One month ago today, the forces of Outworld and Earthrealm engaged in a deadly tournament to determine the fate of both worlds in Mortal Kombat II. Now, Shao Kahn and his champions are about to invade homes everywhere. Simon McQuoid's bloodier and more brutal sequel to the 2021 film, based on NetherRealm Studios' iconically gory series of fighting games, officially hits digital platforms tomorrow after testing its might at the box office to the tune of $126.8 million and wowing viewers with a new round of bone-crunching fatalities. Ahead of its arrival, Collider can exclusively share a new sneak peek that plunges into the fiery depths of the Netherrealm for a clash of blades between two of the most recognizable fighters from the series — Hanzo Hasashi, aka Scorpion (Hiroyuki Sanada), and Bi-Han, the former Sub-Zero now known as Noob Saibot (Joe Taslim)

Americans do not want AI-enabled surveillance; we need new legal guardrails to protect us.

Some parents and child advocacy groups support these measures, but critics raise privacy concerns.

Juhele_CZ posted a photo:

Roman Theatre of Orange (French: Théâtre antique d'Orange); evening walk in Orange
author: Jan Helebrant
location: Orange, Vaucluse, France
remark: GPS location not always precise
www.juhele.blogspot.com
license CC0 Public Domain Dedication

Lawmakers in Pennsylvania are pushing for legislation that would require devices like smart glasses to visually indicate when they’re recording.

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Government wants to back parents against tech companies though some feel the process has been rushed

Keir Starmer is expected to announce sweeping “Australia-plus” restrictions on under-16s accessing harmful social media apps, a move the government has framed as taking the side of parents against the big technology companies.

A consultation on online safety closed on 26 May, giving ministers just weeks to come up with policies after receiving more than 116,000 responses. Industry sources and child safety advocates have described the process as “rushed” and driven by a political timeline. It is not clear when the ban could come into force.

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© Photograph: Daniel de la Hoz/Getty Images

© Photograph: Daniel de la Hoz/Getty Images

© Photograph: Daniel de la Hoz/Getty Images

Juhele_CZ posted a photo:

Roman Theatre of Orange (French: Théâtre antique d'Orange); evening walk in Orange
author: Jan Helebrant
location: Orange, Vaucluse, France
remark: GPS location not always precise
www.juhele.blogspot.com
license CC0 Public Domain Dedication

LONDON, June 15 — ‌British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said today he would ban social media sites for under-16s and impose restrictions ‌on gaming and livestreaming platforms, in some of the world’s most far-reaching online restrictions to date. 

The sweeping changes will reflect Britain’s values, helping to protect children online while pushing back against the power of big technology companies, Starmer told a press conference. 

”It is clear to me a full ban is the right choice,” he said. “This will change the conversations that parents have and the expectations of children over time. It will make a huge difference, it will make our children safer, it will make our children happier, it will give them more time, more security, more freedom to grow up, more opportunity”. 

As well as a ban on sites such as TikTok, Snapchat and Instagram, he said he would take action against gaming and livestreaming services which allow children to talk to strangers. “Is there a situation in the offline world where you would ‌just let your child pair up with a stranger, an adult that you don’t know anything about? No, so we’re taking ⁠action on that,” Starmer said. 

Ban in place by next spring? 

The government ⁠already has the powers to take the first steps in any ban, he ⁠said, with regulation to follow by the ⁠end of the year and ⁠a prohibition in place around next spring. 

Britain has increasingly toughened its approach to tech companies in recent years, urging or forcing them to impose age verification, adapt their algorithms and, most recently, prevent children from circulating nude images taken on mobile phones. 

But ⁠with a growing awareness of the mental health risks posed by children spending too much time online, Starmer has decided to go further after speaking to parents and considering evidence from Australia, which brought in a ban for under-16s last year. 

Starmer, who is likely to face a leadership challenge in the coming weeks, said people rightly expected action. Australia was the first country to ban social media for children under 16, blocking them last December from platforms including TikTok, Alphabet’s YouTube and Meta’s Instagram ⁠and Facebook. Since then a raft of countries have said they are looking to regulate access to social media amid mounting concerns over the impact on children’s health and safety.

Extensive consultations 

Britain has consulted teachers, parents and ⁠young people on new restrictions, including a possible ban for under-16s, as well as curfews, app time limits and curbs on what ⁠the government has described ⁠as addictive design features.

It received more than 116,000 responses from parents, industry and young people. More than 83 per cent of parents who responded said risks from social media outweighed benefits, while 90 per cent backed a minimum age of 16 to access social media platforms. While many parents and politicians back ‌a ban, some psychologists and researchers have said there is no proof that it would work, and a group of school children in London told Reuters they had a conflicted relationship with the technology. — Reuters

 

 

Meta has reportedly removed a controversial facial recognition system, internally known as "Name Tag," that was discovered in the code of a companion app for its line of Ray-Ban smart glasses.

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June is Pride Month for sexual and gender diversity. On June 28 the International LGBTQ+ Pride Day is observed in homage to the Stonewall uprising, which took place in 1969 in New York and is considered the cradle of the rights movement. Throughout the month —with some celebrations extending into July— rights are asserted, cultural events are scheduled and demonstrations are organized.

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© Isaac Fontana (EFE)

LONDON, June 8 — Big tech firms operating in Britain must stop children circulating nude images on their phones or they will face legislation forcing them to do so, Prime Minister Keir Starmer said today.

The announcement is Starmer’s latest effort to protect children ‌from the harmful impacts of technology. It comes as the Times reported that he is also planning to announce a ban on some social media platforms for those aged under 16.

“Today I’m calling on tech companies operating in this country to introduce device controls that prevent children from sending and receiving sexually explicit images,” Starmer said in a speech at London Tech Week. “This is not an impossible challenge.”

Under the new plans, firms like Apple and Google would have to build or activate technical solutions on smartphones and tablets to detect and block nude images for children. Adults would still be able to take, share or view nude content through an age verification process.

If companies did not act within three months, the government said it would bring forward legislation to force them to do so or risk facing fines or, as a last resort, the threat of criminal liability for bosses.

Google said it was deeply committed to protecting children online.

“We are working constructively with UK partners to ‌find effective, privacy-preserving solutions that deter the spread of harmful content while ensuring a safe digital environment for young people,” a Google spokesperson said.

Apple did ⁠not comment. The company has tools designed to limit children’s exposure to ⁠explicit content, including a feature that warns when nudity is detected in images sent or received.

Social media ⁠ban coming soon, report says

The British authorities ⁠said blocking nudity was key, ⁠saying it would disrupt much of the grooming and sextortion model of gangs and predators who share nude images with others or use them to blackmail minors. They argue it is technically achievable and can be done quickly.

Currently a child sex abuse referral is made about every five minutes, with 91 per cent ⁠of images self-generated. Investigators say they deal with cases where predators groomed victims and encouraged them towards self-harming or suicide, forced them into bestiality and other sadistic live-streamed content.

The government said it wanted to work with industry and that age checks recently introduced by Apple were a significant step forward. But it wanted more action by both Apple and Google to block nudity by default and across third-party apps.

Britain has separately been considering whether to ban children from accessing social media in response to widespread concern about its overall safety and the impact it has ⁠on mental health. A public consultation on the issue closed in May.

Australia last year blocked children under 16 from platforms including TikTok, Alphabet’s YouTube and Meta’s Instagram and Facebook.

France, Denmark and Poland are also considering tightening rules around social media use for ⁠children, while Greece in April announced it would ban access to those under the age of 15 from January 2027.

The Times reported Starmer was set to ⁠announce a ban ⁠for children under 16 on online platforms determined to be harmful while maintaining access to some safer forms of social media.

Asked about the report, a source at Downing Street said: “The prime minister is not afraid about taking on the tech companies and their bosses to protect young people.”

A source close to the matter ‌said a formal ban was unlikely to come this week. Experts are divided on how effective a total ban would be, while a group of young people in London recently told Reuters they were opposed to restrictions. — Reuters

 

GEORGE TOWN, June 2 — Police are actively tracking down suspects believed to be involved in a telecommunications cable theft incident at Jalan Batu Uban here, after a video of the incident went viral on social media today.

Northeast District Deputy Police Chief Superintendent Lee Swee Sake said that his department received a report regarding the incident from Telekom Malaysia (TM) at 10.50am this morning.

“The complainant, a 41-year-old TM technician, informed that he saw a viral video lasting one minute and 24 seconds at around 7am which depicted a cable theft incident by the roadside at Jalan Batu Uban 1, Gelugor.

“Following this, the complainant conducted an inspection at the location and found that a TM telecommunications cable estimated to be 70 metres long and valued at RM17,000 had been cut and stolen,” he said in a statement, adding that the case is being investigated under Section 379 of the Penal Code and Section 235 of the Communications and Multimedia Act 1998.

Lee said that the suspects are believed to have used a dark-coloured Mazda 6 Hatchback while committing the crime, and so far, the police are still conducting further investigations to track down and identify the suspects involved.

In relation to this, he urged members of the public who have information regarding the incident to come forward and assist with the investigation by contacting the Northeast District Police Headquarters Operations Room at 04-228 2222 or 04-218 1881.

Based on the viral video footage, a dark-coloured car was seen being chased by several individuals riding motorcycles after the vehicle was suspected of being involved in cable theft activities in the area. — Bernama