In a proposal that could radically alter the internet, the Justice Department is seeking to break up Google — by forcing it to divest the popular Chrome browser — as a way to end its monopoly on search. The DOJ’s request comes after a judge in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia […]

“Stree 2,” already Bollywood’s biggest hit film of the year, and India’s second highest grossing film of 2024, is poised to be joined by one or more sequels, its director Amar Kaushik said on Wednesday. Kaushik was speaking at a Knowledge Series seminar which is part of the Film Bazaar project market that sits alongside […]

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The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau said Thursday it finalized a rule giving itself the authority to regulate big tech firms in much the same way the consumer watchdog oversees major banks. The largest payment apps now process over 13 billion consumer transactions annually, the CFPB said. The CFPB is trying to tackle its priorities before President-elect Trump takes office in January.

In a modern world where work creeps further and further into one’s personal life, eating away at time and energy alike, it is a familiar feeling to realize you don’t have as much time as you would like for a partner. Chinese director Chouwa Liang currently feels that pressure, although her partner’s notion of time […]

Spike Lee will preside over the jury of the fourth edition of Saudi Arabia’s Red Sea Film Festival. “Looking towards our fourth edition, we’re honored to welcome the legendary Spike Lee as our president of jury for the festival this year,” said Jomana Al Rashid, chairwoman of the Red Sea Film Foundation, in an announcement […]

Dutch documentarians Peter Lataster and Petra Lataster-Czisch are veterans on their home turf of the International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam — where they won Best Dutch Film in 2014 and 2022 — but this year brought a career highlight for the renowned duo: introducing their latest doc “All Is Well” at the beautiful Tuschinski cinema […]

MELBOURNE — Australia’s communications minister introduced a world-first law into Parliament on Thursday that would ban children under 16 from social media, saying online safety was one of parents’ toughest challenges.

Michelle Rowland said TikTok, Facebook, Snapchat, Reddit, X and Instagram were among the platforms that would face fines of up to 50 million Australian dollars ($33 million) for systemic failures to prevent young children from holding accounts.

“This bill seeks to set a new normative value in society that accessing social media is not the defining feature of growing up in Australia,” Rowland told Parliament.

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“There is wide acknowledgement that something must be done in the immediate term to help prevent young teens and children from being exposed to streams of content unfiltered and infinite,” she added.

X owner Elon Musk warned that Australia intended to go further, posting on his platform: “Seems like a backdoor way to control access to the Internet by all Australians.”

The bill has wide political support. After it becomes law, the platforms would have one year to work out how to implement the age restriction.

“For too many young Australians, social media can be harmful,” Rowland said. “Almost two-thirds of 14- to 17-years-old Australians have viewed extremely harmful content online including drug abuse, suicide or self-harm as well as violent material. One quarter have been exposed to content promoting unsafe eating habits.”

Government research found that 95% of Australian care-givers find online safety to be one of their “toughest parenting challenges,” she said. Social media had a social responsibility and could do better in addressing harms on their platforms, she added.

“This is about protecting young people, not punishing or isolating them, and letting parents know that we’re in their corner when it comes to supporting their children’s health and wellbeing,” Rowland said.

Read More: Teens Are Stuck on Their Screens. Here’s How to Protect Them

Child welfare and internet experts have raised concerns about the ban, including isolating 14- and 15-year-olds from their already established online social networks.

Rowland said there would not be age restrictions placed on messaging services, online games or platforms that substantially support the health and education of users.

“We are not saying risks don’t exist on messaging apps or online gaming. While users can still be exposed to harmful content by other users, they do not face the same algorithmic curation of content and psychological manipulation to encourage near-endless engagement,” she said.

The government announced last week that a consortium led by British company Age Check Certification Scheme has been contracted to examine various technologies to estimate and verify ages.

In addition to removing children under 16 from social media, Australia is also looking for ways to prevent children under 18 from accessing online pornography, a government statement said.

Age Check Certification Scheme’s chief executive Tony Allen said Monday the technologies being considered included age estimation and age inference. Inference involves establishing a series of facts about individuals that point to them being at least a certain age.

Rowland said the platforms would also face fines of up to AU$50 million ($33 million) if they misused personal information of users gained for age-assurance purposes.

Information used for age assurances must be destroyed after serving that purpose unless the user consents to it being kept, she said.

Digital Industry Group Inc., an advocate for the digital industry in Australia, said with Parliament expected to vote on the bill next week, there might not be time for “meaningful consultation on the details of the globally unprecedented legislation.”

“Mainstream digital platforms have strict measures in place to keep young people safe, and a ban could push young people on to darker, less safe online spaces that don’t have safety guardrails,” DIGI managing director Sunita Bose said in a statement. “A blunt ban doesn’t encourage companies to continually improve safety because the focus is on keeping teenagers off the service, rather than keeping them safe when they’re on it.”

Find insight on Weibo, Microsoft and more in the latest Market Talks covering technology, media and telecom

As critical industries adopt technologies that rely on video, analytics and cloud delivered software solutions, there will also need to be increased scrutiny.

European natural-gas prices were at their highest level of the year, boosted by growing geopolitical risks and higher demand, with market concerns driven by Russia’s increased attacks against Ukrainian energy infrastructure.

Boohoo said Mahmud Kamani would move aside as chairman on the same day that Frasers called for his removal, the latest twist in a spat between the online fashion company and its majority shareholder.

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The miner said its chief executive and two employees have been released from detention in Mali, ending a standoff that raised concerns about a resurgence in resource nationalism as gold prices hover near record highs.

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The sneaker and fashion retailer trimmed its outlook after alerting of trading volatility due to higher promotional activity and mild weather in key markets.

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The pharma company raised its guidance on revenue growth from its key treatments and expected drug launches, and now anticipates annual currency-adjusted sales to grow by 6% through 2028.

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The private banking group reported an increase in assets under management as inflows of money from clients in key markets accelerated from the midyear point.

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The insurer said it was targeting annual core earnings growth of more than 9% as part of its new three-year plan to 2027, after benefiting from a better-than-anticipated market.

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