Facebook Dating adds age verification tools to protect under 18s
Facebook’s dating platform is to introduce age verification tools to confirm that only adults are accessing the over-18 version of the app. Parent company Meta is to use age assurance technology from UK firm Yoti on Facebook Dating, which will ask users to upload an ID document or use Yoti’s facial age estimation technology, which […]
Toll of cyber-crime on businesses revealed in new research
Two in five manufacturers have been a victim of cyber-crime over the last 12 months according to new research. One in five of 150 companies surveyed by manufacturers organisation Make UK reported substantial financial loss as the result of an attack, ranging from £50,000 to £250,000. Virtually all respondents said cyber security measures were necessary […]
30 years of the text message – Nearly one in three still send them daily
Text messages still play a big role in the daily lives of many, with almost one in three sending and receiving SMS messages every day – 30 years after the first text was sent – according to new figures. Despite a wide range of other communications platforms now being available, including services such as WhatsApp, […]
Chinese astronauts return to Earth after six-month mission
Three Chinese astronauts have landed back on Earth after spending six months working to complete construction of the Tiangong station, state TV has reported. A capsule carrying commander Chen Dong and astronauts Liu Yang and Cai Xuzhe touched down at a landing site in the Gobi Desert in northern China at approximately 12.10pm, China Central […]
Hate speech on Twitter is rising under Elon Musk, say campaigners
Hate speech on Twitter is rising under Elon Musk’s ownership, online safety campaigners have said, despite the billionaire’s claims that it has been declining. The Centre for Countering Digital Hate (CCDH) said Mr Musk’s recent tweet suggesting that hate speech impressions are down by a third was “misleading” because it focused on how often tweets […]
Learning to play the piano ‘improves ability to process sights and sounds’
Playing the piano improves the brain’s ability to process sights and sounds, as well as reducing depression, anxiety and stress, according to a study. Researchers at the University of Bath followed beginners who took lessons for an hour a week over an 11-week period. The one-to-one lessons consisted of 20 minutes of finger exercises, followed […]
Google appeals against huge Android anti-trust fine to EU’s top court
Google is challenging a record European Union anti-trust fine that took aim at the Android operating system’s role in restricting mobile competition and consumer choice. The company said on Thursday that it filed the appeal against the 4.125 billion euro (£3.5 billion) penalty “because there are areas that require legal clarification from the European Court […]
Dyson working on ‘self-improving’ machines
Dyson engineers are developing products that will be able to detect and fix issues themselves without any input needed from the owners, the company has said. Giving an update on the company’s £2.75 billion investment plan into new technologies announced earlier this year, the firm’s chief engineer Jake Dyson said it was working on products […]
Star ‘squeezed like toothpaste tube’ by supermassive black hole in cosmic show
An “extraordinary flash” seen in the sky earlier this year was caused by a distant star being “squeezed like a toothpaste tube” by a supermassive black hole, astronomers have said. In what experts describe as one of the most violent events in the universe, the unlucky star met its fate after wandering too close to […]
Twitter must comply with new rules or risk ban from EU, official says
A top European Union official has warned Elon Musk that Twitter needs to beef up measures to protect users from hate speech, misinformation and other harmful content to avoid violating rules that threaten tech giants with big fines or even a ban in the 27-nation bloc. Thierry Breton, the EU’s commissioner for digital policy, told […]