Government lays out plan to protect people online 

  • Social media firms will have to remove harmful content quickly or potentially face multi-billion-pound fines under new legislation. 
  • The government’s Online Safety Bill, announced during the Queen’s Speech, comes with a promise of protecting debate. 
  • It is “especially” geared at keeping children safe and says “democratically important” content should be preserved. 
  • But campaigners say the plans will lead to censorship, while others warn fines do not go far enough.
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Refuge launches Tech Safety site to help women recognise signs of tech abuse

  • Domestic abuse charity Refuge has launched a new Tech Safety website that offers advice to women and girls experiencing tech abuse amid a colossal rise in reported cases. 
  • Abusers regularly use smartphones, tablets, laptops and other electronic devices to monitor, contact and stalk vulnerable women and girls. 
  • The number of reported cases of complicated tech abuse (instances that require specialist tech support) rose by an average of 97 per cent between April 2020 and May 2021, Refuge found. 
  • The Tech Safety website has been created following consultation with tech abuse survivors and provides visitors with resources for recognising when they’re being abused and guides on how to use technology safely. 
  • The guides contain step-by-step information to help secure a visitor’s phone, online accounts, social media profiles, emails and location data. 
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    New TikTok challenge sees teenagers getting stuck in toddler’s swing 

    • Teenagers are getting stuck in toddlers’ swings across London as part of an unusual TikTok craze. 
    • London Fire Brigade said it had responded to 21 cases of people trapped in swings this year – all linked to the challenge on the video-sharing app, with 12 incidents taking place in the past month. 
    • The bizarre trend sees teenagers attempt to force themselves into the swings’ metal frames. 
    • Firefighters were called to Ruislip in north-west London on Saturday to help a 14-year-old girl stuck in a swing. 
    • Crews had to dismantle the swing and use pressure to expand it around the girl so they could free her.
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      New Online Safety Bill fails to protect people from scams and fraudulent ads: Founder of MoneySavingExpert

      • A new Online Safety Bill has been announced by the Government in the Queen’s speech during the opening of Parliament.  
      • It promises to ‘lead the way in ensuring internet safety for all’ – but according to MoneySavingExpert founder Martin Lewis, it is already a failure as it does not plan to protect people from scam and fraudulent ads. 
      • Mr Lewis on behalf of MoneySavingExpert and the Money and Mental Health Policy Institute - alongside 15 other organisations called on the Government to use the Bill to help protect people from an avalanche of online scams. 
      • The coalition of firms calling for action, which also included consumer group Which?, charity Age UK, banking trade body UK Finance, and the City of London Police (which runs Action Fraud), argued that consumers needed to be better protected against the devastating financial and emotional harm caused by cybercrime.
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