Last month, Circle, a company that manages a digital dollar called a stablecoin, froze $12.6 million after a court order related to illegal funds. However, this freeze also affected users with no connection to the illegal activity because the current technology cannot separate bad funds from good ones without impacting innocent people.
Key Facts
Circle manages the second-largest stablecoin, a digital currency meant to always equal one U.S. dollar.
Circle froze $12.6 million based on a court order targeting illegal money.
The freeze also affected unrelated users, blocking their access to funds they lawfully own.
Current blockchain technology struggles to clearly separate illegal funds from legal ones.
Many banks and financial companies are moving assets onto blockchains, which are public digital ledgers.
Public transparency on blockchains can expose sensitive financial information, which is a problem for institutions.
Privacy-focused blockchains like Canton and Zama Chain offer more secrecy but complicate enforcement actions.
Enforcing freezes on such private blockchain systems risks affecting many users, not just those involved in wrongdoing.
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Angelo Martino, a ransomware negotiator hired to help victims reduce ransom payments, was sentenced to nearly six years in prison for working with cybercriminals to increase ransom demands. He shared confidential information from his clients with the ransomware group BlackCat and profited from the inflated payments.
Key Facts
Martino worked for DigitalMint, a company that negotiates with ransomware criminals to lower ransoms for its clients.
Instead of helping victims, Martino gave secret negotiation details to BlackCat hackers to raise the ransoms.
Victims paid over $75 million in ransom, some of it made higher by the information Martino leaked.
Martino pleaded guilty, cooperating with authorities against two other conspirators, who received four-year prison terms.
He earned millions in cryptocurrency from the scheme and used it to buy homes, a boat, and cars.
The FBI seized some of Martino’s cryptocurrency assets.
The ransomware group BlackCat caused major problems in industries like healthcare and finances by encrypting data and demanding payment.
The U.S. government offers rewards up to $10 million for information on BlackCat members.
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The European Union says Meta, the company behind Instagram and Facebook, has designed addictive features that break EU rules. The EU wants Meta to change the apps to reduce harmful effects on users, especially young people, or face fines up to six percent of its yearly sales.
Key Facts
The EU investigated Meta for two years and found it violated the Digital Services Act.
The EU wants Meta to stop features like autoplay videos, infinite scrolling, and highly personalized recommendations.
These features are said to cause users to use Instagram and Facebook compulsively, harming mental and physical health.
Meta must change default settings to turn off autoplay and infinite scrolling and reduce personalized feeds.
Meta disagrees with the EU’s findings and says it has taken steps to protect teenagers.
If Meta does not comply, it could be fined up to six percent of its annual revenue.
Experts say forcing Meta to change these features could seriously affect its business model.
The EU will make its final decision in a few months, allowing Meta to respond first.
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Harry Styles’ song "As It Was" has become the fifth most-streamed song ever on Spotify. This means many people have listened to the song on the streaming platform more than almost any other song.
Key Facts
"As It Was" is a song by singer Harry Styles.
It reached the rank of the fifth most-streamed song on Spotify.
Spotify is a music streaming service where people listen to songs online.
Being one of the most-streamed songs means it has a very high number of plays.
This achievement shows the song’s wide popularity among listeners.
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Every year, 37 children die from being left alone in hot cars. New car technology is being developed to help stop these tragedies, and simple reminders can also save lives.
Key Facts
About 37 children die annually after being trapped in hot cars.
Extreme heat inside parked cars can cause fatal conditions very quickly.
New automotive technology is emerging to alert drivers if a child is left in the car.
Simple reminders, like leaving a personal item in the back seat, can prevent accidents.
Awareness about this issue is growing to encourage safer practices among parents and caregivers.
The article points to both technological solutions and basic habits as important safety tools.
Preventing these deaths requires cooperation between technology makers and the public.
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Valve has started showing game compatibility ratings for its new Steam Machine device, separate from the Steam Deck ratings. However, many games that Steam Deck struggles to run well still have an unknown status for Steam Machine, leaving unclear which titles perform well on the more powerful hardware.
Key Facts
Valve expanded its Steam Deck Verified program to include the Steam Machine, which is designed for living room use.
Steam Machine ratings appear on Steam store pages next to the Steam Deck compatibility info.
Games that Steam Deck can run are mostly verified for Steam Machine too.
Some games that Steam Deck cannot run well show as "Unsupported" on Steam Deck but have an "Unknown" Steam Machine compatibility status.
Valve says it is “still learning about” the compatibility of many Steam Deck unsupported games on Steam Machine.
Steam Machine uses SteamOS, an operating system developed by Valve for running games.
Games with small text that is hard to read on Steam Deck often get upgraded to "Verified" on Steam Machine because it is played on a bigger TV.
Games requiring an on-screen keyboard get a warning on both devices, so users might want a wireless keyboard nearby.
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A new report from the AI detector company Pangram shows that a lot of content on social media platforms like X and Reddit is created by AI. LinkedIn has the highest share of AI-generated posts, making up nearly two-thirds of such content on the platform.
Key Facts
Pangram is a company that detects content created by artificial intelligence (AI).
Their recent study found many social media posts are made using AI tools.
LinkedIn has the most AI-generated content compared to other social sites.
Nearly 66% of AI content detected on social media comes from LinkedIn.
Other platforms with notable AI content include X (formerly Twitter) and Reddit.
Max Spero, Pangram’s CEO and co-founder, shared these findings in a CBS News interview.
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A recent firmware update caused some Philips Hue Bridge Pro smart hubs to stop working, showing a red light and becoming unusable. Philips recognized the problem and is now offering free replacements for affected devices while working on a fix to prevent more devices from breaking.
Key Facts
A firmware update (version 2071353020) released in early June caused some Hue Bridge Pro devices to stop working.
The issue mainly affected users who disabled automatic updates and installed the update after it had been stored on the device for over 10 days.
Fewer than 100 devices were impacted, according to Philips.
Philips is providing free replacement devices to customers with broken Hue Bridge Pros, regardless of warranty status.
Customers need to reconnect and reconfigure their smart lights and accessories on the new Bridge Pro, which is time-consuming.
Philips is rolling out a new update to stop more devices from breaking.
The Hue Bridge ecosystem currently does not support backing up or migrating settings between certain Bridge models easily.
Users reported difficulty and frustration in resetting devices and rebuilding their lighting setups after the update caused their devices to fail.
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Scientists have made the most accurate measurement yet of how Earth's rotation twists space and time, a phenomenon predicted by Einstein's theory of relativity called frame dragging. They used a heavy, small satellite called LARES-2, which looks like a disco ball, to track this effect by reflecting laser beams from the ground.
Key Facts
Frame dragging is a gravitational effect predicted by Einstein, where a rotating mass drags space and time around it.
Measuring Earth's frame dragging is hard because Earth is much lighter and spins slower than black holes.
The LARES-2 satellite is made of a dense metal alloy and is shaped like a solid sphere about 40 cm wide.
LARES-2 has 303 special reflectors that send laser beams back exactly to their source.
Scientists track LARES-2 with lasers from Earth to measure its orbit position within about 1 millimeter.
The satellite was launched in July 2022 and orbits Earth at about 12,265 kilometers altitude.
Using LARES-2 and another satellite in opposite orbits helps cancel out other forces caused by Earth's uneven shape.
The new measurements reduce uncertainty of frame dragging to just 0.2 percent, improving on previous results.
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The European Union has found that Meta’s features like auto-play and infinite scroll make Facebook and Instagram addictive, harming users including minors. The EU wants Meta to disable these features or face fines up to 6% of its global revenue under new digital laws.
Key Facts
The European Commission (EC) says Meta did not properly assess addiction risks from features on Facebook and Instagram.
Auto-play, infinite scroll, and personalized content push users to keep scrolling in a way that can harm their mental and physical health.
Meta disagrees with the EU’s findings and says it has taken steps to protect teens, such as Teen Accounts with parental controls and screen time limits.
The EC says these measures are not enough because they require parents to know how to use them well.
The EU wants Meta to turn off addictive features by default, add breaks from screen time, and change content recommendations to show less engaging content.
If Meta does not comply, it could be fined up to 6% of its annual global income.
The EU’s Digital Services Act allows the Commission to enforce rules to protect the public from addictive online designs.
Meta is also facing a US lawsuit from 29 states claiming its platforms harm kids, with a trial set for August and potential fines of up to $1.4 trillion.
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NASA released a draft document explaining what it wants from U.S. companies building private space stations in low-Earth orbit. The International Space Station is expected to retire by 2030, so NASA is working to support private companies to keep humans in space without gaps.
Key Facts
NASA plans the International Space Station to end operations around 2030, possibly extending two more years.
NASA wants private U.S. companies to build and operate new space stations to continue human presence in orbit.
A draft Request for Proposals (RFP) was recently released to clarify NASA’s expectations for these private stations.
NASA has funded several companies (Axiom Space, Vast Space, Voyager, Blue Origin, and possibly SpaceX) to develop concepts and plans.
NASA considered building a “core module” for the new stations to dock to but dropped that idea due to industry opposition.
Private companies feel relief that NASA won’t impose the core module but are concerned about lost time and financial challenges.
NASA’s safety rules and requirements will heavily influence the final station designs and funding plans.
NASA is one customer among many in a commercial marketplace for space stations.
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Qualcomm says that in the future, AI agents will decide whether AI tasks run on local devices or in the cloud, based on what works best. These agents will manage different AI models and decide where the work happens without the user needing to know, changing how computing systems are designed.
Key Facts
Qualcomm executive Durga Malladi says AI agents will control where AI tasks run—on devices or in the cloud.
AI agents can handle multiple models at once and organize computing tasks automatically.
Qualcomm calls this approach "hybrid AI" because it mixes device-based AI and cloud-based AI depending on the task.
Factors affecting the decision include task type, speed needed, data sensitivity, and cost.
Robots and driver-assistance systems need quick responses, so they run some AI locally.
Qualcomm announced plans to buy AI software company Modular to help AI run smoothly across different hardware.
The company is expanding from mobile devices into data center AI computing.
CPUs, GPUs, and NPUs will work together more in AI systems managed by these smart agents.
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UK regulators propose new rules requiring major online platforms like Facebook, Instagram, X, and YouTube to block scam advertisements and prevent fraudsters from creating accounts. These measures aim to protect users from online fraud and will be legally enforced under the Online Safety Act, with possible fines for non-compliance.
Key Facts
Big tech platforms in the UK must ban scam ads and stop scammers from making new accounts.
The rules target major platforms such as Instagram, Facebook, X, YouTube, Google, and ChatGPT.
Platforms must reduce the risk of account hijacking and ensure financial ads have legal approval.
If platforms fail to follow the rules, they could be fined up to 10% of their global revenue.
The UK regulator Ofcom launched a consultation on these rules, which closes in October, with final decisions expected next year.
The proposals also include protecting journalistic content and giving users options to limit harmful material.
Consumer groups and experts warn that AI is making scams more advanced, increasing the need for quick action.
Wikipedia was not classified as a full category 1 platform but labeled as an emerging platform with fewer restrictions.
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The European Parliament has approved an extension of temporary rules allowing big tech companies to voluntarily scan private messages and emails for child sexual abuse content. While the extension excludes encrypted messages on apps like WhatsApp, privacy advocates warn this move risks mass surveillance and undermines user privacy. The measure still needs approval from the Council of the EU before it becomes permanent.
Key Facts
The law lets major tech firms like Meta, Google, and Microsoft scan private communications for child sexual abuse material.
The extension was approved through a technical parliamentary process despite more Members of European Parliament (MEPs) voting against it.
End-to-end encrypted apps such as WhatsApp and Signal are exempt from scanning under the extension.
The bill will return to the Council of the EU, which has three months to approve it for the extension to last until April 2028.
Critics argue the process lacked transparency and could lead to mass surveillance of private messages.
Supporters say the scanning helps protect children from abuse material online and prevents gaps in protection laws.
Privacy groups warn the law allows companies to read and analyze users’ private communications, threatening confidentiality.
The European People's Party pushed to approve the extension quickly to avoid loss of child protection while permanent laws are made.
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China successfully recovered a reusable rocket booster during the first flight of its Long March 10B rocket, becoming the second country after the U.S. to do so. The recovery used a new method involving a large net to catch the booster, aiming to lower launch costs and increase the frequency of space missions.
Key Facts
China recovered a Long March 10B rocket booster during its maiden flight.
This is the second time an orbital-class booster was recovered, previously done only by the U.S.
The booster was caught by a big net on a floating platform instead of landing legs used by U.S. rockets.
The net system lowers the risk of damage, allowing faster reuse of the booster.
China plans to reuse the booster from this flight before the end of the year.
The Long March 10B can carry at least 17 tons into low-Earth orbit.
This technology supports China’s plans for large satellite networks and future crewed lunar missions.
The recovery test used an experimental sea-based retrieval system off Hainan Island.
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Meta launched a new AI image tool called Muse Image that lets users create pictures using faces from public Instagram accounts. People whose images are used are not notified and must opt out if they do not want their likeness included. This policy has caused privacy concerns and calls for Meta to require permission before using anyone’s image.
Key Facts
Meta’s Muse Image model allows AI-generated pictures using faces from public Instagram profiles.
Users are not told when their image is used; they must opt out to prevent use.
Privacy groups like Public Citizen say this is a serious invasion of privacy.
Meta says the tool blocks harmful content, such as violent or sexual images.
Meta has not changed its policy despite criticism but is considering feedback.
Talent agency CAA wants Meta to require clear permission before using anyone’s name, image, or work.
Actor union SAG-AFTRA advises members to turn off sharing to protect their likeness.
The opt-out process is available and explained in a video by Axios.
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The European Union has warned Meta that Facebook and Instagram’s design features, like endless scrolling and autoplay videos, encourage addictive use, especially among children and teenagers. If Meta does not make changes, it could face fines up to 6% of its global annual revenue.
Key Facts
The EU’s European Commission found that features like infinite scroll and autoplay can lead to compulsive use.
The Commission is especially concerned about the mental and physical health effects on young users.
Meta did not sufficiently assess the risks or the time children spend on its platforms, especially at night.
Features such as Reels and Stories may contribute to excessive usage.
Meta’s current time-management and parental control tools are seen as ineffective by the EU.
Meta has introduced Teen Accounts with protections like night-time blocks and daily screen time limits.
The findings are preliminary; Meta can respond before any final decision.
The EU is increasing pressure on big tech companies to protect children online.
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Surgeons at UC San Diego have successfully used humanoid robots to perform gallbladder removal surgery on pigs. This milestone is an important step toward testing robotic surgery on humans.
Key Facts
The surgeries were done on pigs, not humans.
Humanoid robots were used, which means robots designed to look and move like humans.
The surgery involved removing gallbladders.
The procedures were performed at the University of California, San Diego.
These robot-assisted surgeries are part of developing safe robotic surgery for future human use.
This achievement marks a first in using humanoid robots for surgical operations.
The work is a step towards clinical trials involving humans.
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Several new rocket launches are planned soon, including China's Long March 10B and India's Skyroot Vikram-1. Rocket Factory Augsburg in Germany is preparing for a launch in Scotland after a previous test rocket failure. The last Pegasus XL rocket successfully launched a satellite to help save NASA’s Swift satellite.
Key Facts
China’s Long March 10B rocket will launch soon and aims to reuse its first stage by landing on a ship.
India’s private company Skyroot may launch its first rocket, Vikram-1, as early as Sunday.
German company Rocket Factory Augsburg plans to launch its RFA One rocket from Scotland on or after August 10.
Rocket Factory Augsburg’s previous rocket test ended in fire nearly two years ago.
The Pegasus XL rocket successfully launched the Link satellite to assist NASA’s aging Swift satellite by boosting its orbit.
The Pegasus rocket launch happened from an aircraft over the equatorial Pacific to reach a low-inclination orbit more efficiently.
US Space Force invited Impulse Space and Relativity Space to compete for military launch contracts.
Impulse Space is developing a propulsion stage called Helios, which helps quickly move satellites from low Earth orbit to geostationary orbit.
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The article explains how car performance tuning has changed over the years with the use of electronic control units (ECUs). It describes how companies like APR improve engine power by adjusting software settings inside the ECUs, which was once done by physically changing chips but now involves complex coding and security work.
Key Facts
ECU tuning boosts car engine power by adjusting software rather than mechanical parts.
APR is a company based in Alabama that specializes in ECU tuning for Audi and other cars.
Early tuning involved removing and reprogramming physical chips in the engine computer.
APR developed the Enhanced Modular Chipping System (EMCS), with multiple engine maps for different fuel types.
EMCS could switch engine settings using signals from the car’s cruise control, acting like a “cheat code.”
Modern cars have stronger security, making ECU tuning more difficult and requiring more advanced programming.
The article’s author once used an APR ECU chip to increase boost pressure and improve engine performance on an Audi S4.
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