Tag: Instagram
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…
Most people have no plan for ‘digital death’, Which? finds
New Which? research shows most consumers have no plan for what happens to their digital accounts and online assets when they die, leaving huge risk of emails, photos and social media accounts being locked up and inaccessible to loved ones when they pass away. The consumer watchdog is urging people to take action and prepare…
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…
Instagram forces users to watch ads, Russia ‘targeting Olympics with deepfakes’
Instagram is testing adverts that users cannot skip past. The social media platform currently allows people to swipe or scroll past adverts that appear in its main feed of images and videos, as well as in its Stories and Reels feeds. But it is now trialling a feature called "ad break", which users say they…
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…
Period trackers putting women at risk, Ineos tells government ‘wake up to hydrogen’
Female health monitoring apps are putting women at risk by "coercing" them into disclosing - and then poorly handling - highly sensitive data, according to new research. The study examined the privacy policies and data safety labels of 20 of the most popular of these kind of apps, which are commonly used to help women…
Instagram trialing ‘sextortion’ tools, Government considers under 16 smartphone ban
Instagram will start testing new tools within weeks to fight "sextortion", a form of blackmail involving intimate pictures sent online. The tools include "nudity protection", which blurs naked images in direct messages. It will be turned on by default for under-18s. Pop-ups directing potential victims to support will also be trialled. Governments around the world…
