By the London technology team
Are IP addresses personal data?
The Court of Justice of the European Union is set to rule on whether an IP address is ‘personal data’ or not. The case is crucial, as IP addresses are logged and stored for a variety of reasons, and if it is ruled as personal data, every website may have to ask for permission, in the same way that cookies currently have to, to store information.
The case was referred up by the German Federal Court, after campaigner Patrick Breyer argued that his IP address is linked to personal information. If the ruling succeeds, this could have a significant impact on website operators and the Data Protection Regulation currently crawling its way through Europe.
Loek Essers covered it for Computerworld UK.
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Microsoft and Nintendo announce new health devices
Wearable health tech has jumped to the forefront of the tech media’s attention this week following the unveiling of the Microsoft Band and the announcement by Nintendo of a device that will track a user’s level of fatigue through sleep monitoring.
The Microsoft Band has already been described by Wired’s Christina Bonnington as the ‘perfect rival to the Apple Watch’. Meanwhile, relatively few details of the Nintendo device have been revealed. It is clear from these and Apple’s announcements in recent weeks that wearable health tech is an area well worth watching.
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Google Ventures come to Europe
Google’s investment arm, Google Ventures (GV) has come to Europe. GV, launched in 2009 has invested some $1.5bn dollars in around 250 US tech businesses including Uber, Flatiron Health, Homejoy, Cloudera and DocuSign. As stated publicly, GV provide funding “to the best companies — not strategic investments for Google”.
The decision to head quarter in London reflects the quality of the talent pool on offer and is a strong vote of confidence for the capital’s tech credentials.
In an interview with @OscarWGrut for the Independent, Bill Maris, GV founder, revealed the surprisingly straightforward instructions issued to his team, “First thing: don’t lose money; next, let’s try to make some money.” This maxim highlights where GV differs from competing venture funds that are typically subject to pressurising investment deadlines. However, GV Europe has yet to make an investment…watch this space.
