initiative in creating the Internet." And he did. In 1986-1991 Gore sponsored various bills to both expand and speed-up what had been the ARPAnet and allow commercial activity on the network.

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For 2018, I decided to take stock in my finances to see exactly where my money is going each month. I found many ways to cut costs, such as making my own lunch instead of buying something from a deli each day. In New York, a sandwich, bag of chips, and a Snapple can easily run you $13! Food aside, there was one thing in particular that was really destroying my budget -- cable.

When I say cable, I am referring to the traditional "triple play" service, where you get television, internet, and phone. For this, I was paying over $200 a month! This was without any premium channels -- no HBO, Starz, or Showtime. The most ridiculous part? I was being charged monthly rental fees for the cable boxes and modem. Well, enough was enough. Thanks to YouTube TV, I "cut the cord" and I couldn't be happier.

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Windows 10 Spring Creators Update will probably actually be released with a different name: Windows 10 April Update. Users who have installed build 17134 -- believed to be the RTM build -- have spotted a reference to the new name in Microsoft Edge post installation.

This is not the first time this name has been suggested. Less than a week ago a Microsoft video emerged that made reference to Windows 10 April 2018 Update, and the new discovery in Edge would only seem to offer further proof.

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The cryptocurrency exchange Coinbase has closed the account of the WikiLeaks Shop -- the official source of WikiLeaks merchandise -- citing violations of its terms of services.

WikiLeaks is not happy about this and is calling for a "global blockade" of Coinbase in protest, saying the exchange is an "unfit member of the crypto community". The WikiLeaks Shop has itself not been closed, and it is still able to accept Bitcoin payments -- just not via Coinbase.

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Many people like the idea of learning to code, but -- like learning a foreign language -- it can be hard to know where to start. With free and paid-for options to choose from, and a wide range of techniques, what's the best way to get started?

If you've been thinking about learning JavaScript, Google may have the answer for you. The company has launched Grasshopper, a free coding app for iPhone and Android that teach through a series of puzzle games.

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If you have a 13-inch MacBook Pro without a Touch Bar, you could be eligible for a free battery replacement. Apple has discovered that a "limited number" of laptops have a problem that causes the battery to expand.

The company has launched a free battery replacement program, and anyone who bought their MacBook Pro between October 2016 and October 2017 is invited to submit their machine's serial number to see if they qualify.

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Its software is already banned from US government computers, and now Kaspersky Lab's advertisements have been banned from Twitter. The Russian security firm has been hit with an ad ban for "using a business model that inherently conflicts with acceptable Twitter Ads business practices".

Eugene Kaspersky has responded angrily in an open letter in which the company CEO says that even if Twitter reverses its decision, his company will not advertise on the platform, opting instead to donate the money to the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) to fund the fight against online censorship.

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Photo-sharing site SmugMug -- used by consumers and professionals alike -- has agreed to acquire Flickr from Yahoo-owner Oath. The deal will see Flickr continuing to operate as a separate entity.

The aim is to create what's described as "the world's best home for photography", building on Flickr's existing 100 million-strong userbase. But what does the acquisition mean for Flickr users, and what does it mean for SmugMug's customers?

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The concept of printing out your photos and putting them in an album is pretty much dead. Yeah, some folks probably still do this, but thanks to smartphones, tablets, and smart televisions, there is no reason to do so. There are much better ways to share and enjoy your precious memories these days. In other words, the digitization of photos has created a superior experience.

But OK, it can be fun to print out photos at a party or family get-together, where the images are essentially disposable -- kind of like a Polaroid. After all, not everything is worthy of framing. Today, Canon launches a new portable printer called "IVY Mini" that can do exactly that.

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When we think about Huawei, laptops aren't the first things that cross our mind. The company's presence in this market is limited to a handful of models, though the lineup is slowly growing.

The MagicBook, which is introduced under its Honor brand, is Huawei's latest entry in the laptop scene, featuring some pretty attractive specs, like 8th-generation Intel Core i7 and Core i5 processors and dedicated Nvidia graphics in a 15-inch body.

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Details of a security flaw in Windows 10 S have been revealed by Google's Project Zero after Microsoft failed to issue a patch within the 90-day disclosure deadline.

The "WLDP CLSID policy .NET COM Instantiation UMCI Bypass" vulnerability is described as being of medium severity, and it allows for the execution of arbitrary code on systems with Device Guard enabled.

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Earlier in the week, the US Department of Commerce banned American companies from selling hardware and software to Chinese firm ZTE. The company is understandably unhappy with the US move, and has issued a statement to express its disgust.

The US ban was implemented for -- the US says -- a violation of previous sanctions. ZTE says these allegations are simply not true, and has lashed out at the 'unfair' and 'unacceptable' action.

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I recently spent an amazing fortnight in South Korea. For a tech enthusiast such as myself, it was a no brainer that at some point I would visit Samsung d’light, a three storied exhibition space in the lower portion of one of the company’s massive buildings in Seocho-Gu, Seoul.

Here you can try out different products, including VR, and see what Samsung is working on. It's a glimpse of the future.

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Following the Cambridge Analytica scandal, the spotlight of privacy has been firmly on Facebook. The social network has made numerous promises about offering greater privacy controls to users, and after fears that Europe would end up with greater controls because of GDPR, Facebook then revealed similar tools will be rolled out around the world.

Just a few days ago, the company gave a little more information about these new privacy controls, boasting that it will soon be "offering new privacy protections to everyone, no matter where you live". Sounds great. But it's not -- strictly speaking -- true. And Facebook is being very sneaky once again.

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