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Abusers using AI and digital tech to attack and control women, charity warns

Abusers using AI and digital tech to attack and control women, charity warns

Exclusive: Smartwatches, Oura rings, smart home devices and Fitbits being weaponised, says Refuge Domestic abusers are increasingly using AI, smartwatches and other technology to attack and control their victims, a domestic abuse charity says. Record numbers of women who were abused and controlled through technology were referred to Refuge’s specialist services during the last three months of 2025, including a 62% increase in the most complex cases to total 829 women. There was also a 24% increase in referrals of under-30s. Continue reading...

theguardian.com
Jan 30
Violence against women and girlsDomestic violenceAI (artificial intelligence)
Universal basic income could be used to soften hit from AI job losses in UK, minister says

Universal basic income could be used to soften hit from AI job losses in UK, minister says

Lord Stockwood says people in government ‘definitely’ talking about idea as technology disrupts industries • Business live – latest updates The UK could introduce a universal basic income (UBI) to protect workers in industries that are being disrupted by AI, the investment minister Jason Stockwood has said. “Bumpy” changes to society caused by the introduction of the technology would mean there would have to be “some sort of concessionary arrangement with jobs that go immediately”, Lord Stockwood said. Continue reading...

theguardian.com
Jan 29
AI (artificial intelligence)Universal basic incomeEconomic policy
Life after Molly: Ian Russell on big tech, his daughter’s death – and why a social media ban won’t work

Life after Molly: Ian Russell on big tech, his daughter’s death – and why a social media ban won’t work

Molly Russell was just 14 when she took her own life in 2017, and an inquest later found negative online content was a significant factor. With many people now pushing for teenagers to be kept off tech platforms, her father explains why he backs a different approach Ian Russell describes his life as being split into two parts: before and after 20 November 2017, the day his youngest daughter, Molly, took her own life as a result of depression and negative social media content. “Our life before Molly’s death was very ordinary. Unremarkable,” he says. He was a television producer and director, married with three daughters. “We lived in an ordinary London suburb, in an ordinary semi-detached house, the children went to ordinary schools.” The weekend before Molly’s death, they had a celebration for all three girls’ birthdays, which are in November. One was turning 21, another 18 and Molly was soon to be 15. “And I remember being in the kitchen of a house full of friends and family and thinking, ‘This is so good. I’ve never been so happy,’” he says. “That was on a Saturday night and the following Tuesday morning, everything was different.” The second part of Russell’s life has been not only grief and trauma, but also a commitment to discovering and exposing the truth about the online content that contributed to Molly’s death, and campaigning to prevent others falling prey to the same harms. Both elements lasted far longer than he anticipated. It took nearly five years to get enough information out of social media companies for an inquest to conclude that Molly died “from an act of self-harm while suffering from depression and the negative effects of online content”. As for the campaigning, the Molly Rose Foundation provides support, conducts research and raises awareness of online harms, and Russell has been an omnipresent spokesperson on these issues. Continue reading...

theguardian.com
Jan 26
Online abuseGrok AIX
Google AI Overviews cite YouTube more than any medical site for health queries, study suggests

Google AI Overviews cite YouTube more than any medical site for health queries, study suggests

Exclusive: German research into responses to health queries raises fresh questions about summaries seen by 2bn people a month • How the ‘confident authority’ of AI Overviews is putting public health at risk Google’s search feature AI Overviews cites YouTube more than any medical website when answering queries about health conditions, according to research that raises fresh questions about a tool seen by 2 billion people each month. The company has said its AI summaries, which appear at the top of search results and use generative AI to answer questions from users, are “reliable” and cite reputable medical sources such as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Mayo Clinic. Continue reading...

theguardian.com
Jan 24
GoogleAI (artificial intelligence)YouTube
Lords put pressure on Starmer with vote to ban social media for under-16s

Lords put pressure on Starmer with vote to ban social media for under-16s

Commons will now have to consider Tory-led amendment, which is likely to be supported by Labour MPs As a parent – and a Conservative – I know that banning social media for under-16s is the right thing to do The House of Lords has voted decisively for a ban on social media for under-16s in a move that puts pressure on Keir Starmer to bring in Australian-style restrictions. Peers voted by 261 to 150 in favour of a Tory-led amendment to the children’s wellbeing and schools bill, which was not backed by the government. Continue reading...

theguardian.com
Jan 21
Social media banKemi BadenochKeir Starmer
UK study to examine effects of restricting social media for children

UK study to examine effects of restricting social media for children

Trial involving 4,000 children will explore impact on mental health, sleep and time spent with friends and family A pioneering investigation into the impact of restricting social media access for children in the UK has been announced as politicians around the world consider action on the issue. In December, Australia became the first country to ban under-16s from social media , with governments in other countries, including the, coming under pressure to do the same . Continue reading...

theguardian.com
Jan 20
Social mediaSocial media bansSocial media ban
He called himself an ‘untouchable hacker god’. But who was behind the biggest crime Finland has ever known?

He called himself an ‘untouchable hacker god’. But who was behind the biggest crime Finland has ever known?

How would you feel if your therapist’s notes – your darkest thoughts and deepest feelings – were exposed to the world? For 33,000 Finnish people, that became a terrifying reality, with deadly consequences Tiina Parikka was half-naked when she read the email. It was a Saturday in late October 2020, and Parikka had spent the morning sorting out plans for distance learning after a Covid outbreak at the school where she was headteacher. She had taken a sauna at her flat in Vantaa, just outside Finland’s capital, Helsinki, and when she came into her bedroom to get dressed, she idly checked her phone. There was a message that began with Parikka’s name and her social security number – the unique code used to identify Finnish people when they access healthcare, education and banking. “I knew then that this is not a game,” she says. The email was in Finnish. It was jarringly polite. “We are contacting you because you have used Vastaamo’s therapy and/or psychiatric services,” it read. “Unfortunately, we have to ask you to pay to keep your personal information safe.” The sender demanded €200 in bitcoin within 24 hours, otherwise the price would go up to €500 within 48 hours. “If we still do not receive our money after this, your information will be published for everyone to see, including your name, address, phone number, social security number and detailed records containing transcripts of your conversations with Vastaamo’s therapists or psychiatrists.” Continue reading...

theguardian.com
Jan 17
CybercrimeCyberbullyingCounselling and therapy
More than 100,000 people urge MPs to ban social media for under-16s in UK

More than 100,000 people urge MPs to ban social media for under-16s in UK

Letters sent using campaign group’s template as Keir Starmer indicates Australia-style move being considered MPs’ inboxes have been flooded with letters calling for an Australia-style social media ban for under-16s, as the prime minister indicated such a move was being considered. More than 100,000 people have contacted their local MP since the grassroots organisation Smartphone Free Childhood launched an email campaign on Tuesday evening with a template calling for “reasonable, age-appropriate boundaries”. Continue reading...

theguardian.com
Jan 15
Social mediaInternet safetyChildren
UK threatens action against X over sexualised AI images of women and children

UK threatens action against X over sexualised AI images of women and children

Government signals support for possible Ofcom intervention on Grok as scrutiny of X’s AI tool intensifies Business live – latest updates Elon Musk’s X “is not doing enough to keep its customers safe online”, a minister has said, as the UK government prepares to outline possible action against the platform over the mass production of sexualised images of woman and children. Peter Kyle, the business secretary, said the government would fully support any action taken by Ofcom, the media regulator, against X – including the possibility that the platform could be blocked in the UK. Continue reading...

theguardian.com
Jan 12
Internet safetyGrok AIAI (artificial intelligence)
‘Dangerous and alarming’: Google removes some of its AI summaries after users’ health put at risk

‘Dangerous and alarming’: Google removes some of its AI summaries after users’ health put at risk

Exclusive: Guardian investigation finds AI Overviews provided inaccurate and false information when queried over blood tests Google has removed some of its artificial intelligence health summaries after a Guardian investigation found people were being put at risk of harm by false and misleading information. The company has said its AI Overviews, which use generative AI to provide snapshots of essential information about a topic or question, are “ helpful ” and “ reliable ”. Continue reading...

theguardian.com
Jan 11
GoogleAI (artificial intelligence)Technology
Elon Musk’s X threatened with UK ban over wave of indecent AI images

Elon Musk’s X threatened with UK ban over wave of indecent AI images

Platform has restricted image creation on the Grok AI tool to paying subscribers, but victims and experts say this does not go far enough Elon Musk’s X has been ordered by the UK government to tackle a wave of indecent AI images or face a de facto ban, as an expert said the platform was no longer a “safe space” for women. The media watchdog, Ofcom, confirmed it would accelerate an investigation into X as a backlash grew against the site, which has hosted a deluge of images depicting partially stripped women and children. Continue reading...

theguardian.com
Jan 9
Grok AIXElon Musk
MPs question UK Palantir contracts after investigation reveals security concerns

MPs question UK Palantir contracts after investigation reveals security concerns

Journalists find Swiss government rejected company over fears US intelligence might gain access to sensitive data UK MPs have raised concerns about the government’s contracts with Palantir after an investigation published in Switzerland highlighted allegations about the suitability and security of its products. The investigation by the Zurich-based research collective WAV and the Swiss online magazine Republik details Palantir’s efforts , over the course of seven years, to sell its products to Swiss federal agencies. Continue reading...

theguardian.com
Dec 22, 2025
PalantirUK newsMinistry of Defence
Hackers access Pornhub’s premium users’ viewing habits and search history

Hackers access Pornhub’s premium users’ viewing habits and search history

ShinyHunters group reportedly behind the hack affecting data of 200m users thought to be from before 2021 Hackers have accessed the search history and viewing habits of premium users of Pornhub, one of the world’s most popular pornography websites . A gang has reportedly accessed more than 200m data records, including premium members’ email addresses, search and viewing activities and locations. Pornhub is a heavily used site and says it has more than 100m daily visits globally. Continue reading...

theguardian.com
Dec 17, 2025
HackingPornographyInternet
Why universal basic income still can’t meet the challenges of an AI economy

Why universal basic income still can’t meet the challenges of an AI economy

Andrew Yang’s revived pitch suits the automation debate, but UBI can’t fix inequalities concentrated tech wealth drives Universal basic income (UBI) is back, like a space zombie in a sci-fi movie, resurrected from policy oblivion, hungry for policymakers’ attention: brains! Andrew Yang, whose “Yang Gang” enthusiasm briefly shook up the Democratic presidential nomination in 2020 promoting a “Freedom Dividend” to save workers from automation – $1,000 a month for every American adult – is again the main carrier of the bug: offering UBI to save the nation when robots eat all our jobs. Continue reading...

theguardian.com
Dec 15, 2025
US economyBusinessEconomics
‘It was about degrading someone completely’: the story of Mr DeepFakes – the world’s most notorious AI porn site

‘It was about degrading someone completely’: the story of Mr DeepFakes – the world’s most notorious AI porn site

The hobbyists who helped build this site created technology that has been used to humiliate countless women. Why didn’t governments step in and stop them? For Patrizia Schlosser, it started with an apologetic call from a colleague. “I’m sorry but I found this. Are you aware of it?” He sent over a link, which took her to a site called Mr DeepFakes. There, she found fake images of herself, naked, squatting, chained, performing sex acts with various animals. They were tagged “Patrizia Schlosser sluty FUNK whore” (sic). “They were very graphic, very humiliating,” says Schlosser, a German journalist for Norddeutscher Rundfunk (NDR) and Funk . “They were also very badly done, which made it easier to distance myself, and tell myself they were obviously fake. But it was very disturbing to imagine somebody somewhere spending hours on the internet searching for pictures of me, putting all this together.” Continue reading...

theguardian.com
Dec 5, 2025
TechnologyDeepfakePornography
After a teddy bear talked about kink, AI watchdogs are warning parents against smart toys

After a teddy bear talked about kink, AI watchdogs are warning parents against smart toys

Advocates are fighting against the $16.7bn global smart-toy market, decrying surveillance and a lack of regulation As the holiday season looms into view with Black Friday , one category on people’s gift lists is causing increasing concern: products with artificial intelligence . The development has raised new concerns about the dangers smart toys could pose to children, as consumer advocacy groups say AI could harm kids’ safety and development. The trend has prompted calls for increased testing of such products and governmental oversight. Continue reading...

theguardian.com
Nov 28, 2025
Artificial intelligence (AI)ToysUS news