Canada is proposing a social media ban for children and teenagers under the age of 16, mirroring a similar law passed in Australia late last year. But unlike Australia's law, tech firms could sidestep Canada's ban if they demonstrate they have policies to minimise harm to minors. The law includes sweeping measures to regulate AI chatbots and curtail harmful content online. It would create a regulator to ensure tech firms comply. Some free speech groups have warned it would expand censorship.

The Download: online safety's future and climate tech's big pivot Plus: SpaceX has filed for an IPO expected to be the largest ever. For months, the Trump administration has been going after researchers who study and try to counter hate speech, harassment, propaganda, and disinformation online. Now, some of those researchers are fighting back. In a new lawsuit, they're seeking to strike down a visa restriction policy against "foreign officials and other persons" announced last year by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio. They say the policy violates the speech and due process rights of foreign-born workers whose "work supports greater moderation of content on the [tech] platforms. Find out how the case could impact online safety and free speech .

Meta to track workers' clicks and keystrokes to train AI Meta will start tracking the way employees work, including their keystrokes and mouse clicks, to train its artificial intelligence (AI) models. The company, which owns Instagram and Facebook, told workers on Tuesday that a new tool will run on Meta's computers and internal apps, logging their activity to be used as training data for AI technology. A Meta spokesman told the BBC: If we're building agents to help people complete everyday tasks using computers, our models need real examples of how people actually use them. The data is not used for any other purpose, he said, adding that the tool has safeguards in place to protect sensitive content. But one Meta employee, who asked not to be identified, said having their smallest actions on a computer being used to train AI model as workers expect a slew of additional job cuts feels very dystopian.

No online platform will get a free pass on children's safety on the internet in new plans, Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has said. The government is pledging to close loopholes in existing laws designed to protect children online and will consult on a social media ban for under-16s as part of plans for online safety. There are also plans to introduce powers to speedily change the law in response to developing online behaviours, and to update legislation to preserve children's social media and online data - as campaigned for by the group Jools' Law. Opponents accused the government of inaction, and have called for Parliament to be given a vote on the social media ban for children. The government had already said it would launch the public consultation in March, seeking opinions about restricting children's access to AI chatbots and limiting infinite scrolling features for children - also known as doomscrolling.

How have you or someone you know been affected by Grok or other AI tools? Please include as much detail as possible. Do you have any concerns?

Peers voted by 221 to 116 on Wednesday to insist on an amendment to force AI companies to be transparent about what material they use to train their models. He added: "We will not let the government forget their promise to support our creative industries. We will not back down and we will not quietly go away. This is just the beginning." Resistance to the changes in the Lords has been led by Beeban Kidron, a cross-bench peer and film director, whose amendments have been repeatedly backed by the upper chamber.

Most of us have at least one young woman in our lives that we cherish -- a daughter, niece or goddaughter, for example. Well, this International Women's Day, I learned something that should be concerning to us all. Fully 96% of all deepfakes -- artificial intelligence-generated images and videos that use someone's likeness -- are pornographic and target women without their consent. One well-known case involved an Australian law student who discovered that manipulated pornographic images of her were being shared online when she was just 18. But this isn't an isolated incident.

When it comes to maintaining safety online, there are endless things that cross your mind. You need to keep everything secured as a single breach can lead to blunders. Now when it comes to handling your customers' safety and security online, businessmen rely on big data and artificial intelligence blindly. Big data is not a new technology when it comes to advancements in the industry. The latest evolutions help the customers enjoy online safety so that your privacy is not hindered and your clients can rely on you blindly.

This whitepaper aims to connect the emerging technological phenomena of artificial intelligence (AI) and its implications with key actions needed to advance a culture of responsibility online. It is not intended to predict the future, but rather to create a basis for discussion among policymakers, law enforcement, industry, academic institutions, parents, and individuals. Its aim is to help identify and prioritize those actions most likely to promote the kind of future that maximizes digital safety while reaping the rewards of technological advancement. This paper was produced in partnership with FOSI and Kaleido Insights for release at the 2019 FOSI Annual Conference. Download and read the full report.

So, a few months ago, I was walking down the street in Shenzhen, in the Guangdong Province of southeastern China. I was hungry and looking for lunch. Armed with my credit card and plenty of the local currency, I strode out of my hotel to check out the many street vendors selling delicious-smelling food. Using Google Translate, I was able to order a fried fish dish, but when I went to pay, the vendor refused my credit card. Undaunted I pulled out cash, but that too was refused. The guy pointed me to a large QR code and asked me to pay using the WeChat app. As this was my first day in China, I hadn't yet set the app to pay for things, so I walked away, a little embarrassed. Still hungry, I came to a large junction and saw a promising looking restaurant across a busy street.