Google sues web scraper for sucking up search results ‘at an astonishing scale’
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LG TVs’ unremovable Copilot shortcut is the least of smart TVs’ AI problems
LG says it’ll let people delete the Copilot icon. But TV chatbots aren’t going away.
Beware of OpenAI's 'Grantwashing' on AI Harms
J. Nathan Matias and Avriel Epps say OpenAI's announced research funding is the perfect corporate action to make sure we don't find answers for years.
Fediverse is getting E2EE
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Explained: Why you can't move Windows 11 taskbar like Windows 10, according to Microsoft
Windows 11 can't move the taskbar, and four years later, Microsoft still has no plans to bring it back. Here's why, according to Microsoft.
Did Microsoft do anything right in 2025? Wins, fails, and WTF moments
We continue our annual tradition of looking back at Microsoft's wins, fails, and WTF moments: its victories, failures, and things that left you shaking your head. There's no other way to say it: Microsoft had a bad 2025.
Self-Host Weekly #150: Watchtower No More
Popular open source licenses, Santa tracking, and saying goodbye to an old friend
Inputs Of Interest: SafeType™ Vertical Keyboard With Mirrors Puts Pain In The Rear-View
Yep, this keyboard is another ebay special. I can’t stay away! This is a SafeType™ V801 from probably the early 2000s, although there is no date on it anywhere. I’m basing my guess on t…
Apple announces more ads are coming to App Store search results
Apple is expanding the number of ads that appear in App Store search results. In an update on its Apple...
We're putting lots of transition metals into the stratosphere. That's not good.
We successfully plugged the hole in the ozone layer that was discovered in the 1980s by banning ozone-depleting substances such as chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs). But, it seems we might be unintentionally creating another p…
TikTok allegedly monitoring users’ Grindr activity, digital rights group claims
TikTok has been accused of monitoring its user's Grindr activity by an Austrian internet privacy rights group.
North Korean infiltrator caught working in Amazon IT department thanks to lag — 110ms keystroke input raises red flags over true location
A barely perceptible keystroke delay was the smoking gun that led to the uncovering of a malign imposter.
GitHub - scallyw4g/bonsai: The procedural generation voxel engine
The procedural generation voxel engine. Contribute to scallyw4g/bonsai development by creating an account on GitHub.
AI’s Unpaid Debt: How LLM Scrapers Destroy the Social Contract of Open Source
TL;DR: The big tech AI company LLMs have gobbled up all of our data, but the damage they have done to open source and free culture communities are particularly insidious. By taking advantage of those who share freely, t…
The Mysterious Forces Steering Views on Hacker News
How the moderators behind one of the internet’s most popular platforms for tech content have a say into which content you consume.
VoidAuth Release v1.6.0 - Optimization and 1k Stars Celebration 🎉
What's Changed Features 🚀 Reduce Image Size and Memory Usage by @notquitenothing Better support for Public OIDC Clients by @notquitenothing Allow Native OIDC Clients Non-Reversed-Domain Schemes by...
ICE Contracts Company Making Bounty Hunter AI Agents
AI Solutions 87 says on its website its AI agents “deliver rapid acceleration in finding persons of interest and mapping their entire network.”
OpenAI’s Chief Communications Officer Is Leaving the Company
Hannah Wong told staff she is moving on to her ânext chapter.â The company will be running an executive search to find a replacement, according to a memo.
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.