Adam Smith

U.S. consumers are at greater risk of being exploited by tech giants and financial firms after President Donald Trump fired a team of technologists from the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), former staff and experts said.

As part of a broader drive to cut federal employees, up to 20 technologists who specifically investigated artificial intelligence (AI), algorithms, and confusing user interfaces were sacked on Feb. 13 from the watchdog, which regulates financial products and services to ensure fair practices.

LGBTQ+ Africans who live in countries where being out is risky have turned to dating apps as safe spaces, but pervasive intolerance and state surveillance can make online dating potential traps.

From Nigeria to Kenya, threats loom over those who disclose personal details, making every interaction a calculated risk. Digital ambushes are alarmingly frequent, underscoring the critical need for proactive measures.

TikTok has returned to Apple and Google's U.S. app stores weeks after President Donald Trump delayed a ban of the Chinese-owned video-sharing app.

Millions of U.S. users can now download the app and update it again.

Under the sweeping glass roof of the Grand Palais in Paris, world leaders and tech entrepreneurs sketched out a vision for the future of AI that stressed potentials over pitfalls as the global race to dominate the tech hots up.

Following previous summits in London and Seoul, which focused on safety and existential risks, the Paris gathering concentrated on expansion and innovation, while showcasing France as a place where AI could flourish.

The race is on to try to stop vital information from being rewritten or scrubbed from U.S. government websites, with researchers warning that the loss of key data could create risks for the environment and marginalised communities.

Thousands of U.S. government web pages are being altered or deleted following a slew of executive orders from President Donald Trump targeting what his administration calls "gender ideology extremism" and environmental policies.

Hundreds of civil society organisations called on world leaders and industry heads to reduce the environmental harm of power-hungry, thirsty artificial intelligence ahead of an international summit this week.

The groups, which include European Digital Rights, Amnesty International and Climate Action Network  Europe, demanded that AI companies phase out fossil fuels, ensure supply chains are ethical and be transparent about the social and environmental implications of proposed AI infrastructure in a joint statement.

Prime Minister Keir Starmer aims to turn Britain into an artificial intelligence (AI) superpower, but experts say that ambition risks undermining the country's green goals.

Starmer's plan, announced in January, includes the creation of zones for data centres and a "National Data Library" to train AI. It also aims to increase the use of AI in the public sector, including the National Health Service (NHS).

Christian Kroll has long worried about Europe's dependence on U.S. Big Tech, but now the head of German search engine Ecosia has a new tool to take on Google and Microsoft.

Ecosia, which uses advertising profits from its 20 million users to plant trees, has partnered with French privacy-focused search engine Qwant to create an index -- the back-end database behind search engines -- separate from Google Search and Microsoft's Bing.

Ahead of Donald Trump's presidential inauguration, Meta head Mark Zuckerberg ended its U.S. fact-checking programs meant to label viral, misleading content.

Meta will review posts only in response to user reports, Zuckerberg said on Jan. 7. 

Queer creators fear Meta's decision to change its community standards to allow more incendiary language against people of different races and LGBTQ+ people could silence their voices, harm livelihoods and damage their mental health.

The changes to Meta, which owns Facebook, Instagram and Threads, were announced last week by CEO Mark Zuckerberg, with critics saying the move was designed to appeal to President-elect Donald Trump, who takes office next week.