14 h. ago 'Genius' Taylor Swift outsmarts Google with crafty song name in new album

Taylor Swift’s newest album, The Life of a Showgirl, is finally out, and one song in particular has become a trending topic across all social media platforms - and the reason is so smart.

Culture

3 d. ago Australian film producers and experts call Trump tariff proposal ‘bizarre’ and impossible to enforce

US president threatens levy on all foreign-made films, but experts point out that the industry is global and Australia is intertwined with HollywoodFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastThe federal government has vowed to fight a proposed 100% tariff on Australian-made films after the US president, Donald Trump, posted on his social media platform that he planned to go ahead with the huge levy “on any and all movies made outside the United States”.Industry experts have described the proposal as bizarre and virtually impossible to enforce, given the global nature of film, with production, financing and post-production often spread across several countries. Continue reading...

Politics

5 d. ago Channel 4 viewers in tears as little known fact about Jay Slater airs in new documentary

Viewers were shocked to discover something about Jay Slater in the new documentary about his sad death and flooded social media platforms with their thoughts on the documentary

Politics

5 d. ago Dating apps could be blocked if they fail to tackle cyber flashing under major law change

Social media platforms and dating apps could face being blocked in the UK if they fail to clamp down on cyber flashing under a major tightening of the law

Events

7 d. ago Trump orders release of all Amelia Earhart documents after famed pilot disappeared 90 years ago in South Pacific

DONALD Trump has announced he will release Amelia Earhart documents, almost a century after the iconic female pilot vanished. The Don made the surprise announcement on Friday via his social media platform, Truth Social. "Her disappearance, almost 90 years ago, has captivated millions," he said. "I am ordering my Administration to declassify and release all...

Politics

1 week ago Sick teacher who 'subtly groomed' pupil, 15, and suggested 'move to Dubai' is jailed

Amir Makda, 32, would meet the girl after school, take her for rides in his car and sent her sexual messages over the social media platform X, formerly Twitter, where he first contacted her

Events

1 week ago Trump says Rupert and Lachlan Murdoch likely part of US TikTok investor group

US president tells Fox News ‘a man named Lachlan is involved that’s a very unusual name, Lachlan Murdoch’Rupert Murdoch and his son Lachlan Murdoch will probably be part of a group of investors that will buy TikTok in the US, Donald Trump said in an interview on Sunday.The president was asked about the status of the sale of the app during an interview with Peter Doocy on The Sunday Briefing on Fox News. Trump administration officials have signaled that a deal for the Chinese-owned social media platform was imminent, though there has been some confusion about the status of the agreement. Continue reading...

Politics

1 week ago Trump says Rupert and Lachlan Murdoch likely part of US TikTok deal

US president tells Fox News ‘a man named Lachlan is involved that’s a very unusual name, Lachlan Murdoch’Rupert Murdoch and his son Lachlan Murdoch will probably be involved in the effort to buy TikTok in the US, Donald Trump said in an interview on Sunday.The president was asked about the status of the sale of the app during an interview with Peter Doocy on The Sunday Briefing on Fox News. Trump administration officials have signaled that a deal for the Chinese-owned social media platform was imminent, though there has been some confusion about the status of the agreement. Continue reading...

Politics

1 week ago Man Utd star Amad wipes Instagram account after furious backlash to shocking pic

Amad has deleted all of his Instagram posts after being subjected to a furious backlash from Manchester United fans over a controversial photo he posted on the social media platform

Events

1 week ago Parents outraged as Meta uses photos of schoolgirls in ads targeting man

Exclusive: Instagram pictures of girls as young as 13 were posted to promote Threads site ‘as bait’, campaigner saysMeta has used back-to-school pictures of schoolgirls to advertise one of its social media platforms to a 37-year-old man, in a move parents described as “outrageous” and “upsetting”.The man noticed that posts encouraging him to “get Threads”, Mark Zuckerberg’s rival to Elon Musk’s X, were being dropped into his Instagram feed featuring embedded posts of uniformed girls as young as 13 with their faces visible and, in most cases, their names. Continue reading...

Culture

2 w. ago Deal to transfer TikTok to US control unresolved despite Trump

Trump has said deal is agreed but details remain unclear, while both sides say leaders’ call was positiveDonald Trump’s attempts to broker a deal that would transfer TikTok from Chinese to US control remained unresolved on Friday despite a call between the US president and Xi Jinping.China and the US have been at loggerheads over trade negotiations and the future of TikTok, a Chinese-owned social media platform that faces a ban in the US. Continue reading...

Politics

2 w. ago Australia warns social media platforms against age verification for all ahead of a ban on children

Authorities say that social media platforms should not require age verification for all users when a ban on children under 16 having accounts goes into effect in December in Australia

Events

2 w. ago London police brace for large rival protests on immigration, Kirk killing

London police brace for large rival protests on immigration, Kirk killing  The Times of Israel

Events

2 w. ago Online misinformation putting women off contraceptive pill, study finds

Researchers say social media myths drive ‘nocebo effect’ of side-effects that are real but psychological in origin Social media misinformation about the contraceptive pill is encouraging women to view it so negatively that many give it up, a study has found.Researchers have identified myths spread on TikTok and other social media platforms as a key driver of users suffering side-effects that are real but psychological in origin. It is called the “nocebo effect”, the opposite of the better-known placebo effect.An expectation at the outset that the pill will be harmful.Low confidence in how medicines are developed.A belief that medicines are overused and harmful.A belief that they are sensitive to medicines. Continue reading...

Politics

3 w. ago Lawmaker calls for French criminal investigation into TikTok

Move comes after parliamentary inquiry into social media platform’s psychological effects on minorsA French lawmaker has asked the state prosecutor for a criminal investigation into whether TikTok was responsible for “endangering the lives” of its young users.Arthur Delaporte, a Socialist MP, said he co-chaired a six-month French parliamentary inquiry into TikTok’s psychological effects on minors and heard testimony from families, social media executives and influencers. Continue reading...

Events

3 w. ago Snapchat allows drug dealers to operate openly on platform, finds Danish study

Social media platform accused of failing to filter out obvious usernames such as ‘coke’, ‘weed’ and ‘molly’Snapchat has been accused by a Danish research organisation of leaving an “overwhelming number” of drug dealers to openly operate on Snapchat, making it easy for children to buy substances including cocaine, opioids and MDMA.The social media platform has said it proactively uses technology to filter out profiles selling drugs. However, research by Digitalt Ansvar (Digital Accountability), a Danish research organisation that promotes responsible digital development, has found evidence of a failure to moderate drug-related language in usernames. It also accused Snapchat of failing to respond adequately to reports of profiles openly selling drugs. Continue reading...

Economics

3 w. ago Snapchat allowing drug dealers to operate openly on platform, says Danish research body

Social media platform also accused of failing to filter out obvious key usernames like ‘coke’, ‘weed’ and ‘molly’Snapchat has been accused of leaving an “overwhelming number” of drug dealers to openly operate on Snapchat, making it easy for children to buy substances including cocaine, opioids and MDMA, by a Danish research organisation.The social media platform has said it proactively uses technology to filter out profiles selling drugs. But research by Digitalt Ansvar (Digital Accountability), a Danish research organisation that promotes responsible digital development, has found evidence of a failure to moderate drug-related language in usernames. It also accused Snapchat of failing to respond adequately to reports of profiles openly selling drugs. Continue reading...

Economics

3 w. ago 4 years, 3 protest movements: How public fury toppled leaders in Nepal, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh

The deadly protests in Nepal that forced the country's prime minister to resign on Tuesday were a result of long-simmering discontent ignited by the government’s ban on major social media platforms

Politics

3 w. ago Labour comms director helped write manifesto while still working at TikTok

Exclusive: James Lyons rewrote 2024 election pledges ‘over evenings and weekends’ before his exit from social media company A senior executive at TikTok helped write the Labour manifesto while still working at the Chinese-owned technology company, he has said.James Lyons, who left his post as Keir Starmer’s director strategic communications last week, wrote on LinkedIn that he was asked last year to help write the party’s election pledges while he was still working for the social media platform. Continue reading...

Politics

3 w. ago Nepal prime minister quits after deaths at protests sparked by social media ban

KP Sharma Oli resigns as police meet protests with deadly force, leaving 19 dead, and federal parliament is set alight Nepal’s prime minister has resigned after some of the worst unrest in decades rocked the country this week, set off by a ban on social media and discontent at political corruption and nepotism.KP Sharma Oli’s resignation came a day after widespread protests were met with deadly force by police, leaving 19 dead and hundreds injured. The spark for the protests was a government ban on 26 prominent social media apps, but escalated into a larger mass movement against corruption among political elites. Continue reading...

Politics