Scandal-hit political analysis firm Cambridge Analytica is declaring bankruptcy and shutting down. The company, which worked on the Brexit campaign, sustained severe criticism after harvesting data from millions of Facebook profiles to target users with personalised adverts. The move comes in the wake of rising legal costs in the Facebook investigation and the loss of clients following revelations about the firm in March.

Skype ban could soon be lifted in UAE

Free online calling services like Skype and FaceTime are banned in the UAE under the country’s Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) policy, but that could be about to change.

The UAE’s Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (TRA) is reportedly in talks with Microsoft and Apple to look at the possibility of lifting restrictions on the services.

TRA director general Hamad Obaid Al Mansoori told an Arabic newspaper Al Ittihad that discussions around the issue were ongoing. He emphasised the need to maintain strong ties with the tech giants as they continue to expand in the UAE.

“Microsoft has launched for the first time two data centres in the UAE and that cover the entire Middle East,” he said.

Car’s window to help blind passengers 'feel' the view outside

Ford is developing a new smart car window to let blind passengers experience the passing landscape. A prototype, called Feel the View, uses high-contrast photos to reproduce scenery using LED lights. Passengers can touch the display to feel different shades of grey vibrate at different intensities.

Ford's team in Italy and GTB Roma designed the prototype with Aedo, a local start-up that creates devices for people with visual impairments. In addition to the window displays, the smart car also features a voice assistant that uses artificial intelligence to describe the scenery outside the window.