Voting in all elections should be extended to include 16 and 17-year-olds, following the independence referendum, a study has suggested.

The work by think tank dpart found lowering the voting age could increase youngster's engagement with politics.
It also found schools had more influence than parents in giving confidence in understanding politics.
Those aged 16 and 17 were able to vote in the referendum on 18 September, the first UK ballot to include them.
Researchers at dpart gathered evidence from two surveys of under 18s - one conducted in April and May 2013, and then a second conducted one year later.
More than 1,000 young people responded to each survey.
They found under 18s were at least as interested in politics as adults.
Only 7% had never talked about the referendum with anyone.
Young people were less likely than adults to align themselves with political parties, but the proportion who said they did not feel an affinity to one dropped in the year before the vote, from 57% to 51%.
Parents had a strong influence in encouraging young people to vote, but had less impact on how they voted, researchers found.
Over 40% of under 18s said they intended to vote differently than their parents.
Schools played a more significant role than parents in enhancing young people's political understanding, but only when pupils actively discussed the referendum in class, researchers found.
The study said: "Lowering the voting age to 16 in combination with a detailed rethinking of the role schools play in political education may therefore be a positive development worth exploring beyond this referendum.
"Crucially, we need to be confident to make the classroom a place where politics can be discussed, rather than assuming that young people will be inappropriately ideologised in an easy way."
Dr Jan Eichhorn, from Edinburgh University's school of social and political science and the author of the study, said: "Fears of under 18s being inappropriately ideologised stem from an underestimation of young people's capabilities.
"We found these fears to be unfounded. Their engagement with politics is complex and they appreciate school as a space to do this.
"To have a lasting, positive impact, we need to trust schools and teachers to discuss politics actively in the classroom.
"There are positive effects on young people's political understanding and confidence that parental influence cannot achieve but school can."


The UK Independence Party has suspended a parliamentary candidate over a slur sent to a Jewish Labour candidate from his Twitter account.

Jack Sen, who is standing in West Lancashire, sent the tweet to Liverpool Wavertree candidate Luciana Berger.
The post reads: "Protect child benefits? If you had it your way you'd send the Â£ to Poland/ Israel."
UKIP said the comments "in no way reflects the view of the party" or any of their other "dedicated candidates".
A spokesman said Mr Sen had been suspended with immediate effect "in light of these and other comments".
Earlier, Ms Berger had told the Jewish News: "This is clearly an anti-Semitic comment. Remarks like these have no place in our politics. I expect UKIP to take action."
Mr Sen's name will still appear on ballot papers for the constituency.


Work is getting under way to build a temporary bypass around a flood-hit Lake District road.

Following last month's storms, a section of the A591 was closed between Dunmail Raise, north of Grasmere, and Thirlmere.
Some bus services will be able to use the bypass as well as cyclists and pedestrians but it will not be open to cars, Cumbria County Council said.
It is expected to take three weeks to complete.
The scheme involves a temporary road being constructed up the east side of Dunmail Raise.
It will be used initially to transport schoolchildren who are currently being escorted along a temporary footpath near the closed section of road.
Keith Little, the Labour county councillor responsible for highways and transport, said an hourly bus service for members of the general public could also be trialled.
The A591 is the only major route through the central Lake District. It is hoped it will be fully reopened by the end of May following a restoration project overseen by Highways England.


An unlicensed female sanitary drug which has a hallucinogenic effect if misused has been seized in raids on Polish shops in Southampton.

Tantum Rosa is an anti-inflammatory medicine manufactured in Poland.
The raids by health officials, thought to be the UK's first for the product, followed police reports of teenagers allegedly high on the drug vandalising a local cemetery.
Southampton Trading Standards said the medicine was safe if used correctly.
But it was not licensed for sale in the UK.
Danio Polish Shop, in St Mary's Road, Southampton, had been found selling Tantum Rosa by the police, Trading Standards and the government's Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA).
Other shops visited were told to remove other medical products.
Hampshire Constabulary called the operation "a success".
Southampton resident Ella Porawska, from Poland, said she was "shocked" Tantum Rosa, a soluble powder, was being misused by teenagers.
She said: "I was really surprised that somebody can sell them these products."
Danny Lee-Frost, from the MHRA, said he was "concerned" the medicine was being used as a recreational drug.
He said: "Because it is labelled in Polish, people who get hold of it won't be aware of what the ingredients are if they do attempt to misuse it."
He added: "We'd like to see this product removed from all shelves in the UK and this is the first step in our efforts in doing that."
Police said shopkeepers found selling the product could face prosecution.


The defence team for a man accused of murdering Paul McCauley in Londonderry has applied to have the charge against him dropped.

The civil servant died in June nine years after he was beaten in a sectarian attack in Derry.
A solicitor for 25-year-old Piper John McClements, from the Fountain estate, told Londonderry Magistrates Court that he had served papers appealing for the murder charge to be dropped.
The case was adjourned until October.


About 11,000 patients will have to register with a new GP practice after it was announced four Lincolnshire surgeries are to close in under six weeks.

The Arboretum and Burton Road surgeries in Lincoln, Metheringham Surgery, and Pottergate Surgery in Gainsborough are to close.
Universal Health Ltd said it could no longer run them after getting into financial difficulties.
The practices will close on 7 January.
West Lincolnshire Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) said it had received a number of applications from other providers but none met the minimum criteria.
Sarah-Jane Mills,  for the CCG, said: "In these regrettable circumstances, we have no alternative but to close the practices."
There would be 13 other practices nearby for patients to join, said the CCG.


Britain should turn swathes of its upland pastures into woodland to help prevent flooding, according to a former environment minister, Lord Rooker.

He said new forests would slow flooding by trapping water with their roots.
The idea of "rewilding" the uplands is catching on fast as parts of Britain face repeated flooding, with more rainfall on the way.
Environment Secretary Owen Paterson said he would seriously consider innovative solutions like rewilding.
The government has been criticised for being slow to capitalise on the benefits of capturing rain where it falls.
Lord Rooker, a Labour peer, said too much emphasis had been attached to the look of the countryside rather than practical considerations like trapping water.
"We pay the farmers to grub up the trees and hedges; we pay them to plant the hills with pretty grass and sheep to maintain the chocolate box image, and then wonder why we've got floods," he said.
The idea of reintroducing forests into catchments has been strongly supported by several leading scientists.
The government is sponsoring a handful of catchment trials to assess the potential of the upstream areas to catch water and send it slowly downhill.
A research paper for the Environment Agency shows that some of the schemes, like partly damming streams with felled trees to cause local flooding, are highly unpredictable when employed on their own.
If they divert rainfall on to surrounding fields that can actually make flooding downstream worse if the water then flows off the fields, bypassing bends in the river.
But the study, which is not yet peer-reviewed, suggests that reintroducing flood forests to upland areas can be highly effective - and potentially much cheaper than conventional flood defences.
The author, Simon Dixon, said: "Complex forested floodplains dramatically slow water moving over them as they have an irregular surface covered by tree roots, upright tree trunks and dead wood."
He explains the process this way: "As a simple analogy during a flood many 'packets' of water are delivered to the main trunk river from all its tributaries.
"If the delivery of a single large 'packet' of water can be significantly delayed it will then arrive at the main river after the peak of the flood, and thus the main flood peak height has less 'packets' of water in it and is lower."
The best results come, he says, when rivers are partly dammed and a forest is allowed to grow on the floodplain. "This shows substantial and predictable responses in downstream flood height," he said.
This is exactly what would have happened if farmers had not been encouraged by government to maximise food production by felling forests to graze sheep on the uplands.
Lord Rooker got the idea of reintroducing forests from an article by the green journalist George Monbiot, who complained that farmers are subsidised to keep sheep even though the grazing animals actually make flooding worse by compacting the earth.
"Instead of a steady flow sustained around the year by trees in the hills, by sensitive farming methods, by rivers which are allowed to find their own course and their own level, to filter and hold back their waters through bends and braiding and obstructions, we get a cycle of flood and drought. We get filthy water and empty aquifers and huge insurance premiums and ruined carpets. And all of it at public expense," Mr Monbiot wrote earlier this month.
The idea of catching water upstream is strongly supported by the water and environment professional body, the Chartered Institution of Water and Environmental Management (CIWEM).
Its spokesman Katherine Pygott has previously told BBC News: "Flooding is getting worse with changing weather patterns, but these schemes are taking a very long time and a lot of energy.
"Projects working with nature to reduce flood risk are needed right across the country - but it is complicated, with many different organisations involved, and it will need political leadership from the highest level to make it happen. So far we haven't seen that leadership."
Environment Secretary Owen Paterson told me he would give serious consideration to innovative solutions to flooding, like rewilding.
The government could theoretically encourage farmers to rewild key parts of their catchments using grants under the Common Agricultural Policy, but CIWEM say that at the moment it is much easier for farmers to get grants for wildlife protection than flood protection.
Mr Paterson had hoped to divert more cash into a fund that could be used for these sort of measures but was overruled by the prime minister after a campaign by farmers demanding to keep the maximum amount of their grants into direct payments for farming - in effect, for owning land.
Follow Roger on Twitter @rharrabin


The safety of the Trident nuclear weapons system is to be debated in the House of Commons next week.

Former SNP leader, Alex Salmond, said his party had secured time on Thursday to question the government over issues raised by a Royal naval submariner.
William McNeilly went on the run after alleging the missile programme was a "disaster waiting to happen". He later handed himself in to police.
Mr Salmond said the Ministry of Defence must provide detailed answers.
An official investigation was launched after Able Seaman Mr McNeilly, 25, from Belfast, raised his safety concerns in an internet post.
His 18-page report, called The Secret Nuclear Threat, claimed to detail "serious security and safety breaches".
The Navy said the fleet, which is based at Faslane on the Clyde, operated "under the most stringent safety regime".
The MoD said Mr McNeilly was "apprehended" by Royal Navy Police at Edinburgh Airport on Monday night and was being held at a military establishment in Scotland.
The SNP's adjournment debate - called "Safety at HM Naval Base Clyde" - will take place next Thursday.
Mr Salmond, the party's foreign affairs spokesman at Westminster, said: "The SNP will continue to keep the pressure on the government until we are satisfied that not only have they have investigated Mr. McNeilly's claims thoroughly and have acted on the findings but that those findings are put into the public domain.
"Trident is a key issue for people in Scotland.
"It is bad enough that Scotland is forced to house these weapons of mass destruction but these alleged breaches of security are deeply worrying - there must be absolutely no complacency."
Earlier this week a Navy spokesman said: "The naval service operates its submarine fleet under the most stringent safety regime and submarines do not go to sea unless they are completely safe to do so."
He said the Navy "completely disagreed" with Mr McNeilly's report, claiming that it "contains a number of subjective and unsubstantiated personal views, made by a very junior sailor".
However, the spokesman added that it was "right" that the contents of the document were considered in detail.


A body has been found in the search for a man who went missing in Bridgend on Sunday.

Russell Sherwood, 69, of Cilfrew, Neath, was heading to Ewenny in Vale of Glamorgan as Storm Angus hit in the morning but never arrived.
Police divers located the body in the River Ogmore at first light on Wednesday.
It has yet to be formally identified but Mr Sherwood's family have been informed, South Wales Police said.
Mr Sherwood had left his home in a silver Ford Focus at about 06:15 GMT on Sunday as flooding caused by the storm hit roads in the area around Stormy Down.
Police said due to the "treacherous weather conditions" and flooding along the route Mr Sherwood was travelling, it was believed his vehicle went into the river.
Registration plates from his car were found on Monday and a vehicle was discovered in the river on Tuesday.
Chief Superintendent Stuart Parfitt said: "The search for Mr Sherwood has now concluded, after a car and a body were sadly recovered this morning.
"There are no suspicious circumstances and the incident is being treated as a very tragic accident."


If you think dodgeball is just about a Hollywood movie, then it is time to think again.

Ben Stiller and Vince Vaughn battling it out on the dodgeball court may have propelled the sport into the mainstream, but this weekend the game hits another level with the inaugural Dodgeball World Cup in Manchester.
The top eight men's and women's teams from 10 countries and five continents will battle it out to be crowned the best in the world.
Crowds of 1,000 are expected each day at the National Basketball Arena in Belle Vue Sports Village to watch the nations collide.
Six-time European champions England and the USA are the favourites in the men's tournament, while the women's draw is wide open. Wales shocked England at last year's European championships and America and Australia are expected to challenge.
"Most of the world would like to see a England v USA final in the men's draw, " said World Dodgeball Association (WBA) president Tom Hickson.
The film DodgeBall: A True Underdog Story was released in 2004, but the sport has been played in Japan for the past 60 years.
Hickson says the film helped gain "traction" for the sport, and the UK Dodgeball Association was established in 2005 and there are 750,000 active players in this country.
It is even bigger in the US, with 9.7 million players and a club world championship, while 2.1 million play the sport in Australia.
The WBA, which is also based in Manchester, works with 57 nations on grassroots and high performance programmes.
It hopes the World Cup will be a watershed moment for the sport and its long-term aim of getting dodgeball into the Olympics and Paralympics.
"With it being the first ever World Cup it is a huge milestone, a historic weekend," said Hickson.
"We hope that in 15 and 20 years in the future we can look back at that first World Cup and say that Olympic sport started in Manchester.
"We want to increase participation in dodgeball in the UK and across the world as a result of young people watching at the National Basketball Arena and the live stream on our website and think 'one day I want to play for my country'."


A fraudster who tried to sell his victims' £500,000 home after transferring the property deeds into his name has been jailed.

Saeed Ghani, 30, also stole a couple's details in a bid to defraud them of their £90,000 pension.
Co-defendant Atif Mahmood, 42, stole identity documents from a post box in the Stockport area in June 2012.
The pair used the details to try and sell a couple's home, Preston Crown Court heard.
Ghani, of Prestwich, Greater Manchester, was jailed for seven years and six months. Mahmood was sentenced to 26 months.
Their plot to sell a couple's £500,000 property was only foiled when the victims' daughter noticed the family home was for sale on an internet site.
Ghani also stole the identities of two homeowners in Bolton by using fraudulent passports in a bid to transfer the Land Registry deeds of their £300,000 home.
The court heard he and another man, Toma Ramanauskaite, intercepted another couple's post in Boothstown, Salford, in August 2014.
Driving licences were taken out in their names and used as identification to open new bank accounts.
The pair then successfully transferred nearly £90,000 after contacting the victims' pension company.
Ghani admitted three counts of conspiracy to defraud, while Mahmood, of Gorton, Manchester pleaded guilty to one count of the same offence.
Ramanauskaite, 30 from Bury, will be sentenced next month after pleading guilty to the same charge.


Neymar scored twice on his home debut as Paris St-Germain netted four of their six goals with only 10 men to thrash Toulouse and go top of Ligue 1.

Max Gradel volleyed home before £200m world record signing Neymar equalised.
Adrien Rabiot fired in and Edinson Cavani made it 3-1 from the spot moments after Marco Verratti saw red.
Christopher Jullien's header made it 3-2, but stunning strikes from Javier Pastore and Layvin Kurzawa settled matters before Neymar's late effort.
The result moved PSG to the top of the table on goal difference, with Monaco and Saint-Etienne also maintaining their 100% winning records this weekend.
It was a fantastic display by last season's runners-up, who will be expected to regain the French title and challenge strongly in Europe having paid Barcelona the huge fee for Brazil forward Neymar.
They were stunned early on when midfielder Gradel - on loan from Bournemouth - produced a sublime volley from a corner to put the visitors ahead.
Neymar, who twice threatened earlier, equalised in the 31st minute with a simple finish after Rabiot's low strike was parried into his path.
The 22-year-old France midfielder's wonderful, low, angled strike put PSG into the lead, but their hopes of a third successive win were hit when Verratti was shown a second yellow for a late tackle on Toulouse captain Jullien.
However, PSG did not take their foot off the pedal and scored their third when Uruguay striker Cavani converted a penalty given for Andy Delort's foul on Neymar.
Jullien's header reduced the deficit, but only for four minutes before substitute Pastore's superb strike and full-back Kurzawa's spectacular scissor-kick from Neymar's corner all but sealed victory.
And in stoppage time, Neymar grabbed their last when he showboated past the Toulouse defence and fired in low past the unfortunate Alban Lafont.
Match ends, Paris Saint Germain 6, Toulouse 2.
Second Half ends, Paris Saint Germain 6, Toulouse 2.
Goal!  Paris Saint Germain 6, Toulouse 2. Neymar (Paris Saint Germain) left footed shot from the centre of the box to the bottom right corner.
Attempt saved. Dani Alves (Paris Saint Germain) right footed shot from more than 40 yards on the right wing is saved in the top right corner. Assisted by Giovani Lo Celso.
Corentin Jean (Toulouse) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul.
Neymar (Paris Saint Germain) wins a free kick on the left wing.
Foul by Corentin Jean (Toulouse).
Corner,  Paris Saint Germain. Conceded by Christopher Jullien.
Dani Alves (Paris Saint Germain) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Foul by Zinedine Machach (Toulouse).
Attempt missed. Kelvin Amian (Toulouse) left footed shot from the centre of the box is too high.
Offside, Toulouse. Issa Diop tries a through ball, but Andy Delort is caught offside.
Substitution, Paris Saint Germain. Giovani Lo Celso replaces Edinson Cavani.
Substitution, Paris Saint Germain. Julian Draxler replaces Ángel Di María.
Goal!  Paris Saint Germain 5, Toulouse 2. Layvin Kurzawa (Paris Saint Germain) left footed shot from the centre of the box to the high centre of the goal. Assisted by Neymar with a cross following a corner.
Corner,  Paris Saint Germain. Conceded by Clement Michelin.
Goal!  Paris Saint Germain 4, Toulouse 2. Javier Pastore (Paris Saint Germain) right footed shot from outside the box to the top right corner. Assisted by Ángel Di María.
Clement Michelin (Toulouse) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul.
Neymar (Paris Saint Germain) wins a free kick on the left wing.
Foul by Clement Michelin (Toulouse).
Neymar (Paris Saint Germain) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Foul by Kelvin Amian (Toulouse).
Own Goal by Thiago Silva, Paris Saint Germain.  Paris Saint Germain 3, Toulouse 2.
Attempt missed. Christopher Jullien (Toulouse) header from the centre of the box is close, but misses to the right. Assisted by Corentin Jean with a cross following a corner.
Corner,  Toulouse. Conceded by Thiago Silva.
Attempt blocked. Andy Delort (Toulouse) right footed shot from outside the box is blocked. Assisted by Kelvin Amian.
Dani Alves (Paris Saint Germain) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Foul by Corentin Jean (Toulouse).
Goal!  Paris Saint Germain 3, Toulouse 1. Edinson Cavani (Paris Saint Germain) converts the penalty with a right footed shot to the bottom left corner.
.
Penalty Paris Saint Germain. Neymar draws a foul in the penalty area.
Penalty conceded by Andy Delort (Toulouse) after a foul in the penalty area.
Corner,  Paris Saint Germain. Conceded by Issa Diop.
Attempt saved. Edinson Cavani (Paris Saint Germain) right footed shot from the right side of the box is saved in the centre of the goal. Assisted by Ángel Di María with a through ball.
Offside, Paris Saint Germain. Javier Pastore tries a through ball, but Edinson Cavani is caught offside.
Attempt blocked. Neymar (Paris Saint Germain) right footed shot from the centre of the box is blocked. Assisted by Dani Alves with a cross.
.
Second yellow card to Marco Verratti (Paris Saint Germain) for a bad foul.
Foul by Marco Verratti (Paris Saint Germain).
Christopher Jullien (Toulouse) wins a free kick in the defensive half.


Malaysia's Lee Chong Wei suffered a third successive Olympic men's singles final defeat as he lost the gold-medal match at Rio 2016 to China's Chen Long.

Media playback is not supported on this device
World number two Long, who claimed bronze at London 2012, won 21-18 21-18 as top seed Lee missed out on earning his country a first ever Olympic gold.
Long beat Lee to become world champion last year and again proved too good for his rival.
Denmark's Viktor Axelsen beat China's Lin Dan 15-21 21-10 21-17 for bronze.
Lin had beaten Lee to gold at Beijing 2008 and London 2012 but left Rio without a medal.
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Richard Cockerill has been appointed Edinburgh head coach for next season, with the Pro12 club hailing the appointment as a statement of intent.

Cockerill, sacked as Leicester Tigers last month, is working as a consultant with Toulon in the French Top 14.
The former England hooker has signed a two-year deal with Scottish Rugby.
Edinburgh Rugby managing director Jonny Petrie said: "We want to emulate and surpass where Glasgow have been over the last few years."
Cockerill became head coach at Leicester in 2009 and then director of rugby in 2010.
He won English Premiership titles in 2009, 2010 and 2013 and reached the Heineken Cup final in 2009.
"Through a long and distinguished career, with Leicester particularly, he's a proven winner - winning Premiership titles and that's absolutely what we need at this club," Petrie told BBC Scotland.
"We all recognise where Edinburgh can and should be at and we want to get there as quickly as we possibly can.
"From a Scottish rugby perspective as well as well as Edinburgh Rugby, this is a big statement of our intent and our ambition.
"He sees the potential as well. That is part of what he's talked about."
Duncan Hodge has been acting head coach since the departure of Alan Solomons in September, but his side sit ninth of the 12-team league.
And Hodge will return to his previous position as backs coach when Cockerill takes up his post.
"Duncan's put a lot of effort into the acting head coach role over the course of the past few months," said Petrie.
"There's been some really good stuff in there and I think equally there's been some inconsistencies, which Duncan will be the first to recognise.
"But we're looking forward to being able to bring Richard in to work alongside Duncan to be able to keep going with that enterprising style of rugby that we've developed but lay on top of that the real hard edge that someone like Richard Cockerill will bring to it that will be bring the best out of that group of players."
Cockerill is looking forward to the challenge.
"It's a real rugby city and the club has a lot of potential to grow," he told Edinburgh's website. "The opportunity at Edinburgh Rugby ticked all the boxes.
"I'm also relishing the chance of coaching in the Guinness Pro12, which is a new league for me, and working with a clearly talented group of players."
Scotland defence coach Matt Taylor, who is also a member of Glasgow Warriors' back-room staff, welcomed the appointment.
"Hodgey has done a great job, but Richard has been brought in because he is a really experienced coach who has won at the highest level," he said.
"His record in terms of doing well in Europe is exceptional. It's a strength.
"Hopefully, Edinburgh doing well will strengthen the Scotland team."
Scottish Rugby chief executive Mark Dodson added: "As a highly experienced, winning coach, we targeted him and worked hard to ensure his talents could be secured for the benefit of Edinburgh Rugby.
"The fact he has chosen Edinburgh Rugby as the next step in his career says everything about the shared vision we have for the club and his role in it."


North Wales music festival Wakestock will not take place in 2015, organisers have said.

The annual event, which takes place on the Llyn Peninsula in Gwynedd, has been running for 14 years.
But event director Stuart Galbraith said now was a "good time to take a year off and work on the festival's development for future years".
He added: "We have already started work on 2016 and look forward to coming back after our rest."
The event combines the sport of wakeboarding with the music festival, and has continued to grow in size since the first small event near Abersoch in 2000.


A new report suggests thousands of Instagram users are falling for a scam that targets followers of financial institutions on the image-sharing platform.

So I began following Bank of America’s official account to see what would happen. Sure enough, the first message arrived in moments.
“Hey are you interested ib [sic] making some extra cash."
To you and I, this message - which, let’s be honest, lacks any real salesmanship - seems highly dubious.
But be it because of gullibility, recklessness, or, most likely, desperation, others have been lured in.
ZeroFox, a security company specialising in social media, says it has found more than two million public Instagram posts that push this kind of scam, known as money-flipping.
The term refers to a con in which criminals convince their victims to hand over access to funds with the promise that they will multiply their value via a trick they know, in return for a share of the profits. They then abscond with the sum, leaving their target out of pocket.
The firm estimates that for every such account Instagram closes, three more appear in its place.
Messages like the one I received begin a to-and-fro chain of messages, which can cost the banks dear - they often end up compensating affected customers and swallowing the cost of the fraud.
Such is the level of concern, ZeroFox told the BBC that one of its clients, a major US bank, had put in place a six-person team to deal with money-flipping on Instagram after reportedly losing more than $1m to the crime.
In one variation, designed to reassure the victim, the scammers say it doesn’t matter if the account is empty or even in negative credit. In these cases, the criminal uses the bank details to cash a fraudulent cheque and then deposits the cash before the bank spots the ruse.
Great lengths are gone to in order to look and sound genuine. As well as profiles full of images of flashy watches and piles of cash, scammers concoct elaborate back stories. After I followed the Chase Bank's account, one told me: “I’m a claim manager for Chase Bank but I have access to other banks.
“What I do is find people who has an active bank account and the account can be negative 0 and what happen is after that I’ll look into the computer and fine some extra cash that someone hasn’t claimed and I’ll transfer it into your account.”
For his trouble, all he asked was that of the $15,000 (£11,350) I’d make, he’d like to take $3,000. In another message, I was assured it was “110% legit”.
ZeroFox recommends institutions use machine learning technology to weed out the problem. That’s not a surprising conclusion given that it is in the business of selling precisely that technology, and is using the report to advertise its services.
But even with that caveat in mind, the findings make interesting reading, not least because of the claim that the Facebook-owned service has a particular problem.
"It’s really easy to private message someone on Instagram," explains John Seymour, a data scientist at ZeroFox.
"Someone can initiate a direct message without having followed the original person."
Of the two million posts it analysed, 80% were more than 45 days old, suggesting few were being reported or detected.
Hashtags connected to 37 different financial institutions were being targeted by 1,386 unique accounts created by criminals.
Instagram, which did not see the report ahead of its publication, says scams are “pretty low volume” on the network. But it added that it would look at the report’s claims and recommendations.
"Generally speaking, it's easy for security firms do a one-off analysis and build a model to catch a specific kind of abuse,” Facebook's security spokeswoman Melanie Ensign explains.
"The challenge is doing it in a robust way so that it still works after bad actors change their approach a few times - and it's almost impossible for external parties to prove their approach is this robust."
The scammers typically operate many accounts.
Some are used to approach potential victims, others to boost the illusion that their scam works.
"We saw these accounts engaging with each other and promoting and saying 'This is legit!' - and then trying to build up the credibility of specific scam posts,” explains Evan Blair, ZeroFox’s co-founder.
The firm says many of the accounts involved make references to the US military - an intentional, predatory tactic.
"Scammers are taking advantage of that predisposition to be willing to entertain offers that seem too good to be true,” Mr Blair said, referring to the types of offers and services companies give exclusively to military families.
"They say, ‘Yeah, this makes sense,’ because they’re used to that."
One account I saw shows a woman posing in a military uniform.
In a direct message, “she" told me she was a “US army official", adding: "I help people who need it.”
After telling her I was reporter writing about scams, she replied: “I believe you sweety."
It’s unlikely that I was having a conversation with an attractive model/soldier named Gina. But I was clearly talking to someone - the interactions were too human, too varied, to be some kind of automated bot or script.
As ever with cybercrime, it’s extremely difficult to pin down the source. But there are some clues.
ZeroFox attempted to turn the tables on scammers by getting them to click on links that would log their internet addresses.
“We were able to flip the switch and social engineer them right back,” says Philip Tully, a ZeroFox researcher.
"We saw different IP addresses coming out of Chicago, some out of Detroit and some out of California."
However, IP addresses can be masked in order to evade detection - meaning the real locations of the scammers is difficult to prove.
ZeroFox says it has not passed its research to Instagram or law enforcement agencies. But it is providing it to its financial institution clients to follow up if they choose.
Follow Dave Lee on Twitter @DaveLeeBBC and on Facebook


Thieves are "resorting to fishing through cat flaps" to steal car keys and digital fobs, police have said.

5 March 2017 Last updated at 12:36 GMT
They said domestic burglaries - including car key thefts - had risen by 36% across Avon and Somerset in 12 months, with high-value cars on driveways being the main target.
Det Chief Insp Dom Graham said "With the increase in security devices, it's impossible to steal a car unless you've got the keys or the digital key fob."
In 2016, 5,685 domestic burglaries were reported, compared to 4,174 in 2014.


The body of Alan Drennan, the County Antrim man who died in Ibiza last week, is due to be flown to Dublin later on Tuesday.

The Republic of Ireland's state pathologist is to carry out a second autopsy on the 21-year-old's body
An earlier Spanish post mortem examination concluded he had died from multiple organ failure.
His friends claimed he had been beaten by Spanish police after he was escorted from the plane on arriving in Ibiza.
His family said they want answers about his death.
Seven of his friends have made statements to the Police Service of Northern Ireland.


Stoke City manager Mark Hughes says that he accepts Chelsea striker Diego Costa's on-field antics but also admits 'you don't have to enjoy it'.

Costa was one of two Chelsea players booked in Saturday's game of eight yellow cards and a red as the Premier League leaders won 2-1 at Stoke.
For the second season running in this fixture, Costa was a key figure, regularly clashing with Stoke players.
"It's an unnecessary part of the game these days," Hughes told BBC Stoke.
"You have to accept it, but you don't have to enjoy it. There were a lot of niggling fouls, people over-emphasising challenges.
"The boy Costa is an outstanding player. And I can appreciate the skills that he has," added the former Manchester United, Barcelona and Chelsea striker.
"I played many years in the same position myself. I understand what he's trying to do but, at times, he doesn't do himself any favours.
"At times, he could be better. He draws fouls and tries to make most of contact - when they are not fouls."
Hughes had five of his own players booked on Saturday - defenders Erik Pieters, Bruno Martins Indi, Phil Bardsley and Geoff Cameron, as well as midfielder Joe Allen. The Potters then had Bardsley sent off by referee Anthony Taylor in injury time for a second yellow card.
Following Marko Arnautovic's dismissal against Southampton in December, it is the second time a Stoke player has been sent off on home soil by off this season by Mr Taylor, who also had Hughes sent to the stand in the 4-0 home defeat by Tottenham in September.
But Hughes' biggest grouse was the apparent imbalance at the punishments, Chelsea's only cautions having been to Costa early on and substitute Cesc Fabregas.
"They had a few flying into crowds, who could have picked up second yellow cards," he added. "Maybe they've been a bit fortunate in that regard.
"They showed by their reaction just how delighted they were to get something from this game. They'd have been more than happy to take the draw.
"Our performance deserved something. I don't think they deserved to win. We've run the team that will be champions very close, as close as anyone has in recent months.
"A draw would have been fairer, but champion teams keep on going and making things happen. That's what they've done all season."


Inappropriate cavity wall insulation in homes has become "a scandal", a Welsh MP has said.

Arfon MP Hywel Williams claimed millions of homes had the insulation installed by successive government-backed schemes which has led to damp, mould and condensation.
He called on the UK government to take responsibility for the "dreadful mess".
The UK government said it was committed to ensuring consumers are protected.
The Welsh Government said it has been working with partners, including the UK government, to address the issues and improve the system.
The insulation is meant to make homes warmer and more energy efficient but if installed incorrectly, or in unsuitable properties, it can lead to damp.
Driving rain is also a problem, especially in Wales.
Mother-of-three Anna Phillips from Barry, Vale of Glamorgan, started having problems in her three bedroom home seven years ago after buying the property in 2004.
Cavity wall insulation had been installed by the previous owners.
Ms Phillips said damp started coming through in 2010 and the insulation was removed early last year after she contacted the industry-funded guarantee organisation Cavity Insulation Guarantee Agency (CIGA).
"It was soaking wet, absolutely drenched. It took them two days to take it all out due to how poor it was," she said.
The mental health support worker said heating bills were higher as the mould and damp had affected the whole house and she believed it had impacted on her family's health.
Speaking about her three children - aged 11, nine and four - she added: "They're poorly all the time, two suffer with eczema, their chests, they're continuously coughing, it's freezing.
"You can have the heating on all day in this house and you don't feel it, you really don't".
Last year, a report by the construction research organisation BRE concluded there should be a nationwide survey of the problem in Wales.
According to the investigation, about 900,000 homes have been built with cavity walls.
Mr Williams will be debating the issue in Westminster on Wednesday and said he was currently dealing with 60 cases in his constituency.
He has called on the UK government to find out exactly how many people have been affected, rectify failed installations and provide proper compensation.
"The scheme was pushed as a free scheme with the backing of the government which would save people Â£250 per year or so in their heating costs and clearly older, people with disabilities and poor people actually took advantage of it because of the obvious hard sell," he said.
A spokesman from the UK government's Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy said: "The government is committed to ensuring that consumers are protected when choosing cavity wall insulation.
"That's why installations carried out under the Energy Company Obligation (ECO) are subject to a number of strict quality standards and Ofgem requires cavity wall insulation to come with a minimum 25 year guarantee."
A Welsh Government spokesman said it was "in discussion with the main scheme operator, CIGA, about our concerns around the adequacy and reliability of pre-installation property assessments, the need for accessible information to householders about installations and future maintenance and customer focussed claim and complaint resolution procedures".
"We are currently reviewing the conditions of authorisation for scheme operators dealing with cavity wall insulation in relation to these areas of concern," the spokesman added.


Ireland crushed Scotland by 70 points to emulate the men's team and secure the Women's Six Nations title on points difference from France.

Needing to win by at least 27 points, the Irish were 34 up by half-time.
They exploited their dominant pack to secure the victory, which delivered the Triple crown as well as the title.
Ireland, World Cup semi-finalists last year, scored 11 tries at Broadwood Stadium, with winger Alison Miller notching a hat-trick of touchdowns.
It is a second Six Nations success in three seasons for Ireland, who landed the Grand Slam when they first won the title in 2013.
Ireland finished with a points difference of 113 with France on 69, each side having won four of their five fixtures.
Any nerves Tom Tiernan's team may have had were quickly eased as Niamh Briggs, skipper on the occasion of her 50th cap, scored the opening try in the fourth minute after an exchange of passes with winger Hannah Tyrrell.
Scotland winger Nuala Deans and full-back Briggs traded penalties before the Irish forwards really took charge of proceedings.
In the 17th minute the visitors claimed line-out ball and mauled over for Claire Molloy to score.
Ireland's well controlled scrum told again as number eight Heather O'Brien got a touchdown at the rear.
When the Irish were then given a kickable penalty, they understandably opted to put it in the corner instead and Gillian Bourke finished off another solid line-out and maul sequence.
Winger Miller then broke through for a fine individual score to give Ireland a 37-3 interval advantage.
Miller pounced again early in the second half and the strong pack delivered the seventh try through Paula Fitzpatrick.
Second row Sophie Spence stretched the lead and Scotland must have been simply wishing the agony to end as replacement scrum-half Tania Rosser got the ninth try and Miller completed her hat-trick before centre Jenny Murphy rounded things off with the final try.
Scotland: Chloe Rollie, Nuala Deans, Gillian, Inglis, Hannah, Smith, Eilidh Sinclair, Lisa Martin, Sarah Law, Lisa Robertson, Lana Skeldon, Tracy Balmer, Deborah McCormack, Emma Wassell, Rachael Cook, Karen Dunbar, Jade Konkel.
Replacements: Sarah Quick, Lindsey Smith, Heather Lockhart, Fiona Sim, Lyndsay O' Donnell, Mhairi Grieve, Claire Bain, Jenny Maxwell.
Ireland: Niamh Briggs; Hannah Tyrrell, Jenny Murphy, Jackie Shiels, Alison Miller; Nora Stapleton, Larissa Muldoon; Ruth O'Reilly, Gillian Bourke, Ailis Egan; Sophie Spence, Marie Louise Reilly; Paula Fitzpatrick, Claire Molloy, Heather O'Brien.
Replacements: Sarah Mimnagh, Fiona Hayes, Fiona O'Brien, Orla Fitzsimons, Katie Norris, Tania Rosser, Sene Naoupu, Aoife Doyle.


Former British Olympic discuss thrower Lawrence Okoye has signed for the Arizona Cardinals after being released by NFL rivals San Francisco 49ers.

Londonder Okoye, 23, who still holds the British discus record, left the 49ers last week after two seasons trying to establish himself.
After franchises finalised their squads over the weekend, Okoye said: "Really excited to join the @AZCardinals.
"Big thank you to everyone that has supported throughout this journey."
Okoye added: "9ers fans have been awesome with me throughout my time there - will always appreciate you no matter where I'm at."
Jack Crawford made the Dallas Cowboys' 53-man roster, but other Britons did not have such good news over the weekend's roster moves.
Former London Warriors defensive end Efe Obada was released by the Cowboys.
Rookie running back Jay Ajayi has been moved to the Miami Dolphins' injured/reserve list because of a chest injury.
Manchester-born offensive tackle Menelik Watson ruptured his Achilles tendon late last month and has also been placed on the Oakland Raiders' injured/reserve list, likely keeping him out of the entire campaign.
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Glamorgan have signed South Africa fast bowler Marchant de Lange, 26, on a three-year contract.

He has been granted a UK visa because his wife holds a British passport.
"He's got a bit of X-factor, he's a match-winner," said Glamorgan head coach Robert Croft. "He's got pace, and he's got aggression."
De Lange has played in two Tests, four one-day internationals and six T20 internationals, claiming a total of 26 wickets for his country.
However, by joining Glamorgan as a non-overseas player, he has ended his international career with the Proteas for the time being. If he were to return to the national side, he would need to give up his county deal - or re-register as an overseas player.
Glamorgan had initially hoped to sign De Lange as an out and out player under the Kolpak ruling, which allows players from countries with associate trade agreements with the European Union to not be classed as overseas players - but he did not meet the criteria of international matches played.
Playing on a UK visa leaves him free to represent Glamorgan in all competitions and he can still be considered a Kolpak player - but leaves him unable to play as a "local" player in more than one country's domestic competition, so he would be classed as an overseas player if he returned to South African domestic cricket.
De Lange made his domestic debut in South Africa for Easterns in 2010, while his most recent cricket was helping Knights to the semi-final of South Africa's one-day tournament in March.
"He's at the right age and stage of his career to come across here and make an impact for us," Croft told BBC Wales Sport.
"When you're looking at winning matches in four-day cricket, 20 wickets is the challenge and he's a wicket-taker, but his form in one-day cricket has been very good as well."
De Lange could make his debut in the opening Championship match against Northamptonshire at Northampton on Friday, 7 April,
Glamorgan chief executive Hugh Morris told the club's AGM that the county would be unlikely to sign another overseas player for the T20 Blast unless financial projections improve.


Israel has for the first time approved a plan to give asylum to 100 children orphaned in the Syria conflict.

According to Israeli media reports, the children will initially get temporary residency status and allowed to stay indefinitely after four years.
Israel has technically been at war with Syria for decades, but has officially taken a position of neutrality in the current conflict.
It has however brought in thousands of casualties for medical treatment.
Under the plan, the orphans would be housed in dormitories to begin with, then absorbed into the education system, Israel's Channel 10 News reported.
They could also be taken in by foster families or adopted at a later stage, the report said.
Israel is also considering special provisions to eventually allow other immediate family members to join them, according to the report.
In recent years, Israel has treated more than 2,600 casualties from the war, in hospitals in Israel or in a military field hospital on the occupied Golan Heights.
Last month Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the government was looking at ways to step up the medical assistance.


Police are treating a fire which destroyed a shed attached to racing greyhound kennels in the Borders as "suspicious".

The incident happened at about 19:00 on Sunday at a property on Hamilton Road in Hawick.
The shed and its contents were completely destroyed but the dogs escaped unharmed.
Police have urged anyone who can help with their investigation to come forward.
Ch Insp John Scott said: "This was a deliberate attempt to cause significant damage and which could have resulted in serious injury to the animals.
"We are keen to hear from anyone with information that can help us trace those responsible."


An Ivory Coast professor, who was photographed carrying a student's baby in class in a widely shared image, has said being a mother should not stop women getting an education.

Honore Kahi offered to take the baby as he was crying and preventing the mother from sitting in class.
He said his students were surprised, began to laugh and then took pictures.
He told the BBC that they then realised that "this is a good father, this is a real man... [and] a role model".
Some of those sharing the photograph on social media praised him as a hero.
Africa Live: More on this and other news stories
Mr Kahi, who teaches communications at Ivory Coast's Bouake University, said that women should not be discouraged by people's perceptions of what they should be able to do.
Girls are less likely than boys to start primary education in sub-Saharan Africa and are under-represented at higher education, the UN says.
"What prevails here is... male chauvinism," he said and then quoted an ancient philosopher in his interview with BBC Afrique.
"'It is not because things are difficult that we do not dare. It is because we do not dare that they are difficult.' In our environment we let ourselves be discouraged by others."
He said that when he took the baby and tied him on his back he stopped crying and fell asleep.
He knew how to do it by observing how women carry their children.
"In fact, men are able to do certain things, and usually it's the way society sees men that prevents them from doing these things."


Two lion cubs born in a zoo in the Gaza Strip have died just two days after they were born.

The cubs, Fajr and Sajel, were the first to be born in the Bissan zoo in Beit Lahia after their parents were smuggled in four years ago.
The zoo's manager said staff were inexperienced in caring for them and could not get vaccines from Egypt due to the blockade on the territory.
Gaza is largely dependent on external aid and smuggling for supplies.
Food and other supplies are hard to come by and power and fuel shortages are a common occurrence in Gaza.
The cubs were born days after the anniversary of last year's conflict between Israel and Hamas.
Earlier this week, Hamas announced the births and that the cubs bore names symbolising the conflict.
Fajr, meaning "dawn", was the name of the rockets fired by Hamas into Israel while Sajel is the name Hamas gave to their campaign.
The cubs' parents were smuggled into the territory four years ago from Egypt using the underground tunnel system used to bring supplies into Gaza.
After the ousting of Islamist President Mohammed Morsi, Egypt's new military-backed government has moved to clamp down on smuggling into Gaza.


A law which compels public officials to be truthful at inquiries and ensures legal aid for bereaved families has been introduced to parliament.

Former shadow home secretary Andy Burnham outlined the proposed "Hillsborough Law" in the Commons.
It makes lying or hiding the truth at inquests punishable by a prison term.
The Hillsborough victims' families called for new legislation following inquest conclusions that 96 fans were unlawfully killed.
They campaigned for 27 years for the truth despite senior officers' lies and an alleged cover-up.
The Hillsborough Law, or the Public Authority (Accountability) Bill, would make it illegal for those in public service to give misleading information. The bill also contains penalties and fines for those who are wilfully non-compliant.
The Labour MP said it "empowers victims to secure disclosure of crucial information and prevent public authorities from lying to them or hiding the truth".
It also makes it an offence for such a line to be pedalled to the media, he added.
The MP for Leigh said the establishment had failed to learn lessons from the Hillsborough cover-up as he introduced draft legislation through a 10-minute rule motion.
The law would protect other families from going through what the Hillsborough families went through, offering families the same resources as public bodies to make their case at inquests.
He cited some who had "not just been denied legal funding, but have had their characters denigrated by lawyers [working] for public bodies".
He described the "shoddy" treatment of the families of the victims of the 1974 Birmingham pub bombings, who he said had been made to "beg" for legal aid, and told MPs about a family  denied legal aid after their son died in flooding in Surrey.
Mr Burnham said public bodies hired "the best QCs in the land", adding it was essential for there to be a "level legal playing field" for families.
He said: "How much longer are we going to let vast sums of public money be used to torment families in this way?
"And if the state can cover up 96 deaths at a football match, shouldn't we be concerned at what it might do to individuals?"
The bill was approved at the first stage and will be given a second reading on 12 May.


A commercial LNG tanker has sailed across the colder, northern route from Europe to Asia without the protection of an ice-breaker for the first time.

The specially-built ship completed the crossing in just six-and-a-half days setting a new record, according to tanker's Russian owners.
The 300-metre-long Sovcomflot ship, the Christophe de Margerie, was carrying gas from Norway to South Korea.
Rising Arctic temperatures are boosting commercial shipping across this route.
The Christophe de Margerie is the world's first and, at present, only ice-breaking LNG carrier.
The ship, which features a lightweight steel reinforced hull, is the largest commercial ship to receive Arc7 certification, which means it is capable of travelling through ice up to 2.1m thick.
On this trip it was able to keep up an average speed of 14 knots despite sailing through ice that was over one-metre-thick in places.
On its maiden voyage earlier this year, the Christophe de Margerie docked in the Russian port of Sabetta. Russian President Vladimir Putin congratulated the crew and energy company officials gathered on the ship's bridge, saying: "This is a big event in the opening up of the Arctic."
The Russian owners, Sovcomflot, will use this ice-breaking tanker to export gas from the Yamal peninsula to Asian markets later this year.
It will be the first of a planned fleet of 15 that will transport gas from these ice bound fields all year round.
"Previously there was only a window of navigation from our summer to autumn, but this ship will be able to sail westwards from Sabetta which is the Yamal energy port, all year round and eastwards from July to December," said Sovcomflot spokesman Bill Spears.
"Before the northern sea route was only open for four months and you had to have ice-breakers - so it's a significant development."
In 2016, the northern sea route saw 19 full transits from the Atlantic to the Pacific.
High insurance and large fees for Russian ice-breakers are still discouraging some ship owners from the riskier northern route. But the economic benefits are attractive - the Christophe de Margerie took just 19 days for the entire voyage, around 30% faster than going by Suez.
There has been an overall decline in Arctic sea ice over the past 30 years, linked by scientists to rising global temperatures. This year, according to the US National Snow and Ice Data Centre (NSIDC), the annual maximum extent of Arctic sea ice hit a record low for the third year in a row.
This diminution of northern ice is something that the Russian ship owners believe will continue well into the future.
"If there was a material change in the ice thickness it would change the period of the year that the ship could move through the Northern Sea Route," said Bill Spears from Sovcomflot.
"There is an assumption that the ice is not going to thicken dramatically for the economic life of these vessels, which could be over 30 years."
Environmental campaigners, though, are worried that increased traffic in this inhospitable region could have potentially significant effects.
"We're concerned that this is a commercial opportunity that has only opened up because of global warming, and we're especially concerned that having taken advantage of the thinning of the ice, shipping operations are now expanding in that part of the world," said John Maggs from Seas at Risk.
"It is not like sailing in open water, even if you have an ice classed ship, the risks are dramatically increased."
As well as the risk of accident or spillage, there are worries that some of the ships that will sail along this route will be powering their engines with heavier, dirtier marine fuels. The black carbon that they produce could be very damaging to snow and ice in the region, increasing the melting.
"The environmental risks are enormous," said John Maggs.
"You are taking industrial-sized installations and moving them through a pristine Arctic environment, so it's going to have an impact - and what are we getting in return, slightly shorter journey times? A 30% gain is not much of gain to me."
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Leading universities will offer fully accredited undergraduate courses online within five years, says the co-founder of a US online university network.

Daphne Koller, president of Coursera, said the necessary technology was available but universities had been hesitant about their "reputation".
So far, online courses have mostly offered certificates for short courses rather than full degrees.
Prof Koller says online degrees can be "more affordable and accessible".
Founded in California four years ago, Coursera has become one of the world's biggest providers of "massive, open, online courses" - known as Moocs.
The online platform has 20 million students following courses from about 145 prestigious universities and institutions around the world.
But most of the online courses have been short units that give students a certificate, rather than a full degree or credits towards a degree.
Prof Koller, speaking at an educational technology conference in London, said the next stage for online learning would be leading universities offering mainstream undergraduate courses online, with invigilated exams and full degrees.
"I'm absolutely convinced that will happen - and it will be a lot earlier than 10 years. The societal need is there.
"A full-blown undergraduate degree - I'd be surprised if that didn't happen within five years.
"Will it be fully online? Or will it have some residential components? That remains to be seen."
Prof Koller said the technology had kept improving, but universities had been held back by the "protection of the brand" and not wanting to be seen to move away from personal tuition.
"It's the perception we need to break, it's not the technology that's been the barrier," she said.
In terms of supervising exams for distance learners, she said that webcams are "surprisingly hard to beat".
Prof Koller said concerns about impersonal online learning were often built on an unrealistic image of traditional campus-based teaching - and that most students are not "walking on lawns next to ivy-clad buildings".
"It's a false comparison to think it's either anonymous online teaching or else a cosy armchair and individual tutors.
"When you have a lecture hall with 300 people, you're not getting personal interaction."
Online learning should not be compared "with some utopian ideal of 10 people sitting around in a seminar room engaging deeply with an instructor".
Prof Koller says that online learning is going to become the route for students who want to improve their qualifications but who cannot afford the time or money to study for a campus-based degree.
"Many working adults have obligations, they have a job, a family, a mortgage, they can't go back to school."
In countries such as India, with ambitious targets to expand higher education, Prof Koller says the authorities will have to use online universities, because there is insufficient capacity in bricks-and-mortar institutions.
There are also efforts to use online learning to teach refugees, such as those displaced by Syria's civil war.
Coursera has announced a partnership with the US State Department to help refugees to access online courses to improve their job chances, such as English language lessons or computer coding.
It would remove any costs from studying, such as fees for certificates showing the completion of courses.
More stories from the BBC's Global education series looking at education from an international perspective and how to get in touch
Coursera was founded four years ago, part of a wave of online university projects that were claimed to be about to revolutionise higher education, making it cheaper and more accessible to students around the world.
Many millions signed up for free short courses - but Prof Koller is predicting another stage with online learning being incorporated into formal fee-charging degree courses from mainstream universities.
There are already many online degrees offered - but Prof Koller says that in the past, such distance learning was seen as something "respectable universities do not engage in".
There are signs that this change is already beginning to happen.
The UK's online university platform, Futurelearn, has announced a project with the University of Leeds, in which course units studied online will count as credits towards an undergraduate degree.
Students from this autumn will be able to take course units online and cut the cost of tuition fees for a geography degree.
Peter Horrocks, chairman of Futurelearn, described this as a "breakthrough moment".
Futurelearn has been created by the Open University, a longstanding provider of degrees by distance learning.
But the big change will be if leading, campus-based universities begin to compete for mainstream, undergraduate courses online.
Another major US online university network, edX, is launching a project this autumn allowing online course units to be used as building blocks towards a full degree.
EdX is offering a range of online courses from Arizona State University - and if a student passes eight of these, costing $200 (Â£150) each, it counts as the equivalent of a first year at university.
Coursera has launched two online postgraduate courses with the University of Illinois, at a much lower price than their conventional counterparts.
Prof Koller says the past four years has seen a rapid rise in the numbers of students wanting to study online, but a slower reaction from universities in offering fully fledged online courses.
"We thought that the change in academic institutions would be more rapid," she said. "Universities are not the most nimble of organisations."
That change could now be approaching, she says, with universities working out their strategies for a potentially huge market.
The hype around Moocs might have faded, but the big impact could be about to begin.


The government in Brazil says it will send federal troops to Rio de Janeiro to help deal with a spate of violent attacks targeting the city's police.

The decision came after the governor of Rio de Janeiro state, Sergio Cabral, asked President Dilma Rousseff for government support ahead of the football World Cup in June.
On Thursday, three police bases in the city were attacked by suspected gangs.
Four police officers have been killed since February in similar attacks.
The attacks on police in Brazil's second largest city have heightened concerns about law and order ahead of the World Cup, which begins on 12 June. Seven World Cup matches, including the final, will be played in Rio.
Mr Cabral discussed the violence with President Rousseff in the capital, Brasilia, after Thursday's unrest in the northern Rio favela, or shanty town, of Manguinhos.
Police vehicles were set on fire and the police unit's commander was shot in the leg.
Rio's authorities have been trying to rid the city's favelas of drug dealers.
"It is clear that criminals want to weaken our policy of pacification and take back territories which were in criminal hands for decades," Mr Cabral said ahead of his meeting.
"The state will not back down. The public may be sure we shall act," the governor said.
The authorities in Brasilia did not give say how many federal troops would be sent to Rio or when they would be deployed.
Rio police have installed more than 30 bases in favelas in the past five years to drive out drug gangs.
Correspondents say murders have declined and the number of shootouts has dropped, but residents have often accused the police of using heavy-handed tactics.
The BBC's Julia Carneiro in Rio says the recent deaths among the security forces have prompted some groups to express solidarity with police and their families.
Rio de Janeiro is to host South America's first Olympic Games in 2016 as well as this year's World Cup.


A deep body of water is being searched as police continue looking for a Gwynedd woman missing for nearly five months.

Avril Whitfield, 57, from Caernarfon, has not been seen since leaving her home on 1 April.
British International Rescue and Search Dogs are helping North Wales Police.
Chief insp Richie Green said the force was "determined" to find her to bring "peace of mind to her family", with the investigation "open".
Her sister Ann said: "It has been weeks since you went missing. We need you home with us. You are the rock of our family."


A plane was forced to go back to the airport and land because somebody had done a "smelly poo".

The plane was heading from London Heathrow to Dubai on Thursday.
It should have been a seven-hour flight but the pilot had to return to the airport after just 30 minutes.
Abhishek Sachdev, a passenger on the plane, tweeted: "Our BA flight to Dubai returned back to Heathrow because of a smelly poo in the toilet."
It's thought somebody had some toilet trouble during the flight and caused a bit of a stink.
Some of the air in a plane's cabin is recycled, so it was judged safest to land the plane instead of letting the smelly air circulate in the cabin.
The passengers were put up in a hotel overnight and were able to get another flight the next day.
British Airways said: "We're very sorry for the discomfort to our customers."
"We provided them with hotel accommodation and rescheduled the flight to depart the next day," the airline added.


The Afghan Taliban say that they have withdrawn from the strategic city of Kunduz after having "achieved their objectives".

The Taliban overran the city last month and controlled it for three days, before being pushed out of key areas.
The offensive was the first time the Taliban had taken a city since being ousted from power in 2001.
Also on Tuesday, a rocket allegedly launched by the Taliban killed two people in southern Ghazni province.
The Taliban captured Kunduz on 28 September in an offensive that took Afghan government forces by surprise.
But after several days, Afghan officials said they had retaken control of key areas of the city with the aid of air strikes by US forces.
On 3 October a US airstrike on a Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) hospital in the city killed at least 22 staff and patients.
Fighting in Kunduz has largely been confined to the outskirts of the city in recent days.
Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said the Taliban were able to free hundreds of fighters from Kunduz prison and were able to capture various types of military equipment.
He said the Taliban had withdrawn in order to protect civilians from air raids.
Meanwhile, clashes were reported in the province of Ghazni on Tuesday.
A rocket allegedly launched by the Taliban landed in Ghazni city, killing two people.
The deputy governor of the province has told the BBC that the highway leading to the southern province of Kandahar was now closed and that Afghan forces were pushing the insurgents back.
There are reports of residents fleeing the area to neighbouring cities, with some making as far as the capital Kabul.


Rangers midfielder Niko Kranjcar hopes to fully recover from a knee injury in time for the start of next season.

The 32-year-old has stepped up his rehabilitation after tearing his anterior cruciate ligament in October.
And he told Rangers TV: "It is going quite well and I am doing fitness work outside now on the pitch and I'm doing a lot of gym work.
"Come May, hopefully I can join in with the lads and do a full session, but the goal is to be fit for next season."
The Croatia international joined Rangers from New York Cosmos in the summer and was beginning to find form when injury struck.
"It happened in training, my foot got stuck while I was doing a dribble and I went over on my knee and unfortunately ruptured the ACL," added Kranjcar, who scored three goals before being sidelined.
"You have to be patient with these injuries and I think it is really important to have it 100% before I start doing any harder work."
The former QPR, Dynamo Kiev, Tottenham and Portsmouth star revealed the injury lay-off has made for one of the most difficult periods of his career.
"The recovery process has been a nightmare," Kranjcar said. "This is definitely the worst injury I have ever had, the longest I had been out before was probably two months and this is between six and nine months.
"It is a long road and it is quite lonely. It has its ups and downs, the easiest thing to do is always to give up but once you do start doing your rehab I think there is always a voice in your head telling you to get through it.
"Obviously there are days when you watch a game of football and you're not involved so it is hard and you just wish you could play.
"I have great support at home from my missus and from my whole family and all my friends. I have been in football ages now and that helps.
"I am happy that I got injured? Of course not, it is frustrating, it is hard but I do have a motivation to come back as good as I was before the injury so I guess that is something which keeps me going."


A north Wales physiotherapist has been suspended for removing patient files without consent.

Joanne Lee was was working for Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board when she took more than 800 patient files.
She admitted to storing them in her home during office renovations.
The Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC) said Ms Lee's behaviour fell "seriously short" of that expected and suspended her from the register for 12 months.
Ms Lee said she initially removed the files as she feared they would be seen by workmen.
She returned them to the office in plastic bags, but moved them to a colleague's homes due to concerns they would be subject to scrutiny by her head of department during an upcoming office tour.
A panel of the HCPC Conduct and Competence Committee heard the absence of the files had resulted in the health board having to carry out either full re-assessments or further assessments on patients.
The panel chair, Manuela Grayson, said this "may have unnecessarily resulted in further intimate or invasive re-examinations", which in turn "may have caused additional physical or emotional distress".
Ms Lee was neither present nor represented at the hearing.


British driver Justin Wilson has died after being struck by flying debris and suffering a serious head injury in Sunday's Pocono IndyCar 500 race.

Wilson was airlifted to hospital from the Pocono Raceway in Pennsylvania after Sage Karam's car spun and crashed in front of him on lap 179 of 200.
Debris from Karam's car hit ex-Formula 1 driver Wilson, 37, and the Andretti Autosport driver crashed into a wall.
IndyCar officials said his death was a "monumentally sad day".
Mark Miles, chief executive of IndyCar parent company Hulman & Co, said: "Justin's elite ability to drive a race car was matched by his unwavering kindness, character and humility - which is what made him one of the most respected members of the paddock.
"As we know, the racing industry is one big family, and our efforts moving forward will be focused on rallying around Justin's family to ensure they get the support they need during this unbelievably difficult time."
A seven-time IndyCar race winner, Wilson, from Sheffield, is survived by his wife, Julia, and two daughters.
In a statement his family said he was a "loving father and devoted husband, as well as a highly competitive racing driver who was respected by his peers".
His brother Stefan, also a racing driver, paid tribute on social media, saying: "Can't even begin to describe the loss I feel right now. He was my brother, my best friend, my role model and mentor. He was a champion.
"He lived for this sport, he loved it. The only comfort I feel is that he lived a life he loved."
An Andretti Autosport team statement said: "He was a tremendous racer, a valuable member of the team and respected representative to our sport. While Justin was only part of the Andretti line-up for a short time, it only took a second for him to forever become part of the Andretti family.
"His life and racing career is a story of class and passion surpassed by none."
Wilson was making his 174th IndyCar start in Sunday's race, but his major motorsport breakthrough came in F1.
He won the Formula 3000 series in 2001, and two years later raised £1.2m to finance his F1 entry after setting up a company in his own name.
Standing at 6ft 4in, Wilson was unusually tall for F1 - drivers over six feet are a rarity - and he scored his only point from 16 races with Minardi and Jaguar during 2003 at the United States Grand Prix.
He moved to the United States in 2004 and enjoyed greater success in Champ Car, finishing as series runner-up in 2006 and 2007 before switching to IndyCar racing in 2008, after Champ Car merged with the Indy Racing League.
He finished second in the previous IndyCar race in Mid-Ohio on 2 August, his first podium finish since 2013, while his final victory came at the Firestone 550 at Texas Motor Speedway in June 2012.
His appearance at the triangle-shaped Pocono Raceway was only his sixth of this season as he struggled to find a full-time seat.
In the past 20 years there have been seven deaths during race meetings in IndyCar, including in the series' previous incarnations as Champ Car and Indy Racing League.
In that time one F1 driver has been killed - Wilson's death comes 38 days after Frenchman Jules Bianchi succumbed to the devastating injuries he sustained at last year's Japanese Grand Prix.
Four years ago British driver and two-time Indianapolis 500 winner Dan Wheldon lost his life aged 33 at the Las Vegas Indy 300.
Wheldon was killed when his head hit a post in the fence at Las Vegas Motor Speedway after a crash involving 15 vehicles.
His death triggered calls for further safety reviews, including suggestions that open-wheel racing be banned on high-speed, oval tracks, where tightly-packed cars reach speeds of 230mph.
IndyCar officials have introduced several safety measures into the sport. This includes safer walls, collapsible barriers designed to cushion impact and the installation of trauma centres at race tracks.
McLaren driver Jenson Button is one of many Formula 1 figures to have paid tribute to Wilson. "I raced with Justin as far back as 1989 in karting and remember his smile was infectious," he tweeted.
"The motorsport world comes to a standstill once again. Justin Wilson was a great person and racing driver. My thoughts are with his family."
World champion Lewis Hamilton wrote on Instagram: "I am so devastated to hear of another passing of a great man and driver. I'd met Justin Wilson a few times growing up and he was the ultimate gentleman. Whilst I only knew him a little, I will miss him. We will miss him."
Speaking on BBC Radio 5 live, former Minardi owner Paul Stoddart, who gave Wilson his first start in F1,said: "Motorsport has lost not just a fantastic driver but one of the true gentleman of the sport.
"Justin wasn't just a very fast and capable driver but a true gentleman and one of the nicest guys you could ever hope to meet in the paddock."
Scotland's four-time IndyCar champion Dario Franchitti said: "Rest in peace Justin, it was a real privilege to know you and call you a friend."
Nine-time F1 winner Mark Webber, who competed alongside Wilson at Minardi in 2003, tweeted: "Last night a very good man left us. So sorry. RIP Justin. My thoughts are with your loved ones."
Sage Karam, who was leading the race at the time of the crash, has been released from hospital after treatment for heel and wrist injuries.
"I can't find the proper words to describe the pain and sympathy I feel for Justin and his family," he said on social media.


Paracetamol is ineffective at treating back pain and osteoarthritis despite being a recommended treatment, a group of Australian researchers has warned.

Their review of 13 clinical trials, published in the British Medical Journal, said the drug did not reduce disability or improve quality of life.
Instead, the group warned, it increased the odds of liver problems.
The NHS is to review its guidelines. Experts say patients should consult a doctor before changing medicines.
Back pain is a leading cause of disability and in the UK alone it is estimated to affect 26 million people each year.
The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE), which establishes best NHS practice, currently recommends paracetamol for both lower back pain and for osteoarthritis.
However, questions have been raised about the quality of the evidence which led to the decisions.
A team at the University of Sydney assessed data from 13 drug trials involving more than 5,000 patients.
They concluded that paracetamol was "ineffective" at reducing back pain.
In osteoarthritis in the hip or knee, they found a small improvement with paracetamol. Yet the impact was so small it was "not clinically important".
Gustavo Machado, one of the researchers, argued: "Paracetamol is the most widely used over-the counter medicine for musculoskeletal conditions so it is critical that we review treatment recommendations in light of this new evidence.
"In our research, paracetamol for low back pain and osteoarthritis was also shown to be associated with higher risk of liver toxicity in patients.
"Patients were nearly four times more likely to have abnormal results on liver function tests compared to those taking placebo pills."
Dr Christian Mallen, from Keele University in the UK, said options other than drugs should be the "cornerstone" of managing the conditions.
However, he added: "While the effectiveness of exercise for both osteoarthritis and spinal pain is established, we know that uptake of and adherence to exercise is poor."
In the UK, the safety of over-the-counter drugs is being reviewed by the medicines safety regulator.
NICE said it was waiting for the results of that review before conducting its own assessment.
A spokesperson said: "Looking at all of the relevant painkillers together, instead of just one, will then provide a comprehensive overview of this aspect of managing osteoarthritis."
Jane Tadman from Arthritis Research UK said: "We've known for some time that paracetamol may not work for everyone with severe pain from their arthritis, but some people find it helps them and allows them to sleep and to exercise without discomfort.
"Physical activity is probably a better and more effective way of keeping the pain of arthritis and joint pain at bay than taking currently available painkillers."
Prof Roger Knaggs, from the Royal Pharmaceutical Society, said: "There are other medicines, such as nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs and opioids, which may provide better pain relief but these are associated with a range of other side-effects.
"Anybody with concerns about whether taking paracetamol could cause harm should discuss their concerns with their GP or pharmacist."


The question of how much extra money NHS England needs to meet rising patient demand has dominated recent political argument over the health service.

And that is largely down to the chief executive Simon Stevens.
His five-year forward view in October 2014 set out some big numbers, which were widely seen as realistic and then in turn adopted by the Conservatives and Liberal Democrats in the general election campaign.
But are those numbers quite what they seem?
One former minister in the coalition government now claims the financial projections were amended after intervention by Downing Street.
David Laws, the Lib Dem MP who lost his seat in the 2015 general election, said Mr Stevens was "lent on" to reduce the amount of money he would call on the government to chip in.
The plan set out by Mr Stevens and senior NHS colleagues predicted a £30bn gap in 2020 between expected demand and what the NHS could deliver.
He said £22bn could come from efficiency savings, leaving £8bn above inflation needed from the government.
Mr Stevens acknowledged the target for efficiency savings was very ambitious but argued that it was achievable.
But David Laws said Mr Stevens had originally argued that a maximum of £15bn of efficiency savings could be delivered, with £15bn more needed from government.
Mr Laws told the BBC's Andrew Marr Show on Sunday: "The problem seems to be that when he then took that figure to the Conservatives in Number 10 they said: 'You must be kidding. There is no way the chancellor and the prime minister will sign up to that figure, you better get that figure down if you want it to be taken seriously, you better increase the efficiency savings'."
The request went in for £8bn of extra money in the end.
NHS England has in turn argued that in the autumn of 2014 a range of financial projections were discussed based on different scenarios.
A spokeswoman said: "We stand by the analysis and were not lent on.
"David Laws was not part of the discussions. Simon Stevens has been more publicly outspoken in arguing the NHS's corner than any previous serving NHS chief executive."
Senior NHS sources don't deny there were negotiations, but they reject the idea that Mr Stevens had his arm twisted by Downing Street.
They argue that the purpose of the five-year forward view planning was to model different assumptions about the level of productivity gains that could be delivered.
Mr Laws' intervention comes at a sensitive time in the debate over NHS funding in England.
Some authoritative voices across the service are questioning where the £22bn of savings will come from and calling for more government funding than has been pledged so far.
The idea that the £22bn might have been seen at an early stage as too ambitious will no doubt fuel this discussion.
Mr Laws has set out his version of events in his new book Coalition.
He said the NHS "almost completely collapsed over Christmas" in 2014 and "came very close to preventable deaths in unsafe hospitals".
Money for the NHS, he said, dominated political debate between the coalition partners at that time.
Mr Laws, as a Lib Dem, has a political motive for accusing the Conservatives of not coming up with the funding the NHS needed.
As with all ministerial memoirs, there is an incentive to push out headline grabbing extracts before publication, but he has certainly enlivened the funding debate.


Germany's highest court is considering whether to ban the far-right National Democratic Party (NPD).

The federal upper house (Bundesrat) took the case to the constitutional court in the western city of Karlsruhe.
The petition argues that the NPD is racist and anti-Semitic, and poses a threat to Germany's democratic order.
A previous attempt to ban the NPD failed in 2003 because the judges dismissed evidence provided by state agents who had infiltrated the party.
The NPD is not represented at national level, but has members in the Mecklenburg-West Pomerania state assembly in former East Germany. It also has one seat in the European Parliament, held by former party chief Udo Voigt.
NPD members have joined regular "anti-Islamisation" marches by the right-wing Pegida organisation, based in Dresden.
The NPD's anti-immigrant stance is part of widespread German anxiety about the influx of non-EU migrants, many of them Muslim Syrians, Iraqis and Afghans fleeing war and human rights abuses.
Germany severely restricts the power to ban a political party - a legacy of de-Nazification after World War Two.
Only the Bundesrat, Bundestag (lower house) or government can launch a banning procedure.
And only the constitutional court can impose a ban, if two-thirds of the judges back it.
Critics of the new case against the NPD fear that a ban could turn far-right extremists into martyrs. The party has about 5,200 members.
There are two post-war precedents for such bans in Germany. The West German authorities banned the Socialist Reich Party in 1952 and the Communist Party of Germany in 1957.
A banning order forces a party to completely disband and its assets can be seized, the German broadcaster Deutsche Welle reports.


Israel says it will release a number of Palestinian prisoners as part of an agreement made with US Secretary of State John Kerry to resume peace talks.

Yuval Steinitz, minister responsible for international relations, said it would involve "heavyweight prisoners in jail for decades".
Mr Kerry announced on Friday that initial talks would be held in Washington "in the next week or so".
The Israeli minister's remarks are the first details of the deal.
Mr Kerry had declined to tell reporters in Amman what the two sides had agreed to, saying that the "best way to give these negotiations a chance is to keep them private".
The agreement came at the end of four days of frenetic shuttle diplomacy, on Mr Kerry's sixth visit to the region in the past few months.
Mr Steinitz told Israeli public radio that the deal adhered to the principles set out by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for kick-starting the talks.
The release of prisoners would take place in stages, he said.
While the number of detainees to be freed is unclear, one Palestinian official said discussions had earlier focused on the release of 350 prisoners over a period of months, including around 100 men held since before 1993, when Israel and the Palestinians signed the Oslo peace accords.
According to Israeli human rights group B'Tselem, 4,817 Palestinians are held in Israeli jails.
For their part, the Palestinians had committed themselves to "serious negotiations" for a minimum of nine months, said Mr Steinitz, who is a member of the prime minister's Likud party.
But he made clear that Israel had not accepted Palestinian pre-conditions, including a halt to settlement construction in the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem.
"There is no chance that we will agree to enter any negotiations that begin with defining territorial borders or concessions by Israel, nor a construction freeze."
Israel and the Palestinians last held direct talks in 2010, which were halted over the issue of settlement-building.
Settlements are considered illegal under international law, although Israel disputes this.
Announcing the agreed resumption of talks, Mr Kerry warned that while it was significant, it was still "in the process of being formalised" and the issues that needed to be tackled were "complicated".
By Lyse DoucetChief international correspondent
One of the major sticking points for the two sides is the issue of territorial borders.
Palestinian officials say a core demand is that Israel recognises pre-1967 ceasefire lines but right-wing members of Mr Netanyahu's coalition had refused to accept talks based on the issue.
Mr Kerry praised the Arab League's decision to back the plan and said Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat and Israeli Justice Minister Tzipi Livni would be travelling to Washington to hold the "initial talks".
Israeli commentators point out that while Mr Erekat has been in discussions with the Israeli PM, the Washington talks will not yet involve Mr Netanyahu and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.
A spokesman for Mr Abbas said "progress has made it possible to agree on the principles that allow for the negotiations to resume".
The Middle East Quartet, made up of the US, Russia, the EU and UN, welcomed the "huge achievement" made by Mr Kerry and his team.
Ms Livni responded optimistically to Friday's developments on her Facebook page, saying "four years of diplomatic stagnation" were about to end, after "months of scepticism and cynicism".
She promised to protect Israel's "national and security interests", saying that she was convinced the talks were "the right thing" for Israel's future.
Hamas, the Islamist movement that rules Gaza, has rejected the announcement of a return to talks. "Mahmoud Abbas does not have the legitimacy to negotiate on fateful issues on behalf of the Palestinian people," spokesman Sami Abu Zuhri said.


Turkey launched a series of overnight air strikes against Kurdish militants, aimed at 17 targets in the south-east, the army says.

The targets were in Hakkari province on the border with Iran and Iraq.
Turkey has seen increasing violence in recent weeks between the military and Kurdish separatists.
The strikes come a day after nine people were killed in a wave of attacks on security forces, some of them in the south-east.
The PKK has said it was behind one of those - the bombing of an Istanbul police station in which four people died.
In a statement, the PKK named three of its members who died in the attack and during a subsequent clash with Turkish security forces.
A ceasefire in the long-running conflict with the group appeared to disintegrate in July, when Turkey began bombing PKK camps in northern Iraq, at the same time as launching air strikes on Islamic State (IS) militants in Syria.
At least 50 people have died in the renewed violence.
Explainer: Turkey v Islamic State v the Kurds
Who are the PKK?
Tuesday's air strikes are being widely interpreted as retaliation for the attacks conducted on Monday, says the BBC's Selin Girit in Istanbul.
Early on Tuesday morning, further attacks took place. The Turkish military said Kurdish militants had attacked an army base in Sirnak, in the south-east. A soldier died of his wounds in hospital.
Dawn raids also saw 16 people who were allegedly members of the Patriotic Revolutionist Youth Movement, being taken into custody according to the state-run agency Anadolu.
And overnight, there were more shoot-outs between Turkish forces and militants in three other cities.
Turkey has for the last couple of weeks hit targets of the PKK in its strongholds in the remote mountains of northern Iraq and south-eastern Turkey.
Kurdish fighters, some from the PKK, have secured significant victories against IS in Syria and Iraq.
But the PKK accuses Turkey of using its campaign against IS as cover for taking on the separatists - something the government denies.
Turkey, like a number of Western countries, considers the PKK a terrorist organisation.


Every home and business in the UK would have guaranteed access to high-speed broadband as part of a digital "bill of rights" proposed by Jeremy Corbyn.

In his Digital Democracy Manifesto the Labour leader said slow broadband was a "barrier to learning and a source of social and economic exclusion".
Providing a truly universal UK service across would cost £25bn, he said.
Mr Corbyn pledged to "democratise the internet" if he took power, including consulting on online election voting.
Speaking in Shoreditch, Mr Corbyn also argued his leadership campaign's use of new technology would be a model for a future general election campaign and represented the party's "path to victory" in 2020.
The Labour leader is using social media to appeal to activists, particularly younger voters, in his fight against challenger Owen Smith.
The winner of the contest will be announced on 24 September.
Mr Corbyn's surprise election as Labour leader last year was credited in part to his team's use of phone canvassing technology, which helped volunteers contact potential voters.
Speaking in Shoreditch, Mr Corbyn highlighted further technical innovations by his supporters, including a new canvassing app inspired by Bernie Sanders' US presidential bid, which he will say is transforming grass-roots political engagement.
"The creativity of the networked young generation is phenomenal," he said.
"We have thousands of young volunteers on our campaign taking part in this digital revolution. We will channel this new energy and creativity into Labour's general election campaign whenever it comes.
"It is in this way that Labour can get back into government. Labour, under my leadership, will utilise the advance of digital technology to mobilise the most visible general election campaign ever."
Launching a seven-point digital democracy manifesto, Mr Corbyn said universal high-speed broadband and mobile access at affordable prices was "essential" to supporting far-flung communities in Scotland, Wales and England and to enabling businesses to trade and diversify.
Criticising disparities in broadband speeds and 4G mobile phone coverage in both rural and urban areas, he said BT and other fibre optic cable providers must continue to commit to universal access under current regulation and, if they didn't, he was "open-minded" about bringing the network into public ownership.
Pressed for more details, he said a National Investment Bank to be established under a future Labour government would underwrite the rollout of a universal network - backed up by a universal service obligation for a minimum connectivity speed enshrined in law.
"This is about ensuring everyone has access to the equivalent levels of internet technology across the country through broadband," he said.
"The investment of £25bn in it seems to me to be money extremely well spent that will help to reduce the levels of regional imbalance and regional inequality in Britain.
"In some parts of the country, he said, "people have laid their own broadband cable because farmers were fed up with being unable to quickly access the internet to get a reasonable price or sell their products".
In an effort to extend and protect individuals' internet rights, the Labour leader made the case for a voluntary scheme of digital passports to provide internet users with a secure and portable identity for their online activities.
Calling for the public to have a greater stake in digital ownership, he said publicly-funded software and hardware should be made available to programmers under an Open Source licence and the state should invest in new websites and applications to reduce the cost of connecting consumers with online services.
"There is a clear need for more online democracy and our manifesto today sets out how Labour would democratise the internet in order to rebuild and transform Britain - so that no-one and no community is left behind."
The government has been consulting on introducing a Universal Service Obligation for broadband connectivity, which would give everyone the legal right to request a connection at a minimum speed - proposed to be 10 Mbps - by 2020.
Ministers have said huge progress has been made towards ensuring everyone has access to high-speed broadband - defined by the industry as a minimum speed of 2Mbps (megabits per second) but which campaigners say should be set at at least 10Mbps.
An Ofcom report last December found 2% of UK premises - mostly in rural areas - were unable to receive speeds of at least two Mbps through a fixed line.
People living in hard to reach areas have been offered a subsidised satellite broadband connection if they could not get an affordable service of at least two Mbps.
Ministers say they are on track to hit their target of securing 95% superfast broadband - defined by the government as greater than 24 Mbps - by next year. Other bodies define superfast broadband as a speed of at least 30 Mbps.


Asian shares rose on Tuesday despite another fall in oil prices overnight after Iran said it planned to increase exports once international sanctions are removed.

The price of US crude oil dropped more than 3% overnight, while Brent crude hovered near 11-year lows before stabilising.
Japan's Nikkei 225 index erased earlier losses to close up 0.6% to 18,982.23.
Oil prices are expected to continue to weigh on energy shares in the region.
Iran intends to increase exports by 500,000 barrels per day once the economic sanctions are removed, according to reports.
That would add to the global supply of oil, which has fallen in value by more than two-thirds since September 2015 on falling demand from China, the world's second largest economy and largest consumer of commodities.
Elsewhere, shares in Toshiba rose by 2.7% on reports that the struggling electronics giant plans to ask for an additional $2.5bn (Â£1.7bn) in credit to fund its large-scale restructuring.
The company is reeling from a $1.3bn accounting scandal earlier this year.
Chinese shares headed higher with the Shanghai Composite up 0.9% to 3,563.74, while Hong Kong's Hang Seng index was higher by 0.3% to 28,442.75.
In Australia, the benchmark S&P/ASX 200 closed up 1.2% to 5,267.30 after reopening from a four-day holiday.
The index also ended higher for the eighth consecutive day.
Shares in Woodside Petroleum finished up 0.8% despite the drop in oil prices.
South Korea's Kospi index closed up 0.1% to 1,966.31, also reversing earlier losses.


The Indian army says two armed militants who had taken up positions in a government building in Indian-administered Kashmir have been killed.

This followed a three-day standoff between the soldiers and militants near the town of Pampore on Wednesday.
An army spokesman said the building was searched and weapons were recovered.
Indian-administered Kashmir has seen a wave of deadly unrest since a popular separatist leader was killed by the security forces in July.
On Monday, militants had entered an empty government building near Pampore town on the outskirts of the main city of Srinagar.
Troops, paramilitary soldiers and police surrounded the building while firing rockets, flame throwers and grenades, reports said. The militants fired back with automatic weapons and hurled grenades.
Major-General Ashok Narula of the Indian army described the operation as "tricky" and said the fighting was protracted because "the building was huge and we didn't want collateral damage".
Another building in the same compound was targeted by militants in February when the resulting gun battle left nine people dead.
The latest fighting comes after an attack on an Indian army base killed 18 soldiers last month. India blamed the attack on Pakistan, which denied the claim.
The nuclear-armed neighbours have accused each other of increasing hostilities along their de-facto border in Kashmir since last month's attack.
Later in September, India said it had retaliated by carrying out "surgical strikes" against suspected militants along the de-facto border.
Pakistan denied that India had carried out any strikes and said two of its soldiers were killed in unprovoked cross-border shelling.