Month: April 2025

Meta and Pinterest believed to have donated to Molly Russell charity

Anonymous donations made to Molly Rose Foundation, set up after UK teenager took her own life after viewing harmful material on social media Meta and Pinterest have reportedly made significant donations to the Molly Rose Foundation, a charity set up to campaign for internet safety. The foundation was set up in the name of 14-year-old …

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US authors’ copyright lawsuits against OpenAI and Microsoft combined in New York with newspaper actions

California cases over AI trainers’ use of work by writers including Ta-Nehisi Coates and Michael Chabon transferred to consolidate with New York suits from John Grisham and Jonathan Franzen and more Twelve US copyright cases against OpenAI and Microsoft have been consolidated in New York, despite most of the authors and news outlets suing the …

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Trump extends deadline for TikTok sale to non-Chinese buyer to avoid ban

Deadline set by US president was supposed to be Saturday, with Trump now considering decreasing tariffs to get deal Donald Trump said he will sign an executive order to extend the TikTok ban deadline. This is the second time the president will have delayed the ban or sale of the social media app, and will …

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‘I didn’t start out wanting to see kids’: are porn algorithms feeding a generation of paedophiles – or creating one?

More than 850 men a month are arrested for online child abuse offences in England and Wales. They come from every walk of life: teachers, police officers, doctors, TV presenters. And the numbers are rising every year. How did this happen? Andy was enjoying a weekend away with his wife when it happened. “My neighbour …

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South of Midnight review – beautiful surfaces can’t hide thin gameplay

PC, Xbox; Compulsion GamesA spell-casting high-school athlete ventures into the heart of southern folklore in this distinct yet uneven action adventure Soaring development costs; protracted production cycles; cautious C-suites looking to deliver reliable returns for shareholders: for many reasons, there is a dearth of original programming in big-budget video games. Already this year we have …

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Australia’s social media ban is attracting global praise – but we’re no closer to knowing how it would work

A trial is under way but the government faces many hurdles – including whether Trump-emboldened tech companies will comply Get our afternoon election email, free app or daily news podcast The smash hit Netflix show Adolescence, which explores a teenage murder fuelled by social media and toxic masculinity, has renewed calls for social media bans …

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Clickbait titles and cliffhangers: the mini TV serials capturing phone audiences

‘Vertical dramas’ consisting of minute-long episodes are booming, with market predicted to be worth $14bn by 2027 Found a Homeless Billionaire Husband for Christmas. The Quarterback Next Door. Revenge of the XXL Wife. My Secret Agent Husband. These may sound like cringey fantasies, but they’re actually titles of “vertical dramas”, a new form of episodic …

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Mario Kart World: hands-on with Nintendo’s crucial Switch 2 launch game

It may not reinvent the wheel but the forthcoming racer looks awesome, plays flawlessly, offers more exhilarating carnage than ever before – and even allows some open-world exploration • I got to play Nintendo Switch 2: a first look at 2025’s gaming must-have How do you follow a game as complete and extensive as Mario …

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Don’t weaken online safety laws for UK-US trade deal, campaigners urge

Child protection charities say watering down Online Safety Act would be an ‘appalling sellout’ by government Child safety campaigners have warned the government against watering down landmark online laws as part of a UK-US trade deal, describing the prospect of a compromise as an “appalling sellout” that would be rejected by voters. A draft transatlantic …

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