Hacker News with Generative AI: UK

Driver stopped in Tesla Cybertruck banned in UK (bbc.com)
A striking Tesla Cybertruck which is illegal to drive in the UK due to safety concerns has been seized by police in Greater Manchester.
Tesla, Cybertruck, UK, Law Enforcement, Safety
4 points by Fischgericht 10 hours ago | 0 comments
Websites hosting pornographic content must have age verification for UK users (news.sky.com)
Websites that host pornographic or other harmful content must have "robust" age verification in place for UK users by July at the latest, Ofcom has said.
Pornography, Regulation, UK, Online Safety
5 points by intunderflow 1 day ago | 2 comments
Norwich restaurant charges £100 ($122) for a pineapple pizza (theguardian.com)
A pizzeria is asking its customers to put their dough where their mouth is if they want to eat a Hawaiian – charging £100 for a ham and pineapple-topped pizza.
Food, Restaurants, UK, Pricing, Controversy
10 points by 6LLvveMx2koXfwn 4 days ago | 10 comments
UK prepared to throw planning rules out the window for datacenters (theregister.com)
Britain's planning system is still seen as a significant barrier to the development of datacenters.
Data Centers, UK, Government, Planning, Regulations
4 points by macleginn 5 days ago | 0 comments
PM plans to 'unleash AI' across UK to boost growth (bbc.co.uk)
The government is to set out plans to use artificial intelligence (AI) across the UK to boost growth and deliver public services more efficiently.
Artificial Intelligence, Government, UK, Economics
7 points by iamflimflam1 5 days ago | 1 comments
'Mainlined into UK's veins': Labour announces public rollout of AI (theguardian.com)
Artificial intelligence will be “mainlined into the veins” of the nation, ministers have announced, with a multibillion-pound investment in the UK’s computing capacity despite widespread public fear about the technology’s effects.
Artificial Intelligence, Government, UK, Public Policy, Technology
20 points by chrisjj 5 days ago | 29 comments
Why some DVLA digital services don't work at night (dafyddvaughan.uk)
Every few months or so, somebody asks on social media why a particular DVLA digital service is turned off over night.
Government Services, UK, Digital Services, Technology
116 points by edent 5 days ago | 115 comments
What foods are taxed in the UK (gov.uk)
Find out which types of food are zero-rated and which are standard-rated for VAT purposes.
Taxes, UK, Food, VAT
7 points by mayakacz 5 days ago | 1 comments
Music sales hit 20-year high (bbc.com)
Captivated by major new releases from Taylor Swift, Coldplay and Billie Eilish, music fans in the UK spent more on recorded music in 2024 than ever before, new figures show.
Music Industry, UK, Music Sales, Taylor Swift, Coldplay
6 points by dabinat 9 days ago | 0 comments
Visitors to the UK from 48 countries must now apply and pay a fee before travel (cnn.com)
Travel, UK, International Relations, Fees, Visas
18 points by teleforce 10 days ago | 7 comments
Four-day week at a south London school (theguardian.com)
At a small independent school on the fringes of a National Trust park in Morden, south London, a quiet revolution is under way.
Education, Work-Life Balance, UK, Experimentation
29 points by robtherobber 10 days ago | 22 comments
Lobste.rs considers geoblocking UK due to Online Safety Act (lobste.rs)
The UK’s Online Safety Act is scheduled to take effect on March 16, 2025. Lobsters can’t comply with it and needs your help to avoid having to geoblock the UK.
Technology, Censorship, Politics, UK, Online Safety
27 points by sealeck 11 days ago | 1 comments
UK gravestone carvers condemn blatant reproduction of their designs (theguardian.com)
A walk down a churchyard path, passing other memorials and plaques, can be an important, meditative time for bereaved relatives. But some have had an unpleasant surprise when they find that the carefully chosen design and inscription on the headstone they have come to visit has been copied elsewhere.
Design, Art, UK, Cemetery, Grief
4 points by pseudolus 14 days ago | 0 comments
UK ICO response to Google's policy change on device fingerprinting (ico.org.uk)
Yesterday, Google announced to organisations that use its advertising products, that from 16 February 2025, it will no longer prohibit them from employing fingerprinting techniques. Our response is clear: businesses do not have free rein to use fingerprinting as they please. Like all advertising technology, it must be lawfully and transparently deployed – and if it is not, the ICO will act.
Privacy, Advertising, Regulation, Google, UK
158 points by walterbell 15 days ago | 96 comments
Nick Clegg, former UK deputy prime minister, leaves Meta (theguardian.com)
Nick Clegg, Britain’s former deputy prime minister and Meta’s current president of global affairs, is leaving the company after six years.
Meta, Politics, Leadership, Technology, UK
9 points by penda 15 days ago | 0 comments
Piracy in the UK: the failed war on illegal content (huckmag.com)
Piracy, UK, Law, Content, Media
50 points by CarbonBasedUnit 20 days ago | 32 comments
Charles Stross is closing down his blog's comment section (antipope.org)
This, from Techcrunch, seems like a good summary of a bad situation facing this blog: Death Of A Forum: How The UK's Online Safety Act Is Killing Communities.
Online Communities, Censorship, Legislation, UK
14 points by pavel_lishin 27 days ago | 4 comments
UK Gov Open Consultation: Copyright and Artificial Intelligence (gov.uk)
This consultation seeks views on how the government can ensure the UK’s legal framework for AI and copyright supports the UK creative industries and AI sector together.
Copyright, Artificial Intelligence, Government, UK, Creative Industries
23 points by nickcotter 28 days ago | 9 comments
Death of a Forum: How the UK's Online Safety Act Is Killing Communities (techdirt.com)
We’ve been warning for years that the UK’s Online Safety Act would be a disaster for the open internet.
Online Safety, Regulation, Censorship, Internet, UK
43 points by A1kmm 28 days ago | 3 comments
Why are UK electricity bills so expensive? (benjames.io)
I recently built a website that breaks down the cost of a UK electricity bill.
Energy, UK, Economics, Utilities
193 points by chmaynard 28 days ago | 341 comments
How the Samuel Smith beer baron built Britain's strangest pub chain (theguardian.com)
Since the 1970s, Humphrey Smith has acquired scores of pubs and historic properties around the UK. But time after time, he has left the buildings empty. Why has he allowed his empire to moulder?
Business, UK, History, Real Estate
39 points by thinkingemote 29 days ago | 0 comments
How the Samuel Smith beer baron built Britain's strangest pub chain (theguardian.com)
Since the 1970s, Humphrey Smith has acquired scores of pubs and historic properties around the UK. But time after time, he has left the buildings empty. Why has he allowed his empire to moulder?
Business, History, UK, Real Estate
101 points by rwmj 30 days ago | 70 comments
The UK Now Has Its Own Illegal Rubberized Cybertruck on the Road (wired.com)
Following the Czech Cybertruck’s example, now there’s a rubber bumper-pimped Tesla truck attempting to be certified for use on British highways. This time, however, the chances of success look slim.
Vehicles, Electric Vehicles, Tesla, UK, Law
25 points by gnabgib 33 days ago | 23 comments
GCHQ Christmas Challenge Puzzles (bbc.com)
Latin dancing, Indian butter and American soldiers are some of the clues for this year's cryptic Christmas challenge set by the national spy agency.
Cryptography, Puzzles, Security, Christmas, UK
6 points by dave333 35 days ago | 2 comments
UK tap water safety at risk after testing labs shut down (theguardian.com)
The safety of tap water in the UK could be at risk because water companies are unable to use products to clean it, industry insiders have said, as all the laboratories that test and certify the chemicals have shut down.
Water Safety, UK, Environment, Public Health
12 points by n1b0m 42 days ago | 2 comments
Self-eating rocket could help UK take a big bite of space industry (gla.ac.uk)
New developments on a nearly century-old concept for a ‘self-eating’ rocket engine capable of flight beyond the Earth’s atmosphere could help the UK take a bigger bite of the space industry.
Space Travel, Rocket Science, Technology, UK
8 points by bookofjoe 42 days ago | 3 comments
UK uncovers crypto laundering scheme for gangsters and Russian spies (ft.com)
Cryptocurrency, Crime, Russia, UK, Espionage
13 points by cannibalXxx 44 days ago | 1 comments
Russian criminals helped UK drug gangs launder lockdown cash (bbc.co.uk)
A multi-billion-dollar money laundering operation that formed when UK gangs were struggling to offload cash during lockdown has been uncovered by the National Crime Agency.
Crime, Money Laundering, UK, Russia
5 points by frereubu 44 days ago | 0 comments
The UK's network of free hiking 'hotels' (bbc.com)
You can’t book them and you don't know who else will be there, but they're an excellent way to explore Britain's most remote corners – for free.
Travel, Hiking, UK, Outdoor Recreation
9 points by ranit 45 days ago | 0 comments
NHS major 'cyber incident' forces hospitals to use pen and paper (theregister.com)
The ongoing cyber security incident affecting a North West England NHS group has forced sites to fall back on pen-and-paper operations.
Cybersecurity, Healthcare, UK, Technology, Hospitals
9 points by RobinHirst11 49 days ago | 0 comments