Category: Tech
Parents slam video sharing sites for inappropriate content
Half of parents in the UK have criticised video sharing platforms, including Snapchat and Youtube, for failing to prevent children from accessing distressing, violent or adult-only content. A survey of 1,500 UK parents, conducted by AgeChecked, found that 58% of parents believe that video sharing sites and apps aren’t doing enough to keep young people safe.…
TikTokers offered $5,000 to join Meta, Mr Beast joins bid to buy TikTok in US
Social media giant Meta has offered to pay up to $5,000 (£4,040) to popular creators in the United States who join Facebook and Instagram. It says those joining from "third-party social apps" will get cash based on "an evaluation of your social presence". Though it does not mention TikTok by name, the timing would…
Apple suspends AI generated news alerts, Nintendo Switch 2 announced
Apple has suspended a new artificial intelligence (AI) feature that drew criticism and complaints for making repeated mistakes in its summaries of news headlines. The tech giant had been facing mounting pressure to withdraw the service, which sent notifications that appeared to come from within news organisations' apps. "We are working on improvements and will…
UK to introduce age checks for porn sites, Blue Origin successfully launches ‘New Glenn’ rocket
Ofcom today (January 16th 2025) published new industry guidance on age verification for online services, a crucial step in implementing the Online Safety Act. The guidance aims to prevent children from encountering harmful content, particularly online pornography. Under the new rules, services hosting pornography must introduce robust age verification checks by July 2025. This includes…
TikTok prepares for US shutdown, Zuckerberg to axe thousands of ‘low performers’
TikTok plans to shut its app for U.S. users from Sunday, when a federal ban on the social media app could come into effect, unless the Supreme Court moves to block it, people familiar with the matter said. The outcome of the shutdown would be different from that mandated by the law. The law would…
How to protect yourself online after woman duped in AI Brad Pitt dating scam
Yesterday, news broke that an unsuspecting 53 year old woman was scammed out of £700,000, after believing that she was dating Brad Pitt. Posing as the movie star, the fraudster sent the victim a string of photos, created (often badly) using AI, to convince her that he was undergoing treatment for kidney cancer and needed…
Snapchat failing to act on suicide and self-harm content, unreliable period tracking apps driving abortion rises
The social media site Snapchat is "fundamentally failing to act on suicide and self-harm content", according to the Molly Rose Foundation. Just 2% of reported suicide and self-harm content on Snapchat was removed between January and July last year, according to Snapchat's latest transparency report. There were 289 posts relating to suicide and self-harm that were…
SanDisk unveils storage drive for iPhone, Politics to be pushed on Instagram and Threads
The best iPhones are capable of recording incredibly high-quality ProRes video footage, but that means you can often find your device rapidly running out of storage. Thankfully, SanDisk has just launched a tiny SSD (solid-state drive) that attaches to the back of your iPhone using MagSafe. Dubbed the Creator Phone SSD, SanDisk’s storage drive magnetically snaps onto your…
Tesla Cybertruck attack planned with Gen AI, Meta scrapped factcheckers ‘because too complex’
A soldier who exploded a Tesla Cybertruck outside the Trump hotel in Las Vegas used generative AI - including ChatGPT - to help plan the attack, police have said. Matthew Livelsberger, 37, a US Army Green Beret, fatally shot himself just before the truck blew up outside the hotel on New Year's Day. Police in Las…
Meta ditches fact checkers, Apple to update AI software after errors
Meta is abandoning the use of independent fact checkers on Facebook and Instagram and will replace it with X-style "community notes", where commenting on the accuracy of posts is left to user. In a video posted alongside a blog post, external by the company on Tuesday, chief executive Mark Zuckerberg said "it's time to get back to our roots…
Record EV growth as private demand slumps, Wind power overtakes gas in the UK
The UK’s new car market recorded its second successive year of growth with 1,952,778 new cars reaching the road in 2024 – a rise of 2.6% on the previous year, according to the latest figures from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT). The first year of mandated targets for new zero-emission vehicles finished with another…
