Social media

Scale of social media use in pre-school children ‘deeply alarming’

Hundreds of thousands of pre-school children are "being fed content and algorithms designed to hook adults", a former education minister in Britain has warned.

Technology

Opinion: Are QR codes computer-friendly?

I have a friend who calls me occasionally to come help him with various little things having to do with the technology at his house. This week, one of his requests was to learn more about QR codes and how they work.

Mobile apps

Pick your handle: WhatsApp preparing reservation queue for usernames

WhatsApp is preparing to introduce usernames in 2026, with a reservation feature currently being tested in a beta version of the app, according to tech industry media reports.

Video games

'Kirby Air Riders': A 'Mario Kart' alternative for the Switch 2

'Kirby Air Ride' on Nintendo's GameCube certainly has a devoted fan base. The racing game aimed to impress primarily with its simple controls. Now Nintendo is following up with 'Kirby Air Riders'.

Technology

Meta delays release of Phoenix mixed-reality glasses to 2027, Business Insider reports

Dec 5 (Reuters) - Meta is delaying the release of its Phoenix mixed-reality glasses until 2027, aiming to get the details right, Business Insider reported on Friday, citing an internal memo.

AI

Opinion: How can you tell if something’s been written by ChatGPT? Let’s delve

What the bots do is write toward the average. What we humans can do is depart from the norm.

AI

'Stealing from a thief': How ChatGPT helped Delhi man outsmart scammer, make him 'beg' for forgiveness

A Delhi man outsmarted a scammer impersonating his college senior and tracked him down using ChatGPT to ruin his "Army transfer/cheap goods" scam.

AI

A US man was indicted for allegedly cyberstalking women. He says he took advice from ChatGPT.

On his podcast, Mr Dadig called the AI chatbot his "therapist" and "best friend," the indictment says.

Technology

Apple, Tesla accused of profiting from horrific abuses, environmental destruction

According to the filing, Apple's suppliers engage in forced and child labour, and beatings of workers.

Technology

Exclusive-How Netflix won Hollywood's biggest prize, Warner Bros Discovery

LOS ANGELES/NEW YORK, Dec 5 (Reuters) - What started as a fact-finding mission for Netflix culminated in one of the biggest media deals in the last decade and one that stands to reshape the global entertainment business landscape, people with direct knowledge of the deal told Reuters.

Technology

Hollywood unions alarmed by Netflix's $72 billion Warner Bros deal

Dec 5 (Reuters) - Hollywood unions and theater owners on Friday sounded the alarm over Netflix's proposed $72 billion takeover of Warner Bros Discovery, warning the deal would cut jobs, concentrate power and reduce theatrical movie releases if the deal passes regulatory review.

Technology

US lawmakers press Google, Apple to remove apps tracking immigration agents

Dec 5 (Reuters) - The House Committee on Homeland Security has asked Google and Apple to detail what steps they are taking to remove mobile applications that allow users to track federal immigration officers.

Technology

Meta acquires AI-wearables startup Limitless

Dec 5 (Reuters) - Meta has acquired AI-wearables startup Limitless, maker of a pendant-style device that records and transcribes real-world conversations, as the social media giant doubles down on efforts to build AI-enabled consumer hardware.

Technology

New York Times sues Perplexity AI for 'illegal' copying of content

Dec 5 (Reuters) - The New York Times filed a lawsuit against Perplexity AI on Friday, claiming that the artificial intelligence startup was copying, distributing and displaying millions of its articles without permission to power its generative AI products.

Technology

Netflix-Warner Bros deal faces political pushback even as company touts benefits

Dec 5 (Reuters) - Netflix pitched its $72 billion acquisition of Warner Bros Discovery's studios and streaming division as aligned with the priorities of President Donald Trump's competition enforcers on Friday, but intense antitrust scrutiny is all but guaranteed amid bipartisan criticism.

Technology

Analysis-Europe forges ahead with Big Tech crackdown with X fine, defying Trump

BRUSSELS, Dec 5 (Reuters) - Europe is forging ahead with its crackdown on Big Tech, levying fines on Alphabet's Google and Elon Musk's X and opening new investigations, asserting its sovereign right to enforce its laws in defiance of U.S. President Donald Trump.

Technology

Apple, Google send new round of cyber threat notifications to users around world

WASHINGTON, Dec 5 (Reuters) - Apple and Google have sent a new round of cyber threat notifications to users around the world, the companies said this week, announcing their latest effort to insulate customers against surveillance threats.

Technology

Cloudflare restores services after minor dashboard outage

Dec 5 (Reuters) - Cloudflare has restored impacted software services after a minor outage on Friday hampered access to crypto trading exchange Coinbase and Anthropic's artificial intelligence chatbot Claude AI.

Technology

Netflix to buy Warner Bros Discovery's studios, streaming unit for $72 billion

Dec 5 (Reuters) - Netflix on Friday agreed to buy Warner Bros Discovery's TV, film studios and streaming division for $72 billion, a deal that would hand control of one of Hollywood's most prized and oldest assets to the streaming pioneer.

Technology

X gets $140 million EU fine for breaching content rules but TikTok settles

BRUSSELS, Dec 5 (Reuters) - Elon Musk's social media company X was fined 120 million euros ($140 million) by EU tech regulators on Friday for breaching online content rules, the first sanction under landmark legislation that once again drew criticism from the U.S. government.