Instagram makes teen accounts private as pressure mounts to protect children
Instagram is making teen accounts private by default as it tries to make the platform safer for children amid a growing backlash against how social media affects young people’s lives. Starting September 24, in the U.S., U.K., Canada and Australia,…
California governor signs law to protect children from social media addiction
SACRAMENTO, California — California will make it illegal for social media platforms to knowingly provide addictive feeds to children without parental consent beginning in 2027 under a new law Governor Gavin Newsom signed Friday. California follows New York state, which…
China-connected spamouflage impersonated Dutch cartoonist
Washington — Based on the posts of an X account that bears the name of Dutch cartoonist Bart van Leeuwen, a profile picture of his face and short professional bio, one would think the Amsterdam-based artist is a staunch supporter…
How Lebanon’s wireless paging system was weaponized to make Hezbollah devices explode
The simultaneous explosion of thousands of pagers used by Lebanese militia Hezbollah on Tuesday was the result of an unprecedented weaponization of a wireless paging system, in which rigged devices detonated upon receiving a coded signal transmitted by radio frequency….
California laws target deepfake political ads, disinformation
In a step that could have broad implications for future elections in the U.S., California Governor Gavin Newsom this week signed three pieces of legislation restricting the role that artificial intelligence, specifically deepfake audio and video recordings, can play in…
Who still uses pagers?
As mobile phones became the world’s main communications tool, pagers, also known as beepers because of the sound they make to notify users about incoming messages, were largely rendered obsolete, with demand plunging from their 1990s heyday. But the tiny…
US targets second major Chinese hacking group
Washington — The United States has identified and taken down a botnet campaign by China-directed hackers to further infiltrate American infrastructure as well as a variety of internet-connected devices. FBI Director Christopher Wray announced the disruption of what he called…
‘End of an era’: UK to shut last coal-fired power plant
Ratcliffe on Soar, United Kingdom — Ratcliffe-on-Soar Power Station has dominated the landscape of the English East Midlands for nearly 60 years, looming over the small town of the same name and a landmark on the M1 motorway bisecting Derby…
EU court confirms Qualcomm’s antitrust fine, with minor reduction
brussels — Europe’s second-top court largely confirmed on Wednesday an EU antitrust fine imposed on U.S. chipmaker Qualcomm, revising it down slightly to $265.5 million from an initial $2.7 million. The European Commission imposed the fine in 2019, saying that…
Google wins challenge against $1.66B EU antitrust fine
BRUSSELS — Alphabet unit Google won its challenge on Wednesday against a $1.66 billion antitrust fine imposed five years ago for hindering rivals in online search advertising, a week after it lost a much bigger case. The European Commission, in…