Category: Biz Tech

Questions over whether authorities in Washington now influence what appears on TikTok have gained traction after an agreement allowed the video-sharing platform to keep operating in the United States under new ownership and oversight conditions. Some users have reported posts disappearing or engagement dropping and have linked those changes to the deal, arguing it has opened the door to government-directed censorship.The arrangement that kept TikTok online followed months of pressure over data security and national security risks tied to the

A quiet but unsettling episode in the artificial intelligence ecosystem has sharpened concerns about how quickly powerful autonomous tools are being deployed without robust safeguards. A single message, sent politely and without any technical wizardry, was enough for an attacker to extract a private cryptographic key from a user within minutes. The breach did not rely on malware, brute force or advanced exploits. It relied on trust, speed and an assumption that “smart” software knows how to protect itself.The incident

Google is preparing a notable shift in Android’s visual language with a leaked system-level feature known as WindowBlur, signalling a more deliberate move towards refined interface effects that have long been associated with Apple’s mobile software. The capability, expected to debut with Android 17, introduces background blur at the operating-system level, allowing apps and system surfaces to soften content beneath translucent panels without relying on custom, app-by-app workarounds.Early indications from development builds suggest WindowBlur is designed as a core rendering

Elon Musk has escalated a high-profile debate over the security of consumer messaging platforms by asserting that “WhatsApp is not secure” and that even Signal, long regarded as a benchmark for encrypted communication, is “questionable,” urging users to consider XChat instead. His remarks, posted on X, have intensified scrutiny of encryption claims by major tech firms and triggered rebuttals from industry leaders defending existing privacy safeguards.Musk’s comments came amid legal and corporate conflict surrounding Meta’s WhatsApp, which faces a

Microsoft and Amazon have issued an unusually blunt warning to policymakers in Washington State, declaring the region’s housing shortage an “emergency” and urging faster action to expand supply as costs rise and availability tightens. The message, delivered through a jointly authored full-page newspaper advertisement and accompanying public statements, marks a rare alignment between two technology rivals that together employ tens of thousands of workers across the Puget Sound region.The companies said they would commit a combined $1.6 billion to support

E-commerce platforms and AI startups are under a sharper spotlight as automation deepens its role in online retail, with one fast-growing software firm facing governance questions even as a major commerce platform discloses a steep rise in AI-assisted transactions. The twin developments underline both the speed of adoption and the growing expectations around transparency and leadership as artificial intelligence moves from experimentation to core operations.Shopify has disclosed that orders influenced by its AI features have climbed eleven-fold since January, according

Digital Twin Consortium has published a set of interoperable digital twin frameworks aimed at reshaping how multimodal transport networks are planned, operated and scaled, marking a shift away from fragmented pilots toward coordinated system-wide deployment.The guidance, released as part of the consortium’s evolving technical reference architecture, sets out common models, interfaces and data-sharing principles designed to allow digital twins across roads, rail, ports and aviation to function as connected elements of a single transport ecosystem. Industry leaders involved in the

Snowflake has rolled out its AI Data Cloud on Amazon Web Services’ UAE region, a move designed to help enterprises build and deploy artificial intelligence workloads while keeping data residency and latency requirements in check. The expansion gives organisations operating in the Gulf access to Snowflake’s platform within the AWS Middle East Region, aligning with regulatory expectations that data generated in the country can be processed locally.The company said the launch is aimed at government bodies, financial services firms,

Google DeepMind chief executive Demis Hassabis has challenged the way artificial general intelligence is being discussed and marketed, pointing to what he described as a “big irony” in OpenAI’s plans to introduce advertising into ChatGPT while simultaneously framing the system as a step towards human-level intelligence. His remarks underline widening philosophical and commercial differences between leading AI labs as competition intensifies and public scrutiny grows.Speaking in a series of public forums and interviews over the past year, Hassabis has questioned

Vertiv has unveiled an artificial intelligence-based predictive maintenance service designed to help data centre operators manage the growing operational strain created by high-density computing and AI-driven workloads. The service, branded Vertiv Next Predict, is positioned as a response to the rising complexity of power and cooling infrastructure as operators race to support advanced computing environments.The company said the new platform uses machine learning models, real-time sensor data and historical performance trends to anticipate equipment issues before they escalate into failures.

Gmail is undergoing a set of structural changes that extend beyond visible interface tweaks, and security specialists warn the quieter updates could leave millions of accounts exposed if users fail to adjust their settings. The most immediate concern centres on how Google is reworking legacy email access and tightening the way third-party messages are handled inside Gmail, at a time when artificial intelligence tools are becoming more deeply embedded across the service.Gmail security shifts expose overlooked account risks as Google

Access to Microsoft’s cloud-based productivity tools was restored after a widespread disruption interrupted email, security and compliance services for users across multiple regions, the company said, following hours of degraded performance that affected businesses, governments and schools.Microsoft confirmed that the incident disrupted several Microsoft 365 services, including Outlook, Microsoft Defender and Microsoft Purview, with users reporting problems sending and receiving email, delays in threat alerts and difficulties accessing compliance dashboards. The company said service health returned to normal after engineers

Momentum is building across the digital design world as designers and product teams rethink long-held workflows, with a noticeable shift away from screen-first tools towards building functional products from the outset. Figma, long regarded as the industry’s default collaborative design platform, remains widely used, but its centrality is being questioned as artificial intelligence reshapes how ideas move from concept to code.For more than a decade, Figma’s browser-based interface and real-time collaboration features helped it dominate interface design, particularly among UI

Taara, a California-based connectivity venture built around high-capacity laser links, has formally separated from Alphabet, marking a decisive shift in how ultra-fast internet could be delivered to hard-to-reach regions. The spin-out places the spotlight on a terrestrial alternative to satellite broadband, with the company arguing that its ground-based approach can deliver fibre-like speeds at lower cost and with fewer regulatory hurdles.Born inside Alphabet’s experimental “moonshot” unit, Taara was developed to transmit data through the air using tightly focused beams of

BirdsEyeView, a London-based insurtech specialising in satellite-driven climate risk analytics, has secured a seven-figure investment to accelerate the development of its artificial intelligence models and support international expansion, as demand grows for more precise tools to assess natural catastrophe exposure.The funding round was led by 24 Haymarket, a London-headquartered venture capital firm known for backing early-stage technology companies, with participation from all existing investors. Financial terms were not disclosed, but the investment marks a significant step for a company positioning

Pressure is building on developers and corporate users of generative AI as “hallucinations” — confident statements that are wrong — continue to surface in customer service chats, legal filings, coding assistants and financial research notes, exposing organisations to reputational harm, regulatory scrutiny and operational risk. The problem has become harder to dismiss as adoption accelerates, because the errors often arrive wrapped in fluent prose, invented citations and plausible-sounding numbers that can pass a quick skim.Industry researchers and regulators increasingly treat

YouTube is preparing to allow creators to appear in Shorts through AI-generated likenesses, a move that expands the platform’s generative toolkit while sharpening its rules against deception, spam and misuse. The initiative, aimed at short-form video makers, will let creators blend real footage with synthetic representations of themselves, opening new ways to scale production and localise content without physically filming every clip.The plan centres on authorised likenesses. Creators who opt in will be able to generate AI avatars trained on

Cybersecurity firm Rubrik has rolled out a sovereign version of its Rubrik Security Cloud, positioning the offering as a response to mounting pressure from governments and regulated industries to keep sensitive data under national control and outside the reach of foreign jurisdictions.Rubrik said the sovereign capability is designed to ensure that customer data, encryption keys, operations and support remain confined within specific countries or regions, aligning with local legal and regulatory requirements. The move comes as public-sector bodies, financial institutions

Amazon is facing renewed questions over its marketplace safeguards after a cluster of high-value graphics card orders went wrong, leaving some buyers unexpectedly enriched while others were left short-changed. The incidents, shared widely across online forums and technology communities, centre on next-generation Nvidia graphics cards sold and shipped by Amazon, and point to weaknesses in returns handling at a time when demand for premium hardware remains intense.One case that drew particular attention involved a buyer who ordered a flagship Nvidia

Intel’s next major graphics move appears set to bypass mainstream PC gamers, with industry chatter pointing to a high-end Battlemage product debuting first as a workstation-class card carrying 32 GB of video memory and a premium price tag. The prospect underscores a growing divide between professional and consumer GPU markets at a time when gamers face limited choice and escalating costs.Talk surrounding a so-called “Big Battlemage” centres on a large silicon variant widely believed to be aimed at creators, engineers

A major ransomware intrusion at a key manufacturing partner of Apple has intensified concerns over cyber resilience across global electronics supply chains, after attackers claimed to have stolen more than one terabyte of confidential data linked to unreleased products and internal operations. The attack, attributed to the criminal group RansomHub, targeted Luxshare, a long-standing supplier involved in assembling and producing components for flagship consumer devices.Information circulating among cybersecurity analysts indicates the stolen material includes detailed schematics, tooling designs, testing documentation

 Boston Dynamics’ four-legged robot, widely known as the robot dog, has moved from laboratory demonstrations into everyday industrial and public-sector settings, reflecting a shift in how mobile robotics is being adopted across inspection, safety and data-collection roles. The machine, marketed as Spot, is designed to traverse environments that are difficult or hazardous for humans, combining advanced mobility with sensors and autonomous navigation software.Developed by Boston Dynamics, the robot dog is a compact, battery-powered quadruped capable of walking, climbing stairs and

WebAssembly, commonly shortened to Wasm, has moved from a niche browser technology to a central pillar in discussions about cloud computing, security and cross-platform software development. Once seen mainly as a way to speed up web applications, it is now being positioned by major technology firms, developers and standards bodies as a foundation for a new generation of portable, high-performance applications that run consistently across environments.At its core, WebAssembly is a low-level, assembly-like language designed to be executed at near-native

GitLab has issued urgent security updates to address multiple high-severity vulnerabilities that could allow attackers to bypass two-factor authentication and disrupt service availability, prompting strong advisories for organisations running self-managed instances to upgrade without delay.The company confirmed that patched versions 18.8.2, 18.7.2 and 18.6.4 for both Community Edition and Enterprise Edition close a set of flaws affecting authentication controls and system resilience. GitLab. com, the hosted service used by millions of developers worldwide, has already been updated, while responsibility for

Google has expanded its Workspace analytics by integrating detailed Google Meet usage metrics directly into the Gemini reports dashboard, giving organisations a consolidated, AI-driven view of how meetings shape productivity and collaboration. The rollout, confirmed for early 2026, allows administrators and managers to examine meeting duration, participation patterns, frequency, and engagement signals alongside broader Workspace data, marking a notable step in Google’s effort to embed artificial intelligence more deeply into everyday enterprise workflows.The integration means Meet is no longer analysed

In an era where luxury travel is no longer just about lavish surroundings, renowned service, or even selecting the perfect paintings for home decor to bring that elegance indoors, the integration of cutting-edge tech is reshaping how affluent globetrotting geeks experience this world. From artificial intelligence (AI) shaping bespoke services to augmented reality (AR), creating stunning previews, innovation is driving unprecedented levels of personalization, convenience, and engagement in the segment of luxe hospitality. Tech Infusing New Levels of Personalization One of the

Revolut has moved to position itself at the centre of the next phase of digital payments after confirming that its Revolut Pay service will support Google’s Agent Payments Protocol, a framework designed to allow artificial intelligence agents to complete transactions on behalf of users. The integration is expected to extend one-tap checkout functionality across the UK and the wider European Economic Area, signalling a shift in how consumers may interact with online commerce as AI-driven tools become embedded in everyday

Raaga, a Chennai-based music streaming platform with a large global audience, has confirmed a significant data breach that led to the exposure of personal information linked to more than 10.2 million user accounts, triggering renewed scrutiny of data protection practices across consumer digital platforms.The company acknowledged that a database containing user details was unlawfully accessed and later advertised for sale on an underground hacking forum during December 2025. Cybersecurity researchers who reviewed samples of the leaked data said the information

 Bandcamp has moved to bar music generated wholly or in substantial part by artificial intelligence, while Sweden’s official charts have removed a charting song after determining that it was largely AI-produced, marking a coordinated pushback by platforms and institutions against the growing presence of synthetic music in mainstream distribution.Bandcamp, a widely used platform for independent artists and labels, confirmed that it will no longer allow uploads that rely primarily on generative AI tools. The company said the decision is aimed

 MCP servers are emerging as a practical backbone for how advanced AI systems interact with real-world data and software, shifting the focus from monolithic models to modular, controllable services. Rather than embedding every capability inside a single model, MCP servers act as specialised microservices that expose clearly defined tools the AI can call on demand, allowing complex tasks to be broken into manageable, auditable steps.At their core, MCP servers publish tools as structured functions that an AI can invoke in

Vercel has unveiled a new product called Skills, positioning it as a shared marketplace of reusable capabilities for AI coding assistants and framing it internally as an “npm for AI agents”. The launch reflects growing pressure on developers and platform companies to bring consistency, security and best practices to the rapidly expanding use of autonomous and semi-autonomous coding tools across production environments.According to the company, Skills allows developers to teach an AI coding assistant more than 40 performance and architectural

OpenAI is preparing to introduce its first dedicated device later this year, marking a shift from being solely a software-led artificial intelligence company to one that also delivers consumer hardware designed around its models and services. The plan, acknowledged by people familiar with the company’s roadmap and echoed in public remarks by senior executives, signals OpenAI’s ambition to embed its technology more directly into everyday use beyond smartphones and personal computers.The device, still under wraps in terms of form factor

Linux gaming has crossed a symbolic threshold on Steam, with the platform’s hardware and software survey showing the operating system accounting for more than 3% of active users. That growth, driven by improvements in compatibility layers, better drivers and the popularity of handheld PCs, has prompted Opera to roll out native Linux support for its GX browser, a product long marketed directly at gamers on Windows and macOS.The move marks a notable shift in how major consumer software vendors view

Vertiv has widened the scope of its MegaMod HDX modular platform, adding new configurations designed to handle the surging power density and thermal demands of artificial intelligence workloads as data centre operators accelerate capacity builds across North America, Europe and parts of Asia.Vertiv said the expanded MegaMod HDX range integrates higher-capacity power distribution, advanced liquid cooling options and prefabricated deployment models aimed at facilities supporting racks that can exceed 100 kilowatts. The move comes as cloud providers, colocation operators and