This Week in Tech - February 4 2022

In a week where the news and internet were dominated by the announcement of the second coming of the messiah, Rihanna and Asap Rocky’s baby, let’s have a gander at some of the tech news that may have flown under your radar. 

Less Facebook Users

Big tech’s profit announcements this week have seen share prices slump across the board, with Facebook having a rather rough time of it. The daily active users of the social media platform dropped for the first time in its history, contributing to its share price dropping by 20%, representing a $200 billion loss in stock market value.

Other major factors include Facebook’s lack of appeal to younger audiences, the target market for rising social media platforms like Tik Tok. I imagine Zuckerberg’s having some sleepless nights at the moment, relentlessly tossing and turning in his virtual meta-verse bed.

KP Snacks Attack

Purveyor of salty confectionary KP Snacks has fallen victim to a ransomware attack, leaving Britain with a potential shortage of crisps. Hula Hoops, McCoy’s and Tyrrells crisps, Butterkist, Skips, Nik Naks and KP Nuts are all thought to be possibly impacted.

Walkers were similarly targeted in October last year. Why hackers have decided to target our beloved savoury snacks I do not know, but they clearly love hitting us where it hurts the most. If I start to notice a reduction in pork scratchings at my pub I might cry.

Cloud and Carbon Emissions

Everyone’s favourite tech forecaster Gartner has released a report this week, estimating that by 2025 the carbon emissions of hyperscaler cloud services will be one of the top three criteria for those exploring the cloud market. I’m not exactly sure how they’ve managed to arrive at such a definitive prediction, but I do hope they’re right.