A report has found that TikTok’s algorithms are not very good at detecting ads that contain blatant misinformation about US elections – despite all political advertisements being banned from the platform since 2019. The report raises fresh concerns about the popular video-sharing app’s ability to catch election falsehoods at a time when a growing number […]
Archive | October, 2022
Gene research finds DNA variants linked to dyslexia in first study of its kind
Scientists have for the first time pinpointed a large number of genes that are reliably associated with dyslexia. Dyslexia is known to run in families – partly because of genetic factors – but until now, little was known about the specific genes that relate to the risk of it developing. The team behind this latest […]
Instagram announces new safety tools aimed at public figures
Instagram has announced safety feature updates it says will help public figures and other high-profile users better protect themselves from abuse, just days after another Premier League footballer revealed he had been racially abused on the platform. Brentford striker Ivan Toney took to Twitter on Saturday to reveal he had been sent racist abuse on […]
Netflix knocks Disney+ off perch after summertime subscriber bounce back
Netflix has reversed its recent subscriber losses with a summertime gain – ahead of its launch of a cheaper version of the video streaming service which will include ads for the first time. It picked up 2.4 million subscribers during the July-September period, the US firm said on Tuesday, marking a comeback from a loss […]
Apple announces new-look iPad and upgraded iPad Pro
Apple has unveiled a redesigned version of the iPad alongside an update to its top-of-the-range iPad Pro line-up in its latest round of new gadget announcements. The tech giant’s new entry-level iPad model has seen the home button removed, the front-facing camera moved to the longer side of the device and the lightning port changed […]
Meta ordered to sell Giphy as UK competition watchdog confirms decision
The UK’s competition watchdog has reissued an order to Facebook’s parent firm Meta to sell Giphy. The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) first ordered the reverse of the 400 million dollar (£353.6 million) acquisition last year over fears it would limit other social media platforms’ access to moving images, known as gifs, which Giphy is […]
James Webb Space Telescope reveals ‘fingerprint’ created by two stars
A new image from the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) shows at least 17 dust rings – resembling a fingerprint – created by a rare type of star and its companion, locked in a celestial dance. Sitting more than 5,000 light years from Earth, the duo is collectively known as Wolf-Rayet 140 (WR 140). Each […]
Kanye West buying alternative social media platform Parler
Kanye West has begun the process of buying alternative messaging platform Parler after his Twitter and Instagram accounts were locked. A statement from parent company Parlement Technologies said it has entered into an agreement in principle for the rapper, who has legally changed his name to Ye, to acquire the site. It said the acquisition […]
James Webb Space Telescope reveals ‘fingerprint’ created by two stars
A new image from the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) shows at least 17 dust rings – resembling a fingerprint – created by a rare type of star and its companion, locked in a celestial dance. Sitting more than 5,000 light years from Earth, the duo is collectively known as Wolf-Rayet 140 (WR 140). Each […]
UK Online Safety Bill needs a ‘total rewrite’, human rights lawyer says
The Online Safety Bill in its current form is a “mess” and needs a “total rewrite”, a leading digital human rights lawyer has said. Dr Susie Alegre has written a legal opinion piece warning that the proposed internet safety laws fail to address the root causes of online harm, such as the systems which recommend […]