The 7 biggest tech stories of 2016
Mobile editor Roop Gill looks back at some of the year’s most captivating technology news.
In our UK office, we love tech as much as our readers. Pokemon tales, gadget reviews and product rumours make our little nerdy hearts flutter.
Naturally, here are the biggest tech stories that had us excited, amazed, or otherwise interested this year.
Fake news
One of the biggest news stories of the year was fake news.
No, Pope Francis didn’t endorse Donald Trump. No, Hillary Clinton didn’t sell weapons to Isis, and neither did she conduct Satanic child abuse rituals in a pizza restaurant. Kurt Cobain also didn’t predict the Trump victory.
These fake stories outperformed real news on Facebook in the lead up to the US presidential election.
Fake news had a detrimental effect on mainstream media, and everyone pointed the finger at Facebook.
Mark Zuckerberg said the claim that Facebook hoaxes could have influenced the election was absurd. But various pieces of data showed otherwise.
Apple v the FBI
Arguably, the most important thing Apple did this year wasn’t a product launch, but taking a stand against the FBI.
If you need a refresher, here’s what went down:
Tl;dr — Apple refused to help the FBI access a phone used by one of the San Bernardino shooters, an attack that left 14 people dead. Apple said breaking into this phone would create a permanent way to bypass iPhone passwords: a massive blow to digital security worldwide.
In the end, the FBI backed down.
Pokemon Go
Unless you’ve been living under a rock all year, you know about Pokemon Go. If you aren’t a fan yourself, you’ve heard stories of people catching Pokemon at their office desks, in bathrooms and hospital rooms, and even in the Norwegian parliament.
You can’t see the backside of 2016 without having crossed paths with Pokemon.
This game became a global phenomenon, gaining more popularity than Tinder and Twitter.
One teenage girl found a dead body looking for Pokemon. Police in Missouri claimed that four suspected robbers lured in victims with a chance of catching Pokemon Go. The game has also resulted in a car accident, multiple thefts, an attempted murder and an actual murder.
The success of Pokemon Go has opened a world of opportunity for augmented reality.
Hacking gets even worse
Large-scale hacks have become relatively common in recent years, but 2016 was was especially worrisome. Cyber security took a hit in 2016 with two of the biggest DDoS attacks in history.
OurMine, a hacker group, successfully broke into the accounts of major public figures, including Mark Zuckerberg and Jack Dorsey. A computer network used by Hillary Clinton’s campaign was hacked by what US officials think can be Russian hackers. Donald Trump’s organisation were also hit again and again.
There were so many hacks and data breaches last year, that this point deserves it’s own listicle.
If 2016 is any indication, the future of cyber security looks bleak. Make it a new year’s resolution to regularly change passwords.
Death of Vine
Twitter has had a tough year. Donald Trump may have made Twitter relevant again, but the company has been in the market for a buyer. Except, no one wants to buy Twitter.
In a surprise — but not completely unrelated — move, Twitter killed off Vine, it’s hugely popular video loop service. Founded in 2012 and acquired by Twitter soon after, Vine helped create influential videos and digital superstars. It’s surprising end sent shockwaves through social media.
In memoriam:
Facebook Live videos open to all
Even though Facebook was late to the party, it made quite an appearance in the live streaming space. What was once a feature only available to public personalities and celebrities, was opened to all FB users.
It quickly became a powerful tool for real-time reporting and capturing sporting events, and even insurgencies.
But the biggest gift from Facebook Live was this:
Uber expansion
In 2016, Uber became more than a just a ride-sharing company.
It launched a food delivery service, made its self-driving cars a reality, unveiled a plan for on-demand air travel, and continued its expansion all whilst fighting legal battles around the world, including in London.
Uber was top of the class in 2016 when it came to technology companies, and it doesn’t planning on slowing down next year either.
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And that was it, folks. Fake news, legal battles, beginning and ending of tech phenomenon. Those were the biggest tech stories of 2016.
No other major tech stories flew past our radar.
Nope. Nothing else. 🙄
