Month: January 2025

British novelists criticise government over AI ‘theft’

Richard Osman and Kate Mosse say plan to mine artistic works for data would destroy creative fields Kate Mosse and Richard Osman have hit back at Labour’s plan to give artificial intelligence companies broad freedoms to mine artistic works for data, saying it could destroy growth in creative fields and amount to theft. The best-selling …

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Could Keir Starmer’s AI dream derail his own green energy promise?

As PM pins hopes on AI, what effect will building energy-hungry datacentres have on Labour’s clean power pledge? Keir Starmer this week launched a plan to bring a 20-fold increase in the amount of artificial intelligence (AI) computing power under public control by 2030. But the race to build more electricity hungry AI datacentres over …

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US sues Elon Musk for allegedly failing to disclose early Twitter stock purchase

Financial regulator alleges Musk later acquired shares of company at ‘artificially low prices’, stiffing shareholders A US financial regulator has sued Elon Musk for allegedly failing to disclose his ownership of Twitter stock and later acquiring shares in the company at “artificially low prices”, stiffing other shareholders. The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) filed suit …

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More than half a million ‘TikTok refugees’ flock to China’s RedNote as ban looms

RedNote, also known as Xiaohongshu, rockets to top of US app stores, along with ByteDance’s Lemon8 New users have piled in to the Chinese social media app RedNote just days before a proposed US ban on the popular social media app TikTok, as the lesser-known company rushes to capitalize on the sudden influx while walking …

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UK women share their experiences of using fertility-tracking apps

More women are using apps instead of the pill, but while some find them ‘freeing’, others had unwanted pregnancies After 15 years on the contraceptive pill Francesca* decided that she wanted to know how her body felt without additional hormones. She started using a fertility tracking app – which tracks menstrual cycles or symptoms of …

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Winter running gear: our top training essentials to help you conquer the cold

Bundle up and break a sweat with these winter running accessories, from base layers and gloves to waterproof jackets • The best running shoes to take you from trail to road to marathon If you’re tempted to stop running in the winter or retreat to the gym, think again. Whether it’s getting out for fresh …

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Google investigated by UK watchdog over search dominance

CMA to look at impact on consumers, businesses, advertisers and publishers, as well as collection of data Business live – latest updates Google is being investigated by the UK competition watchdog over the impact of its search and advertising practices on consumers, news publishers, businesses and rival search engines. The tech company accounts for more …

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You don’t need a smartphone: a practical, personal guide to downgrading your device

Want to switch to a dumbphone but worry about things like two-factor authentication or map apps? These are my best tips and workarounds Sign up to Reclaim your brain, our free coaching newsletter to help you spend less time on your phone I have spent years of my life online. I have nearly crashed my …

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‘Don’t allow you to go to the bathroom’: big tech’s call center workers in Greece on strike

Workers at Teleperformance, customer support company for Apple, Google and Netflix, accuse it of union busting and surveillance Call center workers for some of the world’s biggest tech companies including Apple, Google, Microsoft and Netflix are accusing their employer of retaliating against union organisers, constantly surveilling staff and even refusing bathroom breaks. In the US …

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Why I have finally quit Facebook (it’s not just about fact-checking) | Zoe Williams

For years I’ve overlooked the many good reasons for leaving the social media platform. But now there is no other choice Jaron Lanier was chief scientist of the engineering office of Internet2 back in the day, which is to say, definitely one of the godfathers of the internet. In 2018, he set out the reasons …

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