FutureFive Australia - Consumer technology news from the future

Online Safety stories - Page 4

European child laptop home safe ai shields padlocks trust circle

Safer Internet Day spotlights AI, trust & child safety

Tue, 10th Feb 2026
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data protection
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surveillance
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encryption
Safer Internet Day highlights how AI is transforming online trust, child protection and digital commerce, amid calls for stricter safeguards.
Teacher guiding teens on online safety privacy cyberbullying

Snap debuts interactive digital safety course for teens

Tue, 10th Feb 2026
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data privacy
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social media
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cyberbullying
Snap launches an interactive course to teach teens and parents practical digital safety skills on bullying, sextortion and illicit drugs.
Moody user at desk surrounded by phishing login screens monitors

Record rise in digital squatting fuels phishing wave

Mon, 9th Feb 2026
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malware
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phishing
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martech
Record digital squatting surge sees 6,200 disputes in 2025, as lookalike domains drive costly phishing, malware and payment fraud.
Australian teen worried in bed phone glow parent in doorway online risks

Australians doubt under-16 social media ban boosts safety

Mon, 9th Feb 2026
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data protection
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martech
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social media
Most Australians doubt the under-16 social media ban has made the internet safer, with many expecting teens to bypass the new rules.
Realtime ai agent detection on ecommerce site flat illustration

cside unveils toolkit to spot AI agents in browsers

Fri, 6th Feb 2026
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devops
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digital transformation
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martech
cside launches browser-based AI Agent Detection toolkit, helping businesses spot agentic traffic and tailor site experiences in real time.
Australian teen worried social media storm icons parents doorway

Many doubt under-16 social media bans cut online harm

Thu, 5th Feb 2026
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social media
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digital literacy
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online safety
New research finds most people doubt under-16 social media bans will curb online harm, expecting teens to bypass rules and limits.
Nz adult watching laptop with social video thumbnails fraud shield

Avast launches Deepfake Guard & expands Scam Guardian

Thu, 5th Feb 2026
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malware
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semiconductors
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mdm
Avast rolls out Deepfake Guard for Windows and takes Scam Guardian global on mobile in a push to combat rising video-led fraud.
Moody smart home night wifi router dark web online fraud net

Global router hijack uses rogue DNS to monetise web

Wed, 4th Feb 2026
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firewalls
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network security
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iot security
Hackers are hijacking ageing home routers worldwide, covertly rewiring DNS to quietly cash in on everyday web browsing traffic.
Worried australian man answering phone ghostly double ai fraud

AI voice cloning scams cost Australians AUD $25.8m

Wed, 4th Feb 2026
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phishing
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physical security
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email security
AI voice cloning scams have already cost Australians AUD $25.8m in 2025, as experts warn lifelike fake calls are outpacing public awareness.
Ai chatbot laptop with translucent shield protecting families privacy

OpenAI rolls out age checks ahead of ChatGPT adult mode

Tue, 3rd Feb 2026
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data protection
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breach prevention
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data privacy
OpenAI deploys behavioural age prediction for ChatGPT as it prepares a 2026 adult mode, raising fresh privacy and child-safety concerns.
Australia teen privacy smartphone locked profile illustration

Snap locks 415,000 teen accounts, urges app store age checks

Mon, 2nd Feb 2026
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surveillance
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data privacy
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google
Snap locks 415,000 suspected under-16 Snapchat accounts in Australia and renews calls for stricter app store-level age checks.
Human robot handshake over verified shield secure ai identity link

Sumsub unveils AI tool tying agents to human users

Fri, 30th Jan 2026
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digital transformation
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fintech
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risk & compliance
Sumsub launches AI Agent Verification to link automated activity to verified humans, tackling rising AI-driven fraud without blocking bots.
Android phone data theft night apac city sinister padlock cloud

Hugging Face used to spread Android trojan TrustBastion

Fri, 30th Jan 2026
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firewalls
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endpoint protection
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network security
Cybercriminals abused Hugging Face to host rapidly mutating TrustBastion Android malware stealing credentials across Asia-Pacific.
Smartphone shield person nodes secure age verification privacy

Incode joins OpenAge drive for interoperable age checks

Thu, 29th Jan 2026
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data protection
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app store
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online safety
Incode has joined the OpenAge Initiative, bolstering a push for interoperable, privacy-preserving age checks across online services.
Smartphone shielded from qr scams with red protection icon

McAfee adds QR scans & smarter tools to fight scams

Thu, 29th Jan 2026
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phishing
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advanced persistent threat protection
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physical security
McAfee boosts its Scam Detector with instant QR checks and smarter message scanning to counter a surge in personal, AI-powered frauds.
Whatsapp strict account settings header

WhatsApp unveils lockdown mode for high-risk users

Wed, 28th Jan 2026
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data protection
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surveillance
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encryption
WhatsApp launches Strict Account Settings, a lockdown mode offering tighter privacy and security for journalists and other high‑risk users.
Family center with logo

Snapchat expands Family Centre with new teen controls

Wed, 28th Jan 2026
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data privacy
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social media
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snap
Snapchat adds detailed screen-time and friend context tools to Family Centre, giving parents new teen safety insights without reading chats.
Alex coates

Five tech trends to reshape Australia's digital future

Tue, 27th Jan 2026
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data protection
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digital transformation
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hyperscale
Australia's digital economy heads for a 2026 reset as collaboration, AI literacy and sovereign cloud reshape work, data and family life.
Australian silhouette shielding from surveilling big tech data

Digital rights group urges Australians to fight privacy trap

Fri, 23rd Jan 2026
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data protection
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surveillance
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data analytics
Digital rights group warns Australians to resist 'privacy paradox', urging tougher laws and everyday steps to curb online data tracking.
Logitech g321 lightspeed  149  10

Logitech G predicts five key shifts in gaming for 2026

Fri, 23rd Jan 2026
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gaming
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digital entertainment
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logitech
Logitech G tips 2026 as a turning point, with blockbusters, ageing gamers, creators and cosy live-service worlds reshaping how we play.