TikTok removed fake adverts for weight loss drugs after a company impersonating UK retailer Boots used AI-generated videos. The clips falsely showed healthcare professionals promoting prescription-only medicines.
Boots said it contacted TikTok after becoming aware of the misleading adverts circulating on the platform. TikTok confirmed the videos were removed for breaching its rules on deceptive and harmful advertising.
BBC reporting found the account was briefly able to repost the same videos before being taken down. The account appeared to be based in Hong Kong and directed users to a website selling the drugs.
UK health regulators warned that prescription-only weight loss medicines must only be supplied by registered pharmacies. TikTok stated that it continues to strengthen its detection systems and bans the promotion of controlled substances.
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An EU-funded project, AIOLIA, is examining how Europe’s approach to trustworthy AI can be applied in practice. Principles such as transparency and accountability are embedded in the AI Act’s binding rules. Turning those principles into design choices remains difficult.
The project focuses on closing that gap by analysing how AI ethics is applied in real systems. Its work supports the implementation of AI Act requirements beyond legal text. Lessons are translated into practical training.
Project coordinator Alexei Grinbaum argues that ethical principles vary widely by context. Engineers are expected to follow them, but implications differ across systems. Bridging the gap requires concrete examples.
AIOLIA analyses ten use cases across multiple domains involving professionals and citizens. The project examines how organisations operationalise ethics under regulatory and organisational constraints. Findings highlight transferable practices without a single model.
Training is central to the initiative, particularly for EU ethics evaluators and researchers working under the AI Act framework. As AI becomes more persuasive, risks around manipulation grow. AIOLIA aims to align ethical language with daily decisions.
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ChatGPT Atlas has introduced an agent mode that allows an AI browser agent to view webpages and perform actions directly. The feature supports everyday workflows using the same context as a human user. Expanded capability also increases security exposure.
Prompt injection has emerged as a key threat to browser-based agents, targeting AI behaviour rather than software flaws. Malicious instructions embedded in content can redirect an agent from the user’s intended action. Successful attacks may trigger unauthorised actions.
To address the risk, OpenAI has deployed a security update to Atlas. The update includes an adversarially trained model and strengthened safeguards. It followed internal automated red teaming.
Automated red teaming uses reinforcement learning to train AI attackers that search for complex exploits. Simulations test how agents respond to injected prompts. Findings are used to harden models and system-level defences.
Prompt injection is expected to remain a long-term security challenge for AI agents. Continued investment in testing, training, and rapid mitigation aims to reduce real-world risk. The goal is to achieve reliable and secure AI assistance.
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Splat is a new mobile app from the team behind Retro that uses generative AI to transform personal photos into colouring pages designed for children. The app targets parents seeking creative activities, free from advertising clutter and pay-per-page websites.
Users can upload images from their camera roll or select from curated educational categories, then apply styles such as cartoon, anime or comic.
Parents guide the initial setup through simple preferences instead of a lengthy account creation process, while children can colour either on-screen or on printed pages.
Splat operates on a subscription basis, offering weekly or annual plans that limit the number of generated pages. Access to payments and settings is restricted behind parental verification, helping prevent accidental purchases by younger users.
The app reflects a broader trend in applying generative AI to child-friendly creativity tools. By focusing on ease of use and offline activities, Splat positions itself as an alternative to screen-heavy entertainment while encouraging imaginative play.
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Florida lawmakers are preparing a sweeping AI Bill of Rights as political debates intensify. Senator Tom Leek introduced a proposal to provide residents with clearer safeguards while regulating how firms utilise advanced systems across the state.
The plan outlines parental control over minors’ interactions with AI and requires disclosure when people engage with automated systems. It also sets boundaries on political advertising created with AI and restricts state contracts with suppliers linked to countries of concern.
Governor Ron DeSantis maintains Florida can advance its agenda despite federal attempts to curb state-level AI rules. He argues the state has the authority to defend consumers while managing the rising costs of new data centre developments.
Democratic lawmakers have raised concerns about young users forming harmful online bonds with AI companions, prompting calls for stronger protections. The legislation now forms part of a broader clash over online safety, privacy rights and fast-growing AI industries.
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Apple has been fined €98 million by Italy’s competition authority after regulators concluded that its App Tracking Transparency framework distorted competition in the app store market.
Authorities stated that the policy strengthened Apple’s dominant position while limiting how third-party developers collect advertising data.
The investigation found that developers were required to request consent multiple times for the same data processing purposes, creating friction that disproportionately affected competitors.
Regulators in Italy argued that equivalent privacy protections could have been achieved through a single consent mechanism instead of duplicated prompts.
According to the Italian authority, the rules were imposed unilaterally across the App Store ecosystem and harmed commercial partners reliant on targeted advertising. The watchdog also questioned whether the policy was proportionate from a data protection perspective under the EU law.
Apple rejected the findings and confirmed plans to appeal, stating that App Tracking Transparency prioritises user privacy over the interests of ad technology firms.
The decision follows similar penalties and warnings issued in France and Germany, reinforcing broader European scrutiny of platform governance.
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TikTok Shop has introduced digital gift cards as part of its wider push into e-commerce. Users can purchase cards for $10 to $500 and choose animated designs for occasions such as birthdays or weddings. Availability is currently limited to the United States.
Recipients must have a TikTok account to redeem a gift card, and the balance is added to their TikTok Wallet instantly. Users can reply with a thank-you message or send a gift card as a return gesture. The approach reinforces TikTok’s focus on social interaction alongside transactions.
The feature puts the digital shop in more direct competition with established e-commerce platforms such as Amazon and eBay, which have long offered digital gift cards. Moves into higher-end retail to broaden its ambitions. The social media powerhouse is positioning itself as a full-scale online marketplace.
Momentum has continued to build, with US sales exceeding $500 million during the Black Friday and Cyber Monday period. The results highlight rising consumer confidence in the platform’s ability to drive purchases. Engagement is increasingly translating into measurable commerce.
Further developments are planned, including video messages and an interactive unboxing experience, which are expected to be released in early 2026. Expansion continues despite uncertainty around the platform’s future in the US. Negotiations over a potential sale remain unresolved ahead of January 2026.
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Madrid has strengthened emergency response capabilities through a new collaboration between Orange and Ericsson, integrating a dedicated slice within Orange’s 5G Standalone network.
Advanced radio access and core technologies allow emergency teams to operate on prioritised connectivity during high network demand.
Police, fire and medical services benefit from guaranteed bandwidth and low-latency communications, ensuring uninterrupted coordination during incidents.
The infrastructure by Ericsson enables dynamic switching between public 5G and emergency spectrum, supporting rapid deployment when physical networks are compromised.
Resilience remains central to the design, with autonomous power systems and redundancy maintaining operations during outages. Live video transmission from firefighters’ helmets illustrates how real time data improves risk assessment and decision making on the ground.
By combining telecom innovation with public safety needs, the initiative reinforces Madrid’s role in the emergency communications leadership of the EU and demonstrates how 5G can support critical services at scale.
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France’s national postal service, La Poste, suffered a cyber incident days before Christmas that disrupted websites, mobile applications and parts of its delivery network.
The organisation confirmed a distributed denial of service attack temporarily knocked key digital systems offline, slowing parcel distribution during the busiest period of the year.
A disruption that also affected La Banque Postale, with customers reporting limited access to online banking and mobile services. Card payments in stores, ATM withdrawals, and authenticated online payments continued to function, easing concerns over wider financial instability.
La Poste stated there was no evidence of customer data exposure, although several post offices in France operated at reduced capacity. Staff were deployed to restore services while maintaining in-person banking and postal transactions where possible.
The incident added to growing anxiety over digital resilience in critical public services, particularly following a separate data breach disclosed at France’s Interior Ministry last week. Authorities have yet to identify those responsible for the attack on La Poste.
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The US tech giant NVIDIA has largely remained shut out of China’s market for advanced AI chips, as US export controls have restricted sales due to national security concerns.
High-performance processors such as the H100 and H200 were barred, forcing NVIDIA to develop downgraded alternatives tailored for Chinese customers instead of flagship products.
A shift in policy emerged after President Donald Trump announced that H200 chip sales to China could proceed following a licensing review and a proposed 25% fee. The decision reopened a limited pathway for exporting advanced US AI hardware, subject to regulatory approval in both Washington and Beijing.
If authorised, the H200 shipments would represent the most powerful US-made AI chips permitted in China since restrictions were introduced. The move could help NVIDIA monetise existing H200 inventory while easing pressure on its China business as it transitions towards newer Blackwell chips.
Strategically, the decision may slow China’s push for AI chip self-sufficiency, as domestic alternatives still lag behind NVIDIA’s technology.
At the same time, the policy highlights a transactional approach to export controls, raising uncertainty over long-term US efforts to contain China’s technological rise.
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