Displaying items by tag: technology

Until now, firms like Facebook, Tiktok, YouTube, Snapchat, and Twitter have largely been self-regulating. New powers will be given to Ofcom to force such firms to take action over harmful content. Companies have defended their own rules about taking down unacceptable content, but critics say independent rules are needed to keep people safe. It is unclear what penalties Ofcom will be able to enforce to target violence, cyber-bullying and child abuse as they make tech firms responsible for protecting people from such content. Pray for wise action to ensure that content is removed quickly. Also, there is growing evidence that Internet use can harm mental health, but research is still lacking. In January leading UK psychiatrists said that tech companies must be made to share data and pay tax to fund research into the risks and benefits of social media use on children’s mental health. See

5G is widespread in China and being tested in America and Europe. Potentially, it will unleash a tidal wave of smart devices. Doctors will carry out surgery remotely, taking advantage of 5G’s speed to control precision robots. Designers and lawyers will work remotely through shared virtual realities. Scientific experiments will be carried out over long distances, allowing scientists across nations to take part in common research projects. 5G will transform ‘smart cities’, with sensors for gathering, analysing and processing data on public transport and energy consumption. They will improve waste collection, detecting whether bins are full and telling bin-men where those full bins are. 5G will keep traffic flowing by working traffic lights based on traffic volume. Self-driving cars will communicate instantly and avoid crashes. Rural areas will benefit from autonomous drones hovering over plants and spraying sticky ones with pesticides when needed. The most surprising innovations are those that still live in our imaginations.

Frédéric Fornos, director of the Pope's worldwide prayer network, has said that the eRosary combines the best of Church tradition with the best of technology. The device is aimed at young people who seek to learn how to pray and who don't really know how to. It reminds them to pray three times a day. Once connected to its application, the Rosary has specific content, such as thematic prayers, allowing fervent users to record and share their spiritual activity. One researcher said a security flaw in the application allows an attacker to take over the account of the victim and get the victim's personal information just by knowing their email address. Another problem is the price of the device, which many consider to be too high.

On 7 June 2018 we prayed for an awareness-raising phone app, commissioned by the CofE, to become a valuable part of intelligence gathering that combats an estimated 11,700+ people trapped in UK modern-day slavery - starting with car washes. To date, police have been alerted to 930 reports of potential modern-day slavery at car washes, thanks to the app. Users spotted potential signs of modern slavery or labour exploitation, which they marked off against the app checklist. Then they called the Modern Slavery Helpline anonymously to inform the authorities. Nottingham University said the application was downloaded 8,225 times during its first six months. Bishop Alastair Redfern said, ‘This research shows that the Safe Car Wash app has made an excellent start towards mapping the extent of modern slavery and labour exploitation in hand car washes, and, crucially, raising public awareness of this issue’. See

Global action is required to tackle the web's ‘downward plunge to a dysfunctional future’, said its inventor Sir Tim Berners-Lee in an interview marking thirty years since its conception. He said people realised how data can be manipulated after the Cambridge Analytica scandal, but data breaches, hacking and misinformation could be tackled. He acknowledged that many people doubted the web could be a force for good. While he had his own anxieties about the future, he felt users were beginning to understand the risks. He thinks the principles of an open web need to be safeguarded in three specific areas of ‘dysfunction’ that harm the web today: malicious activity of hacking and harassment; problematic system design such as business models that reward clickbait; and unintended consequences, such as aggressive or polarised discussions. He said these things could be dealt with through new laws and systems limiting bad behaviour online. See also UK article 3, ‘Saving the internet from itself’.

Finding Biblical figures and saints is the challenge posed to users of a new Catholic mobile game which echoes the Pokémon Go app. Rather than pursuing Japanese monsters, players seek out Biblical characters and recruit them to join their own 'evangelisation team' - if they correctly answer Bible-based questions. The game, which is free to download for smartphone users, incorporates augmented reality and geo-location technology, allowing users to progress through the game as they walk about in real life. It was developed ahead of a visit by Pope Francis to Panama next year for World Youth Day.

Whilst we might not be facing the persecution that first-century Christians encountered, faith-sharing is still challenging. Recent research found that 67% of the population know a practising Christian, and conversations with Christians are one of the most important influences in bringing people to faith. Christian Vision's ‘yesHEis’ free smartphone app makes evangelism easier. It is available to download from the Google Play and App Stores, and hosts a variety of videos including short testimonies and inspiring films. The concept is easy: watch some videos, and if there’s one you think friends or family might enjoy, send it to them. Then you can start a conversation about Jesus. The videos, on a wide range of subjects, can be shared on Facebook, Twitter, WhatsApp or text message. There are already 300,000+ active users of yesHEis around the world.

St Mildred’s in south London has created WOW Church to attract the 13-to-25 age group to faith through a virtual service. The online church runs from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Visitors can talk to twenty different chat-hosts taking turns answering questions and communicating with people through the website. People watch videos about faith and can submit a short prayer and light a virtual candle. An average of two to three conversations take place each day, and 100-150 people visit it weekly. St Mildred’s said they considered a youth Alpha but didn’t think anyone would come (saying they weren’t good with teens). Most of the people they chat to are lonely or have reservations about church. Pray for the ‘virtual’ community of lonely people to begin to want to actually meet physically in a Christian community. Meanwhile, The Church of England has launched an ‘Alexa skill’ to answer questions about faith and prayer, and help to find a church based on the user’s location. See

The Bishop of Chelmsford has called for a crackdown on internet shopping on Christmas Day, after plans for major sales for that day. Stephen Cottrell said he would support laws to allow only essential services during the Christian festival. Stores such as Amazon, Debenhams, and John Lewis are to launch sales on Christmas Day, slashing prices by up to 66%, and experts predict millions will spend record amounts online. The Bishop said that shopping should not tempt people away from precious time with family and friends over Christmas, and companies should voluntarily postpone their sales. But he added, ‘How you shut down the internet for a day I don’t know, but if anyone has an idea I would certainly back it in the House of Lords.’ In further erosion of Christianity, a survey has found, nearly a third of primary schools have dropped or watered down traditional nativity plays, because of fears of offending non-Christians or non-believers. See the next article.

Thousands of missionaries worldwide depend on our prayers for strength. Afghanistan is just one of the nations where people groups have not yet heard about Jesus Christ. Cultural traditions that have survived centuries of invasion are guarded and observed, like that of offering extraordinary hospitality. A strong national identity and their characteristic hard work ethic will doubtless serve community members well as Afghanistan rebuilds. In addition to Islamic beliefs, spiritism (using charms and amulets) is also widespread. Pray for the Christians in the extra American military soon to be deployed to Afghanistan by President Trump. May God inspire them with a spirit of evangelism as they meet the locals who have known frequent war and internal tribal strife. Ask God to restore political peace and stability among tribes, and call for more Christian workers who are trained in the various language dialects to enter Afghan’s mission fields. Pray for Christian relief workers in Pakistan as they witness among displaced Afghans. See also https://joshuaproject.net/people_groups/14372/AF