Technical Difficulties message on a black keyboard

The 10 biggest internet outages of 2022

For the last decade the Downdetector site has been providing data on the real-time status and outages of online services.

Ookla, the company behind Downdetector, has released information on the largest outages seen in 2022. While nothing surpassed the biggest outage ever seen, experienced by Meta on October 4, 2021, there have been some significant ones this year.

By Ian Barker -
Shopping cart key

Poor website experience makes 60 percent of consumers abandon a purchase

A new survey of 6,000 online shoppers in the US and EU finds that many websites are causing problems for eCommerce companies due to poor design.

The study from Storyblok shows that 42 percent say they decide whether to stay on or leave a website within 10 seconds -- 20 percent within five seconds -- while 60 percent have abandons a purchase because of poor website experience.

By Ian Barker -
Shark hidden threat

Unsafe on any site -- over three-quarters of Americans admit to risky online behavior

A new report finds that 78 percent of Americans indulge in risky online behaviors that open them up to cyber threats, such as reusing or sharing passwords, skipping software updates and more -- a 14 percent increase from just two years ago.

The Xfinity Cyber Health Report from Comcast combines data from a new consumer survey of 1,000 US adults, conducted by Wakefield Research, with national threat data collected by Xfinity's xFi Advanced Security platform.

By Ian Barker -
Web development and coding. Cross platform development website. Adaptive layout internet page or web interface on screen laptop, tablet and phone. Isometric concept illustration.

Why cross-platform capability is vital to the future of development [Q&A]

Increasingly consumers and businesses alike are relying on portable devices, and that means it's important that apps are available across several different systems.

We spoke to Jerome Laban, CTO of Uno Platform -- which allows Microsoft developers, using traditional C# and XAML, to take their apps to iOS, Android, Mac, Linux, and the web -- to find out more about cross-platform development and how it can future-proof applications.

By Ian Barker -
Thumbs up for salad, thumbs down for burger

Google is making Chrome far less greedy

With 2023 just around the corner, thoughts may well be turning to New Year's resolutions -- and that certainly seems to be the case for Chrome. Just as many people use the arrival of a new year as a reason to go on a diet, so Google is making its web browser less greedy.

Chrome has earned itself something of a reputation for being incredibly resource-hungry, and Google is now ready to address what amounts to a serious problem for many people. What does this mean in practice? Google is reducing Chrome memory and power consumption thanks to Energy Saver and Memory Saver.

By Sofia Elizabella Wyciślik-Wilson -
Broken Google logo

Google Search on the desktop gains (almost) endless scrolling

Google's search engine may be the go-to tool for millions of daily users looking to track down information online, but there has long been room for improvement. As anyone who has conducted a search that returned a huge number of results will know, clicking through page after page of suggestions can be time consuming.

Now Google has come up with a solution. Having delivered continuous scrolling to mobile users last year, the company has now brought the time-saving feature to the desktop. While not quite endless / infinite scrolling, you can now whizz through more results without the need to manually move to the next page.

By Sofia Elizabella Wyciślik-Wilson -
Secure encrypted internet - https

Balancing the risks and benefits of an online presence [Q&A]

The widespread use of digital platforms allows businesses to expand, but at the same time a growing internet presence can put organizations at risk in ways they cannot plan for.

We talked to Censys' data scientist, Emily Austin about the company's recent State of the Internet report and about how businesses can proactively fight against unknown domains and risks.

By Ian Barker -
Technology center with fiber optic equipment

Why services from big telcos aren't keeping up with business needs [Q&A]

The needs of enterprises have changed radically in recent years. The COVID-19 pandemic and the move towards remote and hybrid workplaces, as well as a move towards more online commerce have all brought more dependence on the internet and communications.

Matt Carter, CEO of Aryaka, believes that the giants of the telecommunications industry, 'Big Telco', have failed to keep up with these trends. We spoke to him to find out why and what needs to change.

By Ian Barker -
eCommerce

Online sellers remain optimistic despite looming recession

A new study shows that online sellers remain optimistic about the current eCommerce market despite consumers cost of living concerns and an impending recession.

The research, from eCommerce helpdesk specialist eDesk and based on a survey of over 200 online sellers in the US, shows that 53 percent of sellers expect to see an increase in online shopping over the next six months.

By Ian Barker -
Mechanism for Internet security broken

A fundamental mechanism that secures the internet has been broken

Resource Public Key Infrastructure -- or RPKI -as it's better known -- is a security framework that is designed to prevent cybercriminals or rogue states from diverting internet traffic.

National research center for Cybersecurity ATHENE says it has found a way to easily bypass this security mechanism, and in a way that means affected network operators are unable to notice.

By Wayne Williams -
Shock horror

A third of people fall victim to cyberattacks despite training

A new study of 3,000 individuals across the US, UK and Canada finds that although 58 percent of tech users that had access to cybersecurity training or education say they are better at recognizing phishing messages and related attacks, 34 percent still fell victim to at least one type of cybercrime.

The research from The National Cybersecurity Alliance and CybSafe shows that of more than 1,700 incidents of cybercrime that were disclosed by participants, 36 percent were phishing attacks that led to a loss of money or data, while 24 percent report falling victim to identity theft.

By Ian Barker -
QEII

Queen Elizabeth II -- a life packed with technological change

As you've probably learned elsewhere already, Queen Elizabeth II died yesterday at the age of 96 after an extraordinarily long reign.

For anyone under the age of 70 she has been the constant center of life in the UK, a relic of an earlier era, perhaps, but she's also lived through an age of huge and rapid technological advances.

By Ian Barker -
fibre broadband

Western Europe dominates broadband speed tables

Western European countries take seven of the top ten fastest spots in the world for broadband, with Macau, Taiwan and Japan the only locations elsewhere to make it into the top ten fastest in the world.

The five places with the fastest internet in the world are: Macau (262.74Mbps), the Channel Island of Jersey (256.59Mbps), Iceland (216.56Mbps), Liechtenstein (166.22Mbps) and Gibraltar (159.90Mbps).

By Ian Barker -
Cruise_Ship

YouTube TV let me watch New York Mets games from the middle of the Atlantic Ocean while on a Royal Caribbean cruise

With COVID-19 pretty much over now, I decided to take my first vacation since the pandemic started (I am vaccinated and double-boosted). And so, I booked a Royal Caribbean cruise to Bermuda (Enchantment of the Seas) that left from Baltimore. I returned from that vacation this week -- the trip was quite lovely, as is typical with Royal Caribbean.

Believe it or not, this was my 10th Royal Caribbean cruise! Normally, I would use it as an opportunity to unplug from the internet and relax offline. This time, however, things were a bit different. You see, I adopted a chihuahua from a shelter a few years back, and I wanted to keep an eye on her by way of Wi-Fi cameras. She's a great dog, but very scared and skittish -- I needed to know she was OK at all times.

By Brian Fagioli -
old_man_keyboard

Over 65s feel excluded by online brands

New research from customer engagement platform Twilio shows older consumers are being left behind when businesses digitize their customer facing operations.

Although consumers over 65 hold significant digital shopping power, with 76 percent relying on online shopping in the UK, only 12 percent say they feel understood by brands they interact with digitally.

By Ian Barker -
Load More Articles