The Guardian

Ben Lennard talks about how his pornography use began to interfere with his life – and gradually get out of control More than half of UK therapists report rise in out of control porn use Ben Lennard would often make jokes with his friends about pornography, the kind of banter men in their mid-20s often share. But in hindsight, he now understands the humour was a deflection tool trying to mask a p…

Platform is now Britain’s fourth most visited social media site as users seek out human-generated content Reddit, the online discussion platform, has overtaken TikTok as Britain’s fourth most visited social media service, as search algorithms and gen Z have dramatically transformed its prominence. The platform has undergone huge growth over the last two years, with an 88% increase in the proporti…

xAI says it is working to improve systems after lapses in safeguards led to wave of sexualized images this week Elon Musk ’s chatbot Grok posted on Friday that lapses in safeguards had led it to generate “images depicting minors in minimal clothing” on social media platform X. The chatbot , a product of Musk’s company xAI, has been generating a wave of sexualized images throughout the week in res…

No, your communications don’t make me feel valued as an individual. A ‘Dear’ or ‘Sir’ wouldn’t hurt once in a while How do you feel when big corporations address you directly? (In other words, when they use the second-person pronoun “you” in their communications.) Do you feel like you’re valued? That you’re being treated as an individual? Or does it make you want to grab their CEO by the scruff o…

How the tech CEO and ‘Dogefather’ made a mess of the year – from an apparent Nazi salute during his White House tenure to Tesla sales slumps and Starship explosions The year of 2025 was dizzying for Elon Musk . The tech titan began the year holding court with Donald Trump in Washington DC. As the months ticked by, one public appearance after another baffled the US and the world. Musk appeared to …

Border guards find boat with its anchor down after telecoms link was targeted in Estonian waters A ship suspected of damaging an underwater cable running between Helsinki and Tallinn has been seized by police. Finnish officials say the vessel is suspected of being “responsible for the damage to the cable” owned by the telecoms group Elisa and located in Estonia’s exclusive economic zone. Continue…

Canadian computer scientist Yoshua Bengio warns against granting legal rights to cutting-edge technology A pioneer of AI has criticised calls to grant the technology rights , warning that it was showing signs of self-preservation and humans should be prepared to pull the plug if needed. Yoshua Bengio said giving legal status to cutting-edge AIs would be akin to giving citizenship to hostile extra…

Anja Cradden proposes ways of managing tech companies before we reach crisis point. Plus letters from Mike Scott and Gerry Rees “When the AI bubble bursts, humans will finally have their chance to take back control” , says the headline on Rafael Behr’s article (23 December). I think it’s more likely that when the AI bubble bursts, the creators of the crisis, along with other wealthy economic acto…

New head of preparedness at OpenAI will face unnerving in-tray amid fears from some experts that AI could ‘turn on us’ The maker of ChatGPT has advertised a $555,000-a-year vacancy with a daunting job description that would cause Superman to take a sharp intake of breath. In what may be close to the impossible job, the “head of preparedness” at OpenAI will be directly responsible for defending ag…

You really want me to review my buy? Yes, it was fine. But that is where I would like our relationship to end When I buy something online, I don’t want to receive more than two emails: one to confirm my order has been received, and another to tell me when it will be delivered. The numerous notifications we receive while browsing, buying and then waiting for delivery are presumably meant to be rea…

Prof Craig Jackson explains Imogen West-Knights’ compulsion to view 177 episodes of a TV show she doesn’t even like Imogen West-Knights’ TV viewing habits are more common than many realise ( I hate this TV series I’m binge-watching, yet I’m on track to complete all 177 episodes. Why am I doing it?, 15 December ). Media is consumed like any other product, and streaming platforms make this process …

From the world’s first social media ban to the world’s richest Jeff, revisit five of the best strips by the Guardian Australia cartoonist Sign up here to get an email whenever First Dog cartoons are published Get all your needs met at the First Dog shop if what you need is First Dog merchandise and prints Continue reading...

Russian state has tolerated parallel probiv market for its convenience but now Ukrainian spies are exploiting it Russia is scrambling to rein in the country’s sprawling illicit market for leaked personal data, a shadowy ecosystem long exploited by investigative journalists, police and criminal groups. For more than a decade, Russia’s so-called probiv market – a term derived from the verb “to pier…

Melani Sanders was frazzled and sleep-deprived, and wondered whether other menopausal women were going through the same thing. So she put her feelings on camera. The answer was immediate ... If you’re a woman of a certain age with a phone, you’ve probably seen one of Melani Sanders’ We Do Not Care Club posts . In a fleecy dressing gown with reading glasses hanging off her like Christmas tree baub…

Imran Ahmed, an anti-disinformation advocate, claims he is being targeted over his work scrutinising social media companies A British anti-disinformation campaigner close to Keir Starmer’s chief of staff has launched a legal challenge against the Trump administration after being told he could face deportation from the US in a row over freedom of speech. Imran Ahmed, the chief executive of the Cen…