All posts by Paul Stradling

News

Tech Insight : USB4 Version 2.0

Following the announcement by the USB Promoter Group of the imminent arrival of the new USB4® Version 2.0 connectivity standard, we look at what is, and what advantages it offers.

What Is USB4 Version 2.0? 

USB4® Version 2.0 specification (USB4 2.0) is the name for the newest Universal Serial Bus standard, which is the plug-and-play external interface used on computers and other digital devices to transfer data through a cable. USB4 is a new standard of connectivity, and as new standards and versions come along, the newest ones tend to have faster data transfer rates than the previous ones. When released, USB4 2.0 will be one of the fastest connectivity standards available, beating Thunderbolt 4.

This new Next generation USB standard follows on from USB 3.2 (SuperSpeed USB), which was introduced in February 2019, and marked a new level of data transfer speed reached for the standard at 20 Gigabits per second (Gbps), and 40 Gigabits per second (Gbps) using Intel’s Thunderbolt 3 port (later made available generic USB-C® ports).

How much of an improvement is USB4 2.0? 

The USB Promoter Group, the group of tech companies that develops the USB family of specifications, says that the USB4® Version 2.0 specification is “a major update” which will “enable up to 80 Gbps of data performance over the USB Type-C® cable and connector”. This will be a doubling of data transfer speeds over the existing standard.

The USB Promoter Group, which includes Apple Inc., Hewlett-Packard Inc., Intel Corporation, and Microsoft, also says that the USB Type-C ® and USB Power Delivery (USB PD) specifications will also be updated to enable this higher level of data performance.

Other improvements that the release of this new connectivity standard will bring include:

– Updates to data and display protocols to better use the increase in available bandwidth.

– USB data architecture updates that enable USB 3.2 data tunnelling to exceed 20 Gbps.

– Alignment with the latest versions of the DisplayPort and PCIe specifications.

– Backward compatibility with USB4 Version 1.0, USB 3.2, USB 2.0, and Thunderbolt™ 3. This means that the new standard can be used with existing USB cables rather than having to buy new ones, i.e. existing USB4 cables that can currently hit 40Gbps will be able to hit 80Gbps when the new standard is released.

– When performing two simultaneous tasks, USB4 2.0 can prioritise how much data to send to each, thereby minimising disruption for each task. For example, using USB4 2.0 for simultaneously supplying video to a monitor and saving files to an external drive will not adversely affect the video.

Criticism 

Although the promise of double the data transfer rate using your existing cables sometime in the near future is good news, some critics have questioned why there wasn’t simply a push for USB5 rather than a new version. Others have noted that the wait for new branding and marketing guidelines could mean that users may still need to be careful when buying USB-C cables, and that specific and often expensive cables have been required to take advantage of the features of the standard up until now, with the idea of a cheap, standard, single connector still seemingly a long way off.

What Does This Mean For Your Business? 

A doubling of data transfer speeds over USB Type-C® cable and connectors, without the need to buy new cables to get the new speed is likely to be very good news, particularly for developers at whom the update is targeted at this time. Also, as the USB Promoter Group’s Chairman, Brad Saunders, points out: “Solutions seeing the most benefit from this speed enhancement include higher performance displays, storage, and USB-based hubs and docks.” Although the news of the impending introduction of USB4 2.0 has been generally well received, it has been noted by some that a lag before branding and marketing guidelines catch up could mean that consumers need to be careful when buying USB-C cables, and that the ease and conveniences of being able to buy cheap standard cables and connectors are still a way off.

News

Tech News : Ofcom To Investigate Competition In Cloud Services

UK communications regulator Ofcom has announced that it will soon be launching a market study under the Enterprise Act 2002 into competition in the UK’s cloud sector and its ‘hyperscalers’.

What Is The Enterprise Act 2002? 

The Enterprise Act 2002, which came into force on 20 June 2003, reformed competition, and consumer law enforcement in the UK to empower consumers, and to give competition authorities, e.g. the Office of Fair Trading (the OFT) a stronger role in ensuring that markets work well.

What Are ‘Hyperscalers’ And What’s The Issue? 

‘Hyperscalers’ is the term given to the three companies which collectively generate the vast majority of revenues – around 81 per cent – in the UK public cloud infrastructure services market, namely Amazon Web Services (AWS), Microsoft, and Google.

It could be argued that with cloud services now an essential part of how products are delivered to telecoms users (and viewers and listeners of TV, radio, and audio content), with those users not able to manage the services themselves, and with those services apparently dominated by just 3 big players, consumer choice may be limited. Also, other consequences for businesses and consumers of a cloud market dominated by just a few big players could include higher prices, lower service quality, and reduced innovation.

Market Study 

Ofcom’s impending market study will, therefore, examine the causes of why the £15bn public cloud infrastructure services market may not currently be working well in the interests of consumers.

Looking At What? 

Ofcom says its study will look at:

– How the market is working today and how it’s expected to develop in the future. Ofcom’s study is also intended to identify any potential competition concerns early to prevent them becoming embedded as the market matures and will invite views from interested or affected parties.

– Following the investigation, Ofcom says it will consult on its interim findings and publish a final report within 12 months.

What If The Market’s Found Not To Be Working Well For Consumers? 

If the investigation finds that the market is not working well for consumers, steps Ofcom may take include:

– Recommendations to government to change regulations or policy;

– Take competition or consumer enforcement action;

– Make a market investigation reference to the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA);

– Accept undertakings in lieu of making a market investigation reference.

WhatsApp, Zoom and Smart Speakers In Ofcom’s Sights Too

Ofcom says that, over the next year, it will also examining other digital markets, including online personal communication apps and devices for accessing audio-visual content.

Areas of interest will be, for example:

– How services like WhatsApp, FaceTime, and Zoom are affecting the role of traditional calling and messaging.

– How competition and innovation in these markets could evolve over the coming years.

– Trying to understand whether any limitations on their ability to interact with each other raises potential concerns.

What Does This Mean For Your Business? 

It’s unlikely to come as a surprise to Amazon (AWS), Microsoft, and Google, who, between them, generate around 81 per cent of UK public cloud infrastructure services market revenues that a market competition study was on the cards soon. The study and its findings, however, are going to take at least a year so there’s no threat to the dominance of the ‘hyperscalers’ in the very near future. If it’s decided at the end of the study that action needs to be taken by Ofcom, this could be good news for business customers in terms of greater choice, lower prices, and perhaps better, more innovative services. It could also be good news for smaller players too, who may be struggling to compete against the dominance of the hyperscalers at the moment. The meteoric rise, particularly over pandemic lockdowns, and fast market share gain of apps like Zoom, plus the apparent dominance of big players like Amazon in the smart speaker market also mean that an investigation of these apps and services is also no surprise and probably overdue. This could be good news for other smart speaker and chat/comms apps makers as well as more traditional calling and messaging service operators, and, of course, consumers who may benefit from greater choice.

News

Tech News : WhatsApp Fights Iran Ban

Following a move by the Iranian government to restrict access to Meta’s WhatsApp, the company has said in a tweet that it “will do anything” within its technical ability to keep its service up and running for Iranian users.

What Happened? 

After protests which followed the death of a woman, 22-year-old Mahsa Amini, in police custody in Tehran, residents and internet watchdog NetBlocks reported that Iran had curbed access to two of the last remaining social networks in the country, Meta ‘s Instagram and WhatsApp.

Nation-Scale Loss of Connectivity

NetBlocks , the watchdog organisation, founded in 2017, that monitors cybersecurity and the governance of the internet reported that following the protests there had been a “nation-scale loss of connectivity” on Iran’s main mobile telephone provider and another company’s network. Reports also indicate that:

– WhatsApp’s servers have been disrupted on multiple internet providers.

– Instagram’s services were blocked.

– Internet services were disrupted in Tehran (texts could be sent but not pictures), and more severely disrupted in parts of Kurdistan province in west Iran.

WhatsApp Says… 

WhatsApp tweeted about the disruption to its service saying: “We exist to connect the world privately. We stand with the rights of people to access private messaging. We are not blocking Iranian numbers. We are working to keep our Iranian friends connected and will do anything within our technical capacity to keep our service up and running.” 

Iran Says… 

There were conflicting messages between Iran’s minister of communications Issa Zarepour, who was first quoted as saying that restrictions to the internet could be applied “for security reasons.” This, however, was corrected by Iran’ ISNA news agency which used a different quote with no mention of security to say that there had been some temporary restrictions in some places, which had been resolved.

Happened Before 

It’s not the first time that Internet restrictions have followed protests in Iran. For example, in 2019, following protests, the Internet in Iran was shut down for about a week.

In Many Countries 

As shown on the NetBlocks website, it is often the case that in many countries, where there are anti-government protest or conflict, internet services and access to communications apps are restricted. For example, TikTok is reported to be restricted in Azerbaijan and Armenia on multiple internet providers amid clashes between the two countries over the Nagorno-Karabakh region, and YouTube was recently disrupted on multiple internet providers in Pakistan as former Prime Minister Imran Khan attempted to make a live broadcast to the public (despite a ban).

WhatsApp is banned / blocked in many countries around the world including Dubai and The UAE, China, North Korea, Qatar, Turkey, and Syria.

What Does This Mean For Your Business? 

In the UK and other democracies, citizens are used to certain freedoms, especially where the Internet and communications apps are concerned and any attempt to restrict open communication is met with scrutiny by rights organisations and media outlets, e.g. Amber Rudd’s push to get backdoor access to WhatsApp following the London terrorist attacks in 2017. In many other countries, however, restricting Internet access (thereby restricting access to information which could be used against governments) is seen as a legitimate response by certain governments and regimes. In addition to effects on the freedom of citizens, disruptions to Internet services affect all users, including businesses. Reports from Russia (which has tested its own complete switch-off from the wider Internet), a huge country which is dependent on online services, indicate that since its invasion of Ukraine, .ru domains have only been online intermittently, and Russians have discovered that it is now difficult to pay for private networking apps since Visa and Mastercard have pulled out. The Internet and the Web have transformed the sharing of information, global trade, and business, but inequalities exist around the world in terms of how comfortable governments are with the free flow of information, and how prepared they are to stifle that flow.

News

Sustainability In Tech : Fracking Up

With the UK’s ban on fracking for shale gas in England that has been in place since 2019 now formally lifted, we look at the technology involved and how fracking fits in with the idea of sustainability.

What Is Fracking? 

Fracking is the term for drilling into geologically complex layers of rock, and pumping a mixture of pressurised water, sand, and chemicals at a shale rock layer to release the oil and gas inside.

Why Was It Banned? 

Fracking in the UK was banned after the industry regulator, the Oil and Gas Authority (OGA), said it was not possible to predict the magnitude of the earthquakes it might trigger. For example, back in 2018, the British Geological Survey reported that 120 seismic events (earth tremors) were detected during the drilling for fracking at Cuadrilla’s site at New Preston Road in Blackpool.

There were also concerns that the chemicals used in fracking could find their way into and contaminate the water supply.

Why Is It Back On? 

After New Prime Minister Liz Truss said earlier this month that fracking would be allowed, and Business and Energy Secretary Jacob Rees-Mogg said that in the light of the oil and gas problems resulting from Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, all domestic sources of energy needed to be explored, the ban on Fracking in Britain has been lifted.

What Technology Does Fracking Use? 

Although early experiments took place in the 1940s, the modern method for fracking is reported to have been developed by an oil company worker who was trying to turn around the failing fortunes of an area with natural gas wells called Barnett Shale in Texas back in 1995. There are many different types of possible fracturing technologies that could be used but hydraulic fracturing technology is the main one.

Since fracking involves drilling a long way down into the earth to somewhere that is not visible, geological knowledge and computer models are used in fracking. Back in 2019, for example, the UK government conducted a review of software used by the oil and gas industry to model hydraulic fracturing, to help the Environment Agency to understand what the computer models did, how they operated, and what information they could give to help assess environmental risk at individual sites.

At the time, seven modelling packages were identified as the most common, each with different levels of sophistication, and each providing different results. It was concluded that the capacity to simulate any effects of induced fractures on existing fracture networks was important, and that a reliance on hydraulic fracturing simulators alone as proof of compliance was not feasible, especially in new areas of exploration. The review suggested that techniques such like geophysical monitoring would help to confirm simulations.

How Sustainable Is Fracking?

Back in 2018, research from The University of Manchester looked at the environmental, economic, and social sustainability of shale gas in the UK and compared it to other electricity generating options such as coal, nuclear, natural gas, liquefied natural gas (LNG), solar photovoltaics (PV), wind, hydro and biomass. The study concluded that fracking is one of least sustainable options for producing electricity, any future electricity mix would be more sustainable if it had a lower rather than a higher share of shale gas, and that huge improvements would be needed for shale gas to be considered as sustainable options like wind and solar PV.

Also, campaigners opposing fracking say that, given that shale gas is a fossil fuel, and global warming is a major issue, energy firms and governments may be better investing renewable and green sources of energy.

What Does This Mean For Your Organisations? 

There are differing theories and opinions about how much gas could actually be obtained from fracking. Even the new Chancellor of the Exchequer, Kwasi Kwarteng, was recently reminded of something he was quoted as saying back in March 2022 (when he was business secretary):  “No amount of shale gas from wells across rural England would be enough to lower European price any time soon.”  Prime Minister Truss has said recently that developers will be only given permission “where there is local support”, but there is likely to be considerable opposition from campaigners and protesters wherever fracking resumes. Organisations of all kinds now face the challenge of higher energy bills, and the country also faces supply challenges caused by Russia’s war against Ukraine. Some commentators don’t’ believe that fracking in the UK will be enough to bring down energy bills significantly unless the government can agree a price with the fracking companies. It remains to be seen how fracking in Britain proceeds from here, but with much opposition, it is likely to be a bumpy ride.

News

Security Stop-Press : Beware Energy Bills Scam

Energy regulator Ofgem is warning consumers to beware of scam email messages claiming to offer discounts on energy bills. The phishing scam messages invite recipients to apply for the £400 “non-repayable discount” by following a link to a fake Ofgem phishing website to provide personal details and set up a direct debit to receive the money.

The advice is to be vigilant, avoid clicking on links or downloading attachments from suspicious emails, and to report any such emails to Action Fraud and forward them to The National Cyber Security Centre at report@phishing.gov.uk.

News

Tech Tip – Putting A List In Alphabetical Order By Surname In Microsoft Word

If you’re using Microsoft Word and you need to put a list in alphabetical order based on the second word in each list entry, e.g. by surname in a list of names, here’s how:

– Highlight the text list.

– Click on the A-Z button in the top menu (Home > Sort), and ‘Options’ (bottom left list).

– Select ‘Other,’ delete and any characters in there, press the spacebar (moving the cursor one space to the right), and click on ‘OK.’

– In the dropdown ‘Sort by’ menu, select ‘Word2’, and click on ‘OK’.

– The list will now be re-arranged into alphabetical order for the second word / surname.

News

Tech News : Nearly Half of Employees Use Risky Login Practices

A new study by 1Password has revealed that almost half of employees put their companies at risk by using risky online habits to avoid difficulties logging in and out of apps at work.

Taking Risks With Company Security 

The study, by passwords manager maker 1Password which surveyed 2,000 US workers, found that 44 per cent said that the hassles of trying to log in and out of work apps has a negative effect on their mood or their productivity. Also, 43 per cent of those surveyed said that in order to avoid these negative effects, they resort to using “dangerous online behaviours” such as sharing login details (password sharing), offloading tasks to others, or abandoning certain tasks altogether to circumvent complicated login procedures.

Cumbersome Passwords + Authentication More Than An “Annoyance” 

The survey found that having to remember cumbersome passwords or spend time going through authentication procedures is much more than an annoyance to employees. For example, 41 per cent of respondents said having to remember multiple logins heightens stress levels and strains mental health.

Other Issues 

Also, more than one-third of respondents said that the onboarding process at their current job was time-consuming, confusing or challenging when it came to logging into work-related accounts, causing them to fall behind in their work. One-fifth of respondents said that complex login challenges have stopped them from accessing employee-provided benefits designed to reduce workplace stress, and caused them to skip open enrolment, forgo requesting time off, and miss employer-provided perks and discount marketplaces.

Do Complex Logins Harm Productivity? 

1Password says the survey results show that, instead of enhancing company performance, complex login processes can achieve the opposite by putting companies at risk and harming productivity.

The survey also shows, for example, that login complications have led to employees giving up on conducting a work task, missing more than 10 hours of meetings per year, and procrastinating, delegating, or skipping setting up new work security apps because of burdensome login processes.

What Does This Mean For Your Business? 

Although the survey was carried out by a company that makes a password manager, it does make some valid points relating to how current authentication and verification methods, plus the need to use complex passwords, all add time and extra hassle to daily work. The CEO of 1Password also makes the point that human-centric security that’s as easy to use can make life easier at work. Security, however, is an extremely important issue, particularly with remote and hybrid working patterns, and aspects of the report such as workers engaging in “dangerous” behaviours to avoid the stress of complex logins, e.g. password sharing, is worrying. Based on the findings of this survey, businesses need to look at whether their own login procedures and authentication achieve the right balance of providing security while enhancing productivity and workflow. Businesses also need to minimise the opportunities for circumventing security-based procedures and remind staff of the reasons for and benefits of what may appear to be complex login systems.

News

Tech News : Record €4 Billion Fine For Google Upheld

Google has been given the largest ever anti-trust fine of 4.125 billion euros from the EU, following an unsuccessful appeal.

What Was The Anti-Trust Issue? 

The European Commission (EC) originally fined Google in 2018 for breaching its anti-trust laws by forcing Android phone-makers to install the Google search and web browser apps in order to access the Google Play Store. The EC said that Google had abused its dominant position by imposing anticompetitive contractual restrictions on manufacturers of mobile devices and on mobile network operators, in some cases since 1 January 2011 (the EC’s action against Google in relation to Android started on 15 April 2015).

The fine imposed at the time was €4.343 billion on Google, the largest fine ever imposed by a competition authority in Europe.

Google Says… 

Following its unsuccessful appeal, Google said of the decision to uphold the original ruling (with a slightly reduced but still substantial fine) “We are disappointed that the Court did not annul the decision in full. Android has created more choice for everyone, not less, and supports thousands of successful businesses in Europe and around the world.” 

Restrictions To Strengthen Google’s Dominant Position 

In short, the EC fined Google for three types of restriction which it said were designed to “protect and strengthen Google’s dominant position in relation to general search services and, therefore, the revenue obtained by Google through search advertisements.”  The EU’s General Court ruled that the common objective and the interdependence of the restrictions were the reason why it had classified them as single and continuous infringement of Article 102 TFEU and Article 54 of the Agreement on the European Economic Area (EEA).

What Restrictions? 

The three types of antitrust restrictions that led to Google being fined were:

  1. Those contained in ‘distribution agreements’ requiring manufacturers of mobile devices to pre-install the general search (Google Search) and (Chrome) browser apps in order to be able to obtain a licence from Google to use its app store (Play Store);
  2. Those contained in ‘anti-fragmentation agreements’, under which the operating licences necessary for the pre-installation of the Google Search and Play Store apps could be obtained by mobile device manufacturers only if they undertook not to sell devices running versions of the Android operating system not approved by Google;
  3. Those contained in ‘revenue share agreements’, under which the grant of a share of Google’s advertising revenue to the manufacturers of mobile devices and the mobile network operators depended on them not pre-installing a competing general search service on devices.

Appeal 

Google appealed against the decision, but the EU’s General Court largely confirmed the EC’s decision to fine Google. However, it decided to reduce the fine from €4.343 billion to €4.125 billion due to “its reasoning differing in certain respects from that of the Commission”. 

Other Antitrust Cases 

This is not the only antitrust lawsuit that Google has faced or is facing currently. For example:

– In July last year, an antitrust lawsuit by 37 US states over allegations relating to how it may be abusing its position of power in relation to Android app distribution and competition. This related to Google allegedly using its market monopoly power as the main Android app distributor through its Play Store to charge 30 percent fees for in-app purchases (the same as Apple, Amazon, and Microsoft XBox) from developers.

– In November last year, the EU’s General Court upheld a €2.42 billion penalty imposed on Google (and its parent company Alphabet) dating back to 2017 for competition abuses relating to Google’s product comparison search service ‘Google Shopping’.

What Does This Mean For Your Business? 

Google has now suffered some painful defeats over some of its competitive practices, and this latest defeat does not bode well for Google or other big tech companies with the Digital Markets Act (DMA) competition rules due to come into force next year. There appears to be general agreement among many commentators that the European Commission got it right with this latest decision because allowing phone manufacturers to open their devices to competition in search and other services could benefit consumers by giving them greater choice. The ruling may also help smaller competitors by allowing them to inter-operate with the dominant company’s services, promote their offers, and make contracts with their customers beyond the gatekeeper’s platform. This latest ruling could also be unwelcome news for Apple in terms of strengthening the EU’s antitrust watchdog in its investigations of Apple’s practices in the music streaming market, which the regulator says Apple currently dominates.

News

Featured Article : Queen’s Coffin Aboard Most Tracked Flight Ever

Aviation tracker website Flightradar24 has reported that the RAF plane flight carrying Queen Elizabeth II’s coffin from Edinburgh to London on September 13 was the most-tracked flight ever.

Tracked By 5 Million

It was reported that 5 million people tracked the RAF flight, which beats the previous record of 2.9 million people who tracked the recent flight to Taiwan of US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.

76.2 Million Requests 

Sweden-based Flightradar24 reported in blog post that 4.79 million people viewed the flight of the aircraft containing the Queen’s coffin from Edinburgh to RAF Northolt near London across Flightradar24 web and mobile app services. Although 5 million people were able to track the flight, an unprecedented 6 million people actually attempted to click on the flight, and a total of 76.2 million requests relating to this flight were processed by Flightradar24. These ‘requests’ were actions such as a user clicking on the flight icon, clicking on the aircraft information in the left side box, or adjusting settings.

A further 296,000 are reported to have followed the flight via YouTube live stream.

Flight24 reports that “Queen Elizabeth II’s final flight from Edinburgh to RAF Northolt, is by far the all-time most tracked flight on Flightradar24 and will likely remain at the top for a long while”. 

What Are Flight Trackers And Why Use Them? 

Flight trackers / plane trackers are websites and apps that track flights, aircraft (overhead or anywhere in the world) and airport activity, in real-time, often using software. These tracker apps can, for example, help travellers and those picking up travellers after a flight to know whether a flight has landed or is on schedule.

As highlighted by Ian Petchenik, the head of communications for Flightradar24, part of the appeal of using flight trackers is “You get to participate in history in real time. If the newspaper is the first draft of history, then this is the pre-write.”

Other reported ways that flight trackers have been/are used include:

– Tracking flights around Ukraine during Russia’s invasion.

– Tracking flights in the US evacuation from Afghanistan.

– Dedicated sports fans using flight trackers to try and discover what flight their favourite player is on around the time of the transfer deadline day.

How do they work? 

Aircraft carry open-standard technology called Automatic Dependent Surveillance–Broadcast (ADS-B) transponders. An aircraft transponder is a small device that receives and sends radio signals. These transmit information such as the aircraft ID, GPS position, and altitude as radio signals to anyone with a receiver. The radio signals are collected by civilian ADS-B receivers located in the vicinity / within radio range of the aircraft. This data is then sent to a central server which aggregates feeds from numerous individual receivers throughout the world. In the case of Flightradar24, which reported that the Queen’s final flight was the most-tracked ever, it combines and aggregates data together from several different data sources including ADS-B, MLAT and radar data.

How Accurate Are Flight Trackers? 

Although flight trackers are generally very accurate for long flights, they can be up to about 100 km (55 miles) off or some transponders can generate errors which can present jagged or impossible-looking flightpaths in some cases.

Could They Pose A Danger To Flight Security? 

It is unlikely that flight trackers create any additional risks for passenger flights, e.g. the risk of terrorist or military attack because, for example:

– They only provide an aggregated report of the present and historical position of the flight, not an accurate future position

– Even if passenger flight positions could be tracked accurately from the ground by potential attackers, passenger flights when cruising are high above the range of the most advanced ground-based military equipment.

– Flight trackers don’t provide more information that keen plane spotters could gather.

– Terrorists would, in theory, not be influenced or deterred anyway by trackers if they wanted to board a flight, but aircraft security has been boosted significantly worldwide since 9/11.

– Some express concern, online, however, that flight trackers which show all types of flights, commercial, private, or secret, could potentially pose some risk, although some commentators online report that many military flights don’t show up on trackers.

Many people agree, however, that the beneficial information that flight trackers provide to their millions of users outweigh the perceived risks.

Many Different Flight Trackers 

Flight24 is, of course, not the only flight tracking app available. Other popular flight trackers include:

– Flightstats

– FlightAware

– Planefinder

– The Flight Tracker

– Planes Live

– Flight Board (app – see Google Play)

What Does This Mean For Your Business? 

With passenger air travel now largely fully-resinstated since the pandemic, with recent highly publicised historic flights (Nancy Pelosi to Taiwan and the Queen’s coffin from Edinburgh), plus with the conflict in Ukraine, flight tracking apps and websites are seeing huge interest and growing numbers of users. In addition to their practical uses for air travellers and those picking them up at their destination, flight trackers offer a unique and interesting insight to users, allowing them a birds-eye view of worldwide activity and potentially historic or secret events. As such, users can ‘experience’ and tap into thrill-seeking as well as providing special (perhaps novel) information to those who want to share and discuss it on social media and be seen to be informed. In the case of tracking the flight of the Queen’s coffin, flight trackers provided continuity of a compelling, unfolding, historic, and emotional event, providing an extra insight that linked up with other media coverage to provide a feeling of participation and sharing in a rare, nationally, and culturally important and significant event.

News

Tech Insight : What Is OnlyFans?

In this insight, we look at what OnlyFans is, its features and benefits, and alternative platforms that offer similar services.

What Is It? 

Launched in 2016, London-based OnlyFans is a subscription-based content hosting and sharing platform which has around 150 million registered users (according to its founder – although other estimates vary), and more than 1.5 million content creators. The platform offers a way for content-producers to monetise their content and hosts videos and photos from a wide range of influencers covering a wide range of subjects. Those offering subscriptions to their customers via the platform pay 20 percent of their earnings to OnlyFans.

Bolt-On To Your Existing Social Media 

The founder of OnlyFans, Timothy Stokely, describes the platform as “Uber is a bolt-on to your car just as OnlyFans is a bolt-on to your existing social media.” 

OnlyFans says its platform “is designed to optimise creator engagement” and that when a creator posts, “over 60 percent of their fans see and interact with the content” and “over 80 percent of direct messages sent by creators are seen and opened”. 

Porn Origins 

Although the platform now has a wide variety of users, it first gained notoriety for pornographic content, e.g. charging monthly subscriptions for access to videos and photos, and content posted by sex workers monetising their services online.

Back in August 2021, following pressure from banks and payment processors, OnlyFans announced that from October 2021 there would be a ban on adult material from its website, although some nudity would be allowed. A company spokesperson said on Twitter “In order to ensure the long-term sustainability of the platform, and to continue to host an inclusive community of creators and fans, we must evolve our content guidelines.” However, only days later (and after reaching an agreement with its payment processors), OnlyFans reversed the decision to ban adult material following a backlash from its sex-worker customers.

Other Businesses 

Despite its use by those in the porn/sex industry, and its reported ownership by US-based online pornography veteran Leonid Radvinsky (cited on the platform as Fenix International Limited), the platform is also used by a wide variety of businesses and influencers in other industries, e.g. fitness, food, make-up, acting, sport, music, and more.

Features 

Some of the tools and features that content creators can use to engage their audiences, manage their campaigns, and earn money through OnlyFans include:

– The ability to track clicks and subscribers, plus a stats page.

– Co-streaming, i.e. reaching a new fanbase by collaborating and co-streaming with another creator through the platform.

– Live streaming through ‘Go Live,’ which includes the automatic uploading of a video at the end of the streaming so users can watch the video on-demand.

– Using lists to target specific groups for messaging, promotions, and co-stream requests.

– Sending Pay Per View messages.

– Conducting polls and creating quizzes.

– Social media and Spotify integration.

Benefits of Using OnlyFans 

Some of the key benefits of your business using OnlyFans could be:

– A source of income (particularly for those working at home).

– Relative freedom in terms of what types of content can be posted, i.e. few strict rules.

– Enhancing existing social media efforts.

– Reaching (and engaging) wider, and perhaps new audiences.

– Ease of management.

Alternatives / Competitors 

There are many other alternatives / competitors to the OnlyFans platform, such as:

– FanCentro

– Fanvue

– Cameo

– Loyalfans

– MYM (Meet Your Model)

– Fansly

– IFans

– Okfans (formerly FanPage).

What Does This Mean For Your Business? 

Video and live streaming can be very engaging and OnlyFans offers a way for businesses and individuals to enhance existing social media activities and engage and earn an income from audiences online. This has made it particularly popular in recent years with influencers and those working from home, and it works particularly well for those in professions where visual and experiential aspects of services/products are valued and have a particular influence over purchasing (and continued subscription) decisions. Many users say that OnlyFans accounts are easy to manage and operate. There are, of course (as mentioned in this tech-insight) many other alternatives to OnlyFans which offer similar services.