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 services would be most affected. The findings are the latest from the CMA’s ongoing probe into the merger, which it launched in January. The regulator will now consult on its findings and potential solutions to its worries over competition. BBC
Parents do not use parental controls on Facebook and Instagram, according to Meta’s Nick Clegg, with adults failing to embrace the 50 child safety tools the company has introduced in recent years. Meta’s global affairs chief said there was a “behavioural issue” around using the tools, after admitting they were being ignored by parents. Regulatory pressure is building on tech companies to protect children from harmful content, with the Australian government announcing plans this week to ban younger teenagers from accessing social media. The Guardian
Virgin Media O2 has agreed to sell close to a tenth of the UK’s largest mobile tower network to infrastructure investor Equitix, in the latest attempt by a telecoms group to monetise digital infrastructure assets. The stake of around 8 per cent in its Cornerstone Telecommunications Infrastructure joint venture has been valued at around £150mn-£160mn, according to three people familiar with the matter. Telecoms groups have in recent years sold full or partial holdings in their mobile masts businesses while seeking to fund investment and cut debt. FT.com
Roads are dangerous, which is why breaking a traffic law is serious business. At least, that is the case when you’re in a car. But what if you’re on a precarious, nearly silent, almost invisible vehicle — that can be piloted by teens and nevertheless go very fast? Then you might just get away with it because the capacity of the police to deal with you — even if you cause an accident — has just about reached its limit. E-scooters are a menace, wobbling away in drivers’ blind spots and zipping between pedestrians on pavements. The Standard
The rant by Adolf Hitler is full of antisemitic vitriol, saying that Jewish people are working to undermine peace in Europe. What’s unusual is the fast-paced music laid on top, and the fact that the combined audio is available on more than 100 posts on TikTok – and is attracting likes. Sky News has found Nazi speeches and marching music have been turned into popular ‘sounds’ (audio used as the basis for multiple videos) on TikTok and are being used as soundtracks on at least 72,534 posts. Sky News
A 13-year-old schoolboy has invented a Lego robot that can solve a Rubik’s cube. Ruarcc, from St Malachy’s College in north Belfast, first took steps to create puzzle-solving robot prototypes in his second year at school, aged 12. This was made possible after the school launched its creative digital technology hub (CDTH) last year. Teacher Clare McGrath commented she “didn’t believe” that Ruarcc’s robot would work at first. Ruarcc told BBC News NI it was “frustrating”, but he worked on making it better. “People tend to be amazed that it can solve one,” he said. BBC
