Internet news

Internet

Microsoft announces service 'restored,' global outage over

Tech giant Microsoft said Saturday it has "restored service" to customers, effectively bringing an end to a massive outage that caused chaos and disrupted public services and business around the world.

Internet

Microsoft says services fully restored after hourslong global outage

Microsoft said Saturday that services were fully restored after a massive outage that lasted for hours.

Internet

Influencers, AI, addiction: EU looks to protect consumers online

The European Union on Wednesday put forward new rules to crack down on influencer marketing, ban online features that trick Europeans and force platforms to give users the right to turn off "addictive" features.

Internet

New research highlights shortcomings in the protection of freedom of expression on social media

Who ensures that social media platforms do not restrict people's freedom of expression? The EU has introduced a system intended to strengthen users' rights when posts are removed or accounts are suspended. However, new research ...

Internet

I don't want AI in my online search. What options do I have?

Last week, Google announced a new artificial intelligence (AI) policy for schools that use Google apps. It provides new settings for opting in or out of AI products on student accounts. Schools that reject AI in the classroom ...

Internet

Tracing the online networks behind AI-generated nude images

As Domestic Violence Awareness Month comes to a close this week, one University of Florida researcher is examining the roots of nudification apps, online platforms that use AI to turn images of clothed people—easily and convincingly—into ...

Internet

How to prepare your online life for your death

What happens to all of your online accounts—credit cards, merchants, news subscriptions, social media, streaming services—after you die? How will your heirs know how to access these accounts or understand what you want done ...

Internet

AI giants promise publishers new way to block some scraping

OpenAI, Google, Microsoft and Anthropic pledged on Friday to give media outlets and other websites a single way to prevent their content from being scraped to train artificial intelligence (AI) models, amid growing criticisms ...

Internet

Thousands of deceptive ads evade Google's safeguards

Thousands of deceptive advertisements have slipped through Google's advertising safeguards, exposing internet users to fake virus warnings, misleading software promises and potentially dangerous downloads, according to new ...

Internet

UK probes Meta over 'exploitative' new terms for media

Britain's competition watchdog Friday opened an investigation into whether Meta was imposing "exploitative" new terms allowing it to use media content for its own products, including AI, without giving publishers adequate ...

Internet

41,000 DHS names leaked in major hack, collective says

A nonprofit news leak group said Wednesday it has published data on more than 41,000 employees of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, including those working on President Donald Trump's immigration enforcement efforts.

Internet

Google boosts news and link visibility in AI Mode

Google announced Thursday it will start displaying links to websites and articles more prominently and higher up in search results powered by artificial intelligence (AI), as brands and news publishers warn of a sharp decline ...

Internet

Researchers devise algorithm to break through 'search bubbles'

When looking for a new type of book, movie, or restaurant, your search may suggest a title or venue you've already purchased or experienced. This is because the artificial intelligence tools many companies rely on push users ...

Internet

Twitter rival Threads signs up 100 million users in five days

The Threads app launched by Instagram as a rival to Twitter has signed up more than 100 million users in less than five days, data tracking websites said on Monday, smashing the record of AI tool ChatGPT for fastest-growing ...

Internet

EU tries again with new framework for data flows to US

The European Commission said Monday it has adopted a new legal framework to protect Europeans' personal data in exchanges with the United States—its third attempt to get past legal challenges.

Internet

Facebook alters fact-checking controls for US users

Meta-owned Facebook has handed US users the controls over fact-checked content, in a potentially significant move that the platform says will give them more power over its algorithm but some analysts insist could benefit ...

Internet

What we know about Threads, Meta's 'Twitter killer'

Threads, Mark Zuckerberg's Instagram-based challenge to dethrone Elon Musk's troubled Twitter, has already secured tens of millions of downloads, but it remains to be seen whether this Twitter rival will be a winning one.

Internet

Twitter rivals pile up with Meta's launch of Threads

Since Elon Musk took over Twitter eight months ago, users irked by the platform's new regime have vowed to move their online presence elsewhere, though the habit has proved hard to break.

Internet

Tens of millions sign up to Twitter rival Threads

More than 30 million people have downloaded Threads, Meta's rival to Twitter, within the first few hours of its launch, the company's CEO Mark Zuckerberg said Thursday.

Internet

Meta's Twitter-like Threads app will not launch in Europe

Facebook owner Meta's new Threads app, meant to rival Twitter, will not be available in the European Union when it launches Thursday because of regulatory concerns, a source close to the company said.

Internet

US court limits officials' contacts with social media firms

A US federal court on Tuesday restricted some top officials and agencies of President Joe Biden's administration from meeting and communicating with social media companies to moderate their content, a ruling that could curtail ...

Internet

Twitter chaos leaves door open for Meta's rival app

Elon Musk spent the weekend further alienating Twitter users with more drastic changes to the social media giant, and he is facing a new challenge as tech nemesis Mark Zuckerberg prepares to launch a rival app this week.

Internet

Twitter to limit TweetDeck to 'verified' users

Twitter has announced that TweetDeck, a popular program that allows users to monitor several accounts at once, will be available only to "verified" users from next month.

Internet

Sweden orders four companies to stop using Google tool

Sweden on Monday ordered four companies to stop using a Google tool that measures and analyses web traffic as doing so transfers personal data to the United States, fining one company the equivalent of more than $1.1 million.