Topic: media reporting
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Google Denies 2026 Gemini Ad Plans
Google has officially denied a report about introducing ads into its Gemini AI chatbot by 2026, stating there are no current plans to monetize the app in this way. The denial came from a top Google advertising executive who refuted an earlier story from anonymous sources claiming a 2025 ad strate...
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How Gamer Culture Complicated Charlie Kirk's Death
The shooting of Charlie Kirk highlighted a cultural divide, as mainstream media initially misreported it as ideologically motivated, failing to grasp the digital subculture context behind the attacker's ironic, gaming-inspired messages. The accused, Tyler Robinson, exemplified being "deeply onlin...
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Judge Moves to Break Google's Ad Monopoly Before Deadline
A federal judge is considering whether to break up Google's ad technology business after hearing final arguments in a landmark antitrust case alleging monopoly practices in online advertising. The Justice Department is pushing for structural changes including selling Google's AdX exchange and pub...
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Ubisoft Canceled Assassin's Creed Game About Fighting the Klan
Ubisoft canceled a planned Assassin's Creed game set in Reconstruction-era America, fearing its themes would be too politically sensitive for modern U.S. audiences. The canceled game would have featured a freed slave confronting systemic racism and groups like the Ku Klux Klan, exploring how raci...
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Google Takes on Defamation Fight Meta Abandoned
Google is defending against a defamation lawsuit from activist Robby Starbuck, who claims its AI systems falsely associated him with sexual assault and white nationalism. Starbuck previously settled a similar case with Meta, which involved him as an advisor to address AI bias, and no U.S. court h...
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Ex-Disney CEO Slams FCC's "Out-of-Control Intimidation"
Michael Eisner, former Disney CEO, criticizes the FCC for what he calls "out-of-control intimidation" following Disney's decision to put *Jimmy Kimmel Live!* on hiatus due to regulatory pressure. Eisner questioned Disney's leadership for yielding to what he described as "hollow" threats from the ...
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Samsung's $3,499 Smart Fridges Will Soon Show Ads
Samsung will introduce advertisements on its Family Hub smart refrigerator screens through a software update this month, affecting the 2024 lineup and turning idle displays into marketing platforms. The ads will appear during "Cover Screen" idle periods as a rotating widget, showing contextual ad...
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Meta's Child Safety Leak: A Damaging Turn for the Worse
Whistleblowers revealed that Meta is actively suppressing research on child safety risks in VR to avoid legal liability, rather than addressing known dangers. Despite official age restrictions, children under 13 routinely access Meta's VR platforms, where immersive technology poses uniquely invas...
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DHS Data Collection Endangers US Citizens
Recent immigration enforcement actions have detained U.S. citizens, as illustrated by the case of Leonardo Garcia Venegas, who was reportedly detained twice despite presenting proof of citizenship. The Department of Homeland Security denies racial profiling, stating enforcement is based solely on...
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Key ChatGPT Mental Health Leader Exits OpenAI
Andrea Vallone, the leader of OpenAI's model policy safety research team, has departed, raising concerns about the future of mental health safety protocols for ChatGPT users. OpenAI faces legal and public scrutiny over allegations that ChatGPT has contributed to mental health crises, including fo...
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Disney Loses $4 Million Daily in YouTube TV Blackout
Disney is losing an estimated $4.3 million daily in revenue due to the blackout of its channels on YouTube TV, which has now lasted twelve days. Google is also affected, with nearly a quarter of surveyed consumers canceling or planning to cancel their YouTube TV subscriptions over the dispute. Bo...
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FBI Demands Archive.is Reveal Owner in Legal Showdown
The FBI is using a subpoena to demand that domain registrar Tucows reveal the identity behind Archive.is as part of a federal criminal investigation. Tucows is legally required to comply with the subpoena, which seeks subscriber details for archive.today, and failure to do so could result in cont...
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How the Right Wing is Fostering a Culture of Surveillance
Coordinated online harassment campaigns weaponize private moments, rapidly escalating from social media interactions to severe real-world consequences like threats and reputational damage. Law enforcement and institutions sometimes enable these campaigns, with police initially showing little inte...
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Meta Accused of Suppressing VR Safety Research for Kids
Whistleblowers allege Meta is suppressing research on potential harms of VR to children, with legal interference to block unfavorable findings. Meta denies the claims, stating it has approved numerous studies on youth safety and improved parental controls for its VR products. These allegations wi...
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Pentagon report: Pete Hegseth violated military policies
A Pentagon investigation found former Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth violated DoD protocols by using a personal messaging app to discuss sensitive military information, risking its compromise. The inquiry, hampered by the app's auto-delete function, stemmed from a group chat that inadvertently in...
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US Police Get Controversial Face-Scanning App Used by ICE
US Customs and Border Protection has launched Mobile Identify, a facial recognition app for local police collaborating on federal immigration enforcement under Section 287(g) agreements. The app assists trained officers in identifying and processing individuals potentially residing in the U.S. wi...
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GameStop Won't Raise Xbox Game Pass Price Despite Microsoft Hike
GameStop is maintaining Xbox Game Pass Ultimate at $19.99 per month, countering Microsoft's price increase to $29.99, offering immediate relief to subscribers. Other major retailers like Amazon and Walmart are also selling at the original price, but GameStop is the only one publicly committed to ...
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Xbox Email Hints Game Pass Price Hike Excludes Some Users
Some existing Xbox Game Pass subscribers in specific countries are exempt from recent price increases, allowing them to renew at their current rates if they maintain an active subscription. The price hikes will affect new purchases and subscribers who cancel and later repurchase, with Microsoft p...
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Span Cyber Security Arena 2026: New Visions for Cybersecurity
The Span Cyber Security Arena 2026 conference in Poreč (May 20-22) will offer a comprehensive forum for professionals to explore the latest strategies and tools for defending against modern digital threats. The event features keynote speakers and expert-led masterclasses, providing high-level ins...
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Oregon Data Centers Linked to Cancer and Miscarriage Risk
Amazon data centers in Oregon's Morrow County are linked to rising nitrate levels in the drinking water, contributing to increased cancer diagnoses and miscarriage rates among residents. The data centers' water usage for cooling exacerbates pollution by drawing contaminated water and returning it...
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OpenAI Shuts SF Offices After Alleged Activist Threat
OpenAI instructed its San Francisco staff to remain indoors and take safety precautions after receiving a threat from an individual previously associated with the Stop AI activist group, who expressed intentions to harm employees. San Francisco police responded to a 911 call regarding a man threa...
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Google pulls AI after it fabricated assault claim
Google removed its Gemma AI model from AI Studio after U.S. Senator Marsha Blackburn complained it generated fabricated criminal allegations against her, including false claims of rape and a sexual relationship with a state trooper. The company clarified that Gemma was designed as a developer too...
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Lawmakers: ICE's Forced Face Scans Violate Constitution
Recent social media footage reveals ICE and CBP officers using facial recognition technology on American streets to verify citizenship, including scanning a minor's face without traditional ID. The agencies have expanded their use of facial scans, employing tools like Mobile Fortify that access v...
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Microsoft Halts Cloud Services for Israeli Unit Over Palestinian Spying
Microsoft terminated cloud services for an Israeli defense unit after an internal review found the technology was used to store surveillance data from monitoring Palestinian civilians. The decision, based on terms of service prohibiting mass surveillance, was prompted by investigative journalism ...
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DHS Data Hub Leaked Sensitive Intel to Thousands
A misconfigured DHS online platform exposed 439 classified intelligence products to thousands of unauthorized users, including government staff, contractors, and foreign nationals, over two months in early 2023. The leaked data included sensitive reports on cybersecurity threats, foreign hacking,...
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OpenAI & Oracle Strike $300B "Project Stargate" Cloud Deal
OpenAI and Oracle have entered a $300 billion cloud computing agreement over five years to support next-generation AI infrastructure. The partnership, known as "Project Stargate," involves building data centers with 4.5 gigawatts of power and aligns with OpenAI's projected $12.7 billion revenue t...
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Tencent Halts Promotion of Alleged Horizon Clone Amid Sony Lawsuit
Tencent has agreed to halt all promotion and public testing for *Light of Motiram* as part of a court agreement with Sony, which alleges the game is a copy of its *Horizon* franchise. The lawsuit centers on accusations of copyright infringement due to the game's striking visual and thematic simil...
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Apple's Top UI Designer Departs for Meta
Alan Dye, Apple's VP of Human Interface Design, is leaving to become Chief Design Officer at Meta, where he will oversee design for hardware, software, and AI integration. Apple has promoted veteran designer Steve Lemay to replace Dye, with CEO Tim Cook praising his long history of key contributi...
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Rockstar Games Fired Staff for Leaking Internal Messages on Discord
Rockstar Games fired 34 employees for "gross misconduct," but the UK union IWGB alleges this was union-busting and has filed an unfair dismissal claim. The terminations followed employee discussions on a private Discord server about salaries, HR policies, and internal Slack updates, which are leg...
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Google Confirms It's Not Training AI on Your Gmail
Google has officially denied using Gmail emails to train its Gemini AI model, stating that user privacy is protected and no account settings have been changed to allow such data usage. Viral social media posts incorrectly claimed that users must disable Gmail's Smart Features to prevent data harv...
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Neighbors Revolt as Zuckerberg Opens Illegal School at Palo Alto Estate
The Zuckerberg-Chan estate in Palo Alto's Crescent Park has expanded to include eleven lots, sparking a long-standing community dispute over property acquisitions and their impact on local real estate values. Neighbors raised concerns about an unpermitted educational facility operating within the...
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Deloitte to Repay Australia for AI-Flawed Report
Deloitte Australia will partially refund the government after a taxpayer-funded report contained fabricated citations and references, costing around $440,000 AUD. The report's inaccuracies included references to non-existent academic works, with a professor confirming misattribution, and it was r...
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AI-Generated Film 'Critterz' Backed by OpenAI Eyes Cannes Debut
AI-generated filmmaking is entering the mainstream with the OpenAI-backed project *Critterz*, aiming to produce a feature-length animated film by blending human creativity with machine-generated visuals for greater speed and cost-efficiency. The use of AI in film production raises questions about...
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DOGE Lives, Facebook Dating Arrives, and Amazon's AI Ambitions
Budget cuts at public health agencies are eroding institutional capacity, weakening critical services like disease surveillance and vaccination programs, which leaves communities more vulnerable to health crises. The precedent of severe funding cuts internationally has led to preventable loss of ...
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Anthropic's AI Safety Research Faces Growing Pressure
Anthropic's small societal impacts team investigates AI's potential harms, but its independence is questioned within the profit-driven company. The team's existence aligns with Anthropic's safety-focused brand, yet it faces pressure to avoid findings critical of its own products or political inte...
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FBI Subpoenas Archive.is Web Registrar in Data Probe
The FBI has subpoenaed domain registrar Tucows for records to identify the operator of Archive.today, seeking subscriber and contact details as part of a federal criminal investigation. Archive.today's owner remains anonymous, with registration listing a "Denis Petrov" in Prague, but it's unclear...
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State Hackers Infiltrated Telecom Giant Ribbon for Months
Ribbon Communications disclosed that state-sponsored hackers had unauthorized access to its systems for nearly a year, starting in December 2024, and has since removed them with law enforcement involvement. The breach affected a customer base including Fortune 500 companies and government departm...
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Hundreds With Top Secret Clearance Exposed in House Democrats' Data Breach
A data breach exposed personal information of over 450 individuals with top secret US government security clearances, part of a larger database of 7,000 job applicants for House Democrats, discovered by a security researcher in an unsecured online database. The unprotected data, found on the Dome...
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Fandom CEO Exits Company in Surprise Move
Fandom's CEO Perkins Miller has unexpectedly stepped down after six years, prompting an interim leadership structure while the company searches for a permanent replacement. Users have criticized Fandom for its heavy advertising, which disrupts page stability and usability, despite the company's e...
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ICE's Social Media Surveillance: A Digital Panopticon
ICE is deploying an advanced AI-powered surveillance platform from Zignal Labs to monitor billions of social media posts daily, using machine learning and computer vision to identify individuals for deportation. Critics warn this technology threatens democracy and free speech by potentially targe...
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Character.AI Pulls Disney Characters After Legal Threat
Character.AI has removed numerous Disney-owned characters after receiving a cease-and-desist letter from Disney, which accused the platform of copyright infringement and misuse of intellectual property. Disney expressed concerns over the unpredictable and harmful interactions on the platform, cit...
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RFK Jr.'s Tylenol-Autism Claim Sparks Anti-Vaccine Fury
The government is preparing to update safety labels for acetaminophen use during pregnancy and issue new guidance, while promoting leucovorin as a potential intervention for autism, based on claims by Health Secretary Kennedy and President Trump. Kennedy's anticipated announcement linking prenata...
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Right-Wing Activists Target Alleged Celebrators of Charlie Kirk's Death
Far-right activists have launched a coordinated campaign to publicly identify and harass individuals they accuse of celebrating the shooting of Charlie Kirk, leading to job losses and violent threats. A central platform for this effort is the website "Charlie’s Murderers," which collects and disp...
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Microsoft Shifts AI Strategy, Eyes Anthropic to Rival OpenAI
Microsoft is integrating Anthropic's AI models into Office 365, adopting a multi-vendor strategy to diversify beyond OpenAI and enhance its productivity suite. The partnership involves Microsoft compensating Anthropic for access to its technology, which offers specific advantages like Claude Sonn...
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4 Whistleblowers: Meta Suppressed Child Safety Research
Four Meta employees have provided documents to Congress alleging the company suppressed internal research on child safety, particularly in digital environments. The allegations claim Meta altered research policies to involve legal counsel early and use ambiguous language, discouraging investigati...
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SSA Whistleblower's Resignation Email Vanishes From Inboxes
An email from the Social Security Administration's chief data officer, Chuck Borges, detailing his forced resignation and whistleblower complaint over data mishandling, vanished from employee inboxes shortly after being sent. Borges alleged that the SSA improperly transferred sensitive personal d...
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Fans Revive Concord After Sony's Shutdown Attempt
Modders have launched custom servers for the discontinued game Concord, allowing players to experience it again despite Sony's official shutdown. Sony has challenged this revival by issuing DMCA takedown requests against demonstration videos, leading the modding group to pause new community invit...
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Fal AI Soars to $4.5B Valuation with $140M Sequoia-Led Round
Fal, an AI infrastructure company, raised $140 million in Series D funding, tripling its valuation to $4.5 billion, with investment led by Sequoia Capital and participation from firms like Nvidia. The company provides a multimodal AI platform used by major clients like Adobe and Shopify, enabling...
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Shenmue 4 Fan Video Prompts Legal Threat from Ys Net
A sophisticated AI-generated fake video claiming to be a *Shenmue 4* leak has circulated online, prompting developer Ys Net to issue a legal threat over trademark infringement and false affiliation. Ys Net has unequivocally denied any connection to the video, confirming no promotional materials f...
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Google Shoots Down 2026 Gemini Ads Rumors
Google has publicly denied a report claiming it plans to introduce ads into its Gemini AI chatbot by 2026, stating there are no current plans for advertising within the application. The speculation highlights AI assistants as a potential new frontier for digital advertising, prompting strategic i...
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