Content Policy

Gerry Adams targets Meta over use of his books

Gerry Adams, the former president of Sinn Féin, is considering legal action against Meta for allegedly using his books to train AI. Adams claims that at least seven of his books were included in a large collection of copyrighted material Meta used to develop its AI systems.

He has handed the matter over to his solicitor. The books in question include his autobiography Before the Dawn, prison memoir Cage Eleven, and reflections on Northern Ireland’s peace process Hope and History, among others.

Adams is not the only author voicing concerns about Meta’s use of copyrighted works. A group of writers filed a US court case in January, accusing Meta of using the controversial Library Genesis (LibGen) database, which hosts over 7.5 million books, many believed to be pirated.

The discovery followed a searchable database of titles from LibGen being published by The Atlantic, which led several authors to identify their works being used to train Meta’s Llama AI model.

The Society of Authors has condemned Meta’s actions, with chair Vanessa Fox O’Loughlin calling the move ‘shocking and devastating’ for authors.

Many authors are concerned that AI models like Llama, which power tools such as chatbots, could undermine their work by reproducing creative content without permission. Meta has defended its actions, claiming that its use of information to train AI models is in line with existing laws.

Adams, a prolific author and former MP, joins other Northern Irish writers, including Booker Prize winner Anna Burns, in opposing the use of their work for AI training without consent.

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Meta to block livestreaming for under 16s without parental permission

Meta will soon prevent children under 16 from livestreaming on Instagram unless their parents explicitly approve.

The new safety rule is part of broader efforts to protect young users online and will first be introduced in the UK, US, Canada and Australia, before being extended to the rest of Europe and beyond in the coming months.

The company explained that teenagers under 16 will also need parental permission to disable a feature that automatically blurs images suspected of containing nudity in direct messages.

These updates build on Meta’s teen supervision programme introduced last September, which gives parents more control over how their children use Instagram.

Instead of limiting the changes to Instagram alone, Meta is now extending similar protections to Facebook and Messenger.

Teen accounts on those platforms will be set to private by default, and will automatically block messages from strangers, reduce exposure to violent or sensitive content, and include reminders to take breaks after an hour of use. Notifications will also pause during usual bedtime hours.

Meta said these safety tools are already being used across at least 54 million teen accounts. The company claims the new measures will better support teenagers and parents alike in making social media use safer and more intentional, instead of leaving young users unprotected or unsupervised online.

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EU plans new law to tackle online consumer manipulation

The European Commission is preparing to introduce the Digital Fairness Act, a new law that aims to boost consumer protection online instead of adding more regulatory burden on businesses.

Justice Commissioner Michael McGrath described the upcoming legislation as both pro-consumer and pro-business during a speech at the European Retail Innovation Summit, seeking to calm industry concerns about further EU regulation following the Digital Services Act and the Digital Markets Act.

Designed to tackle deceptive practices in the digital space, the law will address issues such as manipulative design tricks known as ‘dark patterns’, influencer marketing, and personalised pricing based on user profiling.

It will also target concerns around addictive service design and virtual currencies in video games—areas where current EU consumer rules fall short. The legislation will be based on last year’s Digital Fairness Fitness Check, which highlighted regulatory gaps in the online marketplace.

McGrath acknowledged the cost of complying with EU-wide consumer protection measures, which can run into millions for businesses.

However, he stressed that the new act would provide legal clarity and ease administrative pressure, particularly for smaller companies, instead of complicating compliance requirements further.

A public consultation will begin in the coming weeks, ahead of a formal legislative proposal expected by mid-2026.

Maria-Myrto Kanellopoulou, head of the Commission’s consumer law unit, promised a thoughtful approach, saying the process would be both careful and thorough to ensure the right balance is struck.

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EU refuses to soften tech laws for Trump trade deal

The European Union has firmly ruled out dismantling its strict digital regulations in a bid to secure a trade deal with Donald Trump. Henna Virkkunen, the EU’s top official for digital policy, said the bloc remained fully committed to its digital rulebook instead of relaxing its standards to satisfy American demands.

While she welcomed a temporary pause in US tariffs, she made clear that the EU’s regulations were designed to ensure fairness and safety for all companies, regardless of origin, and were not intended as a direct attack on US tech giants.

Tensions have mounted in recent weeks, with Trump officials accusing the EU of unfairly targeting American firms through regulatory means. Executives like Mark Zuckerberg have criticised the EU’s approach, calling it a form of censorship, while the US has continued imposing tariffs on European goods.

Virkkunen defended the tougher obligations placed on large firms like Meta, Apple and Alphabet, explaining that greater influence came with greater responsibility.

She also noted that enforcement actions under the Digital Markets Act and Digital Services Act aim to ensure compliance instead of simply imposing large fines.

Although France has pushed for stronger retaliation, the European Commission has held back from launching direct countermeasures against US tech firms, instead preparing a range of options in case talks fail.

Virkkunen avoided speculation on such moves, saying the EU preferred cooperation to conflict. At the same time, she is advancing a broader tech strategy, including plans for five AI gigafactories, while also considering adjustments to the EU’s AI Act to better support small businesses and innovation.

Acknowledging creative industries’ concerns over generative AI, Virkkunen said new measures were needed to ensure fair compensation for copyrighted material used in AI training instead of leaving European creators unprotected.

The Commission is now exploring licensing models that could strike a balance between enabling innovation and safeguarding rights, reflecting the bloc’s intent to lead in tech policy without sacrificing democratic values or artistic contributions.

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New AI feature lets WordPress users build sites in minutes

WordPress.com has introduced a new AI website builder designed to help users create an entire website in just minutes.

Available now in early access, the feature allows anyone with a WordPress.com account to try it out free of charge. It uses a conversational interface that responds to user prompts to generate complete sites, including written content, images, colour schemes, and layouts.

Users begin by describing what kind of website they need—whether a blog, portfolio, or business site—and the AI does the rest.

The more specific the initial description, the more tailored the outcome will be. If the first version isn’t quite right, users can continue refining their site simply by chatting with the builder. Once the result is satisfactory, the website can be published directly through WordPress.com.

Currently limited to basic websites, the new tool does not yet support complex features such as ecommerce or external integrations. WordPress has indicated that more functionality is coming soon.

The generated sites remain fully customisable using the usual WordPress tools, giving users full control over editing and manual adjustments post-creation.

At launch, users get 30 free prompts before needing to choose a hosting plan, with pricing starting at $18 per month.

While similar AI tools have been introduced by platforms like Wix and Squarespace, WordPress’s version brings such technology to a significantly wider audience, given that the platform powers over 40% of all websites worldwide.

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TikTok affair, China disagrees with Trump over $54B deal due to tariffs rise

The fate of TikTok hangs in the balance as China and the US trade moves over a potential deal to keep the app alive for its 170 million American users. 

On 9 April 2025, China’s commerce ministry declared that any sale of TikTok must pass its government’s strict review, throwing a wrench into negotiations just as President Donald Trump hinted that a deal remains within reach.

China’s stance is clear: no deal gets the green light without approval. 

The ministry stressed that TikTok’s sales must comply with Chinese laws, particularly those governing technology exports, a nod to a 2020 regulation that gives Beijing veto power over the app’s algorithm, the secret ingredient behind its viral success. 

The disagreement comes after Trump’s recent tariff hikes, which slapped a 54% duty on Chinese goods, prompting Beijing to push back hard. 

China had already signalled it wouldn’t budge on the deal following Trump’s tariff announcement, a move that doesn’t seem to give TikTok too much significance in a broader trade war.

Meanwhile, Trump, speaking on 9 April 2025, kept hope alive, insisting that a TikTok deal is ‘still on the table.’ He extended the deadline for ByteDance, TikTok’s Chinese parent, to find a non-Chinese buyer by 75 days, pushing the cutoff to mid-June after a near-miss on 5 April. 

The deal, which would spin off TikTok’s US operations into a new entity majority-owned by American investors, could have been nearly finalised before China’s objections stalled it. 

Investors, too, are on edge, with the US entity’s future clouded by geopolitical sparring. 

Trump’s optimism, paired with his earlier willingness to ease tariffs, shows he’s playing a long game, balancing national security fears with a desire to keep the app functional for its massive US audience.

Washington has long worried that TikTok’s Chinese ownership makes it a conduit for Beijing to spy on the Americans or sway public opinion, a concern that led to a 2024 law demanding ByteDance divest the app or face a ban. 

That law briefly shuttered TikTok in January 2025, only for Trump to step in with a reprieve. Now, with ByteDance poised to hold a minority stake in a US-based TikTok, the deal’s success hinges on China’s nod, a nod that looks increasingly elusive as trade tensions simmer. 

If China blocks the deal, it could set a precedent for other nations to tighten their grip on digital exports, radically reshaping governmental interdisciplinary approaches and cyberspace, posing a final question: will the internet, as we know it, remain as a globally unified societal enabler or it will divide into national space with new monopolies?

ChatGPT accused of enabling fake document creation

Concerns over digital security have intensified after reports revealed that OpenAI’s ChatGPT has been used to generate fake identification cards.

The incident follows the recent introduction of a popular Ghibli-style feature, which led to a sharp rise in usage and viral image generation across social platforms.

Among the fakes circulating online were forged versions of India’s Aadhaar ID, created with fabricated names, photos, and even QR codes.

While the Ghibli release helped push ChatGPT past 150 million active users, the tool’s advanced capabilities have now drawn criticism.

Some users demonstrated how the AI could replicate Aadhaar and PAN cards with surprising accuracy, even using images of well-known figures like OpenAI CEO Sam Altman and Tesla’s Elon Musk. The ease with which these near-perfect replicas were produced has raised alarms about identity theft and fraud.

The emergence of AI-generated IDs has reignited calls for clearer AI regulation and transparency. Critics are questioning how AI systems have access to the formatting of official documents, with accusations that sensitive datasets may be feeding model development.

As generative AI continues to evolve, pressure is mounting on both developers and regulators to address the growing risk of misuse.

For more information on these topics, visit diplomacy.edu.

Blockchain app ARK fights to keep human creativity ahead of AI

Nearly 20 years after his AI career scare, screenwriter Ed Bennett-Coles and songwriter Jamie Hartman have developed ARK, a blockchain app designed to safeguard creative work from AI exploitation.

The platform lets artists register ownership of their ideas at every stage, from initial concept to final product, using biometric security and blockchain verification instead of traditional copyright systems.

ARK aims to protect human creativity in an AI-dominated world. ‘It’s about ring-fencing the creative process so artists can still earn a living,’ Hartman told AFP.

The app, backed by Claritas Capital and BMI, uses decentralised blockchain technology instead of centralised systems to give creators full control over their intellectual property.

Launching summer 2025, ARK challenges AI’s ‘growth at all costs’ mentality by emphasising creative journeys over end products.

Bennett-Coles compares AI content to online meat delivery, efficient but soulless, while human artistry resembles a grandfather’s butcher trip, where the experience matters as much as the result.

The duo hopes their solution will inspire industries to modernise copyright protections before AI erodes them completely.

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FBI and INTERPOL investigate Oracle Health data breach

Oracle Health has reportedly suffered a data breach that compromised sensitive patient information stored by American hospitals.

The cyberattack, discovered in February 2025, involved threat actors using stolen customer credentials to access an old Cerner server that had not yet migrated to the Oracle Cloud. Oracle acquired healthcare tech company Cerner in 2022 for $28.3 billion.

In notifications sent to affected customers, Oracle acknowledged that data had been downloaded by unauthorised users. The FBI is said to be investigating the incident and exploring whether ransom demands are involved. Oracle has yet to publicly comment on the breach.

The news comes amid growing cybersecurity concerns. A recent report from Horizon3.ai revealed that over half of IT professionals delay critical software patches, leaving organisations vulnerable. Meanwhile, OpenAI has boosted its bug bounty rewards to encourage more proactive security research.

In a broader crackdown on cybercrime, INTERPOL recently arrested over 300 suspects in seven African countries for online scams, seizing devices, properties, and other assets linked to more than 5,000 victims.

For more information on these topics, visit diplomacy.edu.

OpenAI’s Sam Altman responds to Miyazaki’s AI animation concerns

The recent viral trend of AI-generated Ghibli-style images has taken the internet by storm. Using OpenAI’s GPT-4o image generator, users have been transforming photos, from historic moments to everyday scenes, into Studio Ghibli-style renditions.

A trend like this has caught the attention of notable figures, including celebrities and political personalities, sparking both excitement and controversy.

While some praise the trend for democratising art, others argue that it infringes on copyright and undermines the efforts of traditional artists. The debate intensified when Hayao Miyazaki, the co-founder of Studio Ghibli, became a focal point.

In a 2016 documentary, Miyazaki expressed his disdain for AI in animation, calling it ‘an insult to life itself’ and warning that humanity is losing faith in its creativity.

OpenAI’s CEO, Sam Altman, recently addressed these concerns, acknowledging the challenges posed by AI in art but defending its role in broadening access to creative tools. Altman believes that technology empowers more people to contribute, benefiting society as a whole, even if it complicates the art world.

Miyazaki’s comments and Altman’s response highlight a growing divide in the conversation about AI and creativity. As the debate continues, the future of AI in art remains a contentious issue, balancing innovation with respect for traditional artistic practices.

For more information on these topics, visit diplomacy.edu.