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Australians spend 41 hours weekly online, with digital ad spend surging to USD $20.7 billion, driven by social media and influencer marketing growth.

Bitdefender reports a 63% rise in malicious Halloween spam, with scams posing as festive giveaways and retail offers to steal data or spread malware.

New Zealanders risk scams this holiday season by sharing personal data for discounts and shopping via social media, as AI-fuelled frauds rise, Norton warns.

Bitsight launches Brand Intelligence, an AI tool to detect and swiftly tackle phishing and brand threats targeting companies and executives.

US tech stocks soar, with the S&P 500 up 14.5% versus NZX’s 3.2%, urging New Zealand investors to diversify internationally for better returns.

RØDE announces the 2025 Creator of the Year Awards, offering over USD $200,000 in prizes to celebrate global digital content creators across major platforms.

Research finds Facebook, WhatsApp, and TikTok most privacy-invasive, while Discord tops the list for safeguarding user data and resisting AI training use.

Gen Z demands instant replies within 15 minutes and prefers social shopping on apps like Instagram and TikTok, pushing retailers to adopt AI and automation.

Datadog appoints Ami Vora, former Chief Product Officer at Faire, to its Board to enhance product innovation and support company growth.

The UAE ranks as the world’s most tech-dependent nation, with residents spending nearly 8 hours daily on digital devices and universal internet access.

L'Oréal Paris leads UK beauty brands on social media H1 2025, with GBP £238.5m EMV on TikTok and GBP £28.6m on Instagram, surpassing Charlotte Tilbury.

Norton has enhanced its Small Business service with Dark Web and Social Media Monitoring to help firms counter rising cyber threats in 2025.

UNiDAYS and Instagram have partnered to launch verified school banners on profiles for 18 million US college students, enhancing trusted connections online.

Marks & Spencer led UK back-to-school social media campaigns in 2025, partnering with 1,380 influencers to generate GBP £5 million in earned media value.

eDesk expands its US operations to support growing eCommerce brands with AI-driven helpdesk solutions, managing millions of customer queries each month.

Australia's top food influencers earn up to AUD $18,401 per post as TikTok and Instagram redefine how Aussies discover meals and dining spots.

Greens Senator David Shoebridge condemns Australia's social media ban for under-16s and calls for urgent, robust AI regulation and tech literacy in Parliament.

8x8 reports a 150% rise in AI-powered customer interactions and unveils new tools enhancing CX with AI-driven insights and secure payment options.

ChatSa launches AI Magic, enabling users to swiftly create and deploy cross-platform AI chatbots with a single text prompt, in under two minutes.

Bitdefender expands its Security for Creators to cover Facebook, Instagram and YouTube amid USD $1 trillion losses from rising online scams targeting digital creators.