#india-internet-blocking

#india-internet-blocking

66% of internet users live where political or social sites are blocked, and 78% are in countries where people have been arrested for online posts. New social media regulations have emerged in dozens of countries in the past year alone.

When Guatemalan computer scientist Luis von Ahn first proposed the idea of "games with a purpose" (GWAPs) in 2004, his goal was to harness human brainpower so that computers could learn from it. His idea was simple: Get humans to solve tasks that are trivial to us but difficult for computers back then, like labeling images, transcribing text or classifying data.

Aylo, the parent company of Pornhub, RedTube, YouPorn and Tube8, has begun limiting access for Australian users, with Pornhub remaining partially accessible and showing only non-explicit content. The restriction comes ahead of new rules introduced by Australia's eSafety Commissioner to reduce children's exposure to harmful material taking effect.

However, even if India is not developing frontier AI models, the summit showed New Delhi wants its voice heard about the impacts of AI on developing countries and on whose terms AI is built and deployed. AI is a transformative power. If directionless, it becomes a disruption; if the right direction is found, it becomes a solution, he said, adding the summit was focused on "how to make AI from machine-centric to human-centric; how to make it sensitive and responsive?"

Recent revelations from news agency Reuters that the US is "developing an online portal that will enable people in Europe and elsewhere to see content banned by their governments including hate speech and terrorist propaganda," as a method to counter what it sees as excessive censorship in other parts of the world is troubling to the EU. Even if the plans appear to have been delayed and detail is thin, the US position is clear.

During the height of Iran's blackout in January, people could still access a platform that, in some senses, was like the internet. Iranians could message family members on a government-monitored app and watch clips of Manchester United on a Farsi-language video-sharing site. They could read state news and use a local navigation service. What they couldn't do was check international headlines about thousands of people being killed by government forces during one of the bloodiest weeks in recent Iranian history.

According to information provided to Reuters, India is considering a new security requirement that could require smartphone manufacturers to share their source code with the state. The proposal is part of a package of 83 security standards designed to strengthen protection against data breaches and fraud. The requirements include that manufacturers must allow Indian authorities to review the source code in special test labs and notify the government before major software updates are released.

India could become the next major test case for age-based social media bans, as states weigh Australia-style restrictions on children's access to platforms amid a growing global regulatory push. The push has begun at the state level, with the western state of Goa becoming the latest to study whether to bar children under 16 from social media platforms. "Australia has brought in a law ensuring a ban on social media for children below the age of 16,"