David Dobrik quits app after associate accused of rape 

  • YouTube star David Dobrik has stepped down from an app called Dispo, which he co-founded, following a rape allegation about his former associate. 
  • One woman who appeared in a video on Mr Dobrik’s channel says she was raped by another person involved during filming. 
  • A recent investigation published by Kat Tenbarge at the business news website Insider, detailed the woman’s account of rape in 2018 by a – now former – Vlog Squad member. 
  • Mr Dobrik, who has almost 19 million subscribers on the platform, denies any wrongdoing. 
  • But the claim has led brands and investors to “sever ties” with the influencer. 
  • Mr Dobrik rose to fame through prank videos, sometimes in collaboration with a number of other YouTubers called the Vlog Squad. 
  • To learn more about Dispo, select here for our recent article
  • To read the full story, select here

      Covid vaccines and vaccine passports being sold on the dark web 

      • Covid-19 vaccines, vaccine passports and faked negative test papers are being sold on the darknet.
      • Prices range between $500 (£360) and $750 for doses of AstraZeneca, Sputnik, Sinopharm or Johnson & Johnson jabs. 
      • Fake vaccination certificates are also being sold by anonymous traders for as little as $150. 
      • Researchers say they have seen a “sharp increase” in vaccine-related darknet adverts, while the BBC has been unable to verify if the vaccines are real. 
      • The dark web is a portion of the internet that is only accessible through specific browser tools.
      • For the full story, select here

        61% rise in calls to domestic abuse helpline in last year  

        • The conditions of lockdown in England and increased awareness about domestic abuse led to a 61% surge in calls and contacts logged by the official domestic abuse helpline in the past year, the charity behind the service has revealed. 
        • Refuge, which runs the 24-hour national domestic abuse helpline as well as online alternatives such as live chat, said the increase peaked in the summer, when compared to the average calls and contacts logged above the January to March 2020 period. 
        • Reflecting on a year since the start of the country’s first national lockdown, Refuge revealed 72% of those the helpline team supported were women experiencing violence and abuse, and the most common age bracket was 30-39.
        • For the full story, select here.

          Delivery drivers in Plymouth being offered free training to spot signs of child abuse

          • Delivery drivers and those working in trades are being asked to identify and report victims of child abuse or neglect, under a scheme run in partnership with the NSPCC. 
          • The Plymouth Safeguarding Children Partnership is asking delivery drivers, those working in trades and community volunteers to undergo free training that could help them spot warning signs for abuse. 
          • The scheme is part of a project in conjunction with the NSPCC, who are running the training as part of their ‘It’s Your Call’ course. 
          • Jemima Laing, the Plymouth City Councillor behind the project, said that identifying and reporting signs of abuse is ‘everyone’s business’. 
          • For the full story, select here