For our review of 2019, deputy editor Augusta Pownall picks out ten trends that have preoccupied the design and technology industries this year, from the circular economy to the continued rise of China and a focus on privacy.

Surveillance and privacy
Data is one of the most lucrative resources on the planet, but concern has mounted over protecting digital privacy and the damaging effects of online surveillance this year.
Winston Privacy created a hardware filter that users plug into their modem that prevents online tracking and the resulting profiling across any smart device in the house, whilst Accessories for the Paranoid generates fake online data to blur your digital profile.
CounterBug is a playful take on the theme that confuses data harvesting algorithms by giving virtual assistants conflicting information about the user, speaking about socially desirable topics and "shouting" over trigger words. Ewa Nowak's solution ? brass face-jewellery that confuses facial recognition cameras ? is the most aesthetically pleasing, and can be worn in London's King's Cross area, which we learnt this year is using facial recognition to monitor visitors. Meanwhile, Facebook redesigned their site to "put privacy first" and opened a privacy cafe in five locations across the UK where visitors could check their privacy settings over a cup of coffee.

Folding phones
This year a number of companies revealed phones with folding screens. Samsung revealed the Galaxy Fo...