Anyone trying to watch porn online in the UK will need to take a selfie first – or share a photo ID. (Yes, both of those might ruin the ‘mood.’) The UK government began checking compliance with its Online Safety Act last Friday, which requires any website that publishes or displays pornographic content to implement a system for “highly effective age checks.”
Popular porn sites, including the country’s most-visited site, PornHub, have agreed to the new regulations. The rules also apply to platforms like X and dating apps, where adult images may be shared. Social media sites like Reddit and Bluesky have already implemented an age verification system. Some of these age checks can be sidestepped by assigning a new location to profiles or, your friend and mine, using a VPN.
In response, downloads of VPN apps have exploded.
— Mat Smith
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The news you might have missed
More screen, more battery but something’s missing.
Rounding out our barrage of Samsung reviews, I tested out the Galaxy Z Flip 7. It has a slimmer design and significantly improved battery life. With a larger, brighter front display, it’s easier to use and the hinge mechanism has also been strengthened for a more solid feel. Despite it being the smaller model of Samsung’s foldable family, the company made the primary display even bigger. It’s also closer to the traditional aspect ratios of most smartphones. It’s another smart improvement that makes the Flip 7 easier to use than its predecessors.
A larger battery has substantially extended the runtime of Samsung’s latest Flip, but the cameras remain largely unchanged from the previous model, featuring a 50MP primary and 12MP ultrawide lens. Sadly, there’s still no dedicated telephoto lens, making it less useful in some shooting situations. I also wish Samsung pushed the Flex Window software a little further.
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Horiz-off.
Sony is suing Tencent for copying pretty much every part of its Horizon games in the upcoming Light of Motiram, an open-world hunting game that, well, copies pretty much every design touch and world of the post-apocalyptic robot-hunting series.
The lawsuit points to the basic setup of the game, the visual appearance of Light of Motiram’s characters and more. The funniest part, however, is that Sony’s suit claims that Tencent tried to license the Horizon IP from the PlayStation maker before it even announced Light of Motiram.
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But be prepared to wait for it.
Sony has added more details to its incoming fight stick controller, including a cute lil’ backpack for it. This is the first fight stick controller designed by Sony Interactive and is compatible with both PS5 and PC, supporting either wired or wireless connections.
If you’re concerned about latency, FlexStrike utilizes PlayStation Link technology to provide “ultra-low latency wireless” connections. This requires the included PS Link USB adapter. The FlexStrike controller is expected to launch sometime in 2026.
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