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                        <title>Latest Technology News, Tech News Pakistan | The Express Tribune</title>
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			<title>Telegram's Durov says Russia triggered payment system problem by blocking VPNs</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/2601024/telegrams-durov-says-russia-triggered-payment-system-problem-by-blocking-vpns</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/2601024/telegrams-durov-says-russia-triggered-payment-system-problem-by-blocking-vpns#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Sat, 04 Apr 26 07:06:59 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[Reuters]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Technology]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=2601024</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[Moscow metro forced to open turnstiles without payment as VPN crackdown triggers nationwide banking chaos]]>
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				<![CDATA[Telegram founder Pavel Durov said on Saturday that Russia&#39;s attempt to block Virtual Private Networks (VPNs) triggered a problem with a domestic payment system, adding that tens of millions of Russians were now resisting the digital controls.

The issue sowed chaos on Friday for some ​shoppers, forcing the Moscow metro to allow entry without payment through its turnstiles, while a regional ​zoo had to ask visitors to ​use cash.

&quot;Their blocking attempts just triggered a massive banking failure,&quot; Durov said on Telegram. &quot;Welcome back to the Digital Resistance, my Russian brothers and sisters. The entire nation is now mobilised to bypass these absurd restrictions,&quot; he added.

Read: UAE, Russia demand access to Telegram CEO

Telegram, based in Dubai, was founded by Russian-born Durov, who left Russia in 2014 after he refused to comply with demands to shut down opposition communities on his VK social media platform, which he sold.

&quot;We&#39;ll probably cross one billion monthly active users within a year now,&quot; Durov, who fully owns Telegram, told US journalist Tucker Carlson, according to a video interview posted on Carlson&#39;s account on the X social media platform.

&quot;Telegram is spreading like forest fire,&quot; Durov said.

The United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Russia submitted requests for consular access to Durov, who was arrested in August 2024 in Paris over his alleged refusal to cooperate in the investigation of crimes related to the app.

The UAE&#39;s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said early on Tuesday that it was &quot;closely following&quot; Durov&#39;s case and had &quot;submitted a request to the French&nbsp;government&nbsp;to provide him with all consular services urgently.&quot;

Russia&#39;s embassy in Paris had earlier referred a note to the French foreign ministry demanding consular access to Durov, the TASS news agency quoted Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova as saying.

Read More:&nbsp;Pavel Durov&rsquo;s recently written will: Telegram fortune to be divided amongst 100 kids he fathered

The Kremlin said in February 2026 that Russia has blocked Meta&#39;s WhatsApp messaging service and suggested that people use MAX, a new state-backed platform, instead.

US messenger app WhatsApp, owned by Meta Platforms, accused authorities in Russia on Thursday of trying to fully block its service in order to drive Russians to a state-owned app, which it alleged was used for surveillance.

Since then, many Russians have been able to use WhatsApp only in conjunction with a virtual private network and have switched to using rival messenger apps, though some of those - like Telegram - are also under pressure from the authorities for the same reasons.]]>
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			<title>China moves to regulate digital humans, bans addictive services for children</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/2600881/china-moves-to-regulate-digital-humans-bans-addictive-services-for-children</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/2600881/china-moves-to-regulate-digital-humans-bans-addictive-services-for-children#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Fri, 03 Apr 26 12:03:20 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[Reuters.]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Technology]]></category>
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			<description>
				<![CDATA[China proposes labelling digital humans and banning virtual intimacy for minors in new cyber policy draft]]>
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				<![CDATA[China&#39;s cyberspace regulator issued draft regulations on Friday to oversee the development of digital humans online, requiring clear labelling and banning services ​that could mislead children or fuel addiction.

The Cyberspace Administration of &zwnj;China&#39;s proposed rules would require prominent &quot;digital human&quot; labels on all virtual human content and prohibit digital humans from providing &quot;virtual intimate relationships&quot; to those under 18, according to rules published ​for public comment until May 6.

The draft regulations would also ban the ​use of other people&#39;s personal information to create digital humans without ⁠consent, or using virtual humans to bypass identity verification systems, reflecting Beijing&#39;s efforts ​to maintain control in the face of advances in artificial intelligence.

Digital humans are ​also prohibited from disseminating content that endangers national security, inciting subversion of state power, promoting secession or undermining national unity, the draft rules said.

Service providers are advised to prevent ​and resist sexually suggestive content, depict horror, cruelty or incite discrimination ​based on ethnicity or region, according to the document. Providers are also encouraged to take &zwnj;necessary ⁠measures to intervene and provide professional assistance when users exhibit suicidal or self-harming tendencies.

Read More: China&rsquo;s tech boom: from AI robots to lunar missions

China made clear its ambitions to aggressively adopt AI throughout its economy in the new five-year policy blueprint issued last month. The push comes alongside tightening ​governance in the booming ​industry to ensure ⁠safety and alignment with the country&#39;s socialist values.

The new rules aim to fill a gap in governance in the digital ​human sector, setting clear red lines for the healthy ​development of ⁠the industry, according to an analysis published on the cyberspace regulator&#39;s website.

&quot;The governance of digital virtual humans is no longer merely an issue of industry norms; ⁠rather, ​it has become a strategic scientific problem that ​concerns the security of cyberspace, public interests&nbsp;and the high-quality development of the digital ​economy,&quot; it added.]]>
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			<title>Artemis II astronauts leave Earth’s orbit, set course for the moon</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/2600857/artemis-ii-astronauts-leave-earths-orbit-set-course-for-the-moon</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/2600857/artemis-ii-astronauts-leave-earths-orbit-set-course-for-the-moon#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Fri, 03 Apr 26 09:29:10 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[Anadolu Agency]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Technology]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=2600857</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[Shuttle-era Orbital Manoeuvring System engine burns for 6 minutes as craft passes through lowest point of orbit]]>
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				<![CDATA[The Artemis II Orion capsule, carrying a crew of three men and one woman, successfully left Earth&rsquo;s orbit Thursday evening and set course for the moon.

This came just hours after NASA&rsquo;s mission managers approved the Artemis II crew for a key engine burn, according to CBS News.

Around 7:50pm EDT (0450PKT), the shuttle-era Orbital Manoeuvring System engine, located at the base of Orion&rsquo;s service module, ignited for nearly six minutes as the spacecraft passed through the lowest point of its elliptical orbit.

The burn acted like a slingshot, accelerating Orion to roughly 25,000 miles (40,233 kilometres) per hour, fast enough to escape Earth&rsquo;s gravity and begin its four-day journey to the moon.

Earlier in the day, NASA&rsquo;s mission management team (MMT) reviewed Orion&rsquo;s almost flawless performance and gave the go-ahead for the crucial trans-lunar injection (TLI) burn, a decisive step in the mission&rsquo;s lunar flyby.

Also Read: Artemis II set for historic crewed moon mission launch

&quot;Hey, just to make it clear in the open here, we are going for TLI after the MMT concluded their deliberations a few minutes ago, and we&#39;re going to proceed down that path and get ready for the burn here,&quot; the lead flight director said.

&quot;We love those words. And we&#39;re loving the view. We&#39;re falling back to Earth real fast and looking forward to accelerating back to the moon,&quot; said the one Canadian astronaut onboard.

The US space agency NASA said on Wednesday that its Artemis II mission successfully launched from the Kennedy Space Centre in Florida, sending astronauts to the moon for the first time in more than 50 years.

The Space Launch System rocket carried four astronauts safely into orbit, with the Orion spacecraft now on course for a 10-day journey around the moon and back to Earth.

The crew includes three American astronauts and one Canadian on a mission aimed at testing critical systems needed for future human exploration of deep space.]]>
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			<title>Non-resident YouTubers to face 16–66% tax on Pakistan-based earnings</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/2600706/non-resident-youtubers-to-face-1666-tax-on-pakistan-based-earnings</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/2600706/non-resident-youtubers-to-face-1666-tax-on-pakistan-based-earnings#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Thu, 02 Apr 26 15:20:22 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[Shahbaz Rana]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Pakistan]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=2600706</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[FBR seeks Rs195 per 1,000 views from non-resident YouTubers earning from content viewed in Pakistan]]>
			</description>
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				<![CDATA[The government has proposed new amendments to target non-resident Pakistani YouTubers who were earning hefty amounts by selling their content in Pakistan, seeking to recover Rs195 per 1,000 views on videos.

The Federal Board of Revenue has proposed the amendments to the Income Tax Rules and has given seven days for objections to these amendments. These special procedures have been notified by exercising the special powers available to Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb to change these rules.

The law states that the FBR, with the approval of the minister-in-charge (finance minister), may, by notification in the official Gazette, prescribe a special procedure for the scope and payment of tax, record keeping, filing of returns and assessment in respect of small businesses, construction businesses, medical practitioners, hospitals, educational institutions and any other sector specified by the FBR with the approval of the Minister-in-charge, in such cities or territories as may be specified.

Read: NCCIA summons YouTubers over &#39;fake reporting&#39;

The FBR has proposed that it will charge Rs195 &ldquo;per 1,000 views on the video shared on YouTube&quot;. For the purpose of this special procedure, it shall be taken as Rs195 and is subject to revision from time to time.

At present, the revenue per mille (per thousand) usually ranges from $1 to $3 but can go as high as $9 if the audience is in the United States and Canada.

The Rs195 per 1,000 views from income earned from Pakistan could translate into a 16% to 66% rate. Such a measure cannot be enforced without the active support of YouTube management.

The FBR stated that the proposed special procedure will only apply to the computation of the income of non-resident persons earning&nbsp;from remunerative social media content viewed in Pakistan.

&ldquo;Every non-resident person deriving income from interaction with users in Pakistan through social media platforms, to the extent such income constitutes Pakistan-source income,&rdquo; state the&nbsp;proposed rules.

Also Read: IMF seeks Rs15.6tr tax target

This would impact only those non-resident Pakistanis who are based abroad, mainly in the US, Canada or the United Kingdom, producing content on Pakistan&rsquo;s politics and economy that is viewed in Pakistan. There are a handful of non-resident Pakistanis who would be affected by these special procedures.

The FBR said that these rules would be applicable to the systematic and continuous solicitation of business activities or engagement in interaction through digital means only to those YouTubers who have over 50,000 users a year or 12,250 in a quarter.

&ldquo;The threshold for the number of users for the purposes of these rules will be exceeding fifty thousand users during a tax year or twelve thousand two hundred and fifty users during a quarter,&rdquo; read the rules.

The FBR said that the minimum income of a person from remunerative social media content shall be calculated based on total remuneration received from social media content, minus total expenses made, up to a maximum of 30% of total revenue.

The total remuneration received by a person from remunerative social media content shall be the higher of revenue per mille multiplied by the average number of views per content, multiplied by the total number of posts during the year, or the actual remuneration received by a person from the social media content, whether received in cash or kind.

Read: FBR misses tax target by Rs610b

Every YouTuber falling under this new special procedure will pay advance income tax. The declaration of such income shall be made in a special part of the income tax return for each tax year.

The FBR said that where the declaration of income is less than the amount calculated, the relevant Inland Revenue Commissioner may rectify this error of omission or commission in the return and proceed to recover the amount due from the taxpayer as per the provisions of the Income Tax Ordinance, 2001.]]>
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			<title>Big Tech targets in Iran war: Where and why?</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/2600702/big-tech-targets-in-iran-war-where-and-why</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/2600702/big-tech-targets-in-iran-war-where-and-why#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Thu, 02 Apr 26 14:48:49 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[Anadolu Agency]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[World]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=2600702</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[US tech firms raise concerns over security of Gulf’s rapidly growing digital infrastructure]]>
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				<![CDATA[The Gulf&rsquo;s rise as a global technology hub is now under growing threat after posts circulated on channels linked to Iran&rsquo;s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) named major US tech firms in the region as potential targets.

The statement, circulated on IRGC-affiliated Telegram channels, listed 18 companies, including Cisco, Intel, Oracle, Microsoft, Apple, Google, Meta, IBM, Nvidia, Tesla, Boeing and Abu Dhabi-based AI firm G42.

It accused them of enabling what it described as Israeli and US &ldquo;terror operations&rdquo; through their information and artificial intelligence technologies and declared them &ldquo;legitimate targets&rdquo;.

The statement warned that firms involved would face retaliation for attacks against Iranian targets and advised employees to leave their workplaces, setting a deadline of 8pm Tehran time (1630GMT) on Wednesday.

With that deadline now passed, attention has shifted to what such threats mean for the conflict and for the Gulf&rsquo;s rapidly expanding digital infrastructure.

&ldquo;The Iranians are trying to raise costs for the US and the Gulf to coerce them into ending their operations,&rdquo; Sam Winter-Levy, a fellow in the Technology and International Affairs Program at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, told Anadolu.

&ldquo;They&#39;re trying to strike at the tech industry, the symbolic heart of US-Gulf cooperation.&rdquo;

Which US tech investments are at risk?

Major US tech firms have invested heavily in the Gulf, building a fast-growing network of data centres, cloud services and artificial intelligence infrastructure.

The region has become attractive due to access to energy and relatively low electricity costs, helping position it as an emerging global tech hub. According to the New York Times, trillions of dollars of planned investments now hang in the balance.

Also Read: Trump &lsquo;desperate&rsquo; to make deal with Iran, says ex-Pentagon adviser

Several large-scale projects highlight what&rsquo;s at stake.

Companies including Cisco, OpenAI, Oracle and Nvidia are involved in the planned Stargate UAE data centre campus, expected to be the largest project of its kind outside the US.

With an estimated cost of $30 billion, the sprawling complex of 26 square kilometres&nbsp;is expected to go live this year.

Oracle already operates cloud regions &mdash;&nbsp;localised clusters of data centres that store data and run digital services closer to users &mdash;&nbsp;in Abu Dhabi and Dubai, forming part of the backbone for government and private-sector digital services, as well as in Jeddah and Riyadh.

In 2024, Google announced a partnership with Saudi entities to expand its cloud presence and boost AI capabilities, including plans for a major AI hub backed by a $10b&nbsp;joint investment with Saudi Arabia&#39;s sovereign wealth fund. The year prior, it launched cloud regions in Saudi Arabia and Qatar.

Microsoft has also expanded its footprint in the region, announcing a $1.5b&nbsp;investment in Abu Dhabi-based AI firm G42 in 2024, after establishing a cloud data centre region in Qatar in 2022.

Nvidia is building AI infrastructure in Saudi Arabia through partnerships with local entities, including HUMAIN, developing large-scale AI factories with a projected capacity of up to 500 megawatts and powered by hundreds of thousands of its advanced chips.

Meanwhile, Amazon Web Services (AWS) has announced plans to invest more than $5.3b&nbsp;to establish a new AI zone with specialised infrastructure in Saudi Arabia.

AWS already operates facilities in the UAE and Bahrain, some of which have been affected by the war.

On March 2, the company said two of its data centre facilities in the UAE and one in Bahrain sustained physical damage from drone strikes, marking the first known case of commercial cloud infrastructure being hit during military action.

On Wednesday, the Financial Times reported that another strike damaged Amazon cloud operations in Bahrain.

Potential impacts of attacks on Gulf tech infrastructure

Until recently, physical attacks on commercial cloud infrastructure and data centres were not seriously modelled as a risk, Lukasz Olejnik, an independent technology and security expert, told Anadolu.

&ldquo;Now they are not theoretical and will remain so, unless long-term agreements or new technologies emerge,&rdquo; he said, adding that insurers, corporate boards and infrastructure planners must now treat such threats as a real possibility.

Data centres are particularly vulnerable due to their reliance on uninterrupted power, cooling and connectivity, said Winter-Levy, describing them as &ldquo;soft targets&rdquo;.

&ldquo;If the Iranians knock out their chillers or their power supply, they can take an entire facility offline, potentially causing extensive disruption,&rdquo; he said, warning that even brief outages can cause losses worth millions of dollars for businesses.

The economic impact could unfold on two levels, he said, starting with immediate service disruptions.

Read More: UK to host talks with 35 countries on reopening Strait of Hormuz

Companies relying on Gulf-based cloud infrastructure could lose access to applications, data and payment systems, affecting sectors such as banking, logistics and digital services.

Over the longer term, such incidents risk undermining the Gulf&rsquo;s position as a safe and reliable hub for global data.

&ldquo;The Gulf states have spent years and billions of dollars pitching themselves as safe, stable homes for the world&#39;s data,&rdquo; Winter-Levy said. &ldquo;That pitch is now significantly harder to make. Every investor, every enterprise customer, every insurance underwriter is reassessing risk.&rdquo;

&ldquo;All of this will drive up the costs for the Gulf to attract business,&rdquo; he added.

What does targeting tech firms mean for the course of war?

The threats point to a broader strategic shift, analysts say.

&ldquo;Iran is signalling that it does not distinguish between the civilian and military functions of American companies,&rdquo; said Winter-Levy.

&ldquo;From Tehran&#39;s perspective, a company that provides cloud services to the Pentagon and to a Dubai bank is a single target, not two separate entities.&rdquo;

The scope of the companies named in the statement reinforces that view.

The list spans cloud providers such as AWS and Oracle, as well as defence contractors like Boeing and Palantir, financial institutions including JP Morgan and industrial firms such as General Electric.

&ldquo;There is a logic here beyond retaliation,&rdquo; said Winter-Levy.

&ldquo;By threatening the full spectrum of Western commercial presence in the Gulf, Iran is raising the cost of the US-Gulf economic relationship itself.&rdquo;]]>
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			<title>Microsoft CEO warns AI could stall without global economic impact</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/2588272/microsoft-ceo-warns-ai-could-stall-without-global-economic-impact</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/2588272/microsoft-ceo-warns-ai-could-stall-without-global-economic-impact#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Wed, 21 Jan 26 11:40:25 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[Web Desk]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Technology]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=2588272</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[AI's long-term success hinges on adoption beyond 'Big Tech', according to Satya Nadella]]>
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				<![CDATA[Microsoft chief executive Satya Nadella warned on Wednesday that Artificial Intelligence (AI) could falter in the coming market downturn unless it delivered&nbsp;real economic value across the wider world, the Financial Times reported.

Speaking at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Nadella said AI&rsquo;s long-term success depended&nbsp;on its adoption beyond the technology sector and affluent economies.&nbsp;His remarks come amid growing concerns that the current AI boom may be unsustainable if its benefits remain concentrated among a few firms.

Nadella said the technology must be applied in sectors such as healthcare, education, agriculture, and public services to demonstrate that it could&nbsp;improve outcomes for ordinary people. He told the forum that if AI&rsquo;s advantages were only seen in Silicon Valley and wealthy nations, it could become akin to a financial bubble rather than a force for broad productivity growth.

An AI bubble is thought to emerge when investors pour money into the sector based on expectations rather than proven financial performance.

Record spending, soaring valuations of AI-related companies, and comparisons to past tech manias like the dot-com era have fuelled these concerns. Market watchers, economists, and popular YouTubers have debated whether an AI bubble exists. The rapid rise in AI investment is contributing to a cycle where investment outpaces actual economic returns.

Read: AI: bubble, rubble and trouble

Companies tied to AI have been trading at high valuation multiples relative to earnings, and investor optimism sometimes appears detached from current revenue-generation realities. A July MIT study indicates that many enterprise AI projects have yet to deliver measurable productivity gains at scale, potentially slowing their contribution to economic growth if expectations remain high.

However, some economists, including the Head of Portfolio Management at JP Morgan, argue that while caution makes sense, the foundations of AI growth remain solid, with profitability and long-term demand supporting valuations in many cases.

{{pdf}}

&ldquo;AI has to be used to change outcomes for people, communities, and industries,&rdquo; Nadella said, arguing that democratising access to AI tools will determine which countries and companies lead in the next phase of technological change.

Nadella also echoed concerns from other industry figures that the divide in AI adoption between rich and developing nations risks widening global inequality. He cited early use cases &mdash; such as AI systems helping rural workers access information &mdash; as examples of how the technology could drive inclusive growth if deployed responsibly.]]>
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			<title>OpenAI introducing ads to ChatGPT</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/2587528/openai-introducing-ads-to-chatgpt</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/2587528/openai-introducing-ads-to-chatgpt#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Fri, 16 Jan 26 19:36:20 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[AFP]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Technology]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=2587528</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[Ads will initially appear in the US for free and lower-tier users, the company said]]>
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				<![CDATA[OpenAI announced Friday it will begin testing advertisements on ChatGPT in the coming weeks, as the wildly popular artificial intelligence chatbot seeks to increase revenue to cover its soaring costs.

The ads will initially appear in the United States for free and lower-tier subscribers, the company said in a blog post outlining its long-anticipated move into advertising.

The integration of advertising has been a key question for generative AI chatbots, with companies largely reluctant to interrupt the user experience with ads.

But the exorbitant costs of running AI services may have forced OpenAI&#39;s hand.

Only a small percentage of its nearly one billion users pay for subscription services, putting pressure on the company to find new revenue sources.

Since ChatGPT&#39;s launch in 2022, OpenAI&#39;s valuation has soared to $500 billion in funding rounds -- higher than any other private company. Some expect it could go public with a trillion-dollar valuation.

But the ChatGPT maker burns through cash at a furious rate, mostly on the powerful computing required to deliver its services.

With its move, OpenAI brings its business model closer to tech giants Google and Meta, which have built advertising empires on the back of their free-to-use services.

Unlike OpenAI, those companies have massive advertising revenue to fund AI innovation -- with Amazon also building a solid ad business on its shopping and video streaming platforms.

Read More: Global pressure forces X to restrict Grok over sexualised deepfake images

&quot;Ads aren&#39;t a distraction from the gen AI race; they&#39;re how OpenAI stays in it,&quot; said Jeremy Goldman, an analyst at Emarketer.

&quot;If ChatGPT turns on ads, OpenAI is admitting something simple and consequential: the race isn&#39;t just about model quality anymore; it&#39;s about monetizing attention without poisoning trust,&quot; he added.

OpenAI&#39;s pivot comes as Google gains ground in the generative AI race, infusing services including Gmail, Maps and YouTube with AI features that -- in addition to its Gemini chatbot --&nbsp; compete directly with ChatGPT.

To address concerns about its pivot into advertising, OpenAI pledged that ads would never influence ChatGPT&#39;s answers and that user conversations would remain private from advertisers.

&quot;Ads do not influence the answers ChatGPT gives you,&quot; the company stated. &quot;Answers are optimized based on what&#39;s most helpful to you. Ads are always separate and clearly labeled.&quot;

In an apparent reference to Meta, TikTok and Google&#39;s YouTube -- platforms accused of maximizing user engagement to boost ad views -- OpenAI said it would &quot;not optimize for time spent in ChatGPT.&quot;

&quot;We prioritize user trust and user experience over revenue,&quot; it added.

The commitment to user well-being is a sensitive issue for OpenAI, which has faced accusations of allowing ChatGPT to prioritize emotional engagement over safety, allegedly contributing to mental distress among some users.]]>
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			<title>India proposes forcing smartphone makers to give source code in security overhaul</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/2586562/india-proposes-forcing-smartphone-makers-to-give-source-code-in-security-overhaul</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/2586562/india-proposes-forcing-smartphone-makers-to-give-source-code-in-security-overhaul#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Sun, 11 Jan 26 12:54:09 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[Reuters]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Technology]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=2586562</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[India wants apps removable &amp; camera/mic use blocked in background to prevent misuse]]>
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				<![CDATA[India proposes requiring smartphone makers to share source code with the government and make several software changes as part of a raft of security measures, prompting behind-the-scenes opposition from giants like Apple and Samsung.

The tech companies have countered that the package of 83 security standards, which would also include a requirement to alert the government to major software updates, lacks any global precedent and risks revealing proprietary details, according to four people familiar with the discussions and a Reuters review of confidential government and industry documents.

The plan is part of Prime Minister Narendra Modi&#39;s efforts to boost security of user data as online fraud and data breaches increase in the world&#39;s second-largest smartphone market, with nearly 750 million phones.

IT Secretary S. Krishnan told Reuters that &quot;any legitimate concerns of the industry will be addressed with an open mind&quot;, adding it was &quot;premature to read more into it&quot;. A ministry spokesperson said it could not comment further due to ongoing consultation with tech companies on the proposals.

Read More:&nbsp;Meta partners with US nuclear companies to power AI data centers

Ongoing tug of war over government requirements

Apple , South Korea&#39;s Samsung , Google , China&#39;s Xiaomi and MAIT, the Indian industry group that represents the firms, did not respond to requests for comment.

Indian government requirements have irked technology firms before. Last month it revoked an order mandating a state-run cyber safety app on phones amid concerns over surveillance. But the government brushed aside lobbying last year and required rigorous testing for security cameras over fears of Chinese spying.

Xiaomi and Samsung - whose phones use Google&#39;s Android operating system - hold 19% and 15%, respectively, of India&#39;s market share and Apple 5%, Counterpoint Research estimates.
Among the most sensitive requirements in the new Indian Telecom Security Assurance Requirements is access to source code - the underlying programming instructions that make phones work. This would be analysed and possibly tested at designated Indian labs, the documents show.

The Indian proposals also require companies to make software changes to allow pre-installed apps to be uninstalled and to block apps from using cameras and microphones in the background to &quot;avoid malicious usage&quot;.

&quot;Industry raised concerns that globally security requirement have not been mandated by any country,&quot; said a December IT ministry document detailing meetings that officials held with Apple, Samsung, Google and Xiaomi.

The security standards, drafted in 2023, are in the spotlight now as the government is considering imposing them legally. IT ministry and tech executives are due to meet on Tuesday for more discussions, sources said.

Companies say source code review, analysis &#39;not possible&#39;

Smartphone makers closely guard their source code. Apple declined China&#39;s request for source code between 2014 and 2016, and US law enforcement has also tried and failed to get it.
India&#39;s proposals for &quot;vulnerability analysis&quot; and &quot;source code review&quot; would require smartphone makers to perform a &quot;complete security assessment&quot;, after which test labs in India could check their claims through source code review and analysis.

&quot;This is not possible ... due to secrecy and privacy,&quot; MAIT said in a confidential document drafted in response to the government proposal, and seen by Reuters. &quot;Major countries in the EU, North America, Australia and Africa do not mandate these requirements.&quot;

MAIT asked the ministry last week to drop the proposal, a source with direct knowledge said.
The Indian proposals would mandate automatic and periodic malware scanning on phones. Device makers would also have to inform the National Centre for Communication Security about major software updates and security patches before releasing them to users, and the centre would have the right to test them.

MAIT&#39;s document says regular malware scanning significantly drains a phone&#39;s battery and seeking government approval for software updates is &quot;impractical&quot; as they need to be issued promptly.

India also wants the phone&#39;s logs - digital records of its system activity - to be stored for at least 12 months on the device.

&quot;There is not enough room on device to store 1-year log events,&quot; MAIT said in the document.

&nbsp;]]>
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			<title>Experts say oceans soaked up record heat levels in 2025</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/2586322/experts-say-oceans-soaked-up-record-heat-levels-in-2025</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/2586322/experts-say-oceans-soaked-up-record-heat-levels-in-2025#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Fri, 09 Jan 26 18:47:57 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[AFP]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Technology]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=2586322</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[Ocean heat rose ~23 zettajoules in 2025, equal to nearly 40 years of global energy use]]>
			</description>
			<content:encoded>
				<![CDATA[The world&#39;s oceans absorbed a record amount of heat in 2025, an international team of scientists said Friday, further priming conditions for sea level rise, violent storms, and coral death.

The heat that has accumulated in the oceans last year increased by approximately 23 zettajoules -- an amount equivalent to nearly four decades of global primary energy consumption.

This finding -- published in the journal Advances in Atmospheric Sciences -- was the highest reading of any year since modern record keeping began in the early 1950s, researchers said.

To derive these calculations, more than 50 scientists from 31 research institutions used multiple sources including a thousands-strong fleet of floating robots that track ocean changes to depths of 2,000 metres.

Peering into the depths, rather than fluctuations at the surface, provides a better indicator of how oceans are responding to &quot;sustained pressure&quot; from humanity&#39;s emissions, said study co-author Karina von Schuckmann.

&quot;The picture is clear: results for 2025 confirm that the ocean continues to warm,&quot; von Schuckmann, an oceanographer from French research institute Mercator Ocean International, told AFP.

Read More: Allies, scientists alarmed as US quits global bodies

Oceans are a key regulator of Earth&#39;s climate because they soak up 90 percent of the excess heat in the atmosphere caused by humanity&#39;s release of greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide.

All that additional energy has a powerful knock-on effect. Warmer oceans increase moisture in the atmosphere, providing fuel for tropical cyclones and destructive rainfall.

Hotter seas also directly contribute to sea level rise -- water expands when it warms up -- and make conditions unbearable for tropical reefs, whose corals perish during prolonged marine heatwaves.

&quot;As long as the Earth continues to accumulate heat, ocean heat content will keep rising, sea level will rise and new records will be set,&quot; said von Schuckmann.

Humanity&#39;s choice

Ocean warming is not uniform, with some areas warming faster than others.

The tropical oceans, the South Atlantic, the Mediterranean, the northern Indian Ocean, and the Southern Ocean were among waters that absorbed record amounts of heat in 2025.

This occurred even as average sea surface temperatures decreased slightly in 2025 -- yet still remained the third-highest value ever measured.

This decrease is explained by the shift from a powerful, warming El Nino event in 2023-2024 to La Nina-type conditions generally associated with a temporary cooling of the ocean surface.

In the long term, the rate of ocean warming is accelerating due to a sustained increase in greenhouse gas concentrations in the atmosphere caused mainly by burning fossil fuels.

As long as global warming is not addressed and the amount of heat trapped in the atmosphere keeps rising, oceans will keep breaking records, the researchers said.

&quot;The greatest uncertainty in the climate system is no longer the physics, but the choices humanity makes,&quot; said von Schuckmann.

&quot;Rapid emission reductions can still limit future impacts and help safeguard a climate in which societies and ecosystems can thrive.&quot;]]>
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			<title>Google AI health summaries under scrutiny over accuracy concerns</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/2585452/google-ai-health-summaries-under-scrutiny-over-accuracy-concerns</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/2585452/google-ai-health-summaries-under-scrutiny-over-accuracy-concerns#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Sun, 04 Jan 26 19:11:48 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[News Desk]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Technology]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=2585452</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[Google’s “AI Overview” shows brief summaries atop search results but can give inaccurate guidance]]>
			</description>
			<content:encoded>
				<![CDATA[Concerns have emerged over the reliability of Google&rsquo;s AI-generated health summaries, after a Guardian investigation revealed instances of misleading and potentially harmful medical information.

The feature, known as &ldquo;AI Overview,&rdquo; appears at the top of Google search results and provides brief, AI-generated summaries of complex topics. While designed to offer quick, authoritative insights, several cases showed the tool delivering inaccurate guidance.

Examples cited include incorrect dietary advice for pancreatic cancer patients, misleading interpretations of liver blood tests, and false information regarding women&rsquo;s cancer screening. Health professionals warned that such errors could prompt patients to ignore symptoms, delay treatment, or adopt unsafe practices.

Charities and experts highlighted the lack of context in AI summaries, noting that variability in answers to identical queries further undermines trust. Sophie Randall, director of the UK Patient Information Forum, said the findings &ldquo;demonstrate that Google&rsquo;s AI Overview can pose health risks by placing inaccurate health information at the top of online searches.&rdquo;

Read More:&nbsp;Grok says safeguard lapses led to images of &#39;minors in minimal clothing&#39; on X

Pancreatic Cancer UK&rsquo;s Anna Jewell echoed the concern, explaining that following the AI&rsquo;s dietary guidance could prevent patients from consuming enough calories, jeopardizing their ability to tolerate treatments or life-saving surgeries.
Google responded, asserting that most AI Overviews are &ldquo;accurate and helpful,&rdquo; and that the company is investing in improving the quality of health-related summaries. A spokesperson emphasized that the summaries are linked to reliable sources and recommended consulting medical professionals for definitive advice.


The investigation underscores the challenges of integrating AI into health information, as experts stress the importance of human oversight to prevent potential harm.

&nbsp;]]>
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			<title>China tech giant Tencent logs 16% jump in annual net profit</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/2598277/china-tech-giant-tencent-logs-16-jump-in-annual-net-profit</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/2598277/china-tech-giant-tencent-logs-16-jump-in-annual-net-profit#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Wed, 18 Mar 26 11:14:17 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[AFP]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Technology]]></category><category><![CDATA[World]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=2598277</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[Tencent ramps up AI investment amid strong gaming-led revenue growth]]>
			</description>
			<content:encoded>
				<![CDATA[Chinese internet giant Tencent on Wednesday reported a 16 percent jump in full-year net profit, with gaming still its main business driver even as the company extends its AI push.

Tencent, the world&#39;s largest video game publisher, is competing to offer artificial intelligence tools with its domestic tech rivals including Alibaba, Baidu and ByteDance.

&quot;We sustained healthy growth rates in 2025, as AI capabilities improved our ad targeting and supported more engagement with our games,&quot; CEO Ma Huateng said in a statement. &quot;Our highly resilient and cash generative core businesses provide us with the resources to fund our increasing investments in AI.&quot;

The Shenzhen-based company has recently branched out into the world of AI agents -- tools that execute real-life tasks such as sending emails or booking flights -- with its WorkBuddy app.

The tool, released this month, is a foray into an area some see as the technology&#39;s next frontier after chatbots such as ChatGPT.

On Wednesday, Tencent said net profit for 2025 came to 224.8 billion yuan ($32.6 billion), beating estimates of 221.9 billion yuan in a Bloomberg survey of economists.

Tencent, which owns the developer of popular eSports including &quot;League of Legends&quot;, also has sizeable operations in other sectors from cloud computing to entertainment.

Read: A mystery AI model has developers buzzing: Is this DeepSeek&#39;s latest blockbuster?

So far Tencent has been seen as a cautious artificial intelligence player, although Ma recently vowed to increase investment in the sector, calling it &quot;the only field worth investing in&quot;.

The company has sought in recent years to integrate AI into WeChat, the multifunctional app it operates that is widely used in China.

It has also been among the Chinese tech giants racing to take advantage of a surge in interest in the country in OpenClaw, an AI agent platform created by an Austrian programmer.

Tencent -- China&#39;s most valuable tech company by market capitalisation -- and its rivals are offering simplified installation and affordable coding plans to help users host OpenClaw agents on cloud servers.

The Financial Times reported this month that the White House was debating whether Tencent&#39;s investment in US and Finnish gaming groups pose a national security risk.

Discussions over its stakes in &quot;Fortnite&quot; creator Epic Games, Riot Games and Supercell centres around the implications for US user data privacy, the British newspaper said, citing people familiar with the matter.

Tencent did not respond to an AFP inquiry seeking comment on the report.]]>
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			<title>GTA 6 physical release may slip to 2027 as Rockstar looks to prevent leaks</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/2589191/gta-6-physical-release-may-slip-to-2027-as-rockstar-looks-to-prevent-leaks</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/2589191/gta-6-physical-release-may-slip-to-2027-as-rockstar-looks-to-prevent-leaks#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Mon, 26 Jan 26 18:15:35 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[Pop Culture &amp; Art]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Entertainment]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=2589191</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[GTA 6 may launch digitally in 2026, with physical copies reportedly delayed to 2027 due to leak concerns]]>
			</description>
			<content:encoded>
				<![CDATA[The physical release of Grand Theft Auto VI could be delayed until 2027, according to a new insider report that has sparked fresh debate among fans eagerly awaiting Rockstar Games&rsquo; next blockbuster title.

GTA 6 is currently scheduled to launch digitally on November 19, 2026, but a report from Polish outlet PPE suggests that Rockstar and its parent company, Take-Two Interactive, may hold back the boxed edition to reduce the risk of leaks. The claim comes from insider Graczdari, who has previously shared accurate information about titles such as Oblivion: Remastered.

According to the report, Take-Two is not planning to release a physical version of GTA 6 alongside the digital launch. The reasoning is reportedly tied to preventing early leaks, an issue that has plagued Rockstar throughout the game&rsquo;s development. The studio has already dealt with major unauthorized gameplay footage and confirmed that several leaked details circulating online were legitimate.

There is currently no consensus on how long the delay could last. Some sources cited by PPE suggest physical copies could arrive three to four weeks after the digital release. Others believe the boxed edition may not be available until early 2027, potentially leaving collectors waiting months longer.

More clarity may come soon. Take-Two&rsquo;s next quarterly earnings call is scheduled for February 3, which could bring updates on GTA 6 pre-orders and release plans. Industry watchers expect Rockstar to gradually ramp up its marketing campaign in the months ahead.

Given GTA 6&rsquo;s massive anticipation and Rockstar&rsquo;s history with leaks, delaying the physical release may be a strategic move. For now, fans should expect more official details as the 2026 launch window approaches.]]>
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			<title>Pakistan’s quiet gaming rise</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/2582048/pakistans-quiet-gaming-rise</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/2582048/pakistans-quiet-gaming-rise#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Sat, 13 Dec 25 22:02:22 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[Nabil Tahir]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Pakistan]]></category><category><![CDATA[T-Magazine]]></category><category><![CDATA[Technology]]></category><category><![CDATA[Games]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=2582048</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[From small rooms to global studios, talent, trust, and payments are reshaping how Pakistani developers work globally]]>
			</description>
			<content:encoded>
				<![CDATA[The room is small and quiet. A desk pushed against the wall. A chair that has seen better days. A young game developer sits in front of a screen, eyes fixed, fingers move almost without thought. On the screen, a character jumps, lands, and moves again. Somewhere in the background, a fan hums.

He knows what he can do. He knows the engines, the tools, and the logic behind how a game should work. He has spent years learning it. What he does not know is how far this skill can really take him. The world wants games. Studios need developers. But from this room, that world still feels distant.

For a long time, this was the reality for many Pakistani game developers. Talent existed, but the path did not. Work came in fragments. A small project here. A short contract there. Payments were uncertain. Trust was thin. Game development, as a career, was hard to explain to families and harder to sustain.

This was also the period when Pakistan was only beginning to step into the game development space. There were few studios, limited training options, and little structure. Most developers worked alone, learning through online tutorials and trial and error. The skill was there, but the ecosystem was not.

That gap has narrowed over time.

Training institutes began to appear. Local game development companies started to take shape. Slowly, Pakistani teams began working with international clients. At the same time, global payment solutions made it easier for developers to receive money, raise invoices, and plan beyond a single project. The fear of not getting paid began to fade.

Today, Pakistan&rsquo;s game development industry is no longer on the sidelines. It has grown into a regional force, now ranked as the second largest mobile game developer in its region, behind Vietnam. A young population, growing digital skills, and increasing interest from investors have all played a role. What was once a niche skill is now a growing export.

On one side, global studios are looking for teams that can deliver quality work without stretching budgets. On the other, Pakistani developers are finding stability, repeat work, and confidence. As payment systems improved, so did trust. Projects turned into partnerships. One off jobs turned into long term collaborations.

The industry&rsquo;s story begins in rooms like this. Quiet places where developers sit, build, and wait for the world to notice. Increasingly, it is noticing.



Finding Pakistan on the global map

Over the past three to five years, global demand for game development has not only increased but also become more defined. Studios are no longer looking for teams that can simply build a game and move on. Expectations have shifted towards long term performance, player retention, live operations, and monetisation strategies that evolve over time.

Nousherwan Malik, CEO of Apex Logics, says this change is visible across the kind of work now coming into Pakistan. &ldquo;In the last three to five years, demand has grown but also become more focused. Clients don&rsquo;t just want a game anymore. They want strong retention, live ops, monetisation, and teams that understand player behaviour,&rdquo; he says. &ldquo;We now see a steady demand for mobile free to play, UGC platforms like Roblox and Fortnite, HTML5 and web games, Telegram style mini apps, and even gamified products for non gaming businesses.&rdquo;

Alongside this shift in formats and platforms, Malik points to a growing comfort among international studios when it comes to outsourcing.

&ldquo;At the same time, international studios are far more comfortable fully outsourcing projects and long term content pipelines to remote teams with a proven track record,&rdquo; he adds.

This evolution has gradually changed how Pakistan is positioned within the global outsourcing landscape. Once viewed primarily as a low cost option, the country is now being assessed on quality, delivery, and value.

&ldquo;Pakistan has moved from being seen mainly as a cheap resource market to a serious quality option, especially in mobile and PC games and art,&rdquo; Malik says. &ldquo;Many studios here have shipped titles with millions of downloads. We are still behind some regions in branding and visibility, but in terms of talent and value for money, Pakistani teams are very competitive once clients actually work with them.&rdquo;

That growing confidence is reflected in the level of responsibility being entrusted to local studios. Where earlier work was often limited to asset creation, porting, or small scale development, Pakistani teams are now contributing across the full lifecycle of a game.

&ldquo;Earlier, most work was limited to support tasks like assets, basic development, or simple mini games,&rdquo; Malik explains. &ldquo;Before, Pakistani companies were mostly doing small or mid core titles. Now they are part of AA and AAA projects as well. Teams here are contributing not just to mobile or web, but to PC, Xbox, and other console titles too. In many cases, we are trusted with full responsibilities, from concept and prototyping to core gameplay design, production, live ops, and analytics driven updates.&rdquo;

For Malik, this trust has been built by approaching projects with a broader perspective. &ldquo;We think like publishers, not just as a service vendor,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;Because we have our own titles with tens of millions of downloads, we understand the full lifecycle from prototype and soft launch to retention, monetisation, and live ops. We talk to clients in terms of KPIs, not just features. We offer very strong quality at a comparatively lower price, with internal standards close to AAA, and clients usually mention our speed, honesty, and team stability as reasons they stay with us.&rdquo;

This shift towards higher trust and deeper collaboration is supported by a broader ecosystem that extends beyond individual studios. Lahore, in particular, has emerged as a key centre for game development, even if that reality is not always visible from the outside.

Ali Ihsan, CEO of FRAG Games, says international clients are often surprised to learn where his company is based. &ldquo;Whenever I tell people, especially our international clients, that we&rsquo;re based out of Lahore, they&rsquo;re always curious,&rdquo; he said in an interview. &ldquo;The assumption is that we are a lone anomaly studio in an otherwise unsupportive ecosystem, but that couldn&rsquo;t be further from the truth.&rdquo;

He points to the city&rsquo;s educational and cultural foundations as a major reason behind its strength. &ldquo;As a function of Lahore being one of the most populous cities in the world, we have at least eight colleges focused on pre art and five top tier engineering universities,&rdquo; Ihsan said. &ldquo;Engineering might be relatively common in the developing world, but it&rsquo;s the influx of art, because Lahore has historically been an art and cultural centre, that enables an ecosystem where you can get strong graduates on both sides.&rdquo;

The scale of that ecosystem is often underestimated. &ldquo;There are around 18,000 people employed in the game development industry in Pakistan,&rdquo; Ihsan notes. &ldquo;Volume wise, that probably puts us among the top 25 game employment ecosystems in the world. In a city of this size, it can be hard to contextualise, but when you realise that there are close to a hundred game studios operating in one city, you start to understand why Lahore has become such a strong base for game development.&rdquo;

Together, these shifts explain why Pakistan is increasingly being seen as a serious player rather than a peripheral option. As global demand becomes more specialised and studios look for teams that can deliver consistently at scale, Pakistan&rsquo;s game development industry is quietly moving into the mainstream.



Inside Pakistan&rsquo;s gaming workforce

For many Pakistani game developers, the journey into the industry did not begin with a business plan or a formal degree. It began with curiosity, long hours spent experimenting, and a desire to build something that did not exist before.

Muhammad Sufyan, CEO and founder of HitoStudios, started out the same way. Like many others in the industry today, his entry into game development came through play rather than professional training.

&ldquo;I&rsquo;ve been playing games since I was five years old,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;The long dark spreadsheets and other coding skills were never as fun. In game development, your code makes things that never existed before. Every game I made as a hobby was ninety percent different from the last. Compared to web or apps, where everything feels very similar, this was exciting. That&rsquo;s what got me hooked.&rdquo;

In the early years, work came in pieces. Small freelance projects, short contracts, and one off assignments were the norm. Developers often worked alone, juggling multiple platforms and learning as they went. Over time, however, that fragmented model began to change. As skills deepened and portfolios grew, freelancers started turning into teams, and teams into companies.

Sufyan&rsquo;s own journey reflects that shift. What began as independent work gradually evolved into a studio offering structured services to international clients. Finding those clients was rarely straightforward.

&ldquo;They usually find us through our website and social media ad campaigns,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;But mostly, we reach out to them ourselves, through platforms like Upwork, LinkedIn, email marketing, and other sites.&rdquo;

As work became more consistent, so did the need for more specialised skills. Pakistani developers are no longer expected to know a little bit of everything. Instead, studios are increasingly built around dedicated roles, from gameplay programmers and technical artists to animators and designers fluent in industry standard tools.

For Sufyan, access to those tools came less from formal instruction and more from experimentation.

&ldquo;Unity, Unreal, Blender, Photoshop, and a whole pile of pirated software,&rdquo; he said, without hesitation. &ldquo;YouTube is more than enough to get started. I never believed in course sellers or newsletters.&rdquo; At the same time, he points to gaps that still limit growth. &ldquo;There&rsquo;s huge untapped potential in international conferences and exhibitions, but visa issues and the lack of proper incubation centres make that very difficult.&rdquo;

While many developers still rely on self learning, formal education has slowly begun to catch up. Universities and private academies are now offering courses in game design, animation, and interactive media, helping legitimise a field that was once seen as unconventional. This has also had a ripple effect at home, where families are increasingly viewing game development as a viable career rather than a risky distraction.

Ihsan, CEO of FRAG Games, says that change in mindset has been years in the making. His own path into games was shaped early on, long before game development was recognised as a discipline.

&ldquo;I&rsquo;ve been playing games since I was under five years old,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;Game design wasn&rsquo;t even a discipline back then. Computer science was the calling. I chose my O level subjects on that basis. I went to college on that basis. The idea was always that at some point, we would make games.&rdquo;

When Ihsan returned to Pakistan after spending time abroad, he found an industry that was still taking shape. &ldquo;There were no real opportunities for people to work in games, but studios were just beginning to come up,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;Tintash had been founded a couple of years earlier. Mindstorm was working on that really ambitious cricket game. When I saw that young people were actually getting a chance to make these games, it made me realise that this could be a tangible business life.&rdquo;

That belief led to the founding of FRAG Games in 2013, at a time when building a company around games was still considered a gamble. Since then, studios like FRAG have helped prove that local talent can deliver products for global platforms. &ldquo;Pakistan&rsquo;s first ever PC console release came out of Lahore,&rdquo; Ihsan said. &ldquo;It was made by FRAG Games. It was a farming simulation adventure RPG, globally published, and available on the PlayStation store.&rdquo;

These milestones have helped shift perceptions both inside and outside the country. What was once dismissed as a hobby has become a profession, and what began as freelance experimentation has grown into an industry built on specialised skills, structured teams, and long term collaboration.

For many developers like Sufyan, the growth of Pakistan&rsquo;s gaming workforce has brought stability that did not exist a few years ago. Freelance work has turned into repeat collaborations, and isolated projects into ongoing pipelines. Yet as studios expanded and teams took on larger responsibilities, another question began to matter just as much as skill or passion. How reliable were the systems supporting this work? For an industry built on remote collaboration, the ability to deliver, invoice, and get paid on time would soon become as critical as the games themselves.



Trust and payments: The turning point for Pakistani developers

As Pakistan&rsquo;s game development industry began to mature, the conversation around growth increasingly shifted away from talent and towards systems. For studios and independent developers working with international clients, the question was no longer whether work could be delivered, but whether the financial infrastructure around that work could support scale, predictability, and trust.

From the perspective of payment platforms, the change over recent years has been visible in volume as well as behaviour. Nagesh Devata, Senior Vice President APAC at Payoneer, says payment flows connected to Pakistan&rsquo;s digital creative economy have grown in step with broader export trends.

&ldquo;Payment volume linked to Pakistan&rsquo;s digital creative sector has risen noticeably alongside export growth in IT and related services. Pakistan&rsquo;s IT/ITeS and freelance exports reached record levels in FY2024&ndash;25 (combined reporting shows ~US$4.6bn for IT/ITeS and significant freelance contributions within the same period), which correlates with increased cross-border payment flows to developers and studios. This growth is reflected in higher transaction counts and increased onboarding of developer teams onto global platforms.&rdquo;

Earlier, however, international clients approached these transactions with caution, often because of uncertainty rather than unwillingness. &ldquo;Historically, international clients cited delays in payment settlement, uncertainty over timing and visibility of receipts, and administrative friction when reconciling cross-border invoices. These concerns reduced trust for longer-term engagements and increased contract friction.&rdquo;

Over time, improvements in payment visibility and settlement have helped reduce that friction. &ldquo;Payoneer has focused on clearer payment visibility and faster settlement through multi-currency receiving accounts, consolidated balances, and streamlined withdrawals to local bank accounts,&rdquo; says Devata.

Devata links these developments to a broader shift towards more structured, recurring work. &ldquo;Yes, market signals indicate an increasing share of longer-term and recurring engagements as foreign studios gain confidence in local providers&rsquo; delivery, reliability and payment processes. While Payoneer does not publish contract-type breakdowns, broader industry reporting shows Pakistani talent is securing progressively larger, repeat business across design, art, and development services, consistent with longer-term contracting trends,&rdquo; explains Devata.

At the developer level, this shift has changed how risk is perceived. Muhammad Sufyan, CEO and founder of HitoStudios, rejects the idea that payment access itself was ever the main obstacle. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s a hoax. I always felt that when there is a will, there is a way. The payment methods were there from day one. The people I saw struggling with these services were mostly involved in some shady work or shortcuts.&rdquo;



That does not mean the process was always smooth. &ldquo;Yes mostly client side. Once the work is done they refused to pay or X reasons. But once they cleared their invoice via Bank Transfer, Payoneer or whatever. There is a process you have to setup once. The starting process of banking process is not the most efficient but in the long run it makes sense as they to filter out real one&#39;s from the scams.&rdquo;

For Payoneer, formalisation has been a key factor in improving confidence on both sides of a transaction. &ldquo;Improved documentation and transparent invoicing reduce disputes and shorten payment cycles by clarifying deliverables and amounts owed. Verification and professionally presented billing increase buyer confidence when engaging teams in emerging markets,&rdquo; he says.

The tools developers use reflect this increasing emphasis on clarity and control. &ldquo;Developers most frequently rely on multi-currency receiving capabilities, consolidated account balances to group receipts across platforms, and clear settlement statements for reconciliation. They also use integrations that reduce manual bookkeeping and provide timely visibility into incoming funds.&rdquo;

These systems have also enabled developers to manage operational costs more independently. &ldquo;In addition, many game developers benefit from using their Payoneer balances through Payoneer Cards to pay for essential expenses such as advertising on global platforms, a crucial capability for gaming studios that depend on continuous user acquisition campaigns to scale downloads internationally,&rdquo; explains Nagesh.

For Sufyan, the contrast between international and local work environments has become clearer over time. &ldquo;Yes I do. They honour their word and are willing to pay for solution findings and engineering. Locals are always very reserved and there is a lack of professionalism. Late replies, ghosting and not willing to talk openly or frankly is a red flag for me personally. Can&#39;t chase a Seth or his accountant for an endless loop after delivering from my side.&rdquo;

Regionally, Payoneer sees Pakistan becoming more competitive as payment practices mature. &ldquo;Pakistan is increasingly competitive on talent and cost metrics and is improving rapidly on payment reliability as more studios and freelancers adopt professional invoicing and global payout platforms,&rdquo; says Devata.

Looking ahead, Devata believes further operational readiness will determine how far the industry can scale. &ldquo;Key needs include continued digitisation of business processes (invoicing and bookkeeping), broader familiarity with multi-currency settlement options, and better operational readiness for recurring international contracts (clear scopes, SLA-style agreements, and timely reporting),&rdquo;

&ldquo;Over the next five years, we expect more developers and studios to sinvoicing, use consolidated multi-currency accounts, and adopt operational practices that support recurring, higher-value contracts,&rdquo; he adds.

As payment systems have become more predictable, trust has followed. For Pakistan&rsquo;s game developers, that trust has transformed one-off opportunities into long-term relationships, quietly reshaping how the industry works and how far it can grow.



A market ready for its next level

Pakistan&rsquo;s game development industry now sits at an in between moment. The momentum is real, but so are the gaps. Talent continues to grow faster than the systems around it, and while studios have learned to operate globally, the local ecosystem is still catching up.

Ihsan, CEO of FRAG Games, believes the progress so far matters because it has been product led, not theoretical. &ldquo;We tend to forget that the entire gaming industry is product driven. We&rsquo;re not services driven at all,&rdquo; he says. The fact that more than 50 games made in Pakistan have crossed the one to five million dollar mark, he added, shows that local studios are already competing globally.

At the same time, scaling remains uneven. Payment systems have improved, trust has stabilised, and long term work is now possible, but challenges around regulation, financing, and business culture persist. According to Malik of Apex Logics, predictable payments have allowed studios to plan and hire with confidence, yet gaps remain in areas like growth capital, user acquisition funding, and industry aligned education. &ldquo;Things are better, but not perfect,&rdquo; he says, pointing to the lack of access to global tools and financing options as a constraint.

Still, the direction is clear. Global studios are no longer testing Pakistan. They are returning to it. Young developers are no longer asking whether a career in games is possible, but how far it can go.

The next big success may not come from a boardroom or a headline making acquisition. It may come, quietly, from a small room where a developer is building something new, somewhere in Lahore, Karachi, or Islamabad, unaware that the world is already waiting to play it.]]>
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			<title>Apple plans affordable iPhone 17e with upgraded chip</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/2591746/apple-plans-affordable-iphone-17e-with-upgraded-chip</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/2591746/apple-plans-affordable-iphone-17e-with-upgraded-chip#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Tue, 10 Feb 26 05:58:33 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[Web Desk]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Technology]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=2591746</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[It is also expected to include Apple’s in-house cellular, Wi-Fi chips]]>
			</description>
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				<![CDATA[Apple is preparing to introduce a more affordable version of the iPhone 17 alongside an upgraded version of its Siri voice assistant, according to a recent report by Bloomberg.

The company is planning to launch the iPhone 17e, which will follow last year&rsquo;s iPhone 16e &mdash; a lower-priced model that used older hardware to reduce costs.

According to Bloomberg, the new iPhone 17e will feature a more powerful processor, matching that of the standard iPhone 17. It is also expected to include Apple&rsquo;s in-house cellular and Wi-Fi chips.

The report adds that, for the first time, a lower-priced iPhone model will support wireless MagSafe charging.

Despite the upgrades, the device is expected to retain its price tag of $599 or &pound;599, with no increase anticipated.

Read:&nbsp;Everything Apple announced at its September 2025 iPhone 17 keynote event

Earlier on September 9, 2025,&nbsp;Apple unveiled its latest products during the highly anticipated iPhone 17.

They introduced the iPhone 17 lineup, a new ultra-slim model called the iPhone Air, updated Apple Watches, and the long-awaited AirPods Pro 3.

The highlight was the iPhone Air, Apple&rsquo;s thinnest iPhone ever, at just 5.6mm. Positioned as part of a multi-year redesign strategy, the Air aims to redefine Apple&rsquo;s smartphone form factor. Alongside it, the standard iPhone 17 iPhone 17 Pro and iphone 17 Pro Max also made their debut with upgraded cameras and design refinements.

On the wearable front, Apple announced the Apple Watch Series 11, featuring 5G connectivity, improved durability, and new health-monitoring capabilities, including hypertension alerts. The Apple Watch Ultra 3 introduced satellite connectivity, a larger edge-to-edge display, and up to 42 hours of battery life.

Meanwhile, the entry-level Apple Watch SE 3 received upgrades including an always-on display, the faster S10 processor, sleep apnea detection, and 5G support, starting at $249.

&nbsp;]]>
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			<title>Samsung unveils Galaxy Z TriFold, its most expensive foldable yet</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/2580147/samsung-unveils-galaxy-z-trifold-its-most-expensive-foldable-yet</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/2580147/samsung-unveils-galaxy-z-trifold-its-most-expensive-foldable-yet#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Tue, 02 Dec 25 08:43:54 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[AFP]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Technology]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=2580147</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[Samsung says the 10-inch triple-fold model is a ‘special edition’, not aimed at mass sales]]>
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				<![CDATA[The Galaxy Z TriFold will go on sale on December 12 and costs more than twice as much as the new iPhone 17 at $2,443.

Super thin, it unfolds to a 10-inch (25.4 centimetre) display, offering &quot;increased possibilities for creating and working&quot;, the South Korean tech giant said. The triple fold function is not a world-first, as&nbsp;China&#39;s Huawei beat Samsung to the punch last year with a phone at a similar price.

Growth has been patchy in the competitive smartphone market, prompting manufacturers to find innovative, eye-catching ways to differentiate their products.

Offered solely in a black design, Samsung&#39;s new device comes in at 309 grams&nbsp;and at its thinnest point measures less than 0.2 inches. Generative artificial intelligence features are integrated into the phone, which can give real-time help through screen or camera sharing.

Samsung admitted the Galaxy Z TriFold was &quot;not intended for mass sales&quot;. Alex Lim, executive vice president at Samsung Electronics, said it was a &quot;special edition&quot; product.

The launch comes as recent industry numbers suggest Apple is on track to overtake Samsung for the first time in 14 years as the world&#39;s top smartphone maker through 2029.

Apple has also long been rumoured to be planning a foldable iPhone, possibly as early as next year.

The US company&#39;s smartphone shipments are expected to reach a global share of 19.4% in 202,5, while Samsung is expected to hold 18.7%, with Apple effectively dethroning its rival for the first time, according to research firm Counterpoint.]]>
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			<title>Pebble smartwatches make comeback with August 2025 release</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/2558860/pebble-smartwatches-make-comeback-with-august-2025-release</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/2558860/pebble-smartwatches-make-comeback-with-august-2025-release#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Thu, 31 Jul 25 07:50:29 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[Web Desk]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Technology]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=2558860</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[Pebble 2 Duo and Time 2, priced at $149-$225, revive PebbleOS with August shipping; US orders face $10 tariff]]>
			</description>
			<content:encoded>
				<![CDATA[The iconic Pebble smartwatch brand is set to make a comeback, with founder Eric Migicovsky announcing that his company, Core Devices, has reacquired the Pebble trademark.

Two upcoming smartwatches, previously known as Core 2 Duo and Core Time 2, will now launch as Pebble 2 Duo and Pebble Time 2, reviving the name that pioneered the smartwatch market.

Migicovsky, who founded Pebble before its closure in 2016, revealed the rebranding in a blog post.



Posted a big Pebble update! https://t.co/V7OpcQAqXe pic.twitter.com/iEZbFrFYeI
&mdash; Eric Migicovsky (@ericmigi) July 25, 2025



The watches, powered by the open-source PebbleOS, are designed to recapture the charm of the original devices. The Pebble 2 Duo is in beta testing, while the Pebble Time 2 is undergoing engineering verification.

Both are available for pre-order on Core Devices&rsquo; rePebble website, priced at $149 for the Pebble 2 Duo and $225 for the Pebble Time 2.

The Pebble 2 Duo is expected to begin shipping by late August, delayed from an earlier July target due to enhanced waterproofing tests and the addition of a waterproof speaker.

US&nbsp;customers face a $10 tariff per Pebble 2 Duo, as the watches are shipped from Hong Kong, with non-US&nbsp;orders unaffected.

Migicovsky noted the Pebble 2 Duo&rsquo;s Bluetooth range reaches approximately 140 metres in open areas, slightly more in urban settings.

The Pebble Time 2 has received a sleeker design, though details remain sparse as it progresses through testing.

The return of the Pebble name, nearly a decade after its discontinuation, has sparked excitement among smartwatch enthusiasts.&nbsp;



I can&#39;t remember the last time I was legitimately giddy to receive something in the mail

From the first @Kickstarter in 2012 to now, the new @Pebble Alpha, have been a supporter for over a decade now

damn i&#39;m old pic.twitter.com/dNFfOee4qS
&mdash; Josh Cohenzadeh (@jshchnz) July 15, 2025



&nbsp;]]>
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			<title>WhatsApp rolls out fun filters and backgrounds for video calls</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/2500381/whatsapp-rolls-out-fun-filters-and-backgrounds-for-video-calls</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/2500381/whatsapp-rolls-out-fun-filters-and-backgrounds-for-video-calls#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Thu, 03 Oct 24 06:55:50 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[News Desk]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Technology]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=2500381</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[These new features are expected to be available to all WhatsApp users in the coming weeks.]]>
			</description>
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				<![CDATA[WhatsApp is rolling out new features designed to make video calls more engaging and fun. The messaging app has introduced filters and backgrounds, allowing users to add a personal touch to their video calls, whether it&#39;s a one-on-one conversation or a group call.

Although these features are already available on competitor apps like Zoom, WhatsApp is bringing them to an app primarily used for social, rather than work-related, calls.

Similar to Instagram&#39;s filters (also owned by Meta), WhatsApp&rsquo;s filters allow users to adjust the look of their video during a call.

This means there&rsquo;s no need to worry about tidying up your space or arranging a backdrop to impress&mdash;users can simply select a background that hides any mess or distraction, making it easier to focus on the conversation.

With 10 backgrounds available, users can choose from options like Blur, Office, Living Room, Caf&eacute;, Beach, Sunset, Pebbles, Foodie, Celebration, Forest, and the quirky Smoosh.

These backgrounds give users the flexibility to transform their environment instantly, hiding clutter or adding a polished touch to their surroundings.

In addition, there are 10 filter options, including Warm, Cool, Black &amp; White, and Vintage TV, providing a playful way to change the atmosphere of your video.

WhatsApp has also introduced Touch up and Low Light features, which &ldquo;can help you feel more confident and comfortable by naturally enhancing the look and brightness of your environment, making your video calls more vibrant and enjoyable,&rdquo; according to the announcement.

To access these effects, users can simply tap the effects icon during a video call and choose from the available options.

These new features are expected to be available to all WhatsApp users in the coming weeks, further enhancing the video call experience.]]>
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			<title>Meta bans Russian state media outlets over 'foreign interference'</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/2496794/meta-bans-russian-state-media-outlets-over-foreign-interference</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/2496794/meta-bans-russian-state-media-outlets-over-foreign-interference#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Tue, 17 Sep 24 08:50:46 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[News Desk]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Technology]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=2496794</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[Meta accuses outlets RT and Rossiya Segodnya of employing tactics to manipulate public opinion and evade detection]]>
			</description>
			<content:encoded>
				<![CDATA[Meta, the parent company of Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, and Threads, announced a global ban on Russian state media outlets, including RT and Rossiya Segodnya.

This decision is part of an intensified crackdown on alleged foreign interference, with Meta accusing these outlets of employing deceptive tactics to manipulate public opinion and evade detection.

The ban follows recent US actions, including money-laundering charges against two RT employees who allegedly orchestrated a scheme to influence the 2024 election.

According to Meta, Russian state-controlled media have previously attempted to evade detection through covert activities, prompting the company to take more stringent measures.

Meta&#39;s move marks a significant escalation in its approach to Russian state media, which had previously faced only limited restrictions, such as ad bans and reduced post visibility.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has called for treating Russian media operations as covert intelligence activities, reinforcing the government&#39;s stance on combating foreign influence.

He recently announced new sanctions against RT, labeling it as an extension of Russian intelligence operations aimed at undermining democratic processes.

RT has dismissed these accusations, labeling them as attempts to stifle its journalistic activities.

In response to Meta&#39;s ban, RT&#39;s spokesperson denounced the actions as unfounded and politically motivated.

The ban on these Russian media outlets is expected to be enforced over the coming days.

Meta has also been censoring Palestinian creators and activists during Israel&#39;s brutal onslaught on besieged Gaza.

The social media company was recently found censoring posts made by the Prime Minister of Malaysia,&nbsp;several Turkish government officials along with journliats and activitsts. Some of these take downs were attributed to glitches, which coinidently were always targeted pro-Palestinian voices in favour of Israel.

A Human Rights Watch report last year revealed that Meta&rsquo;s policies and practices have been suppressing voices advocating for Palestine and Palestinian human rights on Instagram and Facebook.&nbsp;]]>
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			<title>Meet Noor Pakistan: The multilingual chatbot ready to assist at the defence exhibition</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/2495041/meet-noor-pakistan-the-multilingual-chatbot-ready-to-assist-at-the-defence-exhibition</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/2495041/meet-noor-pakistan-the-multilingual-chatbot-ready-to-assist-at-the-defence-exhibition#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Tue, 10 Sep 24 12:02:30 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[News Desk]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Pakistan]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=2495041</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[Around 40 mobile chatbot robots offering support in 25 different languages are being prepared for the IDEAS exhibition]]>
			</description>
			<content:encoded>
				<![CDATA[Chatbots, created by engineering universities in Pakistan, will now be able to&nbsp;assist and guide international delegates at a defence exhibition taking place this November.

The AI-powered chatbot project is a collaborative effort between Dawood University of Engineering and Ziauddin University, and it has been named &ldquo;Noor Pakistan.&rdquo;

The Noor Pakistan robot, designed to assist delegates at major national events in Pakistan, is being led by Dr. Samreen, Vice Chancellor of Dawood University of Engineering.

The team developing the chatbot is guided by Dr. Sheikh Mohammad Nafeh from the Computer Science and Software Engineering Department at Ziauddin University.

The student team includes Sharif Khan, Zoha, Mohammad Saeed, and others.

Dr. Sheikh Mohammad Nafeh, speaking about the project, explained that the goal is to create a bot capable of generating its own responses about major events. This bot was first unveiled at the IEEEP exhibition.

This bot will be officially presented at the IDEAS 2024 defence exhibition in November. Noor Pakistan, equipped with artificial intelligence, will function like a brain, capable of understanding and responding in multiple languages.

The chatbot will be designed in the form of a robot to provide on-the-go assistance and guidance to delegates.

For the IDEAS exhibition, around 40 mobile chatbot robots will be prepared, offering support in 25 different languages. In addition to answering questions about the IDEAS exhibition, they will guide delegates to specific halls or stalls.]]>
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			<title>Indonesia to restrict social media access for children under 16, minister says</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/2596121/indonesia-to-restrict-social-media-access-for-children-under-16-minister-says</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/2596121/indonesia-to-restrict-social-media-access-for-children-under-16-minister-says#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Fri, 06 Mar 26 09:20:25 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[Reuters]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Technology]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=2596121</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[&quot;The process will be done gradually until all platforms perform their obligations&quot; said Indonesia's digital minister]]>
			</description>
			<content:encoded>
				<![CDATA[Indonesia will restrict access to social media platforms for children under 16, its communications and digital ministry said on Friday, making it the latest country to install online guardrails to reduce the risks of addiction and cyberbullying.

A number of governments have imposed curbs on social media for children amid mounting concerns over the impact that social media is having on the safety and mental health of minors.

Australia introduced a ban on social media for under-16s in December, and Spain also said last month that it would ban access to social media for minors under 16.

Indonesia&#39;s neighbour Malaysiaannounced in November that it would also ban social media for users under the age of 16 starting from 2026.

Meutya Hafid, Indonesia&#39;s Communications and Digital Minister, said in a video statement that the government will &quot;delay access&quot; to social media accounts for children under 16 through a ministerial regulation issued on Friday.

Starting March 28, accounts owned by children under 16 on &quot;high risk platforms&quot; will be gradually deactivated, Meutya said, adding the platforms include TikTok, Facebook, Instagram, and Roblox.

&quot;The process will be done gradually until all platforms perform their obligations,&quot; she said, without elaborating on what they need to do to meet the new requirements.

&quot;We realise this may cause discomfort in the beginning. Children may complain and parents may be confused dealing with their complaints.&quot;

&quot;Our children are facing risks, from porn, cyberbullying, online fraud to most importantly, addiction,&quot; she said, adding Indonesia will be the first non-Western country to impose such restrictions.

TikTok, Meta, which owns Facebook and Instagram, and Roblox did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The details of the new regulation have yet to be revealed. Ministry officials did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Internet penetration in Indonesia, a country of about 280 million people, reached 79.5% in 2024, according to a survey of 8,700 people by the Indonesia internet service providers&#39; association.

The survey showed 48% of children under 12 had access to the internet, with some respondents of that age group using Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok. The survey showed internet penetration stood at 87% among &quot;Gen Z&quot; users aged 12 to 27.]]>
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			<title>Meta offers support for AI models as Pakistan deepens digital push</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/2555152/meta-offers-support-for-ai-models-as-pakistan-deepens-digital-push</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/2555152/meta-offers-support-for-ai-models-as-pakistan-deepens-digital-push#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Thu, 10 Jul 25 11:23:48 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Technology]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=2555152</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[Meta presented its latest developments in AI, including LLaMA, generative AI tools, and Urdu-language AI models]]>
			</description>
			<content:encoded>
				<![CDATA[Federal Minister for IT and Telecommunication, Shaza Fatima Khawaja, met with a high-level delegation from Meta, led by Sarim Aziz, Director of Public Policy for South and Central Asia, to discuss strengthening Pakistan&rsquo;s digital infrastructure, scaling artificial intelligence adoption, and empowering youth through technology.

Meta presented its latest developments in AI, including the LLaMA open-source models, Generative AI tools for public sector innovation, and work on Urdu-language AI models.

The company also expressed interest in helping Pakistan build local AI capacity and expanding technical training initiatives.

Shaza Fatima reiterated the government&#39;s full commitment to a digital Pakistan, emphasizing that Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif personally chairs weekly meetings on the country&rsquo;s shift toward a cashless economy.

She stressed that digital skills for youth remain a top national priority, and that public-private partnerships like this are essential to unlocking the country&rsquo;s future potential.

&ldquo;The effective use of AI is not optional&mdash;it is foundational for Pakistan&rsquo;s next phase of development,&rdquo; she said. &ldquo;Initiatives that enhance youth capacity and improve public service delivery are not just welcome&mdash;they&rsquo;re necessary.&rdquo;

Both sides agreed to explore deeper collaboration in digital skilling, AI adoption in governance, and innovation-driven partnerships that can accelerate Pakistan&rsquo;s digital transformation.]]>
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			<title>Spain to probe X, Meta, TikTok over AI-generated child sexual abuse material</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/2593046/spain-to-probe-x-meta-tiktok-over-ai-generated-child-sexual-abuse-material</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/2593046/spain-to-probe-x-meta-tiktok-over-ai-generated-child-sexual-abuse-material#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Tue, 17 Feb 26 09:05:05 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[Reuters]]>
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			<category><![CDATA[Technology]]></category>
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				<![CDATA[Announcement comes as European regulators are cracking down on big tech companies]]>
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				<![CDATA[The Spanish government has ordered prosecutors to investigate social media platforms X, Meta META.O and TikTok for allegedly spreading AI-generated child sexual abuse material, Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said on Tuesday.

The announcement comes as European regulators are cracking down on big tech companies, alleging the prevalence of abusive practices on online platforms ranging from anti-competitive behaviour in digital advertising to deliberate design of addictive features on social media.

The three companies named by Sanchez did not immediately respond to emailed requests for comment.

&quot;These platforms are undermining the mental health, dignity, and rights of our children,&quot; Sanchez wrote on his X account. &quot;The state cannot allow this. The impunity of these giants must end.&quot;

He said the government would ask prosecutors to &quot;investigate the crimes that X, Meta, and TikTok may be committing through the creation and dissemination of child pornography using their AI&quot;.

Read: France moves to ban social media for users under 15

Spain is not the only country probing sexually explicit content generated by Elon Musk&#39;s xAI chatbot Grok on X - other governments have launched investigations, bans and demands for safeguards in a growing global push to curb illegal material.

Earlier this month, Sanchez announced several measures aimed at curbing online abuse and protecting children, including a proposed ban on access to social media platforms for those under the age of 16.

On the same day, French police raided the offices of Musk&#39;s X and prosecutors ordered the tech billionaire to face questions in a widening investigation amid growing scrutiny of the platform by authorities across Europe.

In November, Sanchez said that Spain&#39;s parliament would investigate Meta for possible privacy violations of its Facebook and Instagram users.

Meanwhile, Ireland&#39;s Data Protection Commission said on Tuesday it had opened a formal investigation into Grok over the processing of personal data and its potential to produce harmful sexualised images and video, including of children.]]>
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			<title>‘The Core’: Al Jazeera rolls out AI system for news production</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/2583477/the-core-al-jazeera-rolls-out-ai-system-for-news-production</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/2583477/the-core-al-jazeera-rolls-out-ai-system-for-news-production#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Mon, 22 Dec 25 08:55:18 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[Web Desk]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Technology]]></category><category><![CDATA[World]]></category>
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			<description>
				<![CDATA[Partnership aims to combine AI-driven content creation with human editorial expertise]]>
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			<content:encoded>
				<![CDATA[Al Jazeera Media Network has announced&nbsp;a new ArtificiaI Intelligence&nbsp;initiative,&nbsp;developed in&nbsp;partnership with Google Cloud&nbsp;aimed at integrating AI more deeply into newsroom operations.

The project, named &ldquo;The Core,&rdquo; was announced on December 15 as an integrative AI‑driven model designed to AI&#39;s role in journalism from a passive tool to an active partner in news production, while retaining editorial control.





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Built on what Al Jazeera describes as a &ldquo;cognitive operating model,&rdquo; The Core embeds generative AI across multiple stages of the news lifecycle, including information gathering, data analysis, content creation and distribution, with human editors overseeing all editorial decisions.

According to Al Jazeera and Google Cloud, The Core integrates Google&rsquo;s AI suite across six interdependent pillars that form the system&rsquo;s backbone. These include:


	AJ Now: a central platform that assists with suggesting questions, generating angles and drafting summaries, which will use Google Cloud&#39;s compute engine, Gemini Enterprise, Vertex AI Search and other generative tools.
	AJ‑LLM (Editorial Brain): a large language model (LLM) fine‑tuned on Al Jazeera&rsquo;s own archives to help with translation, summarisation and real‑time contextual analysis.
	AJ Vision: supports immersive content creation with generative AI tools, including Imagen, Veo, and others.
	AJ Data Lake: uses data analytics to uncover trends and support data‑driven reporting using BigQuery and Gemini Data Agents.
	Operations&nbsp;Engine: focused on automating internal workflows through Gemini for Workspace.
	Academic and Knowledge Arm: Offers training for journalists on advanced AI tools.


Some observers have raised questions about potential bias associated with the use of Google Cloud, citing the company&rsquo;s broader regional technology partnerships, including Project Nimbus. Al Jazeera has said the system&rsquo;s language model will be trained on its own editorial archives and remain under continuous human oversight, which it says will help mitigate such concerns.

Sheikh Nasser bin Faisal Al Thani, director general of Al Jazeera Media Network, said the initiative reflected the organisation&rsquo;s ambition to build &ldquo;a global technological ecosystem&rdquo; that strengthens its position in the AI era, while preserving editorial judgment.

Alex Rutter, managing director for AI in Europe, the Middle East and Africa at Google Cloud, said the initiative&rsquo;s tools were designed to reshape how journalists research, produce and publish news, as well as how audiences engage with it.

Under the expanded partnership, Al Jazeera will deploy Google Cloud&rsquo;s AI infrastructure and agent-based systems across its global operations. Both organisations stressed that editors and reporters would remain central to all editorial decisions, with AI serving a supporting role.

Details regarding data-centre locations, regional infrastructure and deployment timelines have not been publicly disclosed.]]>
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			<title>Meta is earning a fortune on a deluge of fraudulent ads, documents show</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/2583469/meta-is-earning-a-fortune-on-a-deluge-of-fraudulent-ads-documents-show</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/2583469/meta-is-earning-a-fortune-on-a-deluge-of-fraudulent-ads-documents-show#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Mon, 22 Dec 25 06:33:17 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[Reuters]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Technology]]></category><category><![CDATA[World]]></category>
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			<description>
				<![CDATA[Meta internally estimated 10% of its 2024 revenue could come from scam-linked advertising, documents show]]>
			</description>
			<content:encoded>
				<![CDATA[Meta internally projected late last year that it would earn about 10% of its overall annual revenue &ndash; or $16 billion &ndash; from running advertising for scams and banned goods, internal company documents show.

A cache of previously unreported documents reviewed by Reuters also shows that the social-media giant for at least three years failed to identify and stop an avalanche of ads that exposed Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp&rsquo;s billions of users to fraudulent e-commerce and investment schemes, illegal online casinos, and the sale of banned medical products.

On average, one December 2024 document notes, the company shows its platforms&rsquo; users an estimated 15 billion &ldquo;higher risk&rdquo; scam advertisements &ndash; those that show clear signs of being fraudulent &ndash; every day. Meta earns about $7 billion in annualized revenue from this category of scam ads each year, another late 2024 document states.

Much of the fraud came from marketers acting suspiciously enough to be flagged by Meta&rsquo;s internal warning systems. But the company only bans advertisers if its automated systems predict the marketers are at least 95% certain to be committing fraud, the documents show. If the company is less certain &ndash; but still believes the advertiser is a likely scammer &ndash; Meta charges higher ad rates as a penalty, according to the documents. The idea is to dissuade suspect advertisers from placing ads.

The documents further note that users who click on scam ads are likely to see more of them because of Meta&rsquo;s ad-personalization system, which tries to deliver ads based on a user&rsquo;s interests.


Meta estimates that it shows its users 15 billion scam ads a day. These screenshots show false ads Meta removed from Facebook after Reuters flagged them. Spice maker McCormick confirmed the ad in its name was fake. Elon Musk, the White House and law firm Hogan Lovells had no comment. Screenshot via REUTERS

The details of Meta&rsquo;s confidential self-appraisal are drawn from documents created between 2021 and this year across Meta&rsquo;s finance, lobbying, engineering and safety divisions. Together, they reflect Meta&rsquo;s efforts to quantify the scale of abuse on its platforms &ndash; and the company&rsquo;s hesitancy to crack down in ways that could harm its business interests.

Meta&rsquo;s acceptance of revenue from sources it suspects are committing fraud highlights the lack of regulatory oversight of the advertising industry, said Sandeep Abraham, a fraud examiner and former Meta safety investigator who now runs a consultancy called Risky Business Solutions.

&ldquo;If regulators wouldn&rsquo;t tolerate banks profiting from fraud, they shouldn&rsquo;t tolerate it in tech,&rdquo; he told Reuters.

In a statement, Meta spokesman Andy Stone said the documents seen by Reuters &ldquo;present a selective view that distorts Meta&rsquo;s approach to fraud and scams.&rdquo; The company&rsquo;s internal estimate that it would earn 10.1% of its 2024 revenue from scams and other prohibited ads was &ldquo;rough and overly-inclusive,&rdquo; Stone said. The company had later determined that the true number was lower, because the estimate included &ldquo;many&rdquo; legitimate ads as well, he said. He declined to provide an updated figure.

&ldquo;The assessment was done to validate our planned integrity investments &ndash; including in combatting frauds and scams &ndash; which we did,&rdquo; Stone said. He added: &ldquo;We aggressively fight fraud and scams because people on our platforms don&rsquo;t want this content, legitimate advertisers don&rsquo;t want it and we don&rsquo;t want it either.&rdquo;

&quot;Over the past 18 months, we have reduced user reports of scam ads globally by 58 percent and, so far in 2025, we&rsquo;ve removed more than 134 million pieces of scam ad content,&rdquo; Stone said.

Some of the documents show Meta vowing to do more. &quot;We have large goals to reduce ad scams in 2025,&quot; states a 2024 document, with Meta hoping to reduce such ads in certain markets by as much as 50%. In other places, documents show managers congratulating staffers for successful scam reduction efforts.

At the same time, the documents indicate that Meta&rsquo;s own research suggests its products have become a pillar of the global fraud economy. A May 2025 presentation by its safety staff estimated that the company&rsquo;s platforms were involved in a third of all successful scams in the U.S. Meta also acknowledged in other internal documents that some of its main competitors were doing a better job at weeding out fraud on their platforms.

&ldquo;It is easier to advertise scams on Meta platforms than Google,&rdquo; concluded an internal Meta review in April 2025 of online communities where fraudsters discuss their trade. The document doesn&rsquo;t lay out the reasons behind that conclusion.

The insights from the documents come at a time when regulators worldwide are pushing the company to do more to protect its users from online fraud. In the U.S., the Securities and Exchange Commission is investigating Meta for running ads for financial scams, according to the internal documents. In Britain, a regulator last year said it found that Meta&rsquo;s products were involved in 54% of all payments-related scam losses in 2023, more than double all other social platforms combined.

The SEC and the UK regulator didn&rsquo;t respond to questions for this report. Meta&rsquo;s Stone referred Reuters to the company&rsquo;s latest SEC disclosures, which state that the company&rsquo;s efforts to address illicit advertising &ldquo;adversely affect our revenue, and we expect that the continued enhancement of such efforts will have an impact on our revenue in the future, which may be material.&rdquo;

The regulatory pressure on Meta to do more to fight scams occurs as the company, in a race with competitors, is pouring money into artificial intelligence and plans as much as $72 billion this year in overall capital expenditures. While acknowledging the spending is &ldquo;a massive amount of capital,&rdquo; chief executive Mark Zuckerberg has sought to reassure investors that Meta&rsquo;s advertising business can bankroll it.

&quot;We have the capital from our business to do this,&quot; he said in July, when announcing that to support AI, Meta was constructing a data center in Ohio that will be the size of New York City&rsquo;s Central Park.

In the internal documents, Meta weighs the costs of beefing up its enforcement of scam ads against the toll of financial penalties from governments for failing to protect its users.

The documents make clear that Meta aims to reduce its illicit revenue stream in the future. But the company is concerned that abrupt reductions of scam advertising revenue could affect its business projections, according to a 2025 document that discusses the impact of &ldquo;violating revenue&rdquo; &ndash; income from ads that violate Meta&rsquo;s standards, such as scams, illegal gambling, sexual services or dubious health products.

The documents note that Meta plans to try to cut the share of Facebook and Instagram revenue derived from scam ads. In the meantime, Meta has internally acknowledged that regulatory fines for scam ads are certain, and anticipates penalties of up to $1 billion, according to one internal document.

But those fines would be much smaller than Meta&rsquo;s revenue from scam ads, a separate document from November 2024 states. Every six months, Meta earns $3.5 billion from just the portion of scam ads that &ldquo;present higher legal risk,&rdquo; the document says, such as those falsely claiming to represent a consumer brand or public figure or demonstrating other signs of deceit. That figure almost certainly exceeds &ldquo;the cost of any regulatory settlement involving scam ads.&rdquo;

Rather than voluntarily agreeing to do more to vet advertisers, the same document states, the company&rsquo;s leadership decided to act only in response to impending regulatory action.

Stone disputed the strategy documents&rsquo; assertions that Meta should only act if forced. That isn&rsquo;t the company&rsquo;s policy, he said.

&quot;It is easier to advertise scams on Meta platforms than Google.&quot;
Internal Meta review from April 2025.

Meta has also placed restrictions on how much revenue it is willing to lose from acting against suspect advertisers, the documents say. In the first half of 2025, a February document states, the team responsible for vetting questionable advertisers wasn&rsquo;t allowed to take actions that could cost Meta more than 0.15% of the company&rsquo;s total revenue. That works out to about $135 million out of the $90 billion Meta generated in the first half of 2025.

&ldquo;Let&rsquo;s be cautious,&rdquo; wrote the manager overseeing the effort, noting that the allowed revenue hit included both scam ads and &ldquo;benign&rdquo; ones that were mistakenly blocked. &ldquo;We have specific revenue guardrails.&rdquo;

Meta&rsquo;s Stone said that the 0.15% figure cited came from a revenue projection document and was not a hard limit.

Amid intensifying pressure to do more to combat scams on Meta&rsquo;s platforms, executives presented Zuckerberg with a plan in October 2024 for what they called a moderate approach to scam enforcement. Instead of a rapid crackdown, the company would focus its efforts on countries where it feared near-term regulatory action, according to a document that outlined the strategy.

Following the meeting with the CEO, Meta executives in charge of enforcing the integrity of the company&#39;s platforms settled on trying to reduce the percentage of revenue attributable to scams, illegal gambling and prohibited goods from an estimated 10.1% in 2024 to 7.3% by the end of 2025. By the end of 2026, Meta aims to further cut that figure to 6%, and then to 5.8% in 2027, the strategy memo and other documents show.



An excerpt from a November 2024 strategy document discussing Meta&rsquo;s scam ad revenue and legal risks. Screenshot via REUTERS

A surge in online fraud

In 2022, a document from that year notes, Meta discovered a six-figure network of accounts pretending to be members of the U.S. military deployed in war zones. The accounts were sending millions of messages a week trying to charm Facebook users into losing their money. Sextortion &ndash; in which scammers obtain sexual images of a user, often a teenager, under false pretenses and then blackmail them &ndash; also was becoming commonplace on Meta&rsquo;s platforms. And a torrent of fake accounts pretending to be celebrities or represent major consumer brands were bamboozling users worldwide.

But despite the surge in online fraud, another 2022 document notes the company&rsquo;s &ldquo;lack of investment&rdquo; in automated scam detection back then. Meta classified scam ads as a &ldquo;low severity&rdquo; problem &ndash; viewing them as a bad &ldquo;user experience,&rdquo; the document says.

Internal documents show that Meta directed staffers then to focus mainly on fraudsters masquerading as celebrities and usurping major brands. Such &ldquo;impersonation scams&rdquo; risked upsetting advertisers and public figures, one 2022 document notes, and thus threatened to reduce user engagement and revenue.

But ongoing layoffs at Meta were hindering enforcement. A planning document for the first half of 2023 notes that everyone who worked on the team handling advertiser concerns about brand-rights issues had been laid off. The company was also devoting resources so heavily to virtual reality and AI that safety staffers were ordered to restrict their use of Meta&rsquo;s computing resources. They were instructed merely to &ldquo;keep the lights on.&rdquo;

Stone said that while layoffs had occurred, the company had substantially expanded the number of staff addressing scam advertising in recent years.

Meta also was ignoring the vast majority of user reports of scams, a document from 2023 indicates. By that year, safety staffers estimated that Facebook and Instagram users each week were filing about 100,000 valid reports of fraudsters messaging them, the document says. But Meta ignored or incorrectly rejected 96% of them.

Meta&rsquo;s safety staff resolved to do better. In the future, the company hoped to dismiss no more than 75% of valid scam reports, according to another 2023 document.

Erin West, a former Santa Clara County prosecutor who now runs a nonprofit devoted to combating scams, said Meta&rsquo;s default response to users flagging fraud was to ignore them.

&ldquo;I don&rsquo;t know I&rsquo;ve ever seen something taken down as the result of a single user report,&rdquo; she said.

Last October, a recruiter for the Royal Canadian Air Force woke up to find herself locked out of her Facebook account. The woman, who spoke on condition of anonymity because of her military status, had been hacked.

Soon a picture of a fake employment badge with her face on it appeared on her account &ndash; along with the text, &ldquo;I&rsquo;m super happy to announce I&rsquo;m crypto currency certified.&rdquo;



A sign at Meta headquarters in Menlo Park, California. &ldquo;We aggressively fight fraud and scams because people on our platforms don&rsquo;t want this content, legitimate advertisers don&rsquo;t want it and we don&rsquo;t want it either,&rdquo; says spokesman Andy Stone. REUTERS/Carlos Barria

The recruiter said she immediately filed multiple reports with Meta. As weeks went by without a response, her account began claiming that she had struck it rich with crypto &ndash; even acquiring land for a dream home &ndash; and she wanted to give her friends the same opportunity.

The recruiter said her supervisor tried to get the Royal Canadian Mounted Police to help, but was told that Meta doesn&rsquo;t usually respond to hacked-account reports from the Mounties. So the recruiter warned her friends not to interact with her account and asked them to report her account to Meta, too.

Asked about the incident, the RCMP said it regularly raises reports of abuse on platforms such as Meta, but declined to comment on the specific case.

Nothing happened. After about a month, Mike Lavery, a former Canadian army officer who the recruiter had worked with years before, called her. He&#39;d lost C$40,000 (about $28,000) after investing in the crypto scam.

&ldquo;I thought I was talking to a trusted friend who has a really good reputation,&rdquo; Lavery told Reuters about the recruiter&rsquo;s hijacked Facebook account. &ldquo;Because of that, my guard was down.&rdquo;

The recruiter said she cried when Lavery told her what had happened. &ldquo;People were being harmed because they trust me,&rdquo; she said. She said she pleaded with friends to continue reporting her rogue account.

&ldquo;Dozens of people reported it, multiple times each,&rdquo; she said, estimating that Meta received more than 100 reports. By the time Meta finally took her hacked account offline, at least four other military colleagues had been defrauded, she said.

Brian Mason, an Edmonton Police investigator, was able to help track C$65,000 of the victims&rsquo; stolen funds to Nigeria. But recovering the money would likely be difficult or impossible, he told Reuters, because &ldquo;the money was converted into bank accounts in Nigeria that we can&rsquo;t touch.&rdquo;

Meta declined to comment on the air force recruiter&rsquo;s hacked account or its victims.

How meta polices fraud

Internally, Meta refers to scams like this one as &ldquo;organic,&rdquo; meaning they don&rsquo;t involve paid ads on its platforms. Organic scams include fraudulent classified ads placed for free on Facebook Marketplace, hoax dating profiles and charlatans touting phony cures in cancer-treatment groups.

According to a December 2024 presentation, Meta&rsquo;s user base is exposed to 22 billion organic scam attempts every day. That&rsquo;s on top of the 15 billion scam ads presented to users daily.

Meta polices fraud in a way that fails to capture much of the scam activity on its platforms, some of the documents indicate.

After police in Singapore gave the company a list of 146 examples of scams targeting that country&rsquo;s users last fall, Meta staff found that only 23% actually violated the platform&rsquo;s policies. The other 77% &ldquo;violate the spirit of the policy, but not the letter,&rdquo; a Meta presentation about the police reports notes.

The deceptive marketing flagged by Singaporean police that Meta didn&rsquo;t act on included &ldquo;too good to be true&rdquo; offers of 80% off a designer fashion brand, promotions for fake concert tickets, and job ads posted by entities falsely claiming to be major tech companies.

Other Meta safety staffers also documented instances in which the company&rsquo;s rules on scams didn&rsquo;t appear to cover obviously bad behavior. In April, staffers noted that they&rsquo;d discovered $250,000 in scam crypto ads from an account claiming to belong to Canada&rsquo;s prime minister.

&ldquo;Current policies would not flag this account!&rdquo; an internal document says. Meta&rsquo;s Stone said the ads were removed for other reasons. The prime minister&rsquo;s office didn&rsquo;t reply to a request for comment.



An excerpt from a 2025 document noting that Meta&rsquo;s rules on scams had &ldquo;gaps.&rdquo; Screenshot via REUTERS

The &lsquo;scammiest scammers&rsquo; list and &lsquo;penalty bids&rsquo;

Even when advertisers are caught red-handed, the rules can be lenient, the documents indicate. A small advertiser would have to get flagged for promoting financial fraud at least eight times before Meta blocked it, a 2024 document states. Some bigger spenders &ndash; known as &ldquo;High Value Accounts&rdquo; &ndash; could accrue more than 500 strikes without Meta shutting them down, other documents say.

Fraudulent ad campaigns can reach massive size: Four removed by Meta earlier this year were responsible for $67 million in monthly advertising revenue, a document reviewed by Reuters shows.

To draw attention to the company&rsquo;s perceived failures, an employee earlier this year began issuing reports highlighting that week&rsquo;s &ldquo;Scammiest Scammer.&rdquo; The report profiled whichever advertiser had earned the most user complaints about scams in the past week.

Colleagues praised the initiative. But being name-checked in the report wasn&rsquo;t always enough for such accounts to get shut down. A check by Reuters of five accounts cited in one Scammiest Scammer report found that two were still live more than six months later, including one that was running ads for unlicensed online casinos. After Reuters flagged those two accounts to Meta, they were taken down.

Reuters was unable to reach the entities behind the accounts.

The company last year developed a novel approach to reduce scam advertising and keep its enforcement costs low: It began charging suspected fraudsters more.

To advertise on Meta&rsquo;s platforms, a business has to compete in an online auction. Before the bidding, the company&rsquo;s automated systems calculate the odds that an advertiser is engaged in fraud. Under Meta&rsquo;s new policy, likely scammers who fall below Meta&rsquo;s threshold for removal would have to pay more to win an auction.

Documents from last summer called such &ldquo;penalty bids&rdquo; a centerpiece of Meta&rsquo;s efforts to reduce scams. Marketers suspected of committing fraud would have to pay Meta more to win ad auctions, thus impacting their profits and reducing the number of users exposed to their ads.

For Meta, the financial impact was mixed: While the company would sell fewer scam ads, it would make more money from those that it did, offsetting some of the lost revenue.

Stone said that the goal of the effort was to reduce overall scam advertising by making suspicious advertisers less competitive in Meta&rsquo;s ad auctions.

In the months following the implementation of the penalty bid program, Stone said, testing showed both a decline in scam reports and a slight decline in overall ad revenue.



Zuckerberg at a January 2024 Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on online child sexual exploitation. Regulators worldwide are pushing Meta to do more to protect users from child predators, online fraud and other risks. REUTERS/Evelyn Hockstein]]>
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			<title>Govt to distribute 700,000 Chromebooks under PM youth initiative</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/2581959/govt-to-distribute-700000-chromebooks-under-pm-youth-initiative</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/2581959/govt-to-distribute-700000-chromebooks-under-pm-youth-initiative#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Sat, 13 Dec 25 09:08:29 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[Web Desk]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Technology]]></category><category><![CDATA[Pakistan]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=2581959</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[Students from all provinces, including AJK and Gilgit-Baltistan, will be covered under the scheme]]>
			</description>
			<content:encoded>
				<![CDATA[The Prime Minister&rsquo;s Youth Programme has announced the distribution of 700,000 Chromebooks to students across the country to expand digital access and support technology-driven education.

The initiative was unveiled by PM Youth Programme Chairman Rana Mashhood Ahmad Khan, who said the move aims to equip young people with modern learning tools and help bridge the digital divide between urban and rural areas.

He said the Chromebooks would be provided to deserving students enrolled in schools, colleges and universities, adding that the programme would be implemented in phases to ensure transparency and effective monitoring.

According to the PMYP, students from all provinces, including Azad Jammu and Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan, will be covered under the scheme.

The announcement comes as Pakistan moves toward local assembly of Chromebooks. Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar recently described the start of Chromebook assembly in the country as an industrial milestone, saying it would support technology adoption, create jobs and strengthen the local manufacturing ecosystem.

Officials have said locally assembled devices would help reduce costs and improve access to affordable technology, particularly for students and educational institutions.

Rana Mashhood said Pakistan&rsquo;s youth was the country&rsquo;s most valuable asset and access to digital technology was essential to prepare them for future academic and professional challenges.

Officials said further details regarding eligibility criteria and the application process would be announced in due course.]]>
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			<title>OpenAI launches GPT‑5.2 AI model after ‘code red’ to counter Google competition</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/2581822/openai-launches-gpt52-ai-model-after-code-red-to-counter-google-competition</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/2581822/openai-launches-gpt52-ai-model-after-code-red-to-counter-google-competition#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Fri, 12 Dec 25 12:13:35 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[Reuters]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Technology]]></category>
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			<description>
				<![CDATA[GPT‑5.2 Instant, Thinking and Pro versions launching first on paid plans]]>
			</description>
			<content:encoded>
				<![CDATA[OpenAI on Thursday launched its GPT-5.2 artificial intelligence model, after CEO Sam Altman reportedly issued an internal &quot;code red&quot; in early December pausing non‑core projects and redirecting teams to accelerate development in response to Google&#39;s Gemini 3.

GPT-5.2 comes with improvements in general intelligence, coding and long-context understanding, the company said in a statement.

The new model is expected to bring even more economic value for users, as it is better at creating spreadsheets, building presentations and handling complex multi-step projects, OpenAI said.

Alphabet&#39;s Google&nbsp;launched the latest version&nbsp;of its Gemini in November, highlighting Gemini 3&#39;s lead position on several popular industry leaderboards that measure AI model performance.

&quot;Gemini 3 has had less of an impact on our metrics than we feared,&quot; Altman said in an interview with CNBC on Thursday, alongside Disney&#39;s CEO Bob Iger.

Google did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment.

Disney said on Thursday it is&nbsp;investing $1 billion in OpenAI&nbsp;and will let the startup use characters from Star Wars, Pixar and Marvel franchises in its Sora AI video generator.

Microsoft-backed&nbsp;OpenAI said that it currently has no plans to drop GPT‑5.1, GPT‑5, or GPT‑4.1 from its application programming interface.

GPT-5.2 Instant, Thinking, and Pro will begin rolling out in ChatGPT on Thursday, beginning with paid plans.]]>
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			<title>Anthropic unveils Opus 4.5 with major performance and memory upgrades</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/2579554/anthropic-unveils-opus-45-with-major-performance-and-memory-upgrades</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/2579554/anthropic-unveils-opus-45-with-major-performance-and-memory-upgrades#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Fri, 28 Nov 25 08:16:40 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[Web Desk]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Technology]]></category>
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			<description>
				<![CDATA[Opus 4.5 delivers state-of-the-art results in coding tasks, tool-use evaluations, general reasoning tests]]>
			</description>
			<content:encoded>
				<![CDATA[Anthropic has introduced Opus 4.5, the latest and final release in its 4.5 series of AI models. The rollout follows earlier launches of Sonnet 4.5 in September and Haiku 4.5 in October.

The company says Opus 4.5 delivers state-of-the-art results across several benchmark categories, including coding tasks (SWE-Bench, Terminal-bench), tool-use evaluations (tau2-bench, MCP Atlas), and general reasoning tests such as ARC-AGI 2 and GPQA Diamond. It is also the first model to score above 80% on SWE-Bench Verified, a widely cited benchmark for code generation accuracy.

Anthropic is pairing the model with upgrades to its productivity tools. With the release of Opus 4.5, the company is expanding access to Claude for Chrome and Claude for Excel. The Chrome extension will now be available to all Max users, while the Excel-focused tool will be offered to Max, Team, and Enterprise subscribers.

Read: Sindh launches Pakistan&rsquo;s first-ever million-rupee esports championship

The model includes significant improvements in long-context performance, requiring changes to how it handles and manages memory. Speaking to TechCrunch, Anthropic&rsquo;s head of product management for research, Dianne Na Penn, said long context alone is not enough for high-quality output. &ldquo;Knowing the right details to remember is really important in addition to just having a longer context window,&rdquo; she said.

Those changes have enabled a long-requested &ldquo;endless chat&rdquo; feature for paying Claude users. Instead of stopping when the model reaches its context limit, Opus 4.5 can now compress earlier parts of the conversation automatically, without notifying the user.

Read also: Google to retire Assistant in March 2026 as Gemini takes over

Anthropic says many of the upgrades are designed for complex &ldquo;agentic&rdquo; workflows in which Opus serves as a lead system orchestrating tasks handled by smaller, Haiku-powered agents. These scenarios require strong working-memory capabilities, an area the company claims has seen substantial gains in this release.

Opus 4.5 enters a competitive field. Other major AI developers have introduced flagship models in recent weeks, including OpenAI with GPT 5.1 on November 12 and Google with Gemini 3 on November 18.]]>
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			<title>Google plans data hub on Christmas Island with green energy goals</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/2577998/google-plans-data-hub-on-christmas-island-with-green-energy-goals</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/2577998/google-plans-data-hub-on-christmas-island-with-green-energy-goals#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Tue, 18 Nov 25 06:11:38 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[Reuters]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Technology]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=2577998</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[The remote island will gain a tech boost as Google builds a hub tied to major subsea cables]]>
			</description>
			<content:encoded>
				<![CDATA[Australia&#39;s remote Indian Ocean outpost of Christmas Island has enough power to support a new Google data centre without depriving locals, but its arrival could spur a push to renewable energy, the island&#39;s biggest employer and the tech giant said.

Alphabet&#39;s&nbsp;Google announced on Monday it will build a data hub on the tiny island located 350 km (220 miles) south of Indonesia, confirming a&nbsp;Reuters report.

It said it would also build a subsea cable system connecting Christmas Island to the Maldives and Oman, with two new data hubs to &quot;deepen the resilience of internet infrastructure in the Indian Ocean Region&quot;.

Google&#39;s plans had raised concern there would not be enough power to meet the needs of locals, the island&#39;s phosphate mine and the data centre, but Phosphate Resources chief executive, Nicholas Gan, said supply was ample for now.

The phosphate company, which employs half the island&#39;s population of 1,600, imports diesel to run a power generator that supplies the mine and meets Australian defence force needs.

&quot;The power grid can supply both Google&#39;s requirements and our requirements comfortably,&quot; Gan said.

Capacity would be strained, however, if the island&#39;s detention centre for asylum seekers or a shuttered resort were to reopen, he said, adding that Google&#39;s arrival bolsters the case for switching to renewable energy, which would be cheaper than importing diesel.

Australia&#39;s infrastructure department is in discussions with Google to ensure its energy requirements are met without impacting supply to Christmas Island&#39;s residents and businesses.

Boom-Bust cycle on remote island

Another two planned Google&nbsp;subsea cables stretching&nbsp;east from Christmas Island will land near key Australian military bases, Reuters previously reported. Military experts say such a facility on the island would be valuable for using AI drones to monitor Chinese submarine activity.

Google said the island&#39;s data hub would be smaller than some other Google data centres, and it would share its digital infrastructure with local users.

&quot;The power required for a connectivity hub can still be a lot for some smaller locations, and where it is, Google is exploring using its power demand to accelerate local investment in sustainable energy generation,&quot; its statement said.

A member of the island&#39;s economic future working group, Gan said Google&#39;s project will bring economic activity to an island 1,600 km from mainland Australia, with a history of boom and bust cycles, as it faced &quot;the last era for mining&quot;.

About 23 years ago, Australia and Russia planned to build a commercial spaceport on Christmas Island, but it prompted concern from Indonesia and was never opened, Australian parliament records show.

A casino that opened in 1993 attracted high rollers arriving by private jet from Jakarta but closed five years later amid an Asian economic downturn, the records show.

A detention centre for asylum seekers trying to reach Australia by boat dominated the island for two decades, until a shift in Australia&#39;s immigration policy saw it largely emptied in 2023.]]>
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