Sexual abuse imagery warnings on WhatsApp, RealMe device fully charges phone in 5 mins!
Nothing is stopping child sexual abuse imagery spreading on WhatsApp, a safety group has warned. The Internet Watch Foundation (IWF) is calling on Meta, which owns WhatsApp, to do more to protect children and put mechanisms in place. The group suggested these mechanisms could stop the spread of material like the content sent to disgraced BBC broadcaster Huw Edwards. A WhatsApp spokesperson said the app’s users had the “ability to report directly to WhatsApp so we can ban any user who shares this heinous material and report them” to the National Centre for Missing and Exploited Children. BBC
Russia is putting generative artificial intelligence to work in online deception campaigns, but its efforts have been unsuccessful, according to a Meta security report released on Thursday. The parent company of Facebook and Instagram found that so far AI-powered tactics “provide only incremental productivity and content-generation gains” for bad actors and Meta has been able to disrupt deceptive influence operations. Meta’s efforts to combat “coordinated inauthentic behavior” on its platforms come as fears mount that generative AI will be used to trick or confuse people in elections in the United States and other countries. Guardian
Scientists have revealed the fastest battery-charging technology in the world for smartphones, which can fully charge a smartphone in less than 5 minutes. The 320-watt fast-charging technology, dubbed “320W SuperSonic Charge,” was developed by Chinese consumer electronics company Realme and beats out previous chargers. Smartphone maker Redmi, a Xiaomi subsidiary, had previously unveiled a 300 W technology to charge up a device in 4 minutes and 55 seconds in February 2023, but no manufacturer has since been able to go beyond this — until now. Live Science
The boss of mobile phone firm Three has hit out at the UK’s “abysmal” 5G speeds and availability. Chief executive Robert Finnegan made the comments as he urged regulators to approve the company’s planned merger with Vodafone – arguing the £15bn move would pave the way for better investment in network infrastructure. It came as Three reported pre-tax losses of £30m during the first six months of 2024 – an improvement on the £76m it lost during the same period last year. Sky News
Prince Harry took a veiled swipe at Elon Musk over the rapid spread of misinformation on social media in the wake of far-right riots across the UK. The Duke of Sussex said “those with positions of influence” should take more responsibility for tackling lies online and warned “social cohesion as we know it has completely broken down”. Speaking at a conference about improving the digital landscape on the first day of their tour of Colombia, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle spoke to a school children about dealing with life on the internet. Independent
Kim Dotcom, who founded the globally popular file-sharing site Megaupload, will be extradited to the US from New Zealand. German-born Dotcom, who has New Zealand residency, has been fighting extradition since 2012 following an FBI-ordered raid on his Auckland mansion. He is charged with copyright infringement, money laundering and racketeering. Sky News
