If there's anything that the UK government has demonstrated in recent years it is that it not only wants to try to take control of the web, but it also fails to understand the web. These two facts make for a terrible combination -- something highlighted by the snooper's charter and the government's desire to break encryption on demand.

The latest idea -- ushered in under the guise of protecting children in a bid to win points -- is the introduction of age restriction on porn sites. The Digital Economy Act will require porn sites to use credit card verification to check that users are aged 18 or over. There are numerous holes here, illustrating that the government simply doesn’t know what it's talking about.

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Perform a search on Google and you may well be greeted by the OneBox when your results appear. In addition to the list of links to appropriate websites, Google also tries to provide you with at-a-glance information related to your search, and this is to be found in the boxout known as the OneBox.

It's a great idea -- but the information is not always correct. Perform a search for the (deceased) novelist Stephen Bly, for instance, and the OneBox displays a mixture of information about him, and the (very much alive) British comedian and author Stephen Fry. Very confusing stuff! You can, however, submit corrections so other people are not given incorrect information.

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While certain corners of the software arena have been, well, cornered by a single big name, there are others in which there is choice aplenty. Case in point -- messaging tools.

The number of messaging tools vying for attention is nothing short of bewildering, with everyone from Apple and Microsoft to Google and Facebook offering ways to communicate with other users of the same platforms. Choice may be a good thing -- up to a point -- but now it seems that Amazon has been feeling left out, and may be working on a messaging app of its own, called Anytime, further adding to the plethora of options.

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The UK telecoms market could be set for a major shake-up following an announcement from Ofcom. The watchdog has revealed that it will be limiting the amount of spectrum that any one company is able to own.

Ofcom is set to release more mobile spectrum later this year to help provide better service for 4G networks, and help lay the groundwork for the development and launch of 5G technology.

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London is set to receive a major boost to its Wi-Fi network following a new launch from O2.

The operator is set to launch a new free, public Wi-Fi network that will stretch across the capital's famous Square Mile, home to many top businesses and financial institutions.

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Brits still use public Wi-Fi for things they should not, a new report by Norton by Symantec claims. By doing so, they’re putting a lot of their personal information at risk.

The report says most consumers have a "false sense of security" when using public Wi-Fi. Almost two thirds (65 percent) feel safe when they use public Wi-Fi, and less than a fifth (19 percent) use a VPN.

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If you use Facebook at all, you have almost certainly seen warnings recently that make reference to Jayden K Smith. You've probably not only been warned about this "hacker" but also been advised to make everyone you know aware of the danger they pose.

"Please tell all the contacts in your messenger list not to accept Jayden K. Smith friendship request. He is a hacker and has the system connected to your Facebook account. If one of your contacts accepts it, you will also be hacked, so make sure that all your friends know it," reads the message. It is -- of course -- utter nonsense, yet it is being shared far and wide. Stop it. Stop it this instant.

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The meeting between Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin was always going to generate a great deal of interest. After the two presidents had their first (official) meeting on Friday, Trump tweeted on Sunday that the pair has discussed "forming an impenetrable Cyber Security unit."

Considering Trump has accused Russia of hacking the US election, such an arrangement would seem unlikely. Nonetheless, the topic was broached. It was brought up "so that election hacking, & many other negative things, will be guarded and safe." But it didn’t take Trump long to back down from the idea.

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Two of the biggest names in tech have finally added their names to a growing list of participants in a protest next week against the FCC's plans to tear up net neutrality rules.

Google and Facebook have confirmed they will take part in the July 12 protest which is known variously as the "Day of Action," the "Battle for the Net" and -- rather more wordily -- the "Internet-wide Day of Action to Save Net Neutrality." Precisely what form the companies' participation will take remains to be seen, but the involvement of two such big names will send a clear message to the FCC.

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5G mobile networks have come a step closer to reality following a new announcement from Qualcomm and EE today.

The two companies have teamed up with Sony to show off Europe’s first commercial Gigabit LTE network, offering quicker mobile download speeds than ever before.

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China's control of the internet is no secret, and the Chinese government has just introduced new regulations that require all audio and video content to be vetted by officials before it can be posted online.

The aim is to check that content adheres to the government's "core socialist values" and don’t stray into out-of-bounds topics such as homosexuality and drug-taking. The new regulations take immediate effect, and bloggers, media outlets, and filmmakers are concerned that they will be either censored or shut down.

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A change to Photobucket's terms of service is having disastrous consequences on numerous sites as users discover they can no longer host images for use on other sites free of charge. Users of sites such as Amazon and eBay -- as well as owners of personal sites, and social media users -- were more than a little disappointed to learn that in order to continue using third-party image hosting, they would have to upgrade to Photobucket's most expensive package.

With the Plus 500 Plan costing $399 per year, upset users have complained that Photobucket is holding them to ransom. While Photobucket issued a notice that terms and conditions were changing, the company failed to highlight the change or give enough notice to satisfy many people.

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A survey by the BBC reveals that over a third of Premier League football (or soccer, if you insist) fans are getting their gaming fix using unofficial (that is, illegal) online streams.

Kodi boxes and similar dedicated devices are used by more than a quarter of fans for this very purpose. Perhaps unsurprisingly, it is younger adults who are more likely to make use of illegal streams.

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London's 4G and broadband speeds are slower than many smaller cities across the UK, a fact labelled 'quite embarrassing' according to a new study.

A report by the London Assembly (which can be found on this link), found that London's connectivity is lower than that in York, Coventry and Edinburgh. In some areas, like Rotherhithe in Southwark, there are "not-spots" and "digital deserts" (places with no connectivity at all).

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A privacy case against Facebook has been thrown out of court by a judge in the US District Court, Northern District of California. The case surrounded Facebook's tracking of users via Like buttons on other sites even when they were not logged into their accounts.

Plaintiffs said that Facebook violated wiretapping and privacy laws, but District Judge Edward Davila ruled that there was no evidence that the social network had illegally "intercepted" communications. She said that plaintiffs had failed to show "realistic" economic harm or loss, adding that they could have taken steps to maintain the privacy of their browsing histories.

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