Ofcom announces new rules for tech firms to keep children safe online

Social media and other internet platforms will be legally required to block children’s access to harmful content from July or face large fines, Ofcom has announced.Tech firms will have to apply the measures by 25 July or risk fines – and in extreme cases being shut down – under the UK’s Online Safety Act.The communications watchdog published more than 40 measures on Monday covering sites and apps used by children, ranging from social media to search and gaming.Under the measures, the “riskiest” services, which include big social media platforms, must use “highly effective” age checks to identify under-18 users; algorithms, which recommend content to users, must filter out harmful material; all sites and apps must have procedures for taking down dangerous content quickly; and children must have a “straightforward” way to report content.Melanie Dawes, Ofcom’s chief executive, said the changes were a “reset” for children online and that companies failing to act would face enforcement

What to do if your phone is lost or stolen: practical steps to restore peace of mind

Smartphones contain the entirety of our modern lives, from photos, messages and memories to credit cards, bank accounts and all life admin, so when one gets lost or stolen it can be far worse than the cost of the actual handset.Here’s what to do if the worst happens. Quickly taking these steps will help protect yourself against data theft, scams and fraud, and with luck could even lead to you being reunited with your phone.Try to locate your phone with Find My on Apple or Google, if you have it turned on. You can use a browser on a computer, tablet or even a friend’s phone

Meta ‘hastily’ changed moderation policy with little regard to impact, says oversight board

Mark Zuckerberg’s Meta announced sweeping content moderation changes “hastily” and with no indication it had considered the human rights impact, the social media company’s oversight board has said.The assessment of the changes came as the board also criticised the Facebook and Instagram owner for leaving up three posts containing anti-Muslim and anti-migrant content during riots in the UK last summer.The oversight board raised concerns about the company’s announcement in January that it was removing factcheckers in the US, reducing “censorship” on its platforms and recommending more political content.In its first official statement on the changes, the board – which issues binding decisions on removing Meta content – said the company had acted too quickly and should gauge the impact of its changes on human rights.“Meta’s January 7, 2025, policy and enforcement changes were announced hastily, in a departure from regular procedure, with no public information shared as to what, if any, prior human rights due diligence the company performed,” said the board

Elon Musk to pull back in Doge role starting May amid 71% dip in Tesla profits

The Tesla chief executive, Elon Musk, said he will start pulling back from his role at the so-called “department of government efficiency” starting in May. Musk’s remarks came as the company reported a massive dip in both profits and revenues in the first quarter of 2025 amid backlash against his role in the White House.On an investor call, Musk said the work necessary to get the government’s “financial house in order is mostly done”.“Starting probably next month, May, my time allocation to Doge will drop significantly,” he said.That said, he expects to spend one to two days a week continuing to do what he referred to as “critical work” at Doge “for as long as the president would like me to do so and as long as it is useful”

AI images of child sexual abuse getting ‘significantly more realistic’, says watchdog

Images of child sexual abuse created by artificial intelligence are becoming “significantly more realistic”, according to an online safety watchdog.The Internet Watch Foundation (IWF) said advances in AI are being reflected in illegal content created and consumed by paedophiles, saying: “In 2024, the quality of AI-generated videos improved exponentially, and all types of AI imagery assessed appeared significantly more realistic as the technology developed.”The IWF revealed in its annual report that it received 245 reports of AI-generated child sexual abuse imagery that broke UK law in 2024 – an increase of 380% on the 51 seen in 2023. The reports equated to 7,644 images and a small number of videos, reflecting the fact that one URL can contain multiple examples of illegal material.The largest proportion of those images was “category A” material, the term for the most extreme type of child sexual abuse content that includes penetrative sexual activity or sadism

Ofcom closes technical loophole used by criminals to intercept mobile calls and texts

The UK communications regulator Ofcom is banning mobile operators from leasing numbers that can be used by criminals to intercept and divert calls and messages, including security codes sent by banks to customers.Ofcom said it would stop the leasing of “global titles”, special types of phone numbers used by mobile networks to support services to make sure messages and calls reach the intended recipient.The regulator said until now global titles, which are used in the background of billions of calls and messages sent worldwide, could be leased out to third parties, providing a technical loophole whereby criminals could get hold of and intercept messages.Natalie Black, the director for networks and communications at Ofcom, said: “We are taking world-leading action to tackle the threat posed by criminals gaining access to mobile networks. Leased global titles are one of the most significant and persistent sources of malicious signalling