Tag: facebook
Social media faces tough sanctions under new Ofcom measures, US introduces ‘click to cancel’ rights
Social media companies will face punishments for failing to keep children safe on their platforms, communications watchdog Ofcom has warned. Services like Facebook, Instagram and Whatsapp could face fines from the regulator if they do not comply with the new Online Safety Act - which comes into force early next year - Ofcom chief executive Dame…
Meta AI chatbot and smart glasses launch in UK, Tesla to launch ‘Cybercab’ robotaxi
Meta, the owner of Facebook and Instagram, has launched its artificial intelligence assistant in the UK, alongside AI-boosted sunglasses modelled by Mark Zuckerberg. Meta’s AI assistant, which can generate text and images, is now available on its social media platforms in the UK and Brazil, having already been launched in the US and Australia. Facebook and Instagram users…
Instagram to offer ‘teen accounts’ with greater safeguards, EV batteries last 20 years
Instagram is overhauling the way it works for teenagers, promising more "built-in protections" for young people and added controls and reassurance for parents. The new “teen accounts”, for children aged 13 to 15, will force many privacy settings to be on by default, rather than a child opting in. Teenagers' posts will also be set…
Vodafone and 3 reject merger claims, Parental control not used on Meta claims Clegg
Vodafone and Three have rejected claims by the UK's competition watchdog that their proposed merger would lead to higher prices for millions of mobile users. The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has "provisionally concluded" the deal would weaken competition between mobile networks. It has particular concerns that customers who are least able to afford mobile…
New report reveals apps which are most frequently hacked
Facebook is the app most likely to be hacked (42%), followed by Instagram (30%) and WhatsApp (17%). Instagram and Facebook have access to 81.63% of a user’s data, more than any other apps. 60% of respondents identified financial information as the data they are most concerned about being stolen. To get a better picture…
Fox launches Netflix rival Tubi, Scientists develop ‘living skin’ for robots
Rupert Murdoch's Fox Corporation is entering the UK's highly competitive free, ad-supported video streaming market. Tubi will compete with the likes of Netflix, Disney+, ITVX and Channel 4's streaming platform as well as the BBC iPlayer. The platform has been quickly gaining market share in the US where, according to Fox, it has almost 80…
EU investigates Meta over addiction concerns, shares in Reddit jump after ChatGPT deal
The European Commission has opened an investigation into the owner of Facebook and Instagram over concerns that the platforms are creating addictive behaviour among children and damaging mental health. The EU executive said Meta may have breached the Digital Services Act (DSA), a landmark law passed by the bloc last summer that makes digital companies large and…
UK toughens up on default passwords, Tesla shares jump following China self-driving deal
Common and easily guessed passwords like "admin" or "12345" are being banned in the UK as part of world-first laws to protect against cyber attacks. As well as default passwords, if a user suggests a common password they will be prompted to change it on creation of a new account. It comes as a home…
TikTok owner refuses to sell, Freely to come to British TV
TikTok's Chinese parent company ByteDance says it has no intention of selling the business after the US passed a law to force it to sell the hugely popular video app or be banned in America. "ByteDance doesn't have any plans to sell TikTok," the company posted on its official account on Toutiao, a social media…
TikTok ban could have big impact on some UK businesses, Pixel 8 prices down again
A TikTok ban in the US could have a "potentially devastating" impact on some UK businesses, online traders are warning. President Biden has signed into law a bill that gives TikTok's Chinese owner, ByteDance, nine months to sell its stake in the app or it will be blocked in the US. TikTok has said it will…
