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Italy to Test Starlink Satellites to Boost Internet Penetration

A Starlink internet kit sits on the back of a Christian Ranger ATV that is being donated to a remote community after a main road was washed out in Bee Log, Burnsville, North Carolina, on October 6, 2024, in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene. (Photo by Allison Joyce / AFP)
A Starlink internet kit sits on the back of a Christian Ranger ATV that is being donated to a remote community after a main road was washed out in Bee Log, Burnsville, North Carolina, on October 6, 2024, in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene. (Photo by Allison Joyce / AFP)
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Italy to Test Starlink Satellites to Boost Internet Penetration

A Starlink internet kit sits on the back of a Christian Ranger ATV that is being donated to a remote community after a main road was washed out in Bee Log, Burnsville, North Carolina, on October 6, 2024, in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene. (Photo by Allison Joyce / AFP)
A Starlink internet kit sits on the back of a Christian Ranger ATV that is being donated to a remote community after a main road was washed out in Bee Log, Burnsville, North Carolina, on October 6, 2024, in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene. (Photo by Allison Joyce / AFP)

Italy is preparing to test the use of satellites produced by Elon Musk's Starlink to offer internet connection services in some remote areas of the country, a government official was quoted as saying on Tuesday.
The Starlink project was being discussed with some regional administrations, Undersecretary to the Prime Minister's Office Alessio Butti said in an interview with Il Sole 24 Ore daily ahead of a Group of Seven ministerial meeting on technology and digital on Lake Como.
"We're assessing with Starlink and other players the possibility of complementing existing infrastructure with satellites for the most remote areas," Reuters quoted him as saying.
"In reference to Starlink in particular, we're currently speaking to some regions - in the north, center and south of the country - to test a 'space based service' for remote areas or areas without terrestrial infrastructure."
Butti said the government had been exploring options such as a satellite-based internet connection service to make up for delays accumulated by companies in charge of fiber rollout plans.
The country is pursuing a broader plan to ensure homes and businesses across Italy have access to fixed-line internet speeds of at least 1 Gigabit per second by 2026.
"The Italy at 1 Giga scheme is a key element of our commitments under the post-pandemic recovery plan, and we're aware of the importance of reaching the target set for 2026," Butti said.

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A Social Media Ban for Under-16s Passes the Australian Senate and Will Soon be a World-first Law

A teenager uses his mobile phone to access social media, Sydney, Wednesday, Nov. 13, 2024. (Dean Lewins/AAP Image VIA AP)
A teenager uses his mobile phone to access social media, Sydney, Wednesday, Nov. 13, 2024. (Dean Lewins/AAP Image VIA AP)
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A Social Media Ban for Under-16s Passes the Australian Senate and Will Soon be a World-first Law

A teenager uses his mobile phone to access social media, Sydney, Wednesday, Nov. 13, 2024. (Dean Lewins/AAP Image VIA AP)
A teenager uses his mobile phone to access social media, Sydney, Wednesday, Nov. 13, 2024. (Dean Lewins/AAP Image VIA AP)

A social media ban for children under 16 passed the Australian Senate Thursday and will soon become a world-first law.

The law will make platforms including TikTok, Facebook, Snapchat, Reddit, X and Instagram liable for fines of up to 50 million Australian dollars ($33 million) for systemic failures to prevent children younger than 16 from holding accounts, The AP reported.

The Senate passed the bill 34 votes to 19. The House of Representatives on Wednesday overwhelmingly approved the legislation 102 votes to 13.

The House has yet to endorse opposition amendments made in the Senate. But that is a formality since the government has already agreed they will pass.

The platforms will have one year to work out how they could implement the ban before penalties are enforced.

The amendments bolster privacy protections. Platforms would not be allowed to compel users to provide government-issued identity documents including passports or driver’s licenses, nor could they demand digital identification through a government system.

The House is scheduled to pass the amendments on Friday. Critics of the legislation fear that banning young children from social media will impact the privacy of users who must establish they are older than 16.

While the major parties support the ban, many child welfare and mental health advocates are concerned about unintended consequences.

Sen. David Shoebridge, from the minority Greens party, said mental health experts agreed that the ban could dangerously isolate many children who used social media to find support.

“This policy will hurt vulnerable young people the most, especially in regional communities and especially the LGBTQI community, by cutting them off,” Shoebridge told the Senate.

Opposition Sen. Maria Kovacic said the bill was not radical but necessary.

“The core focus of this legislation is simple: It demands that social media companies take reasonable steps to identify and remove underage users from their platforms,” Kovacic told the Senate.

“This is a responsibility these companies should have been fulfilling long ago, but for too long they have shirked these responsibilities in favor of profit,” she added.

Online safety campaigner Sonya Ryan, whose 15-year-old daughter Carly was murdered by a 50-year-old pedophile who pretended to be a teenager online, described the Senate vote as a “monumental moment in protecting our children from horrendous harms online.”

“It’s too late for my daughter, Carly, and the many other children who have suffered terribly and those who have lost their lives in Australia, but let us stand together on their behalf and embrace this together,” she told the AP in an email.

Wayne Holdsworth, whose teenage son Mac took his own life after falling victim to an online sextortion scam, had advocated for the age restriction and took pride in its passage.

“I have always been a proud Australian, but for me subsequent to today’s Senate decision, I am bursting with pride,” Holdsworth told the AP in an email.