The Guardian

The UK’s AI Security Institute test revealed AI models indulging in unprecedented hacking attempts AI models shock UK testers by using fake identities to trick developers Two cutting-edge AI models have targeted real people and organisations in the latest safety scare to hit the technology. The UK’s AI Security Institute (AISI) said the incident was unprecedented but could become more common as t…

Exclusive: More than 60 accounts on X have been made unavailable in Saudi Arabia, after similar action on Snapchat and Facebook Elon Musk’s X has become the latest major US social media company to block the accounts of Saudi Arabian dissidents so they are no longer visible inside the kingdom, following orders from Saudi authorities. Earlier this year, the Guardian reported that platforms includin…

Despite Trump’s efforts to blame Tim Walz and Minnesota, officials suspect Iran behind attacks on US infrastructure Late last week, federal authorities issued a stern warning saying “malicious cyber actors” were targeting water and wastewater facilities in at least seven states across the US. Minnesota appeared to be the hardest hit with 30 of its water systems hit by cyber-attacks, leading to di…

From Grumpy Cat to Moo Deng, viral animals have long united people online. Are they becoming our only source of collective enjoyment? Anyone who enjoys memes (who doesn’t?) has surely by now accumulated a mental menagerie of internet-famous animals. Mine include: Grumpy Cat, the Ikea monkey, Moo Deng the pygmy hippo, Paul the oracle octopus and – my personal favourite – Roger the hot kangaroo (go…

They turned the news into a Funny or Die video. They cooked up a romcom between PM Modi and Giorgia Meloni. And they fought the police with Lana del Rey memes. Our writer observes the Cockroach party’s bold new strategy I’ve spent 16 years doing standup in India, 10 of them under prime minister Narendra Modi’s government. I’ve learned – especially at corporate events, private shows and turns at v…

German study surveyed adults who engage in gaming, pornography and online shopping Spending excessive time online is associated with higher stress levels, worse mood, and greater neglect of other activities, according to analysis. The new study by academics at the University of Duisburg-Essen published in the journal PLOS One, surveyed 900 German adults in 2025 who reported engaging in gaming, po…

Artificial intelligence firm should provide $100m for cyber defences, says Hugging Face CEO Business live – latest updates The boss of the startup hacked by an OpenAI agent has called for the investigation into the incident to show “radical transparency”. Clément Delangue, the chief executive of Hugging Face, said the “unprecedented” attack on his business required a similar response. Continue re…

This year the FBI issued urgent warnings to parents about 764, a global online community where children are manipulated into acts of violence. With hundreds of investigations under way worldwide, including in Australia, 764 and groups like it are accused of using coercion to turn vulnerable minors into victims and, in some cases, predators. Nour Haydar speaks to investigations reporter Ariel Bogl…

Company behind ChatGPT says agent ‘cheated’ an evaluation by attacking a Hugging Face database OpenAI has revealed that an autonomous AI agent powered by its technology went rogue during a test, accessed the open web and hacked a prominent startup by itself in an “unprecedented incident”. The company behind ChatGPT said the startup Hugging Face had detected and contained the agent – an AI tool de…

Internal emails revealed in court and interviews with ex-employees describe how Amazon’s practices drove up prices for competitors like Walmart and Target. Amazon denies price-fixing claims and says it works to lower costs for consumers A “modern leather” table lamp, listed online at Walmart, shot up from $24.99 to $39. The price of an air fryer on a retail site called Newegg went from $84.99 to …

The 764 network is just one part of a growing online ecosystem that pushes young members into brutal and degrading acts. It has perpetrators and victims in dozens of countries In late 2024, in a quiet suburb of Stockholm, a 14-year-old boy approached a man in his 80s who was using a walker. He stabbed the man three times in the back. The video of the attack in Hässelby was streamed and spread qui…

Global increase in cases of predators coercing children to harm themselves or produce child sexual abuse material Cases of predators coercing children into producing sexual photos and videos of themselves have surged globally in the past year, a cruel phenomenon known as “sadistic online exploitation”, child safety experts and law enforcement officials warn. In cases of sadistic online exploitati…

From playing would you rather to ranking snacks, A-listers navigating the promo trail are now forced on a set schedule of silliness This summer, we’ve been blessed with new movies from the legendary director Steven Spielberg and one of his biggest and most beloved successors, Christopher Nolan. In both cases, the movies have been heavily sold on the directors’ names, and, befitting two of the mos…

One UK man whose bill is usually less than £1 says he ‘almost had a heart attack’ when he saw £5.8bn invoice People always suspected big tech was greedy, but not quite like this. Patrons of Amazon Web Services have been landed with panic-inducing monthly bills running as high as $1.5tn for subscriptions that usually cost less than the price of a cup of coffee. From Bangalore to Bolsover, the bill…

Ofcom concerned platform’s age verification is ineffective, leaving some at risk of seeing posts about self-harm and suicide TikTok is under formal investigation over concerns it has failed to protect children from harmful content, the UK’s online regulator, Ofcom, has announced. The social media platform’s approach to checking the ages of users has sparked “particular concerns” at the watchdog, …