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T&S Early Warning News
Get ahead of new stories that are impacting the T&S industry.
Massive increase in online sex crimes against children
Devonlive | July 28, 2022
Company Post: Social Media
More than 300 online sex crimes will take place against children every month in the South West, NSPCC research indicates. The charity’s analysis of new Home Office crime data found a tenfold increase in online child sexual abuse offences recorded by police in England and Wales over the last decade.
The warning comes after a series of disturbing cases of online grooming of children by sex offenders in Devon, including repeat offender Matthew McKay who had previously been caught in a sting but managed to evade monitoring by buying a mobile phone he kept secret from police. The data shows 42,503 Obscene Publication (Child Abuse Image) and Sexual Grooming crimes were logged in the year to March – up from 3,706 just ten years ago. In 2021/22, police forces in the South West recorded 3,723 of these offenses – the equivalent of 310 per month.
Traffickers recruiting victims through dating sites, scholarship, football clubs, says NAPTIP
Guardian | July 28, 2022
Company Post: Social Media
The National Agency for the Protection of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) has lamented that traffickers are now using technology to recruit victims online through dating sites, social media platforms, fake advertisement, fake scholarship and non-existing football clubs, among others.
Edo State Commander, Benin Zonal office of the National Agency for the Protection of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP), Nduka Nwanene, disclosed this in Benin, while speaking with newsmen on the 2022 World Day Against Trafficking in Persons with the theme: “Use and Abuse of Technology”.
Warning as social media accounts 'flooded' with indecent images of children
Liverpoolecho | July 28, 2022
Company Listed: Social Media
A warning has been issued after social media users have had their accounts "hacked and flooded" with indecent images and videos of children.
Action Fraud issued the warning after seeing a "month by month" rise in reports of innocent people's social media accounts being "hacked and flooded" with indecent images and videos of children and child abuse. Over 60 such reports have been received by the agency since January.
Another Kiwi company calls for clampdown on TikTok and its data harvesting
Newshub | July 28, 2022
Company Listed: TikTok
CyberCX, which has over 1100 professionals across 20 locations in New Zealand and Australia, is worried about the privacy of Kiwis' data amid global concerns regarding what the Chinese government can access on the platform.
According to the company, TikTok has an estimated 1.4 million users aged 18 and above in New Zealand.
BBC weather forecasters targeted by trolls during heatwave
The Telegraph | July 29, 2022
Company Posted: Social Media
Weather forecasters faced unprecedented levels of abuse online during Britain's record-breaking heatwave, according to industry figures.
Meteorologists at the BBC have faced particularly high levels of trolling, with hundreds of abusive comments and emails drawing a connection between the heatwave and climate change.
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The New Battleground for Abortion Rights: Internet Privacy
Progressive | July 28, 2022
Company Listed: Facebook, Twitter
Less than two days after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, media intelligence firm Zignal Labs counted a more than a quarter of a million mentions of abortion pills across media platforms including Facebook, Twitter, and Reddit.
The reversal of the nearly half-century precedent protecting privacy rights and abortion access fueled widespread outrage expressed by politicians, med
How to protect civil rights in the metaverse
Protocol | July 28, 2022
Company Listed: Social Media
As the internet has revolutionized our way of life in the last 30 years, the metaverse is poised to shape our future by seamlessly connecting our digital and physical worlds. The metaverse is virtual film and fashion, VR workrooms, new online communities and more. But these new spaces, if left unchecked, could amplify existing crises around racial inequity, digital privacy and threats to American democracy. Election misinformation remains a huge issue online, and decentralized metaverse communities make it easier to spread. As the Jan. 6 hearings remind us, another attempted insurrection is possible if we don’t lay careful foundations to prevent it.
Now, while the metaverse is still in its infancy, it is critical to protect our civil and human rights in these new digital spaces.
CHR wants wider protection of children vs. exploitation, abuse
PHA | July 28, 2022
Company Listed: Social Media
The Commission on Human Rights (CHR) on Thursday renewed its call for the wider protection of minors following recent reports that several groups engaged in sexual abuse and exploitation of children are now rampant on digital platforms.
Lawyer Jacqueline de Guia, CHR executive director, cited Senator Risa Hontiveros’ recent statement on exploitative labor practice among children.
Tech giants grapple with content moderation in South-east Asia
The Straits Times | July 28, 2022
Company Listed: Meta, Twitter
Content moderation of social media involves screening user-generated content (UGC) to determine its appropriateness. Content moderation has become indispensable, without which social networks would be inundated with harmful and objectionable content. Despite the continued attractiveness of Open Internet ideals, the online world has changed drastically from the early freewheeling days of maximum free speech with minimum limitations. Today, technological giants like Meta and Twitter are content arbitrators, deciding what stays online and what goes and/or suspending, blocking or removing social media accounts.
Tech companies in South-east Asia walk a difficult tightrope, especially when dealing with political out-of-bounds (OB) markers from regional governments enacting legislation pressuring the former to censor public speech deemed "harmful to society".
US Senate committee advances two children's privacy bills
Iapp | July 28, 2022
Company Listed: Social Media
Two federal bills to protect children and teenagers’ online privacy were passed out of the U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation during a markup session July 27.
Committee members passed an update to the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act with a voice vote carried by the Democratic majority and the Kids Online Safety Act, which was approved unanimously, 28-0. Both bills head to the floor for a full vote in the Senate.