online safety

Move over, TikTok, Ofcom, the U.K. regulator enforcing the now official Online Safety Act, is gearing up to size up an even bigger target: search engines like Google and Bing and the role that they play in presenting self-injury, suicide and other harmful content at the click of a button, particularly to underage users. A report commissioned by Ofcom and produced by the Network Contagion Research Institute found that major search engines, including Google, Microsoft’s Bing, DuckDuckGo, Yahoo and AOL become “one-click…

Instagram's vast digital landscape has been made more secure with the Support Requests feature. If you've seen Instagram abuse instances that appear to breach Community Guidelines and reported the same to the portal, this tool empowers you to track the progress of of your report. In the app's Settings, under Support Requests, users can access detailed information on each report, understand policy implications, and even request a review of Instagram's decision. It's a pivotal aspect of maintaining a safe and compliant…

Omegle, the anonymous video chat service founded in 2009, which saw a surge of popularity as people were isolated at home during the pandemic, has finally called it quits after 14 years. The closure comes following the settlement of a recent lawsuit that alleged Omegle gave sexual predators free rein online.Leif K-Brooks, the app’s founder, announced the shutdown in a rambling, defensive post on the site, which ranged from his theory that we live in a “world of mandatory fear” to likening the site’s inability to prevent…

Apple iPhone features may be impacted due to encryption rules in Online Safety Bill.Apple has issued a strong warning this week, and it could have significant implications for consumers in the UK. The tech giant has stated that it will remove essential services like iMessage and FaceTime if the end-to-end encryption rules are compromised to create a backdoor access to content.The matter of loosening encryption is part of the new Online Safety Bill in the UK, and companies like Apple, WhatsApp, and Signal have expressed…

AI scam victim loses Rs 40,000 in deepfake WhatsApp call. Here's how you can protect yourself from being cheated. In a distressing incident, a resident of Kozhikode, Kerala fell victim to an artificial intelligence (AI) scam and lost Rs 40,000. Radhakrishnan received a video call on WhatsApp from an unknown number, appearing to be one of his former colleagues from Andhra Pradesh. The caller claimed to have a relative in the hospital and requested financial assistance. Initially, Radhakrishnan obliged, but suspicions arose…

Netflix scam? Hackers attempt to steal users' payment details; here's how to protect self from attackNetflix scam: Beware of the latest Netflix scam that surfaced in 2023, as hackers tried to steal users' payment details through a phishing campaign. Cybercriminals are increasingly using sophisticated ways to trick people online, and this scam is a prime example. Check Point Research recently detected a fraudulent email that used Netflix's branding to deceive unsuspecting individuals. Omer Dembinsky, data…

Britain's opposition Labour Party has called on the government to enact its long-delayed Online Safety Bill, after Reuters revealed how few underage children Snapchat was removing from its platform.Britain, like the European Union and other countries, has been grappling with how to protect social media users, and in particular children, from harmful content without damaging free speech.On Friday, Reuters reported, Snapchat was kicking dozens of children in Britain off its platform each month, compared with tens of…

Britain's opposition Labour Party has called on the government to enact its long-delayed Online Safety Bill, after Reuters revealed how few underage children Snapchat was removing from its platform. Britain, like the European Union and other countries, has been grappling with how to protect social media users, and in particular children, from harmful content without damaging free speech. On Friday, Reuters reported, Snapchat was kicking dozens of children in Britain off its platform each month, compared with tens of…

You can ditch cyber criminals by following certain online safety rules. Check 5 measures to stay safe online here. Internet is the place which provides you with all your answers quickly. In today's world, everything is available online. From studies to making payments- the internet is required for everything. However, exploring the internet is not always safe. One wrong click can cause you several harm including financial losses and leakage of personal details. However, if you are a Google Chrome user you can use some…

Smartphones have become an everyday accessory for kids in the UK. A staggering 97 per cent of 12- to 15-year-olds have their own mobile phone, according to research from telecoms regulator Ofcom, as do almost two-thirds of eight- to 11-year-olds. Make no mistake, though, this is much more than a way to stay in touch. Simply handing over a smartphone and letting your child get on with it is risky. It’s super easy for children to install malicious or inappropriate apps, and then spend all hours of the day (or night) on…