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EU crackdown on Big Tech comes into effect with changes for users

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EU crackdown on Big Tech comes into effect with changes for users

 Starting Friday, Europeans will see their online life change. People in the 27-nation European Union can alter some of what shows up when they search, scroll and share on the biggest social media platforms like TikTok, Instagram and Facebook and other tech giants like Google and Amazon.

That’s because Big Tech companies, most headquartered in the U.S., are now subject to a pioneering new set of EU digital regulations. The Digital Services Act aims to protect European users when it comes to privacy, transparency and removal of harmful or illegal content.

Here are five things that will change when you sign on:

Automated recommendation systems decide, based on people’s profiles, what they see in their feeds. Those can be switched off.

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Meta, owner of Facebook and Instagram, said users can opt out of its artificial intelligence ranking and recommendation systems that determine which Instagram Reels, Facebook Stories and search results to show. Instead, people can choose to view content only from people they follow, starting with the newest posts.

Search results will be based only on the words they type, not personalized based on a user’s previous activity and interests, Meta President of Global Affairs Nick Clegg said in a blog post.

On TikTok, instead of being shown videos based on what users previously viewed, the “For You” feed will serve up popular videos from their area and around the world.

Turning off recommender systems also means the video-sharing platform’s “Following” and “Friends” feeds will show posts from accounts users follow in chronological order.

Those on Snapchat “can opt out of a personalised content experience.”

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Algorithmic recommendation systems based on user profiles have been blamed for creating so-called filter bubbles and pushing social media users to increasingly extreme posts. The European Commission wants users to have at least one other option for content recommendations that’s not based on profiling.

Users should find it easier to report a post, video or comment that breaks the law or violates a platform’s rules so that it can be reviewed and taken down if required.

TikTok has started giving users an “additional reporting option” for content, including advertising, that they believe is illegal. To pinpoint the problem, people can choose from categories such as hate speech and harassment, suicide and self-harm, misinformation or frauds and scams.

The app by Chinese parent company ByteDance has added a new team of moderators and legal specialists to review videos flagged by users, alongside automated systems and existing moderation teams that already work to identify such material.

Facebook and Instagram’s existing tools for reporting content are “easier for people to access,” said Meta’s Clegg, without providing more details.

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The EU wants platforms to be more transparent about how they operate.

So, TikTok says European users will get more information “about a broader range of content moderation decisions.”

“For example, if we decide a video is ineligible for recommendation because it contains unverified claims about an election that is still unfolding, we will let users know,” TikTok said. “We will also share more detail about these decisions, including whether the action was taken by automated technology, and we will explain how both content creators and those who file a report can appeal a decision.”

Google said it’s “expanding the scope” of its transparency reports by giving more information about how it handles content moderation for more of its services, including Search, Maps, Shopping and Play Store, without providing more details.

The DSA is not just about policing content. It’s also aimed at stopping the flow of counterfeit Gucci handbags, pirated Nike sneakers and other dodgy goods.

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Amazon says it has set up a new channel for reporting suspected illegal products and content and also is providing more publicly available information about third-party merchants.

The online retail giant said it invests “significantly in protecting our store from bad actors, illegal content and in creating a trustworthy shopping experience. We have built on this strong foundation for DSA compliance.”

Online fashion marketplace Zalando is setting up flagging systems, though it downplays the threat posed by its highly curated collection of designer clothes, bags and shoes.

“Customers only see content produced or screened by Zalando,” the German company said. “As a result, we have close to zero risk of illegal content and are therefore in a better position than many other companies when it comes to implementing the DSA changes.”

Brussels wants to crack down on digital ads aimed at children over concerns about privacy and manipulation. Some platforms already started tightening up ahead of Friday’s deadline, even beyond Europe.

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TikTok said in July that it was restricting the types of data used to show ads to teens. Users who are 13 to 17 in the EU, plus Britain, Switzerland, Iceland, Norway and Liechtenstein no longer see ads “based on their activities on or off TikTok.”

It’s doing the same in the U.S. for 13- to 15-year-olds.

Snapchat is restricting personalized and targeted advertising to users under 18.

Meta in February stopped showing Facebook and Instagram users who are 13 to 17 ads based on their activity, such as following certain Instagram posts or Facebook pages. Now, age and location are the only data points advertisers can use to show ads to teens.

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Don’t worry if your Android gets stolen, new Theft Detection Lock comes to rescue

Don’t worry if your Android gets stolen, new Theft Detection Lock comes to rescue

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Don't worry if your Android gets stolen, new Theft Detection Lock comes to rescue

Google revealed plans to introduce a ground-breaking security feature for Android devices: Theft Detection Lock at the Google I/O 2024 developer conference held on Wednesday.

This innovative addition is specifically designed to combat the rising threat of smartphone theft by automatically locking the device when suspicious activity is detected.

Powered by artificial intelligence, Theft Detection Lock utilizes advanced algorithms to identify common motions associated with theft.

For instance, if a device suddenly begins moving rapidly in the opposite direction, indicative of a potential theft scenario, the feature swiftly triggers a screen lock mechanism.

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This proactive measure aims to thwart thieves from easily accessing sensitive user data stored on the device.

In addition to Theft Detection Lock, Google also announced the introduction of an Offline Device Lock feature. This functionality serves as a safeguard against intentional disconnection from the network, a common tactic employed by thieves to bypass security measures.

Instances such as repeated failed authentication attempts will prompt the Offline Device Lock, providing an added layer of protection for users’ devices.

Google revealed plans to enhance device security with measures aimed at preventing remote factory resets initiated by thieves.

Under the forthcoming update, if a thief attempts to reset a stolen device, they will be unable to set it up again without the necessary device or Google account credentials. This strategic move renders stolen devices essentially unsellable, significantly diminishing the incentives for phone theft.

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Tesla must face vehicle owners’ lawsuit over self-driving claims

Tesla must face vehicle owners’ lawsuit over self-driving claims

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Tesla must face vehicle owners' lawsuit over self-driving claims

A U.S. judge on Wednesday rejected Tesla’s bid to dismiss a lawsuit accusing Elon Musk’s electric car company of misleading owners into believing that their vehicles could soon have self-driving capabilities.

The proposed nationwide class action accused Tesla and Musk of having since 2016 falsely advertised Autopilot and other self-driving technology as functional or “just around the corner,” inducing drivers to pay more for their vehicles. 

U.S. District Judge Rita Lin in San Francisco said owners could pursue negligence and fraud-based claims, to the extent they relied on Tesla’s representations regarding vehicles’ hardware and ability to drive coast-to-coast across the U.S.

Without ruling on the merits, Lin said that “if Tesla meant to convey that its hardware was sufficient to reach high or full automation, the plainly alleges sufficient falsity.”

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The judge dismissed some other claims.

Tesla and its lawyers did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Lawyers for Tesla vehicle owners did not immediately respond to similar requests.

The case was led by Thomas LoSavio, a retired California lawyer who said he paid an $8,000 premium in 2017 for Full Self-Driving capabilities on a Tesla Model S, believing it would make driving safer if his reflexes deteriorated as he aged.

LoSavio said he was still waiting for the technology six years later, with Tesla remaining unable “even remotely” to produce a fully self-driving car.

The lawsuit seeks unspecified damages for people who since 2016 bought or leased Tesla vehicles with Autopilot, Enhanced Autopilot and Full Self-Driving features.

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Tesla has for many years faced federal probes into whether its self-driving technology might have contributed to fatal crashes.

Federal prosecutors are separately examining whether Tesla committed securities fraud or wire fraud by misleading investors about its vehicles’ self-driving capabilities, according to three people familiar with the matter.

Tesla has said Autopilot lets vehicles steer, accelerate and brake in their lanes, and Full Self-Driving lets vehicles obey traffic signals and change lanes.

But it had acknowledged that neither technology makes vehicles autonomous, or excuses drivers from paying attention to the roads.

The case is In re Tesla Advanced Driver Assistance Systems Litigation, U.S. District Court, Northern District of California, No. 22-05240.

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Microsoft asks hundreds of China staff to relocate

Microsoft asks hundreds of China staff to relocate

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Microsoft asks hundreds of China staff to relocate

Microsoft is asking about 700 to 800 people in its China-based cloud-computing and artificial-intelligence operations to consider transferring outside the country, the Wall Street Journal reported on Thursday.

The employees, mostly engineers with Chinese nationality, were earlier in the week offered an option to transfer to countries including the U.S., Ireland, Australia and New Zealand, the report said, citing people familiar with the matter.

The move comes amid spiralling US-China relations as the Biden administration cracks down on various sectors of Chinese imports, including electric vehicle (EV) batteries, computer chips and medical products.

A Microsoft spokesperson told the Journal that providing internal opportunities is part of its global business and confirmed the company had shared an optional internal transfer opportunity with a subset of employees. 

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Reuters reported earlier this month that the U.S. Commerce Department is considering a new regulatory push to restrict the export of proprietary or closed source AI models, whose software and the data it is trained on are kept under wraps.

The spokesperson, however, told the newspaper that the company remains committed to the region and will continue to operate in China.

Microsoft didn’t immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment.

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