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Instagram can now read all users' private messages—will this make kids safer or just boost ad targeting?As of May 8, end-to-end encryption is no longer available on direct messages on Instagram.... Read more -
Microsoft boss to testify on his role in OpenAI's foundingMicrosoft CEO Satya Nadella is expected to take the stand Monday in Elon Musk's lawsuit against OpenAI, to explain emails that revealed how his company funded the ChatGPT creator's shift from philanthropic organization to for-profit AI giant.... Read more -
European minnows bid to challenge social media giantsA flurry of new schemes to launch Europe-based social networks faces a steep, rocky road to seduce users away from American and Asian giants in the sector.... Read more -
Google faces new UK lawsuit over online display adsGoogle faces a fresh UK lawsuit accusing it of abusing its dominance in online display advertising, the claimants announced Thursday, in the latest antitrust action against the US tech giant.... Read more -
IMF warns of 'inevitable' AI-powered threats to global financial systemThe International Monetary Fund (IMF) warned on Thursday of the risks to global financial stability posed by cyberattacks powered by advanced artificial intelligence tools, calling for greater international cooperation on the issue.... Read more -
AI use surges globally but rich-poor divide widens, Microsoft saysGenerative artificial intelligence is being used by 17.8% of the world's working-age population, but the gap between wealthy and developing nations continues to widen, according to a report published Tuesday by Microsoft.... Read more -
Planning for hydrogen under geopolitical uncertaintyMany hydrogen strategies for energy-intensive industries do not adequately address geopolitical risks. Instead, they often assume stable trading relationships and reliable alliances—assumptions which are increasingly questionable in light of recent conflicts and sanctions.... Read more -
Amazon to ship stuff for any business, not just its own merchantsAmazon announced Monday it is opening up its massive shipping and delivery network to any business that wants to use it—not just the merchants who sell on Amazon's website.... Read more -
Renewable energy is more cost effective than direct air capture at reducing carbon, study findsThe case for investing in direct air capture weakens substantially once it is directly compared against solar and wind, according to an analysis published in Communications Sustainability. The paper is titled "Direct air capture has substantial health and climate opportunity costs."... Read more -
A probe into 'forever chemicals' in activewear lays bare fashion's greenwashing problemHave you ever paid more for a product because a brand told you it was good for you and the planet? Many activewear shoppers do exactly this, trusting that the "healthy" image on the label matches what is actually in the fabric. That trust is now being questioned.... Read more -
Australia's next showdown with tech giants could reshape who pays to keep news aliveWith the release this week of the government's News Bargaining Incentive, it's worth reconsidering the origins and achievements of its predecessor, the News Media Bargaining Code.... Read more -
'Tipping point' to electric vehicles reached in Europe and ChinaElectric vehicle sales in China and Europe have reached a threshold or "tipping point" that has triggered an irreversible shift away from their petrol and diesel-powered equivalents. For their article published in Nature Communications, researchers analyzed global sales from 2016–23 and observed that EV sales were increasing exponentially across 32... Read more -
Research reveals lack of transparency in ad data of digital platformsHalf of the world's largest digital platforms fail to meet minimum standards of transparency regarding the advertising they carry. This is one of the main findings of the study Data Not Found carried out by our research group at NetLab—the Internet and Social Media Research Laboratory at the School of... Read more -
Agentic AI threatens research funding systemIn a new analysis, two UCL researchers argue that the present system used to allocate billions in research funding was designed for a world without AI agents and may no longer be fit for that purpose.... Read more -
You probably wouldn't notice if an AI chatbot slipped ads into its responsesHundreds of millions of people consult artificial intelligence chatbots on a daily basis for everything from product recommendations to romance, making them a tempting audience to target with potentially below-the-radar advertising. Indeed, our research suggests AI chatbots could easily be used for covert advertising to manipulate their human users.... Read more
