Jess Carter, the Online Safety Act and a problem that won’t go away July 26, 2025 Online racist and misogynistic abuse of Lionesses defender Jess Carter during the Women’s Euros echoes that faced by Bukayo Saka, Marcus Rashford and Jadon Sancho after the men’s Euro 2020 final. The Online Safety Act 2023 aimed to make the UK the world leader in this area, so why are we still asking how to [...]
UK hits Big Tech with online safety crackdown July 25, 2025 The UK’s biggest tech platforms are under new legal pressure from Friday as sweeping new child protection laws come into force, requiring firms to deploy strict age verification for harmful content – or face fines of up to £18m, or 10 per cent of global turnover. The new rules, part of the government’s long-trailed Online [...]
Sport England boss Boardman asks Ofcom to act on Lionesses abuse July 22, 2025 Sport England chair Chris Boardman has written to regulator Ofcom to raise concerns about online abuse of the Lionesses during the Women’s Euros. It comes after England defender Jess Carter on Sunday revealed she would step back from social media following online racist abuse she received throughout the tournament. Boardman has written to Ofcom chief [...]
Ofcom relaxes Royal Mail delivery targets to cut costs July 10, 2025 Royal Mail will be allowed to deliver first and second class letters more slowly after its delivery targets were slashed by the communications watchdog in a bid to cut costs. From the end of July, Britain’s postal service will be allowed to deliver second class letters on alternate weekdays, Monday to Friday, instead of six [...]
Rolex sponsored Wimbledon stars made to pay for own watches July 9, 2025 A Rolex sponsorship or ambassadorial contract is widely seen as a must-have endorsement by aspiring young tennis players, yet such deals can prove to be a mixed blessing. Such is the value and scarcity of the Swiss luxury watches that their endorsement department operates a strictly enforced tier system, with only their A-list clients such [...]
Wikipedia mounts legal fight over UK online safety rules May 8, 2025 The Wikipedia Foundation, which operates Wikipedia, is fighting back against the UK’s online safety rules, seeking a review of some of the requirements of the act. The platform wishes to be in the threshold of a ‘category one’ service – a label reserved for platforms facing the strictest levels of user safety duties. This status [...]
Labour to fine tech firms £70k over knife crime content April 25, 2025 Tech firms that fail to swiftly remove knife-crime related content from their platforms could be hit with fines of up to £70,000 under new powers unveiled by the UK government this week. As part of Labour’s upcoming crime and policing bill, platforms and search engines will be legally obliged to take down illegal content- including [...]
Rules to keep children safe online finalised by Ofcom April 24, 2025 Ofcom has issued the final safety codes requiring online platforms to implement over 40 protective measures for users under the age of 18 by July. These include tools to verify user age, block underage access to adult content, and remove harmful material linked to self harm, suicide, and eating disorders. Platforms that fail to comply [...]
Fast broadband ‘revolution’ in final phase, Ofcom says March 20, 2025 The roll-out of ultrafast broadband across the UK is in its “final phase” and could reach nearly all homes by 2027, Ofcom has said. The industry regulator said data it had compiled from telecoms firms indicated 96 per cent homes and businesses would have access to full-fibre by 2027 with the right investment and regulation. [...]
Booking.com prone to scammers due to weak security, warns watchdog March 11, 2025 A lack of effective security measures is leaving Booking.com vulnerable to scammers, consumer champion Which? has warned. Which? said the platform suffers from an easily hacked messaging system, failure to remove scam listings, and a lack of identity checks on property owners. The watchdog’s findings, which come as the Online Safety Act‘s illegal codes are [...]