UK Government: Regulator publishes new guidance on charities’ social media use

UK Government: Regulator publishes new guidance on charities’ social media use. “The new guidance is clear that charities using social media should have a social media policy in place and should ensure the policy is followed. This is standard practice in many charities and across other sectors and industries, and can help an organisation avoid problems and address issues swiftly if they occur. The regulator says its casework has revealed a knowledge gap.”

Boing Boing: Shrinkflation database tracks diminishing size of food products

Boing Boing: Shrinkflation database tracks diminishing size of food products. “The Shrinkflation Tracker, by Sam Lader, is on a mission to stop manufacturers quietly putting less food inside product packaging without a corresponding fall in price to consumers. The practice is out of control, so much so that even major retailers are beginning to warn customers against lest they suspect complicity in the practice.” The listings are UK and Ireland-focused at the moment.

BBC: Greater Manchester Police officers’ details hacked in cyber attack

BBC: Greater Manchester Police officers’ details hacked in cyber attack. “Police officers’ personal details have been hacked after a company was targeted in a cyber attack. The firm in Stockport, which makes ID cards, holds information on various UK organisations including some of the staff employed by Greater Manchester Police (GMP). The force confirmed it was aware of the ransomware attack.”

UK Government: New one-stop shop to find the topics government is interested in researching

UK Government: New one-stop shop to find the topics government is interested in researching. “A new tool which brings together all Areas of Research Interest (ARI) documents from across government departments in a one-stop shop is now live. ARIs are lists of research questions or topics which government departments and agencies would welcome more research on to inform their policies and help close the evidence policy gap. This new database allows anyone accessing it to search for particular areas of research interest, and find out what are the main research questions facing government departments.”

PA Media: YouTube begins verifying videos by UK doctors to tackle health misinformation

PA Media: YouTube begins verifying videos by UK doctors to tackle health misinformation. “YouTube has launched a verification system for UK-based doctors, nurses, and other healthcare professionals to help Britons dodge medical misinformation online…. YouTube added a new seal of approval to accounts run by licensed doctors, nurses, psychologists, and other health practitioners or organisations who have passed stringent verification checks to fight misinformation.”

Mashable: Google launches incredible online exhibition celebrating Black British music

Mashable: Google launches incredible online exhibition celebrating Black British music. “Entitled Union Black, the online exhibition explores the various pioneers, innovators, and movements that have deeply and undeniably influenced British culture as a whole. Through vintage photographs, historical documentaries, contemporary interviews, and other multimedia stories, Union Black presents a comprehensive and extraordinary retelling of those who have shaped the fabric of the British music scene.”

UK Government: Online animal cruelty activity to be removed from social media platforms

UK Government: Online animal cruelty activity to be removed from social media platforms. “Social media firms will be forced to remove online content facilitating animal torture in a further push to make the UK the safest place in the world to be online. Under new proposals, social media platforms will be required to proactively tackle the illegal content and have it swiftly removed, or face fines of up to £18 million or 10% of their global annual revenue.”

UK Government: Powerful new search tool will help IPO maintain patent quality

UK Government: Powerful new search tool will help IPO maintain patent quality. “‘SEARCH’ is based on the state-of-the art patent search tool developed and used by the European Patent Office (EPO), widely regarded as the best such tool in the world. The IPO has worked with the EPO to develop ‘SEARCH’ as the national office version. The IPO is the first national IP office to implement the tool when conducting patent searches, and is already experiencing the benefits.”

Engadget: Hack left majority of UK voters’ data exposed for over a year

Engadget: Hack left majority of UK voters’ data exposed for over a year. “The UK’s Electoral Commission has revealed that some personal information of around 40 million voters was left exposed for over a year. The agency — which regulates party and election finance and elections in the country — said it was the target of a ‘complex cyberattack.’ It first detected suspicious activity on its network in October 2022, but said the intruders first gained access to its systems in August 2021.”

BBC: TikTok influencer Mahek Bukhari guilty of murdering men in crash

BBC: TikTok influencer Mahek Bukhari guilty of murdering men in crash. “A social media influencer and her mother have been found guilty of murdering two men who died when their car was rammed off the road. Saqib Hussain and Hashim Ijazuddin, both 21, died when the car ‘split in two’ near Leicester in February 2022. It happened after Mr Hussain threatened to reveal an affair he and Ansreen Bukhari had been having, jurors heard.”