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Grok Is Still Hosting Sexualized Deepfakes of Famous Women

11 June 2026 at 20:41
A WIRED investigation found dozens of “nudified” deepfake images and videos on Grok's website, including nonconsensual depictions of celebrities and at least one prominent US politician.

Australia’s Social Media Ban Is Floundering. Can It Still Help Younger Kids?

10 June 2026 at 22:52
Six months in, many teens are already back on platforms they were supposed to be blocked from. The ban’s benefits may fall to the next generation.

© Adam Ferguson for The New York Times

The mother of Jimmy, 12, said she tried to build relationships with families that share her concerns about social media and to nurture his interests in activities that don’t involve screens.

Elon Musk’s X not facing action from UK government over posts inciting violence in Belfast

Any official reprimand will come from regulator Ofcom, but not for at least two months

Elon Musk’s X will face no action to remove a mass of posts inciting violence in Northern Ireland for at least two months, despite widespread condemnation of the platform and its billionaire owner.

Concern over the role social media played in spreading disturbing images and fuelling anger continued to grow on Wednesday as police and community leaders urged calm.

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© Photograph: David Swanson/Reuters

© Photograph: David Swanson/Reuters

© Photograph: David Swanson/Reuters

Stephen Ogilvie’s family appeal for calm on second night of disorder – as it happened

This blog is now closed. Read our main report here: Police use water cannon against rioters in Northern Ireland

Hadi Alodid refused legal representation and made no reply to charges which were put put to him through an Arabic interpreter as he appeared in court charged with attempted murder following the Belfast knife attack, the Press Association reports.

The 30-year-old, with an address at Duncairn Avenue in Belfast, appeared before the city’s magistrates’ court on Wednesday morning.

He is charged with the attempted murder of Stephen Ogilvie on Monday, with threatening to kill an NHS radiographer on the same day and with the possession of a knife.

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© Photograph: Henry Nicholls/AFP/Getty Images

© Photograph: Henry Nicholls/AFP/Getty Images

© Photograph: Henry Nicholls/AFP/Getty Images

Meta A.I. Bug Allowed Hackers to Take Over Instagram Accounts

10 June 2026 at 00:51
The flaw, which Meta said it had fixed, allowed anyone to take over accounts using a bug in the company’s new artificial intelligence software.

© Jason Henry for The New York Times

Of the 34,000 accounts, 20,000 were breached, giving hackers access to the account holders’ email addresses, phone numbers, birth dates and other personal data.

UK regulator orders social media firms to adopt measures to stop viral illegal content

Ofcom move follows concerns about misinformation and online claims over police response to Henry Nowak stabbing

Social media companies have been ordered to have emergency measures in place to stop illegal content going viral, as regulators battle to stop the type of misinformation spiral that circulated after the 2024 summer riots.

Sites such as X, formerly Twitter, and TikTok will have to have a “crisis protocol” in place to intervene when the sharing of dangerous content begins to rise.

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© Photograph: Chesnot/Getty Images

© Photograph: Chesnot/Getty Images

© Photograph: Chesnot/Getty Images

Hannah Neeleman’s Ballerina Farm Store Draws Crowds in Utah

9 June 2026 at 14:33
Tourists are flocking to Midway, Utah. The Ballerina Farm Store, from the influencer whose brand revolves around motherhood and farm life, is a reason.

© Kim Raff for The New York Times

A group of friends filmed themselves before downing turmeric ginger shots outside the Ballerina Farm Store in Midway, Utah.

Tuesday briefing: Is a social media ban in the UK enough to help protect young people?

9 June 2026 at 06:49

In today’s newsletter: With Keir Starmer expected to announce Australia-style restrictions, further problems – including AI chatbots - are on the horizon

Good morning. Keir Starmer’s expected speech next week about young people’s access to social media will be analysed as much for how it benefits the outcome of a certain byelection, as its safeguarding of children’s synapses.

After issuing an ultimatum to tech firms yesterday to block children’s phones from sharing nude images, the government is expected to make another major announcement about social media within days. Briefings suggest it will stop short of a blanket ban on under-16s accessing social media. But it will still amount to radical regulation, with Downing Street insisting that Starmer is up for a fight with big tech.

UK politics | Volodymyr Zelenskyy has revealed that he plans to invite King Charles on a state visit to Ukraine as early as this year, which would make him the most senior royal to travel to Kyiv since Russia’s full-scale invasion.

Middle East | Fears of a return to a full-scale regional war in the Middle East eased on Monday as Israel and Iran said they had halted attacks on each other after an appeal from Donald Trump to “immediately stop shooting”.

UK news | A report has found “widespread and concerning evidence” of bias and victim-blaming in the family courts – primarily disadvantaging women.

US news | Donald Trump was loudly booed when he was shown on the video screens at Madison Square Garden on Monday night at the NBA finals.

Unemployment | A government-funded pilot of “hyperlocal” job support in 10 neighbourhoods across England has shown “promising early signs of effectiveness”, including for young people, and could be scalable nationwide, a new evaluation has shown.

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© Photograph: Hollie Adams/Reuters

© Photograph: Hollie Adams/Reuters

© Photograph: Hollie Adams/Reuters

Child sexual abuse victims in England and Wales to get help to remove online images

Echo project will help erase images as part of package of support to end ‘prolonged suffering of survivors’

Victims of child sexual abuse in England and Wales will be given help to remove online images of their abuse as part of a wider package of support to end the “prolonged suffering of survivors”.

The Echo project will help those who have reported their abuse to the police to identify and remove images of abuse online. They will also be given trauma support, the possibility of having a victim impact statement read in court against their perpetrators and the opportunity of criminal or civil compensation.

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© Photograph: Lukas Coch/AAP

© Photograph: Lukas Coch/AAP

© Photograph: Lukas Coch/AAP

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