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Meta, TikTok and Snapchat prepare to block under-16s as Australia enforces social media ban

Social media platforms, including Meta, TikTok and Snapchat, will begin sending notices to more than a million Australian teens, telling them to download their data, freeze their profiles or lose access when the national ban for under-16s comes into force on 10 December.

According to people familiar with the plans, platforms will deactivate accounts believed to belong to users under the age of 16. About 20 million Australians who are older will not be affected. However, this marks a shift from the year-long opposition seen from tech firms, which warned the rules would be intrusive or unworkable.

Companies plan to rely on their existing age-estimation software, which predicts age from behaviour signals such as likes and engagement patterns. Only users who challenge a block will be pushed to the age assurance apps. These tools estimate age from a selfie and, if disputed, allow users to upload ID. Trials show they work, but accuracy drops for 16- and 17-year-olds.

Yoti’s Chief Policy Officer, Julie Dawson, said disruption should be brief, with users adapting within a few weeks. Meta, Snapchat, TikTok and Google declined to comment. In earlier hearings, most respondents stated that they would comply.

The law blocks teenagers from using mainstream platforms without any parental override. It follows renewed concern over youth safety after internal Meta documents in 2021 revealed harm linked to heavy social media use.

A smooth rollout is expected to influence other countries as they explore similar measures. France, Denmark, Florida and the UK have pursued age checks with mixed results due to concerns over privacy and practicality.

Consultants say governments are watching to see whether Australia’s requirement for platforms to take ‘reasonable steps’ to block minors, including trying to detect VPN use, works in practice without causing significant disruption for other users.

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Data infrastructure growth in India raises environmental concerns

India’s data centre market is expanding rapidly, driven by rapid AI adoption, mobile internet growth, and massive foreign investment from firms such as Google, Amazon and Meta. The sector is projected to expand 77% by 2027, with billions more expected to be spent on capacity by 2030.

Rapid expansion of energy-hungry and water-intensive facilities is creating serious sustainability challenges, particularly in water-scarce urban clusters like Mumbai, Hyderabad and Bengaluru. Experts warn that by 2030, India’s data centre water consumption could reach 358 billion litres, risking shortages for local communities and critical services in India.

Authorities and industry players are exploring solutions including treated wastewater, low-stress basin selection, and zero-water cooling technologies to mitigate environmental impact. Officials also highlight the need to mandate renewable energy use to balance India’s digital ambitions with decarbonisation goals.

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Meta invests $600 billion to expand AI data centres across the US

A $600 billion investment aimed at boosting innovation, job creation, and sustainability is being launched in the US by Meta to expand its AI infrastructure.

Instead of outsourcing development, the company is building its new generation of AI data centres domestically, reinforcing America’s leadership in technology and supporting local economies.

Since 2010, Meta’s data centre projects have supported more than 30,000 skilled trade jobs and 5,000 operational roles, generating $20 billion in business for US subcontractors. These facilities are designed to power Meta’s AI ambitions while driving regional economic growth.

The company emphasises responsible development by investing heavily in renewable energy and water efficiency. Its projects have added 15 gigawatts of new energy to US power grids, upgraded local infrastructure, and helped restore water systems in surrounding communities.

Meta aims to become fully water positive by 2030.

Beyond infrastructure, Meta has channelled $58 million into community grants for schools, nonprofits, and local initiatives, including STEM education and veteran training programmes.

As AI grows increasingly central to digital progress, Meta’s continued investment in sustainable, community-focused data centres underscores its vision for a connected, intelligent future built within the US.

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Meta launches AI app in Europe with new Vibes video feed

Meta has launched its new AI app across Europe, featuring Vibes, an interactive feed dedicated to creating and sharing short AI-generated videos. The platform brings together media generation, remixing and collaboration tools designed to encourage creativity and social expression.

Vibes first debuted in the US, where Meta reported a tenfold rise in AI media creation since launch. European users can now use text prompts to generate, edit and animate videos, or remix existing clips by adding music, visuals and personalised styles.

The app also serves as a central hub for users’ Meta AI assistants and connected AI glasses. People can chat with the assistant, receive creative ideas, or enhance their photos and animations using advanced AI-powered editing tools integrated within the same experience.

Meta said the rollout marks a new stage in its effort to make AI-driven creativity more accessible. The company plans to expand the app’s capabilities further, promising additional features that combine entertainment, collaboration and real-time content generation.

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Meta rejects French ruling over gender bias in Facebook job ads

Meta has rejected a decision by France’s Défenseur des Droits that found its Facebook algorithm discriminates against users based on gender in job advertising. The case was brought by Global Witness and women’s rights groups Fondation des Femmes and Femmes Ingénieures, who argued that Meta’s ad system violates French anti-discrimination law.

The regulator ruled that Facebook’s system treats users differently according to gender when displaying job opportunities, amounting to indirect discrimination. It recommended Meta Ireland and Facebook France make adjustments within three months to prevent gender-based bias.

A Meta spokesperson said the company disagrees with the finding and is ‘assessing its options.’ The complainants welcomed the decision, saying it confirms that platforms are not exempt from laws prohibiting gender-based distinctions in recruitment advertising.

Lawyer Josephine Shefet, representing the groups, said the ruling marks a key precedent. ‘The decision sends a strong message to all digital platforms: they will be held accountable for such bias,’ she said.

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WhatsApp adds passkey encryption for safer chat backups

Meta is rolling out a new security feature for WhatsApp that allows users to encrypt their chat backups using passkeys instead of passwords or lengthy encryption codes.

A feature for WhatsApp that enables users to protect their backups with biometric authentication such as fingerprints, facial recognition or screen lock codes.

WhatsApp became the first messaging service to introduce end-to-end encrypted backups over four years ago, and Meta says the new update builds on that foundation to make privacy simpler and more accessible.

With passkey encryption, users can secure and access their chat history easily without the need to remember complex keys.

The feature will be gradually introduced worldwide over the coming months. Users can activate it by going to WhatsApp settings, selecting Chats, then Chat backup, and enabling end-to-end encrypted backup.

Meta says the goal is to make secure communication effortless while ensuring that private messages remain protected from unauthorised access.

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Former Meta lobbyist’s appointment to Irish data watchdog triggers conflict-of-interest complaint

Rights group the Irish Council for Civil Liberties (ICCL) has asked the European Commission to review Ireland’s appointment of former Meta lobbyist Niamh Sweeney to the Data Protection Commission (DPC), alleging the process breaches EU rules on independent regulators. ICCL argues the law requires authorities to be ‘above any suspicion of partiality’.

Sweeney, appointed on 25 September, is now one of three commissioners. Her profile shows roles at Meta from 2015–2021, including leading WhatsApp public policy across Europe, Africa and the Middle East. Before that, she lobbied for Facebook in Ireland. ICCL also notes that Leo Moore, a lawyer whose clients include major tech and social media firms, and, according to ICCL, the only panellist with data-protection expertise, sat on the five-member panel that selected Sweeney.

The Commission said it is ‘not empowered to take action with respect to appointments’, indicating the complaint may fall outside its remit. This latest development comes amid growing scrutiny of the DPC. In a previous case on Meta’s behavioural advertising practices, the European Data Protection Board overturned the DPC’s decision not to impose a fine and ordered stricter enforcement measures against the tech giant.

This move is the latest in a series of complaints against the independence of the DPC. More than 40 civil society organisations asked the European Commission to investigate Ireland’s privacy regulator earlier this month.

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Meta and TikTok agree to comply with Australia’s under-16 social media ban

Meta and TikTok have confirmed they will comply with Australia’s new law banning under-16s from using social media platforms, though both warned it will be difficult to enforce. The legislation, taking effect on 10 December, will require major platforms to remove accounts belonging to users under that age.

The law is among the world’s strictest, but regulators and companies are still working out how it will be implemented. Social media firms face fines of up to A$49.5 million if found in breach, yet they are not required to verify every user’s age directly.

TikTok’s Australia policy head, Ella Woods-Joyce, warned the ban could drive children toward unregulated online spaces lacking safety measures. Meta’s director, Mia Garlick, acknowledged the ‘significant engineering and age assurance challenges’ involved in detecting and removing underage users.

Critics including YouTube and digital rights groups have labelled the ban vague and rushed, arguing it may not achieve its aim of protecting children online. The government maintains that platforms must take ‘reasonable steps’ to prevent young users from accessing their services.

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French lawmakers advance plan to double digital services tax on Big Tech

France’s National Assembly has voted to raise its digital services tax on major tech firms such as Google, Apple, Meta and Amazon from 3% to 6%, despite government warnings that the move could trigger US trade retaliation.

Economy Minister Roland Lescure said the increase would be ‘disproportionate’, cautioning that it could invite equally strong countermeasures from Washington. Lawmakers had initially proposed a 15% levy in response to former US President Donald Trump’s tariff threats, but scaled back amid opposition from industry and the government.

The amendment still requires final approval in next week’s budget vote and then in the French Senate. The proposal also raises the global revenue threshold for companies subject to the digital services tax from €750 million to €2 billion, aiming to shield smaller domestic firms.

John Murphy of the US Chamber of Commerce criticised the plan, arguing it solely targets American companies. Lawmaker Charles Sitzenstuhl, from President Emmanuel Macron’s party, stressed that ‘the objective of this tax was not to harm the United States in any way’, addressing US officials following the vote.

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Meta cuts 600 AI roles even as it expands superintelligence lab

Meta Platforms confirmed today it will cut approximately 600 jobs from its AI division, affecting teams including the Fundamental AI Research (FAIR) unit and product and infrastructure units. The move comes even as the company continues hiring for its elite superintelligence unit, the TBD Lab, which remains unaffected by the cuts.

According to an internal memo from Chief AI Officer Alexandr Wang, the layoff aim is to make remaining teams more load-bearing and impactful. ‘By reducing the size of our team, fewer conversations will be required to make a decision, and each person will be more load-bearing and have more scope and impact,’ Wang wrote.

Meta says employees affected will be encouraged to apply for other roles within the company; many are expected to be reassigned. The company’s earlier hiring spree in AI included poaching top talent from competitors and investing heavily in infrastructure. Analysts say the current cuts reflect a strategic pivot rather than a retreat, from broad AI research to more focused, high-impact model development.

This shift comes as Meta competes with organisations like OpenAI and Google in the race to build advanced large-language models and scaled AI systems. By trimming staff in legacy research and infrastructure units while bolstering resources for its superintelligence arm, Meta appears to be doubling-down on frontier AI even as it seeks to streamline operations.

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