Latest Tech Headlines

All the headlines from our Tech Topic Page, ordered by recency.

Tech Firms Warn of Growing Cyber Risks: From Medical Devices to Sex Toys

Mar 17 2016 // It’s not just computers and mobile phones that are vulnerable to cyber attack, according to software firm Trend Micro. As more devices are hooked up to the internet, it could be anything from medical equipment to...

IronPro Enhances Cyber, Tech Products in Canada

Mar 17 2016 // IronPro, Ironshore’s financial and professional lines unit, is introducing a suite of enhanced cyber and Technology E&O products customized for the Canadian marketplace. IronPro’s cyber and tech products...

Regulations Create Roadblock for Automated Cars Without Human Controls

Mar 14 2016 // Existing U.S. laws pose few barriers to adoption of autonomous vehicle technology so long as cars and trucks stick with existing designs allowing humans to take control, the agency overseeing traffic safety said...

U.K. Eyes Requiring Drones to Fit Anti-Collision Technology for Aviation Safety

Mar 10 2016 // Britain is considering whether civilian drones will have to be fitted with technology intended to prevent collisions with airplanes after a series of near-misses around airports. “The U.K. government and the Civil...

‘Cool’ Austin Icy Toward Uber, Airbnb, Bristling Tech Sector

Mar 9 2016 // Austin, Texas, boasts a reputation as one of most cutting-edge cities in the U.S, but new local regulations on ride-hailing apps such as Uber and rental sites such as Airbnb are stirring discontent in the tech sector,...

The Hartford, Olympians to Advocate ‘Death of Disability’ at SXSW

Mar 7 2016 // New research has placed a spotlight on a gap between what Americans say about themselves and what they think about others when it comes to disability in the workplace and sports. According to the research by The Hartford,...

Piecing Together Homeowners Coverage

Mar 7 2016 // The homeowners insurance line, not often thought of as a bastion of change, is actually quietly evolving beyond the traditional “one-size-fits-all” business. Some of the puzzle pieces that make up homeowners...

Allstate Moving 400 Tech Jobs to Chicago

Mar 3 2016 // Insurance company Allstate has announced plans to open an innovation hub with 400 employees at Chicago’s Merchandise Mart. The Northbrook-based company announced that the 45,000-square-foot office space will house...

Self-Driving Car Developers Betting on Senior Citizen Market

Mar 2 2016 // Florence Swanson has lived through every American car from the Ford Model T to the Tesla Model S. Now, at 94, she has stepped into what Google hopes will be the automotive future: self-driving vehicles. After her painting...

Software Provider Vertafore Acquires Canada’s Keal Technology

Feb 29 2016 // Vertafore, the Bothell, Wash.-based insurance software provider, announced the acquisition of Keal Technology, a leading provider of broker and commercial management systems in Canada. The move extends Vertafore’s...

Startup Lemonade Bets Behavioral Science Can Help Insurance Not Suck

Feb 24 2016 // A company that openly berates the current insurance industry as one that sucks believes that adding behavioral science to the mix will help fix it. The New York-based startup Lemonade, which is promising to be a...

Insurance Industry Analyzes Google’s Failed Online Insurance Experiment

Feb 23 2016 // The insurance industry had a lot to say about what Google did wrong a day after the search engine giant said it would be pulling the plug on its year-long Google Compare experiment selling auto insurance online. Many...

Technology’s Full Potential

Feb 22 2016 // Technology has transformed how we operate in almost every facet of our life. It has changed the face of business for every industry. Insurance is no different. Yet, as I look within our industry I see a problem. I see...

Law Enforcement, Private Firms Look to Evolving Drone Defense Industry for Protection

Feb 18 2016 // The drone intruder was roaming around the Rose Bowl Stadium as 94,000 fans cheered, oblivious to the threat. But scientists testing a new security device at the game knew: they detected its radio signals and seized control...

Should Google’s Parent Buy AIG?

Feb 16 2016 // It’s an “audacious” idea, and Citigroup Inc. acknowledges as much. Google’s parent, Alphabet Inc., should buy American International Group Inc. to expand into financial services, and turn the...

CEO Exits As Tech Startup Broker Zenefits Confronts Culture, Compliance Bugs

Feb 9 2016 // Zenefits, a software startup valued at $4.5 billion, said on Monday it had replaced founder and Chief Executive Parker Conrad and appointed a new leader for the troubled tech company. David Sacks, a former executive at...

Chicago’s Metra Rail to Miss 2018 Rail Safety Technology Deadline

Feb 5 2016 // The Metra commuter railroad will miss a 2018 deadline for installing safety technology on all of its Chicago-area routes, but said it still expects to meet its obligations under a federal law requiring the expensive and...

Major Railroads Say They’ll Again Miss Safety Deadline First Set in 2008

Feb 4 2016 // Three of the biggest freight railroads operating in the U.S. have told the government they won’t meet a 2018 deadline to start using safety technology intended to prevent accidents like the deadly derailment of an...

Why Google’s Not So Smart or Fast and Insurance Agents Aren’t Dead… Yet

Feb 2 2016 // Insurance agents aren’t dead yet, but even underwriters participating in the personal automobile insurance market may be looking for another line of work within the next two decades, industry observers said at a...

Willis Re Joins with Tech Firm, Measure, to Raise Drone Usage for Insurers

Feb 2 2016 // Willis Re, the reinsurance business of Willis Towers Watson, announced a strategic partnership with technology company Measure to advance the use of drones within the insurance industry and bring the latest drone...