• Parliament has approved the first statutory code of practice designed to help protect children online
• The ‘Age Appropriate Design Code’  will come into effect on 2nd September and will have a 12 month transitional period
• The code comprises 15 standards that will ensure that the best interests of children are at the forefront of the design of online services 
• The ICO states “For all the benefits the digital economy can offer children, we are not currently creating a safe space for them to learn, explore and play. This statutory code of practice looks to change that, not by seeking to protect children from the digital world, but by protecting them within it.”

• Instagram is launching QR codes for the app, which means people can open a profile from any camera app
• Users can now generate QR codes that’ll be scannable from any supporting, third-party camera apps
• A main benefit is that businesses can display their QR codes for customers to scan and see the business Instagram profile to follow or get information
• Instagram (and Twitter) are the only platforms that  have embraced the open QR system so far

• TikTok recently announced a European fund, starting with $70 million in the first year and rising to at least $30 million within 3 years
• 9 UK TikTok creators have been announced as the first recipients of a new fund designed to support its most popular users
• To be eligible for the fund from September, users have to be 18 years old or older, have at least 10,000 followers, over 10,000 video views in the past 30 days and post original content in line with its community guidelines
• User funds will be received in monthly installments based on the performance of their content
• Rich Waterworth, General Manager, TikTok Europe stated, “These first creators represent just a small snapshot of the diverse ecosystem of authentic and joyful content that makes TikTok what it is today”

• A 47year old man who received a suspended prison sentence in 2017 for messaging a vulnerable young boy online asking for intimate pictures has been back in court
• He did not abide by his sexual harm prevention order, as two visiting police officers caught him using an Android phone
• The officers found he had been using four different aliases on apps including Snapchat and Grindr profiles with a username of ‘Hornyguy2499′
• There was no suggestion that younger males were at risk and Laing was sentenced to a two year community order with 25 days of rehabilitation activity requirement

• The New York based social media app, Triller, is said to be  a rival to TikTok
• The US President, Donald Trump joined Triller two days ago and already has 11,000 followers
• Both India and the US fear data collected by TikTok could be given to the Chinese government
• TikTok strongly denies this and states international users’ data is not stored in China
• Microsoft is in negotiations to buy all or part of TikTok following action by President Trump and it has been reported that the President has claimed that Oracle would be a good company to take over the app
• Meanwhile, President Trump is supporting and posting on Triller

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