Latest posts

  • ‘This isn’t freedom’: anger, anxiety and tears as Iran’s internet flickers back

    After 88 days of near-total blackout, first reactions to the return of partial connectivity were not celebratory After 88 days of near-total internet blackout in Iran, long-delayed messages, images and poems flooded phones and social media feeds at about 5pm on Tuesday, when still-limited connectivity flickered back to life. The first reactions, however, were not…

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  • Online child safety campaigners call for US inquiry into Roblox

    Groups claim game platform’s design and business model conflict with children’s developmental needs Online child safety campaigners including Jonathan Haidt, the bestselling writer on the mental health impacts of social media, have called on the Trump administration to investigate Roblox, the booming gaming and chat platform used by 150 million people daily, including a large…

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  • X to block UK access to accounts linked to terrorist groups in Ofcom agreement

    Media regulator announces commitments by Elon Musk’s platform to crack down on terrorist and hate content Elon Musk’s X platform has promised to block UK access to accounts linked to banned terrorist groups under an agreement with the communications regulator to crack down on terrorist and hate content. X will also review suspected illegal terrorist…

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  • Google denies breaching law by promoting suicide forum linked to 164 UK deaths

    US-based site, whose operators were fined £950,000 by Ofcom, appears in Google’s search results and can be accessed in UK Google has denied breaching the Online Safety Act by promoting a “nihilistic” suicide forum associated with 164 deaths in the UK, where it is supposed to be banned. The UK’s internet regulator fined the forum’s…

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  • Datacentres using 6% of electricity supply in UK and US, research says

    Industry body says energy consumption driven by AI up 15% globally in two years as it warns of societal backlash Datacentres are consuming 6% of electricity in the UK and US, with the growing strain of AI on energy supplies prompting community resistance, according to research. The proportion of electricity used by vast warehouses stacked…

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  • US-based internet suicide forum implicated in 160 UK deaths fined £950,000

    Ofcom attempts to block UK access to site cited in multiple coroners’ reports as it levies fine under Online Safety Act A nihilistic internet suicide forum implicated in over 160 UK deaths has been fined £950,000 by the online regulator in its latest attempt to shut it down. Ofcom said the US-based website remained accessible…

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  • Starmer adviser held 16 undisclosed meetings with top US tech bosses

    Exclusive: Varun Chandra’s talks with Google, Meta, Apple and others raise fears of ‘lobbying behind closed doors’ An influential government adviser close to Keir Starmer and Rachel Reeves held 16 undisclosed meetings with top US tech executives, the Guardian can reveal. The No 10 business aide Varun Chandra discussed regulatory changes, AI and Donald Trump’s…

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  • Facing AI and a tough job market, gen Z turns to entrepreneurship: ‘I have to prove myself’

    As AI erases the bottom rungs of the corporate ladder, some gen Z workers skip the entry level to become their own CEOs When Ashley Terrell graduated from the University of Hawaii in 2024, she planned to find a job in marketing, maybe for a tech company. She had a bachelor’s degree in business administration…

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  • What is a passkey, how does it work and why is it better than a password?

    Login method for apps and websites stored on users’ devices provides stronger security and is resistant to phishing and breaches The UK’s National Cyber Security Centre has called time on the password – from now on, you should use a passkey. The NCSC said this week it would no longer recommend using passwords where passkeys…

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  • Chinese hackers are using everyday devices to hack UK firms, warns watchdog

    Britain’s cybersecurity agency says companies must step up vigilance to prevent espionage attacks Business live – latest updates British businesses are being urged to step up their vigilance against a China-linked hacking ploy that uses everyday devices for espionage. The UK’s National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) and agencies in nine other countries have warned of…

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