Network security Archives | Page 27 of 201

EU faces pressure to boost action on health disinformation

A global health organisation is urging the EU to make fuller use of its digital rules to curb health disinformation as concerns grow over the impact of deepfakes on public confidence.

Warnings point to a rising risk that manipulated content could reduce vaccine uptake instead of supporting informed public debate.

Experts argue that the Digital Services Act already provides the framework needed to limit harmful misinformation, yet enforcement remains uneven. Stronger oversight could improve platforms’ ability to detect manipulated content and remove inaccurate claims that jeopardise public health.

Campaigners emphasise that deepfake technology is now accessible enough to spread false narratives rapidly. The trend threatens vaccination campaigns at a time when several member states are attempting to address declining trust in health authorities.

The EU officials continue to examine how digital regulation can reinforce public health strategies. The call for stricter enforcement highlights the pressure on Brussels to ensure that digital platforms act responsibly rather than allowing misleading material to circulate unchecked.

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Discord expands teen-by-default protection worldwide

Discord is preparing a global transition to teen-appropriate settings that will apply to all users unless they confirm they are adults.

The phased rollout begins in early March and forms part of the company’s wider effort to offer protection tailored to younger audiences rather than relying on voluntary safety choices. Controls will cover communication settings, sensitive content and access to age-restricted communities.

The update is based on an expanded age assurance system designed to protect privacy while accurately identifying users’ age groups. People can use facial age estimation on their own device or select identity verification handled by approved partners.

Discord will also rely on an age-inference model that runs quietly in the background. Verification results remain private, and documents are deleted quickly, with users able to appeal group assignments through account settings.

Stricter defaults will apply across the platform. Sensitive media will stay blurred unless a user is confirmed as an adult, and access to age-gated servers or commands will require verification.

Message requests from unfamiliar contacts will be separated, friend-request alerts will be more prominent and only adults will be allowed to speak on community stages instead of sharing the feature with teens.

Discord is complementing the update by creating a Teen Council to offer advice on future safety tools and policies. The council will include up to a dozen young users and aims to embed real teen insight in product development.

The global rollout builds on earlier launches in the UK and Australia, adding to an existing safety ecosystem that includes Teen Safety Assist, Family Centre, and several moderation tools intended to support positive and secure online interactions.

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Shadow AI becomes a new governance challenge for European organisations

Employees are adopting generative tools at work faster than organisations can approve or secure them, giving rise to what is increasingly described as ‘shadow AI‘. Unlike earlier forms of shadow IT, these tools can transform data, infer sensitive insights, and trigger automated actions beyond established controls.

For European organisations, the issue is no longer whether AI should be used, but how to regain visibility and control without undermining productivity, as shadow AI increasingly appears inside approved platforms, browser extensions, and developer tools, expanding risks beyond data leakage.

Security experts warn that blanket bans often push AI use further underground, reducing transparency and trust. Instead, guidance from EU cybersecurity bodies increasingly promotes responsible enablement through clear policies, staff awareness, and targeted technical controls.

Key mitigation measures include mapping AI use across approved and informal tools, defining safe prompt data, and offering sanctioned alternatives, with logging, least-privilege access, and approval steps becoming essential as AI acts across workflows.

With the EU AI Act introducing clearer accountability across the AI value chain, unmanaged shadow AI is also emerging as a compliance risk. As AI becomes embedded across enterprise software, organisations face growing pressure to make safe use the default rather than the exception.

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EU strengthens cyber defence after attack on Commission mobile systems

A cyber-attack targeting the European Commission’s central mobile infrastructure was identified on 30 January, raising concerns that staff names and mobile numbers may have been accessed.

The Commission isolated the affected system within nine hours instead of allowing the breach to escalate, and no mobile device compromise was detected.

Also, the Commission plans a full review of the incident to reinforce the resilience of internal systems.

Officials argue that Europe faces daily cyber and hybrid threats targeting essential services and democratic institutions, underscoring the need for stronger defensive capabilities across all levels of the EU administration.

CERT-EU continues to provide constant threat monitoring, automated alerts and rapid responses to vulnerabilities, guided by the Interinstitutional Cybersecurity Board.

These efforts support the broader legislative push to strengthen cybersecurity, including the Cybersecurity Act 2.0, which introduces a Trusted ICT Supply Chain to reduce reliance on high-risk providers.

Recent measures are complemented by the NIS2 Directive, which sets a unified legal framework for cybersecurity across 18 critical sectors, and the Cyber Solidarity Act, which enhances operational cooperation through the European Cyber Shield and the Cyber Emergency Mechanism.

Together, they aim to ensure collective readiness against large-scale cyber threats.

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Czechia weighs under-15 social media ban as government debate intensifies

A ban on social media use for under-15s is being weighed in Czechia, with government officials suggesting the measure could be introduced before the end of the year.

Prime Minister Andrej Babiš has voiced strong support and argues that experts point to potential harm linked to early social media exposure.

France recently enacted an under-15 restriction, and a growing number of European countries are exploring similar limits rather than relying solely on parental guidance.

The discussion is part of a broader debate about children’s digital habits, with Czech officials also considering a ban on mobile phones in schools. Slovakia has already adopted comparable rules, giving Czech ministers another model to study as they work on their own proposals.

Not all political voices agree on the direction of travel. Some warn that strict limits could undermine privacy rights or diminish online anonymity, while others argue that educational initiatives would be more effective than outright prohibition.

UNICEF has cautioned that removing access entirely may harm children who rely on online platforms for learning or social connection instead of traditional offline networks.

Implementing a nationwide age restriction poses practical and political challenges. The government of Czechia heavily uses social media to reach citizens, complicating attempts to restrict access for younger users.

Age verification, fair oversight and consistent enforcement remain open questions as ministers continue consultations with experts and service providers.

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Bitcoin cryptography safe as quantum threat remains distant

Quantum computing concerns around Bitcoin have resurfaced, yet analysis from CoinShares indicates the threat remains long-term. The report argues that quantum risk is an engineering challenge that gives Bitcoin ample time to adapt.

Bitcoin’s security relies on elliptic-curve cryptography. A sufficiently advanced quantum machine could, in theory, derive private keys using Shor’s algorithm, which requires millions of stable, error-corrected qubits, and remains far beyond current capability.

Network exposure is also limited. Roughly 1.6 million BTC is held in legacy addresses with visible public keys, yet only about 10,200 BTC is realistically targetable. Modern address formats further reduce the feasibility of attacks.

Debate continues over post-quantum upgrades, with researchers warning that premature changes could introduce new vulnerabilities. Market impact, for now, is viewed as minimal.

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OpenClaw faces rising security pushback in South Korea

Major technology companies in South Korea are tightening restrictions on OpenClaw after rising concerns about security and data privacy.

Kakao, Naver and Karrot Market have moved to block the open-source agent within corporate networks, signalling a broader effort to prevent sensitive information from leaking into external systems.

Their decisions follow growing unease about how autonomous tools may interact with confidential material, rather than remaining contained within controlled platforms.

OpenClaw serves as a self-hosted agent that performs actions on behalf of a large language model, acting as the hands of a system that can browse the web, edit files and run commands.

Its ability to run directly on local machines has driven rapid adoption, but it has also raised concerns that confidential data could be exposed or manipulated.

Industry figures argue that companies are acting preemptively to reduce regulatory and operational risks by ensuring that internal materials never feed external training processes.

China has urged organisations to strengthen protections after identifying cases of OpenClaw running with inadequate safeguards.

Security analysts in South Korea warn that the agent’s open-source design and local execution model make it vulnerable to misuse, especially when compared to cloud-based chatbots that operate in more restricted environments.

Wiz researchers recently uncovered flaws in agents linked to OpenClaw that exposed personal information.

Despite the warnings, OpenClaw continues to gain traction among users who value its ability to automate complex tasks, rather than rely on manual workflows.

Some people purchase separate devices solely to run the agent, while an active South Korea community on X has drawn more than 1,800 members who exchange advice and share mitigation strategies.

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TikTok accused of breaching EU digital safety rules

The European Commission has concluded that TikTok’s design breaches the Digital Services Act by encouraging compulsive use and failing to protect users, particularly children and teenagers.

Preliminary findings say the platform relies heavily on features such as infinite scroll, which automatically delivers new videos and makes disengagement difficult.

Regulators argue that such mechanisms place users into habitual patterns of repeated viewing rather than supporting conscious choice. EU officials found that safeguards introduced by TikTok do not adequately reduce the risks linked to excessive screen time.

Daily screen time limits were described as ineffective because alerts are easy to dismiss, even for younger users who receive automatic restrictions. Parental control tools were also criticised for requiring significant effort, technical knowledge and ongoing involvement from parents.

Henna Virkkunen, the Commission’s executive vice-president for tech sovereignty, security and democracy, said addictive social media design can harm the development of young people. European law, she said, makes platforms responsible for the effects their services have on users.

Regulators concluded that compliance with the Digital Services Act would require TikTok to alter core elements of its product, including changes to infinite scroll, recommendation systems and screen break features.

TikTok rejected the findings, calling them inaccurate and saying the company would challenge the assessment. The platform argues that it already offers a range of tools, including sleep reminders and wellbeing features, to help users manage their time.

The investigation remains ongoing and no penalties have yet been imposed. A final decision could still result in enforcement measures, including fines of up to six per cent of TikTok’s global annual turnover.

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Slovenia plans social media ban for children under 15

Among several countries lately, Slovenia is also moving towards banning access to social media platforms for children under the age of 15, as the government prepares draft legislation aimed at protecting minors online.

Deputy Prime Minister Matej Arčon said the Education Ministry initiated the proposal and would be developed with input from professionals.

The planned law would apply to major social networks where user-generated content is shared, including TikTok, Snapchat and Instagram. Arčon said the initiative reflects growing international concern over the impact of social media on children’s mental health, privacy and exposure to addictive design features.

Slovenia’s move follows similar debates and proposals across Europe and beyond. Countries such as Italy, France, Spain, UK, Greece and Austria have considered restrictions, while Australia has already introduced a nationwide minimum age for social media use.

Spain’s prime minister recently defended proposed limits, arguing that technology companies should not influence democratic decision-making.

Critics of such bans warn of potential unintended consequences. Telegram founder Pavel Durov has argued that age-based restrictions could lead to broader data collection and increased state control over online content.

Despite these concerns, Slovenia’s government appears determined to proceed, positioning the measure as part of a broader effort to strengthen child protection in the digital space.

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EU split widens over ban on AI nudification apps

European lawmakers remain divided over whether AI tools that generate non-consensual sexual images should face an explicit ban in the EU legislation.

The split emerged as debate intensified over the AI simplification package, which is moving through Parliament and the Council rather than remaining confined to earlier negotiations.

Concerns escalated after Grok was used to create images that digitally undressed women and children.

The EU regulators responded by launching an investigation under the Digital Services Act, and the Commission described the behaviour as illegal under existing European rules. Several lawmakers argue that the AI Act should name pornification apps directly instead of relying on broader legal provisions.

Lead MEPs did not include a ban in their initial draft of the Parliament’s position, prompting other groups to consider adding amendments. Negotiations continue as parties explore how such a restriction could be framed without creating inconsistencies within the broader AI framework.

The Commission appears open to strengthening the law and has hinted that the AI omnibus could be an appropriate moment to act. Lawmakers now have a limited time to decide whether an explicit prohibition can secure political agreement before the amendment deadline passes.

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