Economic

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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EU plans major staff boost for digital rules

The European Commission is ramping up enforcement of its Digital Services Act (DSA) by hiring 60 more staff to support ongoing investigations into major tech platforms. Despite beginning probes into companies such as X, Meta, TikTok, AliExpress and Temu since December 2023, none have concluded.

The Commission currently has 127 employees working on the DSA and aims to reach 200 by year’s end. Applications for the new roles, including legal experts, policy officers, and data scientists, remain open until 10 May.

The DSA, which came into full effect in February last year, applies to all online platforms in the EU. However, the 25 largest platforms, those with over 45 million monthly users like Google, Amazon, and Shein, fall under the direct supervision of the Commission instead of national regulators.

The most advanced case is against X, with early findings pointing to a lack of transparency and accountability.

The law has drawn criticism from the current Republican-led US government, which views it as discriminatory. Brendan Carr of the US Federal Communications Commission called the DSA ‘an attack on free speech,’ accusing the EU of unfairly targeting American companies.

In response, EU Tech Commissioner Henna Virkkunen insisted the rules are fair, applying equally to platforms from Europe, the US, and China.

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Apple’s $2 billion iPhone airlift from India dodges Trump’s tariffs

Apple has airlifted nearly $2 billion worth of iPhones from India to the US, dodging President Trump’s looming tariffs with a clever sidestep. 

Customs data reveals that in March 2025, Apple’s key Indian partners, Foxconn and Tata, shipped a record-breaking haul to ensure the tech giant’s shelves stay stocked in one of its biggest markets. 

Foxconn, Apple’s primary supplier in India, exported $1.31 billion worth of iPhones—models 13, 14, 16, and 16e—in March alone, matching the combined total of January and February. 

Tata Electronics wasn’t far behind, sending $612 million worth of iPhone 15 and 16 models, a 63% surge from the previous month. 

Together, their efforts pushed Foxconn’s year-to-date shipments from India to the US to $5.3 billion, a testament to India’s growing role as a manufacturing hub amid Apple’s pivot away from China.

The operation was a logistical feat, with Apple chartering at least six cargo jets to ferry 600 tons of iPhones from Chennai’s air cargo terminal to US cities like Los Angeles, New York, and Chicago, which took the lion’s share. 

To pull it off, Apple worked with Indian authorities to slash customs clearance times at Chennai airport from 30 hours to just six, ensuring the iPhones beat the tariff clock. 

One source described the move as a strategic play to ‘beat the tariffs,’ a gambit to keep costs down as Trump’s trade policies tighten the screws.

Trump’s tariffs tell a tale of their own—while April 2025 saw a 26% duty on Indian imports, far lighter than the 100 %+ rates slapped on China, the president later paused most duties except for China’s for three months. 

Yet, he also granted temporary exemptions for smartphones and electronics from Chinese imports, though he hinted those breaks might not last.

Apple’s reliance on India signals a deeper strategy to diversify production and outmanoeuvre the unpredictable winds of US trade policy in a global market fractured by high tax impositions.

South Korea’s $23B chip industry boost in response to global trade war

South Korea announced a $23 billion support package for its semiconductor industry, increasing from last year’s $19 billion to protect giants like Samsung and SK Hynix from US tariff uncertainties and China’s growing competition. 

The plan allocates 20 trillion won in financial aid, up from 17 trillion, to drive innovation and production, addressing a 31.8% drop in chip exports to China due to US trade restrictions.

The package responds to US policies under President Trump, including export curbs on high-bandwidth chips to China, which have disrupted global demand. 

At the same time, Finance Minister Choi Sang-mok will negotiate with the US to mitigate potential national security probes on chip trade. 

South Korea’s strategy aims to safeguard a critical economic sector that powers everything from smartphones to AI, especially as its auto industry faces US tariff challenges. 

Analysts view this as a preemptive effort to shield the chip industry from escalating global trade tensions.

Why does it matter?

For South Koreans, the semiconductor sector is a national lifeline, tied to jobs and economic stability, with the government betting big to preserve its global tech dominance. As China’s tech ambitions grow and US policies remain unpredictable, Seoul’s $23 billion investment speaks out about the cost of staying competitive in a tech-driven world.

Ethena Labs shuts down German subsidiary amid regulatory pressure

Ethena Labs has shut down its German subsidiary, Ethena GmbH, following regulatory issues with BaFin. The German regulator had ordered the company to stop public sales of USDe due to MiCAR noncompliance.

Minting and redemption of USDe are now handled through Ethena Limited in the British Virgin Islands.

BaFin flagged flaws in Ethena GmbH’s approval process and raised concerns over unregistered sUSDe token sales. The regulator froze reserves, shut down the website, and banned new sign-ups. Secondary market listings of USDe remain unaffected.

Ethena expressed disappointment over the MiCAR denial but stated it is exploring alternative regulatory options.

The company’s exit from the German market underscores the increasing regulatory pressure on crypto issuers in Europe, especially in the lead-up to MiCAR’s full implementation.

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Nvidia hit by the new US export rules

Nvidia is facing fresh US export restrictions on its H20 AI chips, dealing a blow to the company’s operations in China.

In a filing on Tuesday, Nvidia revealed it now needs a licence to export these chips indefinitely, after the US government cited concerns they could be used in a Chinese supercomputer.

The company expects a $5.5 billion charge linked to the controls in its first fiscal quarter of 2026, which ends on 27 April. Shares dropped around 6% in after-hours trading.

The H20 is currently the most advanced AI chip Nvidia can sell to China under existing regulations.

Last week, reports suggested CEO Jensen Huang might have temporarily eased tensions during a dinner at Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort, by promising investments in US-based AI data centres instead of opposing the rules directly.

Just a day before the filing, Nvidia announced plans to manufacture some chips in the US over the next four years, though the specifics were left vague.

Calls for tighter controls had been building, especially after it emerged that China’s DeepSeek used the H20 to train its R1 model, a system that surprised the US AI sector earlier this year.

Government officials had pushed for action, saying the chip’s capabilities posed a strategic risk. Nvidia declined to comment on the new restrictions.

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Crypto leaders gather in Moscow for the Global Blockchain Forum 2025

Moscow is set to host the Global Blockchain Forum 2025 from 23-24 April, attracting over 15,000 crypto enthusiasts worldwide.

The event will feature prominent figures from the crypto industry, including Justin Sun, founder of Tron, and Ivan Chebeskov, Russia’s deputy finance minister.

The forum’s primary aim is to strengthen ties between Russia and the global crypto community. The vision is to make Russia a leading hub for blockchain and cryptocurrency innovation.

The forum will cover critical topics, including global crypto adoption. Bitcoin’s future in 2025 will also be discussed, along with Russia’s stance on cryptocurrencies amid ongoing geopolitical tensions. Over 100 experts from more than 100 countries will contribute to the discussions.

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OpenAI updates safety rules amid AI race

OpenAI has updated its Preparedness Framework, the internal system used to assess AI model safety and determine necessary safeguards during development.

The company now says it may adjust its safety standards if a rival AI lab releases a ‘high-risk’ system without similar protections, a move that reflects growing competitive pressure in the AI industry.

Instead of outright dismissing such flexibility, OpenAI insists that any changes would be made cautiously and with public transparency.

Critics argue OpenAI is already lowering its standards for the sake of faster deployment. Twelve former employees recently supported a legal case against the company, warning that a planned corporate restructure might encourage further shortcuts.

OpenAI denies these claims, but reports suggest compressed safety testing timelines and increasing reliance on automated evaluations instead of human-led reviews. According to sources, some safety checks are also run on earlier versions of models, not the final ones released to users.

The refreshed framework also changes how OpenAI defines and manages risk. Models are now classified as having either ‘high’ or ‘critical’ capability, the former referring to systems that could amplify harm, the latter to those introducing entirely new risks.

Instead of deploying models first and assessing risk later, OpenAI says it will apply safeguards during both development and release, particularly for models capable of evading shutdown, hiding their abilities, or self-replicating.

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Most Bitcoin firms in El Salvador are inactive

A report from El Salvador’s central bank shows that only 11% of registered Bitcoin service providers are currently operational.

Out of 181 companies listed, just 20 meet the country’s legal standards set under its Bitcoin Law, according to local outlet El Mundo.

The law, which made Bitcoin legal tender, requires firms to implement anti-money laundering measures and record assets and liabilities accurately. It also mandates that companies establish cybersecurity programmes tailored to the nature of their services.

However, 89% of providers have failed to comply with these rules and remain non-operational. Some companies, including the government-backed Chivo Wallet, Crypto Trading & Investment, and Fintech Américas, have managed to meet the legal criteria.

President Nayib Bukele has insisted the government will continue buying Bitcoin despite the IMF’s request to halt public sector purchases.

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