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Today's Topics:
1. Australia?s social media ban is ?problematic,? but platforms
will comply anyway (Stephen Loosley)
2. Likelihood on an AMOC shutdown (Antony Barry)
3. Re: ACCAN: 'ACMA rejects ?deficient' protections code ? for
now' (Narelle Clark)
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Message: 1
Date: Wed, 29 Oct 2025 11:40:18 +1030
From: Stephen Loosley <[email protected]>
To: "link" <[email protected]>
Subject: [LINK] Australia?s social media ban is ?problematic,? but
platforms will comply anyway
Message-ID: <[email protected]>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="UTF-8"
Australia?s social media ban is ?problematic,? but platforms will comply anyway
Platforms expect to monitor a range of signals, but age detection will be
spotty.
By Ashley Belanger ? Oct 29, 2025 3:36 AM |
https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2025/10/social-media-firms-abandon-fight-against-australia-law-banning-under-16-users/
Social media platforms have agreed to comply with Australia?s social media ban
for users under 16 years old, begrudgingly embracing the world?s most
restrictive online child safety law.
On Tuesday, Meta, Snap, and TikTok confirmed to Australia?s parliament that
they?ll start removing and deactivating more than a million underage accounts
when the law?s enforcement begins on December 10, Reuters reported.
Firms risk fines of up to $32.5 million for failing to block underage users.
Age checks are expected to be spotty, however, and Australia is still
?scrambling? to figure out ?key issues around enforcement,? including detailing
firms? precise obligations, AFP reported.
An FAQ managed by Australia?s eSafety regulator noted that platforms will be
expected to find the accounts of all users under 16.
Those users must be allowed to download their data easily before their account
is removed.
Some platforms can otherwise allow users to simply deactivate and retain their
data until they reach age 17. Meta and TikTok expect to go that route, but
Australia?s regulator warned that ?users should not rely on platforms to
provide this option.?
Additionally, platforms must prepare to catch kids who skirt age gates, the
regulator said, and must block anyone under 16 from opening a new account.
Beyond that, they?re expected to prevent ?workarounds? to ?bypass
restrictions,? such as kids using AI to fake IDs, deepfakes to trick face
scans, or the use of virtual private networks (VPNs) to alter their location to
basically anywhere else in the world with less restrictive child safety
policies.
Kids discovered inappropriately accessing social media should be easy to
report, too, Australia?s regulator said.
Tech companies have slammed Australia?s social media ban as ?vague,?
?problematic,? and ?rushed,? AFP reported.
Each platform is expected to detect age based on a range of signals, such as
?how long an account has been active,? whether the users engage with content
geared toward younger users, how many friends ?who appear to be under 18? they
have, or whether they appear to be underage in their profile pictures or image
uploads. The eSafety regulator said platforms can also rely on audio analysis
to detect age based on users? voices.
Platforms could also analyze users? activities for clues and may dig through
users? interactions to analyze ?the language level and style? of both the user
and their friends, the official guidance said. Or they could detect that a
suspected child user?s posting seems to align with ?school schedules.?
These signals are not expected to perfectly detect users? ages, but platforms
simply need to show they took ?reasonable steps? to block banned users,
Australia?s law says. Officials have recommended that platforms use a ?layered?
approach to overcome attempts at circumvention, the BBC reported.
Everybody accepts that age checks won?t be perfect
When the ban takes effect in December, many kids will likely go undetected, and
some adult users will inevitably be falsely flagged as being underage.
A study commissioned by Australia?s regulator found that all methods for
detecting kids?including ?formal verification using government documents,
parental approval, or technologies to determine age based on facial structure,
gestures,? or behaviors?were ?technically possible.?
But there is no ?single ubiquitous solution that would suit all use cases, nor
did we find solutions that were guaranteed to be effective in all deployments,?
the BBC reported.
Perhaps most glaringly, face scans have a notably higher error rate when
attempting to distinguish between a 16- and 17-year-old, the study showed.
Many platforms are concerned about enforcement risks, despite the regulator
noting that compliance won?t be perfect?directly acknowledging in the FAQ that
?no solution is likely to be 100 percent effective all of the time.? To shield
adult users from any unintended censorship, the law requires platforms to
provide a simple way for users to challenge underage account bans.
Meta?s policy director for Australia and New Zealand, Mia Garlick, told AFP
that removing underage accounts will pose ?significant new engineering and age
assurance challenges.? Nevertheless, Meta plans to comply with the law and
remove all users under 16 once the law kicks in later this year.
Australia?s law is supposed to reduce harms by keeping harmful content out of
reach and reducing social media ?pressures.? But experts have warned that kids
can still access harmful content on platforms not impacted by the ban, and
there?s no clear evidence that the ban will reduce kids? screentime.
Instead, critics worry the ban will push kids to darker corners of the Internet
while removing an important tool that allows some users, like kids with
disabilities, to connect with others. Some advocates have pushed the government
to consider exemptions for kids with disabilities. But Australia?s regulator
backs the law as a necessary ?delay? of all minors? social media use, insisting
that under the new regulations, ?no under-16s have to feel like they?re
?missing out?? since none of their peers will have social media.
Rachel Lord, an Australian spokesperson for YouTube, told AFP that ?the
legislation will not only be extremely difficult to enforce, it also does not
fulfil its promise of making kids safer online.? YouTube is among the ban?s
loudest critics.
Australia has proposed reviewing the law?s impacts after two years. In the
meantime, other countries could adopt similar legislation, as concerns over
child safety have only heightened. Age checks laws have become more popular,
and artificial intelligence features that have alarmed parents and lawmakers
are increasingly embedded in social media.
Ashley Belanger Senior Policy Reporter. Ashley is a senior policy reporter for
Ars Technica, dedicated to tracking social impacts of emerging policies and new
technologies. She is a Chicago-based journalist with 20 years of experience.
--
------------------------------
Message: 2
Date: Wed, 29 Oct 2025 15:29:49 +1100
From: Antony Barry <[email protected]>
To: Link list <[email protected]>
Subject: [LINK] Likelihood on an AMOC shutdown
Message-ID: <[email protected]>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=utf-8
This link summarises a paper which warns of an AMOC shutdown over a
multi-decadal timescale.
https://www.brief.news/climate-change/2025/10/26/atlantic-current-faces-collapse?categories=AI&categories=Climate+change&date=2025-10-27&utm_source=daily-brief&utm_medium=email&source=%2Femail&uid=clncfg0vj001es610d6r44diy&eid=A02kiG0hwH
I got Perplexity AI to do its own summary (below) of the original paper for
comparison.
Summary of the paper ?Shutdown of northern Atlantic overturning after 2100
following deep mixing collapse in CMIP6 projections?:
This study examines the long-term projections from recent CMIP6 climate models,
focusing on the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC). The authors
find that, especially under high greenhouse gas emission scenarios (SSP585),
all extended model runs predict a drastic weakening and eventual shutdown of
the northern AMOC after the year 2100. This shutdown is often preceded by a
collapse of deep ocean mixing in the Labrador, Irminger, and Nordic
Seas?primarily due to reduced northward salt transport and increased surface
warming?triggering a ?tipping point? after which recovery would take centuries
(if at all). Even some intermediate (SSP245) and low-emission (SSP126)
scenarios show this effect in several models.
Major findings and implications:
AMOC Shutdown Mechanism: The shutdown is linked to a dramatic loss of deep
convection and mixing in the North Atlantic, leading to a shallower, weaker
overturning cell. The process is driven mainly by reduced salinity from less
northward salt transport and is triggered by surface warming.
Climate Impacts: This results in drastically decreased northward heat transport
and much reduced ocean heat release north of 45?N, potentially causing strong
surface cooling in the subpolar North Atlantic and northwestern Europe?unless
overwhelmed by greenhouse-gas-induced global warming.
Timescale: The transition unfolds over several decades to a century, so it does
not meet the IPCC definition of ?abrupt? collapse, but represents a terminal,
long-term shift.
Early Signs: Observations already show a declining trend in deep mixing across
the key regions, though internal variability is still dominant.
Model Uncertainty: Models may underestimate risk due to neglecting Greenland
meltwater, biases, and insufficient resolution of ocean eddies and mixing.
Risk Assessment: The risk of a northern AMOC shutdown is higher than assumed in
past IPCC assessments, even in some lower-emission scenarios.
Conclusion: The study concludes that the potential for a major, long-term
weakening or shutdown of the northern AMOC is significant under continued
climate change, highlighting a climate tipping point with widespread
implications for Europe and the global climate system. The results suggest that
IPCC risk assessments may need to be revised upward.
https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1088/1748-9326/adfa3b
Antony Barry
[email protected]
------------------------------
Message: 3
Date: Wed, 29 Oct 2025 16:44:56 +1100
From: Narelle Clark <[email protected]>
To: Roger Clarke <[email protected]>
Cc: link <[email protected]>
Subject: Re: [LINK] ACCAN: 'ACMA rejects ?deficient' protections code
? for now'
Message-ID:
<cacrmd1ekarnnzy6ssu8evtz+kwgsrgrxlmzx6wypogrvkdo...@mail.gmail.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="UTF-8"
I will be very surprised if privacy advocates will be happy with what ACCAN
has been campaigning for with respect to the TCP Code.
For example, new customers would have to undergo a full credit check for
debts >$150.
The version the drafting committee settled on came down to $300 from the
existing $1000.
Credit checks are highly invasive procedures and frankly $300 is very low
already.
Narelle
[email protected]
On Fri, 24 Oct 2025, 9:58?pm Roger Clarke, <[email protected]>
wrote:
>
> ACMA rejects ?deficient' protections code ? for now
> Message from the CEO of ACCAN
> 24 October 2025
>
> https://www.accan.org.au/accan-s-media-releases/acma-rejects-deficient-protections-code-for-now
>
> In major news this morning, sector regulator the Australian
> Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) has announced that it is
> rejecting the draft Telecommunications Consumer Protections (TCP) Code
> and instead providing the Australian Telecommunications Alliance (ATA)
> with a minimum 30-day response period to address weaknesses in the Code.
>
> Simply put, this is an excellent step forward for Australian
> communications consumers, who have for too long had ?protections?
> provided through a self-regulated Code which has abjectly failed to
> provide appropriate community safeguards.
>
> ACCAN has led the Fair Call Coalition since March 2025, when it became
> apparent that the draft Code developed by the ATA, after many rounds of
> feedback, would fail to meet appropriate community safeguards. We joined
> 22 other consumer groups who have backed this call which has been
> championed by the Consumer Action Law Centre.
>
> In a statement this morning, I said that this decision opens the door to
> advancing stronger consumer protections through direct regulation by the
> ACMA or the Minister for Communications, once industry has had the
> opportunity to respond to notice of deficiency. We and the Fair Call
> Coalition will have more to say on this matter in coming days and weeks.
>
> Also this week, Australians learned that tens of thousands of people may
> be unable to reach Triple Zero if their mobile network goes down. The
> issue is linked to a ?camp-on? fault affecting customers that use older
> Samsung devices, which fail to connect to the TPG network to access
> Triple Zero when it is the only available network. While some pre-2021
> Samsung phones will need to be updated to the latest software, some
> older devices must be replaced.
>
> As I told 10 News, ABC News Breakfast and ABC Radio, and ABC consumer
> affairs reporter Michael Atkin, who has been providing excellent
> coverage of this evolving story, we need a systemic, technical and
> independent review of the Triple Zero ecosystem.
>
> ACCAN is keen to stress that consumers who have been contacted by their
> provider about updating or replacing their phone, should act immediately
> to ensure they can reach Triple Zero in an emergency. Financial help is
> available - ask your telco about hardship and payment assistance options.
>
> ACCAN has also released a position paper on the renewal of expiring
> spectrum licences. Spectrum is a valuable public asset, and its
> allocation must deliver benefits to the public. We are calling for
> competitive auctions, or at minimum, legally binding commitments from
> telcos to pass any renewal discounts on to consumers through lower
> prices or new investment. Without such commitments, discounted spectrum
> risks providing industry windfall profits at the expense of taxpayers.
>
> You can hear more about this issue at ACCAN?s upcoming Spectrum
> Management Forum on 7 November.
>
> I?ll also be joining the International Institute of Communications for a
> panel event on 11 November about the new Scams Prevention Framework. I
> hope to see many of you there as we continue to work to reduce the
> impact of scams in our communities.
>
> This week is Get Online Week, an important reminder that digital skills
> are essential for everyone. Whether it?s learning how to spot scams,
> manage data, or use online services safely, these skills help ensure no
> one is left behind in our connected world.
>
> Finally, a note of thanks to all members who joined us on Wednesday for
> ACCAN?s Annual General Meeting. I look forward to working with three new
> Directors, Amber Marshall, Ron Ben-David and Tess Matthews. I am
> delighted that Vince Humpries and Delia Rickard have been re-appointed
> as Chairperson and Deputy Chairperson respectively.
>
> Read on for more consumer news and views.
>
> Carol Bennett
> CEO
>
>
> --
> Roger Clarke mailto:[email protected]
> T: +61 2 6288 6916 http://www.xamax.com.au http://www.rogerclarke.com
>
> Xamax Consultancy Pty Ltd 78 Sidaway St, Chapman ACT 2611 AUSTRALIA
> <https://www.google.com/maps/search/78+Sidaway+St,+Chapman+ACT+2611+AUSTRALIA?entry=gmail&source=g>
>
> Visiting Professorial Fellow UNSW Law & Justice
> Visiting Professor in Computer Science Australian National University
> _______________________________________________
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