https://www.scmp.com/rss/39889/feed en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com Resty Woro Yuniar Resty Woro Yuniar Indonesia, already leading Southeast Asia’s push to keep children off risky digital platforms with an under-16 social media ban, now wants to extend those protections to e-commerce after officials said young people had become victims of online scams and unsupervised digital spending. The plan has drawn support from child psychologists, who warn of impulsive consumption among young users. However, it also presents e-commerce companies with a difficult compliance test: building age-verification... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/lifestyle-culture/article/3353440/why-indonesia-expanding-under-16-social-media-ban-e-commerce?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/lifestyle-culture/article/3353440/why-indonesia-expanding-under-16-social-media-ban-e-commerce?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 13 May 2026 10:00:33 +0000 Ben Young Ben Young For ultra-high-net-worth individuals (UHNWIs), health and wellness has evolved past yearly doctor’s appointments into a live, data-driven system powered by AI and medical-grade wearables. According to Duncan Yu, general manager (Asia) of consumer electronics company Withings, UHNWI health has shifted from reactive treatment to a proactive, data-driven and highly personalised model of monitoring and health management. At the centre of this shift is an infrastructure of AI-powered devices that... https://www.scmp.com/special-reports/special-reports/topics/wealth-healthcare/article/3352694/ai-powered-wearables-revolutionise-health-ultra-wealthy?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/special-reports/special-reports/topics/wealth-healthcare/article/3352694/ai-powered-wearables-revolutionise-health-ultra-wealthy?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 07 May 2026 07:49:16 +0000 Yogi Putranto Yogi Putranto Beneath the surface of the world’s oceans lies an infrastructure so essential, modern life would stall without it – yet so invisible it rarely enters public debate. Submarine cables, slender fibre-optic systems laid across the seabed, carry over 95 per cent of global internet traffic, transmitting the data that underpins financial markets, diplomatic exchanges and everyday communication. What appears to be neutral infrastructure is, in fact, a deeply political system – one that exposes a... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/asia-opinion/article/3352215/power-flows-through-submarine-cables-law-sea-must-evolve?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/asia-opinion/article/3352215/power-flows-through-submarine-cables-law-sea-must-evolve?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 06 May 2026 12:52:34 +0000 Reuters Reuters A trial beginning ⁠in New Mexico on Monday could prompt a judge to order sweeping changes ⁠to how Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp operate – a move Meta Platforms has warned could force it to withdraw from the state. The case, which will be tried before a judge in Santa Fe, stems from a lawsuit filed by New Mexico Attorney General Raúl Torrez, a Democrat, accusing the social media giant of designing its products to addict young users and failing to protect children from sexual exploitation on... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3352224/new-mexico-trial-citing-public-nuisance-laws-against-meta-social-platforms?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3352224/new-mexico-trial-citing-public-nuisance-laws-against-meta-social-platforms?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 02 May 2026 10:31:24 +0000 Reuters Reuters The Paris prosecutor’s office has opened an ⁠investigation into ⁠a 15-year-old, suspected of having ⁠hacked the country’s ID agency and trying to sell the data of millions of French people on the dark web this month, it said on Thursday. The teenager, whose identity ‌was not revealed, was detained on April 25 and held in police custody for questioning after he was suspected of hiding behind the nickname “breach3d”, a hacker who had put on sale on hacker forums between 12 million and 18 million... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3352075/france-probes-teenage-suspect-massive-id-data-breach?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3352075/france-probes-teenage-suspect-massive-id-data-breach?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 30 Apr 2026 14:27:38 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press Roblox, a gaming platform popular with kids, announced Thursday that children under 16 in Indonesia will be required to undergo facial scans to verify their age to comply with new restrictions on minors’ use of social media and digital platforms in the country. Nicky Jackson Colaco, Roblox’s vice-president and global head of public policy, announced the changes in a press conference in Jakarta, describing them among the strictest that the company has implemented anywhere in the world. She said... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3352066/gaming-platform-roblox-require-facial-scans-users-under-16-indonesia?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3352066/gaming-platform-roblox-require-facial-scans-users-under-16-indonesia?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 30 Apr 2026 13:00:28 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse Sweden’s government said on Wednesday it planned to introduce legislation requiring social media platforms like TikTok and Snapchat to take down criminal gangs’ ‘murder adverts’ within an hour or face hefty fines. Criminal gangs active in Sweden increasingly use social media to recruit people to commit murders and other violent acts amid a surge in “crime as a service”. The recruits are often children under the age of 15, Sweden’s age of criminal responsibility, meaning the youngsters cannot be... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3351902/sweden-targets-social-media-giants-over-murder-adverts-recruiting-children?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3351902/sweden-targets-social-media-giants-over-murder-adverts-recruiting-children?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 29 Apr 2026 15:42:19 +0000 Xinyi Wu Xinyi Wu China has vowed to better protect the country’s vast gig-economy workforce, as an economic slowdown leads millions of people to sign up for delivery, ride-hailing and other informal jobs on online platforms. The 12-point plan – issued by the State Council, China’s cabinet, and the Communist Party’s powerful Central Committee – pledges stronger labour protections for “new employment groups”, or gig workers, across a number of areas. The document calls for timely and fair wage payments, a stronger... https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3351571/china-outlines-new-labour-protection-plan-nations-200-million-gig-workers?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3351571/china-outlines-new-labour-protection-plan-nations-200-million-gig-workers?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 27 Apr 2026 12:00:10 +0000 Vincent Chow Vincent Chow In the third of a three-part series on Anthropic’s powerful Mythos AI model, we look at how China is responding to the growing threat of AI-powered cyberattacks and what it means for the country’s cybersecurity. China is not immune to any fallout that might result from AI-powered cyberattacks, according to experts, although a sense of panic may not be as high due to the country’s strict scrutiny of its artificial intelligence industry. In the weeks since US start-up Anthropic announced its new... https://www.scmp.com/tech/article/3351485/scepticism-concern-mythos-panic-slowly-starting-reach-china?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/article/3351485/scepticism-concern-mythos-panic-slowly-starting-reach-china?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 27 Apr 2026 02:00:31 +0000 Meredith Chen Meredith Chen When US special forces raided Caracas and abducted president Nicolas Maduro and his wife in early January, the Venezuelan capital was hit by widespread power outages and communication blackouts. Yet, within hours of the attacks, connectivity began to return – not from paralysed ground infrastructure, but from space. Elon Musk’s Starlink, a subsidiary of SpaceX, activated communications services across Venezuela via its vast constellation of low Earth orbit (LEO) satellites on terminals residents... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3351345/will-future-world-order-be-determined-who-controls-low-earth-orbit?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3351345/will-future-world-order-be-determined-who-controls-low-earth-orbit?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 25 Apr 2026 14:00:09 +0000 Ben Jiang Ben Jiang China’s top market regulator will launch a six-month crackdown on the country’s internet advertising sector, targeting malpractices including the misuse of artificial intelligence, in what it described as its first campaign to clean up the broader online advertising ecosystem. The State Administration for Market Regulation (SAMR) said on Thursday that the campaign comes as new risks – from AI misuse to traffic-driven marketing tactics – emerge alongside long-standing issues, even as data and... https://www.scmp.com/tech/article/3351202/beijing-moves-clean-online-ad-ecosystem-first-its-kind-campaign?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/article/3351202/beijing-moves-clean-online-ad-ecosystem-first-its-kind-campaign?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 23 Apr 2026 13:03:24 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press Turkish lawmakers passed a bill late on Wednesday that includes restricting access to social media platforms for children under 15, state media reported. The legislation is the latest in a global trend to protect young people from dangerous online activity. Its passage comes a week after a 14-year-old boy killed nine students and a teacher at a middle school in Kahramanmaras, southern Turkey, in a gun attack. Police are investigating the online activity of the perpetrator, who also died, in a... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3351147/turkey-passes-bill-restrict-social-media-access-under-15s?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3351147/turkey-passes-bill-restrict-social-media-access-under-15s?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 23 Apr 2026 08:59:42 +0000 Fiona Sun Fiona Sun A data breach at Yau Yat Chuen Garden City Club has compromised the personal information of more than 9,000 people, Hong Kong’s privacy watchdog has found, urging organisations to review security measures and update software to close loopholes. The Office of the Privacy Commissioner for Personal Data on Thursday also released a guide for parents and teachers to safeguard children’s online privacy amid increasing risks facing youngsters online. Revealing the data breach, Privacy Commissioner for... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3351143/personal-info-9045-people-compromised-hong-kong-private-club-data-breach?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3351143/personal-info-9045-people-compromised-hong-kong-private-club-data-breach?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 23 Apr 2026 08:41:48 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse Nepal’s home minister stepped down on Wednesday over growing criticism of his finances after less than a month in office he won on an anti-corruption platform. Sudan Gurung, a key figure in the Gen-Z protests last September that toppled Nepal’s previous government, said he was stepping down to ensure a “fair investigation”. “I have resigned from the position of Home Minister with effect from today,” the 38-year-old posted on his social media accounts. “For me, morality is greater than a position... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/south-asia/article/3351038/nepal-minister-quits-amid-financial-scrutiny-after-just-weeks-office?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/south-asia/article/3351038/nepal-minister-quits-amid-financial-scrutiny-after-just-weeks-office?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 22 Apr 2026 12:13:34 +0000 Tribune News Service Tribune News Service The satirical faux-news site The Onion has signed a new, restructured deal to take over Infowars from conspiracy peddler Alex Jones. Under the new terms, the Onion would license Infowars from Gregory Milligan, the court-appointed manager of the site since August 2025, instead of buying its assets outright for US$1.75 million, as parent company Global Tetrahedron initially tried to do in a 2024 auction. Under the new agreement, submitted Monday to Texas state Judge Maya Guerra Gamble, Global... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3350955/onion-signs-new-deal-take-over-alex-jones-infowars?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3350955/onion-signs-new-deal-take-over-alex-jones-infowars?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 22 Apr 2026 04:27:15 +0000 Iman Muttaqin Yusof Iman Muttaqin Yusof In Malaysia, artificial intelligence is already causing harm to content creators through deepfake nudes, cloned voices, scam advertisements and stolen likenesses, experts have warned. They shared the view at the Freedom Film Network’s second International Conference on Film & Society in Kuala Lumpur on Wednesday, where creators, researchers and advocates from across Southeast Asia gathered under the theme “Cultivating Artistic Freedom in a Volatile World”. Melissa Lim Shi Hui, a lawyer and legal... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/lifestyle-culture/article/3350193/malaysias-content-creators-battle-ai-abuse-deepfakes-scam-ads-spread-online?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/lifestyle-culture/article/3350193/malaysias-content-creators-battle-ai-abuse-deepfakes-scam-ads-spread-online?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 15 Apr 2026 11:30:10 +0000 Eunice Xu Eunice Xu China’s internet regulator has introduced new rules for live stream tipping, banning children under eight from the practice and introducing a tiered system for older minors, as part of a broader effort to curb manipulative inducements and irrational spending behaviour. The Cyberspace Administration of China (CAC) announced the live-streaming regulations on Monday after unveiling them on April 4, banning platforms from allowing children under eight to tip content creators. Under a new tiered... https://www.scmp.com/tech/policy/article/3349912/china-curbs-live-stream-tipping-new-rules-protect-minors?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/policy/article/3349912/china-curbs-live-stream-tipping-new-rules-protect-minors?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 13 Apr 2026 10:00:49 +0000 Edith Lin Edith Lin Hong Kong authorities have signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with mainland China’s top internet regulator to promote the digital economy, with the city’s leader pledging to contribute to building a strong technological nation. The MOU was signed on Sunday by Secretary for Innovation, Technology and Industry Sun Dong and Wang Jingtao, deputy director of the Cyberspace Administration of China (CAC), and covers topics including artificial intelligence (AI) promotion, cross-boundary data... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/hong-kong-economy/article/3349815/hong-kong-mainland-china-sign-milestone-mou-promoting-digital-economy?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/hong-kong-economy/article/3349815/hong-kong-mainland-china-sign-milestone-mou-promoting-digital-economy?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 12 Apr 2026 14:18:43 +0000 Wynna Wong Wynna Wong Hong Kong’s public hospital operator has suspended a medical intern and launched an investigation following a complaint that patient information had been exposed on social media, just days after another doctor was dismissed in a separate but similar privacy controversy that triggered citywide concern. The Hospital Authority said on Saturday that the case involved an intern at Princess Margaret Hospital in Kwai Chung, who had since been temporarily taken off clinical duties. “As a provider of... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3349761/medical-intern-suspended-after-complaint-over-patient-data-social-media-post?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3349761/medical-intern-suspended-after-complaint-over-patient-data-social-media-post?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 11 Apr 2026 15:51:06 +0000 Coco Feng Coco Feng China’s red-chip structure – long used by internet companies to attract foreign capital while navigating domestic restrictions – is facing renewed scrutiny as regulators tighten oversight of offshore listings. The shift is already reshaping the pipeline for Hong Kong initial public offerings (IPOs), with companies increasingly being encouraged to unwind these structures or justify why they remain necessary. This explainer outlines the reasons behind the policy shift, what it means for tech IPOs,... https://www.scmp.com/tech/article/3349735/what-does-chinas-tightening-grip-red-chip-structures-mean-ipos?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/article/3349735/what-does-chinas-tightening-grip-red-chip-structures-mean-ipos?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 11 Apr 2026 06:37:35 +0000 Wency Chen Wency Chen The latest US restrictions on Chinese telecoms operators could ultimately force them out of the American market, analysts said, marking an escalation in Washington’s multi-year crackdown on Chinese technology. The US Federal Communications Commission (FCC) said on Thursday that it was considering broader measures to bar Chinese telecom carriers from operating data centres in its territory, further restricting Chinese telecoms carriers’ access to US networks and infrastructure. China Mobile,... https://www.scmp.com/tech/tech-trends/article/3349699/china-telecoms-face-us-exit-risk-fcc-deepens-crackdown-data-centres?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/tech-trends/article/3349699/china-telecoms-face-us-exit-risk-fcc-deepens-crackdown-data-centres?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 10 Apr 2026 14:55:29 +0000 Iris Deng Iris Deng Chinese e-commerce and AI giant Alibaba Group Holding has set up a high-level technology committee led by CEO Eddie Wu Yongming, as part of a broader restructuring to sharpen its focus on artificial intelligence amid intensifying competition. The Hangzhou-based company formed the Alibaba Group Technology Committee as part of its efforts to accelerate AI development, according to an internal letter from Wu to staff on Wednesday. Alibaba owns the South China Morning Post. The committee brings... https://www.scmp.com/tech/article/3349428/alibaba-creates-ceo-led-technology-committee-amid-intensifying-ai-race?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/article/3349428/alibaba-creates-ceo-led-technology-committee-amid-intensifying-ai-race?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 08 Apr 2026 13:27:07 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse Iran has freed a Japanese national held since January, Tokyo said on Tuesday, with Kyodo News reporting, however, that the individual is not allowed to leave the Islamic Republic. The Japanese news agency also reported, citing unnamed sources within the government in Tokyo, that the person is believed to be the Tehran bureau chief of broadcaster NHK. “The Japanese embassy in Iran has confirmed that a Japanese national who was detained by Iranian authorities on January 20 was released on April 6... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3349209/japan-confirms-release-second-citizen-held-iran?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3349209/japan-confirms-release-second-citizen-held-iran?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 07 Apr 2026 03:02:27 +0000 Iman Muttaqin Yusof Iman Muttaqin Yusof “You don’t even have to look for it,” nine-year-old Anaqi said of the short videos he watches online. “It just shows up automatically, and it’s super interesting.” That instinctive pull is familiar to his father, Firdaus Omar. The 39-year-old Malaysian civil servant said his two children – Anaqi and his six-year-old brother – could spend hours watching the kind of short, noisy, endlessly recommended clips now commonly dismissed online as “brain rot”. He is worried about the effect of such... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/lifestyle-culture/article/3348957/malaysian-bookshop-hits-novel-idea-bring-back-readers-addicted-brain-rot-clips?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/lifestyle-culture/article/3348957/malaysian-bookshop-hits-novel-idea-bring-back-readers-addicted-brain-rot-clips?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 04 Apr 2026 05:00:11 +0000 Chloe Loung Chloe Loung The story of Rocky’s Matcha begins not with a business plan, but with a shaman. It was the summer of 2020, and the Covid-19 pandemic had brought the world to a halt. At the time, Rocky Xu was working as the global head of brand partnerships for Beats by Dre. He had worked in the corporate world for a long time and, seeking clarity, he enrolled in a 21-day chakra cleanse with a shaman. It was easy enough, but, as Xu was leaving, he was given one final, gutting task. “He hit me with the Steve Jobs... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/food-drink/article/3348660/how-rockys-matcha-founder-built-blossoming-tea-brand-after-being-told-quit-coffee?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/food-drink/article/3348660/how-rockys-matcha-founder-built-blossoming-tea-brand-after-being-told-quit-coffee?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 02 Apr 2026 23:15:07 +0000 Sam Beltran Sam Beltran The Philippines is the latest country to consider banning minors from social media, joining a regional wave led by Australia and Indonesia, but technology analysts warn that restricting access alone will do little to address the platform design flaws that expose young users to harm. Philippine Senator Sherwin Gatchalian on Monday called for legislation to limit minors’ access to social media platforms, days after Indonesia began enforcing a ban on under-16s using “high-risk” platforms such as... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/lifestyle-culture/article/3348837/philippines-weighs-social-media-ban-minors-will-it-be-enough?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/lifestyle-culture/article/3348837/philippines-weighs-social-media-ban-minors-will-it-be-enough?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 02 Apr 2026 12:00:37 +0000 Ben Jiang Ben Jiang Chinese artificial intelligence start-up DeepSeek suffered a prolonged outage overnight that extended into early Monday morning, disrupting service for hundreds of millions of users, according to a company notice and user feedback. The Hangzhou-based AI lab’s namesake chatbot website and app were offline from Sunday evening, with the company continuing to investigate while issuing fixes from between 1am and 9am on Monday, according to service maintenance records the company published online. The... https://www.scmp.com/tech/big-tech/article/3348345/deepseek-outage-leaves-millions-cut-and-sparks-complaints-rivals-gain-ground?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/big-tech/article/3348345/deepseek-outage-leaves-millions-cut-and-sparks-complaints-rivals-gain-ground?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 30 Mar 2026 03:41:43 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press Indonesia on Saturday began implementing a new government regulation approved earlier this month that bans children younger than 16 from access to digital platforms that could expose them to pornography, cyberbullying, online scams and addiction. With the move, Indonesia became the first country in Southeast Asia to ban children from having accounts on YouTube, TikTok, Facebook, Instagram, Threads, X, Bigo Live and Roblox. It follows measures that Australia took last year in a world-first social... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3348232/indonesia-begins-social-media-ban-children-under-16?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3348232/indonesia-begins-social-media-ban-children-under-16?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 28 Mar 2026 05:30:08 +0000 Emily Hung Emily Hung A global investigation involving Hong Kong authorities has found that more websites and mobile apps designed for children are collecting personal data – ranging from phone numbers to addresses – than they did about a decade ago. The 2025 Global Privacy Enforcement Network Sweep, which included the participation of Hong Kong’s Office of the Privacy Commissioner for Personal Data, examined 876 websites and mobile apps specifically designed for children across multiple sectors in early November,... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3347829/more-websites-mobile-apps-children-collecting-personal-data-study-finds?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3347829/more-websites-mobile-apps-children-collecting-personal-data-study-finds?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 25 Mar 2026 06:55:50 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse A New Mexico jury on Tuesday found social media giant Meta liable for endangering children by making them vulnerable to predators on its platforms and other dangers. The verdict came after roughly a day of deliberations following a six-week trial in which the state accused Facebook and Instagram’s parent company of failing to protect minors from sexual abuse, online solicitation and human trafficking. The state had sought the maximum US$2.2 billion in damages, but the jury awarded a lesser... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3347773/meta-ordered-pay-us375-million-over-child-exploitation-and-user-safety-claims?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3347773/meta-ordered-pay-us375-million-over-child-exploitation-and-user-safety-claims?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 24 Mar 2026 22:10:00 +0000 Ushar Daniele Ushar Daniele Malaysian users are among victims targeted by a newly uncovered iPhone spyware operation that researchers say was used by multiple threat actors across countries, in a sign that sophisticated mobile-hacking tools are spreading through a murkier commercial and criminal ecosystem. The spyware, known as DarkSword, was observed targeting entities in Malaysia, Ukraine, Saudi Arabia and Turkey, and was uncovered by investigators shortly after they exposed another exploit kit, Coruna, linked to the... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/lifestyle-culture/article/3347739/iphone-spyware-darksword-hits-malaysia-exposing-spread-sophisticated-hacking-tools?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/lifestyle-culture/article/3347739/iphone-spyware-darksword-hits-malaysia-exposing-spread-sophisticated-hacking-tools?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 24 Mar 2026 12:31:37 +0000 dpa dpa Thousands of demonstrators gathered in Berlin on Sunday to protest against online sexual violence and express solidarity with victims, amid heightened attention after a German celebrity came forward with allegations against a former partner. A newly formed group named Feminist Fight Club! called for protesters to assemble at the Brandenburg Gate amid a controversy over pornographic deepfakes in Germany. People held banners that read “Human rights online too” and “Turn the shame... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3347509/thousands-rally-berlin-against-online-sexual-violence-pornographic-deepfakes?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3347509/thousands-rally-berlin-against-online-sexual-violence-pornographic-deepfakes?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 22 Mar 2026 18:34:24 +0000 Oscar Liu Oscar Liu Hong Kong’s Hospital Authority has launched an investigation into the controversy over a social media image posted by a doctor showing him performing a resuscitation procedure inside a public hospital, sparking outcry over patient privacy and professional ethics. Jensen So, a doctor from the Kowloon West Cluster and a former contestant on ViuTV’s reality talent show King Maker III, posted the image on his Instagram account last Thursday. It has since been widely circulated on another social... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3347463/hospital-authority-investigates-privacy-concerns-over-doctors-social-media-post?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3347463/hospital-authority-investigates-privacy-concerns-over-doctors-social-media-post?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 22 Mar 2026 06:18:23 +0000 Lo Hoi-ying Lo Hoi-ying Hong Kong’s Security Bureau has apologised for an advertising blunder in its anti-drug campaign, after a banner in a railway station appeared to encourage the use of illegal substances when viewed from certain angles. The bureau addressed the issue in a social media post on Friday, a day after an internet user circulated a photo of the poorly placed advert at Tsim Sha Tsui MTR station. The banner was part of the government’s latest anti-drug campaign, featuring one of Hong Kong’s “Four Heavenly... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3347331/red-faces-bureau-after-anti-drug-advert-sends-opposite-message?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3347331/red-faces-bureau-after-anti-drug-advert-sends-opposite-message?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 20 Mar 2026 10:03:46 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press Heavy social media use contributes to a stark decline in well-being among young people, with the effects particularly worrying in teenage girls in English-speaking countries and western Europe according to the World Happiness Report 2026 published on Thursday. The annual report, published by the Wellbeing Research Centre at the University of Oxford, also found that Finland was the happiest land in the world for the ninth year in a row, with other Nordic countries such as Iceland, Denmark, Sweden... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/article/3347092/worlds-happiest-places-revealed-social-media-weighs-us?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/article/3347092/worlds-happiest-places-revealed-social-media-weighs-us?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 19 Mar 2026 02:17:39 +0000 Julian Ryall Julian Ryall A Japanese government agency has opened discussions on imposing a ban on children accessing social media, potentially following Australia’s lead in prohibiting under-16s from the most popular online platforms. Experts say it is far too early to determine whether the Australian experiment is a success and can be replicated in Japan, although there is a widely held belief that more needs to be done to limit the negative consequences of unfettered internet access for young people. In January,... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/lifestyle-culture/article/3346905/will-japan-follow-australias-lead-and-ban-children-social-media?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/lifestyle-culture/article/3346905/will-japan-follow-australias-lead-and-ban-children-social-media?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 18 Mar 2026 00:00:09 +0000 Ben Jiang Ben Jiang By the time software programmer Guo Cancan realised something had gone horribly wrong with OpenClaw – the task-executing AI agent that has ignited a fervour across China – the damage was already done. While on holiday over the Chinese New Year, Guo was tinkering with the autonomous open-source program. When he attempted to resolve an error that it had made, OpenClaw responded by deleting nearly everything on his computer’s D: drive – a major storage partition – wiping out years of personal data... https://www.scmp.com/tech/tech-trends/article/3346513/inside-openclaw-mania-gripping-china-security-fears-surge-alongside-enthusiasm?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/tech-trends/article/3346513/inside-openclaw-mania-gripping-china-security-fears-surge-alongside-enthusiasm?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 13 Mar 2026 22:00:14 +0000 Neil Denslow,Raymond Ma Neil Denslow,Raymond Ma China has issued public guidance on using OpenClaw, and reportedly restricted its use in government agencies, as regulators push back against surging use of the artificial intelligence (AI) agent. Best practices include minimising internet exposure and regularly checking for security updates, China’s top software regulator said on Wednesday. The notice followed two earlier official warnings about OpenClaw, an autonomous AI agent used for tasks such as stock picking, sorting emails and creating... https://www.scmp.com/plus/tech/tech-trends/article/3346356/openclaw-frenzy-shows-hurdles-rewiring-china-economy?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/plus/tech/tech-trends/article/3346356/openclaw-frenzy-shows-hurdles-rewiring-china-economy?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 12 Mar 2026 09:08:29 +0000 Iman Muttaqin Yusof Iman Muttaqin Yusof Southeast Asia is facing a growing cyber spillover risk from the widening US-Israel war with Iran, with security experts warning that state-linked hackers and criminal groups are seeking to exploit turmoil around energy, shipping and banking networks to hit targets far beyond the Middle East. The assessment comes as Iran said it would target economic and banking interests linked to the United States and Israel in the region after an attack on an Iranian bank, while the United Arab Emirates said... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/economics/article/3346342/southeast-asia-faces-spillover-cyber-risk-iran-war-blast-radius-widens?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/economics/article/3346342/southeast-asia-faces-spillover-cyber-risk-iran-war-blast-radius-widens?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 12 Mar 2026 09:00:12 +0000 Clarissa Lui Clarissa Lui In late February, Hong Kong’s Office of the Privacy Commissioner for Personal Data co-signed, alongside 60 overseas organisations, a statement to bring attention to the rising misuse of deepfakes. With rapid technological developments, growing AI integration and lower barriers to access, swift action is needed to safeguard women and girls against growing forms of technology-facilitated violence. Technology-facilitated violence is not new; it has simply evolved. What began as pre-internet... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/hong-kong-opinion/article/3346126/make-ai-safe-put-women-and-girls-heart-technology?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/hong-kong-opinion/article/3346126/make-ai-safe-put-women-and-girls-heart-technology?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 12 Mar 2026 01:30:07 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse Meta disabled more than 150,000 accounts and Thai police arrested 21 people in a sweeping international crackdown on Southeast Asian criminal scam centres that targeted people around the world, the social media giant said on Wednesday. The operation was led by Thailand’s Royal Thai Police Anti-Cyber Scam Centre alongside the FBI and the US Justice Department’s Scam Centre Strike Force, with Meta investigators acting on intelligence shared in real time by law enforcement. Online scam networks –... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3346280/meta-disables-150000-accounts-global-sting-southeast-asian-scam-centres?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3346280/meta-disables-150000-accounts-global-sting-southeast-asian-scam-centres?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 12 Mar 2026 01:12:19 +0000 Coco Feng Coco Feng A unit of China’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) has issued guidelines on best practices and prohibitions for adopting and using OpenClaw, the popular artificial intelligence agent that continues to dominate the market. The advisory, developed in collaboration with AI agent providers, vulnerability platform operators and cybersecurity firms, aims to address risks in typical use cases of “lobster”, OpenClaw’s mascot, according to a Wednesday statement from the MIIT-run... https://www.scmp.com/tech/article/3346269/china-issues-new-safety-rules-openclaw-here-are-dos-and-donts?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/article/3346269/china-issues-new-safety-rules-openclaw-here-are-dos-and-donts?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 11 Mar 2026 15:13:52 +0000 Matt Terrell Matt Terrell Around the world, news organisations are racing to create rules for artificial intelligence. Editors debate whether reporters may use AI to draft text, summarise documents or help in research. Some outlets promise readers they will disclose when a machine helps write an article. Others hope credibility will come from avoiding AI altogether. But this debate begins with a mistaken assumption: that journalism earns trust because journalists physically write the sentences themselves. That has never... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/world-opinion/article/3345269/ai-forcing-journalism-rediscover-what-profession-actually-does?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/world-opinion/article/3345269/ai-forcing-journalism-rediscover-what-profession-actually-does?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 09 Mar 2026 21:30:08 +0000 Sam Beltran Sam Beltran Vietnam’s new law regulating artificial intelligence could become Southeast Asia’s first real test of whether governments in the region are ready to move from voluntary guidelines to binding regulation, a shift analysts say could reshape how companies deploy AI across the region. The legislation, which took effect on Sunday, introduces a risk-tiered model where AI providers – both local organisations and foreign entities with a presence in the country – must classify their systems as low, medium... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/lifestyle-culture/article/3345650/why-vietnams-landmark-ai-law-first-major-regulatory-test-southeast-asia?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/lifestyle-culture/article/3345650/why-vietnams-landmark-ai-law-first-major-regulatory-test-southeast-asia?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 08 Mar 2026 06:00:10 +0000 Resty Woro Yuniar Resty Woro Yuniar Indonesia will begin restricting access to some social media platforms for users under 16 from March 28, marking one of the region’s toughest moves yet to curb children’s exposure to harmful online content. Communications and Digital Affairs Minister Meutya Hafid announced the measure on Friday, saying the government had signed a regulation that would gradually stop children under 16 from holding accounts on platforms deemed “high risk”. Hafid said the rule would apply to platforms such as... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3345763/indonesia-ban-under-16s-high-risk-social-media-platforms?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3345763/indonesia-ban-under-16s-high-risk-social-media-platforms?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 06 Mar 2026 13:00:00 +0000 Reuters Reuters South Korea will soon no longer be one of the few countries where Google Maps does not work properly, after its security-conscious government reversed a two-decade stance to approve the export of high-precision map data to overseas servers. The approval was made “on the condition that strict security requirements are met”, the ‌Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport said in a statement. Those conditions include blurring military and other sensitive security-related facilities, as well as... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3345293/south-korea-finally-get-fully-functioning-google-maps?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3345293/south-korea-finally-get-fully-functioning-google-maps?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 03 Mar 2026 10:44:24 +0000 Lisa Lim Lisa Lim Chinese New Year might soon be concluding, but that doesn’t mean you cannot continue this “very Chinese time” of your life. After all, we are in the thick of a social media trend of “becoming Chinese”, popularised by Gen Z, in which the norms and traditions typically associated with Chinese culture are embraced, particularly by non-Chinese in the West: sipping hot water, wearing house slippers, consuming traditional Chinese medicine, acquiring “made in China” products, practising tai chi … Such... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/chinese-culture/article/3344821/gen-z-loves-chinamaxxing-where-does-maxxing-come?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/chinese-culture/article/3344821/gen-z-loves-chinamaxxing-where-does-maxxing-come?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 02 Mar 2026 03:15:08 +0000 Reuters Reuters Australia’s internet regulator said it might push search engines and app stores to block artificial intelligence services that failed to verify user ages after a review found more than half had not made public any steps to comply by a deadline next week. The warning reflects one of the most aggressive efforts globally to rein in AI companies, which face a growing number of lawsuits for failing to stop – and even encouraging – self-harm or violence, while researchers caution that such platforms... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/australasia/article/3345063/australia-mulls-forcing-app-stores-search-engines-axe-unsafe-ai-services?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/australasia/article/3345063/australia-mulls-forcing-app-stores-search-engines-axe-unsafe-ai-services?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 02 Mar 2026 02:07:45 +0000 Narendra Modi Narendra Modi At a defining moment in human history, the world gathered at the AI Impact Summit 2026 in New Delhi. For us in India, welcoming heads of state, heads of government, delegates and innovators from across the world was a moment of immense pride and joy. India brings scale and energy to everything it does and this summit was no exception. Representatives from over 100 nations came together. Innovators showcased cutting-edge AI products and services. Thousands of young people could be seen in the... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/asia-opinion/article/3344463/how-india-can-lead-charge-inclusive-ai?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/asia-opinion/article/3344463/how-india-can-lead-charge-inclusive-ai?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 25 Feb 2026 21:30:08 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press Are you intimidated by personal finance? Vivian Tu wants to help. Tu is known for her TikTok and Instagram social media accounts “Your Rich BFF”, where she makes entertaining videos about personal finance (BFF stands for “best friend forever”). Topics include negotiating your salary and practical tips for managing credit card debt. Referring to herself as “your favourite Wall Street girly”, Tu has 10 million followers across her social media accounts and has published two personal finance... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/article/3344336/need-help-saving-money-your-rich-bff-tiktoks-vivian-tu-has-tips-and-tricks?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/article/3344336/need-help-saving-money-your-rich-bff-tiktoks-vivian-tu-has-tips-and-tricks?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 24 Feb 2026 11:15:07 +0000