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The latest news, analysis and opinion on Internet. In-depth analysis, industry insights and expert opinion.
Apple has started offering discounts under the government subsidy scheme through its own domestic retail channels. Photo: Shutterstock
Apple

Apple joins China’s subsidy scheme to lift sales amid heated local competition

Consumers in Beijing and Shanghai can avail themselves of discounts of up to US$278 on select models of Apple devices, including the iPhone.

Crime in Hong Kong

Third of victims of 170 Hong Kong compensated dating, naked chat scams are pupils

Indonesia

Asian Angle | Not-so-rich kid: meet Bobby Saputra, a viral parody of privilege

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Mobile payments

Ant Group pushes wider adoption of AI-enabled smart glasses for mobile payments

The first such payment outside mainland China was recently completed in Hong Kong, using the AlipayHK app and Meizu’s StarV smart glasses.

With mobile payments functionality, AI-powered smart glasses are expected to see increased adoption worldwide. Photo: Handout
JD.com

JD.com founder bets on stablecoins to cut cross-border e-commerce payment costs

‘JD.com intends to secure stablecoin licences across key currency markets globally,’ founder and chairman Richard Liu says.

Wellness

Does too much TikTok and YouTube actually rot your brain? Experts weigh in

Doctors explain how consuming digital ‘junk food’ on social media can affect brain development and whether ‘brain rot’ is real.

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China’s private sector

China internet pioneer urges students to put off graduate school, start-up plans

Sohu.com founder Charles Zhang says college students need to ‘gain some real experience’ by working for a company.

Charles Zhang Chaoyang, the founder, chairman and CEO of Sohu.com. Photo: Shutterstock
Artificial intelligence

How a Chinese AI start-up helps Nike, Gap, Urban Revivo predict fashion trends

Hangzhou Zhiyi Technology’s operations reflect how AI adoption in mainland China is expanding and transforming various industries.

Malaysia

Malaysians demand action against Facebook group exploiting schoolgirls’ images

A social media influencer unmasked the ‘dirty group’ after discovering an old picture of herself in her school uniform posted on the page.

ByteDance

ByteDance’s China head of content quality leaves amid stricter censorship

Li Tong, who led Douyin’s content quality team, is no longer listed in ByteDance’s internal employee system, according to sources.

The building of Douyin Group in Chengdu, Sichuan province, seen on March 11, 2024. Photo: Shutterstock
Malaysia

Malaysia assures users their privacy is protected in mobile data grab

The detailed call and internet logs are supplied without any personal identifiers, communications chief insists.

Malaysian telecoms companies say they have been told to hand over detailed records of phone calls and internet usage for a government project. Photo: Shutterstock
Good Schools Guide

Tackling social media’s impact on teens’ mental health

As teenagers grapple with identity and peer relationships online, the importance of teaching media literacy and healthy social media habits has never been more crucial.

Asean

My Take | Can Southeast Asia contain growing threat of cyber scams?

An unprecedented level of coordination is required to tackle such crimes as Southeast Asian economies become more digitalised.

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Censorship in China

China will drop the Great Firewall for some users, but only in southern Hainan

Employees of companies operating in the island province can apply for the ‘Global Connect’ scheme, but some content will remain restricted.

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China’s so-called Great Firewall enforces one of the strictest internet censorship regimes in the world. Photo: Shutterstock
France

Porn sites block access in France in protest against new restrictions

Instead of their usual content, Pornhub, Redtube and Youporn will display a statement about the country’s new age verification rules.

The sites are protesting against a new French requirement to verify the age of their users. Photo illustration: AFP
The Philippines

US sanctions Philippine tech firm over ‘pig butchering’ romance scams

Funnull Technology’s infrastructure supported more than 332,000 domain names linked to cryptocurrency scams, US Treasury Department says.

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E-commerce

Alibaba, JD.com sales surge during 618 festival, thanks to subsidy programme

Preliminary data shows Apple, Xiaomi, Huawei, Midea and Haier each rang up sales of over US$13.9 million on the two shopping platforms.

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Microsoft

Microsoft wants to remake the internet, and AI agents are key to its plan

Microsoft has big plans for the internet, such as using AI agents instead of Google Search to find information, book holidays or buy stuff.

Microsoft chairman and chief executive officer Satya Nadella speaks at the Microsoft Build conference, in Seattle, Washington, where talked about the agentic web as the future of the internet. Photo: AFP
Hong Kong society

What does Hong Kong’s obsession with ‘Mr and Mrs Ho’ say about society?

Analysts say fascination with internet couple goes beyond curiosity over age-gap romance, but warn that residents should not be quick to judge.

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Singapore

How is Singapore’s fake news law applied?

Correction orders against misinformation are issued in the ‘public interest’ under the Protection from Online Falsehoods and Manipulation Act.

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E-commerce

PDD faces profit challenge amid Trump tariffs, domestic e-commerce competition

‘Macroeconomic uncertainties and significant investments in the ecosystem’ are expected to continue affecting PDD’s earnings outlook, UBS analysts say.

Changes in US trade policies have created significant pressure for merchants on PDD Holdings’ Temu shopping platform. Photo: Shutterstock
Malaysia

Malaysia’s home minister ridiculed after his WhatsApp account hacked

Critics question how Saifuddin Nasution can keep the country safe if he cannot even secure his own phone.

Malaysia Home Minister Saifuddin Nasution Ismail. Photo: Facebook/Saifuddin Nasution Ismail
E-commerce

China looks to rein in e-commerce platform commissions, support small businesses

New draft rules from China’s top market regulator would limit commission fees charged by e-commerce platforms, with a focus on supporting small businesses.

E-commerce

Meituan revenue jumps 18% in first quarter

The Chinese on-demand delivery giant beat expectations, as it fends off rivals Alibaba and JD.com.

Alibaba

Alibaba CEO doubles down on plans for ‘unified global cloud network’

Eddie Wu sees Alibaba Cloud providing the ‘best AI technical services’ to support Chinese enterprises’ global expansion.

The unified global cloud network would give Chinese companies consistent artificial-intelligence infrastructure services at home and abroad. Photo: Shutterstock
E-commerce

Apple, Huawei, Xiaomi lead China’s top-500 ranking of consumer brands, report finds

The rankings were based on domestic consumers’ online purchase behaviour, according to a Peking University report.

The rankings showed Apple with a 100-point score, while Huawei and Xiaomi notched scores of 95.3 and 95.1, respectively. Photo: Shutterstock
Artificial intelligence

Meet Chinese start-up Xreal, Google’s partner in AR glasses project

Project Aura provides a big boost to Xreal’s credentials in the smart glasses arena, while widening its reach in the international market.

Alibaba

Alibaba lands US$250 million convertible bonds deal with selfie app giant Meitu

The strategic collaboration is expected to serve as ‘the foundation of a long-term partnership’ between Meitu and Alibaba.

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