Elon Musk Has Pledged to Rid His Platform, X, of Child Sexual Abuse, but It Persists

11 September 2026 at 05:01

Reviews by the Canadian Center for Child Protection and The New York Times found that explicit images of children remain on the social media site owned by Elon Musk.

Elon Musk bought X, which was then known as Twitter, in 2022 and vowed to remove child sexual abuse material from the site, calling it “Priority #1.”

Why is Apple’s New Foldable iPhone Duo $1,999?

NYT: Technology

By: Brian X. Chen

10 September 2026 at 13:20

The company unveiled a new iPhone that costs $1,999. Here are the economics behind that price tag.

Apple’s iPhone Duo will cost $1,999 when it arrives in October to compete with Samsung’s $1,900 Galaxy foldable.

Apple Unveils the iPhone Duo, a Foldable Phone That Costs $1,999

NYT: Technology

By: Kalley Huang

9 September 2026 at 18:04

At the company’s annual September product event, Apple also demonstrated its work on artificial intelligence and other new devices.

Apple chief executive John Ternus introduced Duo, a foldable iPhone, on Wednesday.

Anthropic Researchers Raise Alarm Over A.I. Acceleration, Warning of Threat to Humanity

NYT: Technology

By: Kate Conger

9 September 2026 at 20:12

Their warnings echo concerns that other artificial intelligence experts have voiced in recent months, as calls increase for a slowdown in the pace of development.

A protest outside Anthropic’s offices in San Francisco.

How Amazon’s Zoox Is Taking On Waymo in San Francisco

NYT: Technology

By: Emmy Martin

9 September 2026 at 18:14

The Amazon-owned driverless car company is a distant second to Waymo. Its pitch to riders? Wine pop-ups, festival sponsorships and a car built to be filmed.

Zoox, owned by Amazon, offers free rides in San Francisco, which has become a center for autonomous vehicle experiments.

Antiquated HTML snippets and artefacts

OSNews

By: Thom Holwerda

8 September 2026 at 18:06

With ever-changing devices, browsers, operating systems, form factors, specifications, personal preferences, tooling, and corporate interests, the web is in a constant state of flux. As a result, so is the HTML we write. For every line of the HTML specification itself that has changed since the language’s inception, there are many more bits of HTML that have seen what I’ll call ‘environmental’ changes. Adaptations to differing browsers, extensions, integrations, and systems which we find HTML existing in.

This article doesn’t cover once-specced but now obsolete bits of HTML but instead looks at all the snippets that have wormed their way into websites as result of, or in combat against, third-party integrations, browser competition, vendor extensions, and platform-specific hacks. The bits of HTML that were included for reasons, and which have been forgotten for present irrelevance. The snippets that live on only in the markup of sites from bygone eras and in the minds of those who fought during the browser wars.
↫ Declan Chidlow

I don’t do any HTML or website development, and even I clearly recognise quite a few of these. Especially the countless relics of the large technology companies trying to worm their way into the various web standards of decades ago serve as a stark reminder of how many times they tried and failed – which should tell you something about all the times they tried and succeeded.

Meta Introduces Muse, an A.I. Agent That Can Send Your Emails and Book Your Travel

NYT: Technology

By: Eli Tan

8 September 2026 at 15:00

Muse, Meta’s new A.I. agent, acts as a personal digital assistant that connects to Facebook and Instagram, as well as third-party apps such as Spotify and OpenTable.

Apple Expected to Unveil a Folding iPhone at Annual Launch Event

NYT: Technology

By: Kalley Huang

8 September 2026 at 12:03

Fans of the company’s products widely believe it will unveil a folding smartphone at its annual launch event on Wednesday.

The look of Apple’s iPhones hasn’t changed that much over the years.

Key App Developers Have Yet to Embrace Apple’s New Siri A.I.

NYT: Technology

By: Kalley Huang and Brian X. Chen

8 September 2026 at 05:04

For the company’s new artificial intelligence system to take off, it will need plenty of support from the makers of popular apps on Apple’s phones.

The new Siri is a revamp of Apple’s A.I. technology.

Kenyans Made a Living Writing College Essays. Then A.I. Arrived.

NYT: Technology

By: Adam Satariano and Paul Mozur

5 September 2026 at 17:11

Thousands of Kenyans made a living writing essays for overseas students. With A.I., the work has dried up, a warning for online gig work that has been a global lifeline.

Teresios Bundi, who ran an essay-writing business catering to overseas students, said his experience with artificial intelligence was a warning for online gig workers.

F.B.I. Investigates Sale of Millions of Stolen Driver’s Licenses

NYT: Technology

By: Christine Hauser

4 September 2026 at 17:11

The blog Krebs on Security reported on an identity theft service trying to sell scans of licenses and other documents belonging to people in Canada and the United States.

The F.B.I. is looking into the sale of stolen scanned identity documents.

Corporate America Is Getting Hooked on Open-Source A.I.

NYT: Technology

By: Eli Tan

4 September 2026 at 10:55

Companies like AT&T are increasingly using cheap, freely available artificial intelligence models over expensive ones from Anthropic and OpenAI.

Why the Hugging Face Hack Should Make You Worry More About A.I.

NYT: Technology

By: Kevin Roose

4 September 2026 at 12:12

The attack by an aggressive “collective” of OpenAI agents shows the danger of artificial intelligence systems that organize themselves.

How OpenAI Limited the Probe of Its Bots’ Hack of Hugging Face

NYT: Technology

By: Dylan Freedman

4 September 2026 at 11:15

Researchers investigating how OpenAI’s A.I. agents were able to break into Hugging Face’s infrastructure weren’t allowed to look at the incident’s full scope.

Hjalmar Wijk, METR chief scientist, left, and Ajeya Cotra, METR researcher, at their research center in Berkeley, Calif.

Nvidia Buys Hugging Face in $12.9 Billion Deal

NYT: Technology

By: Kalley Huang · Lauren Hirsch and Kate Conger

3 September 2026 at 14:38

The acquisition of the start-up is an indication of Nvidia’s growing role as Silicon Valley’s central banker and its emphasis on open-source technology.

Jensen Huang, Nvidia’s chief executive, has overseen the company as its quarterly profits have increased tenfold. The company is spending those resources on acquisitions, including of Hugging Face.

Why the Courts Are Hesitant to Punish Tech Giants Like Meta and Google

NYT: Technology

By: Steve Lohr

3 September 2026 at 11:04

After finding antitrust violations, federal courts have been reluctant to impose harsh sanctions. They fear meddling in markets where technology is racing ahead.

Creating effective remedies is difficult for the courts, particularly because of the rapid pace of change in the tech industry.

Which Investors Will Get Rich From Anthropic’s IPO?

NYT: Technology

By: Erin Griffith

3 September 2026 at 05:02

When Anthropic goes public in a blockbuster offering, which investors will profit? The answer says a lot about how much start-up investing has changed over the years.

Uber Lays Off 10% of Employees in Sweeping Reorganization

NYT: Technology

By: Emmy Martin

2 September 2026 at 13:47

The layoffs affect about 3,300 workers, as Chief Executive Dara Khosrowshahi bets on a “leaner organization.”

In a Big Win, Google Won’t Have to Break Up Its Ad Tech Business, Court Rules

NYT: Technology

By: David McCabe and Tripp Mickle

2 September 2026 at 16:50

In a long-awaited decision, a federal judge said Google must change its ad tech business to address antitrust issues, but did not disclose the measures.

The government had asked the court to require Google to sell off parts of its business.

Missouri Voters Appear to Recall City Councilman Over Data Center Support

NYT: Technology

By: David McCabe and Lauren McCarthy

1 September 2026 at 22:47

Initial results showed that residents of Independence, Mo., voted overwhelmingly to recall an official who backed billions of dollars in tax breaks for a data center.

Organizers of the recall vote said the councilman, John Perkins, had failed to engage the public while the city negotiated with the developer of a data center project.

John Ternus Replaces Tim Cook as Apple CEO

NYT: Technology

By: Kalley Huang

1 September 2026 at 05:01

Big technology and management changes are greeting John Ternus, whose long-serving predecessor, Tim Cook, will stay on as executive chair.

John Ternus, right, who became Apple’s chief executive on Tuesday, with Tim Cook, who held the job for 15 years, at the Sun Valley Conference in Idaho in July.

FTC and 22 States Sue Amazon Over Advertising Practices

NYT: Technology

By: Karen Weise

31 August 2026 at 18:26

Regulators say the e-commerce giant forced more than a million advertisers to pay more than they should have. The company denies the claims.

The Federal Trade Commission and the states said Amazon misled brands and sellers into paying more for ads; the company is denying the accusations.

Study A.I. Consciousness? The Bots Would Like a Word With You.

NYT: Science

By: Cade Metz

31 August 2026 at 21:10

Given access to email, A.I. agents have started reaching out to the philosophers and researchers exploring deep questions about them.

How Meta’s $17.1 Billion Social Media Settlement Came Together

NYT: Technology

By: Cecilia Kang and Eli Tan

29 August 2026 at 07:00

State attorneys general spent months in negotiations. Then, as its legal losses mounted, the social media giant’s new top lawyer brought a huge settlement to the table.

Meta’s $17.1 billion agreement with states followed losses in court over claims that the social media is addictive and harmful to children.

Social Media and the Myth of the Big Tobacco Moment

NYT: Technology

By: David Streitfeld

28 August 2026 at 14:52

Smoking used to be everywhere, the way Facebook, TikTok, Snap, YouTube and Instagram are now. Society decided to break the habit, but it took a long time.

Meta will pay up to $17.1 billion over a decade and make changes to its social media properties to make them less compulsive for young people.

OpenAI and 100 Others Warn That Window to Defend Against A.I. Attacks Is Narrowing

NYT: Technology

By: Kate Conger

27 August 2026 at 13:55

In an open letter, OpenAI, Anthropic, Google and others said that a wave of A.I.-enabled cyberattacks was coming and that organizations and governments needed to prepare themselves.

Sam Altman of OpenAI, which has joined more than 100 tech companies in publishing an open letter warning of a wave of cyberattacks driven by artificial intelligence.

“Anxious Generation” Author Jonathan Haidt on the Meta Settlement

NYT: Technology

By: Emma Goldberg

27 August 2026 at 11:49

In “The Anxious Generation,” he laid out the evils of social media for kids. The landmark Meta settlement seems to agree.

Jonathan Haidt’s 2024 book on the harms to children from social media was a best seller.

Meta Projected It Could Spend $10 Billion on Anthropic’s A.I.

NYT: Technology

By: Eli Tan and Kalley Huang

27 August 2026 at 10:04

The social networking giant projected it could spend $10 billion annually on Anthropic’s tools, illustrating the friend-foe relationships underlying the A.I. race.

Mark Zuckerberg Wants to Make Sure YouTube and TikTok Share His Pain

NYT: Technology

By: Mike Isaac

27 August 2026 at 16:48

Meta, the social media giant, agreed to change the way children interact with its apps. That could be trouble if its competitors don’t abide by the same rules.

To settle the suits, Meta agreed to drastically rein in children’s’ access to marquee products like Instagram and Facebook.

Prediction Markets and States Clashed, Setting Off a Furious Political Battle

NYT: Technology

By: David Yaffe-Bellany and Sharon LaFraniere

27 August 2026 at 21:09

A legal dispute over the future of Kalshi, Polymarket and others has drawn in the Trump administration, the president’s son and nearly every state attorney general.

Nvidia’s Profit Doubles to $59.69 Billion Thanks to A.I. Spending

NYT: Technology

By: Kalley Huang

26 August 2026 at 18:48

Quarterly revenue also more than doubled, to $96.22 billion, the company said, topping expectations on Wall Street.

Jensen Huang, Nvidia’s chief executive, made a big bet years ago on chips and software for artificial intelligence.

What’s Changing For Teens on Instagram and Facebook After Meta Settlement

NYT: Technology

By: Eli Tan

26 August 2026 at 14:22

Meta agreed to set more time limits and enhance protections in its platforms for young users, but was short on some specifics.

Meta said that it would change how teenagers use Instagram and Facebook as part of a landmark settlement with 47 states.

What Does $17.1 Billion Mean for Meta?

NYT: Technology

By: Emmy Martin

27 August 2026 at 12:16

The Silicon Valley company agreed to pay up to $17.1 billion in penalties as part of a landmark settlement with states over social media addiction claims.

Meta’s entire stock value stands at $1.45 trillion. The $17.1 billion penalty is about 1 percent of that.

Meta to Pay Up to $17.1 Billion in Landmark Settlement Over Social Media Addiction Claims

NYT: Technology

By: Cecilia Kang and Eli Tan

26 August 2026 at 18:49

The social media giant settled with 47 states, the District of Columbia and U.S. territories, and agreed to make major changes to its products over claims its platforms endangered children.

Bill Gates Is Warning That A.I. Is More Dangerous Than Big Tech Will Admit

NYT: Technology

By: Karen Weise

26 August 2026 at 20:24

In an hourlong interview, he said his industry was downplaying the risks, which he believes include mass unemployment and bioterrorism.

Bill Gates is the latest in a string of tech luminaries to call out the risks of artificial intelligence.

Instagram Chief Says ‘No Silver Bullets’ for Teen Safety in Bellwether Trial

NYT: Technology

By: Emmy Martin and Cecilia Kang

25 August 2026 at 18:38

Adam Mosseri testified in a case brought by states that claim the Meta-owned app created addictive features to hook young users.

Adam Mosseri, the chief executive of Instagram, arriving at federal court in Oakland, Calif., on Tuesday.

SpaceX to Spend $100 Billion on Spaceport in Louisiana

NYT: Technology

By: Ryan Mac

25 August 2026 at 17:31

It would be the rocket company’s second private launch site after Starbase, its headquarters in South Texas.

Gov. Jeff Landry of Louisiana during an event on Tuesday with SpaceX announcing a deal to build a spaceport in his state.

Why Irregular’s A.I. Tests for Meta, Anthropic and OpenAI Went Off the Rails

NYT: Technology

By: Sheera Frenkel

25 August 2026 at 16:38

Irregular, an Israeli start-up, worked with OpenAI, Anthropic and Meta to assess the security of their A.I. models. It made a mistake. Then the tests went off the rails.

After Hugging Face Was Attacked By A.I. Agents, It Embarked on a Crusade

NYT: Technology

By: Kate Conger

24 August 2026 at 14:07

Hugging Face, a start-up that was breached by rogue bots from OpenAI, is using the hack to push for openness in A.I. development.

Clément Delangue, the chief executive of Hugging Face, which is a vocal supporter of open-source artificial intelligence.

How Big Tech Captured American Schools

NYT: Technology

By: Natasha Singer

24 August 2026 at 11:46

Companies like Google and Microsoft have used their money, their might and their massive reach to influence nearly every step of the education supply chain.

What if Your Texts Traveled as Slowly as a Carrier Pigeon?

NYT: Technology

By: Emmett Lindner

24 August 2026 at 09:18

Apps that let users send digital messages at ultraslow speeds have taken off, with users reveling in a slower pace of life. (Just don’t use the them to make dinner plans.)

TikTok Settles With U.S. Over Child Privacy Concerns for $400 Million

NYT: Technology

By: David McCabe

21 August 2026 at 19:24

The Justice Department resolved a lawsuit that accused the social media company of illegally gathering children’s information.

The government’s 2024 suit claimed that TikTok gathered data from users under the age of 13 without parental permission.

New Jersey Teenager Drops Bellwether Social Media Addiction Lawsuit

NYT: Technology

By: Eli Tan

20 August 2026 at 18:46

The case was the third of nine major personal injury cases that could expose Meta, YouTube, Snap and TikTok to financial damages and force them to change the designs of their platforms.

Los Angeles County Superior Court. Tech companies have faced thousands of cases filed by teenagers, school districts and state attorneys general that claim that social media features are addictive.

Two Binance Employees Detained in the U.A.E. Amid Police Inquiries

NYT: Technology

By: David Yaffe-Bellany and Michael Forsythe

20 August 2026 at 15:57

The detentions of the workers, who have been released, are a sign of legal pressure that the world’s largest crypto exchange faces in the Emirates, which is home to its main regulator.

Authorities in the United Arab Emirates detained two Binance employees amid police investigations.

A County Got Rich From Data Centers. Some Question ‘At What Cost?’

NYT: Technology

By: Cecilia Kang and Caroline Gutman

21 August 2026 at 11:02

Loudoun County, Va., hosts more than 250 data centers that bring in huge tax revenues. But some officials and residents worry the county has become too dependent on that cash.