In 2014, the former prime minister proudly announced that his government had
stopped ‘needless health and safety inspections’
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Tag - UK news
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CMA says tech company has ‘abused its dominant position’ to the detriment of
publishers and advertisers
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The UK competition watchdog has accused Google of anti-competitive behaviour in
the market for buying and selling ads on websites, in a move that follows
similar investigations in the US and the EU.
The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) said it had found that Google has
“abused its dominant position” in online advertising to the detriment of
thousands of UK publishers and advertisers.
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Also signed by the EU, US and Israel, the declaration aims to mitigate the
threats that AI may pose to human rights, democracy and the rule of law
The UK government has signed the first international treaty on artificial
intelligence in a move that aims to prevent misuses of the technology, such as
spreading misinformation or using biased data to make decisions.
Under the legally binding agreement, states must implement safeguards against
any threats posed by AI to human rights, democracy and the rule of law. The
treaty, called the framework convention on artificial intelligence, was drawn up
by the Council of Europe, an international human rights organisation, and was
signed on Thursday by the EU, UK, US and Israel.
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Shoppers can use technology to advise them on outfit choices based on their body
shape and style preferences
Marks & Spencer is using artificial intelligence to advise shoppers on their
outfit choices based on their body shape and style preferences, as part of
efforts to increase online sales.
The 130-year-old retailer is using the technology to personalise consumers’
online experience, and suggest items to buy.
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Platform will ensure algorithms do not keep pushing similar content to young
viewers, even though it does not breach guidelines
YouTube is to stop recommending videos to teenagers that idealise specific
fitness levels, body weights or physical features, after experts warned such
content could be harmful if viewed repeatedly.
The platform will still allow 13- to 17-year-olds to view the videos, but its
algorithms will not push young users down related content “rabbit holes”
afterwards.
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Ever since Elon Musk took over Twitter, I and many others have been looking for
alternatives. Who wants to share a platform with the likes of Andrew Tate and
Tommy Robinson?
I considered leaving Twitter as soon as Elon Musk acquired it in 2022, just not
wanting to be part of a community that could be bought, least of all by a man
like him – the obnoxious “long hours at a high intensity” bullying of his staff
began immediately. But I’ve had some of the most interesting conversations of my
life on there, both randomly, ambling about, and solicited, for stories: “Anyone
got catastrophically lonely during Covid?”; “Anyone hooked up with their
secondary school boy/girlfriend?” We used to call it the place where you told
the truth to strangers (Facebook was where you lied to your friends), and that
wide-openness was reciprocal and gorgeous.
It got more unpleasant after the blue-tick fiasco: identity verification became
something you could buy, which destroyed the trust quotient. So I joined the
rival platform Mastodon, but fast realised that I would never get 70,000
followers on there like I had on Twitter. It wasn’t that I wanted the attention
per se, just that my gang wasn’t varied or noisy enough. There’s something eerie
and a bit depressing about a social media feed that doesn’t refresh often
enough, like walking into a shopping mall where half the shops have closed down
and the rest are all selling the same thing.
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Increase will lift minimum rates by 9.8% and comes after online retailer
defeated GMB union bid for bargaining rights on pay
Amazon has announced a pay rise worth nearly 10% for tens of thousands of UK
employees, after defeating an attempt by the GMB trade union for bargaining
rights over pay and conditions.
The online retailer said the increase would lift minimum pay rates by 9.8% to
between £13.50 and £14.50 an hour, depending on location. Staff with at least
three years’ service will receive a minimum of between £13.75 and £14.75 an
hour.
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