A report from GSMA found that 40% of people remain offline despite mobile internet coverage reaching 95% of the globe. The reasons for this are multifaceted, and the consequences are wide-reaching.
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The UK government is introducing its Online Safety Bill before parliament today for its first reading. MPs will be able to debate on the wide-ranging legislation that could bring age checks for porn.
Google has announced that it will be enhancing its Search service to better protect people from harassment online. It will do this by automatically demoting search rankings of predatory websites.
The Safer Internet Day campaign is marking its 18th birthday today. It provides resources for children, parents and carers, teachers and educators and more to make the internet a safer place.
Facebook has commissioned three reports that found it'll generate $200 billion USD economic growth combined from three regions around the world. Its efforts are directed at getting people online.
The UK regulator, Ofcom, has revealed in a new report that Britons are spending more of their time online than ever before. It said the daily average usage was four hours and two minutes per day.
A group of 22 French and German companies will be setting up a non-profit legal entity to run the Gaia-X cloud computing platform—Europe's bid to break free of AWS, Azure, and GCP.
The COVID-19 lockdown in the UK has brought the issue of digital poverty to the forefront. Many families in the country do not have access to a suitable computer or internet connection for education.
Many of the firm's nature documentaries, including Our Planet and Babies, have been uploaded to its US YouTube channel. Subtitles in more than 12 languages will be available later this week.
Russia has announced the completion of tests it carried out on the Runet, a name it has given its in-development national internet alternative. The tests took place on December 23.
During ExileCon today, Grinding Gear Games took to the stage to announce Path of Exile 2, a sequel to its current title. Featuring a seven-act campaign, it could enter beta in late 2020.
The BBC has launched its new Own It app which features a keyboard that helps children send more thoughtful messages. The keyboard will alert the child if they're about to send a negative message.
A new survey published by Oxford Internet Institute has revealed that the elderly, the poor, and those with fewer academic qualifications are the least likely to be connected to the internet.
O2 and the NSPCC have published new information from a study on 2,000 children in the UK and their online habits. They hope to help parents with online matters with the re-launched Net Aware site.
A new report dubbed 'Online Nation' authored by the UK regulator Ofcom, and the Information Commissioner's Office, has found that more people, than last year, are worried about going online.
The U.K. could be set to get one or two internet regulators in future as the government works out its proposals for such an idea. It could see regulation of junk food ads, and content on social media.
Google has announced a new AI tool that is now part of its Content Safety API. The new tool is intended to help organisations find and remove child sexual abuse materials on their platforms.
Facebook has announced the winners of its $800,000 prize money for projects that look to enhance the security and privacy of internet and Facebook user online and off. It'll give $200,000 more soon.
Following a number of other measures aimed at strengthening censorship of online services in the country, the Chinese government has blocked WhatsApp usage, according to a New York Times report.
Apparently based on user feedback, the app launcher for Office 365 is getting a bit of a facelift to be less "overwhelming" and cleaner, while recent online docs will get some much-needed focus too.
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Microsoft has introduced some changes to make Minecraft safer for online players. This likely follows a comment from Sony saying that it has to be "mindful" of its responsibility to its install base.
To ensure a safer online environment, Microsoft has created its Council for Digital Good program. 15 selected teenagers will give input to the company regarding the state of online interactions today.
Mojang has announced that it plans to launch Realms, a service to play Minecraft online with friends in a more interactive way, on Android, iOS, Windows 10 and Windows Phone devices soon.
According to a recent study, young people now spend more time online than watching television. A majority of children now reportedly watch shows through on-demand services or through YouTube.
Major online retailer Amazon has reportedly banned the sale of the so-called 'hoverboards' following warnings that the devices are dangerous and prone to catch fire.
Apple has partnered with startup courier service Postmates to offer same-day delivery (within four hours) for most products through its app and web store, albeit currently only in the Bay Area.
Twitter has updated their abuse policies in a move to crack down on harmful content. Now, promoting violence may be met with a temporary account ban, and accounts may be locked for harassment.
GTA Online Heists update is now live on Xbox 360, Xbox One, PlayStation 3 and PlayStation 4. The updates brings with itself a new game mode and an assortment of weapons and armored vehicles.
GTA Online Heists add-on is scheduled for an official release tomorrow but some users have already started receiving the free update. The download size weighs in at 4.8 GB on the Xbox One.
The social network is apparently getting serious about abuse on its platform. Twitter's CEO said he takes personal responsibility and things will really change and abuse and trolling will be tackled.
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The Chinese government is once again trying to get its citizens to only use their real names online. After a similar law failed to have a noticeable effect earlier, the authorities are trying again.
The Pirate Bay is back online with a few changes; the site's logo is changed as well as the staff. The site is not fully functional yet but will probably be restored to its original form soon.
Amazon starts to offer a new super-speedy one or two hour delivery service. The Prime Now service starts to roll out in Manhattan today. Nappies and toilet paper are expected to be popular items.
Halo: The Master Chief collection was in dire need of an update to address numerous problems with the online side of the game and it looks like that patch will finally be coming later on today.
Online retail giant Amazon is expected to launch a new PayPal-rivaling service on Monday that will allow customers to use their stored card details to purchase goods from other sites.
Nintendo is shutting down access to its online gaming for the Wii and DS consoles on May 20th, instead focusing on its newer game systems. The question is whether anyone will actually notice.
According to data from Internet Retailer, Apple is now the 2nd biggest online retailer behind Amazon. Apple grew 24% last year to reach a revenue of $18.3 billion from online sales of their products.
Following weeks of rumours, Microsoft has announced the launch of Office Online - the replacement for its productivity-focused Web Apps - along with a new look for Office.com.
Following design and UI changes to its suite of Office Web Apps last week - and ahead of a rumoured 'Office Online' rebrand - Microsoft has quietly rolled out an updated look for OneNote.com.
Yahoo CEO Marissa Mayer has begun using her Twitter account in an effort to get users to switch to the company's services, retweeting and responding to those who promise to do so.
