Many adults would struggle to understand the terms and conditions for using video-sharing apps, making them particularly unsuitable for children, Ofcom has found. The regulator calculated that the T&Cs set by six platforms – BitChute, Brand New Tube, OnlyFans, Snapchat, TikTok and Twitch – required advanced reading skills to understand, making them unsuitable for many users, including children. At nearly 16,000 words, OnlyFans had the longest terms of service, which would take its adult users more than an hour to read, the regulator said. This was followed by Twitch (27 minutes, 6,678 words), Snapchat (20 minutes, 4,903 words), TikTok (19 minutes, 4,773 words), Brand New Tube (10 minutes, 2,492 words) and BitChute (8 minutes, 2,017 words). Ofcom calculated a ‘reading ease’ score for each platform’s terms of service, finding that all but one was “difficult to read and best understood by high-school graduates”. Twitch’s terms were found to be the most difficult to read, while TikTok was the only platform with terms of service that were likely to be understood by users without a high school or university education – although the reading level required was still higher than that of the youngest users permitted on the site. Ofcom also found that Snapchat, TikTok and BitChute use “click wrap agreements”, which make acceptance of the terms of service implicit in the act of signing up. Users are not prompted or encouraged to access the terms of service and so it makes it easier to agree to them without actually opening or reading them. The regulator said its regulation of video-sharing platforms was important in informing its broader online safety regulatory approach under the Online Safety Bill, which it expected to receive royal assent later this year. Jessica Zucker, online safety policy director at Ofcom, said: “Terms and conditions are fundamental to protecting people, including children, from harm when using social video sites and apps. “That’s because the reporting of potentially harmful videos – and effective moderation of that content – can only work if there are clear and unambiguous rules underpinning the process. “Our report found that lengthy, impenetrable and, in some cases, inconsistent terms drawn up by some UK video-sharing platforms risk leaving users and moderators in the dark. “So today we’re calling on platforms to make improvements, taking account of industry good practice highlighted in our report.” A Snapchat spokeswoman said: “As Ofcom recognises, we have a number of good-practice measures in place, including using reading-ease tools to regularly review language. “We are in the process of updating our guidelines, including adding more information about moderation and what content is and isn’t allowed. We will continue to gather feedback and work with Ofcom to ensure our rules are easy to understand.” BitChute said: “BitChute welcomes users and creators aged 16 and older from all backgrounds to exercise their individual freedoms to share and consider the widest possible variety of experiences and viewpoints. Therefore, it is essential for us to provide transparency and accessibility. “We look forward to reviewing Ofcom’s report with an eye for possible improvements.” Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Oxford scientists find no evidence to suggest Facebook not good for wellbeing Ozzy Osbourne PlayStation tweet which failed to reveal link to Sony banned Harry and Meghan ring young online innovators after funding awards

'RHOBH' star Erika Jayne's first TikTok post showed the reality star walking an imaginary runway

SAN FRANCISCO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Aug 24, 2023--

Warzone content creators like Aydan and Biffle have hyped up the new release, and fans should be excited to drop into the new map coming in MW3.

Have you noticed that a lot of the things you love keep getting worse for

A top EU official has asked X/Twitter owner Elon Musk to “walk the talk” when it comes to curbing fake content and the glorification of violence following the terror attack against Israel by Hamas. EU commissioner Thierry Breton wrote in an open letter shared on X that illegal content and disinformation were being shared via the social media platform about the Hamas incursion into Israel, which began on Saturday. He warned the EU could punish X for failure to comply with its obligations to moderate content under the Digital Services Act, and gave Mr Musk 24 hours to give a “prompt, accurate and complete response”. “You need to be very transparent and clear on what content is permitted under your terms and consistently and dingently enforce your own policies,” Mr Berton said, adding that the social media company “must be timely, diligent and objective” in taking action and removing relevant content when it receives warranted notices of illegal content in the EU. “I therefore invite you to urgently ensure that your systems are effective, and report on the crisis measures taken to my team,” the EU commissioner said, calling for Mr Musk to respond within 24 hours. Replying to the statement, the Tesla chief called on the commissioner to “list the violations”. “Our policy is that everything is open source and transparent, an approach that I know the EU supports. Please list the violations you allude to on X, so that that the public can see them,” the multibillionaire posted on X. “You are well aware of your users’ – and authorities’ – reports on fake content and glorification of violence. Up to you to demonstrate that you walk the talk,” Mr Breton said in response to Mr Musk’s tweet. While X has claimed it was treating the ongoing crisis in Israel with its highest level of response, watchdog groups and the EU said misinformation and harmful content continue to flourish on the microblogging platform. X’s own safety team acknowledged there had been an increase in daily active users on X in the conflict area in the past couple of days, saying that there have been more than 50 million posts globally focusing on the weekend attack. “As the events continue to unfold rapidly, a cross-company leadership group has assessed this moment as a crisis requiring the highest level of response,” the team said. The struggle to find reliable news on the platform was exacerbated when Mr Musk himself flagged two accounts as “good” for “following the war”. Journalists, however, pointed out that these accounts had previously shared a fake AI-generated image of an explosion at the US Pentagon, and that one of them had also posted antisemitic comments. Mr Musk’s posts recommending them have now been deleted. Users on the platform also pointed out that old videos are being repackaged and circulated on X as if they are from the most recent attack. One widely shared video falsely claimed to show a Hamas militant shooting down an Israeli helicopter, but was later found to be a clip from a video game. “Public media and civil society organisations widely report instances of fake and manipulated images and facts circulating on your platform in the EU, such as repurposed old images of unrelated armed conflicts or military footage that actually originated from video games,” the Eu commissioner said in his letter addressing Mr Musk. X has not immediately responded to The Independent’s request for comment. Read More X promises 'highest level' response on posts about Israel-Hamas war. Misinformation still flourishes Holocaust survivor among hostages and ‘several Americans’ may have been killed or kidnapped, says Blinken Musk begs Twitter users to stay ‘as close to the truth as possible’ as fake news about Gaza war proliferates

(Reuters) -U.S.-listed shares of Alibaba Group Holding declined on Friday following a Morgan Stanley downgrade on concerns over slower turnaround

Italy has imposed several curbs on Pirelli's biggest shareholder, Sinochem, in a move aimed at blocking the Chinese government's access to sensitive chip technology.

You would be forgiven for thinking your Chromebook can't handle the rigors of PC gaming.

NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jul 18, 2023--

Time travel, or just an illusion? Eagle eyed art lovers have spotted what appears to be a satellite in a four-century old painting of Jesus Christ. The Father, the Son and the Holy Ghost are depicted in the ‘Glorification of the Eucharist’, a painting by Ventura Salimbeni from 1595. But in the background is something surprising – a blue sphere with spikes sticking out of it, which some people have interpreted as Sputnik, the first satellite to orbit the Earth in 1957. Sign up to our free Indy100 weekly newsletter Steve Mera, chairman of the Manchester Association of Paranormal Investigation & Training (MAPIT) and a paranormal specialist and lecturer, said at a conference: “You start to find a lot of religious connotation linked in with the UFO phenomenon. “This painting [the Eucharist] was painted in the 1600s and nobody ever really knew what that was a painting of, until we kind of looked at Sputnik, which was the first satellite to pass round the Earth,” he said. “What is really, really interesting is it is surprisingly similar to Sputnik, even to the point there is a little nodule there (on Sputnik) and the exact same nodule on the side there [on the object in the painting].” Clearly, Salimbeni wouldn’t have known about Sputnik. Or would he…? Mera added: "Did they somehow have knowledge of future events?" Well, we can probably assume not. Instead, experts think the ball is a representation of the so-called celestial sphere (or the universe), while the spikes indicate God’s power over it. But for conspiracy theorists, it’s yet another win for time travel. Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings.

Love him, or hate him, Elon Musk seems to know a thing or two about gaming (or gaming badly, according to critics). Even if you disagree with his gaming credentials, he seems to have a genuine love for video games. Musk once claimed he was one of the best at the original Quake, that gaming helps calm him. "Killing the demons in a video game calms the demons in my mind," said the tech CEO to podcast host Lex Fridman when speaking about Diablo IV where he 'cruised through Tier 100 Nightmare Dungeons like a stroll in the park.' True to that, it's said he defeated the stress from his controversial Twitter purchase (later renamed to X) by zoning out on Elden Ring, which he compared to an artwork on X: Elon Musk, most recently has spoken about Diablo IV, and Elden Ring a lot, but what is his top recommendation? The game above all games that Musk would recommend to anyone asking? Elon Musk's biggest gaming recommendation Interestingly enough, Musk was once asked this question, so his answer is the one we have to go on. Worry not, though, we'll list his other recommendations and favourite games afterwards if his main answer doesn't tickle your fancy. When asked the question before, Musk recommended 2016 smash hit Overwatch to an audience. After a period of repeated requests, Musk finally said that he plays Solider 76 as his main character. Following that, Musk took up Torbjorn. He's also VERY fond of Mercy, and according to Musk's biography, his ex, Amber Heard, once dressed up as the Overwatch healer for Musk. Sadly, Overwatch no longer exists, and the online universe of the game was replaced and updated by Overwatch 2 - which hasn't been as well received as the legendary original. Musk's only thought on Overwatch 2 is that he'll 'maybe' return to playing it, which is a long way away from the praise he heaped on the original game. Elon Musk's favourite games Elon didn't stop gaming when Overwatch was replaced though. As mentioned, he enjoyed his time with Diablo IV and Elden Ring immensely, so you can add those two to the list that starts with Overwatch. With Overwatch no longer available in the form Musk recommended, we've got another big shout from the X CEO: Polytopia. Described as 'a turn based civilization strategy game about controlling the map, fighting enemy tribes, discovering new lands and mastering new technologies,' Polytopia is a game that is thought highly of by Musk, and he says it has influenced his strategy when it comes to business. In fact, Musk became quite obsessed with the game. He said it'd teach people, like his brother Kimbal, how to be CEO's themselves - but Musk said had to get rid of it as it was taking up too many 'brain cycles'. It even led to a fight with another ex of his, Grimes, who deeply upset Musk during a Polytopia session when she launched an attack on him despite having agreed to work together. She said it was "it was one of our biggest fights ever," that led to Musk giving Grimes the cold shoulder for an entire day. As for other games, Musk mentioned his fondness for spacecraft launch sim Kerbal Space Program in an old Reddit AMA. The Randian philosophy of Bioshock's Andrew Ryan is thought to be a big influence of Musk, who lists the game series among his favourites, also naming Fallout, Warcraft, Civilization and Mass Effect. He's also spent a bit of time speaking about Saints Row IV, in odd replies to news clips about President Joe Biden. Nintendo games? Musk is a big fan of Super Smash Bros: Ultimate where he plays as Zero Suit Samus Here's the list in full: Overwatch Elden Ring Warcraft Diablo IV Quake Bioshock Civilization series Mass Effect series Fallout series Polytopia Kerbal Space Progam Sign up for our free Indy100 weekly newsletter How to join the indy100's free WhatsApp channel Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings