Social Media

• Gli attivisti sostengono che l'uso di leggi per limitare le libertà di internet faccia parte di una storia ampiamente documentata di repressione del dissenso • Quando l'ente regolatore dei media del Gabon ha sospeso a tempo indeterminato le principali piattaforme di social media a febbraio, citando motivi di sicurezza durante le proteste anti-governative, la notizia divenne l'argomento principale di conversazione – letteralmente. • Nelle settimane successive all'annuncio, l'uso di Virtual Private Networks (VPN) per aggirare le restrizioni è aumentato drasticamente nel paese dell'Africa centrale. Quando la gendarmeria ha iniziato a fermare i giovani uomini ai posti di blocco stradali nella capitale Libreville e in altri centri urbani per confiscare i telefoni cellulari con VPN installate o per detenere i proprietari, gli avvertimenti si sono diffusi passaparola.

• Il Presidente ha pubblicato più di 50 post in tre ore, attaccando Obama, il NY Times e la Corte Suprema

Stuart Prior, eletto nell'Essex la scorsa settimana, avrebbe celebrato lo stupro di una donna Sikh e dato dei “ratti” alle persone musulmane. • Un consigliere di Reform UK si è dimesso pochi giorni dopo l'elezione, dopo aver presuntamente celebrato sui social media lo stupro di una donna Sikh nelle Midlands, aver dichiarato le persone bianche come la “razza superiore” e aver definito le persone musulmane come “ratti”. • Stuart Prior è stato eletto consigliere del consiglio provinciale dell'Essex lo scorso giovedì, ottenendo 2.404 voti, il totale più alto tra tutti i candidati del collegio.

Jimmy Wales remembers a toxic internet even before social media and says AI is ‘not a disaster’ for the free – and freely edited - online encyclopaediaFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastWikipedia’s founder, Jimmy Wales, has branded the Australian social media ban an “unmitigated disaster” and an “embarrassment” that is teaching kids to accept surveillance from tech companies when they go online.The online encyclopaedia that anyone can edit was born in a world before social media, in 2001. But Wales told Guardian Australia that many of the ills of social media existed even in the earlier stages of the internet. Continue reading...

• A bipartisan advisory panel convened under President Biden’s tech‑regulation agenda delivered a draft report recommending that Congress ban politically targeted digital ads that spread “clearly false or misleading information” about voting procedures, candidates, or ballot access. • The panel, whose members include former FEC commissioners and civil‑rights leaders, argues that such ads undermine trust in elections and disproportionately affect voters of color, urging platforms to adopt stricter labeling and ad‑library rules. • The proposal sparks backlash from free‑speech advocates, who warn that any government‑defined standard for political misinformation could chill legitimate debate and benefit incumbent parties.

Education secretary says children will face restrictions and government will consider range of views on their formChildren in the UK will face restrictions on their use of social media but the government remains open-minded about what form the limits will take, Bridget Phillipson, the education secretary, has said.Phillipson told broadcasters on Tuesday she had concerns about the content that under-16s were exposed to online and the length of time they spent staring at screens. Continue reading...

Mining magnate also claims children are being taught to be ashamed of the Australian flag in a speech to 4,000 people on the Sydney Opera House stepsFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastAustralia’s richest person, Gina Rinehart, called for immigrants’ social media to be screened and said children are being taught to be ashamed of the Australian flag in untelevised remarks before an Anzac memorial service on the steps of Sydney Opera House on Friday.Rinehart’s public appearance was attended by about 4,000 people and sponsored by her company, Hancock Prospecting, and RSL New South Wales. Continue reading...

Peers and campaigners say proposal for three-year window to impose controls breaks promise of quick actionPeers will vote on Monday on a government move that could delay action on children’s access to social media for up to three years, which has triggered a backlash from campaigners and senior figures in the Lords.Ministers tabled an amendment to the children’s wellbeing and schools bill that would allow them to wait before introducing new restrictions, Critics warn it risks watering down earlier commitments to act within months and could result in only limited interventions such as parental controls rather than sweeping measures on access. Continue reading...

Klaudia Zakrzewska, 32, was hit at about 4.30am six days ago in Soho in incident that left 58-year-man with life-changing injuriesA social media influencer has died six days after a car hit her and other pedestrians outside a nightclub in London, police said.Klaudia Zakrzewska, 32, was injured in Argyll Street, Soho, at about 4.30am on 19 April and was pronounced dead on Saturday. Continue reading...

UK representatives from Meta, Roblox and TikTok also tell MPs they believe under-16 ban would be ‘unenforceable’Executives from three social media companies have denied their platforms are inherently addictive to children and young people in a combative appearance before MPs in Westminster.Representatives from Meta, Roblox and TikTok faced robust questioning from the cross-party education select committee about the impact of screen time and social media on children. Continue reading...

Need something brilliant to read this weekend? Here are six of our favourite pieces from the last seven days Continue reading...

PM summons senior figures from Meta, TikTok, Google and X and says social media is ‘putting our children at risk’Keir Starmer has told social media bosses “things can’t go on like this” in a Downing Street meeting over internet safety.The prime minister summoned senior figures at Meta, TikTok, Google and X to No 10 on Thursday morning as his government considers imposing new restrictions on platforms, including an Australia-style ban for under-16s. Meta owns Facebook and Instagram, and Google owns YouTube. Continue reading...

Commons rejects proposal by 256 to 150 to side with government on plan to tackle online harms affecting childrenMPs have voted against a proposal to ban under-16s from using social media for the second time, as the prime minister summoned tech bosses to demand tougher action on internet safety.The House of Commons rejected a Lords amendment to the children’s wellbeing and schools bill that imposed a new age limit on using social media platforms, amid pressure from parents and campaign groups for greater urgency in tackling online harms. They voted by 256 to 150, a majority of 106, to side with the government on its plan to tackle social media-linked harms affecting children. Continue reading...

In hardline rhetoric, leader Angus Taylor also says ‘many’ prospective migrants would be a ‘net drain’ on the countryGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastA Coalition government would end Australia’s non-discriminatory immigration program and introduce Trump-style social media vetting for visa applicants, as Angus Taylor accuses Labor of allowing migrants of “subversive intent” into the country.As the opposition loses support to Pauline Hanson’s One Nation, Taylor says too many people seek to use Australia’s generosity “for self-serving purposes”, promising to speed up rejections of asylum seekers from countries deemed safe to return to. Continue reading...

Use of UK military bases in Gulf region has been ‘invaluable’ to US military operation in IranMiddle East crisis live – latest updatesThe UK’s actions in the Gulf should be the basis for any US judgment of the country’s value rather than Donald Trump’s social media posts, the defence secretary has said.Speaking at a conference in London, John Healey said the UK’s recent efforts “spoke for themselves”, as Keir Starmer flew home after a trip that included discussing how to keep the strait of Hormuz open with Donald Trump, as well as meeting leaders in Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain. Continue reading...

Thinktank says algorithms are fuelling isolation and division after analysing posts shown to social media usersReform UK voters are the least likely to see posts from friends and family on social media and most likely to see content from brands and news organisations, a study has found.The Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR) thinktank said algorithms were fuelling isolation and division after its research analysing users’ feeds on Instagram, Facebook, X, Bluesky and TikTok found that only 13% of Reform UK voters saw content from someone they knew, compared with 23% of Green party voters. Continue reading...

Mayor says disinformation, including about London crime rates, is ‘eating away at basic bonds of trust’Sadiq Khan has called on ministers to take significantly stronger action against social media companies that spread disinformation after a study showed a surge in hostile accounts posting falsehoods about London’s crime rates and integration.In an intervention on what he called “the outrage economy”, the London mayor, who has also written to social media firms demanding change, said a lack of action could prompt more domestic terrorism by people who believe conspiracy theories they find online. Continue reading...

Prime minister says ban would come into force next year and calls for united action across European UnionGreece has announced a social media ban for under-15s from 1 January, with the country’s prime minister, Kyriakos Mitsotakis, citing rising anxiety, sleep problems and the addictive design of online platforms – although he acknowledged it may incur the wrath of some children.“We have decided to go ahead with a difficult but necessary measure: ban access to social media for children under 15 years old,” he said in a TikTok video intended to address a young audience. Continue reading...

Student accused of sharing a video of the university’s defence and aerospace research centre with the RMIT Students for Palestine Instagram accountFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastAn RMIT University student faces potential suspension over a video accusing the institution of being “complicit in genocide” in Gaza, because of its defence and aerospace research centre’s ties to weapons companies.RMIT has argued the video, recorded in a corridor of the centre, publicly identifies its location which is not published online, thereby risking the safety of its facility, staff and students. Continue reading...

Scale AI gig workers describe desperation of using people’s personal profiles and copyrighted work to train AITens of thousands of people have been paid by a company part-owned by Meta to train AI by combing Instagram accounts, harvesting copyrighted work and transcribing pornographic soundtracks, the Guardian can reveal.Scale AI, 49%-controlled by Mark Zuckerberg’s social media empire, has recruited experts across fields such as medicine, physics and economics – putatively to refine top-level artificial intelligence systems through a platform called Outlier. “Become the expert that AI learns from,” it says on its site, advertising flexible work for people with strong credentials. Continue reading...

Ofcom data points to more passive consumption amid changes to apps and fears about mental health and past postsPosting significant events in your life, from birthdays to weddings and promotions, is a social media staple. But Jenny, like many other Britons recently, has hesitated over contributing to the infinite scroll.“I wouldn’t have even posted my wedding really,” she says. “But I had to because … There’s like an etiquette. Nobody else can post your wedding until you’ve posted. So my friends were like: ‘Please post, it’s been like a week.’” Continue reading...

Two-thirds of teenagers are still on social media platforms included in the ban, according to the eSafety commissionerFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastWhen the age assurance technology trial released its final report before Australia’s under-16s social media ban came into effect last year, its first finding was: age assurance can be done privately, efficiently and effectively.Four months since the ban came into effect, we can say that was – to paraphrase Yes Minister – a courageous statement. Continue reading...

Nearly 70% of under-16s with accounts on Instagram, Snapchat or TikTok had maintained access, survey findsThe Australian government has accused big tech firms like Meta, TikTok and Google of disobeying the landmark ban on under-16s using social media, after the country’s online safety office warned many children had accounts.A survey of 900 Australian parents found around a third (31%) said their children still had one or more social media accounts after the ban, compared to 49% before the laws. Continue reading...

Meta, TikTok, Snapchat and YouTube being investigated as eSafety releases update on compliance with social media ban. Follow today’s news liveGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastGood morning, Krishani Dhanji here with you for another busy sitting day.Meta, TikTok, Snapchat and YouTube are being investigated for “potential non-compliance” under the social media ban, with the eSafety commissioner releasing a compliance update today. Continue reading...

In his strongest intervention yet, PM says some features ‘shouldn’t be permitted’, while education secretary says things ‘are going to change’Keir Starmer has backed banning addictive social media features in his strongest intervention yet on curbs that could be placed on tech companies, saying the features “shouldn’t be permitted”.The prime minister said the government was “going to have to act” on the algorithms that hook young people and children to social media, such as scrolling or “streaks” that encourage daily usage of apps. Continue reading...

‘Looksmaxxer’ influencer and his girlfriend are suspected of involvement in attack on 19-year-old woman, officials saySign up for the Breaking News US email to get newsletter alerts in your inboxThe social media influencer known as Clavicular has been arrested in Florida on battery charges.Braden Eric Peters, who maintains a controversial online presence among “manosphere” circles as a so-called “looksmaxxer”, was taken into custody on a warrant issued by the Osceola county sheriff’s office, according to local jail records and media reports. Continue reading...

Prime minister says government needs to show it is on families’ side as new screen-time guidance launched• UK politics live – latest updatesKeir Starmer has promised a “fight” with social media firms amid efforts to limit children’s use of mobile phones, tablets and TVs, as new official guidance recommends children under five spend no more than an hour a day on screens.The guidance, developed by a panel led by the children’s commissioner, Rachel de Souza and children’s health expert Prof Russell Viner, advises screen time for children under two should be avoided other than for shared activities. Continue reading...

• A Los Angeles jury on Wednesday found Meta and Google liable in a case involving a young woman's depression linked to social media platform use, challenging existing legal protections for tech companies. • The verdict represents a significant legal development challenging Section 230 liability shields that have historically protected technology companies from user-generated content lawsuits. • This ruling potentially opens the door to broader litigation against social media platforms regarding mental health impacts, marking a notable shift in tech industry legal liability exposure.