TikTok faces legal action from 12-year-old girl in England
- A 12-year-old girl is hoping to take legal action against video-sharing app TikTok, claiming the company uses children’s data unlawfully
- A court has ruled the girl can remain anonymous if the case goes ahead
- The action is being supported by Anne Longfield, the Children’s Commissioner for England, who believes TikTok has broken UK and EU data protection laws.
- TikTok said it had “robust policies” in place to protect children and did not allow under-13s to join
- The Commissioner told the High Court in London – via a video link – that she hoped it to would ultimately issue an order forcing the firm to delete the child’s data, setting a precedent
Hacked home cams used to livestream police raids in swatting attacks
- Hackers have livestreamed police raids on innocent households after hacking into their victims’ smart home devices and making a hoax call to the authorities, the FBI has warned
- It said offenders had even spoken to responding officers via the hacked kit
- It marks the latest escalation of a crime known as “swatting”, in which offenders fool armed police or other emergency responders to go to a target’s residence
- The FBI said there were “deadly” risks
- A fake call about a hostage situation led to police shooting a man in Kansas three years ago, and there have been non-fatal injuries in other cases
Uncertainty as primary pupils return in England
- Many of England’s primary schools are opening on Monday, with rows continuing over whether pupils should return with the current Covid restrictions
- There is also uncertainty over how many classes could be closed after advice from a teachers’ union that it is not safe for staff to be in school
- Headteachers warned of a “confusing picture” for parents and schools
- The Department for Education said switching to online teaching should be a “last resort”
- Some individual local authorities have raised concerns about reopening
Nóra Quoirin: Coroner records schoolgirl jungle death as ‘misadventure’
- A London schoolgirl found dead on holiday in a Malaysian jungle died by misadventure, a coroner has recorded
- The body of Nóra Quoirin, 15, from Balham, south-west London, was discovered nine days after she went missing from an eco-resort in August 2019
- A verdict of death by misadventure indicates it was an accident, rather than criminal
- Reacting to the verdict, Nóra’s mother Meabh Quoirin said: “We will still fight for Nora’s story to be heard.”
- Mrs. Quoirin had told the inquest that she believed her daughter was abducted and rejected the possibility that her daughter might have wandered off alone
