Banning social media & phones for children will do more harm than good & punishes them for Big Tech’s failures, Ian Russell tells Dan Milmo. All parties must resist the temptation to adopt populist policies over evidence in this campaign Molly Rose Foundation theguardian.com/technology/art…

It is now almost a year since Meredith said Signal would leave the UK market if the online safety bill included proactive detection of child sexual abuse material on encrypted channels
It passed weeks later and over half a year on, Signal is still here marketplace.org/shows/marketpl…

Actively offending child sex offenders are 3x more likely to use WhatsApp (5x Signal, 27x Element) than the general population. All three companies are now mobilising again to prevent any child protection obligations.

Hold them to their record, not their PR claims.

Huge congratulations to Ian Russell today as he is made MBE for services to child safety online 💜

Absolutely astonishing to hear Paula Vennells tell the public inquiry the PO had no corporate memory of how the Horizon system was commissioned. Those of us working in the consumer watchdog were briefed on this *by Post Office staff* multiple times.

Lots of focus on Scarlett Johansson’s voice being used by OpenAI without her consent. Less focus on victims of child sexual abuse, whose abuse is being shared by tech platforms often repeatedly & at scale, where their self-evident lack of consent goes unacknowledged every day.

Really disappointed to see OnlyFans bring this complaint that many might interpret as an attempt to chill the media’s appetite to report on online harms

In the last two years, Nick Clegg made £12 million selling Meta shares as the risk profile on its platforms soared. Proof if it were needed tech execs need to be incentivised to focus on child safety, otherwise the status quo is locked in Molly Rose Foundation mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/t…

The Communities feature on X has one of the highest risk profiles of any major platform surface for suicide & self-harm content - regulators should be urgently calling in the risk & DPIA assessments for X’s proposals to add search & recommender algos techcrunch.com/2024/05/16/x-p…

The guidance on sex ed is out, and noise should be made about how the government's changes flout evidence-based UNESCO technical guidance for sex education. Sex education is not a political football, and bad sex education destroys lives like it nearly destroyed mine.

Meta revokes job offer to sextortion expert after he publicly criticizes Instagram theguardian.com/technology/art…

What an *astonishingly* crass decision from the Oversight Board: it’s appropriate to name historical victims of CSA, who died after their abuse, because the potential harm to them is outweighed by a ‘newsworthiness allowance’ oversightboard.com/news/oversight…

As the risks of online sexual abuse skew younger, age-appropriate education is vital. Today’s Times splash suggests blunt & potentially counterproductive messaging on self-generated imagery and grooming will kick in at Y7 - a strategy palpably not driven by safeguarding outcomes

Bold claims from the Secretary of State that social media companies ‘can’t litigate around’ the Online Safety Act. Not entirely sure I share her confidence itv.com/news/2024-05-1…

Disturbing investigation finds that Instagram’s algorithms target ads featuring young girls almost exclusively to men, including multiple child sex offenders. Advertisers and regulators should be urgently asking questions. nytimes.com/2024/05/13/us/…

1. After the wave of false & misleading claims that Signal spread during passage of the #OnlineSafetyAct , cry me a river
2. Regulate the lot of them, now

So telling your dating app all of your emotional & mental health sensitivities will help an AI get you a better date? This is so dellusional and dangerous, so much sensitive data given to these services while thinking AI 'concierge' can date someone else's to spot assholes?🤦‍♀️