Five EU states to test age verification app to protect children
Empower your mind, elevate your skills
France, Spain, Italy, Denmark and Greece will test a blueprint for an age verification app to protect children online , the European Commission said on Monday, amid growing global concern about the impact of social media on children's mental health.The setup for the age verification app is built on the same technical specifications as the European Digital Identity Wallet which will be rolled out next year. The five countries can customise the model according to their requirements, integrate into a national app or keep it separately.The EU executive also published guidelines for online platforms to take measures to protect minors as part of their compliance with the bloc's Digital Services Act (DSA).The landmark legislation, which became applicable last year, requires Alphabet's Google, Meta Platforms, ByteDance's TikTok and other online companies to do more to tackle illegal and harmful online content.Elon Musk's X, TikTok, Meta's Facebook and Instagram and several adult content websites are currently being investigated by EU regulators on whether they comply with the DSA.EU regulators said the new guidelines would help online platforms to tackle addictive design, cyberbullying, harmful content and unwanted contact from strangers."Platforms have no excuse to be continuing practices that put children at risk," EU tech chief Henna Virkkunen said in a statement.The effect of social media on children's mental health has become a growing global concern, with dozens of U.S. states suing Meta, while Australia last year banned social media for children under 16.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Time of India
27 minutes ago
- Time of India
Markets await US CPI for tariff impact clues amid Trump's trade threats: Peter Cardillo
"The higher end of the tariff scale is just a threat and we just have to wait and see whether or not they will be imposed or whether or not they will have an inflationary impact. But again, they are just negotiating starts and that most nations will work out a deal and whether or not we get 10% or 6% in tariff implementation of tariffs is yet to be seen but some sort of a deal will be worked out. I do not think that Trump will go ahead with these steep tariffs," says Peter Cardillo , Spartan Capital Securities . US President Donald Trump yesterday made some bold comments surrounding Russia. One, he said he is disappointed with Russian President Putin. And he also said that if they do not come out with a deal over the next 50 days, then severe tariffs could be imposed. How do you read this and do you expect the dust to settle down over a period of time? Peter Cardillo: Well, obviously President Trump is imposing steep tariffs, not only is he indicating to Russia that if a deal is not made within 50 days that tariffs will be 100%, but he is doing it with most other countries that letters were sent out. It is just a bargaining point. And of course, in the case of Russia, it might be a little bit different because we are not talking about tariffs on imported goods, but rather on the war factor. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like 5 Books Warren Buffett Wants You to Read In 2025 Blinkist: Warren Buffett's Reading List Undo So, it is a question now whether or not Russia begins to think seriously on ending the war in Ukraine. And so, the more pressure that Trump puts on Russia along with other European nations, the greater the chances of some sort of a truce may happen. And let us not forget something very important that the Russian economy is in dire straits, so he really cannot afford steep tariffs nor can he afford more sanctions. So, there is a possibility that some sort of a truce could happen within the next 50 days. I wanted to understand your view on the tariffs that will be imposed starting August 1st on EU and Mexico as well. You did previously say that tariffs at these levels are unlikely to be implemented, but that August one deadline is looming. So, do you believe a resolution will be out before that or do you think these tariffs will be implemented at these levels? Peter Cardillo: Well, again, if I heard the question correctly because the audio is not that great, the situation with Mexico is like every other nation. However, Mexico did say that they have a contra plan and, of course, we have to see what this contra plan is all about and whether or not the administration accepts it. Live Events I believe there will be a deal with Mexico along with other major nations. It is just a question of what type of a deal. Do I believe that these steep tariffs that President Trump suggests that will be implemented on August 1st go through? I do not think so. They will be much less and then, of course there is the question of whether or not they will be met with a surge in tariff inflation. In fact, today we will be getting some inflation news that is the CPI and there could very well be some hint of whether or not inflation is beginning to emerge from some of the tariffs. But he has also made some comments on tariff on Russia and secondary tariffs on all those countries who buy Russian energy. Do you think that this is merely a threat and Trump is using it as a negotiating tool or perhaps could it translate into something concrete? Peter Cardillo: Well, it is a combination. It is a negotiating tool and it is also a way of Trump trying to bring together this trade war and lessen its burdens and this burden that could have on the global economy . So far, we have not seen any evidence of inflation popping up anywhere. We saw numbers out of India which suggest inflation continues to move lower and it all depends how steep these tariffs are going to be. So, so far, the higher end of the tariff scale is just a threat and we just have to wait and see whether or not they will be imposed or whether or not they will have an inflationary impact. But again, they are just negotiating starts and that most nations will work out a deal and whether or not we get 10% or 6% in tariff implementation of tariffs is yet to be seen but some sort of a deal will be worked out. I do not think that Trump will go ahead with these steep tariffs.
Mint
38 minutes ago
- Mint
Facebook rolls out new rules to curb spam, takes down 10 million fake profiles
Meta has announced that it is cracking down on 'unoriginal' content on Facebook in a bid to 'protect and elevate creators sharing original content'. The move comes shortly after YouTube implemented a similar policy that demonetises content deemed 'repetitious' or 'inauthentic'. In a blog post outlining its new policy, Meta stated that it has launched a long-term initiative to make the Facebook Feed more relevant and to support authentic creators by targeting 'spammy content'. The company noted that it has taken action against 500,000 accounts engaged in spammy behaviour or fake engagement by demoting their comments and reducing the distribution of their content to prevent these accounts from monetising. Meta also revealed that around 10 million impersonator profiles have been removed from Facebook for impersonating large content creators. Facebook defines unoriginal content as content that 'reuses or repurposes another creator's content repeatedly without crediting them'. Meta clarified that it does not intend to cut down on reaction or criticism videos but aims to address the repeated reposting of another creator's content without permission. The company stated that accounts that improperly reuse videos, photos or text posts will lose access to Facebook's monetisation programmes for a period of time and will see reduced distribution on all their shared content. Facebook noted that it has technology that can detect duplicate videos and reduce their distribution. Meta added that reducing the distribution of unoriginal content on the platform should help original creators gain the visibility they deserve. It is also testing a new method to provide proper attribution to creators, including adding links on duplicate videos that direct viewers to the original content. The new changes will roll out on Facebook in the coming months. However, given Meta's history, it would not be surprising if these rules extend to its other platforms, such as Instagram, in the near future.
Business Standard
42 minutes ago
- Business Standard
Wall Street Mixed as Nasdaq Rises, Dow Dips Amid Trump Tariff Threats
Markets remain choppy with Nasdaq edging up and Dow slipping slightly. Trump's proposed 30% tariffs on EU and Mexico spark caution while oil service stocks slide 3%. The Nasdaq is up 33.86 points or 0.2% at 20,619.38, the Dow is down 10.50 points or less than a tenth of a% at 44,361.01 and the S&P 500 1.51 points or less than a tenth of a% at 6,258.24. Wall Street trading remains choppy despite President Trump's threat to impose 30% tariffs on EU and Mexican imports starting August 1st. Trump argued that the U.S. has been exploited in trade for decades, costing trillions. In response, the EU has extended its suspension of countermeasures to allow time for negotiations. Traders remain cautious ahead of key upcoming economic reports. Oil service stocks significantly moved downwards with the Philadelphia Oil Service Index plunging by 3.0%. Oil producer, steel and housing stocks too saw notable weakness while brokerage stocks were visibly strong. Asia-Pacific stocks turned in a mixed performance. Japan's Nikkei 225 Index dipped by 0.3% while China's Shanghai Composite Index rose by 0.3%. The major European markets have also turned mixed on the day while the U.K.'s FTSE 100 Index is up by 0.4%, the French CAC 40 Index is down by 0.4% and the German DAX Index is down by 0.7%. In the bond market, treasuries have shown a lack of direction over the course of the session. Currently, the yield on the benchmark ten-year note, which moves opposite of its price, is up by less than a basis point at 2.73%.
