Hacked hospitals, hidden spyware: Iran conflict shows how digital fight is ingrained in warfare
WASHINGTON (AP) — Iran has turned to its cyber operations to make up for its military disadvantages in its conflict with Israel and the U.S. Since the war began last month, hackers supporting Iran have launched thousands of cyberattacks on companies and organizations in both the U.S. and Israel, seeking to undermine the war effort and critical supply chains. Hospitals and health care organizations have been targeted, as well as data centers. Iran is also using artificial intelligence to generate bogus images of the war. These operations haven't yet had a huge impact, but they demonstrate how disinformation, AI and hacking are now ingrained in modern warfare.
Ukrainians chide German defense boss for jibes about 'Lego' drones made by 'housewives'
KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Senior officials in Kyiv are taking a swipe at the head of German defense giant Rheinmetall, whose unflattering comments about Ukrainian drone technology and the role of women in the war against Russia ignited a social media backlash. Rheinmetall AG’s Chairman and CEO Armin Papperger, in comments to The Atlantic magazine published Friday, likened Ukraine’s development of cutting-edge drone expertise as like playing “with Lego” and said the drones are being built by “Ukrainian housewives.” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Monday described Papperger’s remarks as “strange.”
Cambodia advances a scam center law with penalties of up to life in prison
PHNOM PENH, Cambodia (AP) — Cambodia's lawmakers have passed legislation to crack down on online scam centers that have made the country a cybercrime hub. The scams are notorious for swindling huge sums through fake investments and online romance schemes. The justice minister on Monday said many workers are tricked by fake job offers into working at scam centers in conditions of near-slavery. The law sets long prison terms and large fines for running scam operations. There are harsher penalties for cases involving trafficking, violence or death. The legislation awaits Senate review and final approval by the king. Experts are skeptical it can end the criminal practice.
Having a conversation and creating best practices for your child's social media use
BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) — Earlier this week a jury in California this found both Meta and YouTube liable for mental health harms to kids using their services. Child behavioral experts say this news provides a renewed opportunity for parents to have conversations with their kids about social media and figure out the best practices to protect them. Here is guidance from experts on how to approach the topic.
In the wake of US social media verdicts, a look at what limits other countries have imposed for kids
Dual jury verdicts this week have validated longstanding concerns about the dangers of social media for young people. But the U.S. lacks federal regulation that meaningfully addresses these harms. Other countries, meanwhile, have implemented a bevy of restrictions on children’s online activities, ranging from outright social media bans to to requiring younger teens to link their accounts to a parent’s. In 2024, Australia became the first country to kick kids under 16 off social media and other countries have followed suit.
Indonesia starts implementing social media restrictions for children under 16
JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) — Indonesia has begun implementing a new government regulation approved earlier this month that bans children younger than 16 from access to digital platforms that could expose them to pornography, cyberbullying, online scams and addiction. Indonesia has said the measure will be implemented gradually, starting on Saturday. The move makes it the first country in Southeast Asia to ban children under 16 from having accounts on YouTube, TikTok, Facebook, Instagram, Threads, X, Bigo Live and Roblox. It follows measures that Australia took last year in a world-first social media ban for children as part of a push for families to take back power from tech giants and protect their teens.
What to Stream: Two doses of Amanda Seyfried, 'The Housemaid' with Sydney Sweeney and Jon Hamm robs
Amanda Seyfried starring in “The Testament of Ann Lee” and Bravo’s hit reality show “The Valley” returning for Season 3 are some of the new television, films, music and games headed to a device near you. Also among the streaming offerings worth your time for the week of March 30 as selected by The Associated Press’ entertainment journalists: Jon Hamm is back stealing in his Apple TV series “Your Friends & Neighbors,” Sydney Sweeney teams up with Seyfried for the steamy thriller “The Housemaid” and Grammy-nominated country singer Charley Crockett offers his album, “Age of the Ram.”
Yahoo turns to AI-powered answer engine Scout to lead it back to its roots in online search
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Internet trailblazer Yahoo is exploring technology’s next frontier with Scout, an answer engine powered by artificial intelligence. Scout seems insightful, based on its response to a question posed by The Associated Press about why one of Silicon Valley’s brightest stars faded away a decade ago. “Yahoo’s journey illustrates how a company with an early advantage can disappear without continuous innovation,” Scout explained. Scout eventually may see things differently if Yahoo CEO Jim Lanzone can leverage AI to expand upon a worldwide audience of 700 million users that have stuck with the company’s services, despite a history of folly that nearly destroyed a brand once synonymous with the internet.
AI's arrival complicates Big Tech climate goals, and some worry it's locking in more fossil fuels
Tech companies set ambitious climate goals at the start of the decade, promising to slash emissoins that contribute to global warming. Instead, companies' greenhouse gas emissions are spiking as they race to deploy artificial intelligence, building sprawling data centers that use more power than entire cities. They're also using more natural gas, a fossil fuel that in 2024 accounted for more than 40% of electricity powering U.S. data centers. A backlog of projects waiting to connect to power grids, plus the Trump administration's war on renewable energy also are complicating efforts while threatening to prolong the reliance on fossil fuels.
Microsoft takes over a Texas AI data center expansion after OpenAI backs away
Microsoft is taking over a data center construction project in Texas after OpenAI declined to pursue it, in a move that will make the two companies neighbors at one of the nation’s largest complexes for running artificial intelligence. Data center developer Crusoe said Friday it is working with Microsoft to build two new “AI factory” buildings and an on-site power plant in Abilene, Texas, right next to where Crusoe has been building an even larger computing campus for OpenAI and Oracle. OpenAI’s existing project, the flagship of a broader initiative called Stargate, is so massive that President Donald Trump was first to officially announce it just after his inauguration last year.
