Internet of things

Kick faces investigation after ignoring Ofcom risk assessment request

Ofcom has launched two investigations into Kick Online Entertainment, the provider of a pornography website, over potential breaches of the Online Safety Act.

The regulator said the company failed to respond to a statutory request for a risk assessment related to illegal content appearing on the platform.

As a result, Ofcom is investigating whether Kick has failed to meet its legal obligations to complete and retain a record of such a risk assessment, as well as for not responding to the regulator’s information request.

Ofcom confirmed it had received complaints about potentially illegal material on the site, including child sexual abuse content and extreme pornography.

It is also considering a third investigation into whether the platform has implemented adequate safety measures to protect users from such material—another requirement under the Act.

Under the Online Safety Act, firms found in breach can face fines of up to £18 million or 10% of their global revenue, whichever is higher. In the most severe cases, Ofcom can pursue court orders to block UK access to the website or compel payment providers and advertisers to cut ties with the platform.

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Meta targets critics as FTC case unfolds

Long-standing friction between Big Tech and the media resurfaced during Meta’s antitrust trial with the Federal Trade Commission this week. In a heated courtroom exchange, Meta’s legal team used critical commentary from prominent tech journalists to cast doubt on the FTC’s case.

Meta’s lead attorney, Mark Hansen, questioned the credibility of FTC expert Scott Hemphill by referencing a 2019 antitrust pitch Hemphill co-authored with Facebook co-founder Chris Hughes and former White House advisor Tim Wu.

The presentation cited public statements from reporters Kara Swisher and Om Malik as evidence of Meta’s dominance and aggressive acquisitions.

Hansen dismissed Malik as a ‘failed blogger’ with personal bias and accused Swisher of similar hostility, projecting a headline where she described Mark Zuckerberg as a ‘small little creature with a shriveled soul.’

He also attempted to discredit a cited New York Post article by invoking the tabloid’s notorious ‘Headless Body in Topless Bar’ cover.

These moments highlight Meta’s growing resentment toward the press, which has intensified alongside rising criticism of its business practices. Once seen as scrappy disruptors, Facebook and other tech giants now face regular scrutiny—and appear eager to push back.

Swisher and Malik have both openly criticized Meta in the past. Swisher famously challenged Zuckerberg over content moderation and political speech, while Malik has questioned the company’s global expansion strategies.

Their inclusion in a legal document presented in court underscores how media commentary is influencing regulatory narratives. Meta has previously blamed critical press for damaging user sentiment in the wake of scandals like Cambridge Analytica.

The FTC argues that consistent engagement levels despite bad press prove Meta’s monopoly power—users feel they have no real alternatives to Facebook and Instagram. As the trial continues, so too does Meta’s public battle—not just with regulators, but with the journalists documenting its rise and reckoning.

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Trump denies sharing AI pope image after Truth Social backlash

Donald Trump has rejected claims that he shared an AI-generated image depicting him dressed as the pope, following criticism from some Christian groups.

The image, which showed the former president wearing white and gold papal-style robes, appeared on his Truth Social account and swiftly sparked outrage. Speaking on Monday, Trump claimed he had no knowledge of the picture’s origins and suggested it may have been created using AI.

Trump further distanced himself from the incident, insisting he first saw the image on Sunday evening, despite it being posted on his account on Friday night and later shared by the White House through its official X account.

When questioned about offended Catholics, he dismissed the concerns lightly, stating, ‘Oh, they can’t take a joke.’ He also remarked that Melania Trump thought the image was ‘cute’.

Despite his lighthearted response, some pointed out that Trump is ineligible to become pope, having never been baptised as a Catholic. He would not be permitted to join the conclave or hold the position.

Meanwhile, preparations continue in the Vatican, where 133 cardinal electors will gather in the Sistine Chapel on Wednesday to begin the ancient rituals of selecting a new pontiff following the death of Pope Francis last month.

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Hydropower infrastructure vulnerable to cyberattacks

Cybersecurity threats to hydropower dams are becoming more frequent and severe, with attacks linked to state-backed actors from Iran, Russia, and elsewhere causing concern worldwide.

Recent incidents, including a major cyberattack on Hydro Quebec in 2023 and a thwarted attempt at Ethiopia’s Grand Renaissance Dam, show how vulnerable critical infrastructure has become.

The integration of Internet of Things (IoT) devices has only heightened these risks, expanding attack surfaces and introducing new vulnerabilities through outdated systems, dispersed equipment, and inconsistent security standards.

In the United States, authorities are growing increasingly alarmed at the lack of coordinated cybersecurity oversight for dams. Senator Ron Wyden, chairing a subcommittee hearing in April 2024, warned that many non-federal hydropower dams have never been audited for cybersecurity.

With only four cybersecurity experts overseeing 2,500 dams, and with outdated rules that only apply to internet-managed sites, he criticised the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) for lacking the capacity and tools to safeguard the sector effectively.

Experts from the Idaho National Laboratory and FERC agree that the fragmented regulatory landscape poses a major challenge. Different agencies oversee various parts of dam operations, with no unified framework in place.

Cyberattacks on dams can cause more than just blackouts—they can also trigger devastating floods, disrupt water supplies, and endanger lives.

Calls are growing for Congress to address this vulnerability by improving funding, updating regulations, and implementing a national strategy to protect critical hydropower infrastructure from increasingly sophisticated cyber threats.

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Facebook introduces Friends tab for a personalised feed

Facebook is making it easier for users to focus on posts from friends and family with a new Friends tab, with Meta announcing the feature as part of an effort to bring back the ‘OG’ Facebook experience. The latest addition allows users to view a feed filled exclusively with content from their friends.

The Friends tab, located in the tab bar at the bottom of the app, displays posts, stories, and videos from friends, along with birthday reminders, friend requests, and suggested connections. Users in the United States and Canada can customise their tab bar if the feature does not appear automatically.

The move by Meta mirrors similar updates on other social media platforms, such as Threads and X, which introduced dedicated tabs for following-only content.

The change aims to restore Facebook’s original purpose—connecting users with friends and family—by reducing the prominence of algorithm-driven posts from non-followed accounts.

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Downdetector shows sharp decline in Instagram outage reports

Reports of an Instagram outage in the US fell sharply on Thursday evening, indicating that service had been largely restored. According to outage tracking website Downdetector, incidents dropped from a peak of 19,431 to just 429 by 8:34 p.m. ET.

The cause of the disruption remains unclear, and Instagram owner Meta has not yet responded to requests for comment.

Downdetector compiles outage data from user reports, meaning the actual number of affected users may vary.

Many users in the United States had initially reported problems accessing the platform, but the rapid decline in complaints suggests that most issues have been resolved.

Instagram has experienced occasional service disruptions in the past, with similar outages affecting users worldwide.

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Migrants urged to use new app to self-deport under Trump policy

The Trump administration has introduced a new app that allows undocumented migrants in the US to self-deport rather than risk arrest and detention.

The United States Customs and Border Protection (CBP) app, called CBP Home, includes an option for individuals to signal their ‘intent to depart.’ Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said the app gives migrants a chance to leave voluntarily and potentially return legally in the future.

Noem warned that those who do not leave will face deportation and a lifetime ban from re-entering the country. The administration has stepped up pressure on undocumented migrants, with new regulations set to take effect in April requiring them to register with the government or face fines and jail time.

The launch of CBP Home follows Trump’s decision to shut down CBP One, a Biden-era app that allowed migrants in Mexico to schedule asylum appointments. The move left thousands of migrants stranded at the border with uncertain prospects.

Trump has pledged to carry out record deportations, although his administration’s current removal numbers lag behind those recorded under President Joe Biden.

The CBP Home app marks a shift in immigration policy, aiming to encourage voluntary departures while tightening enforcement measures against those who remain illegally.

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Tech giants challenge Australia’s exemption for YouTube

Major social media companies, including Meta, Snapchat, and TikTok, have urged Australia to reconsider its decision to exempt YouTube from a new law banning under-16s from social media platforms.

The legislation, passed in November, imposes strict age restrictions and threatens heavy fines for non-compliance. YouTube, however, is set to be excluded due to its educational value and parental supervision features.

Industry leaders argue that YouTube shares key features with other platforms, such as algorithmic content recommendations and social interaction tools, making its exemption inconsistent with the law’s intent.

Meta called for equal enforcement, while TikTok warned that excluding YouTube would create an ‘illogical, anticompetitive, and short-sighted’ regulation. Snapchat echoed these concerns, insisting that all platforms should be treated fairly.

Experts have pointed out that YouTube, like other platforms, can expose children to addictive and harmful content. The company has responded by strengthening content moderation and expanding its automated detection systems.

The debate highlights broader concerns over online safety and fair competition as Australia moves to enforce some of the world’s strictest social media regulations.

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Super Mario Bros. challenges AI models more than expected

A group of researchers from Hao AI Lab at the University of California San Diego has suggested that Super Mario Bros. might actually be a tougher challenge for AI than Pokémon. In a recent experiment, AI models were tasked with playing the game, and while Anthropic’s Claude 3.7 performed the best, models like Google’s Gemini 1.5 Pro and OpenAI’s GPT-4o struggled. The game was not the original 1985 version but instead ran in an emulator integrated with GamingAgent, a framework that provided basic instructions and screenshots for the AI to control Mario.

The AI had to generate inputs, such as Python code, based on the given instructions to navigate Mario through the game’s challenges. The researchers found that while the game required models to plan complex manoeuvres and strategies, reasoning models like OpenAI’s o1 performed worse than non-reasoning models. This is because reasoning models typically take longer to decide on actions, and in a real-time game like Super Mario Bros., timing is critical.

While games have long been used to benchmark AI, some experts question the relevance of gaming skills as a measure of technological advancement. Andrej Karpathy, a research scientist at OpenAI, has expressed concerns over the current AI evaluation process, calling it an ‘evaluation crisis.’ Despite these concerns, watching AI take on Super Mario Bros. provides an interesting glimpse into how far AI has come, even if the benchmarks remain unclear.

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