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Google has announced the discontinuation of yet another product, this time the VPN service One VPN which was provided to subscribers to Google One. The service will shut down on Jul 20, 2024. One VPN was launched in 2020 to higher tier customers of Google One, Google’s expanded storage subscription service. Then in 2023, the service was expanded to include all One subscribers. Google described VPNs as a valuable service that added an important layer of security, especially for anyone using public wifi networks. They also launched dedicated Mac, Windows, Android, and iOS apps. However, despite the tool’s utility, Google’s stated reason ...... Read Full article on HadNews

You may have seen headlines that link social media to sadness and depression. Social media use goes up, happiness goes down. But recent studies suggest those findings might not be so straightforward. Although it is true that people’s feelings of envy and depression are linked to high social media use, there is evidence to suggest social media use may not be causing that relationship. Instead, your mindset may be the biggest thing affecting how social media connects to your wellbeing. People who feel they are able to use social media, rather than social media “using them”, tend to gain more benefits from their online interactions. Wh...... Read Full article on HadNews

There is currently a bipartisan push from state and federal governments to introduce laws in Australia banning young people under 16 from accessing social media platforms. Politicians are citing fears that minors are exposed to harmful or inappropriate content online. The proposed reform has been accompanied by federal government plans to pilot “age assurance” technologies. Proposed tools for age verification range from uploading ID documents to the use of biometric face-scanning technologies. Most of these methods are fraught with problems, including privacy risks. Research from overseas has already raised concerns about the potenti...... Read Full article on HadNews

Get ready to be amazed by the top 20 viral auditions from Britain's Got Talent that completely broke the internet! From Calum Scott's breathtaking performance in 2015 to other unforgettable acts, this video showcases the incredible talent that has captured the hearts of millions worldwide. Prepare to be wowed by these jaw-dropping auditions that left a lasting impact on viewers everywhere. Watch the video by Top 10 Talent Author Video Description Talent Worldwide | Top 20 VIRAL BGT Auditions That Broke the Internet 0:00 - Calum Scott - BGT 2015 (388M views) 4:36 ... About Top 10 Talent Top 10 Talent counts down the best a...... Read Full article on HadNews

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has signed a bill into law to effectively ban young children from social media. The restrictive measure for minors has been introduced as a response to the growing concerns over the negative influence of various apps on young people in the United States. Under the new legislation to be introduced on 1 January 2025, Florida will prohibit children aged 13 and under from having access to social media, whilst 14 and 15-year-olds will require parental consent to be online. Speaking on Monday (25 March), Governor DeSantis explained his administration is merely “trying to help parents navigate this very diffic...... Read Full article on HadNews

Have you ever wondered how an email sent from New York arrives in Sydney in mere seconds, or how you can video chat with someone on the other side of the globe with barely a hint of delay? Behind these everyday miracles lies an unseen, sprawling web of undersea cables, quietly powering the instant global communications that people have come to rely on. Undersea cables, also known as submarine communications cables, are fiber-optic cables laid on the ocean floor and used to transmit data between continents. These cables are the backbone of the global internet, carrying the bulk of international communications, including email, webpages ...... Read Full article on HadNews

Australia’s eSafety commissioner has sent legal notices to Google, Meta, Telegram, WhatsApp, Reddit and X (formerly Twitter) asking them to show what they’re doing to protect Australians from online extremism. The six companies have 49 days to respond. The notice comes at a time when governments are increasingly cracking down on major tech companies to address online harms like child sexual abuse material or bullying. Combating online extremism presents unique challenges different from other content moderation problems. Regulators wanting to establish effective and meaningful change must take into account what research has shown us ab...... Read Full article on HadNews

Today, almost a quarter of Australians are digitally excluded. This means they miss out on the social, educational and economic benefits online connectivity provides. In the face of this ongoing “digital divide”, countries are now talking about a future of inclusive artificial intelligence (AI). However, if we don’t learn from current problems with digital exclusion, it will likely spill over into people’s future experiences with AI. That’s the conclusion from our new research published in the journal AI and Ethics. What is the digital divide? The digital divide is a well-documented social schism. People on the wrong side of it face difficu...... Read Full article on HadNews

As US lawmakers approve a bill that could see TikTok banned, China warns that such a ban would “come back to bite” America. March 13 saw the House of Representatives voting on a bill that could result in TikTok being banned in the US within six months, unless the Chinese-owned app severs its ties with China. The US is the country with the largest TikTok audience by far as it stands, with almost 150 million users engaging with the popular social video platform – a substantial audience that the company, Bytedance, will not want to lose. Concern around TikTok from US officials has been a long-standing issue, with fears around data protect...... Read Full article on HadNews

The dangers of AI in the porn industry | DW Documentary Millions of women are victims of fake sexual content on the internet, created with AI. Deepfakes can look deceptively real, but the images, audio, or video recordings are manipulated. When Kate Isaacs clicks on the video, she is thoroughly confused: She and a stranger are having sex. Her first thoughts are: "Who’s that man? Who’s recording this?” And then she realizes that the video is on the internet. After the initial shock, the reality hits her: This is a deepfake, and she is a victim of image-based sexual violence. Worldwide, millions of women are knowingly or unknowingly victims...... Read Full article on HadNews

2023 wasn’t a great year for AI detectors. Leaders like GPTZero surged in popularity but faced a backlash as false positives led to incorrect accusations. Then OpenAI quietly tossed ice-cold water on the idea with an FAQ to answer whether AI detectors work. The verdict? “No, not in our experience.”OpenAI’s conclusion was correct—at the time. Yet the demise of AI detectors is greatly exaggerated. Researchers are inventing new detectors that perform better than their predecessors and can operate at scale. And these come alongside “data poisoning” attacks that individuals can use to safeguard their work from being scooped up against their wish...... Read Full article on HadNews

Leanne Manas is a familiar face on South African televisions. Towards the end of 2023 the morning news presenter’s face showed up somewhere else: in bogus news stories and fake advertisements in which “she” appeared to promote various products or get-rich-quick schemes. It quickly emerged that Manas had fallen victim to “deepfaking”. Deepfakes involve the use of artificial intelligence tools to manipulate images, video and audio. And it doesn’t require cutting-edge technical know-how. Software like FaceSwap and ZaoApp, which can be downloaded for free, mean that anybody can create deepfakes. Deepfakes were initially used in the en...... Read Full article on HadNews

In the TEDxSurat talk, Anuj Krish discusses how digital security depends on human behavior and how scammers think to exploit human vulnerabilities in online scams. He shares a personal experience where he fell victim to an online scam and emphasizes that he is not the only one, with millions of Indians falling prey to such scams. Anuj highlights the staggering amount of money India has lost to online scams and the frequency of online crimes in the country. Anuj and his friend identified four parameters that scammers exploit to deceive people: trust, urgency, ignorance, and money/information. They also discuss the need for a role reversal in ...... Read Full article on HadNews

The UK’s National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) has warned artificial intelligence (AI) will increase the threat of ransomware globally over the next two years. In a report titled The near-term impact of AI on the cyber threat assessment, organizations and individuals have been encouraged to recognize the situation and take preventative measures. NCSC – part of GCHQ (similar to America’s NSA), the United Kingdom’s intelligence, security, and cybersecurity agency – takes the position that AI will almost certainly contribute directly to the increase in quantity and impact of cyber attacks moving forward. The study found cyber criminals an...... Read Full article on HadNews

Your Creative Superpowers Can Help Protect Democracy | Sofia Ongele | TED Your Creative Superpowers Can Help Protect Democracy | Sofia Ongele | TED: Summary In her TED talk, Sofia Ongele, a survivor of a school shooting at Saugus High School in Santa Clarita, California, shares her personal experiences and how she harnessed her creative skills to protect democracy. Reflecting on the tragic event that occurred in her hometown, Ongele discusses the power of creativity in influencing change and safeguarding democratic values. She highlights the conventional understanding of participating in democracy, emphasizing the need for innovation and i...... Read Full article on HadNews

Google has published several new features to its range of services, but only available to those in the EU. Tech companies around the world are making changes to fall in line with the Digital Markets Act (DMA), a bill that aims to make digital markets fairer and open. There are various new obligations that tech companies will need to adhere to, ranging from preventing the removal of pre-installed apps on their systems or stopping the tracking of end users outside of their core platforms without user consent. Several improvements are on the way to Google services in particular along these lines, as announced in a recent blog. As the chan...... Read Full article on HadNews