Internet news
Internet
Something smells different as scientists send aromas over the internet
One day, you may be able to easily smell what you are looking at when browsing online. Sending smells over the internet has long been a dream, and while it may seem far-fetched, researchers have now taken a major step toward ...
Oct 22, 2026
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Internet
Websites down: What is PHP and how has it raised AI hacking fears?
Artificial intelligence has found critical security flaws in a major programming language called PHP, with many websites taken offline Thursday as organizations worldwide scramble to fend off would-be hackers.
Oct 22, 2026
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A critical flaw affecting 70% of all websites has the cybersecurity world panicked
Details have been published of a critical flaw in the programming language PHP, which is the backbone of more than 70% of all websites. Left unfixed, the flaw would allow hackers to easily take over and compromise millions ...
Oct 22, 2026
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X Community Notes 'failed' to flag US election falsehoods, study says
A crowdsourced verification system used by Elon Musk's X failed to flag a vast majority of false claims related to the U.S. midterm elections—including those promoted by the billionaire—a study said Wednesday.
Oct 22, 2026
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TikTok returns 'no violation' decision on 95% of reports of UK-facing accounts advertising drugs, study finds
A University of Bath-led study has found that TikTok's standard reporting system fails to act on most reports made against accounts advertising and offering illegal drugs for sale to U.K. users. The vast majority of TikTok ...
Oct 20, 2026
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Internet
When LLMs are trained on frivolous online content, they can get brain rot like humans do
As humans and AI models roam the internet, they encounter lots of junk: clickbait headlines, misinformation, hashtags. Research by Dr. Zhengzhong Tu and his colleagues indicates that this junk-filled environment could be ...
Oct 19, 2026
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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 ...
Oct 16, 2026
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Internet
Online Safety Act drives VPN interest and raises privacy concerns
People's online behavior has changed in response to legislation to prevent children from viewing harmful content—raising possible privacy and security risks, research suggests.
Oct 16, 2026
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Internet
What might turning off the algorithm look like? Chinese social media provides some hints
The Albanese government has introduced its digital duty of care legislation to parliament today. The bill includes an "off switch" to allow social media users to opt out of recommender algorithms.
Oct 15, 2026
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Internet
Frequent short-video use tracks greater wealth gap dissatisfaction among people in China
Frequent use of short-video apps is associated with lower satisfaction with one's quality of life, particularly regarding perceptions of the wealth gap, according to research published in the International Journal of Mobile ...
Oct 13, 2026
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Internet
Can AI detect a silent internet outage before it occurs?
The internet can encounter a strange type of failure in which a router seems to function normally but silently drops some data packets. Network engineers refer to these issues as "black holes." In these cases, data enters ...
Oct 10, 2026
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Internet
Parents back social media ban despite their own daily use
New research has found that 88% of parents support Australia's under-16 social media ban, despite the majority using social media every day themselves.
Oct 8, 2026
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Internet
One Tech Tip: Lake America backlash fuels interest in Google Maps alternatives
Just because Google and Apple are now calling it Lake America doesn't mean everyone has to.
Oct 8, 2026
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Internet
A reckoning on social media addiction came late for many kids. Will AI safety be different?
Years after the risks of social media for kids first became apparent, U.S. states this summer reached an accord hailed as a turning point for child safety. Meanwhile, a new generation of children has begun engaging with an ...
Oct 5, 2026
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Internet
Cloud computing system design plays crucial role in ability to withstand cyber attacks
The way cloud computing systems are designed and built is just as important in defending against cyberattacks as the security measures and safeguards companies put in place, researchers said in a new study.
Oct 5, 2026
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Internet
Five technology providers dominate infrastructure supporting nonconsensual AI 'deepfake pornography'
For the first time, researchers have identified and named key players facilitating the growing problem of AI-generated explicit sexual imagery online. The study "The Backbone of Abuse" has been published in the Journal of ...
Sep 30, 2026
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Internet
AI chatbots give us a narrow slice of knowledge: Researchers warn of 'knowledge collapse'
For many of us, "Let me just ask the chatbot" has become an everyday phrase. Where we used to turn to Google to find information, AI chatbots have become a common way to get answers to everything from what to make for dinner ...
Sep 28, 2026
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Internet
TikTok agrees to teen limits in US settlement following Meta
TikTok on Friday agreed to pay Alabama at least $100 million and enact time limits and other restrictions for teen users, avoiding a trial with a settlement modeled on Instagram owner Meta's recent agreement with U.S. states.
Sep 26, 2026
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Internet
Meta acts against 3.7 million scammers' accounts with Singapore police help
Meta has disrupted more than 3.7 million scam-linked accounts, pages and other content this year based on information provided by Singapore police, the company said Wednesday.
Sep 23, 2026
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Internet
How Google Discover turns online activity into a personalized content feed
If you're one of Google Discover's millions of daily users, you've doubtless come across all manner of content without actively searching for it. A Spanish user, for instance, might see headlines promising to reveal the secret ...
Sep 23, 2026
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Internet
Research reveals where the internet really slows down
Most people associate network performance with bandwidth, the amount of data that can be transferred per second. However, for many of today's digital services, latency is just as important.
Sep 21, 2026
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Internet
Oversight Board blasts 'inadequate' Meta safeguards for AI deepfakes
Meta on Thursday moved to remove AI-generated videos targeting two women, including a British politician, after the tech giant's Oversight Board blasted its "fundamentally inadequate" safeguards against proliferating deepfakes.
Sep 18, 2026
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Internet
Kids and social media: What would change under new EU law
The EU laid out plans Thursday for strict age limits for children to access social media, games and AI assistants—and to force companies to make platforms safe before minors use them.
Sep 17, 2026
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Internet
EU to ban social media for those under 13, curb access until age 15
The European Union will ban children under 13 from social media and allow only limited, supervised access until age 15 under plans unveiled Wednesday by EU chief Ursula von der Leyen.
Sep 16, 2026
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Internet
Microsoft commits to sweeping AI privacy rules for students. Will other tech giants follow?
Millions of students every day turn to AI chatbots for help with schoolwork, emotional support and personal advice—often unaware of where their conversations and other personal information end up.
Sep 15, 2026
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