Three-year-olds groomed online, charity warns

Sexual predators are grooming children under six into performing “disturbing” acts of sexual abuse via phones or webcams a charity has warned.

The Internet Watch Foundation (IWF) said it had discovered more than two thousand remotely filmed child abuse images of three to six-year-olds online in 2023.

If follows recent warnings from the communications watchdog Ofcom that almost a quarter of children aged five to seven have a smartphone of their own.

Responding to the report Security Minister Tom Tugendhat urged tech firms to do more to prevent abuse.

He also c ...

TikTok warns US ban would 'trample free speech'

TikTok says a potential ban on its app in the US would "trample the free speech" of 170 million Americans.

The US House of Representatives voted on Saturday to ban TikTok if the app's owner does not cut its ties with China.

The legislation was part of a US foreign policy package that included aid for Ukraine and could become law as early as next week.

In recent months US officials have voiced alarm over TikTok's popularity with young people.

They allege TikTok's owner Bytedance is subservient to Beijing - accusations it has repeatedly denied.

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EU demands answers on money-for-views version of TikTok

TikTok has been given 24 hours to respond to the European Commission over a version of the app which pays users for viewing videos.

TikTok Lite launched in France and Spain this week.

European Commissioner Thierry Breton has compared it to the idea of "light" cigarettes, asking whether it was "as addictive and toxic."

TikTok said in a statement it would "respond to the request for information."

It says it does not currently have plans to launch the Lite app in other countries in Europe.

A slimmed down version of the norma ...

Can AI take teaching 'out of the Victorian ages'?

In a class of 30 children, no two learn the same way and a teacher does not have time to instruct them all differently. But artificial intelligence does - and across the East of England it is being used to modernise and personalise education. The aim is to ensure no child gets left behind and that learning is engaging, but how can teachers ensure the technology is not abused?

In a hangar at West Suffolk College in Bury St Edmunds lies an XR Virtual Reality Lab.

This £2m futuristic-looking pod, built using government funding, uses AI to create virtual 3D worlds that students ...

Billionaire twins invest in ninth-tier football club

A non-league football club has received an injection of $4.5m (about £3.6m) from a pair of cryptocurrency investors.

Real Bedford FC (RBFC) received the Bitcoin investment from Winklevoss Capital, an investment firm owned by Gemini founders Cameron and Tyler Winklevoss.

Podcaster Peter McCormack bought the side, currently in the ninth tier of English football, in 2021 with the goal of turning it into a Premier League club.

Following the investment the twins will assume the role of co-owners of the club alongside the cryptocurrency podcaster.

Analysis: Shiona ...

UK competition watchdog has 'real concerns' over big tech AI dominance

Big tech's dominance of the rapidly developing artificial intelligence (AI) market is a matter of "real concern", the competition regulator has warned.

The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) is looking into the new breed of powerful AI tools - foundation models.

They include text and image generators, such as ChatGPT.

The CMA found an "interconnected web" of AI partnerships involving the same firms: Google, Apple, Microsoft, Meta, Amazon, and chip-maker Nvidia.

"When we started this work, we were curious. Now, with a deeper under ...

TikTok to take on Instagram with photo app

TikTok is to take on social media rival, Instagram, by launching a photo-sharing app.

The company said it was working on a "dedicated space" for images and text.

Some users have received notifications saying their photo posts will be shared to a new "TikTok Notes" app unless they opt out.

It is the latest example of social media firms imitating each others' products - including Instagram launching Reels, a TikTok-like video tool, in 2020.

“The copycat phenomenon runs rampant across social media platforms", Mike Proulx, a research dire ...

Microsoft announces new AI office in UK

Microsoft is opening a new office in London dedicated to artificial intelligence (AI) research and development.

The tech firm's AI boss Mustafa Suleyman said it will advertise roles for "exceptional individuals" in the coming weeks and months.

But he has not said how many jobs will be created.

Microsoft is a major investor in ChatGPT-creator OpenAI, which itself opened an office in London in 2023.

"There is an enormous pool of AI talent and expertise in the UK," said Mr Suleyman in a blog post.

"Microsoft AI plans to make a si ...

Solar Eclipse: Sky watchers hope for clear weather

Millions are hoping for clear skies as anticipation grows ahead of Monday's total solar eclipse.

Forecasters are predicting cloudy conditions in northern Mexico, Texas and parts of the Great Lakes region.

Better weather is expected in western Mexico and parts of the US Midwest, with clear spring skies likely in New England and Canada.

The total solar eclipse, the first to cross the continent since 2017, will first hit land on Mexico's west coast.

It will track north-east across heavily populated areas and several major cities in three countries.

Some ...

X gives free blue ticks to its most popular users

X, formerly Twitter, is giving blue ticks to its most "influential" users in a significant change of policy.

Those with more than 2,500 verified followers - people already paying for X Premium - have been given premium features for free.

As well as the blue tick, the users will see fewer adverts on X.

The social media platform also announced it was clearing bots so people may notice follower numbers decreasing.

Blue ticks were originally a way to verify users were who they claimed to be, but they became a paid-for feature after Elon Musk purchased t ...