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Reform UK voters least likely to see social media posts from family and friends, study finds
April 10, 2026
Thinktank says algorithms are fuelling isolation and division after analysing posts shown to social media users Reform UK voters are the least likely to see posts from friends and family on social media and most likely to see content from brands and news organisations, a study has found. The Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR)…
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Number of AI chatbots ignoring human instructions increasing, study says
March 28, 2026
Exclusive: Research finds sharp rise in models evading safeguards and destroying emails without permission AI models that lie and cheat appear to be growing in number with reports of deceptive scheming surging in the last six months, a study into the technology has found. AI chatbots and agents disregarded direct instructions, evaded safeguards and deceived…
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Child abuse material ‘systemic’ on Elon Musk’s X amid Grok scandal, Australian online safety regulator warned
March 17, 2026
Exclusive: eSafety commission pointed to Musk’s promise that ‘removing child exploitation is priority #1’ in letter obtained by Guardian Australia Follow our Australia news live blog for latest updates Get our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcast The Australian online safety regulator warned Elon Musk’s X amid the Grok sexualised image generation…
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X suspends 800m accounts in one year amid ‘massive’ scale of manipulation attempts
March 10, 2026
Social media company tells MPs of continual fight against state-backed efforts, with Russia being most prolific Elon Musk’s X said it had suspended 800m accounts over a 12-month period as it fights the “massive” scale of attempts to manipulate the platform. The social media company told MPs it was continually fighting state-backed attempts to hijack…
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Liverpool and Manchester United complain to X over ‘sickening’ Grok AI posts
March 9, 2026
AI feature generated offensive posts about Diogo Jota and the Hillsborough and Munich disasters Liverpool and Manchester United have complained to Elon Musk’s X after the Grok AI feature made offensive posts about Diogo Jota and the Hillsborough and Munich disasters. The posts were generated when users asked the AI tool to make hateful posts…
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AI chatbots point vulnerable social media users to illegal online casinos, analysis shows
March 8, 2026
Tech firms condemned for lack of controls with Meta AI and Gemini even offering advice on how to bypass UK gambling and addiction checks AI chatbots are recommending illegal online casinos to vulnerable social media users, putting them at increased risk of fraud, addiction and even suicide. Analysis of five AI products, owned by some…
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Elon Musk takes witness stand in trial over Twitter takeover
March 5, 2026
Twitter investors allege the billionaire publicly derided the social network to sink its stock price and buy it at a bargain Elon Musk took the stand on Wednesday in a trial brought by Twitter investors, who allege the billionaire committed securities fraud as he was buying the social media company in 2022. The class-action lawsuit…
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Hundreds of UK teenagers to pilot social media bans and restrictions
March 2, 2026
Trials to form part of three-month consultation on Keir Starmer’s plans to tackle negative effects of smartphone use Hundreds of teenagers will be enlisted to trial social media bans in the coming months with overnight digital curfews and daily screen time limits also tested as part of Keir Starmer’s plan to crack down on the…
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Leave big tech behind! How to replace Amazon, Google, X, Meta, Apple – and more
February 26, 2026
A handful of companies monopolise the web, with unprecedented access to our data. But there are many more ethical – and often distinctively European – alternatives There’s not much to love about big tech these days. So many ills can be laid at its door: social media harms, misinformation, polarisation, mining and misuse of personal…
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Tech firms must remove ‘revenge porn’ in 48 hours or risk being blocked, says Starmer
February 19, 2026
PM says measure, also applied to deepfake nudes, is needed owing to a ‘national emergency’ of online misogyny Deepfake nudes and “revenge porn” must be removed from the internet within 48 hours or technology firms risk being blocked in the UK, Keir Starmer has said, calling it a “national emergency” that the government must confront.…
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