Priya Bharadia

Victims urge tougher action on deepfake abuse as new law comes into force Campaigners welcome criminalisation of non-consensual AI-generated explicit images but say law does not go far enough Victims of deepfake image abuse have called for stronger protection against AI-generated explicit images, as the law criminalising the creation of non-consensual intimate images comes into effect. Campaigners from Stop Image-Based Abuse delivered a petition to Downing Street with more than 73,000 signatures, urging the government to introduce civil routes to justice such as takedown orders for abusive imagery on platforms and devices. Continue reading...

Victims urge tougher action on deepfake abuse as new law comes into force

Millions creating deepfake nudes on Telegram as AI tools drive global wave of digital abuse Analysis finds at least 150 channels on messaging app that are distributing AI-generated images and video Millions of people around the world are creating and sharing deepfake nudes on the secure messaging app Telegram, a Guardian analysis has shown, as the spread of advanced AI tools industrialises the online abuse of women. The Guardian has identified at least 150 Telegram channels – large encrypted group chats popular for their secure communication – that appear to have users in many countries, from the UK to Brazil, China to Nigeria, Russia to India. Some of them offer “nudified” photos or videos for a fee: users can upload a photo of any woman, and AI will produce a video of that woman performing sexual acts. Many more offer a feed of images – of celebrities, social media influencers and ordinary women – made nude or made to perform sexual acts by AI. Followers are also using the channels to share tips on available deepfake tools. Continue reading...

Millions creating deepfake nudes on Telegram as AI tools drive global wave of digital abuse

‘Not surprised at all’: Fareham voters size up Suella Braverman’s Reform switch Some in Hampshire constituency happy to vote for former Tory MP again but others find defection ‘quite alarming’

‘Not surprised at all’: Fareham voters size up Suella Braverman’s Reform switch

My first front page today with @theguardian.com: Suella Braverman defects from Reform, and the Tories’ scathing (and now withdrawn) response
With @benquinn75.bsky.social and @peterwalker99.bsky.social!

Man accused of rape denies anger over call from Barron Trump, court hears Court told US president’s son contacted the woman shortly before alleged assault in London A man accused of raping a woman in London denied he was angry when she received a call from Donald Trump’s son, a court has heard. Barron Trump, the youngest son of the US president, was on a video call with the woman, who cannot be named, in January last year when he allegedly witnessed her allegedly being assaulted by a man in London and alerted police. Continue reading...

Man accused of rape denies anger over call from Barron Trump, court hears

More than 100,000 people urge MPs to ban social media for under-16s in UK Letters sent using campaign group’s template as Keir Starmer indicates Australia-style move being considered MPs’ inboxes have been flooded with letters calling for an Australia-style social media ban for under-16s, as the prime minister indicated such a move was being considered. More than 100,000 people have contacted their local MP since the grassroots organisation Smartphone Free Childhood launched an email campaign on Tuesday evening with a template calling for “reasonable, age-appropriate boundaries”. Continue reading...

More than 100,000 people urge MPs to ban social media for under-16s in UK

Use of AI to harm women has only just begun, experts warn While Grok has introduced belated safeguards to prevent sexualised AI imagery, other tools have far fewer limits “Since discovering Grok AI, regular porn doesn’t do it for me anymore, it just sounds absurd now,” one enthusiast for the Elon Musk-owned AI chatbot wrote on Reddit. Another agreed: “If I want a really specific person, yes.” If those who have been horrified by the distribution of sexualised imagery on Grok hoped that last week’s belated safeguards could put the genie back in the bottle, there are many such posts on Reddit and elsewhere that tell a different story. Continue reading...

Use of AI to harm women has only just begun, experts warn

Take your partner for Mr Beveridge’s Maggot! The boom in regency balls Fans of Jane Austen and Bridgerton delight in recreating historical dances – but how do they learn the right moves?

Take your partner for Mr Beveridge’s Maggot! The boom in regency balls

‘I became obsessed’: New Labour psychodrama grips TikTok teenagers Nostalgic social media videos detailing Blair-Brown rivalry elicit cult following among young political fans

‘I became obsessed’: New Labour psychodrama grips TikTok teenagers

Cat soap operas and babies trapped in space: the ‘AI slop’ taking over YouTube Nearly one in 10 of the fastest growing channels globally consist of mass-produced, surreal AI-generated videos

Cat soap operas and babies trapped in space: the ‘AI slop’ taking over YouTube

What’s the appeal, and what does this nostalgia and fascination with New Labour among young people say about our current political mood

And, in the process, I appear to have gained a readership of very well-read and erudite teenage girls — never a bad thing for one to earn.

‘I became obsessed’: New Labour psychodrama grips TikTok teenagers Nostalgic social media videos detailing Blair-Brown rivalry elicit cult following among young political fans

For @theguardian.com , I explored the weird and wonderful world of New Labour edits, a subculture on TikTok of teenagers making ironic montages of Tony Blair, Gordon Brown, and the rest of the crew — set to Charli xcx, Chappell Roan, or Taylor Swift songs.

www.theguardian.com/politics/202...

World’s ugliest lawn winner says she leaves watering to Mother Nature New Zealand garden takes first prize in global competition designed to promote water conservation

Competition for the title was fierce this year. “I mean, they’re all so bad,” she said. “They’re so terrible.”

World’s ugliest lawn winner says she leaves watering to Mother Nature @theguardian.com
www.theguardian.com/environment/...

solidarity with all The Observer & The Guardian staff fighting for their futures- and ours ❤️