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  • We’re being deafened by digital noise. Pause it and you hear the sound of democracy in crisis | Rafael Behr

    Politics is struggling to cope with the pace of technological change – and that is affecting every single one of us Returning from holiday, asked where I have been, I want to say “offline”. The more precise answer is France, where the internet is available. But I tried not to use it compulsively because there…

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  • George Osborne says UK has been left behind in cryptocurrency boom

    Ex-chancellor criticises hesitant approach to crypto and warns country in danger of missing next surge in market Business live – latest updates The UK has been left behind in the cryptocurrency boom and is in danger of missing a second wave of demand, according to the former chancellor George Osborne. Osborne, who has an advisory…

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  • Social media battles and barbs on both sides of Atlantic over UK Online Safety Act

    Farage accuses government of being ‘so below the belt’ as right wing doubles down on censorship claims The UK’s Online Safety Act has been greatly anticipated. Amid mounting concerns about the ease of accessing harmful content online, rules were drawn up to force social platforms to protect children from posts and videos that incite hatred…

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  • ‘The BBC feels very samey and boring’: the over-50s who prefer YouTube

    More Britons in this age group are switching to the video platform, with its shorter, niche and more personal content UK viewers over the age of 55 watched almost twice as much YouTube last year as they did in 2023, with 42% of them watching on a TV, according to a survey by the communications…

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  • UK Online Safety Act risks ‘seriously infringing’ free speech, says X

    Elon Musk’s social media platform says lawmakers made a ‘conscientious decision’ to increase censorship Elon Musk’s X platform has said the UK’s Online Safety Act (OSA) is at risk of “seriously infringing” free speech as a row deepens over measures for protecting children from harmful content. The social media company said the act’s “laudable” intentions…

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  • Far-right extremists using games platforms to radicalise teenagers, report warns

    Parents advised to be vigilant over summer holidays to risk of offenders using in-game live chats to target their children Far-right extremists are using livestream gaming platforms to target and radicalise teenage players, a report has warned. The new research, published in the journal Frontiers in Psychology, reveals how a range of extremist groups and…

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  • UK online safety law leads to 5m extra age checks a day for pornography sites

    Huge increase in online age verifications but many users turn to virtual private networks to access pornography sites Five million extra online age checks a day are being carried out in the UK since the introduction of age-gating for pornography sites, according to new data. The Age Verification Providers Association (AVPA) said there had been…

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  • YouTube most popular first TV destination for children, Ofcom finds

    One in five young viewers go to platform first when they turn on TV, as older people also watch more of its content Are you watching YouTube on your TV more than other channels? Children are now heading to YouTube from the moment they turn on the television, in the latest sign of the video…

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  • Uber loses UK supreme court appeal over tax on private-hire rivals

    Rival taxi operators will not face a 20% tax charge on their profit margins outside London Business live – latest updates Uber’s rival taxi operators will not have to pay 20% VAT on their profits outside London after a UK supreme court verdict in a long-running case. The court ruled that private-hire operators do not…

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