Tor Project received $2.5M from the US government to bolster privacy
The US government contributed over $2.5 million to the Tor Project last year, continuing its financial relationship with the nonprofit.
Apple opens up its App Store to competition in Japan
Epic Games CEO says Fortnite won't return to Japan, though, because the new rules still require high fees.
Are Apple Gift Cards Safe to Redeem?
Link to: https://tidbits.com/2025/12/17/compromised-apple-gift-card-leads-to-apple-account-lockout/
Creating apps like Signal or WhatsApp could be 'hostile activity,' claims UK watchdog
It's the latest blow to encryption in the UK
Tencent ‘Horizon clone’ pulled from stores as Sony settles lawsuit
Sony and Tencent have settled their dispute over upcoming Tencent game Light of Motiram…
Stardew Valley Creator Says 1.7 Update Will Contain 'More Character/Social Stuff' and a New Farm Type
As Stardew Valley fans continue to wait patiently for the previously announced 1.7 update, creator Eric Barone (ConcernedApe) has dropped a couple small, vague, yet exciting hints about what said mysterious update might…
House Science Committee Questions DOE Science Chief About Agency Reorganization
Under Secretary for Science Darío Gil said the new fusion and computing offices will focus on fostering industries for emerging technologies.
China Has Reportedly Built Its First EUV Machine Prototype, Marking a Semiconductor Breakthrough the U.S. Has Feared All Along
China's semiconductor industry might have taken a technological leaps, as a report claims that the nation has built the first EUV prototype.
Meet the New Right-Wing Tech Intelligentsia
Libs and the far-right ‘link and build’ in the Bay’s tech publication scene.
Rats Can Play Doom Now
We built a complete VR setup from scratch to let rats play DOOM. The system includes a motion-tracked treadmill ball, a panoramic headset, an input trigger, and a reward circuit. All hardware and software components are…
“They burned millions but got nothing.” Japanese game font provider’s aggressive price hike could be result of parent company’s alleged AI …
After it replaced a domestic $380 annual license plan for game fonts with a $20,500 plan, Monotype has come under scrutiny.
How French spies, police and military personnel are betrayed by advertising data | Le Monde
Using easily accessible advertising data, Le Monde was able to pinpoint the identities, home addresses and daily routines of several dozen people working for sensitive official entities.
Cloudflare report reveals global internet internet traffic grew 19% in 2025 - but a lot of it was just bots
‘Volatile crawling activity’ plagues platforms, but website owners are fighting back
Linux Kernel Rust Code Sees Its First CVE Vulnerability
The first CVE vulnerability has been assigned to a piece of the Linux kernel's Rust code.
New Ways to Corrupt LLMs: The wacky things statistical-correlation machines like LLMs do – and how they might get us killed
The wacky things statistical-correlation machine like LLMs do – and how they might get us killed
Coursera and Udemy enter a merger agreement valued at around $2.5B | TechCrunch
Coursera and Udemy, two of the biggest names in online learning, are combining platforms next year.
Video Game Physical Software and Hardware Sales Just Had the Worst November in the U.S. Since 1995 - IGN
Last month, November, was a shockingly terrible month for video game sales in the U.S. While we traditionally think of November as a huge sales month what with Black Friday and all, November 2025 was the worst November …
NetChoice Wins Permanent Block of Louisiana Age Verification Law, Protecting Free Speech and Parental Rights - NetChoice
BATON ROUGE, La.—Today, the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Louisiana granted NetChoice’s motion for summary judgment in NetChoice v. Murrill, striking down Louisiana’s Act 456. The court […]
Nvidia plans heavy cuts to GPU supply in early 2026
Nvidia reportedly plans to axe as much as 40% of its GeForce RTX 50 series GPU production in early 2026. Why? Memory costs...
Microsoft Edge Pushes an "All in One Browser" Message on Chrome’s Download Page
Microsoft Edge now shows a security-focused banner on Google Chrome’s download page. It highlights built-in safety features and links to Microsoft’s Online Safety page.
US tech firm Palantir extends deal with French intelligence agency
Palantir will continue to provide France's domestic intelligence agency with its 'proprietary software platform, as well as the integration, support and assistance services that are necessary for... deployment and opera…
Senators count the shady ways data centers pass energy costs on to Americans
Senators demand Big Tech pay upfront for data center spikes in electricity bills.
Verizon refused to unlock man’s iPhone, so he sued the carrier and won
Verizon changed policy after he bought the phone, wouldn’t unlock it despite FCC rule.
Tesla Robotaxis Are Crashing More Than 12 Times as Frequently as Human Drivers
Tesla's Robotaxis are crashing more frequently than human-driven cars, raising safety concerns.
If AI replaces workers, should it also pay taxes?
The technological race among industry giants and the wave of layoffs they have announced has revived the debate about the advisability of taxing automation
The AI Backlash Is Here: Why Backlash Against Gemini, Sora, ChatGPT Is Spreading in 2025 - Newsweek
Welcome to the slop era.
No AI* Here - A Response to Mozilla's Next Chapter - Waterfox Blog
Mozilla's pivot to AI first browsing raises fundamental questions about what a browser should be.
‘Invasive, deceptive, and unlawful’: Texas says your TV is tracking you illegally, and is suing to stop the dreaded Automatic Content Recog…
Texas's AG is suing Samsung, LG, TCL, Hisense, and Sony over their apparent use of ACR to deliver custom content and advertising.
Why The AI Bubble Was DESIGNED To Burst
Enjoy the videos and music you love, upload original content, and share it all with friends, family, and the world on YouTube.
It just keeps getting worse - Firefox to "evolve into a modern AI browser"
Just like Google plan with Chrome, Mozilla aren't sitting still on expanding Firefox into something resembling a web browser but with more AI.
Larian CEO Responds to Divinity Gen AI Backlash: 'We Are Neither Releasing a Game With Any AI Components, Nor Are We Looking at Trimming Do…
This morning, the news broke that Larian Studios, developer of Baldur's Gate 3 and the upcoming, just-announced Divinity, is apparently using generative AI behind the scenes. The backlash has been swift, and now Larian …
'It's not a clone of D:OS2': 6 big takeaways from our interview with Larian after the reveal of Divinity
What is Divinity's combat like, what does "more ambitious" than Baldur's Gate 3 mean, how far into development is it, and more questions answered.
After viral interview, Palantir launches neurodivergent fellowship
Alex Karp, the CEO of controversial tech company Palantir, raised eyebrows during a recent live interview with the New York Times. In a viral video of the discussion, Karp defended his company to the Times' Andrew Ross …
I should have been the one to fill your dark soul with LIGHT!
Enjoy the videos and music you love, upload original content, and share it all with friends, family, and the world on YouTube.
Mozilla’s new CEO is doubling down on an AI future for Firefox
Anthony Enzor-DeMeo is taking charge of one of the internet’s most important — and most complicated — companies.
Timesplitters Rewind, free fanmade recreation of the trilogy, enters Early Access
A greatest hits collection developed by the community for the classic TimeSplitters trilogy
John Carpenter’s Toxic Commando Launches March 12, 2026 on PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X|S
John Carpenter’s Toxic Commando will be released on March 12 next year for PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X|S.
AI is not an assistant – it's your new boss
As managers continue to outsource data-gathering and decision-making to LLMs, the person above you on the org chart is transforming into a chatbot's clerk – and leaving product teams with the consequences.
UK to “encourage” Apple and Google to put nudity-blocking systems on phones
Government seeks “nudity-detection algorithms” in iOS and Android, report says.
TIL: Merriam-Webster.com provides a 'Rhymes' section for (nearly) each word in their online dictionary. Also, check out their RhymeZone pag…
to pay or hurl back : return; to make a reply to; to say in reply… See the full definition
Denmark wants to ban VPNs to unlock foreign, illegal streams – and experts are worried
Critics warn the vaguely worded proposal could have a chilling effect on internet freedom
Roomba maker iRobot swept into bankruptcy
Shenzhen-based Picea Robotics, its lender and primary supplier, will acquire all of iRobot’s shares.
HDD prices spike as AI infrastructure and China's PC push collide — hard drives record biggest price increase in eight quarters, suppliers …
Hard drives, often treated as a legacy technology, are once again being pulled into the spotlight.
Price of a 'bot army' revealed across hundreds of online platforms worldwide
The first global index tracking real-time prices for buying fake account verifications on 500+ online platforms in every country has been launched by a team at the University of Cambridge.
2002: Last.fm and Audioscrobbler Herald the Social Web
Following in Amazon's footsteps, two student projects independently use 'collaborative filtering' to bring recommendations and social networking to online music; soon they will join forces.
It Only Takes A Handful Of Samples To Poison Any Size LLM, Anthropic Finds
It stands to reason that if you have access to an LLM’s training data, you can influence what’s coming out the other end of the inscrutable AI’s network. The obvious guess is that…
All-Screen Keyboard Has Flexible Layouts
Most keyboards are factory-set for a specific layout, and most users never change from the standard layout for their home locale. As a multilingual person, [Inkbox] wanted a more flexible keyboard.…
Announcing Key Transparency for the Fediverse - Dhole Moments
I’m pleased to announce the immediate availability of a reference implementation for the Public Key Directory server. This software implements the Key Transparency specification I’ve be…
Africa’s New Data Dependency – Technology Colonialism
Data agreements are replacing armies as tools of colonialism and the return of external governance
TIL 95% of Americans don't get the minimum recommended amount of fiber
Adequate intake of dietary fiber is associated with digestive health and reduced risk for heart disease, stroke, hypertension, certain gastrointestinal disorders, obesity, type 2 diabetes, and certain cancers. According…