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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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  • UK schools should remove pupils’ online photos as AI blackmail threat grows, say experts

    Criminals are manipulating pictures found on school websites and social media to create sexually explicit images UK schools should remove pictures of pupils’ faces from their websites and social media accounts because blackmailers are using them to create sexually explicit images, experts have said. Child safety experts and the UK’s National Crime Agency (NCA) warn…

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  • London schools trialling VR to relieve pupils’ stress

    Phase Space pilot programme with NHS mental health trust used to calm anxiety around exams, ADHD and home troubles Schools have begun deploying virtual reality to help pupils cope with stress caused by impending exams, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder or difficult home lives. All 15 secondary schools in the London borough of Sutton are using…

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  • Flaws in Kenya’s AI-driven health reforms driving up costs for the poorest

    Exclusive: amid unrest, President William Ruto promised to give all Kenyans access to healthcare. But the algorithm favours the rich, an investigation has found An AI system used to predict how much Kenyans can afford to pay for access to healthcare, has systemically driven up costs for the poor, an investigation has found. The healthcare…

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  • Criminal gangs profiting as child sexual abuse websites double, experts say

    Analyst who worked on Internet Watch Foundation report says content exists ‘across all social media platforms’ and is ‘very easy’ to find The number of commercial child sexual abuse websites has doubled in a year as experts say that criminal gangs are making “huge profits” from online sexual exploitation. According to data collected by the…

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  • ‘An element of exploitation’: the world of TikTok child skincare influencers

    Experts say regulation of child influencers sits in a legal grey area as children promote products on social media #ToddlerSkincare: the ‘dark and exploitative’ world of children’s beauty videos on TikTok In a TikTok video a young girl – her age anywhere between 10 and 15 – sits unboxing package after package of products she…

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  • UK watchdog to investigate Telegram over alleged child sexual abuse material

    Inquiry launched after Ofcom received evidence that suggested illegal content was being shared on messaging platform Ofcom has launched an investigation into whether the Telegram messaging platform is failing to prevent the sharing of child sexual abuse material (CSAM) under the UK’s Online Safety Act. The communications regulator carried out an assessment and decided to…

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  • Child victims of online sexual abuse in UK inadequately protected, review finds

    Lack of funding leaving police forces failing to keep pace with two-thirds annual increase in referrals, says report Child victims of online sexual abuse are being inadequately protected from further harm because police forces are struggling to cope with an increase in this crime, his majesty’s chief inspector of constabulary has warned. Michelle Skeer said:…

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  • Children in UK report online sextortion attempts in record numbers

    Exclusive: Call for nudity-detection tech on phones as number of under-18s reporting blackmail attempts rises by 34% • ‘I felt ashamed and scared’: how an online friendship became a sextortion nightmare Children are reporting online sextortion attempts in record numbers in the UK, as campaigners urge tech companies to do more to stamp out the…

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  • ‘There’s a lot of desperation’: skilled older workers turn to AI training to stay afloat

    They have degrees, expertise and years of experience – but can’t find work. For many Americans, AI training has become a last refuge in a brutal job market When Patrick Ciriello lost his job and couldn’t find work for nearly a year, his family’s foundation crumbled. “You hear about people who hit rock bottom,” Ciriello…

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