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Internet
The latest news, analysis and opinion on Internet. In-depth analysis, industry insights and expert opinion.
Illustration: Henry Wong
OpenClaw

Inside the OpenClaw AI mania in China, as security fears and enthusiasm surge

Appeal of autonomous AI agent spurs rapid adoption across country, from tech pros to retirees seeking a ‘digital staff’, but data wipes mar its rise and trigger warnings.

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Artificial intelligence

OpenClaw frenzy shows hurdles in rewiring China economy

Iran

Southeast Asia faces spillover cyber risk from Iran war as ‘blast radius’ widens

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Women and gender

Opinion | To make AI safe, put women and girls at the heart of the technology

From deepfake porn to harassment, digital abuse disproportionately targets women and girls, supercharging the harm.

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Women and girls are the main victims of tech-facilitated violence. An estimated 90 per cent of non-consensual deepfake pornography depicts women. Photo: dpa
Scams and swindles

150,000 Meta accounts shut down in Southeast Asian scam centre crackdown

Meta has also launched protective tools such as Facebook and WhatsApp alerts for suspicious friend requests and activities.

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Artificial intelligence

China issues new safety rules for OpenClaw. Here are the dos and don’ts

Authorities outline six dos and six don’ts for OpenClaw users, warning of risks amid an adoption frenzy.

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Technology

Opinion | Journalists must confront the real risks of AI: fabricated facts

We don’t trust journalists because they type sentences; we trust journalists because they verify the truth.

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Avoiding AI in news production does not prevent AI-shaped information from reaching the public. Readers encounter such information through search engines, automated summaries and conversational interfaces. Photo: dpa
Vietnam

Why Vietnam’s new AI law makes it proving ground for Southeast Asia

Southeast Asia’s first law on AI could raise the bar from voluntary guidelines to binding legal frameworks across the region, analysts say.

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Indonesia

Indonesia to ban under-16s from ‘high-risk’ social media platforms

Minister Meutya Hafid said the restrictions would protect children from online harms, but experts warned enforcement might prove difficult.

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South Korea

South Korea to finally get fully functioning Google Maps

The move will appease Washington that has urged security-conscious Seoul to tackle what it says is discrimination against US tech companies.

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A woman poses for photographs from an observation deck at N Seoul Tower in Seoul, South Korea. South Korea had shot down Google’s previous bids in 2007 and 2016 to be allowed to export the data, citing the risks that information ‌about sensitive military and security facilities could be exposed. Photo: Reuters
Google

Video | Google finally allowed to export South Korea map data

Google must process map data on locally based servers and can only export data that have been pre-approved by the government.

People walk past stalls at a street market in Seoul on September 3, 2025. (Photo by ANTHONY WALLACE / AFP)
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Chinese culture

Language Matters | Gen Z loves ‘Chinamaxxing’, but where does ‘maxxing’ come from?

Chinamaxxing, lookmaxxing, moneymaxxing and gymmaxxing might be new terms, but the practice of ‘maxxing’ has been around for a while.

Australia

Australia mulls forcing app stores, search engines to axe unsafe AI services

From March 9, internet services that do not restrict users under 18 from receiving pornography, violence or self-harm content will be fined.

India

Opinion | How India can lead the charge for inclusive AI

The AI Impact summit showcased India’s commitment to placing human well-being at the heart of the global artificial intelligence conversation.

A visitor checks a Jio intelligence bot on display at Bharat Mandapam, one of the venues for the AI Impact Summit in New Delhi, India, on February 17. Photo: Reuters
Social media

Need help saving money? Your TikTok-viral, rich BFF wants to help

Vivian Tu – ‘Your Rich BFF’ on social media – shares finance tips on everything from talking about money with your partner to overspending.

Vivian Tu offers personal finance tips on her Instagram and TikTok accounts, from talking about money with partners to smart investing. Photo: Instagram/your.richbff
Social media

Are you addicted to social media, is it a problem and what can you do about it?

Social media addiction is not officially registered as a mental illness, but it affects adults and children. Here are tips on cutting down.

Germany

Germany’s ruling party seeks social media ban for children aged below 14

Spain, Greece, France, Britain and other countries are looking at similar social media bans or curbs.

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Middle East

US lawmakers push for VPN funding so Iranians can access internet

Government officials have advocated for funding anticensorship technology to help Iranians access the internet amid the Islamic Republic’s restrictions.

An Iranian woman walk near a huge anti-US billboard hanging at the Enqelab square in Tehran, Iran, on January 31. Photo: EPA-EFE
Artificial intelligence

ByteDance ‘strengthening safeguards’ after Seedance AI video controversy

Pledge comes after Hollywood, governments speak out against tool amid deluge of video clips featuring celebrities, copyrighted characters.

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China technology

Opinion | ‘Becoming Chinese’ memes reflect a world shaped by China’s ascent

The memes are really about how deeply global digital life is embedded in Chinese-built systems – and how comfortable young people are with that.

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Russia

WhatsApp accuses Russia of blocking service to force users to state ‘super-app’

WhatsApp and Telegram sound the alarm as the Kremlin chokes off Western apps to promote MAX, a state-backed rival modeled after China’s WeChat.

Meta criticises Russia for erasing WhatsApp from national records, calling the shift to state-run MAX a setback for safety. Photo: Reuters
Mainland China

Baidu unveils AI-driven Wikipedia challenger in bid for global users

BaiduWiki, a version of the firm’s Baidu Baike online encyclopaedia, is available in English, Spanish, French, Russian and Japanese.

People gather near the Baidu booth at the Shanghai New Expo Center during the World Artificial Intelligence Conference 2025 in Shanghai on July 28, 2025. Photo: NurPhoto via Getty Images
India

India tightens social media grip as Meta, YouTube, X face 3-hour takedown rules

New rules tighten compliance deadlines, forcing platforms to remove flagged AI-generated content and misinformation within hours or face legal action.

Sex and relationships

Why dating in Hong Kong is so hard and how people spend thousands on agencies

Hong Kong matchmakers share how they’re helping people find love in a city where everyone is both extremely busy and wants a younger partner.

Hong Kong

2016 trends from Pokemon Go to poke bowls amid viral internet nostalgia

Looking back at 2016 is viral online, but what was hot back then? We look at food, travel, health and pop culture trends from a decade ago.

People play Pokemon Go in Hong Kong on July 25, 2016, the day it was released in the city. The online game was one of the hottest trends in the city 10 years ago. Photo: Nora Tam
Banking & finance

HSBC suffers temporary system shutdown, stopping services in Hong Kong

The bank’s mobile app and in-person services at several branches were unavailable for up to several hours for some customers during the outage.

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Pedestrians walk past the lion statues outside HSBC’s Hong Kong headquarters in Central. Photo: Elson Li
Artificial intelligence

China’s cloud giants race to support Moltbot, the ‘AI that actually does things’

Hyperscalers embrace the AI agent, which can execute tasks without step-by-step instructions, but privacy concerns loom large.

TV shows and streaming video

YouTube star IShowSpeed shows ‘another Africa’ on his 20-country tour

African-American influencer has busted cliches by showing a continent ‘on the move’ during his trip, which has resonated with fans at home.

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