Google on Friday announced changes to its advertising services to avert the risk of a breakup, two months after Brussels hit the US giant with a €2.95-billion antitrust fine for favouring its own services.…

The court will move its internal work environment to Open Desk, a German-developed open source software

The Commission's new Digital Markets Act investigation will assess whether the tech giant is demoting news media content in search results

Video-game commercial models, visual dark patterns, addictive app design and social-media influencers must all be tackled in the EU's upcoming digital consumer-protection law, the Dutch government has...

New Zealand will have social-media bans for children under 16 in place before the 2026 national election, with Prime Minister Christopher Luxon vowing to move ahead with the country’s “first piece of ...

The EU’s Democracy Shield initiative aims to tackle election interference online — but countries won’t be required to sign up.

Telecompaper - Telecom news and research

A new crisis protocol for online services and guidance on the use of artificial intelligence in electoral processes is being prepared as part of a broader EU effort to counter information manipulation...

Most parties in the Danish parliament said they support implementing a 15-year-old minimum age requirement for social media. It is not yet known which social media platforms will be affected.

The tech giant deleted the accounts of three prominent Palestinian human rights groups — a capitulation to Trump sanctions.

Rob Leathern and Rob Goldman, who both worked at Meta, are launching a new nonprofit that aims to bring transparency to an increasingly opaque, scam-filled social media ecosystem.

Australia's extensive solar power penetration makes so much energy that the government wants to offer free electricity at peak hours.

Meta projected 10% of its 2024 revenue would come from ads for scams and banned goods, and it internally estimates that its platforms show users 15 billion scam ads a day, company documents show.

Regulator found ads for mechanics skewed towards men while those for preschool teachers targeted women

An investigation into AgeVerif, an age-verification company in France, found problems with the system's effectiveness, security, and bias.

"Advertisers are increasingly just going to be able to give us a business objective and give us a credit card or bank account, and have the AI system basically figure out everything else."

Many believe planned investment will bring prosperity, while others worry its debt-fuelled exuberance will backfire

New system takes effect on 12 November in move to prevent minors from accessing porn. Italy is to introduce a new age verification system for users attempting to access pornographic websites, the Italian Communications Authority (AGCOM) said on Friday. The move will take effect from 12 November and is aimed at preventing minors from accessing pornography online, in line with the European Digital Service Act to protect minors. AGCOM published an initial list of around 50 websites which will be subject to the stringent new rules, including well-known sites such as PornHub, YourPorn and OnlyFans, with the list set to be updated over time. The pilot programme will require users to verify their age when attempting to access websites featuring pornography or gambling as well as online platforms offering the sale of alcohol and cigarettes. Currently, to access porn sites, users simply have to declare that they are \18 or older\ with the click of a button, leaving the system wide open to minors. How the new system works The key change from 12 November will be the elimination of this self-declaration of age, with the new two-step system requiring verification from \certified third parties\ such as a company, bank or mobile operator which already has this data. The third party verifies that the person is 18 years of age and then issues a code that can be used to access the porn site. The code contains only information about the person's age and no other information about their identity. The porn site then verifies the validity of the code and grants the user access. It will also be possible to use dedicated apps installed on users' smartphone or device, such as those linked to digital identity wallets. This age verification system must be carried out each time users access the site. Double anonymity The new system centres on privacy protection and the concept of \double anonymity\, ensuring that the website only receives proof that the user is over 18, without knowing their identity. Simultaneously, the age verification provider knows the user's identity but not the specific website they are trying to access. Caivano Decree In addition to following European regulations, the new AGCOM rules stem from the provisions set out in the so-called Caivano Law, the legislative decree approved in 2023 by Giorgia Meloni's government, which introduced several new measures to combat juvenile crime. Websites found to be in violation of the new rules after 12 November will reportedly be given 20 days to comply or risk being blocked within Italy by AGCOM. UK example On Friday, Pornhub said the number of UK visitors to its website was down 77 per cent compared with July, when more rigorous age checks for sexually explicit sites were introduced under the Online Safety Act, the BBC reports. Britain's telecom and media regulator Ofcom said that visits to pornography sites in general in the UK have reduced by almost a third in the three months since age checks came into force on 25 July.

Texas and Google have finalized a huge settlement tied to a privacy lawsuit.

As users "dislike" posts, the system will learn what sort of content they want to see less of. This will help to inform more than just how content is ranked in feeds, but also reply rankings.

Google's parent company, Alphabet, reported record quarterly revenue this week, with Google Cloud, Search and YouTube each growing at a double-digit pace.