WhatsApp reduces minimum age to 13 in UK/EU, Apple eases self-repair policy

Children as young as nine have been added to malicious WhatsApp groups promoting self-harm, sexual violence and racism, a BBC investigation has found. Thousands of parents with children at schools across Tyneside have been sent a warning issued by Northumbria Police. One parent said her 12-year-old daughter had viewed sexual images, racism and swearing that…

OpenAI hits back against Musk, Apple iPhone sales plummet in China

OpenAI, the makers of ChatGPT, have responded to a lawsuit by Elon Musk by making counter-accusations against him. Mr Musk is suing the company he helped found, alleging it has abandoned its original mission of helping humanity. He says it is focusing on generating profits for partner and major investor Microsoft instead. But OpenAI says…

Apple shares slump, Meta shares soar on Wall Street

Apple shares slumped in after-hours trading - driven by disappointing iPhone sales in China and a warning that future revenues will fall well short of expectations on Wall Street. The gloomy market reaction overshadowed an otherwise strong financial performance in Apple's first fiscal quarter. In the three months to 30 December, the tech giant reported…

AI could increase cyber attack risk, new features added for Apple Watch

Artificial intelligence could increase the risk of cyber-attacks and erode trust in online content by 2025, a UK government report warns. The tech could even help plan biological or chemical attacks by terrorists, it says. But some experts have questioned whether the tech will evolve as predicted. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak is expected to highlight…

WhatsApp says goodbye to passwords on Android, Kia is big winner in Used Car Awards

  WhatsApp users on Android can say goodbye to insecure and annoying SMS two-factor authentication. The Meta-owned company announced on X (formerly Twitter) that it’s rolling out support for a passwordless passkey feature to all Android users. The new security option allows WhatsApp users to use their device’s face, fingerprint, or pin security to unlock and access…

Disinformation most active on X, iPhone 15 Pro is overheating claim users

X, formerly Twitter, has the biggest proportion of disinformation of six big social networks, a European Commission study has suggested. It examined over 6,000 unique social media posts across Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, TikTok, X, and YouTube. The study analysed content in three countries deemed particularly at risk to disinformation - Spain, Poland and Slovakia. The…

Data concern over period trackers, scanning WhatsApp messages not practical

The Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) is reviewing period and fertility trackers over data security concerns. The apps work by plotting menstrual cycles, based on user information. They purport to help with a range of period-related health issues, including calculating the best time to attempt to conceive. But the ICO says survey evidence indicates many users…

Facebook tops 3 billion users, Threads drops from 49 to 12 million users daily

Mark Zuckerberg’s social media empire has reported a jump in advertising revenues and said that 3 billion people are now regularly checking Facebook. Meta, the parent company of Facebook, Instagram and newly launched app Threads, reported an 11pc increase to revenues in the three months ending in June. The company said the number of monthly users…

Twitter-killer Threads hits 10 million sign ups after 7 hours

Threads, the long-awaited Twitter rival from Meta, has launched - with 10 million people signing up in the first few hours. Built by the firm's Instagram team, it's billed as a home for "sharing text updates and joining public conversations". Its release couldn't be more aggressively timed, coming days after another controversial move by Twitter's incendiary…