A New Mexico court has ordered Meta to pay $567 million into a teen mental health fund, ruling that Facebook and Instagram contributed to harming young users and created a public nuisance.

The court also directed Meta to implement stronger youth safety measures, including limits on teen usage, stricter controls on adult interactions with minors, notification restrictions, and safeguards against inappropriate AI chatbot interactions.

The landmark ruling could influence similar lawsuits across the United States, where dozens of states and more than 1,300 school districts are pursuing legal action against social media companies over alleged harm to children.

Meta Hit With $567 Million Penalty Over Teen Mental Health | Facebook & Instagram Under Fire

India has introduced stricter rules for social media platforms to combat AI-generated deepfakes and unlawful synthetic content. Under the amended IT Rules, platforms must remove illegal AI-generated content within three hours of receiving a valid notice from the government or a court. The new framework also mandates clear labeling of AI-generated content, metadata for traceability, and faster grievance redressal for complaints involving impersonation, nudity, and child sexual abuse material.

India Tightens Deepfake Rules: Social Media Platforms Must Remove Illegal AI Content Within 3 Hours

Snap has become the latest major social media platform to settle a high-profile child safety lawsuit, joining TikTok and YouTube. The settlement leaves Meta as the only remaining defendant in a growing legal battle over the alleged impact of addictive platform features on children and teenagers. The lawsuit claims social media companies knowingly designed products that harmed young users' mental health. Legal experts believe these cases could force major tech companies to strengthen child safety protections, improve parental controls, and redesign key platform features.

Snap settles Child Safety Lawsuit | Meta left alone as legal pressure mounts

A disturbing new investigation has exposed how online predator networks allegedly exploit gaming platforms, encrypted chat rooms, and social media to manipulate and groom children. Experts warn that these digital ecosystems rely on psychological coercion, fear, and blackmail, making them one of the internet's most dangerous hidden threats. Here's what parents need to know about the growing global concern over online child exploitation.

The Internet’s Darkest Secret: Inside the global network exploiting children online

UK online pornography age verification rules: By July 25, all major porn sites in the UK are expected to introduce age verification to block those under 18 from accessing their platforms. The move is in compliance with the UK's Online Safety Act, and will mark a shift in how Brits access adult content online. The move is coming with fears of mass surveillance, potential online blackmail, naming and shaming and privacy breaches. Here is a breakdown:&nbsp;<h2>Millions of online users of adult content will be affected by UK age verification</h2>According to British media regulator Ofcom, 14 million Britons access online porn. The goal of age verification is to protect children from accessing adult content, but now, experts and privacy advocates are asking: what is the cost to personal data security?<h2>Porn age verification is possible, but privacy risks are high</h2>Each of the seven verification methods approved by Ofcom has potential data privacy risks: from invasive information collection to data exposure. Users may be able to choose their preferred method for age verification, but it might be impossible not to leave any digital footprints. Let us look at each:&nbsp;<h2>UK porn age verification method 1: Credit card age checks</h2>In this method, users can enter their credit card details. A small 'test' transaction verifies age. Adult sites claim that personal data is not passed on to the platforms. But critics warn of credit card data mishandling and potential exposure through hacking.<h2>UK porn age verification method 2: Digital Identity Wallets</h2>Users can verify age through apps such as Yoti store with documents like passports. Providers of such services claim that the data is encrypted and controlled by the users, but this amounts to mass digital ID use. Documents being used, if exposed, can have privacy consequences.<h2>UK porn age verification method 3: Email-based age estimation</h2>Artificial Intelligence can be used for checking where the user's email has been used, such as banks and utilities, and be used to guess the age of the users.&nbsp; Though encrypted and not shared with the porn sites, some of it may be stored for up to 28 days. Operators like Verifymy claim it’s the most user-friendly and low-friction option, but doubts persist.<h2>UK porn age verification method 4: Facial age estimation</h2>AI is used for age verification via scanning of faces through photos or videos. This is essentially the use of biometric data, and many people may be uncomfortable about getting scanned by AI. <a href="https://www.wionews.com/videos/ukraine-eyes-porn-legalisation-for-funds-to-fuel-its-war-machine-1752210016661/embed">https://www.wionews.com/videos/ukraine-eyes-porn-legalisation-for-funds-to-fuel-its-war-machine-1752210016661/embed</a><h2>UK porn age verification method 5: Mobile network checks</h2>The age verification is done by checking the registration details of phone numbers. It is possible that family plans on mobile networks might misidentify minors as adults or vice versa. It is unlikely to work for pay-as-you-go users and will depend on cooperation from mobile networks.<h2>UK porn age verification method 6: Open banking</h2>Age confirmation is done through verifying information from the user's banks. Sharing of bank account numbers is raising red flags, even though no transaction data is viewed by the porn sites and is for protecting kids according to providers like OneID.<h2>UK porn age verification method 7: Photo ID matching</h2>The users can click a selfie, and upload their passport or driver’s licence and the system will check if they match. This is a privacy minefield, as highly sensitive personal documents are involved, along with real photos of users. Experts are calling it intrusive and outdated.<h2>So, what's the problem?</h2>Protecting children from pornographic content is a universal priority. But experts are warning that it could lead to 'normalised mass surveillance'. With so many personal data points in play — bank details, biometric scans, ID uploads — critics ask if age verification might trade off privacy in the name of safety, with one analyst insisting that the only database that cannot be hacked is 'no database'. The tech might work but come at a cost that may be too personal for many.

Protecting children from pornographic content is a universal priority. But experts are warning that it could lead to 'normalised mass surveillance'. 

UK online pornography age verification rules: By July 25, all major porn sites in the UK are expected to introduce age verification to block those under 18 from accessing their platforms. The move is in compliance with the UK's Online Safety Act, and will mark a shift in how Brits access adult content online. The move is coming with fears of mass surveillance, potential online blackmail, naming and shaming and privacy breaches. Here is a breakdown: Millions of online users of adult content will be affected by UK age verification According to British media regulator Ofcom, 14 million Britons access online porn. The goal of age verification is to protect children from accessing adult content, but now, experts and privacy advocates are asking: what is the cost to personal data security? Porn age verification is possible, but privacy risks are high Each of the seven verification methods approved by Ofcom has potential data privacy risks: from invasive information collection to data exposure. Users may be able to choose their preferred method for age verification, but it might be impossible not to leave any digital footprints. Let us look at each: UK porn age verification method 1: Credit card age checks In this method, users can enter their credit card details. A small 'test' transaction verifies age. Adult sites claim that personal data is not passed on to the platforms. But critics warn of credit card data mishandling and potential exposure through hacking. UK porn age verification method 2: Digital Identity Wallets Users can verify age through apps such as Yoti store with documents like passports. Providers of such services claim that the data is encrypted and controlled by the users, but this amounts to mass digital ID use. Documents being used, if exposed, can have privacy consequences. UK porn age verification method 3: Email-based age estimation Artificial Intelligence can be used for checking where the user's email has been used, such as banks and utilities, and be used to guess the age of the users. Though encrypted and not shared with the porn sites, some of it may be stored for up to 28 days. Operators like Verifymy claim it’s the most user-friendly and low-friction option, but doubts persist. UK porn age verification method 4: Facial age estimation AI is used for age verification via scanning of faces through photos or videos. This is essentially the use of biometric data, and many people may be uncomfortable about getting scanned by AI. https://www.wionews.com/videos/ukraine-eyes-porn-legalisation-for-funds-to-fuel-its-war-machine-1752210016661/embed UK porn age verification method 5: Mobile network checks The age verification is done by checking the registration details of phone numbers. It is possible that family plans on mobile networks might misidentify minors as adults or vice versa. It is unlikely to work for pay-as-you-go users and will depend on cooperation from mobile networks. UK porn age verification method 6: Open banking Age confirmation is done through verifying information from the user's banks. Sharing of bank account numbers is raising red flags, even though no transaction data is viewed by the porn sites and is for protecting kids according to providers like OneID. UK porn age verification method 7: Photo ID matching The users can click a selfie, and upload their passport or driver’s licence and the system will check if they match. This is a privacy minefield, as highly sensitive personal documents are involved, along with real photos of users. Experts are calling it intrusive and outdated. So, what's the problem? Protecting children from pornographic content is a universal priority. But experts are warning that it could lead to 'normalised mass surveillance'. With so many personal data points in play — bank details, biometric scans, ID uploads — critics ask if age verification might trade off privacy in the name of safety, with one analyst insisting that the only database that cannot be hacked is 'no database'. The tech might work but come at a cost that may be too personal for many.

Protecting children from pornographic content is a universal priority. But experts are warning that it could lead to 'normalised mass surveillance'.&nbsp;

Age verification for porn site access is coming to 14 million UK users next week. But there is a problem...

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is being used at alarming levels for generating child sexual abuse material (CSAM), with analysts saying that it has reached a tipping point.

The watchdog group Internet Watch Foundation (IWF) said that the creation and distribution of AI-generated CSAM are becoming increasingly sophisticated too.&nbsp;

Unlike in the past, these images and videos are finding their way into public online platforms&nbsp;as opposed to the Dark Web, the internet underbelly accessible only through special browsers like Tor.

Watch: US Prosecutors Intensify Action Against AI-Generated Child Abuse Images

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The increasing photorealism of AI-generated visuals is making it difficult for authorities and watchdog agencies to figure out if these are images of a real child needing help, a situation described by an IWF analyst as a 'tipping point'.

What set alarm bells ringing is that just within the past six months, the number of instances of reported AI-generated child sex abuse imagery crossed what it was in the whole previous year.

In this period, the IWF acted on 74 reports of such content, a sharp rise from 70 in all the 12 months prior.&nbsp;

What's more disturbing is that the AI tools creating these images are trained on real victims' content, complicating efforts to identify genuine cases needing intervention, according to Derek Ray-Hill, the IWF interim chief executive.

“Recent months show that this problem is not going away and is in fact getting worse,” The Guardian newspaper quoted him as saying.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/un-report-exposes-extreme-levels-of-child-abuse-in-armed-conflicts-especially-in-gaza-and-sudan-730923">Also read: UN report exposes 'extreme levels' of child abuse in armed conflicts, especially in Gaza and Sudan</a> 
 
The abuse content ranges from real-looking deepfake videos to altered inappropriate images of clothed children.

More than half of the flagged material is hosted on servers in Russia and the United States, besides Japan and the Netherlands, according to IWF.

The disturbing news comes amid increasing criticism of social media apps over offering safe haven to abusers, and sextortion.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/new-york-catholic-diocese-to-pay-323mn-to-530-child-sex-abuse-survivors-in-largest-diocese-bankruptcy-762507">Also read: New York Catholic diocese to pay $323mn to 530 child sex abuse survivors, in largest US diocese bankruptcy</a> 
 
Users on platforms like Instagram are being blackmailed after being tricked into sharing intimate images, according to the Guardian report.

The image-sharing platform owned by Meta is reportedly launching measures to combat such crimes. 
 
It will automatically blur nude images sent via direct messages and caution users about opening them. They will also have the option to block or report senders of such images.

The feature will be enabled by default for teenage accounts while adults can opt in to join.

(With inputs from agencies)

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is being used at alarming levels for generating child sexual abuse material (CSAM), with analysts saying that it has reached a tipping point.

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is being used at alarming levels for generating child sexual abuse material (CSAM), with analysts saying that it has reached a tipping point. The watchdog group Internet Watch Foundation (IWF) said that the creation and distribution of AI-generated CSAM are becoming increasingly sophisticated too. Unlike in the past, these images and videos are finding their way into public online platforms as opposed to the Dark Web, the internet underbelly accessible only through special browsers like Tor. Watch: US Prosecutors Intensify Action Against AI-Generated Child Abuse Images × The increasing photorealism of AI-generated visuals is making it difficult for authorities and watchdog agencies to figure out if these are images of a real child needing help, a situation described by an IWF analyst as a 'tipping point'. What set alarm bells ringing is that just within the past six months, the number of instances of reported AI-generated child sex abuse imagery crossed what it was in the whole previous year. In this period, the IWF acted on 74 reports of such content, a sharp rise from 70 in all the 12 months prior. What's more disturbing is that the AI tools creating these images are trained on real victims' content, complicating efforts to identify genuine cases needing intervention, according to Derek Ray-Hill, the IWF interim chief executive. “Recent months show that this problem is not going away and is in fact getting worse,” The Guardian newspaper quoted him as saying. Also read: UN report exposes 'extreme levels' of child abuse in armed conflicts, especially in Gaza and Sudan The abuse content ranges from real-looking deepfake videos to altered inappropriate images of clothed children. More than half of the flagged material is hosted on servers in Russia and the United States, besides Japan and the Netherlands, according to IWF. The disturbing news comes amid increasing criticism of social media apps over offering safe haven to abusers, and sextortion. Also read: New York Catholic diocese to pay $323mn to 530 child sex abuse survivors, in largest US diocese bankruptcy Users on platforms like Instagram are being blackmailed after being tricked into sharing intimate images, according to the Guardian report. The image-sharing platform owned by Meta is reportedly launching measures to combat such crimes. It will automatically blur nude images sent via direct messages and caution users about opening them. They will also have the option to block or report senders of such images. The feature will be enabled by default for teenage accounts while adults can opt in to join. (With inputs from agencies)

AI-generated child sex abuse images, videos rising at alarming levels, warn internet watchdogs

Round-up of top and latest news from the world of technology: - UK & UK launch joint effort to enhance online safety for Children - Germany closes Meta case after data measures agreed - Experts warns of rising behavioral issues in children due to screen time

UK & UK Launch Joint Effort To Enhance Online Safety For Children

If you are a girl or young woman reading this, what would be more worrying for you when going online: FOMO, or the fear of missing out, or the sexual predators and misogynists roaming social media? A rather worrying study in the UK has found that in spite of the hidden dangers, young women are flocking to social media because of FOMO.

The survey by the NGO Girlguiding had more than 2,000 respondents.

It revealed that girls and young women aged 11 to 21 face unwanted sexual images and cyberstalking when surfing the net and social media.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/who-study-one-in-four-adolescent-girls-in-relationship-face-violence-even-before-their-20th-birthday-745433">Also read: WHO study: One in four adolescent girls in relationship faces violence 'even before their 20th birthday'</a>

Even as nearly 20 per cent of the respondents said they faced online stalking, many continue to go back to these platforms, with more than half of the respondents on TikTok and Snapchat.&nbsp;More than a third saw unwanted sexual content while online.

Watch: Pandemic lockdowns aged teen girls' brains rapidly

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But connectivity is not bringing any more happiness to the young girls. Half of the respondents felt uncertain about their future. Only a quarter felt confident about their lives.

And paradoxically, the feeling that online connections are strong has decreased in the past four years, meaning greater connectivity is only leading to more vulnerability for the youth.

One of the issues reported is not new: the unrealistic beauty standards pushed by social media.

A report in The Guardian quoted a Girlguiding advocate Jia,17, as saying that this pressure exacerbates feelings of judgement and comparison, causing loneliness and low self esteem.

“Being online all the time amplifies this. While we’re ‘more connected’, we’re also more exposed to judgment and comparison – through body shaming, sexist jokes, online harassment and objectification. This fuels loneliness and erodes our confidence, which only makes it harder to feel positive about the future,” the paper quoted her as saying.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/trending/play-badminton-together-hong-kong-encourages-horny-teens-to-play-badminton-instead-of-having-premarital-sex-754039">Also read: 'Play badminton together': Hong Kong encourages teens to play badminton instead of having premarital sex</a> 
 
The girls and young women face a number of other issues when online: 85 per cent of respondents experienced sexism. For more than 50 per cent, sexism&nbsp;happened in real life, while nearly three quarters faced it online.&nbsp;

Sexism fuels thoughts of not feeling safe, with 47 per cent of the girls feeling threatened. This is more than double the rate 10 years ago.

The silver lining of the survey is that&nbsp;44 per cent of the respondents still have hope about their futures.

Angela Salt, Girlguiding's CEO, said sexism continues to be pervasive, leaving many girls feeling vulnerable and unsafe, while noting that it was “devastating to see girls feel less confident about themselves and their futures”.

The survey was published amid plans by the UK government to classify extreme misogyny as a form of extremism.&nbsp;

(With inputs from agencies)

If you are a girl or young woman reading this, what would be more worrying for you when going online: FOMO, or the fear of missing out, or the sexual predators and misogynists roaming social media?

If you are a girl or young woman reading this, what would be more worrying for you when going online: FOMO, or the fear of missing out, or the sexual predators and misogynists roaming social media? A rather worrying study in the UK has found that in spite of the hidden dangers, young women are flocking to social media because of FOMO. The survey by the NGO Girlguiding had more than 2,000 respondents. It revealed that girls and young women aged 11 to 21 face unwanted sexual images and cyberstalking when surfing the net and social media. Also read: WHO study: One in four adolescent girls in relationship faces violence 'even before their 20th birthday' Even as nearly 20 per cent of the respondents said they faced online stalking, many continue to go back to these platforms, with more than half of the respondents on TikTok and Snapchat. More than a third saw unwanted sexual content while online. Watch: Pandemic lockdowns aged teen girls' brains rapidly × But connectivity is not bringing any more happiness to the young girls. Half of the respondents felt uncertain about their future. Only a quarter felt confident about their lives. And paradoxically, the feeling that online connections are strong has decreased in the past four years, meaning greater connectivity is only leading to more vulnerability for the youth. One of the issues reported is not new: the unrealistic beauty standards pushed by social media. A report in The Guardian quoted a Girlguiding advocate Jia,17, as saying that this pressure exacerbates feelings of judgement and comparison, causing loneliness and low self esteem. “Being online all the time amplifies this. While we’re ‘more connected’, we’re also more exposed to judgment and comparison – through body shaming, sexist jokes, online harassment and objectification. This fuels loneliness and erodes our confidence, which only makes it harder to feel positive about the future,” the paper quoted her as saying. Also read: 'Play badminton together': Hong Kong encourages teens to play badminton instead of having premarital sex The girls and young women face a number of other issues when online: 85 per cent of respondents experienced sexism. For more than 50 per cent, sexism happened in real life, while nearly three quarters faced it online. Sexism fuels thoughts of not feeling safe, with 47 per cent of the girls feeling threatened. This is more than double the rate 10 years ago. The silver lining of the survey is that 44 per cent of the respondents still have hope about their futures. Angela Salt, Girlguiding's CEO, said sexism continues to be pervasive, leaving many girls feeling vulnerable and unsafe, while noting that it was “devastating to see girls feel less confident about themselves and their futures”. The survey was published amid plans by the UK government to classify extreme misogyny as a form of extremism. (With inputs from agencies)

Girls go online due to fear of missing out in spite of sexism, stalking, harassment on social media

A federal appeals court on Friday (Aug&nbsp;16) upheld a significant portion of an injunction blocking a California law designed to protect children from potentially harmful online content.

The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled in favour of NetChoice, an industry trade group representing online businesses. The trade group had that the California Age-Appropriate Design Code Act infringed upon its members’ First Amendment rights to free speech.&nbsp;

The court found that NetChoice was likely to prove that the law violated these rights.

The contested law required businesses to prepare "Data Protection Impact Assessment" reports to evaluate whether their online platforms could cause harm to children. This could include content like videos promoting self-harm. The law also mandated that businesses take proactive measures to mitigate such risks before launching their platforms. Additionally, the law required companies to estimate the ages of child users, configure privacy settings accordingly, or default to high privacy settings for all users.

Also watch |&nbsp;US: California to ban guns in most public places

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Violations of the law could result in steep civil penalties, ranging from $2,500 per child for negligent violations to $7,500 per child for intentional violations.

NetChoice, whose members include major tech companies such as Amazon, Google, Meta Platforms (Facebook’s parent company), and Elon Musk's X (formerly Twitter), argued that the law would effectively turn these companies into "roving censors" of content that California might deem harmful.

Circuit Judge Milan Smith, writing for a three-judge panel, stated that the requirement for businesses to create and disclose opinions about content-related harms to children was likely unconstitutional.

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/business-economy/california-court-reviews-law-on-app-based-drivers-classification-as-contractors-724142">California Court reviews law on app-based drivers' classification as contractors</a>&nbsp;

“The forced creation and disclosure of highly subjective opinions about content-related harms to children is unnecessary for fostering a proactive environment in which companies, the state, and the general public work to protect children’s safety online,” Smith wrote.

While the appeals court upheld this part of the injunction, it set aside the remainder of the preliminary injunction issued last September by US District Judge Beth Labson Freeman.

California's law, modelled after similar legislation in the United Kingdom, was signed by Governor Gavin Newsom in September 2022. It was originally set to take effect on July 1, 2024.

A federal appeals court on Friday (Aug 16) upheld a significant portion of an injunction blocking a California law designed to protect children from potentially harmful online content.

A federal appeals court on Friday (Aug 16) upheld a significant portion of an injunction blocking a California law designed to protect children from potentially harmful online content. The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled in favour of NetChoice, an industry trade group representing online businesses. The trade group had that the California Age-Appropriate Design Code Act infringed upon its members’ First Amendment rights to free speech. The court found that NetChoice was likely to prove that the law violated these rights. The contested law required businesses to prepare "Data Protection Impact Assessment" reports to evaluate whether their online platforms could cause harm to children. This could include content like videos promoting self-harm. The law also mandated that businesses take proactive measures to mitigate such risks before launching their platforms. Additionally, the law required companies to estimate the ages of child users, configure privacy settings accordingly, or default to high privacy settings for all users. Also watch | US: California to ban guns in most public places × Violations of the law could result in steep civil penalties, ranging from $2,500 per child for negligent violations to $7,500 per child for intentional violations. NetChoice, whose members include major tech companies such as Amazon, Google, Meta Platforms (Facebook’s parent company), and Elon Musk's X (formerly Twitter), argued that the law would effectively turn these companies into "roving censors" of content that California might deem harmful. Circuit Judge Milan Smith, writing for a three-judge panel, stated that the requirement for businesses to create and disclose opinions about content-related harms to children was likely unconstitutional. Also read | California Court reviews law on app-based drivers' classification as contractors “The forced creation and disclosure of highly subjective opinions about content-related harms to children is unnecessary for fostering a proactive environment in which companies, the state, and the general public work to protect children’s safety online,” Smith wrote. While the appeals court upheld this part of the injunction, it set aside the remainder of the preliminary injunction issued last September by US District Judge Beth Labson Freeman. California's law, modelled after similar legislation in the United Kingdom, was signed by Governor Gavin Newsom in September 2022. It was originally set to take effect on July 1, 2024.

US court blocks key part of California law on children's online safety

The first person in England and Wales to be convicted of a cyber-flashing offence has been jailed for 15 months. Nicholas Hawkes was convicted under the Online Safety Act after cyber-flashing became an offence on January 31 this year.

England: First person convicted of cyber-flashing jailed

Canada has introduced a new bill that aims to combat online abuse with steep penalties for hate crimes, including life in prison for inciting genocide. The bill still needs to be voted on by Canada's Parliament.

Canada introduces new bill to fight online abuse with severe penalties for hate crimes

The Indian government has been aggressively pushing the Digital India framework and forging ahead with the campaign to even the most remote part of the nation.&nbsp;

The government aims to improve online infrastructure across the nation and, with better internet connectivity, the government and other services will be made available efficiently.&nbsp;

But the spread of the internet comes with online security and cybercrimes, and in order to tackle such threats, there's a need to establish measures and regulations.&nbsp;

Hence, India is planning to enforce Digital India Act (currently a draft), which will seek to ensure that the internet in India is open, free from user harm and criminality. It will also look after establishing the institutional mechanism of accountability.&nbsp;

<h2>What is Digital India Act (DIA)?&nbsp;</h2>

DIA has been introduced to replace the Information Technology Act, which came into being in October 2000.&nbsp;

The government said that the Digital India Act, of 2023 is a future-ready legislation that aims to provide a strong legal framework to support India's tech goals.&nbsp;

A statement published by PIB read, "It constitutes a significant part of the Global Standard Cyber laws being formulated by the Narendra Modi Government for catalysing India's digital economy."&nbsp;

The statement also added that Digital Personal Data Protection Bill, the National Data Governance Framework policy, the recent amendments to the IT Rules, and CERT-In guidelines are important elements of this legal framework.&nbsp;

Today, the nation is the world's largest "digitally connected democracy" with 830 million internet users.&nbsp;

The government argues that the internet is mostly managed under the 23-year-old IT Act, which lacks provisions on user rights, trust, and safety, among other issues, and is ill-equipped to deal with emerging, sophisticated forms of cybercrime such as doxxing, cyberstalking, and online trolling, among others.

<h2>Technology has pros and cons&nbsp;</h2>

From the internet to mobile phones to artificial intelligence (AI), several waves in information technology have come with immense benefits for humankind. But there have been associated issues as well.&nbsp;

For example, many hail ChatGPT, and other tools like it, as the "next big thing". ChatGPT is an AI-powered language model, which is capable of generating human-like text based on context and past conversations. It is developed by OpenAI.&nbsp;

Its usage spread like a virus across the world, threatening jobs, and more. But the tool has also been condemned by experts. Recently, US regulators have asked OpenAI how it's addressing the potential for ChatGPT to generate false and misleading statements about real people.&nbsp;

AI-powered tech can help with efficiency and productivity gains, improved speed of business, and more, but there's also a need to establish control over the tech o keep it in check.&nbsp;

The Washington Post reported that the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) sent a letter to OpenAI this week requesting specific information about how the company addresses the potential risk for ChatGPT "to generate statements about real individuals that are false, misleading, disparaging, or harmful."&nbsp;

(With inputs from agencies)

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The Indian government has been aggressively pushing the Digital India framework and forging ahead with the campaign to even the most remote part of the nation. The government aims to improve online infrastructure across the nation and, with better internet connectivity, the government and other services will be made available efficiently.

The Indian government has been aggressively pushing the Digital India framework and forging ahead with the campaign to even the most remote part of the nation. The government aims to improve online infrastructure across the nation and, with better internet connectivity, the government and other services will be made available efficiently. But the spread of the internet comes with online security and cybercrimes, and in order to tackle such threats, there's a need to establish measures and regulations. Hence, India is planning to enforce Digital India Act (currently a draft), which will seek to ensure that the internet in India is open, free from user harm and criminality. It will also look after establishing the institutional mechanism of accountability. What is Digital India Act (DIA)? DIA has been introduced to replace the Information Technology Act, which came into being in October 2000. The government said that the Digital India Act, of 2023 is a future-ready legislation that aims to provide a strong legal framework to support India's tech goals. A statement published by PIB read, "It constitutes a significant part of the Global Standard Cyber laws being formulated by the Narendra Modi Government for catalysing India's digital economy." The statement also added that Digital Personal Data Protection Bill, the National Data Governance Framework policy, the recent amendments to the IT Rules, and CERT-In guidelines are important elements of this legal framework. Today, the nation is the world's largest "digitally connected democracy" with 830 million internet users. The government argues that the internet is mostly managed under the 23-year-old IT Act, which lacks provisions on user rights, trust, and safety, among other issues, and is ill-equipped to deal with emerging, sophisticated forms of cybercrime such as doxxing, cyberstalking, and online trolling, among others. Technology has pros and cons From the internet to mobile phones to artificial intelligence (AI), several waves in information technology have come with immense benefits for humankind. But there have been associated issues as well. For example, many hail ChatGPT, and other tools like it, as the "next big thing". ChatGPT is an AI-powered language model, which is capable of generating human-like text based on context and past conversations. It is developed by OpenAI. Its usage spread like a virus across the world, threatening jobs, and more. But the tool has also been condemned by experts. Recently, US regulators have asked OpenAI how it's addressing the potential for ChatGPT to generate false and misleading statements about real people. AI-powered tech can help with efficiency and productivity gains, improved speed of business, and more, but there's also a need to establish control over the tech o keep it in check. The Washington Post reported that the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) sent a letter to OpenAI this week requesting specific information about how the company addresses the potential risk for ChatGPT "to generate statements about real individuals that are false, misleading, disparaging, or harmful." (With inputs from agencies) WATCH WION LIVE HERE You can now write for wionews.com and be a part of the community. Share your stories and opinions with us here.

'Digital India Act': New Delhi's proposed plan to ensure online safety

UK PM, Rishi Sunak is facing a major backbench rebellion over the government’s plans to prevent harmful material on the internet. Watch this report to know more.

UK PM Rishi Sunak facing major Tory rebellion over internet safety law

Websites publishing pornographic content in the United Kingdon have been mandated to verify the users' age, the government said on Tuesday while unveiling its new online safety rules.

The Department for Digital, Media, Culture and Sport (DCMS) made the announcement to coincide with Safer Internet Day, as it seeks to prevent underage kids from accessing adult content.

Among the methods of age verification include asking a user to furnish their credit card details or confirm their age via a third-party service.

The&nbsp;websites&nbsp;who fail to act could be fined up to 10 per cent of their global turnover, the bill states.

The Online Safety Bill is expected to be introduced to parliament over the next few months and is designed to protect users from harmful content, reports the BBC.

“Parents deserve peace of mind that their children are protected online from seeing things no child should see,” digital economy minister Chris Philp said in a statement.

“We are now strengthening the Online Safety Bill so it applies to all porn sites to ensure we achieve our aim of making the internet a safer place for children,” he added.

The government said that the onus falls on the companies to decide themselves on how to comply with their new legal duty.

“Ofcom may recommend the use of a growing range of age verification technologies available for companies to use that minimise the handling of users’ data,” the government said, adding, “The bill does not mandate the use of specific solutions as it is vital that it is flexible to allow for innovation and the development and use of more effective technology in the future.”

(With inputs from agencies)

Websites publishing pornographic content in the United Kingdon have been mandated to verify the users' age, the government said on Tuesday while unveiling its new online safety rules.

Websites publishing pornographic content in the United Kingdon have been mandated to verify the users' age, the government said on Tuesday while unveiling its new online safety rules. The Department for Digital, Media, Culture and Sport (DCMS) made the announcement to coincide with Safer Internet Day, as it seeks to prevent underage kids from accessing adult content. Among the methods of age verification include asking a user to furnish their credit card details or confirm their age via a third-party service. The websites who fail to act could be fined up to 10 per cent of their global turnover, the bill states. The Online Safety Bill is expected to be introduced to parliament over the next few months and is designed to protect users from harmful content, reports the BBC. “Parents deserve peace of mind that their children are protected online from seeing things no child should see,” digital economy minister Chris Philp said in a statement. “We are now strengthening the Online Safety Bill so it applies to all porn sites to ensure we achieve our aim of making the internet a safer place for children,” he added. The government said that the onus falls on the companies to decide themselves on how to comply with their new legal duty. “Ofcom may recommend the use of a growing range of age verification technologies available for companies to use that minimise the handling of users’ data,” the government said, adding, “The bill does not mandate the use of specific solutions as it is vital that it is flexible to allow for innovation and the development and use of more effective technology in the future.” (With inputs from agencies)

Pornography websites in UK will now have to check users' age using credit cards

Gravitas Plus: Is your child safe online? Do you know who they're interacting with? Do you know what information they're giving away? The Internet can be an unsafe neighbourhood. Palki Sharma tells you how you can protect your child.

Gravitas Plus: Protect your children from online predators | WION

Facebook&rsquo;s latest attempt to tackle the non-consensual sharing of sexual pictures (often known as &ldquo;revenge porn&rdquo;) appeared so wrong-headed that at first, it seemed like a joke. But the social network has made clear its system of asking users to send in explicit images that they don&rsquo;t want to appear on the site is a real pilot programme being tested in Australia.

Facebook&rsquo;s motivation is right and proper: To help women (and men) worried that their ex-partners may shame or manipulate them by uploading sexual images taken during the relationship. This unwanted sharing can have devastating consequences. Even the threat that the images could be shared can be used by controlling, violent abusers to force their victims into line, as has been recognised by a new Scottish law to criminalise this.

To prevent people falling victim to this practice, users are urged to use Facebook&rsquo;s Messenger app to send themselves any pictures at risk of being shared. Facebook will then &ldquo;hash&rdquo; the image, creating a numerical fingerprint of it. The picture itself can then be deleted and Facebook has said images will not be stored permanently on their servers. When another Facebook user uploads a picture, it will be run through the database of hashes. If it matches an image in the database, it will be blocked and cannot be posted or shared on Facebook.

Would this work? If a picture uploaded by a vengeful ex is identical to the one uploaded by their frightened victim then yes, it will be blocked. But there is nothing to stop the ex-uploading it to another site and linking to it on Facebook, even if it wouldn&rsquo;t appear on Facebook itself.

But what if the ex-realises why they have been blocked and changes the picture slightly? Hashes work for identical pictures. Alex Stamos, chief security officer for Facebook, said that simple changes like re-sizing should not fool the hash. It&rsquo;s not clear whether cropping it, adding a filter or scribbling on the background will create a different hash that will fail to match.

The security implications surrounding this are significant. First, just sending an image is a risk. The user is creating a copy of the photo that could be hacked or intercepted, especially if their phone or computer is stolen. Then there is the possibility of human error by the user. It seems likely at least some people will accidentally send the images to someone else in their contact list instead of to themselves.

Finally, there is the enormous issue of how far we can trust Facebook and its staff. This is a small pilot and is likely to be run to tight standards. But further issues will likely appear if it is scaled up. In order to create a hash, the picture has to be seen by a member of Facebook&rsquo;s staff. Antigone Davis, Facebook&rsquo;s global head of safety, says the images will only be seen by &ldquo;a specially trained representative from our community operations team&rdquo;. Doubtless in the pilot, these people will be well vetted.

But if this was to be rolled out to Facebook&rsquo;s billion-strong community of users, this team would have to be enormously expanded. The mind-bending work of ill-paid, ill-trained and replaceable community moderators has been well documented. These people, tempted by the idea of a first-rung on a career as a fashionable company, can be traumatised by the endless viewing of horrific pictures of animal cruelty, car crashes and sexual violence, and often burn out within months.

Can Facebook guarantee that these photos, trustingly uploaded by desperate people trying to break free from damaging relationships, will only be seen by responsible staff? Or will they, over time, be farmed out to subcontractors, trainees and people who are themselves damaged by constant exposure to violence and sex online. However good Facebook&rsquo;s own security is, there would be little to stop a disgruntled, bored or malicious employee simply taking pictures of their screen with their phone and uploading them to another site.

Then there is the corporation itself. The company has a long history of controversial changes to its terms and conditions, including how they use and retain users&rsquo; data, even after people have quit the platform. They have fought court cases brought by revenge porn victims who feel failed by the system, in one case by a British 14-year-old.

This is a well-meaning initiative, but it&rsquo;s just not clear that we can trust this commercial organisation to make the right decisions about how they hold this most sensitive data. Stamos has complained that the company gets criticised for imperfect solutions. It&rsquo;s true that partial solutions are better than none, and those pre-emptive solutions are better than clean-ups when the damage is done. But this is a solution that carries its own risk.

This article was originally published on <a href="http://theconversation.com" rel="nofollow" target="blank">The Conversation</a>. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/facebook-wants-your-nude-photos-to-prevent-revenge-porn-heres-why-you-should-be-sceptical-87390" rel="nofollow" target="blank">original article</a>.

Image Credit:&nbsp;Shutterstock

Facebook attempts to tackle the non-consensual sharing of sexual pictures but it appears to be an imperfect solution

Facebook’s latest attempt to tackle the non-consensual sharing of sexual pictures (often known as “revenge porn”) appeared so wrong-headed that at first, it seemed like a joke. But the social network has made clear its system of asking users to send in explicit images that they don’t want to appear on the site is a real pilot programme being tested in Australia. Facebook’s motivation is right and proper: To help women (and men) worried that their ex-partners may shame or manipulate them by uploading sexual images taken during the relationship. This unwanted sharing can have devastating consequences. Even the threat that the images could be shared can be used by controlling, violent abusers to force their victims into line, as has been recognised by a new Scottish law to criminalise this. To prevent people falling victim to this practice, users are urged to use Facebook’s Messenger app to send themselves any pictures at risk of being shared. Facebook will then “hash” the image, creating a numerical fingerprint of it. The picture itself can then be deleted and Facebook has said images will not be stored permanently on their servers. When another Facebook user uploads a picture, it will be run through the database of hashes. If it matches an image in the database, it will be blocked and cannot be posted or shared on Facebook. Would this work? If a picture uploaded by a vengeful ex is identical to the one uploaded by their frightened victim then yes, it will be blocked. But there is nothing to stop the ex-uploading it to another site and linking to it on Facebook, even if it wouldn’t appear on Facebook itself. But what if the ex-realises why they have been blocked and changes the picture slightly? Hashes work for identical pictures. Alex Stamos, chief security officer for Facebook, said that simple changes like re-sizing should not fool the hash. It’s not clear whether cropping it, adding a filter or scribbling on the background will create a different hash that will fail to match. The security implications surrounding this are significant. First, just sending an image is a risk. The user is creating a copy of the photo that could be hacked or intercepted, especially if their phone or computer is stolen. Then there is the possibility of human error by the user. It seems likely at least some people will accidentally send the images to someone else in their contact list instead of to themselves. Finally, there is the enormous issue of how far we can trust Facebook and its staff. This is a small pilot and is likely to be run to tight standards. But further issues will likely appear if it is scaled up. In order to create a hash, the picture has to be seen by a member of Facebook’s staff. Antigone Davis, Facebook’s global head of safety, says the images will only be seen by “a specially trained representative from our community operations team”. Doubtless in the pilot, these people will be well vetted. But if this was to be rolled out to Facebook’s billion-strong community of users, this team would have to be enormously expanded. The mind-bending work of ill-paid, ill-trained and replaceable community moderators has been well documented. These people, tempted by the idea of a first-rung on a career as a fashionable company, can be traumatised by the endless viewing of horrific pictures of animal cruelty, car crashes and sexual violence, and often burn out within months. Can Facebook guarantee that these photos, trustingly uploaded by desperate people trying to break free from damaging relationships, will only be seen by responsible staff? Or will they, over time, be farmed out to subcontractors, trainees and people who are themselves damaged by constant exposure to violence and sex online. However good Facebook’s own security is, there would be little to stop a disgruntled, bored or malicious employee simply taking pictures of their screen with their phone and uploading them to another site. Then there is the corporation itself. The company has a long history of controversial changes to its terms and conditions, including how they use and retain users’ data, even after people have quit the platform. They have fought court cases brought by revenge porn victims who feel failed by the system, in one case by a British 14-year-old. This is a well-meaning initiative, but it’s just not clear that we can trust this commercial organisation to make the right decisions about how they hold this most sensitive data. Stamos has complained that the company gets criticised for imperfect solutions. It’s true that partial solutions are better than none, and those pre-emptive solutions are better than clean-ups when the damage is done. But this is a solution that carries its own risk. This article was originally published on The Conversation. Read the original article. Image Credit: Shutterstock

Facebook wants your nude photos to prevent 'revenge porn' - but be careful

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