What the Online Safety Act means for UK tech March 23, 2025 New rules under the Online Safety Act came into force on Monday, requiring tech firms to find and remove illegal content, or risk facing heavy fines. The law applies to around 100,000 online services including social media platforms, online forums and messaging apps. It has given the UK watchdog the power to enforce stricter content [...]
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. [...]
Is Facebook about to fall foul of new fraud laws? March 18, 2025 This week the anti-fraud provisions of the Online Safety Act start to become enforceable. This could mean huge fines for social media firms that break the law by carrying fraudulent content. Yet our investigation shows that Facebook is still carrying numerous adverts for investments that might be seen to break the new law, says Andrew [...]
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 [...]
GB News wins legal review of Ofcom’s breach of impartiality ruling February 28, 2025 GB News has won a legal review of Ofcom ruling that it breached impartiality in two shows hosted by former politician, Sir Jacob Rees-Mogg
Criticising ‘wealth hoarding boomers’ is ageist stereotype, MPs warn February 19, 2025 Criticism of older people as “wealth hoarding boomers” is a form of ageist stereotyping, a report by MPs has warned. Ageism is “widespread and culturally embedded” in the UK and discrimination laws are currently “failing” older people, the MPs have said. The Women and Equalities Committee of MPs concluded the UK has a “pervasively ageist [...]
Galentine’s craze spotlights an unmined market: Singles wanting fun February 19, 2025 Hospitality's embrace of Galentine's shows welcome goodwill towards financially punished singles, writes Susannah Streeter.
Musk and Google warn UK on tech exodus over safety rules February 17, 2025 Tech giants Google and Elon Musk’s X have warned that Britain’s new online safety laws could force global companies to reconsider their UK presence due to high compliance costs and regulatory overreach. The Online Safety Act, which was passed under Rishi Sunak’s government, imposed strict rules requiring major platforms to introduce age verification and stop [...]
What do TV audiences really want from news? February 3, 2025 As Sky News announces a seismic overhaul of its newsroom it’s clear that what audiences demand of ‘news’ is changing. Meeting these demands, to a high quality and at a profit, is a huge challenge for journalists, says Eliot Wilson Last week, David Rhodes, the executive chairman of Sky News Group, outlined a new strategy [...]
Royal Mail allowed to ditch Second Class Saturday deliveries January 30, 2025 This morning, regulator Ofcom has said it is proposing to scrap Second Class letter deliveries on Saturdays and reduce the service to alternate weekdays while lowering Royal Mail’s delivery targets. In a statement published this morning, titled ‘Protecting the postal service for the future,’ Ofcom said Royal Mail’s universal service agreement “urgently needs reform to [...]