The Guardian

Many hoped that the march of technology would usher in an egalitarian utopia – but some foresaw the threat it would pose to liberal society. Why did nobody listen? By Jill Lepore. Read by Laurel Lefkow Read the text version here Support the Guardian today: theguardian.com/longreadpod Adapted from The Rise and Fall of the Artificial State by Jill Lepore, published by Allen Lane on 25 August . To s…

Exclusive: Supermarket joins line of firms and sports stars including Bellingham and Haaland to have their image hijacked via ads Tesco has alerted City of London police after it became the latest in a string of companies and sports stars, including Barclays bank and Lewis Hamilton, to have its image hijacked in a “scam” by unlicensed casinos advertising via Facebook and Instagram. The supermarke…

Alleged members of Black Axe criminal network that swindled US women out of $6m flown from South Africa Six Nigerian nationals linked to an organized criminal network that allegedly swindled American women out of more than $6m through online romance scams were extradited to the United States on Friday. South African police confirmed they were to be extradited earlier on Friday, while local news i…

Most gambling websites nudge users towards accepting tracking data and harvest it before consent is given, study shows Online bookmakers and casinos have been accused of widespread non-compliance of information privacy requirements, including “data surveillance” of customers, according to a study. Nearly nine out of 10 (86%) licensed British gambling websites appear to be flouting the general dat…

The founder of The Ringer and Grantland was famous for discovering and developing writers. Now he is promoting a technology eroding the creative industries Bill Simmons may have stopped writing with any regularity in the mid-2010s – he claims his fingers don’t work – but that won’t stop him from reminding you of his greatest hits. On a recent podcast about Russell Westbrook’s retirement , he coul…

Girls Gone Bible is on tour in the US, touting a regressive ideal of femininity through discussions of abstinence and mental health struggles At first glance, the crowd gathering outside a music venue in Red Bank, New Jersey, could have passed for a group of sorority rush hopefuls – or Ella Langley fans on their way to the country star’s show. Most of them were under the age of 30. They wore cowb…

FTC alleges in lawsuit that online retailer ‘secretly and systematically overcharged’ advertisers for years The US’s main trade regulator and 22 states sued Amazon on Monday, alleging the online retailer “secretly and systematically overcharged” advertisers on Amazon.com. “Amazon has millions of advertising customers who were misled into paying significantly higher prices. These higher costs were…

Andrew Bailey warns G20 members about risk of cyber-disruption spreading ‘across jurisdictions’ The Bank of England’s governor, Andrew Bailey, has joined the throng of figures warning about the global risks posed by the most advanced artificial intelligence technology. In a two-page letter sent to international finance ministers and central bank governors as part of his role as chair of the inter…

Offenders use threats and manipulation to coerce victims to produce imagery or livestream sexually explicit acts, self-harm or animal cruelty. How can you protect your child? Inside the horrifying online network where children coerce others to commit violence and self-harm Authorities globally have warned about a sharp increase in the “sadistic online exploitation” of young people. Amid a wave of…

Restore Britain leader paid up to £1,476 an hour by platform, which critics say is financially incentivising inflammatory content Rupert Lowe, the leader of Restore Britain, is on course to earn as much from the social media platform X as he does from his salary as an MP, after surging income from posts that include demands for mass deportations. Lowe has earned £932 an hour for his posts on X, f…

The host also discussed the rise of forgotten monthly subscriptions for anything from dishwashers to litter boxes On the Sunday night episode of his HBO show, John Oliver discussed the rise of subscription-based business models across the worlds of music, film and TV, beauty, food, cleaning services and more. “Subscriptions are now basically everywhere and many of us don’t even realize how much w…

Luke Pollard says government will force platforms to remove content, after latest deadly crash involving a car driving in wrong direction A minister has pressed social media companies to remove content from their platforms showcasing dangerous driving after a fatal collision that killed seven people in Middlesbrough. The crash in the early hours of Saturday, in which PC Matthew Blades and PC Tom …

Value of banknotes in circulation rises from €1bn in 2016 to €1.6bn in 2026 as people advised to keep stash of cash The number of banknotes in circulation in the EU is increasing despite widespread smartphone payments, new data shows, with wildfires ripping through parts of Europe fuelling demand for an emergency stash of cash. While cash plays second fiddle to contactless payments in many cities…

Kyle Spitze of Tennessee faced federal charges for targeting girls online as part of ‘764 network’ investigated by FBI A 27-year-old Tennessee man described by the US justice department as a “nihilistic violent extremist” was sentenced to 77 years in prison on Wednesday for his targeting of girls online as part of the 764 network , an online group the FBI calls a form of “modern-day terrorism”. K…