Latest posts

  • NHS deal with AI firm Palantir called into question after officials’ concerns revealed

    Exclusive: in 2025 briefing to Wes Streeting, officials warned reputation of tech firm behind US ICE operations would hinder rollout of data system in UK Health officials fear Palantir’s reputation will hinder the delivery of a “vital” £330m NHS contract, according to briefings seen by the Guardian, sparking fresh calls for the deal to be…

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  • Victims urge tougher action on deepfake abuse as new law comes into force

    Campaigners welcome criminalisation of non-consensual AI-generated explicit images but say law does not go far enough Victims of deepfake image abuse have called for stronger protection against AI-generated explicit images, as the law criminalising the creation of non-consensual intimate images comes into effect. Campaigners from Stop Image-Based Abuse delivered a petition to Downing Street with…

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  • How the left can win back the internet – and rise again | Robert Topinka

    In the final part of this series, we look at how infighting has ripped the left apart online while the right has flourished – and how some progressives are turning the tide Robert Topinka is a reader in digital media and rhetoric at Birkbeck, University of London Part one: How liberals lost the internet Part…

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  • Universal basic income could be used to soften hit from AI job losses in UK, minister says

    Lord Stockwood says people in government ‘definitely’ talking about idea as technology disrupts industries • Business live – latest updates The UK could introduce a universal basic income (UBI) to protect workers in industries that are being disrupted by AI, the investment minister Jason Stockwood has said. “Bumpy” changes to society caused by the introduction…

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  • Coinbase adverts banned in UK for suggesting crypto could ease cost of living crisis

    Advertising Standards Authority says firm advised by George Osborne ‘trivialised risks of cryptocurrency’ A cryptocurrency company advised by George Osborne has been banned from showing a set of adverts that suggested using its services could be a solution to the cost of living crisis. Coinbase, which appointed the former Conservative chancellor to chair its global…

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  • Schools in England should be phone-free all day, education secretary says

    Bridget Phillipson says pupils should not use mobiles at any point, as Ofsted prepares to inspect compliance UK politics live – latest updates Schools should be phone-free throughout the entire day, the education secretary has told headteachers in England, stressing that pupils should not use the devices even as calculators or for research. Bridget Phillipson…

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  • Meet ‘Amelia’: the AI-generated British schoolgirl who is a far-right social media star

    The avatar, created to deter young people from extremism, has been subverted and is breaking out of niche online silos In certain corners of the internet, on niche news feeds and algorithms, an AI-generated British schoolgirl has emerged as something of a phenomenon. Her name is Amelia, a purple-haired “goth girl” who proudly carries a…

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  • Lords put pressure on Starmer with vote to ban social media for under-16s

    Commons will now have to consider Tory-led amendment, which is likely to be supported by Labour MPs As a parent – and a Conservative – I know that banning social media for under-16s is the right thing to do The House of Lords has voted decisively for a ban on social media for under-16s in…

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  • More than 60 Labour MPs urge Starmer to back under-16s social media ban

    Exclusive: Letter signed by figures on right and left of party says UK should follow Australia’s example by enacting ban More than 60 Labour MPs have written to Keir Starmer urging him to back a social media ban for under-16s, with peers due to vote on the issue this week. The MPs, who include select…

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  • More than 100,000 people urge MPs to ban social media for under-16s in UK

    Letters sent using campaign group’s template as Keir Starmer indicates Australia-style move being considered MPs’ inboxes have been flooded with letters calling for an Australia-style social media ban for under-16s, as the prime minister indicated such a move was being considered. More than 100,000 people have contacted their local MP since the grassroots organisation Smartphone…

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