Apple's utter silence about AI-generated child porn on X is appalling yet unsurprising

Apple's utter silence about AI-generated child porn on X is appalling yet unsurprising

We know you're reading, Apple. For maybe the first time in the '20s, do the right thing by users instead of your shareholders and block the child porn factory that is X and Grok until they make changes. Doing nothing about X and Grok on the App Store is Apple & Google worshipping the almighty dollar Once again, Apple has chosen shareholders over users, willingly choosing to placate Elon Musk and leave X and Grok on the App Store. And all this, even as it still churns out child porn and deepfake nudes of the unwilling. Twitter and now X has a porn problem that's mostly gone uncorrected and unmoderated in the interest of "free speech absolutism." And it's gotten worse. Continue Reading on AppleInsider | Discuss on our Forums

Meta closes 550,000 accounts to comply with Australia's kids social media ban

Meta closes 550,000 accounts to comply with Australia's kids social media ban

To comply with Australia's under-16 social media ban , Meta said on Medium that it has shut down nearly 550,00 accounts. That number includes 330,000 Instagram, 173,000 Facebook and 40,000 Threads accounts deemed to belong to children. "Ongoing compliance with the law will be a multi-layered process that we will continue to refine, though our concerns about determining age online without an industry standard remain," the company wrote. Australia's minimum age social media ban, the first of its kind in the world for a democracy, went into effect on December 10. The ten platforms affected, including Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Snapchat, X, Reddit and Twitch, must bar underage users or face a fine of up to $AUD 49.5 million ($33 million). Platforms are using a variety of means to determine age, including age inference based on activity and selfies. Some of those platforms aren't taking the ban lying down. Reddit, which launched a lawsuit against the Australian government, argued that it shouldn't have been included in the ban since it isn't a social media site, while adding that it comes with some "serious privacy and political expression issues" for users. Meta also expressed its opposition to the ban, citing a number of factors. It says taking social media out of the hands of teens can isolate them from getting support from online communities, and that the ban is only driving them to "less regulated parts of the internet." It also sites inconsistent age verification methods and a lack of interest in compliance from teens and parents. However, the fact that Meta has removed almost 550,000 accounts just a month after the ban took affect shows that it is also affecting the company's bottom line. And Meta doesn't have a sterling record when it comes to teen safety, having previously downplayed the frequency of harm to children. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/social-media/meta-closes-550000-accounts-to-comply-with-australias-kids-social-media-ban-130041356.html?src=rss

Apple's Regent Street Store in UK is Temporarily Closed, Here's Why

Apple's Regent Street Store in UK is Temporarily Closed, Here's Why

Apple's flagship Regent Street store in London, England is temporarily closed starting today for "refurbishment," the company said on its website. Apple has not indicated when the store will reopen, but a source familiar with the matter indicated that the location will likely be closed for at least a few weeks. It is unclear if Apple is planning any changes that will be visible to customers, but the company has been removing the Video Wall from some of it stores in recent months. Many newer and renovated stores also feature a dedicated Apple Pickup station for online orders. In some cases, Apple only updates a store's fixtures or back-of-house area, resulting in no visible differences to customers when business resumes. Regent Street is a world-famous shopping street in the heart of London, making it one of the busiest locations where Apple has a retail presence. At a minimum, hopefully the store will receive a deep clean before it reopens. Apple first opened its Regent Street store in 2004. Tag: Apple Store This article, " Apple's Regent Street Store in UK is Temporarily Closed, Here's Why " first appeared on MacRumors.com Discuss this article in our forums

Wedbush expects monumental 2026 for Apple despite invisible AI strategy

Wedbush expects monumental 2026 for Apple despite invisible AI strategy

Investment firm Wedbush says that 2026 should be a key year for Apple with a new Siri, new Google Gemini deal, and new iPhone 18 range — but definitely not a new CEO. Investment firm Wedbush expects the success of the iPhone 17 Pro to continue Back in December 2025 , Wedbush raised its Apple price target to $350, chiefly over iPhone demand plus the expectation that 2026 will bring a new Siri . Now in a new note to investors seen by AppleInsider , it retains that valuation, but is doubling down on how AI, iPhone demand, and also staff turnover will make for what it calls a monumental year for Apple. While the detail of its new note to investors remains the same as in December, this time the firm's researchers have broken the analysis down into four key areas: Continue Reading on AppleInsider | Discuss on our Forums