The Guardian

Democrats and Republicans called on president to circumvent legislative process to implement ‘Freedom’ bill US politics live – latest updates A bipartisan group of lawmakers is calling on Donald Trump to allow the US government to help open up internet access in Iran , which the country’s Islamic regime has blocked in an effort to suppress an eruption of unrest. With deaths soaring into thousands…

Big tech companies cannot be trusted. It is not enough that they remove harm when they find it – the law must make their systems prevent harm On X, a woman posts a photo in a sari, and within minutes, various users are underneath the post tagging Grok to strip her down to a bikini. It is a shocking violation of privacy, but now a familiar and commonplace practice . Between June 2025 and January 2…

Ministers have rolled back central element of digital ID plans, possibly allowing people to use other forms of identification to prove their right to work Here are extracts from three interesting comment articles about the digital ID U-turn. Ailbhe Rea in the New Statesman in the New Statesmans says there were high hopes for the policy when it was first announced. I remember a leisurely lunch ove…

While Grok has introduced belated safeguards to prevent sexualised AI imagery, other tools have far fewer limits “Since discovering Grok AI, regular porn doesn’t do it for me anymore, it just sounds absurd now,” one enthusiast for the Elon Musk-owned AI chatbot wrote on Reddit. Another agreed: “If I want a really specific person, yes.” If those who have been horrified by the distribution of sexua…

Exclusive: Health secretary issues invitation in push for UK to consider copying landmark restrictions in Australia Wes Streeting has asked Jonathan Haidt, a bestselling author and high-profile advocate of banning social media for under-16s, to speak to his officials in his push for the UK to consider following a landmark ban in Australia. The health secretary has invited Haidt to address an even…

The UK government is threatening Elon Musk’s X with the nuclear option: a ban. The social media platform is under pressure from ministers over the use of the Grok AI tool to manipulate images of women and children to remove their clothes. Ofcom, the UK’s media regulator, has launched an investigation into X – and the government says it will support a ban if it decides to press ahead. Lucy Hough s…

Anthony Albanese has said the AI chatbot generating sexualised images of women and children is ‘abhorrent’ but has an account posting on the site Follow our Australia news live blog for latest updates Anthony Albanese condemned X’s AI chatbot Grok generation of sexualised images of women and children as “abhorrent”, but don’t expect the prime minister – or seemingly any politician in Australia – …

PM says he is alarmed at reports about children’s screen time and has shifted position on Australian-style policy Keir Starmer has told MPs he is open to the idea of an Australian-style ban on social media for young people after becoming concerned about the amount of time children and teenagers are spending on their phones. The prime minister told Labour MPs on Monday evening he had become alarme…

Despite internet blackout, a small number of Iranians are risking their lives to share messages as protests continue For most of Iran, the internet was shut off on Thursday afternoon – the most severe blackout the country has seen in years of internet shutdowns, coming after days of escalating anti-government protests. For a very small sliver of the country, it is still possible to get photos and…

A flood of non-consensual deepfake bikini shots on X is putting the UK’s Online Safety Act to the test The unleashing on X (formerly Twitter) of a torrent of AI-generated images of women and children wearing bikinis , some in sexualised poses or with injuries, has rightly prompted a strong reaction from UK politicians and regulators. Monday’s announcement that X is being investigated was Ofcom’s …

It was hard for me to quit Elon Musk’s poisoned platform, but I urge others to do the same, especially in light of Grok’s imagery of women and children Some wars can’t be won. It can be hard to come to terms with this fact when you’re still on the battlefield, but if somehow you manage to step out for a moment, then the truth will become obvious. You have lost, the people on your side have lost, …

Ofcom has launched an investigation into X over its AI tool Grok – but what does it mean when the platform is widely used by the government? Plus, Pippa and Kiran discuss Nadhim Zahawi’s defection to Reform UK, and why it could both help and hinder the party Continue reading...

Media regulator investigating site under Online Safety Act, with a de facto ban among possible punishments UK politics live – latest updates The UK media watchdog has opened a formal investigation into Elon Musk’s X over the use of the Grok AI tool to manipulate images of women and remove their clothes. Ofcom has acted following a public and political outcry over a deluge of sexual images appeari…

Government signals support for possible Ofcom intervention on Grok as scrutiny of X’s AI tool intensifies Business live – latest updates Elon Musk’s X “is not doing enough to keep its customers safe online”, a minister has said, as the UK government prepares to outline possible action against the platform over the mass production of sexualised images of woman and children. Peter Kyle, the busines…

Media bosses expect web referrals to plunge and want journalists to emulate content creators, report finds Media companies expect web traffic to their sites from online searches to plummet over the next three years, as AI summaries and chatbots change the way consumers use the internet. An overwhelming majority are also planning to encourage their journalists to behave more like YouTube and TikTo…