Latest news with #LivMcMahon
BBC News
24-06-2025
- BBC News
What in the World Help! My friend won't stop using AI
Whether you're struggling to write an email, planning a holiday, or wondering what to cook for dinner: increasingly more and more of us are turning to AI for the answer. But some experts have raised concerns that people are becoming too reliant on the new technology - and that this will have implications for how we learn and communicate with each other offline. So what's the best way to use AI, and what alternatives are out there? Our BBC Tech reporter, Liv McMahon, debunks some of the myths around AI chat bots and talks us through what you should consider when using them regularly. And Antonio Weiss, an AI & Digital Expert, shares his top tips for how to get the most out of your AI chatbot. Instagram: @bbcwhatintheworld Email: whatintheworld@ WhatsApp: +44 330 12 33 22 6 Presenter: Hannah Gelbart Producers: Benita Barden, Emily Horler and Chelsea Coates Editor: Verity Wilde
Business Mayor
07-05-2025
- Business
- Business Mayor
Delivery delays and empty shelves at Co-op after cyber attack
Liv McMahon & Tom Gerken Technology reporters BBC The retailer has also been experiencing payment problems Some Co-op stores have been left with empty shelves as the major cyber attack the retailer is battling disrupts deliveries of fresh stock. Stores are open and trading, however some were only able to accept cash payments on Monday and Tuesday – something the firm says is now resolved. The disruption comes after the company admitted to the BBC on Friday the attack on its systems had resulted in 'significant' amounts of customer data being stolen. A Co-op spokesperson told the BBC deliveries to its stores were impacted by the 'sustained malicious attempts by hackers to access our systems'. 'We are working around the clock to reduce disruption and resume deliveries,' they said. This article contains content provided by Twitter. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read and before accepting. To view this content choose 'accept and continue'. 'Some of our stores might not have all of their usual products available, and we would like to say sorry to our members and customers if this is the case in their local store,' they said. Cyber criminals behind the attack claim to have the private information of 20 million people who signed up to Co-op's membership scheme, but the firm has not confirmed that number. The company said in April it had seen 22% growth in its active membership base to reach 6.2 million-member owners in 2024. Read More How long until a robot is doing your dishes? It has told customers visiting its website that it believes only members' personal data such as names, contact details and dates of birth – not bank details, transaction information, or passwords – have been extracted. Payment problems Shirine Khoury-Haq, chief executive of the Co-operative Group, apologised for the breach in a message to customers on Monday. 'This is obviously extremely distressing for our colleagues and members, and I am very sorry this happened,' she said. 'We recognise the importance of data protection and take our obligations to you and our regulators seriously, particularly as a member-owned organisation.' The attack on the Co-op was revealed only days after Marks and Spencer said it had been targeted by ransomware. It suspended online orders and took down several services as it struggled to respond to the incident. Meanwhile, Harrods said on Thursday it had been hit by attempted attacks from hackers. The National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) has warned that criminals launching cyber attacks at British retailers are impersonating IT help desks to break into organisations. READ SOURCE
Yahoo
31-01-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Barclays hit by major IT outage on tax deadline day
Barclays bank has confirmed it is experiencing IT problems which it says is affecting its app, online banking and payments in and out of accounts. The bank says it is also unable to provide help via telephone or its "Message us" service. It says cards and cash machines can be used as normal - though some customers have said this is not their experience. The outage is occurring on what is pay day for many people in the UK, and the deadline for self-assessment tax returns. Barclays has not explained the cause of the IT problems, or how many people are affected. It has apologised and says it is "working hard to fix the issue". Customers replying to Barclays' announcement about the outage on social media are reporting a series of problems. One said their card had been declined despite them having funds, while others have reported money going missing during transactions. One customer said that that her January wages "had disappeared". Many have expressed anger at the bank for failing to resolve the situation. Friday is the deadline for self-assessment tax returns, and some customers have said the outage has left them unable to make payments to HMRC. Earlier, HMRC warned that millions of people have still not filed their self-assessment tax returns and those who miss the deadline of midnight could be fined £100. Customers have asked on social media whether the bank will cover any fines resulting from late tax payments. Website downdetector, which monitors outages, says thousands of people have flagged problems at the bank. Barclays is one of the UK's largest banks, with over 20 million UK retail customers. It says it processes over 40% of the UK's credit and debit card transactions. BBC News has contacted Barclays and HMRC for comment. It is not the first time banking app customers have been left unable to access funds or make payments. PayPal suffered a brief but notable outage in November that impacted customers globally across a number of its products, including its cryptocurrency services and popular US peer-to-peer payment app, Venmo. IT outage exposes fragility of tech infrastructure Thousands of UK bank customers were affected by payment problems with some of the biggest lenders in June last year, with banks including HSBC, Nationwide, Barclays and Virgin Money all impacted by issues with a system that facilitates payments between individuals and companies. Some cash-strapped customers continued to feel the effects of the issue for days afterwards. During last July's major global IT outage, several UK retailers were unable to take card payments and IT services were unable to access payroll after an erroneous update by antivirus company CrowdStrike affected systems worldwide. Additional reporting by Liv McMahon Sign in to access your portfolio
