‘Brit card’ already facing opposition from privacy campaigners as government looks for ways to tackle illegal immigration All working adults will need digital ID cards under plans to be announced by Keir Starmer, in a move that will spark a battle with civil liberties campaigners. The prime minister will set out the measures on Friday at a conference on how progressive politicians can tackle the

The Meta CEO fumbled a demo of his AI Ray-Bans, giving us hope that the robots might be too dumb to take over As humanity inches closer to an AI apocalypse, a sliver of hope remains: the robots might not work. Such was the case last week, as Mark Zuckerberg attempted to demonstrate his company’s new AI-enabled smart glasses. “I don’t know what to tell you guys,” Zuckerberg told a crowd of Meta en

MGX, chaired by Sheikh Tahnoon bin Zayed Al Nahyan, will take 15% stake, with social media firm valued at $14bn Trump signs executive order to transfer TikTok to US owners The Abu Dhabi royal family is to take a stake in TikTok’s US business after Donald Trump signed an executive order brokering a deal valuing the social media company at $14bn (£10.5bn). MGX, a fund chaired by Sheikh Tahnoon bin

Say goodbye to extortionate roaming fees – new companies like Airalo, Holafly and Saily offer cheap, easy coverage for your next international trip On a week-long trip to Paris last year, I racked up nearly $100 in data charges on my iPhone, with taxes and fees. Ditto for a separate, eight-day trip to Spain, which was even more pricey. And, in what I now jokingly call an act of piracy, my three-w

They study for hours a day. The competitions have zero prize money. So what keeps quiz champions going for glory – and how do they win? Get our weekend culture and lifestyle email Issa Schultz has a daily schedule that not many could compete with. “I get up, I make a coffee, I go on the computer and I do quizzes. I take a break for lunch and then get back on the computer for more quizzes,” he say

Subscription service is Meta’s response to regulatory warnings over crunching users’ data to serve targeted ads Facebook and Instagram users in the UK are to be offered advert-free versions of the social networks for up to £3.99 a month. Mark Zuckerberg’s Meta has responded to regulatory warnings about personalised adverts , in which users’ data is crunched to produce targeted ads, by launching a

Watchdog applauds ‘strong message’ after federal court orders Gold Coast man Anthony Rotondo to pay for posting deepfake images to a now-defunct website Get our breaking news email , free app or daily news podcast A man who posted deepfake pornographic images of prominent Australian women has been slapped with a hefty fine as a “strong message” in a first-of-its-kind case. The federal court order

From hallway hooks to garden fortresses, here’s where to keep your bike so it’s safe, dry and out of the way • 10 safety essentials cyclists won’t leave home without I recently moved house and have a problem many cyclists face: where does the bike go? Research shows that about 5.5 million people in the UK would cycle more if they had space to store a bike at home; only 23% of people living in fla

I tried my hand at this year’s French arthouse gaming hit, but after an intense initial infatuation, the relationship hit the rocks We don’t just observe art; we have a relationship with it. Whether it’s music, paintings or movies, the artist does their bit – but it’s the involvement of our own psyche that completes the circle. This is even more true for games, because we don’t sit for 100 hours

Agreement separates app from Chinese owner ByteDance and allows US investors to take 80% stake Donald Trump signed an executive order on Thursday outlining the terms of a deal to transfer TikTok to a US owner. Trump said he and China’s president Xi Jinping had come to an agreement to allow TikTok to continue operating in the US, separating the social media platform from its Chinese owner ByteDanc

Firm, which has 18 sites around London and more in US, India and China, has received ransom demand, say reports The names, pictures and addresses of about 8,000 children have reportedly been stolen from the Kido nursery chain by a gang of cybercriminals. The criminals have demanded a ransom from the company – which has 18 sites around London, with more in the US, India and China – according to th

Suit alleges OpenAI has a ‘troubling pattern’ of hiring former xAI workers to access secrets about the Grok chatbot Elon Musk ’s artificial intelligence startup xAI has accused rival OpenAI of stealing its trade secrets in a new lawsuit, the latest in Musk’s legal assault on his former business partner, Sam Altman. The lawsuit, filed on Wednesday in California federal court, alleged that OpenAI w

US regulator said company enrolled millions of customers into service without consent and made it difficult to cancel Amazon has agreed to pay $2.5bn in fines and redress to Prime subscribers to settle a lawsuit by the US Federal Trade Commission (FTC), which accused the retail giant of signing users up for the service without their consent and making it difficult to cancel . In a statement, the

Foreign brands not linked to Kirk’s Turning Point USA sell patriotic gear with unclear promises to donate profits Just hours after Charlie Kirk’s death was confirmed, hundreds of advertisements for memorial merchandise appeared on Facebook and Instagram . In a viral post with more than 8,000 shares and hundreds of thousands of likes, the brand See Jesus In You promoted an “Echo of Freedom” shirt

Deepfakes come with risks that demand urgent regulation. But it is vital their potential as a creative and satirical tool isn’t stifled Salman Rushdie believes AI will not be a threat to authors until ChatGPT can write “a funny book” . His faith in human over synthetic creativity may hold some truth in the literary space. But on our screens – from film, art and satire to the algorithmically turbo

Our reviewer battled through bags of bread to find the top toasters, from two- and four-slice models to the best for busy households • The best electric kettles, tested Few foods are as moreish as a perfectly golden slice of toast: hot, crunchy and preferably buttery. There’s a reason why toast remains a favourite breakfast option, second only to cereal . And yet you probably give no more thought

Meta rejects review findings, which claim two-thirds of new features designed to protect young people are ‘woefully ineffective’ Children and teenagers are still at risk from online harm on Instagram despite the rollout of “woefully ineffective” safety tools , according to research led by a Meta whistleblower. Two-thirds (64%) of new safety tools on Instagram were found to be ineffective, accordi

Electronic Arts; PC, PS4/5 (version tested), Switch, Xbox In a groundbreaking move, FC 26 offers a completely different experience depending on whether you play online or off – with goals the ultimate priority The time has come to relinquish dreams of Fifa’s successor one day emulating old rival Pro Evolution Soccer – in part because its developer doesn’t want it to. Throughout the development of

The iPhone-maker criticises Brussels’ Digital Markets Act and says delayed features are leading to a worse experience for users Apple has called for the European Commission to repeal a swathe of technology legislation, warning that unless it is amended the company could stop shipping some products and services to the 27-country bloc. In the latest of a series of clashes with Brussels, the iPhone

Under the known terms of the deal with China, TikTok would get a new board, including Murdochs and Ellisons Donald Trump revealed last week the US and China are close to inking a deal to let TikTok continue operating in the US. Details are not final, but should the agreement go through as has been reported, the owners of the US’s most powerful cable TV channels may soon also steer the nation’s mo

Sick of swiping and messaging but never meeting anyone you like and who likes you back? Here’s what worked for some lucky couples Using dating apps to find love is commonplace these days – and yet, for many singles, it has become a double-edged sword. The perks of having a never-ending supply of potential matches at your fingertips are obvious – but the appeal of connecting and meeting with stran

The film-making duo share their list of online essentials. It’s mostly women on the verge of a nervous breakdown Get our weekend culture and lifestyle email As hosts of FBi Radio’s Movies Movies Movies, our goal in life and love is to free cinema from pretty privilege. As film-makers-cum-critics we’ve spent years unlearning “industry standard” to find the essence of movies, and have accumulated a

Europe has been slow to embrace robotaxis but Germany will allow remote-controlled rental cars from December Having been summoned by a few clicks in an app, the electric car slows to a halt outside the former cargo hall of Berlin’s now defunct Tegel airport. No one is at the wheel, but upon a passenger stepping inside, a voice announces: “This is Bartek, I am your driver today. Please buckle up a

Artificial intelligence is making steady advances into subtitling but, say its practitioners, it’s a vital service that needs a human to make it work Is artificial intelligence going to destroy the SDH [subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing] industry? It’s a valid question because, while SDH is the default subtitle format on most platforms, the humans behind it – as with all creative industr

PC, Nintendo Switch/Switch 2; Supergiant Games Supergiant’s successor is exemplary sequel-craft – more doesn’t always mean better, but here variety is the spice of afterlife Five years ago, when we were all seeking ways to take our minds off real-world events, Supergiant Games’ Hades was a welcome distraction indeed. Wayward son of the underworld Zagreus’s repeated attempts to abscond from his pu

Take it from a former van-lifer: the next time you travel on the road, this is the gear you will be glad you packed Sign up for the Filter US newsletter, your weekly guide to buying fewer, better things Whether you are visiting family in another state, driving up into the mountains for a scenic fall weekend, or embarking on an epic adventure spanning several weeks, road trips are an iconic Americ

In this week’s newsletter: since 1988 the Game Developers Conference has been a core part of the gaming calendar – but exorbitant costs and Trumpism put that at risk Every year for as long as I have been alive (read: since 1988), the annual Game Developers Conference has been held in California. It started out as essentially a house party: a gathering of 27 people in the living room of Atari desi

Exclusive: Kirsty Innes made statement in now-deleted post on X seven months before taking up role as Liz Kendall aide UK politics live – latest updates A senior ministerial aide said AI companies would never have to compensate creatives for using their content to train their systems, in a statement that has alarmed campaigners demanding Labour deliver a fairer deal for musicians, artists and wri

Platform’s submission to age verification inquiry argues for a grace period for enforcement of laws it claims could infringe on human rights treaties Follow our Australia news live blog for latest updates Get our breaking news email , free app or daily news podcast Elon Musk’s X has called for a delay in Australia’s under-16s social media ban, arguing it has “serious concerns” about the lawfulnes

CBP officers took DNA samples from about 2,000 citizens, some as young as 14 and many who never faced criminal charges, new analysis shows In March 2021, a 25-year-old US citizen was traveling through Chicago’s Midway airport when they were stopped by US border patrol agents. Though charged with no crime, the 25-year-old was subjected to a cheek swab to collect their DNA, which was sent to the FB

Expert raises concerns about what US TikTok deal could mean for News Corp’s ‘worrying dominance’ in Australian media Follow our Australia news live blog for latest updates Get our breaking news email , free app or daily news podcast Would you rather a Chinese-owned TikTok or one run by a consortium of Trump-supporting billionaires? That’s the choice Australia is being asked to consider. The Trump

The president’s deal on visas could upend Silicon Valley, and will a TikTok purchase finally go through? Hello, welcome to TechScape. I’m writing to you from a plane back to a United States in uproar. This week’s tech news is all about Donald Trump’s deals: with China, with the UK, and with the US tech industry, which is facing steep fines for its favorite visa. Documents offer rare insight on Ic

Company to shut 19 shops and convert five to Whole Foods outlets, after concept of stores without tills fails to catch on Amazon is preparing to shut down all of its Amazon Fresh stores in the UK, just four years after the US tech company launched its first grocery shop in London. The company plans to close all 19 Fresh stores, with plans to convert five of these into Whole Foods Market shops, th

Evangelical Christians on #RaptureTok are warning others of doom on 23 or 24 September – and sharing how they’re prepping If you believe a vocal cohort of evangelical Christians on social media, consider Tuesday 23 September – or maybe Wednesday 24