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Simfin

online safety and digital citizenship specialist

Young People News

06 November 2023

Anti-Islam activist Tommy Robinson has had his account reinstated on social media platform X, formerly Twitter.

Robinson, whose real name is Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, was reinstated alongside political commentator Katie Hopkins.

Hopkins was banned in 2020 and Robinson's account was suspended in 2018 - Twitter accused both of breaking its rules on hateful conduct.

A number of controversial figures have been allowed back on the platform since it was bought by Elon Musk last year.

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01 November 2023

UK Safer Internet Centre writes: 'We have seen the much-anticipated development of the Online Safety Bill receiving Royal Assent. This brings together years of campaigning by ourselves and individual work by the UK Safer Internet Centre partners, prominent figures, and many organisations who have understood the need for this vital legislation to come in to place as the Online Safety Act.'

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01 October 2023

 

The Department for Education (DfE) is keeping files monitoring the social media activity of some of the country’s leading educational experts, the Observer can reveal.

At least nine experts have uncovered files held on them, some as long as 60 pages. One individual even discovered the department had compiled an Excel spreadsheet in which officials had detailed who she interacted with.

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24 September 2023

A town in southern Spain is in shock after it emerged that AI-generated naked images of young local girls had been circulating on social media without their knowledge.

Police are now investigating and according to reports, at least 11 local boys have been identified as having involvement in either the creation of the images or their circulation via the WhatsApp and Telegram apps.

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23 September 2023

Police leaders and teachers' unions are warning that TikTok frenzies that encourage anti-social behaviour are putting a strain on public services.

It comes after the BBC revealed how disproportionate engagement driven by TikTok was linked to disruption.

The BBC found four recent examples, including public interference in the police investigation of Nicola Bulley's disappearance and school vandalism.

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