Neowin News Feed for: Aus, Uk, Usa

UK funds £60M AI labs to challenge US tech dominance with open-source models

Paul Hill — Tue, 23 Jun 2026 09:48:01 +0000

Announced on Alan Turing's 114th birthday, a new £60 million initiative aims to reshape the future of AI. Here is how the UK plans to bypass costly American infrastructure. Read more...

Nearly half of American adults now use AI, but concerns are also growing

Hamid Ganji — Wed, 17 Jun 2026 17:34:02 +0000

A study by the Pew Research Center shows that while Americans are using AI more than ever, they remain largely skeptical about its impact on society. Read more...

UK to ban under-16s from social media following a six-week trial with teenagers

Paul Hill — Mon, 15 Jun 2026 12:08:01 +0000

The UK government is pushing past tech industry resistance to block younger teens from social apps, citing addictive features like infinite scroll. Read more...

UK nudity blockers are a looming privacy disaster, we must be able to see the source code

Paul Hill — Tue, 09 Jun 2026 09:08:01 +0000

The UK government is now mandating nudity-blocking software for smartphones sold in the country. I look at why this is a privacy nightmare and the safeguards that must be in place. Read more...

Signal accuses UK government of using child safety as cover for mass surveillance

David Uzondu — Mon, 08 Jun 2026 23:28:01 +0000

The UK wants to make it impossible for children to send or view explicit images. Signal calls it one of the most dangerous surveillance proposals ever. Read more...

UK regulator puts YouTube and TikTok on notice over children's online safety

Hamid Ganji — Thu, 21 May 2026 05:54:01 +0000

YouTube and TikTok have faced scrutiny from the UK watchdog Ofcom over insufficient safety measures to protect underage users. Read more...

UK watchdog wants to know why Microsoft dominates software market

Hamid Ganji — Thu, 14 May 2026 19:14:02 +0000

The UK's Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has launched an investigation into Microsoft's software business and the possibility of anti-competitive practices. Read more...

Ofcom hits suicide forum with £950k fine and probes porn sites under OSA

Paul Hill — Wed, 13 May 2026 13:04:01 +0000

New enforcement actions under the Online Safety Act target sites failing to protect minors and vulnerable users. Here is what happens next for the platforms. Read more...

Tech giants and civil rights groups warn UK's age-verification plan threatens the open web

Paul Hill — Tue, 05 May 2026 14:32:02 +0000

A massive expansion of online ID systems is looming in the UK. Discover why experts say these new laws could entrench Big Tech and forever change how you access the global internet. Read more...

Children are bypassing age checks with fake moustaches

Usama Jawad — Tue, 05 May 2026 13:46:01 +0000

New research reveals simple ways children slip past online age checks, raising fresh questions about whether current safeguards truly work. Read more...

Is this the end? NHS is apparently shutting down most of its open source repos. Here's why

David Uzondu — Sun, 03 May 2026 23:48:01 +0000

Reports have spread that the NHS has decided it would be best to keep most of its previously open code hidden from the public. Here's why. Read more...

Telegram faces UK ban threat as Ofcom launches massive safety investigation

Paul Hill — Tue, 21 Apr 2026 11:14:01 +0000

Ofcom is playing hardball. From multimillion-pound penalties to total platform blocks, see why Telegram is in the crosshairs and what this means for the future of the app in the UK. Read more...

Starmer slams tech giants as UK prepares a major crackdown on social media child safety

Paul Hill — Thu, 16 Apr 2026 03:26:01 +0000

A massive regulatory wave is hitting Big Tech. From mandatory age verification to AI chatbot bans, find out how the UK plans to force social media platforms to protect your kids. Read more...

Men are ditching TV for YouTube as AI usage and social media fatigue grow

Paul Hill — Thu, 02 Apr 2026 09:14:01 +0000

New data reveals how British online life is changing, with YouTube replacing traditional TV for many and AI tools becoming go-to sources for relationship advice and creativity. Read more...

UK watchdog to probe Microsoft business software over market dominance concerns

Paul Hill — Tue, 31 Mar 2026 14:10:02 +0000

Microsoft's grip on the UK business software market is under fire. A new investigation could change how Windows, Teams, and Copilot are licensed and used. Read more...

UK begins testing social media bans and curfews on hundreds of families

Paul Hill — Wed, 25 Mar 2026 02:36:01 +0000

Is a total social media ban actually enforceable at home? The UK is testing various restrictions to find out, despite warnings from UNICEF about the risks involved. Read more...

UK government issues guidance on upcoming 2G network switch-off

Paul Hill — Tue, 24 Mar 2026 15:24:01 +0000

While 3G is already a thing of the past for most, the UK is now setting its sights on the final retirement of 2G connectivity. Read more...

Amazon launches Alexa+ generative AI assistant in the UK

Paul Hill — Thu, 19 Mar 2026 13:16:01 +0000

Amazon's more capable generative AI assistant has officially crossed the Atlantic, bringing smarter home control and deep service integration to UK shores. Read more...

Galaxy S25 FE falls to lowest price on Amazon UK, save £150 now

Paul Hill — Thu, 05 Mar 2026 10:22:01 +0000

If you are in the UK looking for a new phone, check out this deal on the Galaxy S25 FE. It packs up to 512GB storage, a deca-core processor, and 8GB RAM. Read more...

If you own Meta smart glasses, subcontrators in Africa can see everything you record

Paul Hill — Thu, 05 Mar 2026 06:46:02 +0000

The UK's data regulator, the ICO, is writing to Meta after an alarming report found that subcontractors in Africa can see way too much of people's private lives. Read more...

Pornhub to block itself for new users following tough rules in the UK

Aditya Tiwari — Wed, 28 Jan 2026 06:42:01 +0000

Pornhub announced that it will become inaccessible to most UK users in response to the Online Safety Act. Read more...

DAWN supercomputer to get sixfold processing increase with AMD MI355X chips

Paul Hill — Mon, 26 Jan 2026 02:36:01 +0000

The UK commits $49M to upgrade the University of Cambridge DAWN supercomputer with AMD MI355X chips and Dell hardware for advanced AI research. Read more...

US denies visas to five Europeans behind campaign to regulate US tech giants

Hamid Ganji — Wed, 24 Dec 2025 17:28:01 +0000

The US claims these individuals are responsible for the censorship of protected speech in the United States. Read more...

New UK self-driving pilot could spark debate over "robot taxes"

Paul Hill — Mon, 22 Dec 2025 11:44:01 +0000

As autonomous fleets prepare to hit UK roads in 2026, concerns rise over the future of driver livelihoods and the potential need for a new robot tax. Read more...

US halts £31 billion UK tech prosperity deal over digital tax and farming standards

Paul Hill — Tue, 16 Dec 2025 09:26:02 +0000

Washington is putting the UK's £31 billion "tech prosperity deal" on ice. The hold is over three major issues. Read more...

Report: UK asks Apple & Google to implement age verification for nude image sharing

Hamid Ganji — Mon, 15 Dec 2025 18:18:01 +0000

Operating systems on both smartphones and computers could be equipped with nudity-detection algorithms for underage users. Read more...

UK data regulator under pressure after failing to regulate public sector effectively

Paul Hill — Mon, 24 Nov 2025 11:08:01 +0000

The UK's data regulator, the ICO, is under fire by 70 entities who say it is failing to go after public sector data violaters. They have called for an inquiry into the ICO's lack of action. Read more...

Pornhub records big drop in UK traffic thanks to Online Safety Act

Paul Hill — Fri, 31 Oct 2025 10:04:01 +0000

The UK's new Online Safety Act, designed to make porn harder to access for kids, has led to a big drop in traffic from the UK to a leading porn site. Read more...

Getty and Shutterstock hit a roadblock as UK CMA scrutinizes merger

Paul Hill — Mon, 20 Oct 2025 15:10:01 +0000

The merger between Getty Images and Shutterstock has hit a roadblock after the UK CMA said the merger could significantly harm competition. Read more...

UK government says AI has been successful so far, but retires one tool

Paul Hill — Thu, 16 Oct 2025 08:02:01 +0000

The UK government has said that its Humphrey AI platform has been successful to date, however, it decided to retire the Redbox tool as it's redundant. Read more...

Big news for Londoners as Waymo is bringing driverless taxis to the city next year

Paul Hill — Wed, 15 Oct 2025 10:40:02 +0000

Waymo has announced that it will bring its driverless fleet to the UK capital next year, giving commuters another way to get around. Read more...

This version of the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold7 won't be coming to the US

Sagar Naresh Bhavsar — Mon, 13 Oct 2025 04:54:01 +0000

Samsung has just launched the Galaxy Z Fold7 in a new avatar, but not for the U.S. or the global market. Read more...

Former British PM Rishi Sunak joins Microsoft and Anthropic as senior advisor

Usama Jawad — Thu, 09 Oct 2025 20:02:02 +0000

Former British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has joined Microsoft and Anthropic as a paid senior advisor, where he'll be consulting with the firms on strategy. Read more...

Imgur blocks UK users after regulator threatens fine over child data use

David Uzondu — Tue, 30 Sep 2025 18:18:01 +0000

In the UK, Imgur displays a "Content not available in your region" error, and the ICO has now explained the reason. Read more...

Facebook and Instagram ad-free subscription arrives in the U.K.

Karthik Mudaliar — Fri, 26 Sep 2025 15:12:01 +0000

Meta is introducing a subscription service in the U.K., allowing Facebook and Instagram users to pay a monthly fee for an ad-free experience. Read more...

UK launches National Commission to accelerate NHS access to AI

Paul Hill — Fri, 26 Sep 2025 10:16:01 +0000

The UK's MHRA has established the UK National Commission, which will try to break down regulatory hurdles preventing the use of AI in the NHS. It's aiming for an AI-enabled health system. Read more...

Microsoft announces historic $30 billion investment in the UK, its largest ever

Pradeep Viswanathan — Wed, 17 Sep 2025 04:52:02 +0000

Microsoft is committing $30 billion to expand its AI and cloud infrastructure in the UK, while Google is investing £5 billion. Read more...

U.S. and China strike framework deal on TikTok, Trump and Xi to finalize it on Friday

Sagar Naresh Bhavsar — Mon, 15 Sep 2025 15:54:02 +0000

TikTok may escape shutdown as the U.S. and China reach a framework deal to keep the app running, as confirmed by a Trump administration official. Read more...

TikTok's September 17 deadline could be pushed again by President Trump

Sagar Naresh Bhavsar — Mon, 15 Sep 2025 07:04:01 +0000

TikTok's future remains uncertain, as sources suggest that President Donald Trump may give one more lifeline to the social media platform. Read more...

Honor Magic V5 launches in the UK and EU with a massive battery

Paul Hill — Thu, 28 Aug 2025 14:30:01 +0000

Honor has launched the Magic V5 premium foldable smartphone for customers in the UK and the EU. It was already made available in some Asian markets, now more people can buy it. Read more...