An expert in digital forensics and family violence says surveillance by spyware is rare – more often it happens via everyday features such as location sharing * Get our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcast We’re looking for apps I don’t remember downloading, and which platforms can access my smartphone’s camera or microphone; who else can see my calendar, my notes, my emails. We also check the basics: whether my device is actually registered to my name and email address, and whether I have two-factor authentication turned on. Sign up for Guardian Australia’s breaking news email Continue reading...

Change is part of a beta release in Australia that expands on existing detection defaulted for under-13 users Apple is introducing a new feature to iMessage in Australia that will allow children to report nude images and video being sent to them directly to the company, which could then report the messages to police. The change comes as part of Thursday’s beta releases of the new versions of Apple’s operating systems for Australian users. It is an extension of communications safety measures that have been turned on by default since iOS 17 for Apple users under 13 but are available to all users. Under the existing safety features, an iPhone automatically detects images and videos that contain nudity children might receive or attempt to send in iMessage, AirDrop, FaceTime and Photos. The detection happens on devices to protect privacy. Continue reading...

One in four Australians don’t have access to essential technology. The Smith Family says a national device bank could help close the gap * Get our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcast A Westfield shopping centre isn’t an obvious place to get homework done. But for Deborah Botende, it was one of her only options. Botende grew up in foster care in Brisbane and had no internet access at home. Throughout high school, she’d stay back after her retail shift to use the shopping centre’s wifi – completing her schoolwork on a secondhand laptop. Sign up for Guardian Australia’s breaking news email Continue reading...

Asio boss Mike Burgess says social media impact is a ‘step-change’ in the threat posed by extremism * Get our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcast The head of Australia’s peak intelligence agency has warned that people like the Christchurch terrorist are being radicalised on social media, and artificial intelligence is likely to make it much worse. The director general of the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation (Asio), Mike Burgess, told a social media summit in Adelaide on Friday that social media is “both a goldmine and a cesspit” that creates communities and divides them, and the internet was “the world’s most potent incubator of extremism”. Sign up for Guardian Australia’s breaking news email Continue reading...

Meta’s new Fraud Intelligence Reciprocal Exchange (Fire) tool to work with seven banks in a bid to tackle scams * Get our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcast Australians could see fewer deepfake images of celebrities being hauled off in handcuffs, or promoting a fraudulent cryptocurrency investment on Facebook, after Meta launched a new one-stop shop for banks to share information on scams that has blocked 8,000 pages and 9,000 celebrity scams in its first six months of operation. From January to August 2024, Australians reported $43.4m in losses from scams on social media to Scamwatch, with close to $30m relating to fake investment scams. Sign up for Guardian Australia’s breaking news email Continue reading...

Meta says teen accounts will apply to new users under 16 and restrictions will eventually be extended to existing accounts used by teenagers Meta is putting Instagram users under the age of 18 into new “teen accounts” to allow parents greater control over their activities, including the ability to block children from viewing the app at night. In an announcement made a week after the Australian government proposed restricting children from accessing such platforms, Meta says it is launching teen accounts for Instagram that will apply to new users. The setting will then be extended to existing accounts held by teenagers over time. Continue reading...

Consumers are the big losers in a world where top retailers get ‘sweetheart deals’ while small businesses get confused, advocates say * Get our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcast Debit cards have long been promoted as a replacement to cash. But a complicated system of opaque fee charges has created a multi-billion-dollar revenue opportunity for the payments sector and left many consumers paying too much. Continue reading...

Labor ministers hit back at US billionaire, saying he is inconsistent on free speech and calling his comment ‘crackpot stuff’ * Follow our Australia news live blog for latest updates * Get our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcast Elon Musk has called the Australian government “fascists” over new legislation aimed at tackling deliberate lies spread on social media. Social media companies could be fined up to 5% of their annual turnover under the commonwealth’s proposed laws. Sign up for Guardian Australia’s breaking news email Continue reading...

Meta’s director of privacy policy declines to say whether such an option would be offered to Australians in the future * Follow our Australia news live blog for latest updates * Get our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcast Meta is using the public Facebook and Instagram photos and posts of its users to train artificial intelligence and, while European users have been allowed to opt out of the mass-scraping of their content, Australian users do not have that option, a parliamentary committee has heard. The parent company of Facebook and Instagram paused the launch of its AI product in Europe in July due to the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) privacy rules, and as a result of GDPR law. Meta was ordered to stop training its large language model on data from European users on privacy concerns, and Meta has given European users an opt-out option. Sign up for Guardian Australia’s breaking news email Continue reading...

As debate rages around the ethics and legalities of artificial intelligence, artists are exploring the technology’s possibilities – and its precarities Cate Blanchett – beloved thespian, film star and refugee advocate – is standing at a lectern, addressing the European Union parliament. “The future is now,” she says, authoritatively. So far, so normal, until: “But where the fuck are the sex robots?” The footage is from a 2023 address that Blanchett actually gave – but the rest has been made up. Sign up for the fun stuff with our rundown of must-reads, pop culture and tips for the weekend, every Saturday morning Continue reading...