Latest posts

  • ‘Undermines free speech’: Labour MP hits back at US government over visa ban on UK campaigners

    Chi Onwurah speaks out after Marco Rubio accused five Europeans, including two Britons, of ‘seeking to suppress American viewpoints they oppose’ A senior Labour MP has accused the Trump administration of undermining free speech after Marco Rubio, the US secretary of state, announced sanctions against two British anti-disinformation campaigners. Chi Onwurah, the chair of parliament’s…

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  • ‘A gamechanger’: 200,000 UK small businesses sign up to TikTok Shop

    Big brands such as Sainsbury’s and M&S also selling directly in app through links in videos and livestreams It is better known for its viral dances and for making hits out of forgotten songs, but the social media site TikTok is becoming a force to be reckoned with as a shopping platform. Major retailers such…

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  • Activist group says it has scraped 86m music files from Spotify

    Platform with 700m users says it is investigating after Anna’s Archive claims to have scraped tracks and metadata An activist group has claimed to have scraped millions of tracks from Spotify and is preparing to release them online. Observers said the apparent leak could boost AI companies looking for material to develop their technology. Continue…

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  • When the AI bubble bursts, humans will finally have their chance to take back control | Rafael Behr

    The US economy is pumped up on tech-bro vanity. The inevitable correction must prompt a global conversation about intelligent machines, regulation and risk If AI did not change your life in 2025, next year it will. That is one of few forecasts that can be made with confidence in unpredictable times. This is not an…

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  • MPs question UK Palantir contracts after investigation reveals security concerns

    Journalists find Swiss government rejected company over fears US intelligence might gain access to sensitive data UK MPs have raised concerns about the government’s contracts with Palantir after an investigation published in Switzerland highlighted allegations about the suitability and security of its products. The investigation by the Zurich-based research collective WAV and the Swiss online…

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  • Elon Musk’s massive 2018 Tesla pay package restored by Delaware court

    Decision from state supreme court on deal once worth $56bn and now worth some $139bn overturns ruling that prompted angry Musk backlash Elon Musk’s controversial $56bn pay package from Tesla was reinstated by the Delaware supreme court on Friday, two years after a lower court struck down the vast compensation deal as “unfathomable”. The reinstated…

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  • UK Foreign Office victim of cyber-attack in October, says Chris Bryant

    Minister says ‘any individual’ at low risk from hack, while Sun reports Chinese cyber gang responsible for breach The UK’s Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office was hacked in October, the minister Chris Bryant has said. Bryant, a trade minister in Keir Starmer’s government, told Sky News there was a low risk to “any individual” from…

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  • Sony collars Snoopy in £340m deal to take control of Peanuts franchise

    Japanese conglomerate raises its stake in the firm that owns the intellectual property Charles Schulz created to 80% Business live – latest updates Sony has taken control of Charles Schulz’s Peanuts franchise including Snoopy and Charlie Brown in a deal worth C$630m (£340m). The Japanese conglomerate has bought 41% of Peanuts Holdings, which owns the…

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  • TikTok signs Trump-backed deal to avoid US ban

    Joint venture will take over part of app’s US operations, including data protection, algorithm security and content moderation Business live – latest updates US politics live – latest updates TikTok has reached a deal to form a joint venture that will allow it to continue operating in the US, five years after Donald Trump threatened…

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  • AI boom has caused same CO2 emissions in 2025 as New York City, report claims

    Study author says tech companies are reaping benefits of artificial intelligence age but society is left to pay cost The AI boom has caused as much carbon dioxide to be released into the atmosphere in 2025 as emitted by the whole of New York City, it has been claimed. The global environmental impact of the…

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