Neowin News Feed for: Australia

Australia pushes Google and Meta to pay local media outlets for their news

Hamid Ganji — Tue, 28 Apr 2026 10:12:01 +0000

Google, Meta, and TikTok may be required to strike deals with Australian news publishers and pay for their content. Read more...

Snapchat starts requiring age verification under new law

Paul Hill — Sat, 22 Nov 2025 09:58:01 +0000

Snapchat has said it will begin verifying the age of Australian users from this week in anticipation of a new law. Read more...

Australia adds Twitch to its teen social media ban

Paul Hill — Fri, 21 Nov 2025 11:18:02 +0000

The Australian government has added Twitch to its list of social media platforms that children under 16 will no longer be able to use. Read more...

Microsoft publicly apologizes for confusing customers about M365 price hikes, offers refunds

Usama Jawad — Thu, 06 Nov 2025 12:18:01 +0000

Microsoft was sued for using a deceptive dark pattern to raise the price of Microsoft 365 for all customers, it has now issued a public apology. Read more...

Microsoft 365 price hikes 'deliberately mislead' consumers, company sued

Usama Jawad — Mon, 27 Oct 2025 04:36:01 +0000

Microsoft has been sued in Australia for "deliberately misleading" customers regarding recent price hikes for Microsoft 365. Read more...

Google casts doubt on Australia's social media ban for under 16s

Hamid Ganji — Mon, 13 Oct 2025 16:01:47 +0000

As Australia nears the deadline for enforcing the law banning social media use by children under 16, Google remains doubtful about its enforceability. Read more...

Deloitte agrees to refund Australian government after AI hallucinations found in report

Usama Jawad — Mon, 06 Oct 2025 22:14:01 +0000

Accounting firm Deloitte has agreed to partially refund the Australian government after it was essentially proven that its report contains instances of content generated by AI. Read more...

Google admits to anti-competitive conduct in Australia

Paul Hill — Mon, 18 Aug 2025 05:12:01 +0000

Google has admitted to engaging in anti-competitive behavior in Australia because of search agreements it made with two telcos. Read more...

Apple warns Australia against joining EU in mandating iPhone app sideloading

David Uzondu — Fri, 06 Jun 2025 15:16:01 +0000

Australia is reportedly considering following the EU in forcing Apple to allow sideloading on iOS and iPadOS. In response, Apple has warned officials not to move forward with the plan. Read more...

Microsoft closed one of the remaining three offline stores

Taras Buria — Thu, 15 May 2025 14:00:02 +0000

Microsoft Experience Centers are an endangered species these days, and one of the remaining three closed for good last week. Read more...

Telegram faces fine for holding up Australia's child safety questions

Aditya Tiwari — Sun, 23 Feb 2025 17:38:01 +0000

Telegram faces a big fine in Australia after it delayed important questions from the country's online safety regulator. Read more...

Australia bans DeepSeek on government devices citing 'unacceptable security risk'

Omer Dursun — Tue, 04 Feb 2025 15:42:01 +0000

Australia bans DeepSeek AI chatbot on government devices over security risks, mirroring concerns that led to the TikTok ban. Read more...

Samsung Galaxy S25 Slim tipped to launch in 39 countries but not it the US

Sagar Naresh Bhavsar — Mon, 20 Jan 2025 14:12:01 +0000

Information from a reliable source suggests that the Galaxy S25 Slim or the Galaxy S25 Special Edition will not be available in the US. Read more...

This could be a hint that Samsung may introduce two new Galaxy Ring sizes

Sagar Naresh Bhavsar — Thu, 26 Dec 2024 13:26:01 +0000

Official support pages of two new Galaxy Ring sizes have gone live in the UK, and multiple other regions, confirming the addition. Read more...

Australia to make tech giants pay for using news content from local media publishers

Sagar Naresh Bhavsar — Thu, 12 Dec 2024 07:34:01 +0000

The Australian government wants to make tech giants like Google and Meta continue to pay local news publishers for using their content. Read more...

LinkedIn says it's too boring for kids to face a social media ban in Australia

David Uzondu — Wed, 27 Nov 2024 07:08:01 +0000

While apps like TikTok face scrutiny in Australia's social media crackdown, LinkedIn is trying to escape notice by embracing its 'boring' image. Read more...

Tech giants strongly oppose Australia's ban on social media for children under 16

Hamid Ganji — Tue, 26 Nov 2024 16:42:01 +0000

Some major tech firms have urged the Australian government to delay its proposed legislation for banning children under 16 from accessing social platforms. Read more...

Google brings back 'YouTube Premium Lite' from the dead, testing underway in some countries

Sagar Naresh Bhavsar — Thu, 17 Oct 2024 05:06:01 +0000

After being canceled over a year ago, the YouTube Premium Lite plan is back and is currently under testing in limited countries, except the US. Read more...

Elon Musk's X fined over $400,000 for failing to address child abuse content on the platform

Karthik Mudaliar — Fri, 04 Oct 2024 09:24:01 +0000

An Australian court has fined X A$610,500 (approximately $418,000) for failing to comply with regulatory inquiries regarding child abuse content. Read more...

Simulated gambling triggers R18+ rating in Australia for iPhone apps

Paul Hill — Fri, 27 Sep 2024 07:38:01 +0000

Apps featuring simulated gambling will be marked with R18+ ratings in Australia, reflecting the government's push for stricter regulations on such content. Read more...

Microsoft and Telstra announce partnership involving Copilot and Fibre network

Pradeep Viswanathan — Mon, 12 Aug 2024 16:02:01 +0000

Microsoft and Telstra, Australia's largest telecommunications company, have expanded their strategic partnership. The collaboration involves two key aspects: Fiber network and Copilot. Read more...

Multiple colors of the Galaxy Z Flip6 and Galaxy Z Fold6 shown off in massive leak

Sagar Naresh Bhavsar — Fri, 28 Jun 2024 06:16:01 +0000

An Australian retailer has prematurely leaked the listings for the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold6 and Z Flip6 on their website, showing off both foldables in multiple colors and their Australian pricing. Read more...

Google's Umoja undersea cable will connect Africa and Australia for the first time

Paul Hill — Thu, 23 May 2024 16:26:01 +0000

Google has announced a new undersea cable called Umoja, which will connect several African countries and the continent to Australia for the first time. It will increase the continent's net resilience. Read more...

No brain surgery required: Australian 'Stentrode' miles ahead of Neuralink, expert claims

Martin Hodás — Tue, 19 Mar 2024 18:28:01 +0000

Neuralink is not the only company offering a way that allows patients to control computer just with their thoughts. Australian company is doing the very same and its solution is completely different. Read more...

Microsoft invests $3.2 billion to expand AI and cloud infrastructure in Australia

Omer Dursun — Mon, 23 Oct 2023 22:14:02 +0000

Microsoft has committed $3.2B to expand its cloud and AI capabilities in Australia. The investment will increase data center capacity by 250% and train 300,000 Australians in critical digital skills. Read more...

An Australian mayor may sue OpenAI for false claims that ChatGPT has made against him

John Callaham — Wed, 05 Apr 2023 17:30:01 +0000

Hepburn Shire, Australia, mayor Brian Hood claims people have come up to him saying ChatGPT stated they went to jail for a bribery scandal, when in fact, he was the whistleblower for the crime. Read more...

Starfield got an R18+ rating from the Australian Classification Board for high drug use

John Callaham — Fri, 17 Mar 2023 14:26:01 +0000

The R18+ rating for Bethesda's upcoming sci-fi RPG Starfield means the game cannot legally be sold to minors in Australia and may impact how the game is marketed and advertised in the country. Read more...

Australian financial company Latitude gets hacked, customer data stolen

Justin Luna — Thu, 16 Mar 2023 01:48:01 +0000

Australian digital payments and lending company Latitude Financial has suffered a hacking incident. This allows cybercriminals to get a hold of the identification documents of 328,000 customers. Read more...

Google slapped with $60 million fine for misleading customers about data collection

Usama Jawad — Fri, 12 Aug 2022 11:06:01 +0000

Responding to a ruling issued last year, Google has agreed to pay a $60 million fine in Australia for misleading customers about its data collection practices when it comes to your location history. Read more...

SpaceX debris crash lands in an Australian field

Steve Bennett — Wed, 03 Aug 2022 22:12:01 +0000

Recently a large piece of debris from a SpaceX capsule was discovered sticking vertically out of the ground in a farmer's field in New South Wales, Australia, and two other pieces were found later on. Read more...

Samsung fined $14m for misleading claims about Galaxy phones being waterproof

Karthik Mudaliar — Thu, 23 Jun 2022 06:08:01 +0000

Samsung has been fined $14 million for misleading advertisements about seven Galaxy phones being water-resistant. The phones were damaged after being used in swimming pools and ocean water. Read more...

Australia's competition watchdog sues Uber for misleading fares

Mehrotra A — Tue, 26 Apr 2022 19:58:02 +0000

The Australian regulator has filed a lawsuit in the Federal Court against Uber claiming that the taxi provider misled over two million Australians by showing misleading fares for roughly two years. Read more...

Meta sued for allowing fraudulent crypto ads

Usama Jawad — Fri, 18 Mar 2022 13:26:01 +0000

An Australian regulator has sued Meta for allowing fraudulent ads showing celebrities promoting cryptocurrencies to run rampant on Facebook. One person reportedly lost almost $500,000. Read more...

Microsoft releases "largest update" for Flight Simulator with World Update VII: Australia

Fiza Ali — Tue, 01 Feb 2022 09:16:01 +0000

World Update VII: Australia, with graphical improvements, is available for free for Microsoft Flight Simulator players. Enjoy the new experience by updating your game to explore the Down Under. Read more...

OneWeb partners with Vocus to deliver comms services in Australia

Paul Hill — Mon, 20 Dec 2021 21:00:02 +0000

OneWeb has announced a partnership with Vocus to deliver its services to enterprise customers in Australia. The two firms hope to start getting new customers by the middle of next year. Read more...

Xbox Cloud Gaming comes to Australia, Japan, Brazil, and Mexico

Pulasthi Ariyasinghe — Thu, 30 Sep 2021 09:52:01 +0000

Microsoft today announced Xbox Cloud Gaming is now available across 26 countries as Australia, Japan, Brazil, and Mexico join the mix. All that's required is an Xbox Game Pass Ultimate subscription. Read more...

Tesla's "Big Battery" explodes causing big flames and smoke, warning out for locals

Sayan Sen — Fri, 30 Jul 2021 06:26:01 +0000

Tesla's Big Battery at Geelong, Victoria, caught fire earlier today. The responsible authority has since deployed fire firefighting teams there, and a warning for the locals has also been issued. Read more...

Ecosia announces results from Tuesday's anti-wildfire search efforts

Paul Hill — Thu, 29 Jul 2021 16:00:01 +0000

Ecosia has announced that Tuesday's search efforts have funded 5,000 new trees in California and an additional 7,500 trees in Byron Bay, Australia, where forests struggle to regenerate naturally. Read more...

Bing-powered Ecosia will plant trees to tackle wildfires in the U.S.

Paul Hill — Thu, 22 Jul 2021 23:00:02 +0000

Ecosia has said that all searches on July 27 will generate revenue that will go to Australia, Brazil, and the U.S. to help tackle wildfires that are being exacerbated by rising global temperatures. Read more...

FBI-run encrypted messaging app snares hundreds of criminals worldwide

Paul Hill — Tue, 08 Jun 2021 11:24:01 +0000

The FBI and Australian law enforcement spearheaded an operation to bring down hundreds of serious criminals. The operation used an encrypted messaging app called ANoM which was run by the FBI. Read more...