Latest news with #InternetService
Indian Express
16-05-2025
- Sport
- Indian Express
France media giants win court ruling to order VPNs to block 200 illegal sports streaming sites
In a major move in the fight against illegal sports streaming, French media giants Canal+ secured a landmark ruling on Friday from the Paris Judicial Court, ordering the ban on over 200 illegal sports streaming websites across several Virtual Private Network (VPN) services. According to Footboom, VPN providers have been handed 'a tight, three-day window to execute the technical finesse needed to block these sites'. The historic ruling by the Paris court covers the 2024-25 season of the Premier League, the UEFA Champions League, France's Ligue 1 and Ligue 2 divisions and the country's Top 14 rugby league. The report further stated that Canal+ and the French Professional Football League (LFP) will keep a watchful tab to report more digital pirate websites to France's anti-piracy vigilance authority, Arcom. VPNs that have been utilised by fans to copy IP addresses and allow access to illegal streams of various sporting tournaments will also fall under scrutiny. The judicial court has therefore demanded NordVPN, Proton, CyberGhost, Surfshark, and ExpressVPN to put a halt on offering cushion to the illegal streams. Welcoming the decision to stub such streams, Canal+ said it 'sends a strong message regarding the responsibility of VPN providers — recognised for the first time as technical intermediaries — in the illegal broadcasting of sports content'. Canal+ added it 'is proud to have initiated this major step forward in the fight against sports piracy in France and beyond, setting a legal precedent'. 'Following previous court orders obtained in 2022 targeting illegal streaming sites via Internet Service Providers, in 2024 via alternative DNS providers, and in 2025 via CDN and proxy services, this new ruling against VPNs is fully aligned with the group's strategy to hold all types of technical intermediaries accountable in the battle against audiovisual piracy,' the statement read. Canal+ also added that the group had obtained the blocking of over 1,300 domain names to combat content piracy in France in 2024 alone.
CNET
10-05-2025
- CNET
Battling Customer Service Chatbots is Getting Worse with AI
Customer service chatbots are notoriously aggravating as they waste time hitting you with questions that trap you in prompt loops, often designed to delay and deflect you from speaking with a human agent. But I dove right into the dark pits of hold-music hell this week, because I moved homes and needed to set up Internet service at a new location. After spending over three hours on the phone, with multiple phone calls to two Internet service providers, I can confidently say that the chatbots are not up to the task of doing what a human representative can accomplish. But those bots are good at one thing: wearing down our sprits. In this episode of Tech Therapy, embedded above, I needed to vent about the odyssey of finding knowledgable humans on a customer service call, and how the tech barriers are increasing. Without speaking to a human, at one point I was asked if Verizon could use my voice data as a security fingerprint for my next call. No, thanks -- I don't need to give up my voice data without knowing what is being done with it, only to have service denied the next time I catch a cold and sound stuffy. In the end, the relief of reaching helpful humans won my business. But, as my co-host Scott Stein points out, sometimes the only way to get to a human is to be nice to the robots blocking your path. I don't see the situation getting any better for customers, as AI is being used in more chatbot agents, which can get answers completely wrong — as the New York Times pointed out in its reporting on problematic AI hallucinations. Will we eventually be dealing with chatbots that sound human, like overly agreeable ChatGPT voices, but will we be able to tell it's AI? Maybe not -- unless the voice glitches out and becomes a demon. But Scott shows off some tech that is going in the right direction with Spacetop. The new AR laptop software creates a 180-degree virtual desktop with floating monitors, using one pair of glasses. Maybe it's a tool for travel. Maybe it's for the workspace of the future. But maybe I'll be using it the next time I need tech help, as I will need multiple monitor windows open to research and troubleshoot the answers to my questions -- all while circumventing the inevitable useless AI support bots. Ready for another session? Catch up on past Tech Therapy podcast episodes and subscribe on our YouTube channel.
NZ Herald
08-05-2025
- NZ Herald
Palmerston North hydroponics retailer takes Reddit to court to take down posts and unmask user identities
While they have their suspicions about who might be behind the posts, they can't prove it because users on the forum aren't required to use their real names. Some of the posts, which are all live on a subpage of the website called r/NZtrees, where users generally share tips on how to grow cannabis, are almost three years old. The case is being heard in the Palmerston North District Court where Cozens and Eales have sought an order for Reddit to take down the posts, to publish a correction, and to give the pair a right of reply in a way the court determines. All these remedies are available to the court under the Harmful Digital Communications Act. Cozens and Eales are also seeking an order that Reddit tell the court who the anonymous posters are, however, such an order can only be made to an Internet Protocol Address Provider (IPAP), also known as an Internet Service Provider. Their application did not identify a specific IPAP that would be subject to the order if it were to be made by the court. At a hearing on the matter held in March, Cozens told the court that Reddit was operating in New Zealand, but had no physical office in the country as far as he was aware. 'If Reddit is doing nothing to allow these posts to continue…then how are we allowing them to operate in NZ?' he asked. 'In the meantime, my business is suffering, and people have lost their jobs.' Judge Stephanie Edwards advised at that hearing that there was an extent to which New Zealand law could apply overseas. 'There are plenty of companies that operate here that aren't based here,' she said. Following the hearing, Judge Edwards ordered that a technical adviser be appointed to assess the feasibility of the orders Cozens and Eales were seeking, and how realistic it would be to enforce those orders. Today, the case returned to court, and lawyers for Reddit submitted that it had proactively removed nine of the posts which they considered had violated its rules. However, they advised that others remained up and Reddit would not be disclosing the identities of its users. Advertisement Advertise with NZME. Judge Edwards offered Cozens the opportunity to withdraw his claim on the basis that Reddit had removed some of the posts, and warned him that if he lost in court, he'd be liable to pay legal fees. Cozens, who is self-represented, said he understood the potential consequences and opted to continue his case. The court's technical adviser returned his report, but only ten minutes before the hearing began. Given the parties and the judge had limited time to consider the report, Judge Edwards scheduled another hearing for a later date. Cozens asked what would happen in the meantime, and claimed that he would continue to be the subject of abuse on the website. He claimed he was getting 'hammered daily' by these kinds of posts, and Reddit doesn't do anything about it. 'The post is absolutely disgusting. I'm getting this daily, they're not.' Reddit's lawyers offered to provide Cozens with a direct email to help him report posts and comments on the site.
Zawya
05-02-2025
- Business
- Zawya
E& expands SmartHub Data Centre in Fujairah with the launch of new facility
New Capacity of 1.5MW, directly connected to the biggest CLS interconnecting the Middle East, Europe, the United States, Asia and Africa. Abu Dhabi: e& Carrier & Wholesale today announced the launch of its fourth Tier III facility in its Fujairah SmartHub Campus. The new facility adds on 1.5 MW of capacity to the existing capacity, further strengthening connectivity across the Middle East's digital ecosystem. Established in 2011, the SmartHub campus in Fujairah has become a carrier-neutral digital ecosystem, serving multiple Tier 1 carriers, hyperscalers, content delivery networks (CDNs), Over-The-Top (OTT) platforms, and Internet Service Providers (ISPs). Strategically located at a major subsea Cable Landing Station, the campus provides reliable and cost-effective edge network connectivity. The addition of the fourth Tier III facility within the SmartHub campus expands the entire campus' total capacity to 4 MW, reinforcing its commitment to meeting the region's growing demand for seamless digital services and supporting its diverse customer base. Additionally, this expansion will serve the two upcoming cable systems this year. Nabil Baccouche, Group Chief Carrier & Wholesale Officer, e&, said: 'e&'s SmartHub ecosystem is built to help businesses stay connected and succeed in today's digitally empowered world. Our data centres make it easier for customers and partners to connect, collaborate, and extract meaningful insights from their data. The expansion of the Fujairah campus adds critical capacity and strengthens connectivity, providing businesses with the flexibility to scale, adapt, and operate securely. This is about offering reliable, cost-effective solutions that enable organisations to grow and stay competitive in a landscape that demands agility and innovation.' The SmartHub ecosystem offers a comprehensive range of solutions. In addition to co-location and hosting services, it provides international connectivity, cross-connect solutions, IP transit, and access to a wide variety of wholesale services, all conveniently available from a single location. e&'s SmartHub facilities are built in compliance with Tier III data centre standards, ensuring high levels of reliability and security for its ecosystem. This allows customers to host their critical equipment in a robust and secure environment. The strategic location of SmartHub facilities on coastal areas, with direct access to subsea cable systems, ensures ultra-low latency and cost efficiency. This advantage, achieved through minimal or zero backhauling fees, makes these data centres an ideal choice for hosting mission-critical digital infrastructure. About e& e& is a global technology group committed to advancing the digital future across markets in the Middle East, Asia, Africa and Europe. With the group's financial performance in 2023 showing a consolidated net revenue of AED 53.8 billion and a net profit of AED 10.3 billion, e& continues to maintain its position as a financial powerhouse, reflected by its strong credit rating and solid balance sheet. Founded in Abu Dhabi over 48 years ago, e& has evolved from a telecom pioneer into a technology group. Its footprint now spans 38 countries, offering a comprehensive portfolio of innovative digital services ranging from advanced connectivity, entertainment, streaming and financial services to AI-powered solutions, cloud computing, ICT, cybersecurity and IoT platforms. The Group is structured around five core business pillars: e& UAE, e& international, e& life, e& enterprise and e& capital, each catering to distinct customer and market needs. These pillars empower e& to lead in various sectors, from telecom and digital lifestyle to enterprise services and venture investments. The ongoing strategic investments in AI, IoT, 5G and cloud services reinforce its leadership in the global technology landscape, driving the future of smart connectivity and innovation. Driven by innovation, sustainability and a commitment to digital empowerment, e& is set on creating a smarter, more connected future for individuals, businesses and communities. To learn more about e&, visit
