Team News
Sport news fans
HotNews
Sport news fans
In the rapidly evolving landscape of the digital economy, businesses find themselves traversing uncharted waters, encountering new challenges in the realm of cross-border taxation. This blog sets sail to explore the complexities of cross-border tax challenges in the digital age and how the expertise of an international law firm and international lawyers becomes instrumental in…
Greece’s move against mass tourism and the increasing flow of cruise ships that dock at its shores will be finalized with the imposition of a €20 tax, which will initially apply only to the two islands, Mykonos and Santorini. The plan to impose the tax […]
TikTok made a last-ditch effort in the Supreme Court aimed at stopping the app’s ban that was set to take effect in a few days – but the platform’s arguments may have ‘failed’. Most justices appeared inclined to uphold a federal law that would ban […]
TikTok, Reddit and Imgur are to be investigated by the UK’s data protection watchdog over how they use the personal information of teenage users. The Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) said it wants to look into how video-sharing app TikTok uses information from users aged 13 […]
Technology
Skype – once the dominant video calling service – has announced that it will shut down for good. The service boasted more than 300 million users at its peak, but the most recent figures Microsoft shared were in 2023, when it said it had more […]
Technology
The UK competition watchdog has launched an investigation into tech giant Google. The company is being investigated for whether it has too much power in online search. Google accounts for 90% of online searches in the UK, and the Competition and Markets Authority is looking […]
Technology
Social media company Meta (Facebook, Instagram) has accused the Australian government of rushing to ban social media for under-16s without properly considering the evidence and voices of young people. Australian politicians who backed the world’s first law say it is necessary to ensure another generation […]
TechnologySocial media company Meta (Facebook, Instagram) has accused the Australian government of rushing to ban social media for under-16s without properly considering the evidence and voices of young people.
Australian politicians who backed the world’s first law say it is necessary to ensure another generation of teenagers do not experience “such harmful content” in the years to come.
The ban, passed by Australia’s parliament on Thursday, just days after a day-long inquiry was held to review 15,000 submissions, has already been described as a test case for what other governments are planning to do.
Despite the bill’s passage, politicians did not unanimously support it, with one independent lawmaker calling it “a 1970s solution to a 2024 problem”. Human rights groups and mental health advocates have also warned it could marginalize young Australians.
So far, most social media companies have said they will comply with the ban, failure to do so would result in fines of up to $50 million. But they expressed uncertainty about how it would be implemented and concerns about its potential impact.
“We are concerned about a process that rushed through the legislation without properly considering the evidence the industry is already doing to ensure age-appropriate experiences and young voices,” said a spokesperson for Meta.
Elon Musk, the owner of X, has already criticized the ban and suggested it was “a backdoor way of controlling internet access for all Australians”.
On Friday, Australian government minister Murray Watt said social media companies should take the ban seriously and realize they have an “interest in maintaining their reputation and their social licence”.
“Between those fines and social pressure, we’ll see how the social networks perform – and if they don’t, we have the opportunity to go after them,” he said.
The ban was supported by Australia’s main opposition party. Shadow communications minister David Coleman said its benefits far outweighed the risks.
“What other generation in history has grown up exposed to content as harmful as this? We can turn our eyes away from it and not talk about it, or we can look it in the face and accept it and do something about it,” Coleman said.
Otherwise, the Human Rights Commission warned that the law could infringe on the rights of young people and reduce their ability to participate in society.
Former boxing champion, Mexican Juan Manuel Márquez, has commented on the return of boxing legend Mike Tyson to the ring, who was defeated by Jake Paul, in the match held on Friday at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas. In an interview with ProBoxTV, Márquez expressed […]
Sports USAFormer boxing champion, Mexican Juan Manuel Márquez, has commented on the return of boxing legend Mike Tyson to the ring, who was defeated by Jake Paul, in the match held on Friday at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas.
In an interview with ProBoxTV, Márquez expressed his disappointment that a boxing legend like Tyson is involved in a match with a YouTuber like Paul.
Márquez pointed out that during the match, Tyson had difficulty keeping the pace and in some cases could not coordinate his movements, not even having an effective attack. He admitted that it was surprising that Tyson was not knocked out by Paul, although he had spent 8 whole rounds in the ring. “It was remarkable that Tyson was not knocked out, but to see such a great figure in the sport in this condition, it made me very sad,” Márquez said.
The former boxing champion also expressed respect for what Tyson has given to boxing, but suggested that he should not return to the ring. “He should no longer think about returning to the ring, he should dedicate himself more as a trainer,” Márquez added.
As part of the Digital Markets Act (DMA) regulation, Apple is making some changes to the operating system, and with iOS 18.2, iPhone and iPad users in the European Union will be able to delete the App Store, Safari and other built-in for iOS. It’s […]
TechnologyAs part of the Digital Markets Act (DMA) regulation, Apple is making some changes to the operating system, and with iOS 18.2, iPhone and iPad users in the European Union will be able to delete the App Store, Safari and other built-in for iOS.
It’s already possible to hide some of Apple’s native apps, such as Calculator, Calendar, Music and Notes, and the beta version of iOS 18.2 that reached developers shows that Apple is expanding the list of apps that will be able to be hidden.
Interestingly, this option is currently only available to users located in European Union countries.
The current iOS 18.2 beta software version allows users in the EU to delete the App Store, Camera, Safari, Messages and Photos. With this change, Apple wants to comply with the requirements of the Digital Markets Act, which requires technology companies to make it easy for users to uninstall any app.
In addition to this change, iOS 18.2 adds a new menu for easier setting of default apps, and Image Playground integration, Genmoji, ChatGPT, and Visual Search have also been added for iPhone 16 models.
At the moment, iOS 18.2 beta is only available on devices that are compatible with the Apple Intelligence feature, namely iPhone 15 Pro and later phones or M1 iPad or later tablets.
Imagine some people driving up to a pub in a top-of-the-range sports car – say a £1.5m [€1.8m] Koenigsegg Regera – parking it and slowly getting out of the vehicle. They walk into the pub where you’re drinking and start walking around the patrons, reaching […]
TechnologyImagine some people driving up to a pub in a top-of-the-range sports car – say a £1.5m [€1.8m] Koenigsegg Regera – parking it and slowly getting out of the vehicle. They walk into the pub where you’re drinking and start walking around the patrons, reaching into your pockets in front of everyone, and smiling as they pull out your wallet and empty it of cash and cards.
The not-so-subtle crime stops if you yell and ask what the hell they’re doing. “Sorry for the trouble,” says the pickpocket. “Friend, you have the opportunity to refuse.”
It sounds absurd. However, this seems to be the approach the government is taking to satisfy artificial intelligence (AI) companies. According to the Financial Times, a consultation will soon open that will allow AI companies to collect content from individuals and organizations, unless the latter explicitly refuse the use of their data.
The AI revolution has been as sweeping as it has been rapid. Even if you’re not one of the 200 million people who log into ChatGPT every week, or if you use its generative AI competitors like Claude and Gemini, you’ve undoubtedly interacted with an AI system – whether you know it or not. But AI momentum needs two sources of continuous supply in order to survive and not fizzle out. One is energy – which is why AI companies are getting into the business of buying nuclear power plants. And, the other is data.
Data is essential to AI systems because it helps evolve the ways we interact. If the AI has any “knowledge” – and this is highly debatable, considering that it is really just a pattern-matching machine – then it comes from the data it is trained on.
One study predicts that large language models like ChatGPT will run out of training data by 2026 due to its voracious appetite. However, without that data, the AI revolution may stall. Tech companies know this, which is why they’re signing blanket content licensing deals all over the place. But this creates obstacles, and a sector whose unofficial motto during the last decade has been “act fast and don’t think”, does not like obstacles.
For this reason, they are already trying to push us into a copyright waiver approach where everything we write, post and share is destined to become training data for AI in advance, unless we say no when companies must seek our permission to use our data. We can already see how companies are preparing us for this reality: this week, X began notifying users of a change to its terms and conditions of use that would allow all posts to be used to train Grok, the model Elon Musk’s AI, designed to compete with ChatGPT. Meanwhile, Meta, the company that owns Facebook and Instagram, has made a similar change — resulting in the viral urban legend “Goodbye Meta AI” that supposedly overturns legal agreements.
The reason AI companies want automatic opt-in is clear: if you ask most people if they want anything from the books they write, the music they produce, or the posts and photos they share on social media to be used to train AI, they’ll say no. And then the AI revolution fails. Why governments want to enable such a change in the concept of copyright, which has existed for more than 300 years and been enshrined in law for more than 100 years, is less clear. But, like many things, it seems to be about money.
The government has faced lobbying from big tech companies suggesting this is a requirement to rate their countries as places to invest and share the benefits of AI innovation. A lobbying document written by Google suggested that its support for the automatic inclusion of the entire copyright regime, with the option of opt-out by certain individuals, would “ensure that the UK can be a competitive place to develop and training future AI models”. The government’s proposed framework for the matter, which already establishes opt-out access, is a major win for big tech lobbyists.
Considering the amount of money circulating in the technology sector and the level of investment thrown into AI projects, it’s no surprise that Keir Starmer doesn’t want to miss out on the potential for potential profits. The Government would be remiss if it did not consider how to delight companies as they develop world-changing technology, and make the UK a powerhouse in AI.
But, that is not the answer. Let’s be clear: the proposed UK copyright scheme would effectively allow companies to steal our data – every post we make, every book we write, every song we create – without any consequence. It would require us to sign up to each separate service and tell them no, we don’t want them processing our data and giving us a poor image. Potentially hundreds of them, from large technology companies to small research labs.
Lest we forget, OpenAI – a company now valued at more than $150 billion – is planning to abandon its non-profit founding principles to become a for-profit company. It has more than enough money to pay for the training data, rather than relying on the generosity of the general public. Such companies can certainly afford to put their hands in their pockets, not ours. Therefore, hands off.
LeBron James realized his dream: to play on the same team with his son Bronny. The 39-year-old and the 20-year-old played together for the Los Angeles Lakers in the preseason game against the Phoenix Suns. Although not an official match, the images of father and […]
Sports USALeBron James realized his dream: to play on the same team with his son Bronny.
The 39-year-old and the 20-year-old played together for the Los Angeles Lakers in the preseason game against the Phoenix Suns. Although not an official match, the images of father and son on the same floor, with the same shirt, have gone around the world.
“It was something surreal. I still have to understand what happened,” said LeBron James at the end of the game.
In this second preseason game for the Lakers, LeBron James played, while his son played both friendly games.
LeBron scored 19 points, while his son had none during 13 minutes on the floor. But what remained in history was that finally an image that had never been seen before was seen in American basketball: father and son playing on the same team.
The CIA has reportedly launched a new effort to recruit informants in China, Iran and North Korea, following what it described as successful efforts to recruit Russian nationals. The US spy agency posted instructions on how to safely contact her in Mandarin, Farsi and Korean […]
Politics USAThe CIA has reportedly launched a new effort to recruit informants in China, Iran and North Korea, following what it described as successful efforts to recruit Russian nationals.
The US spy agency posted instructions on how to safely contact her in Mandarin, Farsi and Korean on her social media accounts on X, Facebook, Instagram, Telegram, LinkedIn and on the Dark Web.
“Our efforts on this front have been successful in Russia, and we want to make sure that individuals in other authoritarian regimes know that we are open to work,” the spokesman said, adding that with this step the CIA was adapting to an increase in state repression and surveillance globally.
In a Mandarin dialect video posted on YouTube, which contains only written instructions, the agency advised individuals to contact it through its official website using secure virtual networks.
Liu Pengyu, a Chinese embassy spokesman, accused the US of conducting an “organized and systematic” disinformation campaign against China. He added that “any attempt to drive a wedge between the Chinese people and the Chinese Communist Party will fail.”
The Russian embassy and Iran’s UN mission did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
The CIA’s thirst for intelligence has grown as China expands cooperation with Russia and Iran and flexes its muscle in the region.
The United States is also grappling with Iran’s conflict with Israel, Tehran’s nuclear program, the latter’s growing ties to Russia, and Iran’s support for militant groups that share the same goals.
North Korea’s nuclear weapons program is another target of US intelligence, including the supply of weapons to Moscow from Pyongyang for the war in Ukraine, according to US officials. But Moscow and Pyongyang have rejected such a thing.
The CIA began recruiting Russians in 2022 by posting Russian-language texts on its social media accounts showing how to contact the agency securely, followed by a video released in 2023.
Researchers from the Check Point Research (CPR) team discovered malware hidden in an app on Google Play. That app, WallConnect, had more than 10,000 downloads and stole about $70,000 in cryptocurrency from victims, until Google took it down. The WallConnect app has been on the […]
TechnologyResearchers from the Check Point Research (CPR) team discovered malware hidden in an app on Google Play.
That app, WallConnect, had more than 10,000 downloads and stole about $70,000 in cryptocurrency from victims, until Google took it down. The WallConnect app has been on the Google Play Store since March 2024.
Legitimate WalletConnect was developed to facilitate the connection of decentralized applications (dApps) to crypto wallets. However, WalletConnect has some limitations as not all wallets support it, CPR said.
“Attackers have cleverly exploited the complications of WalletConnect and tricked users into thinking there is an easy solution – a fake WalletConnect app on Google Play,” the researchers said.
When victims download the malicious version, they are asked to link their crypto wallet, which directs them to a malicious website.
“Users must then verify the selected wallet and are asked to authorize certain transactions,” CPR explained.
“Each user action sends encrypted messages to the Command and Control (C&C) server, and the user’s wallet data, blockchain networks, and addresses are retrieved,” it said, among other things.
The malware is designed to grab the most expensive crypto-tokens first, before moving on to others.
“Only 20 users whose money was stolen left negative feedback on Google Play, indicating that there are many victims who may still be unaware of what happened to their money,” CPR warned.
Researchers say at least 150 users were scammed and their total loss exceeds $70,000. Given the difference between the number of victims and dismissals, it is possible that the fraudsters have also artificially inflated the number of dismissals.
Check Point researchers reported the fraudulent app to Google and it was removed from the Google Play Store.
Users should be more careful when linking crypto wallets to a platform or service, and carefully check each transaction before approving it.
Existing laws protecting free speech online are being questioned from across the political spectrum in the United States. VOA correspondent Matt Dibble takes a look at the positions on the issue from Democratic candidate Kamala Harris and Republican Donald Trump. The two main political parties […]
Politics Technology USAExisting laws protecting free speech online are being questioned from across the political spectrum in the United States. VOA correspondent Matt Dibble takes a look at the positions on the issue from Democratic candidate Kamala Harris and Republican Donald Trump. The two main political parties in the United States have different positions on a number of issues, but they agree that social media companies need to change the way they operate. After the presidential election in November, regardless of who wins it, there may be a change in social media laws.
“If we don’t have freedom of speech, we simply don’t have a free country.”
On his website, Republican Donald Trump claims that the right to freedom of expression, guaranteed by the First Amendment of the US Constitution, is being violated by some social media companies. After the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol, Mr. Trump himself was temporarily banned from posting on several social media platforms.
“After my inauguration as president, I will ask Congress to draft a bill to amend Section 230, removing large online platforms from the business of censorship.”
Section 230, which is part of the 1996 Communications Decency Act, was instrumental in creating the Internet that it is today, says Brandie Nonnecke, director of the Center on Technology Policy at the University of California, Berkeley.
“In effect, this law empowers platforms so that they are able to monitor and remove content without risking being sued. Now we often hear that the First Amendment is being violated by these platforms. However, the First Amendment is about government restrictions on free speech. “Social media platforms are private entities, protected by the First Amendment,” she says.
Previous attempts to revise Article 230 have failed. After Mr. Trump’s Twitter accounts were suspended in 2021, Florida and Texas, two Republican-majority states, passed laws limiting the ability of social media companies to monitor political posts on their platforms.
But those laws were put on hold this year, when the Supreme Court ruled that social media companies have the right to make editorial decisions without government interference. Politicians from Democratic candidate Kamala Harris often accuse social media companies of allowing too much harmful speech on their platforms. In 2022, Vice President Harris created a White House task force to address this problem.
“Hate has become so commonplace online that it’s becoming normalized for society and for users, some of whom might say it’s become inevitable.”
For now, the right of social media companies to control the content on their sites remains in place, but for many politicians and American citizens, this is still an unresolved issue.
YouTube is trying to make it easier for channels to grow their audience with the Hype feature. Shortly after launching a new experience, YouTube announced another feature that is said to help small creators with their visibility in the algorithm. The largest streaming platform, YouTube, […]
TechnologyYouTube is trying to make it easier for channels to grow their audience with the Hype feature.
Shortly after launching a new experience, YouTube announced another feature that is said to help small creators with their visibility in the algorithm.
The largest streaming platform, YouTube, has an extremely high number of creators.But it’s not just the number that’s surprising, it’s the variety of content they produce, from cooking and gaming to music and makeup.
This makes it very difficult to become a well-known YouTube creator with millions of subscribers and even more millions of views per video, foreign media write,Thankfully, YouTube is trying to elevate some of the content that smaller creators publish on its platform.
Hype is a brand new feature that aims to help YouTube channels grow by connecting them with new audiences.
Hype can be used by fans on videos that have been published for less than 7 days.
It is also important to note that only videos published by creators who have under 500,000 subscribers can be advertised.
The more advertising a video receives, the higher it climbs on the YouTube leaderboard of the 100 most advertised videos of the week.
It is reported that in the future, YouTube will allow fans to buy additional ads, thus unlocking another revenue stream for creators.
According to the app, in the first four weeks of beta tests in Turkey, Taiwan and Brazil, users accessed more than 5 million times in more than 50,000 unique channels.
It’s unclear when exactly the new feature will be available to everyone, but YouTube says it plans to expand into new markets based on what it learned from its beta tests in the three countries.
Facebook owner Meta says it is banning several Russian state media networks, alleging they use deceptive tactics to conduct influence operations and avoid detection on its platforms. “After careful consideration, we expanded our ongoing enforcement against Russian state media. Rossiya Segodnya, RT and other affiliates […]
Breaking News Technology USAFacebook owner Meta says it is banning several Russian state media networks, alleging they use deceptive tactics to conduct influence operations and avoid detection on its platforms.
“After careful consideration, we expanded our ongoing enforcement against Russian state media. Rossiya Segodnya, RT and other affiliates are now banned from our apps globally for foreign interference activity,” Meta said.
The bans are expected to come into force in the coming days. The Russian embassy in Washington, broadcaster RT, formerly Russia Today, and Sputnik news agency owner Rossiya Segodnya did not immediately respond to BBC requests for comment.
Russian state media have come under increased scrutiny over allegations that they have tried to influence politics in Western countries.
Like Facebook, social media giant Meta owns Instagram, WhatsApp and Threads. The move marks an escalation in the world’s largest social media firm’s stance toward Russian state media companies.
Two years ago, Meta took more limited measures to limit the spread of Russian state-controlled media, including banning media outlets from displaying advertisements on its platforms and limiting the reach of their content.
After the start of the war in Ukraine, Meta – like other social media platforms – agreed to requests from the EU, UK and Ukraine to block some Russian state media in those regions.
