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By Jake Evans for the ABC (File photo) Photo: NIKOLAS KOKOVLIS / AFP Facebook has admitted that it scrapes the public photos, posts and other data of Australian adult users to train its AI models and provides no opt-out option, even though it allows people in the European Union to refuse consent. Meta's global privacy director Melinda Claybaugh was pressed at an inquiry as to whether the social media giant was hoovering up the data of all Australians in order to build its generative artificial intelligence tools, and initially rejected that claim. Labor senator Tony Sheldon asked whether Meta had used Australian posts from as far back as 2007 to feed its AI products, to which Claybaugh responded "we have not done that". Read more: But that was quickly challenged by Greens senator Da...

By Padraic Halpin and Conor Humphries, Reuters Photo: CFOTO / NurPhoto via AFP An EU court order that Apple pay Ireland 13 billion euros (NZD$23.2 billion) in back taxes triggered mixed feelings in Dublin on Tuesday as the government assessed possible reputational damage and rebuffed opposition calls for the cash to be spent quickly. Ireland had fought the EU back-tax bill alongside Apple since 2016, seeking to defend its position as the location of choice for US multinationals in Europe - and the billions of euros in direct and indirect taxes they bring in each year. The government played down the finding by the Court of Justice of the European Union that it granted the iPhone maker unlawful aid through its tax treatment as an issue "of historical relevance only" due to changes in ...

Australian breakdancer Rachael 'Raygun' Gunn ranked world No1. Photo: ODD ANDERSEN Australia's infamous Olympic breakdancer Rachael 'Raygun' Gunn has been ranked number 1 in the latest Breaking World Ranking List. The B-girl whose performance at the Paris Olympics went viral for all the wrong reasons, left the Games without a single point. The backlash she's faced since Paris led Australia's chef de mission to speak out in her defence. And now Gunn has been ranked number one in the world by the World Dance Sport Federation (WDSF). In a statement, the Federation said it "acknowledges the recent inquiries" regarding the world rankings. "We would like to take this opportunity to provide clarity on the ranking methodology and address the concerns raised. "The WDSF remains steadfast in its ...

Democrat Kamala Harris and Republican Donald Trump are facing off in their first televised debate of the US presidential campaign this afternoon. The debate - at Philadelphia's National Constitution Center and will not have a live audience - is due to start at 1pm NZT (9pm local time). For Harris, the square-off in Philadelphia is an opportunity to lay out her priorities and show her mettle against a rival who has belittled her intelligence and subjected her to racist and sexist attacks. Trump will get a chance to try and blunt some of Harris' momentum in a race that has tightened considerably since she became the Democratic nominee in July. Most opinion polls show Harris to be slightly ahead nationally and in the majority of battleground states, but Trump remains well within striking dist...

By Danielle Broadway, Reuters Photo: Image Press Agency / NurPhoto via AFP A Michigan inmate who accused Sean "Diddy" Combs of drugging and sexually assaulting him at a party almost 30 years ago has been awarded a USD$100 million (NZD$162m) judgment against the rapper and record producer. Derrick Lee Smith, 51, won the multimillion-dollar judgment by default in Lenawee County Circuit Court during a virtual hearing on Monday after Combs, 54, failed to show up. An attorney for Combs said the rapper would move to have the judgment dismissed. "This man (Smith) is a convicted felon and sexual predator, who has been sentenced on 14 counts of sexual assault and kidnapping over the last 26 years," attorney Marc Agnifilo said in a statement. "His resume now includes committing a fraud on the...