The UK government gave technology companies three months to switch on device-level tools blocking children from taking, sending or viewing nude images, warning action will be taken if they fail to do so.
The UK Home Office said companies including Apple and Google must implement built-in protections across smartphones and tablets used by children in a move it claimed would make Britain “the first country in the world where it is impossible for children to take, share or view naked pictures on their devices”
If tech companies do not act within the deadline, the government plans to enforce legislation mandating the activation of the technology. Proposed penalties could include fines, with criminal liability for tech bosses under consideration “as a last resort”.
On privacy, the government framed the proposal as on-device blocking, stating there would be “no data collection, no monitoring and no reporting”. Users over the age of 18 would still be able to access adult content by providing proof of age.
The initiative aims to stop predators from exploiting underage victims through their devices and limiting children’s access to pornography. The Home Office noted 91% of online child sexual abuse reports recorded in 2024 contained self-generated content, adding children as young as five were being groomed or coerced into creating explicit images.
Speaking at London Tech Week, Prime Minister Keir Starmer (pictured) said the industry must address the issue as a matter of urgency. “If we are serious about unlocking the opportunities that tech can bring, then we must also be serious about preventing our children from those who look to abuse it – the online predators,” he explained, arguing technology should “adapt to the needs of society, not the other way round”.
Starmer warned if technology players “choose not, then we will act and we will change the law”.
The post Big tech faces UK child safety ultimatum appeared first on Mobile World Live.
Amazon committed to invest more than €10 billion on upgrading its facilities in Europe with next-generation robotics, part of a wider push to modernise and expand its operations network in the continent.
Announced at the company’s Delivering the Future event in London, the technology giant stated it plans to create more jobs across the region, while using robotics to expand ultra-fast delivery options to more international cities and invest in employee upskilling.
Its pledge reflects a broader push to use AI and robotics to support its workforce, taking aim at “repetitive and physically demanding tasks”, freeing up employees to focus on higher skilled roles while customers get better service.
As part of its next-generation robotics development, Amazon introduced Proteus, an upgraded autonomous robot that is able to move items across different sites. Through AI advances, employees can apparently direct Proteus with plain, conversational text-based prompts without the need for technical commands or programming interfaces.
According to Amazon, once an employee instructs Proteus on what needs to be done, the robot figures out the priority, route and timing.
Proteus is designed to take on physically demanding tasks, move heavy carts and cover long distances. It is currently being piloted in Amazon labs, with deployment planned for the first half of 2027.
Through its €10 billion commitment, Amazon added it will expand Vulcan, its first robot with a sense of touch and STARK, a new robotics system that works alongside employees. STARK will be deployed across 15 sites in Europe by 2027.
This week, Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang also talked up the robotics opportunity within industry, as he unveiled work on a new model for academics using hardware from Unitree and Sharpa.
The post Amazon to pump €10B into European robotics appeared first on Mobile World Live.
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