Daily Tech Headlines

FAA Announces First US Digital Air Traffic Control Towers – DTH

tommerritt@gmail.com (Tom Merritt) — Sun, 08 Nov 2026 21:18:21 +0000

The Federal Aviation Administration announced digital air traffic control towers operational at two airports, Suno faces suit from rights holders of Elvis Presley’s music, and NASA is looking for more astronauts.

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FAA announces first US digital air traffic control towers in Florida and Alaska

On Friday, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) announced the first digital air traffic control towers are now operational at airports in Florida and Alaska, with five more regional airports to follow. These towers remain operated by human air traffic controllers, now they also have access to advanced camera systems and improved digital displays for a continuous, 360-degree views of runways, taxiways and airspace. FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford said “Our air traffic controllers continue to do the critical job of keeping aircraft safely separated, and we’re giving them better technology to do that”. This follows last week’s announcement about retiring floppy disks across 435 locations by 2028.

Source: The Guardian

No Intel, no Qualcomm: Huawei unveils desktop built entirely with China-made components

The South China Morning Post reports Huawei Technologies announced the launch of its first desktop computer using HarmonyOS, its proprietary operating system, with entirely China-made components, from processor to memory. The Qinyun HM650 series runs on HarmonyOS V1.0, the first time Huawei’s enterprise version of HarmonyOS has been deployed on its desktop products.

Source: The South China Morning Post

Binance’s CFO Leaves Company in Wake of $6 Billion Crypto Heist

Days after hackers stole over $6 billion in cryptocurrency from Binance, the company announced the chief financial officer, Kaiser Ng, is leaving “to pursue a new venture”. Binance co-Chief Executive Officer Yi He says Justin Yek will become the new CFO in a six-month transition plan.

Source: Bloomberg

Elvis and Eminem rights holders are suing Suno

AI music generation platform Suno is facing new lawsuits from rights holders of Elvis Presley’s music and a publisher of some of Eminem’s albums, claiming illegal generation of music and lyrics that mimic the artists. The rights holders of Elivs’ music claim Suno violated Tennessee’s Ensuring Likeness Voice and Image Security Act. Yes, that is spelled as the ELVIS act. Suno is currently also dealing with suits from Sony, UMG, and others.

Source: The Verge

Government ‘looking seriously’ at banning under-16s from Vinted and eBay

The UK’s social media ban for under-16s comes into effect in March 2027 and culture secretary Lisa Nandy said on a Sunday BBC show that retail platforms Vinted and eBay could be included in the ban. The Sunday Times reported that Depop and Facebook Marketplace could also be included and that all these platforms enable messaging functions.

Source: BBC

Snapchat’s Find Friends feature will be off by default for UK users under 18

Also in UK social media news, Ofcom announced Snapchat is rolling out a change to the “Find Friends” feature, setting it to off by default for UK users under 18. In a press release, director for Ofcom’s Online Safety Group Oliver Griffiths said Snap will add “highly effective age checks” by the end of 2026.

Source: Engadget

NASA is looking for new astronauts to help grow its Artemis program

Have you ever wanted to be a NASA astronaut? The agency announced Saturday it is now accepting applications for a new class to grow the Artemis program. NASA’s previous call for new astronauts was two years ago, with over 8,000 applying and 10 making the final cut. Artemis III commander Randy Bresnik told The Associated Press “We have far more work than we have astronauts”. Aspiring astronauts need to get their application to NASA by December 3rd, oh, and also be a US citizen and preferably have a masters in a STEM field. Being a pilot and/or a medical doctor is an huge asset. NASA expects to make final selections by late 2027, and candidates will kick off their training by early 2028. Training takes two years.

Source: ABC News

Report: Alice Huang Was Recruited By China’s MSS For Intelligence On Jensen Huang

tommerritt@gmail.com (Tom Merritt) — Sat, 07 Nov 2026 17:14:34 +0000

iPhone Duo optimized app numbers grow, Google’s Find Hub offers new alerts, Titan OS gets funding to expand into new markets.

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Show Notes

Chips, spies, and empty offices

A US intelligence memo identified Alice Huang as an asset of China’s Ministry of State Security, according to The New York Times. The executive was reportedly recruited to gather intelligence on Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang and potentially influence access to advanced chips. House committee leaders want a closed-door briefing; Nvidia calls his customer interactions routine, and China’s embassy disputes the reporting.

A separate Times investigation found that some Chinese firms approved to buy or handle H200 chips have ties to blacklisted companies or military suppliers, with two listed offices apparently empty. Analysts suspect possible fronts or offshoots of restricted firms; Commerce says it reviews every application for national security risks.

source: The New York Times, The New York Times

Duo’s app drawer fills up

Apple says more than 100,000 apps now support the iPhone Duo’s dual-screen layout, with thousands arriving daily. Microsoft Office apps, Zoom, Etsy, and Goodnotes are among recent updates, though some popular apps still lack full support.

source: The Verge

The hacking tools left the door open

Censys found more than 800 distinct-looking Artex deployments exposed online, some alongside attack tools and other files. The AI security-testing software has been linked to cyberattacks, but some exposed installations likely belong to authorized testers, and public access isn’t required for it to work.

source: TechCrunch

A heads-up before your keys get too far

Find Hub can now warn Android users when they leave a tracking tag behind, with home exempt by default. The setting has appeared for Chipolo and Moto trackers in the US and Europe, but doesn’t currently extend to devices such as headphones.

source: Engadget

Titan looks beyond the living room next door

Titan OS raised $46 million to expand its smart TV software into new markets. Already used by Philips, JVC, Sharp, and other brands in Europe and Latin America, the platform shares advertising and channel revenue with TV manufacturers after the sale.

source: The Next Web

Alexa joins the shopping text thread

A small group of US customers can now text Alexa to compare products, track prices, build carts, and make purchases, with broader access planned in the coming weeks. Photo searches and conversations that carry over to Amazon’s app and website are included, following Amazon’s September block on Meta’s Muse shopping agent.

source: TechCrunch

1979 called. It brought USB-C.

Sony’s $60 MDR-3R revives the original Walkman headphone look with colorful foam pads, USB-C, a microphone, and an in-line remote. The standard model is on sale, an $80 Stranger Things edition is up for preorder, and Sony advises against using either with its current Walkman players.

source: Bloomberg

Tesla to Wind Down Cybertruck Production by Mid-2027 to Focus on Cybercab – DTH

tommerritt@gmail.com (Tom Merritt) — Fri, 06 Nov 2026 15:21:05 +0000

Tech Giants Sue California to Block Youth Social Media Law, TikTok Launches Standalone E-Commerce App in Select Asian Markets, and Airbnb to Launch AI Travel Agent in H1 2027.

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Show Notes

Tesla to Wind Down Cybertruck Production by 2027

Elon Musk confirmed on X that Tesla will wind down Cybertruck production at its Texas Gigafactory by mid-2027 to shift focus toward the autonomous Cybercab. Struggling with quality issues, recalls, export challenges, and sales of only around 71,000 units compared to an annual 250,000 projection, the controversial vehicle faces an uncertain future unless production is relocated. Meanwhile, Tesla is reallocating manufacturing capacity to the pedal- and steering-wheel-less Cybercab, despite ongoing federal scrutiny and lingering challenges with its fully autonomous technology.

Source: Engadget

Meta, Google, and TikTok Sue California Over Teen Social Media Law

Meta, Google, and TikTok have filed lawsuits against California Attorney General Rob Bonta to block AB 1709, a law restricting addictive features like autoplay and personalized feeds for users under 16. The companies argue the law violates the First Amendment and Section 230, while critics and digital safety advocates warn it forces increased surveillance and restricts online access and expression for youth, despite state officials’ commitment to defending the safety measure.

Source: TechCrunch

TikTok Launches Standalone TikTok Shop App in Asia

TikTok has launched a standalone TikTok Shop app in select Asian markets, offering personalized recommendations, livestream shopping, and exclusive deals. The move expands TikTok’s e-commerce footprint beyond its primary platform, directly challenging rivals like Amazon and Temu while furthering its diversification into non-social media services.

Source: TechCrunch

EU Accuses TikTok of Violating Digital Services Act

In other TikTok news, the European Commission charged the company with violating the EU’s Digital Services Act, alleging its engagement algorithms push users into harmful content loops concerning self-harm, sadness, and body image without proper safeguards. Regulators demanded choice-based recommendations and warned of fines up to 6% of global revenue. TikTok denied the claims as inaccurate.

Source: The Record

Airbnb Plans to Launch AI Travel Agent in 2027

Airbnb announced it will launch its AI travel agent in the first half of 2027, introducing a custom-designed, AI-native experience featuring generative UI components like maps, itineraries, and photos rather than a traditional text-heavy chatbot. CEO Brian Chesky emphasized that the agent aims to preserve the aspirational nature of travel planning while assisting guests with personalized browsing, trip changes, and support.

Source: TechCrunch

Anthropic Releases Open-Source AI Verification Prototype

Anthropic has released FlashProve, an open-source prototype utilizing zero-knowledge proofs to verify that AI model outputs originate from a specified model without disclosing private weights. Tested on Meta’s Llama 4 Maverick, FlashProve achieves significantly faster proof generation and verification times than previous methods, offering potential applications for independent evaluators, routing services, and regulators despite current limitations in context length and model scope.

Source: The Next Web

Instagram Brings Its Edits Video Editor to Mac

Instagram announced the launch of a desktop version of its Edits video-editing app for Mac to cater to larger, more complex projects that benefit from a bigger screen and precise control. The new desktop application, aimed at competing directly with ByteDance’s CapCut, features a full multi-track timeline, keyframes, sync capabilities with mobile, customizable shortcuts, and high-resolution, watermark-free 4K exports. Creators can publish directly to Instagram from the desktop editor, avoiding the extra step of transferring files to mobile devices.

Source: TechCrunch

Meta Pauses Planned Updates to Advertising and Business Terms

Meta has officially paused its planned updates to several key policy frameworks, including the Commercial Terms, Product Catalog Terms, Self-Serve Ad Terms, and Ad Creative Generative AI Terms. Originally scheduled to take effect on Nov 20, 2026, these revisions have been put on hold to allow the company additional time for thorough engagement and consultation with key industry stakeholders and advertising partners. Until further notice, all existing policy terms will remain fully in effect.

Source: Reuters

Warby Parker Reveals Google AI Smart Glasses Pre-Order Date

Warby Parker revealed in its Q3 earnings release that pre-orders for its Intelligent Eyewear collection, developed in collaboration with Google, will open on November 12. Running on an audio-focused version of Android XR with Gemini AI integration, these smart glasses mark Google’s latest push into wearable technology alongside partners like Gentle Monster and Samsung, despite broader public concerns surrounding privacy and head-mounted cameras.

Source: Engadget

FAA Finally Phases Out Floppy Disks in Air Traffic Control

The US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is modernizing its air traffic control systems by replacing 1980s-era floppy disk tech with the digital Enterprise Information Display System (E-IDS) across 435 facilities by 2028. The transition aims to improve air travel safety, speed up information access, and lower maintenance costs, following similar government efforts like the US Air Force’s phase-out of nuclear missile diskettes in 2019.

Source: Engadget

Uber Says Almost No One Uses Agents To Book Rides – DTH

tommerritt@gmail.com (Tom Merritt) — Thu, 05 Nov 2026 15:14:36 +0000

Apple Expected to Release Second-Generation MacBook Neo in Early 2027, Discord Rebuilds Desktop App in Rust, Ditching Electron, and DuckDuckGo Targets Schools Seeking Privacy Over Mandatory Google AI.

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Show Notes

Uber Says Almost Nobody Uses AI Agents to Book Rides or Order Food

Uber reported extremely low AI agent usage during its busiest week in October despite the growing hype, with only four rides and 500 Uber Eats orders placed via personal AI assistants out of 320 million total transactions. Competitors like DoorDash have observed similar trends, with consumers continuing to prefer standard apps due to their speed and efficiency. However, tech executives remain optimistic that AI agent integration will ultimately drive long-term value and expand platform reach as the market matures.

Source: TechCrunch

Apple Reportedly Preparing a Second-Generation MacBook Neo for 2027

Apple is expected to release the second-generation MacBook Neo in early 2027 with performance updates like an A19 processor, up to 12GB of memory, and new color options, with supply chain forecasts anticipating 16 million shipments following the stratospheric success and doubled production of the initial 2026 model.

Source: AppleInsider

Discord Is Rebuilding Its Desktop App Entirely in Rust

Discord is abandoning Electron and React Native to rebuild its desktop application entirely in Rust, aiming to improve speed and significantly reduce high memory consumption. CTO Stanislav Vishnevskiy shared that early internal testing shows RAM usage dropping to under 300MB, with plans to make the native Rust client available to public testers soon.

Source: The Verge

DuckDuckGo Pitches Privacy-Focused Search to Schools Amid Google’s AI Backlash

DuckDuckGo is pitching its privacy-focused search engine to schools following backlash over Google’s policy requiring schools to accept AI features in Google Search if they want to use the service. While Google defends its AI integration and offers features like Guided Learning, DuckDuckGo highlights its flexible options allowing educators to disable AI completely via dedicated settings and sites, driving a reported 30% surge in app installs as users seek alternatives to forced AI tools.

Source: TechCrunch

OpenAI Launches Charm Offensive to Win Over Communities Opposing Data Centers

OpenAI is shifting strategy to rebuild community trust after US midterm election wins for Democrats running on data center permit pauses and voter rejection of pro-data center measures. The company will end non-disclosure agreements with public officials, share transparent construction plans, and emphasize long-term job creation, including a southern Ohio facility projected to add 2,500 jobs. Despite prior alignment with the white house administration, OpenAI leaders like Greg Brockman and Chris Lehane are focusing on direct public engagement to counter skepticism over tech infrastructure growth.

Source: Reuters

Binance Hack Prompts US Regulators to Check Bank Systems

US regulators, including the Federal Reserve and OCC, contacted major banks to assess potential vulnerabilities and disruptions, following the $6.3 billion Binance hack and given the growing links between crypto and traditional finance. Although banks reported no service impacts, cybersecurity teams are conducting internal diagnostics and reviewing AI-driven threats, while Binance confirmed ongoing communication with global regulators. The breach highlights emerging security risks even as recent regulatory shifts under the white house administration have encouraged banks to expand their crypto activities.

Source: Reuters

Apple to Moderate Content Shared Through Public iCloud Links

Apple plans to moderate content shared via public iCloud links to check for undefined “harmful content” starting with version 27.3 of iOS, iPadOS, macOS, and visionOS. Publicly sharing content via links removes end-to-end encryption, giving Apple the ability to inspect items, remove violating content, disable associated accounts, or contact law enforcement. However, Apple has not clarified how the checks will be conducted or specifically defined what constitutes harmful content, leaving users concerned about potential moderation errors or political influence.

Source: The Register

Apple Launches Retention Messaging to Help Developers Prevent Subscription Cancellations

Apple has officially launched Retention Messaging, a new developer tool announced at WWDC that allows developers to display personalized messages, images, and special offers to users directly within the App Store cancellation flow before a subscription expires. Configurable via App Store Connect and an API, developers can set up to 10 targeted retention messages per app to proactively reduce cancellations by reaching subscribers before they leave, expanding upon Apple’s previous win-back offers.

Source: 9to5Mac

United Airlines Adds Spotify to Seatback Screens Using Starlink Wi-Fi

United Airlines is introducing a native seatback Spotify app enabled by Starlink’s high-speed, low-latency satellite Wi-Fi, allowing passengers to log into their personal accounts and stream their own libraries at 35,000 feet. This partnership marks a significant shift from traditional pre-loaded in-flight entertainment toward personalized, live-streamed experiences. United plans to use this integration as a blueprint for adding more streaming platforms in the future, aiming to maintain a technological edge as competitors also move to upgrade their in-flight Wi-Fi infrastructure.

Source: The Verge

OpenAI Updates ChatGPT With Images 2.6, Adding GIF Generation

And finally, OpenAI has updated ChatGPT with its new Images 2.6 model, enabling the chatbot to natively generate, edit, and share GIFs from prompts or uploaded photos. The update also improves overall image generation speeds as weekly generation volume continues to rise, and the features are rolling out across ChatGPT, Codex, and OpenAI’s API.

Source: The Verge

Voters Approve Data Center Restrictions Across 10 States Amid Growing Regulatory Uncertainty – DTH

tommerritt@gmail.com (Tom Merritt) — Wed, 04 Nov 2026 17:30:59 +0000

UK Slashes 2030 AI Economic Boost Forecast by 70%, Qualcomm Signs Landmark 5G Infrastructure Deal with SpaceX for Starlink Mobile Network, and Canva Cuts 22% of Workforce.

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Show Notes

Voters Push Back Against Data Center Expansion

Voters in 10 states approved data center restrictions in 33 of 45 local ballot measures, including all 20 in Ohio, and favored candidates opposing AI infrastructure. Democratic gains in Congress, key governorships, and states like Texas, Ohio, and Georgia now bring proposed construction holds and oversight. Consequently, these results create political and regulatory uncertainty that analysts warn could delay data center rollouts, elevate enterprise tech costs, hurt global competitiveness, and spur stricter AI and environmental regulation.

Source: Wall Street Journal | Engadget

UK Cuts AI Economic Growth Forecast by 70%

The UK government revised its estimate of AI’s economic boost down from £400 billion to £120 billion by 2030, citing slower-than-expected enterprise adoption, infrastructure bottlenecks, and ongoing integration challenges. The dramatic downgrade has sparked widespread criticism from industry experts and lawmakers regarding government transparency, economic modeling reliability, and previous over-hyping of artificial intelligence’s immediate market impact.

Source: Wired

Qualcomm Signs Major 5G Infrastructure Deal With SpaceX

Qualcomm has announced its largest 5G infrastructure deal to date, signing a multi-year agreement with SpaceX to supply radio equipment, baseband units, and software for Starlink Mobile’s planned nationwide terrestrial 5G network beginning deployment in 2027. The partnership advances SpaceX’s effort to challenge traditional US wireless carriers by combining satellite and ground connectivity, while allowing Qualcomm to significantly expand its telecom infrastructure business and diversify beyond smartphone chips.

Source: Reuters

Huawei Turns to Smuggling to Secure AI Chip Memory

Huawei has asked customers to help source Samsung and SK Hynix HBM for its Ascend 960DT AI chip due to domestic shortages and strict US export controls. Smugglers bypass restrictions by mounting HBM onto decoy processors overseas, shipping them through Hong Kong to mainland China, and manually removing the memory components. Despite smuggled HBM3E prices reaching ~$4,000, supply shortages persist due to low yields at Chinese chipmaker CXMT, high extraction damage rates, and ongoing US legal prosecutions.

Source: The Next Web

Bluetooth 7.0 Delivers Faster Data Speeds

The Bluetooth Special Interest Group (SIG) has formally adopted Bluetooth High Data Throughput (HDT) as part of Bluetooth Core 7.0, boosting Bluetooth LE’s maximum bit rate from 2 Mbps to 7.5 Mbps. Expected to launch in first-party devices around 2027, HDT will enable high-resolution and spatial audio without proprietary standards, speed up data syncs and firmware updates, and improve battery life across smartwatches, spatial computing hardware, and personal AI devices.

Source: The Verge

Google Expands Voluntary Employee Buyouts Globally

Alphabet’s Google has expanded its voluntary employee buyout programs globally to countries including Canada, France, Germany, Japan, and Switzerland to manage rising costs associated with heavy AI investments. The exit packages, which offer severance like one month’s pay per year of service in Switzerland, target various divisions while excluding priority growth areas such as DeepMind and Google Cloud.

Source: Reuters

Canva Lays Off 1,271 Employees Amid Slowing Growth

Design software maker Canva is laying off 22% of its workforce (1,271 employees) and lowering its revenue growth forecast to 20% due to slowing growth, high AI infrastructure costs, and rising competition from general-purpose AI tools like ChatGPT and Gemini. To streamline operations and adapt to these financial pressures, CEO Melanie Perkins announced organizational restructuring, broader employee responsibilities, a return to hybrid office work, and the development of in-house AI models.

Source: TechCrunch

Apple Opens Siri AI Integration to Developers

Apple released Developer Preview OS betas (version 27.3), allowing developers to integrate apps with Siri AI via App Intents. This enables Siri AI to use personal context, onscreen awareness, and natural language for custom actions, multi-step skills, and Spotlight semantic index entities. Already active in apps like Mail, Photos, and Maps, Apple offers early API access, docs, and labs before a spring App Store rollout.

Source: Apple Developer

Apple Music Adds Selfie Sing Karaoke Feature

In other Apple News, Apple Music is expanding its karaoke capabilities in the iOS 27.3 beta with a new “Selfie Sing” feature that allows users to record videos of themselves singing along to real-time scrolling lyrics. The tool includes vocal effects like Megaphone and Studio, as well as easy sharing options, though it is currently limited to a select playlist of popular tracks, including hits by Kelly Clarkson, Madonna, and Dolly Parton ahead of its full release this December.

Source: Engadget

Valve Changes Steam Game Release Requirements

Valve is revising its game release rules to curb review delays caused by an influx of new titles, nearly half featuring AI-generated content. Current reviews take up to 12 business days instead of three to five, causing indie developers to miss launch dates. To streamline reviews and prevent re-evaluations, Valve now requires developers to playtest games on Steam for five minutes, confirm redistributables, finalize achievements and cloud saves, and correctly categorize store screenshots.

Source: Engadget

Google Introduces Opt-In K-12 AI Controls with Search Access Trade-Off – DTH

tommerritt@gmail.com (Tom Merritt) — Tue, 03 Nov 2026 17:06:16 +0000

Anthropic Updates Claude Code System Context to Discourage Game Cloning and IP Infringement, Apple Signals AI Apps and Partnerships to Boost Services Revenue, and Adobe Adds Licensed Music from Universal and Warner to Free Premiere Mobile App.

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Show Notes

Google Makes AI Tools Opt-In for Schools, but Blocking AI Also Blocks Search

Google is introducing tighter controls for its K-12 educational A.I. tools starting early next year, making them opt-in for school administrators. However, schools that opt to block A.I. completely will also lose student access to Google Search, as A.I. features are deeply integrated into the search experience. While Google is promoting features like Guided Learning to support structured studying and curb cheating, the policy presents a dilemma for districts seeking to restrict A.I. while maintaining access to standard web search tools.

Source: The New York Times

Anthropic Tightens Claude Code Restrictions on Copycat Games and Reverse Engineering

Anthropic updated its system context for Claude Code on Opus 5.5 by adding instructions that steer the AI away from recreating specific existing games and infringing on IP, while still permitting original projects, genre-based games, and user-owned designs. However, this anti-cloning measure has sparked complaints from developers, modders, and researchers after it began blocking non-infringing tasks like reverse engineering and game maintenance.

Source: Boing Boing

Apple Sees New Revenue Opportunities in Third-Party AI Apps

Apple has signaled potential opportunities to boost services revenue through third-party A.I. apps and partnerships, even as regulatory and legal challenges continue to impact standard App Store commission revenues. CFO Kevan Parekh highlighted that A.I. capabilities drive device upgrades while opening new monetization avenues across first-party and third-party experiences, with investors speculating on model options like distributing third-party A.I. agents via the App Store.

Source: TechCrunch

Adobe Adds Licensed Universal and Warner Music to Premiere Mobile

Adobe is adding fully licensed music from Universal Music Group and Warner Music Group to its free Premiere mobile video editing app, allowing creators to add up to 60 seconds of trending songs by top artists for personal, non-commercial use. The upcoming integration features curated music collections, templates pre-paired with music, and direct export options to licensed social platforms. Representatives from UMG and WMG highlighted that the partnership offers new avenues to reach listeners within short-form video creation, building on the broader industry trend of expanding licensing agreements across creator platforms.

Source: The Next Web

EU Court Adviser Says Google’s Gemini Could Violate Copyright Rules

An adviser to Europe’s highest court stated that Google’s Gemini chatbot could infringe copyright rules when reusing press stories to answer queries, particularly if it bypasses paywalls or uses recognizable expressions. Advocate General Maciej Szpunar noted that while using copyrighted material to train AI models falls under the text and data mining exception, using protected content to directly generate user responses may infringe publishers’ rights. Although non-binding, the court typically follows the adviser’s opinion in cases that could impact how tech giants compensate digital publishers.

Source: Reuters

Google Expands AI-Powered Dreambeans App to India

Google expanded its experimental AI app, Dreambeans, to India in its first international launch, adding support for 13 local languages. The app uses Personal Intelligence technology across Gmail, Photos, and YouTube to auto-generate personalized stories and Veo animations. Despite targeting the world’s second-largest internet market, adoption faces hurdles from single-language display limits, privacy concerns, and lower traction than general AI tools, though Google provides connection controls and plans actionable future recommendations.

Source: TechCrunch

Google Shuts Down Android TV Malware Operation

Google has severed ties with device manufacturer Videostrong after discovering the company built backdoors into certified Android TV boxes to distribute malware. In response, Google took legal action to dismantle the associated botnet infrastructure, banned Videostrong from producing certified devices, and updated its certification review process to close security testing gaps and protect users from post-boot malicious code.

Source: 9to5Google

Nvidia Requires Cloud Clients to Limit Business With China

Nvidia Corp. has instructed its global cloud computing clients to ensure at least 51% of their services are sold to non-Chinese companies, according to the Financial Times. The new compliance rules target future contracts to comply with U.S. national security restrictions on advancing Chinese AI capabilities, while existing leasing deals remain unaffected.

Source: Bloomberg

Reddit Challenges Australia’s Under-16 Social Media Ban

Reddit and a libertarian advocacy group have challenged Australia’s under-16 social media ban in the High Court, calling it an “ill thought out” restriction on political expression. A Reddit lawyer argued the law fails its harm-minimization goals and ignores other platforms. The government defended the law as necessary to protect children from addictive online features, with Communications Minister Anika Wells pledging to uphold it.

Source: Reuters

Apple Requires 18+ Ratings for Dating and AI Companion Apps

Apple is updating its App Store policies to require an 18+ rating for apps with dating, romantic, or AI companion features to protect minors from sexual or romantic content. Effective November 16, developers must add new content descriptors and indicate if real-world location sharing is enabled, with special rating exceptions available for family location-sharing apps in Brazil.

Source: TechCrunch

European Supermarkets Suspect Fridge And Freezer Cyberattacks – DTH

tommerritt@gmail.com (Tom Merritt) — Mon, 02 Nov 2026 17:13:29 +0000

Marvell agrees to buy Lumentum, Apple may refresh its iPad line in early 2027, is SpaceX considering its own phone service?

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Show Notes

Cold Storage, Hot Trouble

Suspected cyberattacks sent supermarket fridge and freezer temperatures soaring across several European countries, spoiling food and forcing some stores to discard stock. The incidents follow last month’s attacks in France, but investigators haven’t established a connection or identified who’s responsible.

source: Bloomberg

Starlink Eyes a Phone Plan

The Washington Post’s sources say SpaceX is discussing a Boost Mobile purchase or a network arrangement with EchoStar to build its own wireless service. Any transfer of Boost’s existing AT&T and T-Mobile agreements may require those carriers’ consent, and neither SpaceX nor EchoStar has commented on a potential deal.

source: The Washington Post

Grok Bot Runs Up the Tab

Elon Musk says Grok Bot’s operating costs are outpacing its revenue as subscribers complain of rapidly exhausted usage limits. The agent is separate from the Grok chatbot, and Musk hasn’t shared cost figures or confirmed whether the limits changed.

source: Forbes

Marvell Sees the Light

Marvell agreed to acquire Lumentum in a $115 billion all-stock deal, including debt, adding lasers and optical components used in AI networks. Both boards approved the transaction, which would give Lumentum shareholders about a third of the combined company and is expected to close in the first half of 2028.

source: Reuters

False Alarms on Both Sides

Ukraine and Russia reported overnight attacks that pushed false warnings through emergency alert apps, including bogus nuclear and chemical threat notices in Ukraine. Ukraine says its app is restored and military systems weren’t affected; Russia reported alerts in 33 regions, with no established link between the attacks or identified culprit.

source: Bloomberg

Ordinary Apps, Hidden Abuse

WIRED uncovered more than 400 linked apps and websites concealing sexually abusive deepfake tools behind seemingly routine services. Apple, Google, and Meta removed apps or restricted advertising, but WIRED found continued activity after those actions.

source: WIRED

An iPad Refresh on the Horizon

Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman reports that Apple may update the base iPad, Air, and Pro in early 2027. Possible upgrades include Apple Intelligence for the entry model, an OLED display for the Air, and a newer processor with vapor-chamber cooling for the Pro.

source: Engadget

Remembering a Flat-Panel Pioneer

British physicist Cyril Hilsum, whose research helped bring liquid-crystal displays to TVs, computers, and phones, died September 23rd at 101. His seven-decade career also included Britain’s first semiconductor laser, more than 100 technical papers, and over 50 patents.

source: The New York Times

FBI Blames North Korea for Binance Hack – DTH

tommerritt@gmail.com (Tom Merritt) — Sun, 01 Nov 2026 21:14:18 +0000

The FBI blames North Korean hacking group TraderTraitor for Binance hack, Binance announces withdrawals to resume in stages, and NASA seeks input on potential missions to save the Hubble telescope.

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Show Notes

FBI Blames North Korea for $6 Billion Binance Crypto Hack

The FBI says that North Korea is responsible for stealing the $6.3 billion in cryptocurrencies in the Binance hack. In a statement released Saturday, the FBI refers to this specific North Korean group “TraderTraitor”. The statement also includes a long, long list of addresses the agency claims QUOTE “are holding or have held assets from the theft, and are operated by or closely connected to North Korean TraderTraitor”. Bloomberg notes the FBI previously blamed TraderTraitor for the Bybit hack.

Source: Bloomberg

Binance to resume withdrawals after recovering bulk of $6 billion in stolen funds

Cryptocurrency exchange Binance said it will resume withdrawls in phases after covering 95% of the $6.3 billion in tokens stolen from the platform. Binance said phase would start between 0600 and 0900 GMT on Sunday for bitcoin, ether, BNB, ⁠Solana, XRP, dogecoin and select other tokens. On X on Saturday Binance said the remaining 5% of stolen tokens involves less liquid assets and require longer to source the necessary amount.

Source: Reuters

OpenAI adds stricter limits for teens asking about firearms

In a Friday post, OpenAI announced a new Community Safeguards Report and adding more restrictions around firearms content made accessible to minors. Specifically, OpenAI said the company will “restrict practical information about weapons and security systems that could be misused to facilitate violence, even when there’s no sign of violent intent” for teen users, but also have a stronger policy for all users asking for “reconstructions of past mass attacks, including details about the weapons and equipment used and how they were obtained”. OpenAI plans to publish the first Community Safety Report in early 2027 and update every six months.

Source: Engadget

OpenAI says it’s doubling Pro usage limits and bringing Work features to Chat

BleepingComputer reports OpenAI will roll out ChatGPT Work abilities into regular Chat. In the email viewed by BleepingComputer, this will begin with a small group of testers in the coming weeks. On Friday OpenAI also updated a post about ChatGPT and Codex usage limits, preparing to unify usage across ChatGPT and Codex to draw from the same allowance. OpenAI says Unlimited Instant is included in the subscription and won’t draw from a usage allowance.

Source: BleepingComputer

Samsung’s first AI glasses could arrive in December, but only in two countries

Digital Trends, pulling from a story from South Korea’s ChosunBiz, reports Samsung’s first AI-powered smart glasses, Intelligent Eyeware, could launch in mid-December, limited to the United States and South Korea. Earlier rumours expected a launch in mid-to-late November. Price remains a question mark as does when or if the glasses will be available in other regions.

Source: Digital Trends

NASA asks industry to rescue Hubble before it falls from orbit

NASA sent out a request for information last week, seeking “potential commercial servicing for Hubble Telescope”, with responses due by November 30th. The request asks for input on boosting Hubble, servicing possible improvements, or safe disposal options. NASA expects Hubble’s deteriorating orbit to result in re-entry in 2033 or 2034 and that any type of mission to aid it would need to launch by 2032. NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman said “Hubble still has important science ahead of it, and we should be looking at every reasonable opportunity to keep it delivering for as long as possible”.

Source: The Next Web

Apple Intelligence Is Headed To China – DTH

tommerritt@gmail.com (Tom Merritt) — Sat, 31 Oct 2026 16:23:50 +0000

Human writers change styles to avoid sounding like AI, Meta launches Style Sketch for your wardrobe, OpenAI’s funding round comes up short.

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Binance Promises to Cover a Record Crypto Theft

Hackers drained roughly $6.3 billion from Binance, mostly within 20 minutes, prompting the exchange to suspend deposits and withdrawals and promise to cover losses. Crypto firms froze about half the money and suspect North Korean involvement, though Binance and law enforcement haven’t identified the attackers.

source: WIRED

Wikimedia Draws a Line Between Training and Copying

Wikipedia’s nonprofit parent urged a New York federal court to distinguish AI training from chatbot answers in the OpenAI copyright litigation. Wikimedia argues that general-purpose model training is likely fair use, while answers that copy online material should honor publishers’ licenses, including Wikipedia’s attribution and share-alike requirements.

source: The Next Web

OpenAI’s Fundraising Meets a Cooler Market

OpenAI has secured about $11 billion in commitments against an original $30 billion fundraising goal, according to The Wall Street Journal’s sources, at a $1.25 trillion valuation instead of the $1.4 trillion sought. It’s reportedly pursuing a reduced target of up to $20 billion as investors grow more selective and a possible public listing approaches next year.

source: The Wall Street Journal

AI Agents Aren’t Ordering Much Takeout Yet

DoorDash CEO Tony Xu says third-party AI agents have produced only several hundred orders, compared with nearly a billion total orders during the third quarter. The comparison comes with limits: the company’s outside-agent connector is still a small, recent beta, and the tally excludes DoorDash’s own AI tools.

source: Ars Technica

Human Writers Try to Sound More Human

Bloomberg explores how fear of AI accusations is changing human writing, with authors avoiding certain words, punctuation, and polished phrasing. Mia Ballard denies using AI to write her books after accusations derailed a deal, while detector Pangram acknowledges that even its claimed low error rate produces mistakes at scale and mixed human-AI prose remains harder to assess.

source: Bloomberg

Apple Intelligence Gets a China Launch Date

Apple Intelligence arrives in China with iOS 27.3 in December, following developer testing beginning November 4th, bringing translation, writing and photo tools, and Alibaba Qwen integration. The release excludes the rebuilt Siri AI and requires a supported iPhone with both its language and Siri set to English or simplified Chinese.

source: The Next Web

Voyager 1 Phones Home Again

NASA regained contact with Voyager 1 on October 20th after a 48-hour silence, before troubleshooting commands were sent; engineers are investigating a thruster switch to backups. On November 18th, the nearly 50-year-old probe will be one light-day from Earth, making a radio exchange a two-day affair.

source: The Register

Meta Gives Your Closet a Style Sketch

Meta’s free Style Sketch app is available on Android and iOS in Indonesia, Singapore, and Thailand, building a digital wardrobe from social photos or images users add. It suggests outfits from existing clothes, previews them on a model matching body shape and skin tone, and helps plan for weather or travel.

source: Engadget

Binance Hit by Record $6.3 Billion Crypto Hack – DTH

tommerritt@gmail.com (Tom Merritt) — Fri, 30 Oct 2026 16:33:56 +0000

Reddit Goes Logged-In-Only to Fight AI Scraping and Boost Revenue, Meta, TikTok, and X Lose UK High Court Battle Over Ofcom Data Demands, and Toyota and Waymo Partner to Test Autonomous bZ4X Fleet in Japan in 2027.

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Binance Suffers Record $6.3 Billion Crypto Hack

Attackers stole $6.3 billion from Binance, the world’s largest cryptocurrency exchange, in what is being called the largest crypto hack in history. Blockchain analysis firms are attributing the breach to North Korea. While stablecoin issuers quickly froze roughly half of the stolen assets and Binance pledged to cover all customer losses using company funds, the incident has severely shaken market confidence, driving down cryptocurrency prices and prompting widespread fund withdrawals.

Source: Reuters

Reddit Shifts Toward a Logged-In User Experience

In response to declining search traffic and daily active users amid the shift to AI-driven search, Reddit is transitioning toward a primarily logged-in user experience to protect its data from unauthorized AI scraping while enhancing ad monetization and personalized user engagement. Despite user drops in the U.S., the platform’s revenue grew significantly through higher average revenue per user and lucrative AI data-licensing deals. Reddit plans to test this shift in select international markets before a global rollout, emphasizing that logged-in users can still maintain their anonymity.

Source: TechCrunch

Meta, TikTok, and X Lose UK Online Safety Data Challenge

Meta, TikTok, and X lost a legal challenge in London’s High Court against Ofcom over extensive data requests regarding their handling of harmful content under the UK’s Online Safety Act. The social media platforms argued the regulator’s demands were overly burdensome and lacked clarity, but Ofcom maintained the information is necessary to assess the effectiveness of safety rules. This decision comes amid ongoing disputes between major tech companies and Ofcom over regulatory enforcement and fees.

Source: The Next Web

Toyota and Waymo to Test Autonomous Robotaxis in Japan

Toyota and Waymo have partnered to test an autonomous fleet of Toyota bZ4X electric vehicles equipped with Waymo’s Level 4 self-driving technology in Japan starting in 2027, with plans to expand into the UK and other right-hand drive markets. The vehicles will be manufactured and fitted with autonomous hardware at Toyota’s Takaoka plant, joining Waymo’s ongoing ride-hailing deployment efforts in Tokyo.

Source: Engadget

Sam Altman Discusses Self-Replicating Data Centers and AI Safety

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman discussed redirecting their robotics program toward building self-replicating data centers to address compute shortages in a podcast interview with Stripe co-founder John Collison. He highlighted key industry challenges, including potential safety risks from AI finding deep software vulnerabilities, the limitations of sandboxing superintelligent models, and the preference for collaborative agent teams over a single massive superintelligence. Altman also touched on the high costs and melancholy of AI mathematical discoveries, emphasizing the need for iterative deployment to balance rapid capabilities with public trust and alignment.

Source: The Next Web

GM Agrees to $220 Million Driver Data Privacy Settlement

General Motors has agreed to a $220 million settlement with 35 U.S. states and the District of Columbia over its OnStar Smart Driver program, which tracked millions of customers’ driving habits without proper disclosure and sold the data to insurance brokers. Dealerships were incentivized to enroll customers without consent, leading to increased insurance premiums for drivers based on data collected between 2016 and 2024. As part of the agreement, GM must implement stricter data privacy protections, undergo mandatory assessments, and limit consumer data collection, following prior actions by California and the FTC.

Source: Engadget

Runware Plans to Mass-Produce Modular AI Data Centers

AI infrastructure startup Runware is planning to scale production of its factory-built, modular data center pods to nearly 1 gigawatt per month by 2028 from its factory in Romania. Designed to be deployed rapidly on smaller sites using closed-loop cooling and standard components, the customized pods aim to drastically reduce the time needed to set up AI compute capacity compared to traditional hyperscale facilities. Despite manufacturing and supply chain challenges, Runware reports $1 billion in committed interest for the pods and plans to bring a second factory online early next year while preparing to expand to the U.S.

Source: TechCrunch

Spotify Targets Early 2027 Launch for AI Music Remix Service

Spotify plans to launch an AI-powered music remix service in Q1 2027, potentially around the Grammy Awards in February, for an additional $4 to $5 per month. The feature will allow paying subscribers to alter tracks into new genres or artist styles, with royalties and chart counts flowing back to the original creators. While Spotify has secured licensing agreements with Universal Music Group, Merlin, and Believe, negotiations with Sony Music and Warner Music are ongoing.

Source: Reuters

Meta Tests Threads Friends for Private Group Sharing

Meta is testing “Threads Friends,” a feature similar to Twitter’s defunct Circles, allowing select users in Ireland, Italy, and Japan to share posts with a customizable group of up to 50 followers. The app automatically suggests close contacts for the list, and friends-only posts display a green indicator and remain visible for 24 hours. While currently limited to test regions, any user added to a participant’s list can view their private posts.

Source: Engadget

Apple Announces New 14- and 16-Inch Touchscreen MacBook Pro – DTH

tommerritt@gmail.com (Tom Merritt) — Thu, 29 Oct 2026 15:25:07 +0000

DoorDash to Acquire Instacart for $17B in Major Grocery Delivery Deal, Leaked DHS Records Exposed Details of 41,000 Employees, and Google Expands Search AI Ads Internationally Following Q3 Earnings.

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Apple Unveils MacBook Pro With OLED Touchscreen and M5 Chips

Apple has introduced the new 14- and 16-inch MacBook Pro featuring a PROLED XDR Display with tandem OLED technology, up to 2000 nits peak brightness, touchscreen capabilities, and the Dynamic Island. Powered by M5 Pro and M5 Max chips, the updated models support up to 128GB of unified memory and 16TB of storage, while offering up to 24 hours of battery life, Thunderbolt 5, an enhanced six-speaker sound system, and macOS 27 with Apple Intelligence. Pre-orders began October 28, with full availability starting November 6.

Source: Apple

DoorDash Agrees to Acquire Instacart for $17 Billion

DoorDash has agreed to acquire Instacart for $17 billion to combine the two largest US grocery delivery services, pending antitrust review. Building on DoorDash’s recent expansions like drone delivery tests, the deal follows past sale talks with potential suitors including Uber and previous 2021 merger discussions between the two companies.

Source: Engadget

Massive DHS Data Leak Exposes Over 41,000 Workers

An unprecedented leak of Department of Homeland Security records, published by DDoSecrets exposed the contact details, reporting structures, and internal access permissions of over 41,000 DHS employees and contractors. Derived from DHS’s Okta login system, the dataset details specialized access to surveillance programs, wiretaps, and AI tools, presenting significant security and intelligence risks while drawing scrutiny from DHS and federal authorities over data accountability and surveillance concerns.

Source: Wired

Google Expands AI Search Ads Internationally

Google is expanding ads within its AI-powered Search experiences internationally following Alphabet’s Q3 earnings report, which showed strong revenue of $127.6 billion but decelerating Search advertising growth. Early results indicate high engagement with conversational and multimodal AI ad formats, as CEO Sundar Pichai highlighted that AI features are driving longer, more complex queries across more than one billion monthly Gemini users.

Source: TechCrunch

US Intelligence Identifies Alleged Chinese Spy With Nvidia Connections

U.S. intelligence agencies discovered that Alice Huang, an executive at Singapore-based data center company Megaspeed, was acting as a Chinese intelligence asset while maintaining a close relationship with Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang. Despite briefings on findings that she was funneling reports and potentially circumventing restrictions on advanced A.I. chips, the US president sought to avoid disrupting Nvidia’s business or trade relations with China. Meanwhile, Megaspeed has continued purchasing billions in Nvidia equipment to power data centers in Southeast Asia serving Chinese tech giants like Alibaba.

Source: The New York Times

Meta Loses French Appeal Over Payments to News Publishers

A Paris appeals court rejected Meta’s challenge to emergency orders requiring it to resume fair negotiations with French news publishers over payment for news content under EU neighboring rights laws. The court noted Meta’s payment calculation methods could constitute an abuse of market power, keeping in place interim rules that mandate transparency and prevent Meta from reducing news visibility while the investigation continues.

Source: The Next Web

Amazon Adds Over 100 Shopping Features to Alexa

Amazon has added over 100 new shopping capabilities to Alexa, enabling users to manage lists and subscriptions, update delivery instructions, resolve payment issues, and query Prime or Audible details. This update builds on Amazon’s recent AI shopping features, following an 8x growth in agentic tool usage this year and more than 400 million consumers using Alexa for shopping over the past 12 months.

Source: TechCrunch

Samsung Shares Slide Despite Record AI-Driven Chip Profits

Samsung Electronics saw its shares slide due to conservative long-term supply forecasts and deferred shareholder return plans that disappointed market expectations compared to rival SK Hynix. This news came despite posting a 15-fold surge in quarterly chip profits and a record total operating profit driven by the AI boom. To stabilize its momentum against rising AI infrastructure costs and client price pressures, Samsung is expanding long-term supply contracts across memory, automotive, and mobile markets while boosting capital expenditures and advancing custom foundry manufacturing.

Source: Reuters

OpenAI Lets Pro Users Text Their Dot Agents

OpenAI has rolled out a preview for U.S. Pro users allowing them to communicate with Dot agents via SMS, photos, and voice memos. Setting up texting requires configuring ChatGPT settings alongside iMessage or RCS, supported by security infrastructure through partner Linq. This release positions Dot against competing agents like Anthropic’s Claude Duet, though Dot access remains restricted to higher-tier subscribers.

Source: Engadget

Reddit Splits Main Feed Into For You and Following Sections

Reddit is redesigning its main feed by splitting it into a personalized “for you” section for algorithmic recommendations and a “following” section for subscribed subreddits. Aimed at boosting engagement and making content discovery easier for casual users, the update defaults to the last-used feed and lays the groundwork for further intentional navigation experiments, including multimedia versions of popular posts and enhanced user feedback options.

Source: Engadget

Samsung News to Shut Down December 21

Samsung has announced it will officially discontinue Samsung News on December 21, 2026, advising users to remove its standalone widget as updates and content delivery cease. First launched in 2023 to compete with Google Discover and Apple News, the platform struggled to gain significant traction, and Samsung has not signaled plans for a replacement news aggregator, marking a broader shift away from standalone content curation.

Source: Android Authority

FCC Approves Amazon Purchase of Globalstar – DTH

tommerritt@gmail.com (Tom Merritt) — Wed, 28 Oct 2026 16:24:11 +0000

The US Federal Communications Commission approves Amazon’s $11.5 billion acquisition of Globalstar, Dropbox announces 9% cut to workforce, and Discord will make some servers searchable on the web.

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Discord is making its public communities more searchable, and people have concerns

On Tuesday, Discord announced an update for “Discoverable Servers”, making conversations more findable on the web. Beginning November 16th, Discoverable Servers will have web pages, which may feature summaries of discussions and, beginning mid-December, select messages from public channels could be found in search engine results. Server administrators do have the option to choose which channels are included and individuals can opt-out of having their messages searchable by the public at all. Discord says published messages will not show usernames or avatars and any private servers, direct messages, and direct message groups will not be included.

Source: TechCrunch

As AI revives magnetic tape, Fujifilm plans biggest buildup in two decades

Nikkei Asia reports Fujifilm will raise production capacity for magnetic tape fivefold in order to meet increasing demands from AI. This would be the largest investment the company has made towards magnetic tape in about 20 years. Through fiscal 2028 Fujifilm plans to spend 10 billion yen, approximately $63.3 million, to increase production of advanced tape with capacities of up to 100 terabytes.

Source: Nikkei Asia

Dropbox plans 9% workforce cut, technology chief to exit

On Wednesday, in a regulatory filing, Dropbox announced workforce cuts of 9%, roughly 190 employeed, based on estimates off of December 31st, 2025 info listing Dropbox as having 2,113 full-time employees. Dropbox estimates the layoffs will cost between $27-$33 million in severance and related costs. Also in the filing, Chief Technology Officer Ali Dasdan will step down effective November 18th.

Source: Reuters

South Korea fines Google and Apple over unfair app market practices

South Korea’s media and telecommunications regulator, the Korea Media and Communications Commission, fined Google and Apple for abusing their app store dominance by forcing local developers to use their own payment systems and also by unfairly delaying app reviews. Google and Apple were fined a combined 63.7 billion won, approximately $47.6 million. The fine was issued for violating a 2021 law prohibiting any app store operators from forcing developers towards specific payment systems. Google and Apple have not yet responded to the fine.

Source: ABC News

SK Hynix says memory shortages to persist until 2030

In SK Hynix’s quarterly results published Wednesday, the chip maker predicted memory shortages will continue until at least the year 2030, and this shortage will continue to boost the company’s profits to new levels. SK Hynix notes it has 14 long-term deals with 14 large buyers accounting for more than half of the company’s output for 2027 and 2028, and several of those buyers are looking to extend those agreements.

Source: The Register

US agency approves Amazon Leo’s $11.5 billion acquisition of Globalstar

The US Federal Communications Commission (FCC) approved Amazon’s $11.5 billion acquisition deal of satellite communications company Globalstar. Amazon Leo launched approximately 400 satellites since April 2025 and is targeting sending thousands more into low earth orbit by 2029. Globalstar’s 24 satellites in LEO will be added to Amazon’s network, and Amazon is committed to investing over $10 billion in Leo, planning to roll out a commercial satellite service to compete with Starlink by the end of 2026.

Source: Reuters

TikTok expands into restaurant guides with ‘Must Eat’ feature

TikTok introduced a ‘Must Eat’ feature, “a new, community-powered guide to standout restaurants across TikTok, launching in the areas around New York City, Los Angeles and the Bay Area.” The city lists are split into Everyday Eats and Elevated Dining, as selected from over 40 million data points on TikTok. Must Eat is now accessible through search, the Local Feed, and pins.

Source: TechCrunch