Instagram, Facebook and Threads are experiencing widespread problems, locking users out of their accounts and failing to load properly.
Outages reported on Down Detector shot up just before 3pm, with more than 300,000 problems logged.
More than 25,000 Instagram outages were also reported via the website, which collates status reports from several sources, including users.
Problems on Facebook appear to leave users unable to login, with users logged out and unable to reset their password or access their accounts.
On Instagram, there are problems loading users’ timelines, stories and comments.
Sky News understands some of Meta’s internal systems have also been affected by the outage.
Sky News has contacted Meta, the parent company for both platforms, for comment.
Andy Stone, communications director at Meta, posted on X, formerly Twitter: “We’re aware people are having trouble accessing our services. We are working on this now.”
This breaking news story is being updated and more details will be published shortly.
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A blood test could be just as good at detecting the signs of Alzheimer’s disease as painful and invasive lumbar punctures, research suggests.
Measuring levels of a protein called p-tau217 in the blood could be just as accurate at detecting signs of the progressive condition, experts say.
The protein is a marker for biological changes in the brain for people with Alzheimer’s disease, which is a form of dementia.
The new findings have the potential to “revolutionise” diagnosis for people who are suspected to have Alzheimer’s, experts say.
It could also be better than a range of other tests currently under development.
In the study of 786 people, the researchers were able to use the ALZpath p-tau217 test to identify patients as likely, intermediate and unlikely to have Alzheimer’s disease.
Image: Images from an Alzheimer’s brain scan. File pic: AP
“This study is a hugely welcome step in the right direction as it shows that blood tests can be just as accurate as more invasive and expensive tests at predicting if someone has features of Alzheimer’s disease in their brain,” said Dr Richard Oakley, associate director of research and innovation at the Alzheimer’s Society.
“Furthermore, it suggests results from these tests could be clear enough to not require further follow-up investigations for some people living with Alzheimer’s disease, which could speed up the diagnosis pathway significantly in future.
“However, we still need to see more research across different communities to understand how effective these blood tests are across everyone who lives with Alzheimer’s disease.”
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Test could turn tide on devastating disease
This is a significant step towards a screening test for Alzheimer’s.
It detects a protein in the blood that is also found in the brains of people with the disease.
And the Swedish researchers say it is as accurate as existing tests.
At the moment Alzheimer’s is diagnosed either with special PET brain scans or samples of spinal fluid. The NHS doesn’t have enough machines or specialist staff to do that at the scale required.
It means that even if people ever get a diagnosis, it often comes when the disease has significantly progressed.
That matters because there are drugs coming down the tracks that have been shown in clinical trials to significantly slow the decline in memory and brain function.
But they have to be given at an early stage to be effective. That’s why doctors are excited about this test.
It needs to be validated in bigger clinical trials and in a diverse population.
But the hope is that in the near future it could be offered every few years to everyone over 50 to turn the tide on a devastating disease.
‘Huge potential’
Currently the only way to prove someone has a build-up of the proteins in the brain is to have a lumbar puncture or amyloid PET scan, which are available in only about one in 20 NHS memory clinics.
A lumbar puncture involves a needle being inserted into the lower back, between the bones in the spine.
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November 2022: New Alzheimer’s drug may be too late for some
Dr Sheona Scales, director of research at Alzheimer’s Research UK, said: “This study suggests that measuring levels of a protein called p-tau217 in the blood could be as accurate as currently used lumbar punctures for detecting the biological hallmarks of Alzheimer’s disease, and superior to a range of other tests currently under development.
“This adds to a growing body of evidence that this particular test has huge potential to revolutionise diagnosis for people with suspected Alzheimer’s.”
However, she said a better picture is needed of how these types of blood tests perform day-to-day in real-world healthcare systems.
The study from Dr Nicholas Ashton at the University of Gothenburg, and colleagues, is published in the Jama Neurology journal.
Scientists have discovered a huge ring-shaped structure in outer space – and it’s so big that it challenges our current understanding of the universe.
Dubbed the Big Ring, the ultra-large structure has a diameter of 1.3 billion light-years and a circumference of 4 billion light-years, making it roughly 15 times the size of the Moon, as seen in the night sky from Earth.
The structure is made up of galaxies and galaxy clusters and is the second of such a huge size to be identified by Alexia Lopez, a British PhD student.
She also found the Giant Arc – a structure spanning 3.3 billion light-years – three years ago.
Ms Lopez, who studies at the University of Central Lancashire, said: “Neither of these two ultra-large structures is easy to explain in our current understanding of the universe.
“And their ultra-large sizes, distinctive shapes, and cosmological proximity must surely be telling us something important – but what exactly?”
The findings, presented by Ms Lopez at the 243rd meeting of the American Astronomical Society (AAS), appear to challenge a key cosmological principle which states that on a large scale, the universe should look roughly the same everywhere.
Image: The Big Ring is made up of galaxies and galaxy clusters seen in the centre of this image. Pic: Stellarium/University of Central Lancashire/PA Wire
The general consensus is that large structures in the universe are formed through a process known as gravitational instability.
This process has a size limit of approximately 1.2 billion light-years as anything larger would not have had enough time to form.
Ms Lopez said: “Both of these structures are much larger – the Giant Arc is almost three times bigger and the Big Ring’s circumference is comparable to the Giant Arc’s length.
“From current cosmological theories, we didn’t think structures on this scale were possible.”
The data being analysed is “so far away that it has taken half the universe’s life to get to us,” she added.
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Large structures have also been discovered by other cosmologists.
The biggest single entity scientists have identified is a supercluster of galaxies – the Hercules-Corona Borealis Great Wall – which is roughly 10 billion light-years wide.
The Big Ring appears as an almost perfect circle in the sky, but Ms Lopez’s analysis suggests it has more of a corkscrew shape with its face aligned with Earth.
A vaccine to combat a common seasonal virus among babies could reduce hospital admissions by more than 80%, a trial has shown.
Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) impacts 90% of children before they reach the age of two, often causing a mild cold-like illness.
But infection can also lead to severe lung problems like pneumonia, and an estimated 30,000 babies and youngsters are admitted to hospital in the UK each year – putting extra pressure on the NHS.
Scientists have said a jab called nirsevimab could offer a solution after a study suggested a single shot provided immediate protection against chest infections for up to six months.
The trial found this could lead to an 83% reduction in RSV-related hospital admissions.
It is already being rolled out in the US and Spain and is being considered for a UK rollout, where it has been approved but not yet made available on the NHS.
Experts who worked on the study said the findings showed it was safe and could protect thousands of babies.
What is nirsevimab?
Nirsevimab is a monoclonal antibody, which are man-made proteins designed to mimic the human immune system’s natural antibodies.
Like other vaccines, it is administered via an injection.
The study included 8,058 babies up to the age of 12 months, with a randomly assigned group of them given a single dose and the others given usual treatment.
Just 11 who got the jab ended up in hospital for RSV-related infections, compared to 60 in the standard group.
The researchers said this corresponded to an efficacy of 83.2%.
Jab could ‘dramatically’ help NHS
Sir Andrew Pollard, director of the Oxford Vaccine Group at the University of Oxford, said the jab could help combat a virus that places “huge pressure” on Britain’s health system.
During the past two winters, cases were higher than usual after COVID pandemic measures in previous years suppressed cases – meaning children had much lower immunity.
Sir Andrew said the jab could help “protect the youngest in society and dramatically alleviate winter strain in the NHS”.
One of the scientists involved in the study, Professor Saul Faust from the University of Southampton, said he hoped it would help the UK decide on how to proceed with a national vaccination rollout.
The University of Southampton was one of three UK universities whose experts worked on the research, along with University Hospital Southampton and St George’s University Hospital, London.
The research was funded by Sanofi and AstraZeneca and published in the New England Journal of Medicine.
Millions of mobile phone users are being warned of potential text scams in the lead-up to Christmas, peaking today on what is being dubbed “Super Saturday”.
The BT-owned EE network has said cyber criminals could try to take advantage of the busy last-minute shopping period to issue delivery-style scams, suggesting parcels are waiting to be dropped off or their delivery has been missed.
The techniques could trick recipients into clicking links through which they may unwittingly install malware (malicious software), or be taken to a phishing page aimed at harvesting personal and financial data.
EE said it managed to block around three million SMS scams that were heading to customers’ phones on this day last year.
The company anticipates it will stop up to five million such scams this month. It also said it had blocked more than 45 million scam texts so far in 2023.
EE said in a statement: “The most common SMS scams in December are delivery-related, as shoppers rush to organise last-minute parcels in time for the holiday period.
“These include missed delivery or track delivery text scams, which prompt customers to click on links that give criminals the opening they need to steal consumers’ data or money.”
Image: Pic: Alamy
The firm is urging consumers to remain scam-aware, especially over the next couple of weeks, when the stress of holiday preparations could “cloud judgement and result in people dropping their guard”.
Read more: Booking.com customers warned of ‘well-designed scam’ Fraudsters’ tactics are becoming more complex – here is what to look out for UK to launch charter to combat scams, fake adverts and romance fraud
Jonny Bunt, EE’s director of regulatory affairs for the consumer division of BT Group, said: “Super Saturday is set to be the busiest day of the year for high-street retailers.
“With deliveries piling up on the doorstep, scammers will be looking for ways to take advantage of the festive frenzy.
“As one of the UK’s first lines of defence against SMS scam texts, we have clear sight of the threat level here at BT and EE and are already seeing a concerning spike in delivery scams in particular.”
It has issued some tips on how to stay scam safe:
• Never click on a link in a text from an unknown source • Trust your instincts, and if something looks suspicious, there’s probably a catch • Keep your device software up to date • Never give out bank details, passwords or security codes on a website you’ve linked to • If your bank phones you, consider calling them back on a published number or using the 159 service • If you get an expected call from someone, if in doubt put the phone down and call back on a number you trust • If you receive a suspicious text, forward the phone number and incident to 7726, free of charge, for your mobile provider to investigate • Once reported, block the number and notify others of the scam, so they can avoid falling victim.
The UK is to launch an Online Fraud Charter with 11 major tech companies in a “world-first” initiative to combat scams, fake adverts and romance fraud.
Home Secretary James Cleverly will host representatives from several leading tech companies – including Facebook, TikTok, Snapchat and YouTube – to sign the pledge to tackle internet fraud on Thursday.
Other firms signing the voluntary agreement include Amazon, eBay, Google, Instagram, LinkedIn, Match Group and Microsoft.
The charter will call on the firms to introduce a number of measures to better protect users, including verifying new advertisers and promptly removing fraudulent content.
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There will also be increased levels of verification on peer-to-peer marketplaces and people using online dating services.
The companies will pledge to implement the measures which apply to their services within six months.
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Image: James Cleverly Pic:AP
It will be backed by a crackdown on illegal adverts and promotions for age-restricted products such as alcohol or gambling which target children.
These steps will be detailed in an action plan published by the Online Advertising Taskforce.
Mr Cleverly, who will announce the charter at Lancaster House, said: “The Online Fraud Charter is a big step forward in our efforts to protect the public from sophisticated, adaptable and highly organised criminals.
“An agreement of this kind has never been done on this scale before and I am exceptionally pleased to see tech firms working with us to turn the tide against fraudsters.
“Our work does not end here – I will continue to ensure we collaborate across government, and with law enforcement and the private sector, to ensure everyone in the UK is better protected from fraud.”
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Each of the tech firms will pledge to work closely with law enforcement including creating direct routes to report suspicious activity.
The government highlighted that fraud accounts for about 40% of all crime in England and Wales, with data from UK Finance showing that almost 80% of authorised pushed payment fraud originating from social media or fake websites.
The news comes as cyber security experts warn that the rise of generative AI tools such as ChatGPT is helping cybercriminals create more convincing and sophisticated scams.
As ChatGPT marks the first anniversary of its launch to the public, a number of experts have said the technology is being leveraged by bad actors online.
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PM hails ‘landmark’ AI agreement
They warn that generative AI tools for text and image creation are making it easier for criminals to create convincing scams, but also that AI is being used to help boost cyber defences.
At the UK’s AI Safety Summit earlier this month, the threat of more sophisticated cyber attacks powered by AI was highlighted as a key risk going forward, with world leaders agreeing to work together on the issue.
The UK’s National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) has also highlighted the use of AI to create and spread disinformation as a key threat in years to come, especially around elections.
The threat of fraud and cyber scams is a 365-days-a-year problem when it comes to online shopping.
But just as the rate at which retailers hit you with promo emails scales up at this time of year, so too does the risk of falling foul of criminals trying to access your bank account.
According to the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC), shoppers lost more than £10m to cyber criminals over last year’s festive shopping period.
With Black Friday sales under way and Christmas on the horizon, Sky News enlisted some cybersecurity experts to offer advice on how best to stay safe and avoid scams this year.
Spotting a dodgy email
A favourite tactic of fraudsters is to draw you in with an email that looks remarkably legitimate, seemingly offering an exclusive deal at one of your favoured retailers.
It is, as Mike McLellan of Secureworks puts it, a “classic scenario we’d expect to see around Black Friday”.
An important thing to look out for is the domain name of the sender’s email address – is it a close match, but with something slightly off? Think @amaz0n.co.uk, for example.
“On smartphones, that kind of detail is usually hidden,” advises Mr McLellan. “So tap on it and check where the email has come from.”
You should also keep an eye out for misspellings and odd formatting.
However, the NCSC has warned that criminals are likely to use increasingly accessible AI tools to produce even more convincing scam emails, websites, and adverts than usual.
If you’re at all unsure, it’s good practice to go to the website directly, rather than click on any links in the email.
Fake websites
Some scams may direct you to a retailer’s login page to enter your account information.
It could look perfectly normal, and you go ahead and pop in your username and password, while in the background, criminals capture that information and use it themselves.
Chris Bluvshtein, of VPNOverview, says: “Every website should have a valid security certificate, and you can tell by the little padlock icon next to the URL.
“If a website doesn’t have one of these, then don’t give your bank details or valuable information.”
These can be some of the hardest scams to notice yourself, but banks have become very good at alerting you to “unusual logins” and flagging any subsequent dodgy transactions.
“If you suspect something bad has happened, consider changing your password,” Mr McLellan says. “And checking your bank activity.”
Text message scams
Another classic of the Black Friday scam genre is a text message suggesting you have a parcel waiting with DHL, Royal Mail, or some other delivery provider.
“Quite often you will be expecting something when you get these texts – but again keep an eye out for anything that doesn’t look normal,” says Mr McLellan.
A good indicator that something is amiss is if the text asks you for payment and includes a bit.ly link.
You should not click on these.
Image: An example of a text message scam. Pic: Royal Mail
The rise of ‘Qishing’
An emerging threat over the past year is an extension of phishing using QR codes.
Secureworks has dubbed it “Qishing”, when criminals use them to direct unsuspecting consumers to fraudulent websites that could steal their personal information.
Director of threat intelligence, Rafe Pilling, says: “We’re so used to seeing ‘scan this code’ to register, view a menu, order drinks or food to a table, or even enter competitions via the big screen at events stadiums, that consumers are thinking less about what they’re actually scanning.
“As the hype around holidays like Black Friday drives more urgency in consumer actions, we can expect to see more cyber criminals taking advantage with Qishing.”
Password managers and mobile payments
Modern smartphones and web browsers offer some useful baked-in features to help you stay safe.
Both have password managers and generators, which will come up with randomised options for you to lock your accounts and then store those behind a master password – or even biometrics like facial or fingerprint recognition.
Consider multifactor authentication as well, says Mr McLellan, for an extra layer of security.
Apple and Google Pay are good payment options if the retailer accepts them, as they protect your bank details.
“It’s best to use them instead of your debit card,” says Mr Bluvshtein.
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Image: Set up facial recognition on your phone and use it to protect your passwords
Avoid shopping on public networks
Black Friday promotions will often try to entice you with limited time deals, alerting you to them via an app notification, text message or email.
If one arrives while you’re out and about, it could be tempting to jump straight to it.
But shopping on public wi-fi networks, like those you might find at railway stations and on trains, is a bad idea, according to Mr Bluvshtein.
“Public wi-fi rarely has safety protocols such as passwords in place, and hackers can piggyback and steal unsecured banking details and sensitive information without you knowing,” he says.
What to do if you suspect you’ve been scammed
Even with the best will in the world, there may come a moment where you suspect the worst.
But try not to fret – there are steps you can take to limit the damage, or prevent any from occurring at all.
“Keep an eye on bank accounts and if you see anything unusual, get in touch with them,” says Mr McLellan.
“Banks have got very robust fraud controls these days – and that’s why it’s best to use credit cards if possible.
“If you think any of your online accounts have been compromised, change the password, and try not to reuse them across different retailers.
“We do recognise that some of these have a technical bar to them, but if nothing else, at least keep an eye on what’s happening and be vigilant about your online activity.”
Thousands of AI-generated images depicting child abuse have been shared on a dark web forum, new research has found.
About 3,000 AI images of child abuse were shared on the site in September, with 564 depicting the most serious kind of imagery including rape, sexual torture and bestiality.
Of the images, 1,372 depicted children aged between seven and 10 years old, according to research by the Internet Watch Foundation (IWF).
The charity said the most convincing images would even be difficult for trained analysts to distinguish from photographs and warned the text-to-image technology will only get better – making it harder for the police and other law enforcement to protect children.
Some images depict real children whose faces and bodies were used to train the AI models, which the charity has decided not to name.
In other cases, the models were used to “nudify” children based on fully clothed images of them uploaded online.
Criminals are also using the technology to create images of celebrities who have been “de-aged” to depict them as children in sexual abuse scenarios.
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Online victims write to tech bosses
‘This threat is here and now’
Ian Critchley, the National Police Chiefs’ Council lead for child protection in the UK, said the generation of such images online normalises child abuse in the real world.
“It is clear that this is no longer an emerging threat – it is here and now,” he said.
“We are seeing children groomed, we are seeing perpetrators make their own imagery to their own specifications, we are seeing the production of AI imagery for commercial gain – all of which normalises the rape and abuse of real children.”
The UK’s impending Online Safety Bill is designed to hold social media platforms more responsible for the content published on their platforms.
But it does not extend to the AI companies whose models are being altered and used to generate abusive imagery.
The UK government is hosting an AI safety summit next week that aims to address the risks associated with artificial intelligence and consider what action is needed.
Susie Hargreaves, chief executive of the IWF, said new EU laws on child sexual abuse should cover unknown imagery.
“We are seeing criminals deliberately training their AI on real victims’ images who have already suffered abuse,” she said.
“Children who have been raped in the past are now being incorporated into new scenarios because someone, somewhere, wants to see it.”
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9:53
‘We don’t understand how AI works’
Politicians ‘caught asleep at the wheel’
Ellen Judson, head of the digital research hub at Demos, the think tank, said: “Once again, policymakers have been caught asleep at the wheel as generative AI continues to radically transform the nature of online harms.”
She called for the government to “get on the front foot” in their understanding and regulation of AI tools, specifically around how they are designed and developed.
“Waiting for the next crisis to occur before responding is simply not a sustainable approach,” she added.
A Home Office spokesperson said: “Online child sexual abuse is one of the key challenges of our age, and the rise in AI-generated child sexual abuse material is deeply concerning.
“We are working at pace with partners across the globe to tackle this issue, including the Internet Watch Foundation.
“Last month, the home secretary announced a joint commitment with the US government to work together to innovate and explore development of new solutions to fight the spread of this sickening imagery.”
British astronauts could get the chance to blast into the cosmos thanks to a new deal between the UK and a US space company.
The UK Space Agency has signed an agreement with Axiom Space, a Texas-based firm working on what it says will become the first ever commercial space station.
It has previously sent crewed missions into Earth’s orbit and the International Space Station with SpaceX rockets.
A future flight carrying British astronauts would see them spend up to two weeks in orbit to carry out scientific experiments and participate in education activities.
It would be a commercially sponsored trip, supported by the European Space Agency (ESA).
Britain has only had two astronauts in space before: Helen Sharman in 1989 and Tim Peake 27 years later.
Rosemary Coogan, a Northern Irish astrophysicist, hopes to make it three after being selected to join the ESA’s training programme last year.
Image: Tim Peake is one of only two British astronauts to have gone into space
Dr Alice Bunn, president of industry trade body UKspace, hailed the deal as the “incredibly exciting”.
Dr Paul Bate, chief executive of the UK Space Agency, added that it paved the way for more British astronauts to venture into orbit and “inspire millions of us here on Earth”.
Alongside the deal’s announcement, the agency is inviting British universities, research institutions and industry to share ideas for experiments that could be carried out during the two-week trip.
It’s also exploring the possibility of a national space education and public engagement programme.
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It comes as Shetland-based SaxaVord Spaceport awaits permission to host the UK’s first vertical rocket launch.
It still needs its licence from the Civil Aviation Authority, having submitted an application last year.
Spaceport Cornwall is the only British site to have attempted an orbital launch so far, but the much-anticipated January mission ended in failure.
Vaping adverts that appeared on TikTok despite breaking the platform’s own rules have been banned by the UK regulator.
The app‘s community guidelines prohibit the promotion of tobacco products, including vapes and e-cigarettes.
But videos marketing Zovoo, Innofly HK, Vapes Bars, and The Disposable Vape Store all appeared in recent months.
In one for the latter, posted by the account @tdvsbackup, a man stood in front of shelves of e-cigarettes and said “these are new SKE Amare Crystal” and they were “looking really good”.
“Some of the flavours are selling out, so I thought I’d let you guys know,” he added.
The video was one of around 300 posts reported to the Advertising Standards Agency (ASA), which has forbidden adverts for e-cigarettes containing nicotine that are not licensed as medicines.
The Disposable Vape Store told the ASA it had seen rival shops running TikTok ads and thought it was allowed, but vowed not to do so again.
In Innofly HK’s case, the account @vanillaspit posted a video of an influencer rapping about its Waka vapes.
The user claimed they were contacted by a company offering to send her vapes.
Innofly HK told the ASA it was taking “all necessary steps” to ensure its marketing practices stuck to the rules, including not posting ads on TikTok.
Vapes Bars also vowed to ensure it would monitor social media for rule-breaking content relating to its brand and ensure such posts were removed.
The ASA said it had found numerous TikTok videos of influencers giving the company’s devices away.
Zovoo was the only firm not to respond to the ASA’s inquiries.
One post promoting its products, from the account @izzialicexo, praised its “long last flavour” and “smooth puff”.
Sky News has contacted Zovoo for comment.
Read more: ‘Quarter of pupils’ are now vaping Rishi Sunak on vaping ‘enforcement squads’
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Sunak on vape ‘enforcement squads’
‘We are taking action’
The ASA said cracking down on vaping ads on social media was a “high priority” and brands would face “targeted enforcement action” if they did not address ongoing problems.
“We know people are concerned about young people vaping and ads for vaping products appearing on social media where they shouldn’t and being likely to appeal or be targeted at under-18s,” it added.
“That’s why we’re taking action, banning ads that break the rules and ensuring they’re removed quickly.”
TikTok pointed Sky News towards its community guidelines, which ban the showing or promoting of the trade of tobacco products, as well as alcohol and drugs.
A spokesperson added: “Our community guidelines make clear that TikTok strictly prohibits content promoting the trade of vaping products, e-cigarettes, or tobacco products. We continue to work with the ASA to ensure advertisers and creators comply with the CAP Code as well as our rules.”
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Could single-use vapes be banned by 2024?
It comes amid calls to ban disposable vapes altogether in the UK on health and environmental grounds.
Local councils have said they are a “hazard” to waste collectors and almost impossible to recycle, while the British Medical Association has described vaping as a “growing epidemic”.
