FT / Hannah Kulcher New forms of data analytics are responding to the changing political climate, and politics itself is changing to accommodate big data. Obama’s win in 2012 marks a turning point in the use of big data, the rejection of oversimplified demographic analysis, as “Latinos” or “high-earners”, makes way for the use of new tools that can help politicians appeal to very specific groups of voters in different ways. The idea o... read more

The Guardian / Carrie Rentschler The culture of online violence is widespread, a majority of respondents (73%) to a recent study have witnessed acts of harassment, and a concerning number (25%) have witnessed criminal acts, such as someone being physically threatened. The growing number of online harassment cases represents a disturbing pattern, but beyond this is the equally worrying trend; standing by without challenging those perpetrating the acts of violence. Too often we ... read more

The Guardian / Henry Barnes Drones have caught the public imagination like never before. If its news of celebrities being chased by them or in mainstream Hollywood blockbusters (not to mention countless independent films or artworks by the likes of James Bridle, George Barber, or Omar Fast), the image of the drone has overshadowed our cultural imaginary. The opening sequence of the frankly racist and inflammatory Gerard Butler vehicle London Has ... read more

FT / Murad Ahmed 2015 was a boom year for cyber security start-ups, but this started to come to an end in 2016. It is a very precarious investment area right now. Could this be due to the general downturn facing the tech industries? Or to a souring attitude towards the cyber defence sector? This seems odd given the increase of high profile hacks of major companies – JP Morgan Chase, Target, TalkTalk, FiatCrysler am... read more