Internet news

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OpenAI to challenge Google with new search functionality

OpenAI on Thursday said it was putting its artificial intelligence engine to work in a challenge to Google's market-dominating search engine.

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Google's brand ads are a 'sham,' but companies have to buy them anyway, report finds

If you use Google—and chances are you do—then you're used to seeing ads when searching online. But how do those ads get on Google search and, more importantly, who is paying for them? It's easy to assume Nike pays for ...

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Meta takes down thousands of Facebook, Instagram accounts running sextortion scams from Nigeria

Meta said Wednesday that it has taken down about 63,000 Instagram accounts in Nigeria running sexual extortion scams and has removed thousands of Facebook groups and pages that were trying to organize, recruit and train new ...

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US Senate to vote on kids online safety bills

The US Senate will vote on a pair of bills this week designed to protect children online which would be the first major legislation targeting the tech industry in a generation.

Internet

In U-turn, Google sticks with tracking 'cookies'

Google on Monday said it was ditching its long mooted plan to block tracking "cookies" on its Chrome browser after years of resistance from online publishers and questions from regulators.

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Conspiracy theories take off after global IT crash

From fearmongering about a looming "World War III" to false narratives linking a cabal of global elite to a cyberattack, a torrent of online conspiracy theories took off Friday after a major IT crash.

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Musk's X misleads users with blue checks, EU charges

Tech billionaire Elon Musk's X platform is deceiving users with its blue checkmarks for certified accounts, and is also violating EU content rules, Brussels said Friday, in a finding that could lead to hefty fines.

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Australian government vows to unmask online trolls

Australia's government said Sunday it will introduce legislation to unmask online trolls, and hold social media giants like Facebook and Twitter responsible for identifying them.

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World weighs laws to rein in mighty algorithms

From the YouTube videos we're recommended to deciding who gets a job, algorithms wield an ever-growing influence over our lives—and policy-makers worldwide want to rein them in.

Internet

Spotify has added lyrics to all of its songs for all users

Getting tired of having to look up the lyrics of the 10-minute long "All Too Well (Taylor's Version)" and your other favorite songs on Spotify? Well, the music streaming platform announced that you no longer need to turn ...

Internet

This tool protects your private data while you browse

A team of computer scientists at the University of California San Diego and Brave Software have developed a tool that will increase protections for users' private data while they browse the web.

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We know better than to allow Facebook to control the metaverse

In the midst of the scandals of the Facebook papers, Facebook rebranded the company as Meta. The new name was designed to reflect a focus beyond the Facebook social network platform, and into the metaverse—the extension ...

Internet

New US probe targets Instagram's impact on children

A consortium of US states announced a joint probe Thursday of Instagram's parent company Meta for promoting the app to children despite allegedly knowing its potential for harm, in fresh regulatory trouble for the scandal-hit ...

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COVID-19 leads to short-term and long-term push in digitalization

The COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated the digitalization of everyday life. Especially when it comes to working and shopping, Swiss people want to see most of these changes remain in the long run. These are results of a representative ...