Jane Ruffino: The Dublin Web Summit generates a vast amount of positive press every year. But how cosy is too cosy?

A few weeks ago, a start-up founder for a pretty mundane app tried to get the attention of a tech journalist at the San Francisco Chronicle by sending her a swag basket. In it, there were oysters, tequila, a sex toy and some lubricant. Where did he get the idea that this was okay?

Last month, the anonymous message app Whisper, billed as ‘the safest place on the internet’, found itself in hot ...