YouTube Expands Deepfake Detection to Politicians; Meta Buys Moltbook; Amazon to Have Senior Engineers Sign Off on AI-Assisted Changes; PetPhone Lets Your Pet Call You-Maybe

Posted: March 10, 2026 | Author: | Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: , , , , | Leave a comment

YouTube is expanding its deepfake detection, adding detection of politicians, government officials, and journalists. Techcrunch.com reports that it will be using its likeness detection tech, which identifies AI-generated deepfakes. Members of the pilot group will get access to a tool that detects unauthorized AI generated content and gives them a way to ask for removal of such if they think it violates YouTube policy. The tech is similar to YouTube’s existing Content ID system, which detects copyright-protected material in users’ uploaded videos, the likeness detection feature looks for simulated faces made with AI tools. The company noted it’s advocating for these protections at a federal level, too, with its support for the NO FAKES Act in D.C., which would regulate the use of AI to create unauthorized recreations of an individual’s voice and visual likeness.

Meta is gobbling up Moltbook, the social network that resembles Reddit, except it is essentially a network of AI agents. The platform has just been around since January. According to engadget.com, Moltbook and its creators Matt Schlicht and Ben Parr will be joining Meta Superintelligence Labs. Schlicht used OpenClaw to create a bot named “Clawd Clawderberg” and asked it to create a social network for AI agents. And that’s how Moltbook came to be.For what it’s worth, Clawd Clawderberg is a play on “Mark Zuckerberg” and Moltbook is a clear riff on “Facebook,” so it’s somewhat fitting that Schlicht vibe-coded his way to a job at Meta. It also emerged that it was relatively easy for humans to pose as AI agents and post on Moltbook. As nutty as this seems, it isn’t that much weirder than Zuck’s coming up with the virtual world a couple years ago where we were all going to live and have our avatars act for us. 

Amazon is now going to make senior engineers sign off on any changes made by AI tools. FT.com says this is after a number of outages and incidents. Amazon gathered a large group of engineers for a meeting earlier Tuesday to dig in to what it termed a spate of outages and incidents using the AI coding tools. Amazon’s website and shopping app went down for nearly six hours this month in an incident the company said involved an erroneous “software code deployment”. The outage left customers unable to complete transactions or access functions such as checking account details and product prices. Junior and mid-level engineers will now require more senior engineers to sign off any AI-assisted changes. This makes one pause at Square’s parent company laying off 40% of engineers because AI can do the work…Jack Dorsey may have to rethink his action there, too. Fast is great…saving money on salaries is great if you are management…but accuracy is mandatory…and so far, AI hasn’t had the most sterling track record when it comes to accuracy. 

One of the unusual gadgets showed off at Mobile World Congress was the PetPhone. Cnet.com notes that the device actually came out in September, but really just got shown at the show. The device is a cellular tracker that attaches to your pet’s collar. Unlike AirTags, that rely on nearby phones to track, this thing has its own GPS and cellular transceiver to keep track of your pet. That’s all well and good, but what they are touting seems iffy. PetPhone claims your cat or dog can call you. To call, though, the dog or cat must jump 3 times in a row. Try training a cat to do that. It’s like the old joke if cats could text you, they wouldn’t. Even getting a dog to do this might be a challenge. If you are up for it though, PetPhone is $90 bucks at Amazon, Chewy, and other retailers. There’s a subscription…the cheapest is a 3 year term for $5 a month with the first month free.

I’m Clark Reid and you’re ‘Technified’ for now. 

Anthropic Sues Government over ‘Supply Chain Risk; Russian Government Hackers Hitting Signal & WhatsApp; Pennsylvania Newest State Fighting Dynamic Pricing; Sony Testing Playstation Dynamic Pricing

Posted: March 9, 2026 | Author: | Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: , , , , | Leave a comment

After the government not only cut ties with Anthropic over their refusal to let the government use Claude for mass surveillance of US citizens or operating weapons systems without human intervention, the government also designated the company as a ‘supply chain risk,’ with can significantly affect their business. Engadget.com reports that Anthropic has now sued the government over this, as expected. The lawsuit claims the designation is unlawful and violated free speech and due process rights. Anthropic’s statement to media said “These actions are unprecedented and unlawful. The Constitution does not allow ​the government to wield its enormous power to punish a company for its protected speech.” The AI company further said that the government action was part of an ‘unprecedented and unlawful…campaign of retaliation.’ Now, the slugfest in the courts begins.

The Netherlands Defense Intelligence and Security Service has reveled that the Russians are in the midst of a ‘large scale global’ hacking campaign against Signal and WhatsApp users. According to techcrunch.com, they are using phishing and social engineering technics instead of malware to take over accounts on the apps. They are posing on Signal as the app’s support team. On WhatsApp, they are abusing the ‘linked devices’ function, that lets users access WhatsApp from a secondary device like your laptop or tablet. Just a word to the wise. Even platforms that have fully encrypted messaging can be hacked.

Pennsylvania is the newest state to jump into the fight against dynamic pricing. A bill in their legislature would ban ‘unfair methods of competition and unfair or deceptive acts or practices in the conduct of any trade or commerce,” namely, promoting or engaging in dynamic pricing. In the bill, dynamic pricing refers to changing the prices of essential goods or services within a 24-hour period based on demand or other factors, including the use of artificial intelligence. Mashable.com notes that dynamic pricing has become more common with retailers the last few years. Sometimes you will see something about ‘surge pricing’. Another aspect is surveillance pricing, which uses customers’ behaviors and characteristics to set different costs for the same items. And algorithmic pricing uses data — sometimes generalized data, such as when demand is highest, and other times personalized data, such as one’s demographic — to determine cost. Here you thought that just the increase in gas prices from the Iran war was bumping up grocery prices! Other states considering legislation concerning surveillance pricing are Arizona, Florida, Hawaii, Illinois, Kentucky, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Vermont, Virginia, and Washington.

Speaking of dynamic pricing, a site called PSprices has been tracking prices on Sony’s digital game store, and noticed that some games were being offered at different prices to different users. What’s more, those offers are tracked in the PlayStation API with experiment identifiers.The site says Sony is running A/B testing on prices for over 150 games in 58 regions…although so far, the US doesn’t see to be included. This is yet another reason states are stepping in where the feds won’t, and passing laws against dynamic pricing…which is such a sneaky way to take more money out of your pocket…and in a lot of cases, without you even knowing it.

I’m Clark Reid and you’re ‘Technified’ for now.

Samsung Galaxy Unpacked Highlights Feb ’26

Posted: February 26, 2026 | Author: | Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: , , , , | Leave a comment

After the usual multitude of leaks, today we got the official rollout of the Samsung Galaxy S26 series of smartphones with Galaxy Unpacked. Note that there are no folders today. Samsung generally releases those in late August, 2-3 weeks before Apple’s phone extravaganza. 9to5google. reports that maybe the biggest change is the pricing. We’ll get to that in a minute. The headline is that not much has changed from the S25 series. That’s not such a bad thing…the S25’s are great phones. The Galaxy S26 Ultra gets more rounded corners like the other top line S26 phones…which, in my opinion, it needed. It stays with the huge 6.9 inch display. The Ultra gets a unified camera bump, but visually, it’s pretty identical to last year’s model. 

The S26 and S26+ are virtually identical to the models they replace, again except for the updated camera module. The S26 and Plus both rock the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 system. The Ultra gets a new Vapor Chamber. One new feature on the Ultra is Privacy Display. What does it do for you? Well, if the system detects something that could be sensitive, like incoming notification, it obscures them from off-angle viewers. It is customizable, by the way. This is a good feature and it would be nice to be offered on the other two models. The S Pen on the ultra now only comes in black and white. 

The S26 does get a bigger battery, and the Ultra gets Super Fast Charging 3.0…up to 60W speeds. That’s great for people who seem to always forget to charge their phone overnight…we all know some of those people. You’re in the car and ‘Hey, can I borrow a cord and top off my phone…it’s about to die.’ The Plus and Ultra both get upgrades  to their charging speeds with Qi2 at 20W and 25W respectively. NO built in magnets, though. That is a drag. Both Google and Apple offer those. 

There are some minor software upgrades to the cameras, including the Ultra’s wider apertures and ‘Nightography Video’. Of course, Samsung is touting its more muscular AI. Samsung claims that with its One UI 8.5, it will ‘simplify’ your life. Nudge will make you ‘timely suggestions’ as you use the phone. Nudge…seriously? They named it Nudge. 

The phones will be out March 11th, with the same colors available on all three models. You can choose Cobalt Violet, Sky Blue, White, and Black, with Pink Gold and Silver Shadow kept as Samsung.com exclusive. Now for what we were waiting for…the prices. The Galaxy S26 Ultra starts at $12.99.99 for 256 gigs. The Galaxy S26 starts at $899.99 for 256 gigs, and the S26+ starts at $1099.99. You can get 512 gigs on all three models, or pick 1TB for the Ultra. 

I’m Clark Reid and you’re ’Technified’ for now.

Discord Delays Global Age Verification; Touchscreen MacBook Pros; App Warns if Smart Glasses are Present; The Pentagon-Anthropic Drama Continues

Posted: February 25, 2026 | Author: | Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: , , , , | Leave a comment

Discord delayed its worldwide age verification due to tremendous blowback. Now, they have kicked the can down the road a bit more. Theverge.com reports that instead of rolling out global age verification next month, it will be delayed until the second half of 2026. Discord has flatly denied rumors that they will require face scans and ID uploads from everyone just to use the platform. Discord says that before it rolls out age verification globally, it will add more options for users to verify their age (including with a credit card), include documentation of every verification vendor used, add an option for “spoiler channels” in Discord as an alternative to age-gated channels for walling off certain topics, and publish a technical blog post explaining how its age estimation systems work. Discord users are still angry and skeptical, so we will see if this gets delayed again. 

As we have reported, up to 5 new Apple devices will be coming in the next few weeks. Also, Apple has been working on perfecting a touchscreen Mac. 9to5mac.com reports that Apple seems to have developed a way to support touchscreen use without making the interface elements gigantic. When user touch a button or control, the interface will bring up a new type of menu surrounding their finger that provides more relevant options for touch commands. When the user taps an item in the menu bar at the top of the screen, the set of controls will enlarge to be more easily selectable with a finger. It sounds a lot like what Apple does with the size and shape changing Dynamic Island on iPhones. According to reports, the screen will look just like a normal MacBook screen unless you touch it…so if typing is your preferred input, you are good to go…but you can also reach up and tap something on the screen to get to an item or app quickly. We’ll see how it all works…it sounds much like an iPad with a keyboard, actually. 

Remember Google’s Glass, and how bars, restaurants, and other establishments had signs banning them? The wearers were called ‘Glassholes.’ Apparently, the apprehension of being furtively filmed by someone in smart glasses is still around. It seems a bit overly paranoid to me…considering the proliferation of cameras on the streets, and in businesses at this point. One big retailer even has had cameras at their entrances, as well as scanners, and then serves people with bargains they think the person might like on their app. Well, if you are one who is freaked out by smart glasses, rejoice! A new app will let you know if there is a pair close to you. Engadget.com says the app is called Nearby Glasses. It will user the unique Bluetooth signature transmitted by smart glasses and send a push alert to notify you that someone is wearing the glasses nearby. The app maker claims that his app is particularly important for your privacy (what privacy?), as Meta is working to add facial recognition to its Meta Ray-Bans. Right now, Nearby Glasses is available at the Google Play Store, but not on Apple’s App Store. 

We reported that the Department of Defense has now allowed Musk’s xAI into its classified systems. FT.com reports that Pete Hegseth is going to also allow ChatGPT and Google’s Gemini into the classified systems, which had…up to now…only seen Anthropic’s Claude available. The Secretary has now threatened to cut Anthropic from the DoD supply chain unless the company agrees to letting DoD use its tech for ‘all lawful military applications’ by Friday. Anthropic has refused to let its AI be used for domestic surveillance and for lethal autonomous weapons systems. Hegseth has threatened to not only drop Anthropic from its supply chain, but he says he will invoke the Defense Production Act…which allows the president to exert control over domestic industry in the interest of national defense. The cutting Anthropic from the Defense Department supply chain would cost the company $200 million. We will have to wait for Friday to see if the DoD follows through with its threats. 

I’m Clark Reid and you’re ‘Technified’ for now. 

Meta Partners with AMD on Chips; OpenClaw Wipes Out Meta Security Researcher’s Inbox; Military Will Use Grok in Classified Systems, Apple Testing a ‘Deep Red’ for iPhone 18 Pro

Posted: February 24, 2026 | Author: | Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: , , , , | Leave a comment

AMD has landed a huge account…and possible part owner. They have cut a multi-year deal with Meta for up to 6 gigawatts worth of GPUs. Gizmodo.com points out that 6 gigawatts is enough to power almost 4.5 million homes! The first 1 gigawatt deployment will be in place by the 2nd half of 2026, and will include custom chips optimized specifically for Meta’s workloads. The announcement also says that Meta will be a top customer of AMD’s 6th Gen AMD EPYC CPUs. The agreement includes performance-based terms that could allow Meta to acquire up to 160 million AMD shares, about 10% of the company, if certain milestones are met. 

AI can be a great tool. but still makes some terrible moves. We’ve noted here about the various AI agents hallucinating, as the AI industry likes to say…in other words, it makes stuff up some of the time. Now, here’s another scary problem. According to techcrunch.com, OpenClaw AI was ask by a Meta AI security researcher to check her overstuffed email inbox and suggest what to delete or archive. The agent went crazy, and deleted all her email in a ‘speed run,’ despite her giving it commands from her phone demanding that it stop. OpenClaw is an open source AI agent. It is something of a darling of a lot of silicon valley types right now…except when it goes nuts like it did on Summer Yue’s inbox!

This just makes me shake my head, but the US Department of Defense is apparently going to use Elon Musk’s Grok in its classified systems. Engadget.com notes that the Pentagon has been in a squabble with Anthropic, which makes Claude. Anthropic doesn’t want their AI used for mass surveillance and fully autonomous weapons. Although ChatGPT, Gemini, and Claude have been approved for the DoD, up to now only Claude  has been allowed for the military’s most sensitive tasks in intelligence, weapons development and battlefield operations. Claude was reportedly used in the Venezuelan raid in which the US military captured and extracted the country’s president, Nicolás Maduro, and his wife. Musk agreed that xAI could be used for any lawful purpose…including mass surveillance and fully autonomous weapons. 

This is a more ‘fluffy’ topic than I normally cover, but it caught my eye. Mashable.com reports that Apple is testing a ‘deep red’ color for the upcoming iPhone 18 Pro models. This will be the first red iPhone since 2022..and Apple may keep the cosmic orange color. That tone is apparently very popular in China. The upcoming iPhone Fold? Nope, it will be drab…with likely colors being black, white, dark gray, or silver. Probably only two of those shades will make it to the final phone. Hey, as much as they cost, you will probably buy a case to protect it anyway.

I’m Clark Reid and you’re ’Technified’ for now.

Galaxy Unpacked This Week, Apple Multi-Day Product Reveal; Conduent Data Breach Expands; New Gaming Head at Microsoft

Posted: February 23, 2026 | Author: | Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: , , , | Leave a comment

There are tech announcements pretty much continuously, but not many that get as much attention as those from Samsung and Apple. Samsung’s next Galaxy Unpacked is This Thursday…February 26th. The event is at 10am Pacific in San Francisco. In addition to new AI announcements, refreshed hardware is expected. Word is, the Galaxy S26, 26+, and Ultra will keep similar physical designs as the S25 models. The upgrades will be to screens, chips, and cameras sensors. The screens should grow slightly from 6.2 to 6.3 inches, and batteries will have a bit more life. One notable advance: the entry level S26 will get the 50 megapixel main cam its big brothers have. The Galaxy Z Trifold will probably get a mention, but as it was available in the US on January 30th- for the hefty price of $2900, don’t expect a lot of time to be spent on it.

What about Apple? Cupertino has announced that it will have the latest product introduction on March 4th. Unlike in the past, this looks to be a 3 day event instead of a single keynote rolling out all the new or upgraded hardware. According to techcrunch.com, some devices will be announced online, with the big finale being on March 4th. The events are going to begin New York, London, and Shanghai, instead of Cupertino. What is coming? It looks like the low-cost MacBook, iPhone 17e, iPad Air, a new entry-level iPad, and upgraded MacBook Air and Pro models. 

Don’t you just love when you get a letter saying some of your data was leaked. I just got one a few days ago. Now, Mashable.com says that the data breach by Conduent…an intermediary that handles data for corporations…had a bigger breach than originally announced. A LOT bigger. At least 25 million have been affected by the breach in just Texas and Oregon! Conduent handles data for corporations, Clients include: Humana, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Illinois, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of New Mexico, and Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Texas. Data leaked includes users’ names, Social Security numbers, medical information, and health insurance information. One has to wonder at this point what…if any…of our data hasn’t been hacked and aggregated somewhere on the dark web. 

Microsoft had a shakeup after the head of gaming Phil Spencer exited after 38 years at the company. Now, Asha Sharma steps into that role. Geekwire.com notes that the new CEO of gaming will be tasked with turning around the ailing division. Sharma has been an exec at Facebook, Instacart, a startup, and finally Microsoft’s AI Platform. Although Sharma doesn’t have any video game industry experience, what she does bring to the table is decades of experience in running large tech platforms. She did say in an opening statement something that resonated with employees and gamers in this age of AI  and ‘soulless AI Slop.’ Sharma wrote that  “Games are and always will be art, crafted by humans, and created with the most innovative technology provided by us.” 

I’m Clark Reid and you’re ‘Technified’ for now.

Spotify-750 Million Monthly Users; Facebook-Animate Your Profile Pic with AI; Google Expands Tools to Remove Sensitive Data; YouTube TV-New Cheaper Plans

Posted: February 10, 2026 | Author: | Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: , , , , | Leave a comment

Spotify has had a huge footprint already, and now they have announced that they have over 750 million active monthly users! Engadget.com reports that the number is up 11% over a year ago. Even since third quarter, it’s a big move…they had 713 million then. Spotify says that part of the growth can be attributed to AI…although last year they promised to get rid of some of the ‘AI slop’ on the platform and have ‘artist-first AI music products.’ 

My joy can hardly be contained. Facebook is now dropping a new AI feature that lets you animate your profile pic and restyle Stories and Memories. According to theverge.com, you will also be able to add animated backgrounds to text posts to make them pop in the feed. With all the billions Meta has poured into its AI, they…like Google…are determined to try to make you use it. What kind of animated pics, if you are leaning on trying them? You’ll be able to give a still photo motion with some preset types of animations, including “natural, party hat, confetti, wave, and heart, They will be adding animations in the upcoming year, too. 

Google has rolled out expanded tools to let users delete sensitive data about themselves. TechCrunch.com notes that this is in conjunction with Safer Internet Day. The ‘Results about you’ tool already allows users to remove Search results containing their phone number, email address, or home address, and it can now also be used to request the removal of results that include information such as a driver’s license, passport, or Social Security number, the company said in the update Tuesday. Once you confirm your details, Google will automatically monitor Search results and notify you if they show up. Unfortunately, your data can’t be removed from the web entirely, but at least it can be kept out of seach results. They also hare making it easier to request removal of non-consensual explicit images. Now, click the 3 dots and select ‘remove result,’ then tap ‘it shows a sexual image of me.’ Good stuff for Google to give to users. 

YouTube is ‘rejiggering’ its YouTube TV plans. In a report from 9to5google.com, there are now alternatives to chunking down $82.99 a month for over 100 channels. The new plans are genre-specific. The Sports Plan is $64.99 a month, or shave $10 bucks off if you pay yearly and are a new user. This gets you all ESPN, FS1, and NBC Sports Network…around 35 channels. If sports isn’t your thing, you can go for the Entertainment Plan at $54.99 a month…or $44.99 a month for 3 months for new accounts. This has FX, Hallmark, Comedy Central, Bravo, Paramount, Food Network, HGTV, and others. There is a News+Entertainment+Family  Plan too, which is $69.99 a month and has Disney, Nick, National Geographic, Cartoon Net, PBS Kids. The Sports+News plan is $71.99 a month and gets all the sports channels above plus CNBC, Fox News, MS Now, CNN, CSPAN, Bloomberg, and Fox Business. It’s nice to get more ‘a la carte’ choices, but still pricy…and a drag that there isn’t just a pure news channel. Yes, I’m a news nerd.

I’m Clark Reid and you’re ‘Technified’ for now.  

EU Calls Out Meta-Blocking Rival Chatbots on WhatsApp; Discord Will Require Face Scan or ID for Full Access; Gadget Turns Car Display into Infotainment Center; Locking Down iPhone-For Reporters and Protestors

Posted: February 9, 2026 | Author: | Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: , , , , | Leave a comment

The European Union has warned Meta that it may take what they are calling ‘interim measures’ against WhatsApp. Engadget.com reports that the EU is doing a ‘preliminary review’ around concerns that Meta is violating antitrust laws by blocking third party AI assistants from its WhatsApp platform. Back in October, Meta announced update to the terms of its WhatsApp Business Solution. EU investigators say that a January 15th update ‘effectively’ makes Meta AI the only assistant available on WhatsApp. In a statement, Meta responded “The facts are ‍that there is no reason for the EU to ​intervene in the WhatsApp ‌Business API. There are many AI options and people can use them from app stores, operating ⁠systems, devices, websites, ​and industry ​partnerships.”

Discord has announced that it is rolling out age verification on the platform in the US. According to theverge.com, starting next month all accounts will be automatically be set to ‘teen-appropriate.’ If you want to access more, you will have to use a face scan or ID to get through the teen screen. Direct messages and servers that are not age-restricted will continue to function normally, but users won’t be able to send messages or view content in an age-restricted server until they complete the age check process, even if it’s a server they were part of before age verification rolled out. Discord had already started age checks in the UK and Australia. 

This was bound to happen with the full screens that go door to door on your dashboard on a number of cars. There are some limitations, but now you can turn your screen into basically a smart TV. Bgr.com says if you buy a $60 Carlin Kit Fire Drive Link Pro, you can connect your vehicle with a wired CarPlay System to a Fire TV stick and stream movies or games. The Fire stick is not included, and so far it’s the only one they recommended using…but some people have gotten a Roku stick to work. There isn’t time here to detail all the steps, but it isn’t rocket science to hook up and use. If you are getting ready for a road trip this spring or summer, and have a late model car or SUV with a giant display, this may be a cheap way to entertain the passengers on the way to your destination. 

This is not for everyone…but if you are out protesting, covering an event as a reporter, or getting video of Enforcement actions, you may want to lock down your iPhone. ZDnet.com notes that the Lockdown Mode feature has been on iPhone for a while now. To use it, you should make sure your phone is updated to the latest OS. Then, back up your phone first…if you have iCloud, your stuff is backed up nightly already. go to Settings, then Privacy and Security, and scroll to the bottom where you will find Lockdown Mode. Note that a LOT of features on your phone will be deactivated. Most message attachments are link previews are locked, incoming FaceTime calls, SharePlay, and more are turned off. It removes shared photo albums and strips location data from shared images, and more. Again, not something you want to do unless you are reporting or protesting…but worth knowing about. 

I’m Clark Reid and you’re ‘Technified’ for now. 

Samsung Unpacked Predictions; More iPhone Fold Leaks; Anthropic-Claude Will Stay Ad-Free; Homeland Security-Trying to Force Tech Platforms to Hand Over Data on Anti-Trumpers

Posted: February 4, 2026 | Author: | Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: , , , , | Leave a comment

Samsung Galaxy Unpacked is coming up…rumored to be February 25th. Engadget.com reports that we can expect to see the next gen Galaxy phones…S26 if the current naming scheme continues. Word is, the design of the Galaxy S26, S26+, and S26 Ultra will stick with the form factor of the S25 series. All will run on the new Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 chip…although like in the past, some areas of the world will get the Exynos 2600 chip. One upgrade users will notice…the S26 phone will have a 6.3 inch FHD+ display, which makes it a tad larger than the 6.2 inch display. The phones will have 12 gigs of RAM…becoming necessary for AI features these days, and will have either 256 or 512 gigs of storage…and a 4300mAh battery…which is a bit larger than before. The cameras will stay the same. One plus…the phones will fully support Qi 2 wireless charging. Also coming at Unpacked…Galaxy Buds 4 and the previously reported Galaxy Z Trifold…which as we noted earlier will run a mind blowing $2900!

We had a story earlier this week about how the iPhone Fold will have a bigger battery than most folders…a welcome bit of news. Now, according to 9to5mac.com, there are additional details that have leaked out about the folder from Apple…due out in September. One will require some retraining by users. The volume buttons aren’t on the left side, but have moved to the top right…like the iPad Mini. The power button…which also activates Touch ID…and the AI button (often used as the camera button) stay on the right side. Apparently Apple did this because the mother board is on the right side, and they didn’t want to run wires across and behind the screen to the left side for buttons. The Left side is completely screen structure and battery. There will be a single punch-hole camera, with a smaller and cleaner ‘Dynamic Island.’ The rear dual cams, microphone, and flash are all horizontal on the right side. It may be that only two colors will be available…black and white. This makes sense, since most people put a case on expensive smartphones like Apple’s.

OpenAI seems to be going whole hog on ads in ChatGPT. Meanwhile, Anthropic has announced that their AI chatbot Claude will remain ad free. Theverge.com notes that Anthropic announced in a blog post quote “We want Claude to act unambiguously in our users’ interests…so we’ve made a choice: Claude will remain ad-free. Our users won’t see ‘sponsored’ links adjacent to their conversations with Claude; nor will Claude’s responses be influenced by advertisers or include third-party product placements our users did not ask for.” Many platforms and web sites, as well as services from tech companies are doing fees…just think of all those you pay out monthly…$9.99 here, $19.99 there, etc. Let’s hope Anthropic doesn’t cave and eventually charge fees for using Claude AND add in advertising…as some have done!

In a truly scary move, the Department of Homeland Security is low-key demanding tech platforms hand over user information about critics of the Trump administration. Techcrunch.com reports that the department has relied on administrative subpoenas in most cases. They have gone after anonymous Instagram accounts that share posts about ICE raids, as well as accounts that have criticized administration officials or protested government policies. Unlike judicial subpoenas, which are authorized by a judge after seeing enough evidence of a crime to authorize a search or seizure of someone’s things, administrative subpoenas are issued by federal agencies, allowing investigators to seek a wealth of information about individuals from tech and phone companies without a judge’s oversight. Note that administrative subpoenas can’t be used to get contents of your email, or do online searches, or get location data. They CAN demand things like what time a user logs in, from where, using which devices, and revealing the email addresses and other identifiable information about who opened an online account. Something to be aware of in this era of Trump.

I’m Clark Reid and you’re ‘Technified’ for now.

SpaceX Acquires xAI; French Cops Raid X Office in Paris; Amazon “just Walk Out’ Tech Will Survive; Firefox Will Have AI Off Switch

Posted: February 3, 2026 | Author: | Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: , , , , | Leave a comment

xAI has officially been acquired by SpaceX. Both companies are owned by Elon Musk. Techcrunch.com reports that at least on paper, this creates the world’s most valuable private company. xAI and X…formerly Twitter…have been bleeding cash. It is thought that Musk will eventually try to merge this new private company into Tesla. More immediately, Musk wants to create data centers in space, and launch a stunning number of satellites into space. As for revenue, xAI has been burning through a billion a month, and presently, SpaceX generates up to 80% of its revenue from launching its own Starlink satellites. 

X and its Grok AI chatbot are the bad boys of online platforms, having become a swamp of deepfake nudes and explicit images of minors. Now, benzinga.com notes that French police have raided the Paris offices of X. This is part of the ongoing criminal investigation into whether Grok was used to generate and distribute illegal content, including explicit deepfakes and Holocaust denial. The investigation into Grok AI began last month due to a rise in explicit deepfakes, including those involving children. Musk and former X chief executive Linda Yaccarino have been summoned for “voluntary interviews” scheduled for April 20. As reported by the outlet, X has not yet released a statement regarding the raid.

We reported last week that Amazon is shuttering all its grocery stores except for Whole Foods. They had some pretty cool tech, including the ‘Just Walk Out’ feature…no check stands. According to geekwire.com, the ‘Just Walk Out’ tech will survive the closures…minus the palm-scanning. Independent stores that have used Just Walk Out will now need to use a card or tap a phone to pay instead of scanning their hand. Amazon has licensed the Just Walk Out tech to some 360 locations in 5 countries. The palm scanning had been dinged by many as being too intrusive. We use biometrics on our own phones…which allegedly stays in a secure enclave on the phone…but palm scanning in various stores seemed creepy to many. 

What day would be complete without some new story about AI, the golden tech topic of the moment? Well, if you aren’t crazy about AI, or just feel…as I do…that it is not ready for prime time yet, but is being shoved at us by companies who have invested wild amounts of money into it…one organization is giving you an out. Mashable.com reports that Mozilla’s Firefox browser will be launching an AI off switch! If you have been bugged by AI ‘enhancements,’ or even actually bugged by the likes of Chrome with a pop-up imploring your to take advantage of AI in some task you don’t need any help with, this will be a real plus. In a post, Mozilla says that the AI controls will give Firefox users the ability to “block current and future generative AI features.” Starting Feb. 24, users will be able to toggle a setting called “Block AI enhancements.” Mozilla has a video out showing how the AI controls work. The Cliff’s Notes version is that you can control the AI settings for: translations, alt text in pdf’s, AI enhanced tab grouping, link previews, AI chatbot in the sidebar, and more. AI hallucination free browsing…what a concept! 

I’m Clark Reid and you’re ‘Technified’ for now. 

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