Royal Mail boss pay soars to £7m despite profit slip June 23, 2026 The boss of Royal Mail’s owner has seen his pay packet almost triple to £7m in the same year that profit at the firm fell by almost a fifth. Martin Seidenberg, chief executive of International Distribution Services (IDS), saw his total pay packet jump from £2.1m last year to £6.9m in the year to March. [...]
Musk brands UK a ‘police state’ as Big Tech rebels against Starmer’s social media ban June 16, 2026 Elon Musk, Meta and Google’s YouTube have all attacked Keir Starmer’s planned social media ban for under-16s, warning the restrictions will drive teenagers towards less safe corners of the internet and create sweeping new surveillance powers. The backlash comes as ministers consider forcing Apple and Google to carry out age checks on millions of British [...]
Social media ban may push children to ‘darker corners of the internet,’ lawyers warn June 15, 2026 Sir Kier Starmer’s announcement to ban social media for under-16s on Monday morning may create privacy issues for children and encourage them to use less regulated platforms, legal experts have warned. Speaking at Downing Street on Monday, the Prime Minister said social media platforms are harming children’s wellbeing and making it easier for their mental [...]
VPN demand rockets as UK prepares for under-16 social media ban June 15, 2026 Searches for VPNs jumped 165 per cent overnight after the government confirmed plans to ban under-16s from social media, fuelling demand for digital workarounds. The rush came within hours of Keir Starmer unveiling one of the world’s toughest online safety regimes, which will block social media platforms from offering services to under-16s and introduce wider [...]
‘Protecting children is right’: Starmer takes on Big Tech with social media ban for under-16s June 15, 2026 Keir Starmer has announced a ban on social media for under-16s, arguing that platforms are harming children’s wellbeing and fuelling a generation of unhealthy online habits. The Prime Minister said social media was making children “unhappy”, making it easier for bullies to harass and abuse young people and potentially damaging their mental health. Speaking at [...]
Forget Palantir, Microsoft is the government’s real tech problem June 11, 2026 MPs are right to warn about the dangers of the public sector’s use of Palantir, but the bigger story is the vice-like grip Microsoft exerts of government IT systems, says Bill McCluggage Palantir, the Peter Thiel-founded data analytics firm with its murky intelligence community roots, makes for an irresistible villain. So it’s no surprise that [...]
Bluesky bets on the end of X and Meta’s social media grip June 2, 2026 Social media is moving beyond platforms controlled by a “few billionaires”, according to Bluesky’s chief operating officer, as governments in the UK and Europe step up scrutiny of X, Meta, and other Big Techs. Speaking at SXSW London, Rose Wang said Bluesky was built in response to a social media market dominated by a handful [...]
New Married At First Sight series still in edit despite ‘troubling’ allegations May 20, 2026 Channel 4’s new chief executive, Priya Dogra, has said allegations surrounding Married at First Sight (MAFS) UK were “really hard to watch”, as the broadcaster weighs the future of the hit reality show while the next series remains in edit. Dogra confirmed on Wednesday that no decision had yet been made on whether the upcoming [...]
BT shares dip as Ofcom probes EE and Plusnet data April 29, 2026 Shares in telecoms giant BT Group slid on Wednesday after the regulator Ofcom launched a formal investigation into whether it provided inaccurate or incomplete customer service data through EE and Plusnet. The UK watchdog said it is looking into whether BT complied with legally binding information requests issued in December 2023, under the Communications Act, [...]
Ofcom launches probe into Telegram over child safety failures April 21, 2026 The UK’s communications regulator has launched a probe into Telegram after evidence emerged that child sexual abuse material was being shared on the platform. Ofcom announced on Tuesday that it has also opened investigations into teen chat sites Teen Chat and Chat Avenue, assessing whether the platforms are meeting their legal duties to protect children [...]