Internet news

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Online age checks create a pointless privacy risk

New cybersecurity research indicates that one of the world's leading age verification providers collects and shares highly sensitive personal data—including facial photos and device fingerprints—with third parties. The research ...

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Google wants its search bar to act on your behalf in AI revamp

Google on Tuesday showed off new plans to turn its famous search bar into an AI assistant that can book restaurants, track news, and contact businesses—just by asking a question.

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Meta's new tools allow parents to better supervise their kids' social media accounts. Will they work?

Tech giant Meta recently announced a set of new features to give parents greater oversight of how their children use Facebook, Instagram, Messenger and Horizon.

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Crackdown in Southeast Asia pushes scam networks to Sri Lanka

A surge in arrests of suspected foreign scammers in Sri Lanka has authorities concerned that the island is fast becoming a hub for online crime, following sweeping crackdowns in hotspots Cambodia and Myanmar.

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AI content moderation takes a lesson from economics

Spend enough time on the internet, and you'll likely encounter some pretty appalling content. Hate speech tends to flourish on social media and in online communities, particularly those with little to no moderation. Even ...

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YouTube offers deepfake detection to Hollywood

YouTube is offering Hollywood celebrities and entertainers a free detection tool to help combat their deepfakes, expanding the Google-owned video platform's efforts to guard against AI-driven impersonations.

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How AI bias can creep into online content moderation

A University of Queensland study has shown large language models (LLMs) used in AI content moderation may be prone to subtle biases that undermine their neutrality. A team led by data scientist Professor Gianluca Demartini ...

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Meta says testing subscription tier for Instagram

Instagram is testing a pay tier that offers features including letting subscribers discreetly view "Story" posts that normally vanish after 24 hours, Meta told AFP on Monday, confirming a report by news website TechCrunch.

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US Supreme Court weighs Texas age-check for porn sites

The US Supreme Court grappled with a challenge on Wednesday to a Texas law requiring pornographic websites to verify visitors' ages, part of a growing effort to limit access by minors to online sexual content.

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How Britain got its first internet connection

British computer scientist and Internet Hall of Fame inductee Peter Kirstein died in January 2020 at the age of 86, after a nearly 50-year career at UCL. A few years before he died, he was commissioned by then Conversation ...

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How Meta's fact-checking program works

Internet giant Meta's fact-checking program aims to counter false information on its social platforms—Facebook, Instagram and Threads—with the help of media organizations, including AFP.

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One Tech Tip: Start the new year with a clean inbox

The new year is always a good time to make a fresh start—including with your email inbox. To kick off 2025 with a clean slate, why not clear out all those unnecessary and unwanted messages?