Internet News - Technology News, Internet, World Wide Web https://techxplore.com/rss-feed/internet-news/ en-us The latest news on the internet, world wide web, web 2.0 and science technology. 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. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-09-kids-social-media-eu-law.html Internet Thu, 17 Sep 2026 13:20:02 EDT news708869210 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. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-09-eu-chief-unveil-social-media.html Internet Wed, 16 Sep 2026 05:00:16 EDT news708750945 EU to propose curbing social media, online games for under-15s The European Union is set to propose curbing access to social media, video-sharing platforms, chatbots and online games for children younger than 15, according to a draft legal document seen by AFP. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-09-eu-curbing-social-media-online.html Internet Tue, 15 Sep 2026 15:00:10 EDT news708699066 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. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-09-microsoft-commits-ai-privacy-students.html Internet Tue, 15 Sep 2026 04:41:59 EDT news708666069 Social media activity can expose politics, religion and shopping habits There is a modern adage: If you don't want it on the internet, don't put it on the internet. However, a review of research into social media privacy in the International Journal of Management Concepts and Philosophy has found that legal and ethical protections are not keeping pace with the volume of personal information collected and shared online. Moreover, much inferred information that people don't deliberately share can now be gleaned by interested third parties from their social media activity. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-09-social-media-expose-politics-religion.html Internet Fri, 11 Sep 2026 14:20:01 EDT news708349032 Kill the cookie banner, digital rights groups urge EU It's time for the European Union to kill those pesky cookie banners seeking users' consent on websites, nearly 20 groups and academics demanded Thursday. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-09-cookie-banner-digital-rights-groups.html Internet Thu, 10 Sep 2026 04:20:02 EDT news708231804 Meta tests fact-check replacement in Latin America Meta said Wednesday it had begun testing Community Notes in 16 Spanish-speaking countries in Latin America, a step toward replacing the professional fact-checking program it runs with partner organizations across the region. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-09-meta-fact-latin-america.html Internet Wed, 09 Sep 2026 16:00:08 EDT news708186724 Amusing or addictive? The algorithms powering our social feeds Social media algorithms are a powerful feature of online life, serving up content to users based on their browsing habits or personal data. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-09-addictive-algorithms-powering-social.html Internet Wed, 09 Sep 2026 09:40:06 EDT news708165238 Rein in social media, not children, say more than 130 groups, experts The European Union should force tech giants to make social media safe before children use it instead of banning minors from their platforms, more than 130 groups and experts urged in a letter shared with AFP Tuesday. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-09-rein-social-media-children-groups.html Internet Wed, 09 Sep 2026 07:20:01 EDT news708154944 Meta launches personal AI agent, Muse, emphasizes safety and privacy Meta launched on Tuesday a personal artificial intelligence agent, Muse, for people 18 and over who are looking for help with day-to-day tasks like schedules, shopping and, in the company's words, turning "long-term goals into action plans." https://techxplore.com/news/2026-09-meta-personal-ai-agent-muse.html Internet Wed, 09 Sep 2026 04:26:55 EDT news708146803 Australia threatens hefty fines if big tech fails 'duty of care' Social media giants face US$78 million fines if they fail to protect young users from harmful content, Australia's prime minister said Tuesday as he unveiled draft laws reining in big tech. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-09-australia-threatens-hefty-fines-big.html Internet Tue, 08 Sep 2026 04:50:01 EDT news708061243 China's top court posts guidelines on deepfakes, AI disputes China's top court issued guidelines Monday covering a range of emerging pitfalls associated with artificial intelligence, including unauthorized deepfakes and voice cloning, state media reported. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-09-china-court-guidelines-deepfakes-ai.html Internet Mon, 07 Sep 2026 15:00:12 EDT news708007870 Australians could opt out of social media algorithms under new law Australians could be given the option of opting out of powerful social media algorithms under new legislation cracking down on Big Tech, a minister said Monday. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-09-australians-opt-social-media-algorithms.html Internet Mon, 07 Sep 2026 04:30:01 EDT news707972847 Internet's address book is becoming more private, but DNS still exposes browsing patterns When you enter a web address into your browser and arrive at the correct website a second later, a process takes place that most people never notice. Behind the scenes, one of the internet's most important systems is at work: DNS, the Domain Name System. In his doctoral thesis, computer scientist Jonathan Magnusson investigates how effectively today's DNS infrastructure protects users' privacy and what shortcomings remain. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-09-internet-private-dns-exposes-browsing.html Internet Thu, 03 Sep 2026 18:00:01 EDT news707657730 Social media companies are trying harder to know which users are kids Of the child safety measures agreed to in Meta's landmark legal settlement, no category contains more detailed requirements than its commitments on age assurance—and for good reason. No matter how well the protections work, they are of little use if Meta can't tell which users are kids. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-09-social-media-companies-harder-users.html Internet Tue, 01 Sep 2026 04:50:02 EDT news707456267 New research: 41% of surveyed Australian teens now get their news from AI The way Australians consume news has been changing for the past 30 years, ever since internet use became widespread. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-08-surveyed-australian-teens-news-ai.html Internet Mon, 31 Aug 2026 14:20:08 EDT news707400665 AI is eating website traffic, websites are blocking AI: Reliable information is getting harder to find For 30 years, the World Wide Web has run on a surprisingly profound social contract: Most sites are free for search engines to access, but if you use their content, you give credit by linking to the source. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-08-ai-website-traffic-websites-blocking.html Internet Mon, 31 Aug 2026 08:40:03 EDT news707384041 Meta's teen safety deal runs into an unsolved problem: Proving age Meta's landmark settlement with nearly every U.S. state promises curfews and time limits for teens on Instagram and Facebook—but rests on age and parent checks nobody has figured out how to make work. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-08-meta-teen-safety-unsolved-problem.html Internet Fri, 28 Aug 2026 12:40:05 EDT news707137906 After US settlement, EU says Meta must 'protect our kids too' The EU said Thursday it expects Meta to address "addictive" features of its platforms in Europe after the tech giant agreed to sweeping limits on teen use of Facebook and Instagram in some US states. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-08-settlement-eu-meta-kids.html Internet Thu, 27 Aug 2026 09:40:06 EDT news707041732 Meta settlement puts social media industry on notice: 'There will be more' Wednesday's historic settlement between Meta and dozens of U.S. states could be just the start of a wave that will ripple across the social media industry, putting TikTok, YouTube and Snap under pressure to make similar changes to their apps for teens. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-08-meta-settlement-social-media-industry.html Internet Thu, 27 Aug 2026 05:20:01 EDT news707023275 Time limits and a midnight cutoff: Meta's new rules for kids go further, but critics say not enough Kids under 18 will soon see a host of changes to their Instagram and Facebook experiences thanks to a historic $18 billion settlement Meta Platforms reached Wednesday with 48 U.S. states. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-08-limits-midnight-cutoff-meta-kids.html Internet Thu, 27 Aug 2026 04:18:10 EDT news707023071 What could change for U.S. teens on Instagram and Facebook In a landmark development, Meta reached a proposed settlement Wednesday with U.S. states over claims that it designed Facebook and Instagram to hook children. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-08-teens-instagram-facebook.html Internet Wed, 26 Aug 2026 16:40:07 EDT news706979505 Meta, U.S. states agree $18 bn settlement in landmark teen safety case Meta agreed to pay a coalition of U.S. states as much as $16.7 billion and to impose sweeping new limits on how teenagers use Facebook and Instagram, according to a court filing Wednesday that ends a landmark trial in California. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-08-meta-states-billion-settlement-landmark.html Internet Wed, 26 Aug 2026 12:40:01 EDT news706965969 Social media use on the rise among Australian under-16s after ban: Data Australian under-16s are increasing their use of social media apps such as Instagram and TikTok despite a world-leading ban, data provided by a parental control software company showed Wednesday. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-08-social-media-australian-16s.html Internet Wed, 26 Aug 2026 04:20:01 EDT news706935813 Some of Meta's safety tools were 'designed to fail': Witness A former employee testified Wednesday that some of Meta's safety tools for Facebook and Instagram were "designed to fail," contradicting the company's defense strategy in a landmark trial in California. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-08-meta-safety-tools-witness.html Internet Thu, 20 Aug 2026 04:40:01 EDT news706418542 The emerging threat of violent, exploitative digital 'com networks': what do we need to know? For many parents, keeping their children safe online is a top priority. But now there's an emerging threat: "com networks." Com networks (short for community networks) are online groups that mostly target vulnerable young people in the online spaces they use every day, including gaming platforms and social media. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-08-emerging-threat-violent-exploitative-digital.html Internet Wed, 19 Aug 2026 08:40:03 EDT news706346701 Taiwan briefly slows its mobile internet to text-only speed as part of defense drill For 30 minutes, the internet in parts of Taiwan crawled. The slowdown Thursday for people in the capital, Taipei, and six other cities and localities was part of the last phase of the island's annual Han Kuang exercises, military drills that began last week and aim to model a response to a possible Chinese military invasion. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-08-taiwan-briefly-mobile-internet-text.html Internet Thu, 13 Aug 2026 09:07:13 EDT news705830815 Social media and self-harm: Study finds need for more control over content and safe spaces for connection and support There are increasing calls for tighter legislation and restrictions on social media use, particularly for children and young people. Evidence shows potential harms coexist on social media platforms alongside opportunities for crisis support and connection. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-08-social-media-content-safe-spaces.html Internet Tue, 11 Aug 2026 12:35:16 EDT news705670487 EU tells Meta, TikTok to boost monitoring, fact-checking The EU's tech chief called on Meta and TikTok to "act decisively" to stem disinformation at times of crisis, saying the European Commission held talks with both platforms Friday following last week's Ceuta migrant surge. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-08-eu-meta-tiktok-boost-fact.html Internet Sat, 08 Aug 2026 04:10:56 EDT news705381037 More than half of Australian children and teens are using AI for personal reasons. This comes with risks New data released this week show 54% of Australian children and teens use artificial intelligence tools for personal and social reasons. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-08-australian-children-teens-ai-personal.html Internet Thu, 06 Aug 2026 15:40:05 EDT news705249362