Month: April 2025

Ofcom’s first investigation to look into whether site took adequate measures to shield users from illegal content The UK communications regulator has announced its first investigation under the new digital safety laws with an inquiry into an online suicide forum. Ofcom is investigating whether the site breached the Online Safety Act by failing to put …

Online suicide forum investigated under new UK digital safety laws Read More »

In Western Australia, a team of artists and scientists have resurrected the US composer. It raises a storm of questions about AI and authorship – and it’s also incredibly beautiful In a darkened room, a fractured symphony of rattles, hums and warbles bounces off the walls – like an orchestra tuning up in some parallel …

Alvin Lucier is still making music four years after his death – thanks to an artificial brain Read More »

Deal to buy Holland Park home, which ex-CEO reportedly plans to rent out, is latest by an American in the capital Business live – latest updates The former boss of Google, Eric Schmidt, has bought a Holland Park mansion for nearly £42m, in the latest in a string of big transactions in London’s prime real …

Ex-Google boss Eric Schmidt buys £42m London mansion Read More »

Under-16s will be barred from using the app’s Live feature unless they have parental permission Meta is expanding its safety measures for teenagers on Instagram with a block on livestreaming, as the social media company extends its under-18 safeguards to the Facebook and Messenger platforms. Under-16s will be barred from using Instagram’s Live feature unless …

Meta blocks livestreaming by teenagers on Instagram Read More »

Judges reject Home Office’s attempt to withhold from public details of case concerning access of Apple users’ data The UK has lost an attempt to keep details of a legal battle with Apple away from the public. The investigatory powers tribunal, which investigates whether the domestic intelligence services have acted unlawfully, on Monday rejected a …

UK Home Office loses attempt to keep legal battle with Apple secret Read More »

Director Janaína Nagata places her own internet research into South African history side by side with the vintage 16mm home movie footage that inspired it Janaína Nagata’s documentary debut resembles a detective investigation. In 2018, the Brazilian film-maker chanced upon an old 16mm reel of what looked like a typical homemade travelogue. Nagata’s film begins …

Private Footage review – found-footage study of apartheid takes the split-screen route Read More »

Just reading this cartoon might get you thrown into an El Salvadoran jail – don’t do it! Sign up here to get an email whenever First Dog cartoons are published Get all your needs met at the First Dog shop if what you need is First Dog merchandise and prints Continue reading… Just reading this …

So you want to go to the USA? Are you sure? Here’s how to prepare your machines for Trumpistan | First Dog on the Moon Read More »

Self-tracking is regularly promoted as a way toward self-improvement. But life is not a mathematical problem waiting to be solved Inspired by a curiosity to factcheck my own feelings, I’ve been tracking my mood: Far too often a bad day can feel like a permanent state rather than a passing experience. As it turns out, …

We have more data on ourselves than ever before. But can we really track our way into happiness? | Samantha Floreani Read More »

On Celebheights.com, thousands of users measure the statures of the rich and famous. The methods are scientific and the debates are fiery As someone brushing up on 6’3”, height is one physical insecurity I’ve never agonised over. Instead, it’s a source of frustration as I crunch my legs into airplane seats and wait for them …

Which celebrities are lying about their height? This website’s done the research Read More »

Exploitation fears as people in extreme poverty perform stunts and beg for virtual gifts Three young children huddle in front of a camera, cross-legged and cupping their hands. “Please support me. We are very poor,” says a boy, staring down the lens. They appear to be in a mud-brick hut in Afghanistan, living in extreme …

‘Profiting from misery’: how TikTok makes money from child begging livestreams Read More »