Latest news with #securityconcerns
SBS Australia
37 minutes ago
- Business
- SBS Australia
Will the tech behind the teen social media ban work? These questions remain unanswered
Technologies to enforce the Australian government's social media ban for under 16s are "private, robust and effective". That's according to the preliminary findings of a federal government-commissioned trial that has nearly finished testing them. The findings, released on Friday, may give the government greater confidence to forge ahead with the ban, despite a suite of expert criticism. They might also alleviate some of the concerns of the Australian population about privacy and security implications of the ban, which is due to start in December. For example, a report based on a survey of nearly 4,000 people and released by the government earlier this week found nine out of 10 people support the idea of a ban. But it also found a large number of people were "very concerned" about how the ban would be implemented. Nearly 80 per cent of respondents had privacy and security concerns, while roughly half had concerns about age assurance accuracy and government oversight. The trial's preliminary findings paint a rosy picture of the potential for available technologies to check people's ages. However, they contain very little detail about specific technologies, and appear to be at odds with what we know about age-assurance technology from other sources. The social media ban for under-16s was legislated in December 2024. A last-minute amendment to the law requires technology companies to provide "alternative age assurance methods" for account holders to confirm their age, rather than relying only on government-issued ID. The Australian government commissioned an independent trial to evaluate the "effectiveness, maturity, and readiness for use" of these alternative methods. The trial is being led by the Age Check Certification Scheme — a company based in the United Kingdom that specialises in testing and certifying identity verification systems. It includes 53 vendors that offer a range of age assurance technologies to guess people's ages, using techniques such as facial recognition and hand-movement recognition. According to the preliminary findings of the trial, "age assurance can be done in Australia". The trial's project director, Tony Allen, said "there are no significant technological barriers" to assuring people's ages online. He added the solutions are "technically feasible, can be integrated flexibly into existing services and can support the safety and rights of children online". However, these claims are hard to square with other evidence. On Thursday, the ABC reported the trial found face-scanning technologies "repeatedly misidentified" children as young as 15 as being in their 20s and 30s. These tools could only guess children's ages "within an 18-month range in 85 per cent of cases". This means a 14-year-old child might gain access to a social media account, while a 17-year-old might be blocked. This is in line with results of global trials of face-scanning technologies conducted for more than a decade. An ongoing series of studies of age estimation technology by the United States' National Institute of Standards and Technology shows the algorithms "fail significantly when attempting to differentiate minors" of various ages. The tests also show that error rates are higher for young women compared to young men. Error rates are also higher for people with darker skin tones. These studies show that even the best age-estimation software currently available — Yoti — has an average error of 1.0 years. Other software options mistake someone's age by 3.1 years on average. This means, at best, a 16-year-old might be estimated to be 15 or 17 years old; at worst, they could be seen to be 13 or 19 years of age. These error rates mean a significant number of children under 16 could access social media accounts despite a ban being in place, while some over 16 could be blocked. Yoti also explains businesses needing to check exact ages (such as 18) can set higher age thresholds (such as 25), so fewer people under 18 get through the age check. This approach would be similar to that taken in Australia's retail liquor sector, where sales staff verify ID for anyone who appears to be under the age of 25. However, many young people lack the government-issued ID required for an additional age check. It's also worth remembering that in August 2023, the Australian government acknowledged that the age assurance technology market was "immature" and could not yet meet key requirements, such as working reliably without circumvention and balancing privacy and security. We don't yet know exactly what methods platforms will use to verify account holders' ages. While face-scanning technologies are often discussed, they could use other methods to confirm age. The government trial also tested voice and hand movements to guess young people's ages. But those methods also have accuracy issues. And it's not yet clear what recourse people will have if their age is misidentified. Will parents be able to complain if children under 16 gain access to accounts, despite restrictions? Will older Australians who are incorrectly blocked be able to appeal? And if so, to whom? There are other outstanding questions. What's stopping someone who's under 16 from getting someone who is over 16 to set up an account on their behalf? To mitigate this risk, the government might require all social media users to verify their age at regular intervals. It's also unclear what level of age estimation error the government may be willing to accept in implementing a social media ban. The legislation says technology companies must demonstrate they have taken "reasonable steps" to prevent under-16s from holding social media accounts. What is considered "reasonable" is yet to be clearly defined. Australians will have to wait until later this year for the full results of the government's trial to be released, and to know how technology companies will respond. With less than six months until the ban comes into effect, social media users still don't have all the answers they need. Lisa M. Given is a professor of information sciences and director of the Social Change Enabling Impact Platform at RMIT University.
CNA
17 hours ago
- Business
- CNA
EU lawmakers call for tighter controls on foreign ownership of key ports
There are growing calls from European lawmakers to tighten controls on foreign ownership of the bloc's critical transportation infrastructure. Chinese firms own stakes in more than 30 European ports and some EU officials see this is as a security concern. William Denselow reports.
The Guardian
2 days ago
- Politics
- The Guardian
Concerns mount as Brits in Israel told to stay put while embassy families flown out
The UK government removed families of Foreign Office officials from Israel due to security concerns but is continuing to advise British nationals to remain and follow local guidance – prompting questions over whether the approaches are consistent. While the dependents of diplomatic staff were flown out as a 'precautionary measure', with staff remaining at the embassy in Tel Aviv and the consulate in Jerusalem, the broader travel advice has not changed. British nationals currently in Israel are being urged to register their presence online, but are not being advised to leave. Instead they are being told to monitor Israeli government alerts and make individual decisions based on their location and circumstances. Although thousands of people currently in Israel or the occupied Palestinian territories are understood to have registered their presence with the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO), the government has not moved to advise a general departure. Israel and Iran have exchanged fire over the past six days after Israel launched air strikes which it said were aimed at preventing Iran developing a nuclear weapon. Iranian officials insist the country's nuclear programme is peaceful. The disparity in approach has prompted confusion and a growing sense of unfairness, particularly among those questioning why the government acted pre-emptively to protect its own personnel but not ordinary citizens. It is understood that the department believes the two positions are consistent, citing a distinct duty of care to diplomatic staff. The decision to remove family members was based on the view that they are non-essential and more exposed to movement-related risks. For the wider public, the guidance remains to monitor Israeli government alerts and remain close to shelters where advised. Ministers say the overall threat level is being closely monitored, with consular teams deployed across Israel and neighbouring countries. The Foreign Office has said land borders with Jordan and Egypt remain open, and consular teams are in a position to provide assistance to British nationals who choose to leave Israel by land. But officials maintain that the threshold for advising a general departure has not yet been reached, pointing instead to the continued availability of commercial flights and overland border crossings into Egypt and Jordan. The prime minister chaired an emergency Cobra meeting on Wednesday to assess the escalating situation in the Middle East and review contingency planning. A senior government source described the situation as 'grave and volatile', and said ministers were 'working round the clock' with international partners to support de-escalation and keep British nationals safe. 'We want to de-escalate and do our first job – keep British nationals safe,' the source said. More than a thousand people have now registered their presence with the FCDO. Ministers say this does not indicate that assisted departures are being prepared, but that it enables the UK to better assess who is on the ground and what kind of support may be required if the situation worsens. While many of those registered are thought to be dual British-Israeli nationals who may not seek UK consular assistance, a smaller number of people have made active requests for support. The government has deployed extra consular staff to Jordan and Egypt, with rapid deployment teams on standby. For now ministers continue to rely on commercial options and Israeli public safety instructions as the basis of their advice to British nationals – a stance that has prompted unease given the parallel decision to evacuate diplomatic families. Keir Starmer has said that Donald Trump was interested in de-escalation in the Middle East, saying 'nothing' he had heard from the president suggested Washington was poised to get involved. However the US president told reporters outside the White House on Wednesday that he was considering strikes. 'I may do it. I may not do it. I mean, nobody knows what I'm going to do.'
RNZ News
3 days ago
- Politics
- RNZ News
US travel ban: Countries have the right to decide who can cross their borders, Peters says
Photo: RNZ / Samuel Rillstone Winston Peters says countries have the right to choose who enters their borders in response to reports that the Trump administration is planning to impose travel restrictions on three dozen nations, including three in the Pacific. But Labour's deputy leader Carmel Sepuloni says the New Zealand foreign minister should push back on the United States' proposal. Tonga, Tuvalu and Vanuatu have reportedly been included in an expanded proposal of 36 additional countries for which the Trump administration is considering travel restrictions. The cable was first reported by The Washington Post. A State Department spokesperson told the outlet that the agency would not comment on internal deliberations or White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Peters said countries have the right to decide who can cross their borders. "Before we all get offended, we've got the right to decide in New Zealand who comes to our country. So has Australia, so so has the United States," Peters said. He said New Zealand will do its best to address the US security concerns. "We need to do our best to ensure there are no misunderstandings." Peters said US concerns could be over selling citizenship or citizenship-by-investment schemes. Vanuatu runs a "golden passport" scheme where applicants can be granted Vanuatu citizenship for a minimum investment of US$130,000. Peters says citizenship programmes, such as the citizenship-by-investment schemes which allow people to purchase passports, could have concerned the Trump administration. Photo: 123RF Peters said programmes like that could have concerned the Trump administration. "There are certain decisions that have been made, which look innocent, but when they come to an international capacity do not have that effect. "Tuvalu has been selling passports. You see where an made in Tuvalu can lead to the concerns in the United States when it comes to security." However, Sepuloni wants Peters to push back on the US considering travel restrictions for Pacific nations. Labour Party Deputy Leader Carmel Sepuloni. Photo: RNZ / Angus Dreaver Sepuloni said she wants the foreign minister to get a full explanation on the proposed restrictions. "From there, I would expect him to be pushing back on the US and supporting our Pacific nations to be taken off that list," she said. "Their response is 'why us? We're so tiny - what risk do we pose?'" Massey University associate professor in defence and security studies Anna Powles said Vanuatu has appeared on the US' bad side in the past. "Back in March Vanuatu was one of over 40 countries that was reported to be on the immigration watchlist and that related to Vanuatu's golden passport scheme," she said. However, a US spokesperson denied the existence of such a list. "What people are looking not a list that exists here that is being acted on," State Department spokeswoman Tammy Bruce said, according to a transcript of her press briefing provided to BenarNews . "There is a review, as we know, through the president's executive order, for us to look at the nature of what's going to help keep America safer in dealing with the issue of visas and who's allowed into the country." Powles said it is the first time Tonga has been included. "That certainly has raised some concern amongst Tongans because there's a large Tongan diaspora in the United States." She said students studying in the US could be affected; but while there's a degree of bemusement and concern over the issue, there's also a degree of waiting to see how this unfolds. Trump signed a proclamation on 4 June banning the nationals of 12 countries from entering the United States , saying the move was needed to protect against "foreign terrorists" and other security threats.
RNZ News
3 days ago
- Politics
- RNZ News
US travel ban: 'We've got the right to decide who comes to our country', Peters says
Photo: RNZ / Samuel Rillstone Winston Peters says countries have the right to choose who enters their borders in response to reports that the Trump administration is planning to impose travel restrictions on three dozen nations, including three in the Pacific. But Labour's deputy leader Carmel Sepuloni says the New Zealand foreign minister should push back on the United States' proposal. Tonga, Tuvalu and Vanuatu have reportedly been included in an expanded proposal of 36 additional countries for which the Trump administration is considering travel restrictions. The cable was first reported by The Washington Post. A State Department spokesperson told the outlet that the agency would not comment on internal deliberations or White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Peters said countries have the right to decide who can cross their borders. "Before we all get offended, we've got the right to decide in New Zealand who comes to our country. So has Australia, so so has the United States," Peters said. He said New Zealand will do its best to address the US security concerns. "We need to do our best to ensure there are no misunderstandings." Peters said US concerns could be over selling citizenship or citizenship-by-investment schemes. Vanuatu runs a "golden passport" scheme where applicants can be granted Vanuatu citizenship for a minimum investment of US$130,000. Peters says citizenship programmes, such as the citizenship-by-investment schemes which allow people to purchase passports, could have concerned the Trump administration. Photo: 123RF Peters said programmes like that could have concerned the Trump administration. "There are certain decisions that have been made, which look innocent, but when they come to an international capacity do not have that effect. "Tuvalu has been selling passports. You see where an made in Tuvalu can lead to the concerns in the United States when it comes to security." However, Sepuloni wants Peters to push back on the US considering travel restrictions for Pacific nations. Labour Party Deputy Leader Carmel Sepuloni. Photo: RNZ / Angus Dreaver Sepuloni said she wants the foreign minister to get a full explanation on the proposed restrictions. "From there, I would expect him to be pushing back on the US and supporting our Pacific nations to be taken off that list," she said. "Their response is 'why us? We're so tiny - what risk do we pose?'" Massey University associate professor in defence and security studies Anna Powles said Vanuatu has appeared on the US' bad side in the past. "Back in March Vanuatu was one of over 40 countries that was reported to be on the immigration watchlist and that related to Vanuatu's golden passport scheme," she said. However, a US spokesperson denied the existence of such a list. "What people are looking not a list that exists here that is being acted on," State Department spokeswoman Tammy Bruce said, according to a transcript of her press briefing provided to BenarNews . "There is a review, as we know, through the president's executive order, for us to look at the nature of what's going to help keep America safer in dealing with the issue of visas and who's allowed into the country." Powles said it is the first time Tonga has been included. "That certainly has raised some concern amongst Tongans because there's a large Tongan diaspora in the United States." She said students studying in the US could be affected; but while there's a degree of bemusement and concern over the issue, there's also a degree of waiting to see how this unfolds. Trump signed a proclamation on 4 June banning the nationals of 12 countries from entering the United States , saying the move was needed to protect against "foreign terrorists" and other security threats.
