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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Study analyzes fake interaction services on social media

A study by the Universidad Carlos III de Madrid (UC3M) and IMDEA Networks analyzes fake interaction services on social media. In addition to cataloging the fraudulent ecosystem of "likes," views, followers or online visits, ...

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'Take It Down:' a tool for teens to remove explicit images

"Once you send that photo, you can't take it back," goes the warning to teenagers, often ignoring the reality that many teens send explicit images of themselves under duress, or without understanding the consequences.

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Meta unveils more cautious approach to ChatGPT frenzy

Facebook-owner Meta on Friday unveiled its own version of the artificial intelligence behind apps such as ChatGPT, saying it would give access to researchers to find fixes to the technology's potential dangers.

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Google tests blocking news content for some Canadians

Google is blocking some Canadian users from viewing news content in what the company said Wednesday is a test run of a potential response to a Canadian government's online news bill.

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UNESCO chief urges tougher regulation of social media

The United Nations' educational, scientific and cultural agency chief on Wednesday called for a global dialogue to find ways to regulate social media companies and limit their role in the spreading of misinformation around ...

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Sci-fi magazine bans hundreds of AI chatbot authors

An American science fiction magazine said it had stopped accepting submissions and banned hundreds of authors after being deluged with stories written by artificial intelligence (AI) chatbots.

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Facebook-owner Meta to roll out paid subscription

Facebook, the social network that was supposed to stay free "always," and its stablemate Instagram launched on Sunday a paid subscription service, as the advertising-based business model that has long dominated the internet ...

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Meta subscriber plan risks digital divide, say critics

Years after Facebook quietly removed a slogan that declared the site was "free and always will be", parent company Meta announced on Sunday a paid-for subscription service that has already been widely criticized.

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Angry Bing chatbot just mimicking humans, say experts

Microsoft's nascent Bing chatbot turning testy or even threatening is likely because it essentially mimics what it learned from online conversations, analysts and academics said on Friday.