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Internet

Internet
The latest news, analysis and opinion on Internet. In-depth analysis, industry insights and expert opinion.
A couple reads using different methods at a Kuala Lumpur Reads event. Photo: Instagram/kualalumpurreads
Malaysia

Malaysian bookshop hits on novel idea to hook readers addicted to ‘brain rot’

BookXcess’ ‘Brain Un-Rot Library’ turns 100 books into short TikTok clips similar to the type of videos blamed for wrecking attention span.

Food and Drinks

A shaman told him to quit coffee. Now he runs a successful matcha brand

The Philippines

Philippines weighs social media ban for minors, but will it be enough?

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DeepSeek

‘I no longer knew how to work without it’: DeepSeek outage cuts off millions

Chinese AI start-up restores chatbot service by Monday morning after overnight disruption affects millions of users.

DeepSeek issued fixes between 1am and 9am on Monday. Photo: Xinhua
Indonesia

Indonesia begins social media ban for children under 16

Indonesia is now the first country in Southeast Asia to ban children from having accounts on platforms such as YouTube, TikTok and Facebook.

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Social media

Video | Indonesia bans social media for under 16s

Authorities say the move aims to protect children and young teens against addiction, abuse and exposure to harmful content.

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Hong Kong society

More websites, mobile apps for children collecting personal data: study

Global investigation examined 876 websites and mobile apps designed specifically for children across multiple sectors.

Nearly half of the platforms examined deployed some forms of age assurance, the investigation found. Photo: Winson Wong
Social media

Meta ordered to pay US$375 million in New Mexico child safety trial

Meta said it would challenge the decision after a jury found the social media giant liable for endangering minors.

Malaysia

DarkSword threatens Malaysian iOS users, exposing spread of elite spyware

DarkSword can compromise vulnerable iPhones through hacked legitimate websites and siphon off highly sensitive data, researchers warn.

Sexual harassment and assault

Thousands rally against online sexual violence, pornographic deepfakes in Berlin

The protest highlighted German actress Collien Fernandes, whose ex-partner allegedly created profiles in her name to make contact with men.

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A protester holds a placard that reads “Silence protects abusers” during a rally at Brandenburg Gate in Berlin, Germany on Sunday. Photo: EPA
Hong Kong society

Hospital Authority investigates privacy concerns over doctor’s social media post

Jensen So, a former contestant on reality show King Maker III, posted a viral photo of himself performing resuscitation procedure in hospital.

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The photograph shows several healthcare workers gathered around Jensen So as he performs a medical procedure. Photo: Handout
Hong Kong society

Red faces at bureau after anti-drug advert sends wrong message

Viewed from certain angles, advert appeared to encourage drug use.

Wellness

World’s ‘happiest’ places revealed as social media weighs on us

Heavy social media use is undermining youth well-being in many countries, according to a UN-sponsored report.

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Japan

Will Japan follow Australia’s lead and ban children from social media?

A new panel is studying how prolonged social media exposure affects young people, with youth suicide among issues likely to be addressed.

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A high school girl uses her smartphone in Tokyo, Japan. Photo: AFP
Sexual harassment and assault

Video | Tate brothers party in Hong Kong, sparking controversy

Andrew and Tristan Tate, brothers who are facing rape and human trafficking charges in Romania and the UK, visited Lan Kwai Fong and a restaurant in Causeway Bay.

Online influencer brothers Andrew and Tristan Tate, who both face rape and human-trafficking charges in Romania and the United Kingdom, were reported to have entered Hong Kong over the weekend, sparking a heated discussion online.
OpenClaw

Inside the OpenClaw AI mania in China, as security fears and enthusiasm surge

Appeal of autonomous AI agent spurs rapid adoption across country, from tech pros to retirees seeking a ‘digital staff’, but data wipes mar its rise and trigger warnings.

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Artificial intelligence

OpenClaw frenzy shows hurdles in rewiring China economy

Local governments are proposing incentives for OpenClaw investments even as Beijing seeks to cool adoption of the AI agent.

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Iran

Southeast Asia faces spillover cyber risk from Iran war as ‘blast radius’ widens

Many Asean firms are tied into the global network in the Gulf, Europe and the US, facing the risk of cyberattacks linked to the war.

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A building in Juffair, Manama, Bahrain damaged by an Iranian drone attack seen on March 1. Photo: Reuters
Women and gender

Opinion | To make AI safe, put women and girls at the heart of the technology

From deepfake porn to harassment, digital abuse disproportionately targets women and girls, supercharging the harm.

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Scams and swindles

150,000 Meta accounts shut down in Southeast Asian scam centre crackdown

Meta has also launched protective tools such as Facebook and WhatsApp alerts for suspicious friend requests and activities.

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Artificial intelligence

China issues new safety rules for OpenClaw. Here are the dos and don’ts

Authorities outline six dos and six don’ts for OpenClaw users, warning of risks amid an adoption frenzy.

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OpenClaw has gained global traction for its ability to perform tasks on a user’s behalf, such as organising and responding to emails, drafting work reports and preparing slide decks. Photo: Xinhua
Technology

Opinion | Journalists must confront the real risks of AI: fabricated facts

We don’t trust journalists because they type sentences; we trust journalists because they verify the truth.

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Avoiding AI in news production does not prevent AI-shaped information from reaching the public. Readers encounter such information through search engines, automated summaries and conversational interfaces. Photo: dpa
Vietnam

Why Vietnam’s new AI law makes it proving ground for Southeast Asia

Southeast Asia’s first law on AI could raise the bar from voluntary guidelines to binding legal frameworks across the region, analysts say.

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Indonesia

Indonesia to ban under-16s from ‘high-risk’ social media platforms

Minister Meutya Hafid said the restrictions would protect children from online harms, but experts warned enforcement might prove difficult.

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South Korea

South Korea to finally get fully functioning Google Maps

The move will appease Washington that has urged security-conscious Seoul to tackle what it says is discrimination against US tech companies.

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A woman poses for photographs from an observation deck at N Seoul Tower in Seoul, South Korea. South Korea had shot down Google’s previous bids in 2007 and 2016 to be allowed to export the data, citing the risks that information ‌about sensitive military and security facilities could be exposed. Photo: Reuters
Google

Video | Google finally allowed to export South Korea map data

Google must process map data on locally based servers and can only export data that have been pre-approved by the government.

People walk past stalls at a street market in Seoul on September 3, 2025. (Photo by ANTHONY WALLACE / AFP)
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Chinese culture

Language Matters | Gen Z loves ‘Chinamaxxing’, but where does ‘maxxing’ come from?

Chinamaxxing, lookmaxxing, moneymaxxing and gymmaxxing might be new terms, but the practice of ‘maxxing’ has been around for a while.

Australia

Australia mulls forcing app stores, search engines to axe unsafe AI services

From March 9, internet services that do not restrict users under 18 from receiving pornography, violence or self-harm content will be fined.

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