Urgent warning to close ‘loophole' within online age checks
Her new report reveals a rise in children accessing online pornography, with 70 per cent of respondents having seen it before age 18, up from 64 per cent two years ago.
The report highlights that 59 per cent of children and young people encountered pornography online accidentally, suggesting harmful content is pushed by algorithms rather than sought out.
VPNs allow users to mask their location, enabling them to circumvent age checks introduced by the Online Safety Act on adult content platforms.
While the government states VPNs are legal for adults and will not be banned, it warns platforms that promote workarounds for children will face severe penalties and fines.
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The Independent
2 minutes ago
- The Independent
Would a new property tax be electoral disaster for Labour?
For many months, ministers have been curiously coy about whether they would introduce a ' wealth tax '. It was previously flatly denied and was not mentioned in the manifesto. Yet more recently, from Sir Keir Starmer down, there's been a refusal to comment. Now, perhaps, we know why: a conscious leak from the Treasury suggests Rachel Reeves is contemplating reforms to stamp duty and council tax that would amount to a new property tax. Apparently, the chancellor has briefed cabinet colleagues about the project and they are gauging public reaction. If implemented, it would be a politically brave move. What does the chancellor want? There are few details, but Reeves's idea seems to be to levy a new tax on homes worth more than £500,000 with, most likely, some adjustments to council tax and stamp duty at all levels of the property market. This new levy would replace stamp duty on owner-occupied primary residential homes (second and rental homes being treated differently already). A further annual local property tax would be added, based on an updated estimation of relative property values; this would replace council tax. When does she want it? A new national property levy could replace stamp duty in this parliament. A wholesale reform of local government finance, including a transition from council tax to local property tax and a valuation of every single home, would take years. Reportedly, that would be for Labour's hoped-for second term. Why is it being considered? Reeves is desperate for new sources of tax revenue that won't violate the manifesto commitment not to raise rates of income tax, employee national insurance and VAT. That doesn't leave much, even with income tax and NI thresholds frozen. Some researchers estimate the 'black hole' in the government's budget could yawn to about £40bn a year by the end of this parliament – way more than the current level and beyond what fiscal rules and the markets would tolerate. Is a property tax a good idea in any case? Yes, in the sense that the British approach to taxing wealth is completely irrational. Unlike any other asset – rental properties, shares, artworks, businesses – the value of a main home is untaxed, nor are any capital gains derived from moving up the property chain. That badly distorts against investment in productive capital and in favour of consumption, and thus blunts productivity growth and living standards. The resulting concentration of wealth as it cascades down the generations with minimal inheritance tax is driving a steadily more unequal society. Would a new property tax be a wealth tax? Yes, but it might be presented as a fairer and more rational version of the wealth taxes we already have: council tax, stamp duty, capital gains tax and inheritance tax. But it would suffer from the same drawbacks as council tax (and, to a lesser extent, stamp duty) in that it is almost completely unrelated to ability to pay. Someone lucky enough to live in what is now a very valuable home, but who has a small income in retirement, couldn't afford an annual tax bill and would have to borrow against or sell their home (although the tax could be deferred until death and deducted from the estate at probate, making it effectively a hike in inheritance tax). It would also favour the wealthy few whose money is tied up in several properties or businesses because they would only be liable on the first property as a main home; a 'proper' and efficient wealth tax would treat all kinds of assets neutrally. A more sensible approach to local government finance might be a local income tax – a policy idea adopted in Scotland by the SNP government in 2007 but later abandoned – and a more sensitive way of transferring money from richer areas to poorer ones. At the moment, council tax rates vary considerably between different areas, and about a fifth of local government funding comes from the Treasury out of central taxation. How much might it be? Anyone's guess, but most likely unrelated to wages or other income. The centre-right think tank Onward, which last year came up with the original paper that inspired the Treasury, suggested that owners, rather than the residents, of a property worth up to £500,000 would pay various tiered rates of national and local property tax dependent on the value of their home. They would pay a minimum of £800 a year directly to their local authority, but who knows what living in a £2m townhouse would set you back. How would it play politically? Disastrously. Any such reform necessarily creates winners, who are electorally ungrateful, and losers, who are highly resentful. The last time such a change was attempted was when the 'rates' were abolished in the late 1980s to make way for the flat rate per-person poll tax, triggering a riot, mass non-payment, and ultimately contributing to the fall of Margaret Thatcher. Vast accidental disparities in individual liabilities rendered the poll tax impractical and indefensible; it took some years and much cost to the Treasury to move from the poll tax to the current council tax regime with its various reliefs and exemptions. Memories of that painful episode mean no government has dared to touch property taxation besides fiddling around the thresholds. By making the plan part of the next Labour manifesto, but without much detail about who would pay and how much they'd pay, paranoia about the new tax would run rampant. Inheritance tax, which very few estates actually pay, is almost universally hated, and so would be a new 'Labour wealth tax'. It would be regarded as a 'tax on aspiration'. Whisper it, but some of the 'working people' that Labour has solemnly pledged to protect own their own homes, and it is their sole source of wealth. Some imagine they will one day have a £1m house; they may already do if they live in London. Even with her proven record of poor political judgement, it is hard to understand what Reeves is playing at. At best; she is being pushed around – again – by Treasury civil servants who care nothing about politics; at worst, she's become a little too crazed about fiscal rectitude.
The Independent
2 minutes ago
- The Independent
Benefits misinformation spreads online as millions grapple with cost of living
Misinformation about benefits, money and government policy has likely been seen by hundreds of thousands of people as fake news has been allowed to feature amongst Google's top-ranking search results. The web giant's rotation of articles featured on its search engine and most prominent recommendation services has included several peddling incorrect information on crucial financial news relating to UK readers. Many of these sites falsely claim that the Cost of Living Payment that was administered by the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) between 2022 and 2024 is returning this year, which is not true. The authors of the articles even falsely state that people on certain commonly-claimed benefits, such as Universal Credit and Pension Credit, can expect automatic payments worth up to £500 in the coming months. Another fake story sees WASPI campaigners told that they can expect a 'one-off, tax-free compensation payment' worth thousands, while yet another claims that next years' planned state pension age increase to 67 has been cancelled. The owners of these web pages are likely carrying out this activity with the aim of attracting as many readers as possible to their sites with sensational and false headlines. Using knowledge of Google 's website-ranking system to manipulate search results, they also focus content on topics that its open-source data shows is highly searched for. Visitors are shown hundreds of intrusive ads on the pages, the revenue from which becomes more valuable to the site owner the more a website is visited. The Independent has identified several sites that have been sharing false information that has been highly-ranked by Google's algorithm. None of those uncovered are based in the UK. Anna Stevenson, Benefits Expert at Turn2us, said: 'These sites prey on people's worries at a time when so many of us are feeling the pressure of the cost-of-living crisis, and that's really unfair. 'If you see a headline about a new payment or benefit, take a moment to check where it's coming from. Just because it's displayed on Google doesn't make it trustworthy, stick to established and authentic sources like . websites or reputable charities; if you can't find the same information there, it's unlikely to be legitimate.' A spokesperson for Google said: 'We see billions of search queries every day and we design our ranking systems to surface high quality information at the top of Search. Our spam-fighting systems aggressively fight mass-produced, low-quality content, keeping Search 99% spam-free and we take appropriate action against pages that violate our policies.' The owners of all websites shown in this article were approached for comment. Only one, 'Tamil Nadu Weatherman', has removed its article, which carried false information about the Cost of Living Payment, saying it was 'never [their] intention to spread false information.' A spokesperson said: 'Thank you for reaching out and bringing this to my attention. After carefully reviewing the articles you highlighted, I acknowledge that the information published may not have been accurate. This was an oversight on my part, and I sincerely regret any confusion it may have caused. 'Going forward, I will ensure that all such content is cross-checked with official government websites before publication. Accuracy and trust are very important to me, and I appreciate you raising this issue so I could address it promptly.'
BBC News
3 minutes ago
- BBC News
Eemeli Peltonen: Finnish politician dies in parliament in Helsinki
A politician in Finland has died in the country's main parliament building in the capital, Peltonen, 30, who was an MP for the Social Democratic Party, is believed to have taken his own life in the building and was found on Tuesday morning, local media reported. His sudden death has shocked Finland, with politicians on all sides expressing their sadness."He was a much-loved member of our community and we will miss him deeply. A young life has ended far too early," said Tytti Tuppurainen, chair of the Social Democratic parliamentary group, in a statement. Although parliament is in summer recess, all official political work was suspended by Prime Minister Petteri Orpo for the rest of the held a minute's silence in honour of Peltonen who, he said, had been well liked by colleagues, public broadcaster YLE was shared by the parliamentary speaker, Jussi Halla-aho, who wrote on X that Peltonen had been a "well-liked colleague who was respected across party lines".Police were called to the Eduskuntatalo - the parliamentary building - at 11:06 (08:06 GMT) on Tuesday. They said no foul play was death was confirmed about three hours later in a short parliamentary statement, which said the community shared in "the grief of his relatives". Peltonen, who represented the southern region of Uusimaa, was in his first term as a member of parliament, having been elected in 2023. His political ambitions started early - Peltonen was elected as a city councillor for the town of Jarvenpaa at just 18 years he was 22 he was elected chairman of the city board - the youngest person to hold the title, media reported at the time. In late June, Peltonen posted on his social media accounts that he had been "away from a lot of parliamentary work in the last weeks" because he had "a kidney problem" that led to an the post, he explained that he was being treated with "an intravenous antibiotic cure in Meilahti [a suburb of Helsinki], which takes its time"."I'm already discharged from hospital, but due to the situation I'm on summer sick leave and I'm now fully focused on recovering from the illness," he wrote. If you are affected by this article you can access support and information at BBC Action Line
