65 h. ago Nearly 9 in 10 parents fear kids being exposed to harmful content online

A new study shows parents in the UK are extremely fearful about what their children might encounter on the internet, with many admitting their kids have already come across inappropriate or dangerous content

Politics

67 h. ago Most parents fear children are being exposed to harmful content online

The Online Safety Act requires social media platforms and search engines to introduce age checks and stronger content moderation

Society

5 d. ago Retired vicar part of 'Eunuch Maker' castration ring is jailed after using nail scissors on man's genitals

WARNING: GRAPHIC CONTENT - Reverend Geoffrey Baulcomb, 79, pleaded guilty to causing grievous bodily harm with intent after video of the shocking procedure in January 2020 emerged.

Events

2 w. ago Anthropic’s Claude AI chatbot can now end conversations if it is distressed

Testing showed that chatbot had ‘pattern of apparent distress’ when asked for harmful content

Politics

2 w. ago Cancer charity finds children 'more likely to engage with junk food posts from influencers'

We are guilty of exposing our kids to social media but it could be having a huge impact on their diet

Society

2 w. ago Parents fear social media has had a bigger influence on kids than school

A poll of 1,000 mums and dads of kids aged 12-16 found a third are 'uncomfortable' with the 'values' their child is exposed to online and the impact this has on behaviour

Politics

3 w. ago How Chris Watts' guilt was exposed with a single breath after he killed wife and kids

Chris Watts will never be a free man again after he murdered his wife, Shanann, and the couple's two young daughters seven years ago - but he was exposed almost immediately

Events

3 w. ago Tube passenger quizzed by police over ‘assault’ of naked man who exposed himself in front of kids

Footage posted online shows the incident on a Hammersmith and City line train

Events

3 w. ago New UK porn laws petition reaches 515k as raging Brits demand Government cancel it

The rules state that online platforms are required to take measures to prevent children from accessing harmful content, such as pornography or material promoting suicide.

Politics

3 w. ago TikTok to replace trust and safety team in Germany with AI and outsourced labor

TikTok workers in Berlin are striking over mass layoffs amid company’s global push to replace moderators with AITikTok workers in Germany are holding strikes over mass layoffs of the company’s trust and safety team. The social media behemoth said it is planning to dismantle its entire Berlin moderation team, which removes harmful content from the platform, and outsource the work to artificial intelligence and contract workers. This means the dismissal of 150 employees.The trade union that represents the TikTok workers, ver.di, has been pushing to negotiate with TikTok over the past few weeks. Kalle Kunkel, a ver.di spokesperson for the Berlin-Brandenburg region, said the union sent a list of demands to TikTok regarding severance for the affected employees and an extension of the layoff notice period to one year. So far, he said, TikTok has refused to come to the table. Continue reading...

Politics

4 w. ago The UK's Online Safety Act is a licence for censorship – and the rest of the world is following suit | Taylor Lorenz

From the US and Australia to France and Italy, those seeking to obliterate privacy and restrict content are on the move Over the past two weeks, the UK has reportedly blocked internet users’ access to everything from SpongeBob SquarePants gifs to Spotify playlists. Information about Joe Biden’s police funding plan has been restricted, along with a post about an up-and-coming political party. Gamers say they have been unable to tweak colours in games such as Minecraft. And it’s all because of a new age verification law.Since the child safety provisions contained within the Online Safety Act came into effect on 25 July, web service providers have been forced to institute “highly effective” age verification measures to prevent children from accessing “harmful” or “adult” content. The penalty for failing to adequately comply with the act includes hefty fines and potential criminal action.Taylor Lorenz is a technology journalist who writes the newsletter User Mag and is the author of the...

Politics