Consumer protection

ChatGPT search grows rapidly in Europe

ChatGPT search, the web-accessing feature within OpenAI’s chatbot, has seen rapid growth across Europe, attracting an average of 41.3 million monthly active users in the six months leading up to March 31.

It marks a sharp rise from 11.2 million in the previous six-month period, according to a regulatory filing by OpenAI Ireland Limited.

Instead of operating unnoticed, the service must now report this data under the EU’s Digital Services Act (DSA), which defines monthly recipients as users who actively view or interact with the platform.

Should usage cross 45 million, ChatGPT search could be classified as a ‘very large’ online platform and face stricter rules, including transparency obligations, user opt-outs from personalised recommendations, and regular audits.

Failure to follow DSA regulations could lead to serious penalties, up to 6% of OpenAI’s global revenue, or even a temporary ban in the EU for ongoing violations. The law aims to ensure online platforms operate more responsibly and with better oversight in the digital space.

Despite gaining ground, ChatGPT search still lags far behind Google, which handles hundreds of times more queries.

Studies have also raised concerns about the accuracy of AI search tools, with ChatGPT found to misidentify a majority of news articles and occasionally misrepresent licensed content from publishers.

Instead of fully replacing traditional search, these AI tools may still need improvement to become reliable alternatives.

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Meta uses AI to spot teens lying about age

Meta has announced it is ramping up efforts to protect teenagers on Instagram by deploying AI to detect users who may have lied about their age. The technology will automatically place suspected underage users into Teen Accounts, even if their profiles state they are adults.

These special accounts come with stricter safety settings designed for users under 16. Those who believe they’ve been misclassified will have the option to adjust their settings manually.

Instead of relying solely on self-reported birthdates, Meta is using its AI to analyse behaviour and signals that suggest a user might be younger than claimed.

While the company has used this technology to estimate age ranges before, it is now applying it more aggressively to catch teens who attempt to bypass the platform’s safeguards. The tech giant insists it’s working to ensure the accuracy of these classifications to prevent mistakes.

Alongside this new AI tool, Meta will also begin sending notifications to parents about their children’s Instagram settings.

These alerts, which are sent only to parents who have Instagram accounts of their own, aim to encourage open conversations at home about the importance of honest age representation online.

Teen Accounts were first introduced last year and are designed to limit access to harmful content, reduce contact from strangers, and promote healthier screen time habits.

Instead of granting unrestricted access, these accounts are private by default, block unsolicited messages, and remind teens to take breaks after prolonged scrolling.

Meta says the goal is to adapt to the digital age and partner with parents to make Instagram a safer space for young users.

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Apple tries makes climate progress with greener supply chain

Apple has made progress in reducing its environmental impact, according to the company’s own latest environmental progress report.

Its total greenhouse gas emissions dropped by 800,000 metric tons in 2024, marking a 5 percent reduction from the previous year.

Over the last decade, Apple has cut its global emissions by more than 60 percent, an achievement as emissions from other tech firms continue to rise due to the growing demands of AI.

The reduction stems from efforts to use renewable energy, increase recycling, and work with suppliers to cut emissions. Apple reported that its suppliers collectively avoided nearly 24 million metric tons of greenhouse gas emissions last year through cleaner energy and improved efficiency.

The company is also tackling highly potent fluorinated gases used in making semiconductors and displays, with all direct display suppliers and 26 semiconductor partners committing to reducing such emissions by at least 90 percent.

Recycled materials played a larger role in Apple’s products in 2024, making up nearly a quarter of all materials used. Notably, 80 percent of the rare earth elements and most of the tungsten, cobalt, and aluminium used came from recycled sources.

Despite these efforts, Apple still generated 15.3 million metric tons of CO₂ last year, though it aims to reduce emissions by 75 percent from 2015 levels by 2030 and eliminate 90 percent by 2050 to meet international climate goals.

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Fake banking apps leave sellers thousands out of pocket

Scammers are using fake mobile banking apps to trick people into handing over valuable items without receiving any payment.

These apps, which convincingly mimic legitimate platforms, display false ‘successful payment’ screens in person, allowing fraudsters to walk away with goods while the money never arrives.

Victims like Anthony Rudd and John Reddock have lost thousands after being targeted while selling items through social media marketplaces. Mr Rudd handed over £1,000 worth of tools from his Salisbury workshop, only to realise the payment notification was fake.

Mr Reddock, from the UK, lost a £2,000 gold bracelet he had hoped to sell to fund a holiday for his children.

BBC West Investigations found that some of these fake apps, previously removed from the Google Play store, are now being downloaded directly from the internet onto Android phones.

The Chartered Trading Standards Institute described this scam as an emerging threat, warning that in-person fraud is growing more complex instead of fading away.

With police often unable to track down suspects, small business owners like Sebastian Liberek have been left feeling helpless after being targeted repeatedly.

He has lost hundreds of pounds to fake transfers and believes scammers will continue striking, while enforcement remains limited and platforms fail to do enough to stop the spread of fraud.

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Spotify fixes widespread app issues

Spotify has resolved a global outage that left tens of thousands of users unable to stream music, with the company confirming the app is now ‘back up and functioning normally.’

The disruption, which began on Wednesday, affected search functions and artist pages, though downloaded music remained accessible during the issue.

The platform denied online rumours of a security breach, stating reports of a hack were ‘completely inaccurate.’

Users experienced timeout messages and errors when attempting to search for music, prompting frustration on social media, where many expressed disappointment and called for swift resolution.

With over 675 million users worldwide, Spotify’s brief downtime sparked threats from some users to switch to rival services such as Apple Music and YouTube.

The company responded on social media during the outage, acknowledging the problem and assuring users it was being investigated.

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Businesses face Meta account lockouts

Small businesses are increasingly falling victim to scams targeting their Instagram and Facebook accounts, with many reporting long and frustrating recovery processes.

Wedding dress designer Catherine Deane, whose Instagram account was hacked through a fake verification link, described the experience as ‘devastating’ and said it took four months and persistent efforts to regain access.

Despite repeated emails to Meta, the issue was only resolved after a team member contacted someone within the company directly.

Cybersecurity experts say such cases are far from isolated. Jonas Borchgrevink, head of US-based firm Hacked.com, said thousands of business accounts are compromised every day, with some clients paying for help after months of failed recovery attempts.

Scammers often pose as Meta support, using convincing branding and AI-generated messages to trick victims into revealing passwords or verifying accounts on fake websites. These tactics allow them to gain control of business profiles and demand ransoms or post fraudulent content.

Meta has declined to disclose the full scale of the problem but says it encourages users to enable security features like two-factor authentication and regularly check their account safety. Some businesses, however, report being locked out despite not being hacked.

Others say Meta has wrongly removed pages without notice, with limited recourse or explanation. Calls are growing for the company to improve its support systems and take faster action to help affected businesses recover access to their vital online platforms.

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Japan tells Google to stop Android search dominance

Japanese regulators have accused Google of breaching the country’s anti-monopoly laws by restricting competition through the pre-installation of its search engine on Android smartphones.

The Japan Fair Trade Commission (JFTC) issued a cease and desist order on Tuesday, directing the US tech giant to halt the practice.

Google Japan called the move ‘regrettable’ and emphasised its long-standing investment in Japan to support innovation. The company has not yet indicated whether it will appeal the ruling.

The JFTC’s investigation began in 2023, with input from overseas regulators handling similar concerns in the United States and Europe.

This marks the first time the JFTC has taken such action against a major global technology firm. It follows global scrutiny of Google’s dominance, including a US court ruling last year that found Google had unfairly used its market power to suppress rivals.

European authorities have also raised similar concerns, accusing the company of monopolistic behaviour.

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Google uses AI and human reviews to fight ad fraud

Google has revealed it suspended 39.2 million advertiser accounts in 2024, more than triple the number from the previous year, as part of its latest push to combat ad fraud.

The tech giant said it is now able to block most bad actors before they even run an advert, thanks to advanced large language models and detection signals such as fake business details and fraudulent payments.

Instead of relying solely on AI, a team of over 100 experts from across Google and DeepMind also reviews deepfake scams and develops targeted countermeasures.

The company rolled out more than 50 LLM-based safety updates last year and introduced over 30 changes to advertising and publishing policies. These efforts, alongside other technical reinforcements, led to a 90% drop in reports of deepfake ads.

While the US saw the highest number of suspensions, with all 39.2 million accounts coming from there alone, India followed with 2.9 million accounts taken down. In both countries, ads were removed for violations such as trademark abuse, misleading personalisation, and financial service scams.

Overall, Google blocked 5.1 billion ads globally and restricted another 9.1 billion, instead of allowing harmful content to spread unchecked. Nearly half a billion of those removed were linked specifically to scam activity.

In a year when half the global population headed to the polls, Google also verified over 8,900 election advertisers and took down 10.7 million political ads.

While the scale of suspensions may raise concerns about fairness, Google said human reviews are included in the appeals process.

The company acknowledged previous confusion over enforcement clarity and is now updating its messaging to ensure advertisers understand the reasons behind account actions more clearly.

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Hertz customer data stolen in vendor cyberattack

Hertz has disclosed a significant data breach involving sensitive customer information, including credit card and driver’s licence details, following a cyberattack on one of its service providers.

The breach stemmed from vulnerabilities in the Cleo Communications file transfer platform, exploited in October and December 2024.

Hertz confirmed the unauthorised access on 10 February, with further investigations revealing a range of exposed data, including names, birth dates, contact details, and in some cases, Social Security and passport numbers.

While the company has not confirmed how many individuals were affected, notifications have been issued in the US, UK, Canada, Australia, and across the EU.

Hertz stressed that no misuse of customer data has been identified so far, and that the breach has been reported to law enforcement and regulators. Cleo has since patched the exploited vulnerabilities.

The identity of the attackers remains unknown. However, Cleo was previously targeted in a broader cyber campaign last October, with the Clop ransomware group later claiming responsibility.

The gang published Cleo’s company data online and listed dozens of breached organisations, suggesting the incident was part of a wider, coordinated effort.

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