Musk brands UK a ‘police state’ as Big Tech rebels against Starmer’s social media ban Tech Elon Musk, Meta and Google’s YouTube have all attacked Keir Starmer’s planned social media ban for under-16s, warning the restrictions will drive teenagers towards less safe corners of the internet and create sweeping new surveillance powers. The backlash comes as ministers consider forcing Apple and Google to carry out age checks on millions of British [...]
Starmer’s social media restrictions will mean the government can spy on every phone Opinion In practice, the government is demanding that Apple install on-device AI nudity-detection software at the operating system level for iOS and that Google do the same for Android. This would involve constantly scanning the camera viewfinder, screen output, livestream, and stored files, and blocking or blurring nudity in real time. This amounts to surveillance technology on [...]
CMA urged to curb Big Tech app fees pushing up prices for users Tech Apple and Google are facing mounting pressure from Britain’s competition watchdog over app store rules that developers say are driving up prices for consumers and making it harder for UK tech firms to compete. The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) is expected to decide within weeks whether to crack down on so-called “anti-steering” rules, which [...]
Nothing Headphone (a): We review Charli XCX’s new collab May 15, 2026 Charlie XCX has been unveiled as the new face – and presumably ears – of the Nothing headphones (a). Our Life&Style editor Steve Dinneen, of course, was wearing them long before the Brat superstar. Here’s his review of the weirdest headphones on the market. Nothing Headphone (a) | £150 | ★★★★★ | nothing.tech When upstart [...]
HSBC is the only UK name on $13 trillion list of top global brands May 14, 2026 The rise of AI has shaken up an influential ranking of global big-name firms, as the competition to become one of the world’s elite brands becomes fiercer than ever, according to an influential index tracking the corporate elite. The Kantar Brandz Top 100 – which ranks the value of brands – unveiled on Thursday, is [...]
Sky Sports sign £1bn Formula 1 deal to freeze out Netflix and Apple May 6, 2026 Sky Sports have moved to secure Formula 1 rights in a £1bn deal that freezes out Netflix and Apple. The rights upgrade sees the partnership between the British broadcaster and global motorsport series extend an existing deal that already ran to 2029 through to 2034. Sky became the home of Formula 1 in 2019. The [...]
Who is John Ternus? The man stepping into Tim Cook’s giant shoes at Apple April 21, 2026 Fifteen years ago, Tim Cook inherited a $350bn tech company that had just lost one of the most celebrated chief executives in corporate history. On Monday, he handed it on worth $4 trillion. Cook will step down as Apple’s chief executive on 1 September 2026, with John Ternus, the company’s hardware engineering chief and a [...]
Apple UK posts £5bn turnover as iPhone boom offsets AI lag April 14, 2026 Apple UK racked up just shy of £5bn in turnover last year, as strong iPhone demand helped power growth across its British operations, according to newly filed accounts. The tech behemoth’s UK arm, based in Battersea Power Station, reported revenue of £4.99bn for the year to 28th September 2025, up from £4.7bn the year before, [...]
Apple’s new ID checks dubbed as ‘ransomware’ as UK rollout begins March 26, 2026 Apple is rolling out mandatory age verification checks for iPhone and iPad users in the UK, prompting criticism from privacy campaigners who have likened the move to ‘ransomware’. The changes introduced by the latest iOS update will require users to confirm they are over 18 to access certain apps and services. Those who do not [...]
Google and Apple can give Team GB Lottery-like boost up medal tables March 19, 2026 It took John Major’s National Lottery brainwave to turn GB into an Olympic and Paralympic force but Big Tech could do the same, argues Ed Warner. With Milan Cortina a wrap, British athletes have completed a full set of post-Covid Olympics and Paralympics, both Summer and Winter, in 21 months. A solitary silver medal from [...]